April, 1909.] 



373 



Miscellaneous- 



which have done this. To a certain 

 extent it may be so ; the societies, after 

 all, are the parents of the shows. 



Having touched lightly on the privi- 

 leges afforded to owners of stock by the 

 use of comparison, Ave now come to the 

 emulation which showyards create ; and 

 this must be a valuable constituent of 

 their worth, and stimulate the produc- 

 tion of high-class stock. The Briton is 

 at all times fond of competition ; in 

 whatever pursuits he may be engaged, 

 he profoundly dislikes being beaten. If 

 it had not been for this enterprising 

 spirit we should not have held the place 

 Ave do in the world as breeders of 

 pedigree stock ; we owe it entirely to 

 our individual patience and persever- 

 ance. In France, in Germany, in Russia, 

 and other Continental countries, breeders 

 have to be encouraged by State help. 

 Here it is left to private enterprise, and 

 long may it be so, for it makes us self- 

 reliant and dependent on our own long- 

 practised judgment. 



Now Ave come to the advertising 

 medium of showyards, or the oppor- 

 tunity they afford for publishing, so to 

 speak, the best markets for our goods. 

 It is a well-known fact that the 

 temperate climate of the British Isles 

 fits them for being in a large measme 

 the Avorld's nurseries of pedigree stock. 

 We are subject to none of those vari- 

 ations from which many parts of the 

 globe suffer ; no extremes of cold, heat, 

 or drought; and therefore we under- 

 stand why the outlander, impeded or 

 frustrated by failure on account of these 

 extremes, comes to our shores for rein- 

 forcement and renewing of blood. 



It is, then, to the centralising depots 

 of our showyards that the foreigner or 

 colonial makes his way, knoAving that 

 there he Avill meet the best products of 

 the district, county, or couutry ; Avhile 

 in the carefully-prepared catalogue he 

 Avill find a ready reference to the names 

 and addresses of owners and breeders of 

 the particular breeds he seeks. 



In speaking of the advertising value of 

 shows, I must not omit to allude to the 

 great assistance afforded by the Press in 

 its periodical reports of these exhibitions, 

 giving lists and descriptions of the prize- 

 Aviuuers, and calling attention to even 

 less fortunate exhibits ; these reports 

 are distributed to our daily and weekly 

 papers, and thence go out to the world 

 at large. 



So far my remarks have been entirely 

 confined to stock, but the agricultural 

 showyard contains many other desirable 

 exhibits ; the implement yards alone 

 would repay considerable expenditure 

 of time and attention. 



Whether at the Royal, the Highland, 

 or tlte larger county shows, the Avould- 

 be purchaser requiring a plough, a 

 harrow, a binder, or engine finds a large 

 and varied choice, Avell suited to all sorts 

 of soils and situations ; and the plan 

 followed at certain shows of severely 

 testing some of the machinery, and 

 aAvarding medals and certificates of 

 merit, affords a safe guide in selecting. 



The dairy, the shoeing, the beekeepers ' 

 and seedsmen's stands, also the poultry 

 demonstrations, are all of practical im- 

 portance, and all gathered in so con- 

 centrated an area that it is possible at 

 least to run through them Avithin the 

 limits of a day's outing, and the man 

 would have indeed a clouded eye and an 

 obtuse mind Avho was unable 'to gather 

 fresh ideas, and take some, at any rate, 

 away Avith him. 



In addition to those named are all the 

 smaller exhibits— small, but none the 

 less important to the agriculturist; 

 fences, troughs, gates, pumps, and lesser 

 tools, such as rakes, forks, spades, &c. ; 

 all these can be inspected and studied 

 alike by the small crofter, the 1,000-acre 

 occupier, or the large landed proprietor. 



Some people cavil at the number of 

 small sIioavs in certain country districts. 

 I myself have been disposed to question 

 Avhether the number was not execessive, 

 as they seem at times to overlap one 

 another; but, doubtless, this is an ill 

 Avhich rights itself, for those that do not 

 pay will disappear. Our larger shows 

 monopolise so much time and expen- 

 diture that it is not everyone who can 

 afford to patronise them, extending as 

 they do from two to eight days. Now, 

 at the little one-day local shoAv the small 

 farmer can start in the morning from 

 home, take his prize, aud be back again 

 Avith his animal the same evening ; he is 

 not scared hereby what is termed the 

 professional exhibitor, but can meet his 

 like on fair grounds. It brings to the 

 front many a small breeder, and many 

 a good animal, who, in their turn finding 

 their ways thither, act as feeders to the 

 larger shows. Much responsibility, how- 

 ever, rests with the promoters and 

 councils of these local shows in initiat- 

 ing classes and providing adequate prizes 

 tor bringing out their district breeds to 

 the best advantage ; much lies Avith 

 them in encouraging the ri<?ht sort of 

 stock, suited to the requirements of the 

 day, for no doubt Ave agriculturists must 

 travel with the times. The services 

 of the best judges should be carefully 

 secured, well-known men of practised 

 judgment, who can be depended upon 

 to recognise and pick out the correct 

 stamp Through these means the 

 local shows aviII, as I suggested above, 



