Deputation from Royal Counties Agricultural Society, ciii 
found wanting-, were four times as 
many as in 1888, while at the Win- 
chester Show this year the absent 
exhibits exceeded by eighty-eight 
those of last year's show. Exhibitors 
would not incur the expense of 
sending to the Royal Counties Show 
after they had been beaten at the 
"Royal." They had the same difficulty 
in regard to the implement exhibitors. 
Since the date had been changed the 
number had fallen considerably, the 
average of implement exhibitors 
during the last two years being 50 
per cent, below the average of the 
five preceding years. Foreign buyers 
did not attend the Royal Counties 
Show because they went home 
immediately after the "Royal" Show. 
He earnestly hoped that the members 
of the Council would consider whether 
— in consequence of the Royal 
Counties having to hold their Meeting 
at the time named — the period of the 
year would not have very serious and 
prejudicial effects upon the fortunes of 
a very much smaller, less important, 
but certainly thriving Society, and 
whether they could not prevent this 
by reverting to the older period for 
their annual Country Meeting. 
No other members of the deputa- 
tion desiring to offer any observations, 
The President said it was his 
duty, on behalf of the Council, to 
thank them for coming there that day 
to explain the reasons of the change 
which they suggested. He could 
assure them that the statement so 
clearly made by Lord Basing would 
be most carefully considered by the 
Council. It would not be in accord- 
ance with his duty or the convenience 
of the Council that he should attempt 
hastily to give an answer to the 
important points brought forward. 
There was, however, one matter to 
which he would like to take an ex- 
ception. He could assure his friend 
Lord Basing, an old Parliamentary 
colleague of his own, that there was 
no desire on the part of the " Royal" 
Society to "absorb" the duties of other, 
not rival, but local societies. In proof 
of that he would point to the effect of 
the operations of that great Society 
in the success with which county 
shows were held all over the kingdom. 
The Council thanked them very much 
for their attendance, and their answer 
would be conveyed in writing to the 
Royal Counties Society. 
The deputation then withdrew, and 
the President declared the question 
open to discussion. 
The Mayor of Doncaster (Mr. 
Joseph Firth Clark), on behalf of the 
Local Committee, stated that there 
were reasons which made it exceed- 
ingly important that the date of 
Meeting should not be changed from 
the third week in June. 
The Earl of Feversham sug- 
gested that perhaps Sir Jacob Wil- 
son, or some one who had had long 
experience in the affairs of the 
Society, would state the peculiar 
advantages which were supposed to 
exist in the change from the former 
date to the present. He had no 
doubt that there were excellent 
reasons for the change, but he should 
like to know what the reasons were 
for continuing the changed date. 
Sir Jacob Wilson said unfortu- 
nately he was not present at the 
meeting of the General Doncaster 
Committee when the matter was dis- 
cussed that morning, but he had been 
very carefully into the matter with 
the Secretary and others, and they 
had come to the decision that the 
week commencing June 22nd was 
certainly the right week for the Don - 
caster Show, and that this period of 
the year was generally most suitable 
for their Meeting. The farmers of 
England had come to the conclusion 
that this was the best wtek for their 
purpose, not only on the ground that 
it suited holiday-makers, but because 
it was a most convenient week with 
reference to the hay harvest and other 
operations of the farm, and the ani- 
mals were best fitted for showing at 
that time. There were other consi- 
derations which might be mentioned, 
but he thought he need not point 
to anything more than the weather 
which they had had during the 
last two years. Their experience 
of the weather during the present 
season, and certainly during the 
Windsor Show, showed that they had 
selected the right week. The Council 
did not of course wish to offend the 
susceptibilities of any other Society, 
but really he must demur to the 
interests of this large national Society 
