viii 
Report to the General Meeting. 
The Council have decided to hold a competition for shoeing 
smiths in the Newcastle Showyard in three classes : — 
Class 1. — Agricultural horses 6Z., 4Z., 3?., 21., 11. 
Class 2.— Dray horses 6^., 4Z., 2,1, 21, \l. 
Class 3. — Hunters and roadsters .. .. 6?., 4Z., 3Z., 2Z., IZ. 
The competition will be confined to the district of the Show, 
and no competitor will be allowed to enter in more than one 
class. 
The Stock Prize-sheet for the Newcastle Meeting contains 
additional classes for Shire, Agricultural, and Clydesdale 
Horses, Hunters, Hackneys, and Ponies, including those used 
specially for pit purposes, as well as for Dairy Cattle, Border 
Leicester, Cheviot, Black-faced Mountain, Lonk, and Herdwick 
Sheep — all offered by the Local Committee ; while the Society 
has added to its own usual list Prizes for Aberdeen-Angus, 
Galloway, Ayrshire, Highland, and Kerry Cattle ; and, as usual, 
many Champion Prizes are offered by Herd-book and other 
Societies. The Prizes for Cheese are offered exclusively for 
those made in 1886, with the exception of the soft Cheeses, 
which must be of 1887 make. The Poultry Classes have been 
altered so as to include only a Cock and one Hen, instead of a 
Cock and three Hens as heretofore. 
Prizes for the best-managed Farms in Northumberland and 
Durham have been offered by the Local Committee in five 
classes, and a Champion Prize of lOOZ. has been offered by the 
Newcastle Farmers' Club for the best Farm in the first four 
classes. Twenty-seven Farms have been entered for competi- 
tion, and the Judges will commence their first inspection in the 
course of a few days. 
An invitation from the authorities of Nottingham to hold* the 
Show of 1888 in that locality having been received by the 
Council, a Committee of Inspection has been appointed to visit 
and report upon the sites, and other accommodation offered for 
the purpose. 
A Committee has been appointed by the Council, to confer 
with other Societies, on the question of rates charged by Rail- 
way Companies for the conveyance of Breeding Animals during 
the season. 
The Chemical Laboratory has been made use of by Members 
