886 = 620 The Royal Agricultural Society of England. 
No. 
I. Botanical. 
10 
f 
1* 
5 f« 
5 
10 
1. A report on the purity, amount and nature of foreign materials, 
perfectness and germinating power of a sample of seeds 
2. Detailed report on the weight, purity, perfectness, and germinating 
power of a sample of seeds, with a special description of the weeds 
and other foreign materials contained in it 
3. Determination of the species of any weed or other plant, or of any 
epiphyte or vegetable parasite, with a report on its habits, and the 
means of its extermination or prevention 
4. Report on any disease affecting the farm crop 
5. Determination of the species of a collection of natural grasses found 
in any district on one kind of soil, with a report on their habits 
and pasture value 
II. Zoological. 
6. Determination of the species of any insect, worm, or other animal 
which, in any stage of its life, injuriously aflects the farm crops, 
with a report on its habits and suggestions as to its extermination 5 
In other respects, Mr. Carruthers's duties are similar to Dr. 
Voelcker's ; but the Council have only recently decided to pub-i] 
lish the names of those dealers who supply the Members with 
bad or mixed seed. For this delay there are two reasons, 
viz., (1) there is a special statute, known as the " Adulteration 
of Seeds Act," which imposes penalties on persons convicted o) 
killing or dyeing, or causing to be killed or dyed, any kind ol 
seed ; and (2) this department of the Society has not been in 
operation long enough to bring the Members into the habit 
of systematically submitting their seeds for examination. There 
can be little doubt, however, that in a few years the facilities 
offered for the detection of bad, killed, or dyed seed, and of the 
presence of seeds of injurious weeds or parasites, will be more 
highly appreciated by the Members of the Society. 
Veterinary. — This department is organised upon analogous 
though not exactly similar principles to those just described. 
For many years the Society was intimately connected with the 
Royal Veterinary College, and the Principal of that Establish- 
ment (Professor Simonds, whose services to the Society in past 
years it would be difficult to exaggerate) is still the^ Consulting 
Veterinary Surgeon of the Society. The practical work of the 
department, however, is now done by the officers of the " Brown 
Institution," which was established for the investigation of the 
diseases of animals useful to man. Members of the Society 
have privileges with respect to the diseases of cattle, sheep, and 
pigs, as follows : — 
I. — Sekious or Extensive Diseases. 
No. 1. Any Member of the Society who may desire professional attendacco 
and special advice in cases of serious or extensive disease among liis cattle, 
