Thursdmj, December 10, 1891. 
clxxxv 
Ue was told that all claims for acci- 
dents, &c. only applied when full 
rates were paid. He thought some 
improvement should be made in that 
respect. Then the implement ex- 
hibitors were under an immense dis- 
advantage because they were com- 
pelled to pay full rates for their 
servants both going to and returning 
from the Show. In the case of ex- 
hibitors of stock they were able to 
have one or two men carried free with 
their animals. The implement ex- 
hibitors were unable to take advantage 
of excursion tickets, inasmuch as their 
employes had to attend the Show, in 
many cases, da)'s and weeks before 
the Show opened, and they did not 
return until some time afterwards. 
Mr. Barham also criticised the trials 
of cream separators which took place 
at Doncaster this year, saying that 
the Society's trials should be so ex- 
haustive and complete that agricul- 
turists who had to buy a machine 
should know which was the best one. 
3Ir. C. F. Hope made suggestions 
in regard to increased facilities for 
passenger traffic to the Shows through 
the issue by railway companies of 
contract tickets, and, as an agricul- 
tural lecturer, suggested the granting 
of facilities for photographing prize 
animals in the showyard, to be used 
as illustrations of approved points. 
Mr. J. K. FoAVLEB suggested that 
the system of steam cultivation should 
again be brought to the front. Some 
years ago, he was very much inter- 
ested in the subject as a tenant farmer, 
and had his own set of tackle. Since 
that time there had been improve- 
ments made, and he thought the time 
had now come when the Society 
should give some opportunity for the 
inventors of those most valuable im- 
plements again to come into competi- 
tion. The subject was now being 
talked about by the Farmers' Club ; 
and he thought it quite right that the 
Society should consider it them- 
selves. He also referred to an inter- 
esting article by their Secretary in the 
Journal for June, on " Sugar-Beet Cul- 
tivation in Austria," and called atten- 
tion to the fact that this countrj', espe- 
cially Ireland, could produce immense 
quantities of sugar from Silesian beet. 
He had visited Ireland, and found 
that the cliciatic influences of that 
country and a great part of England 
could be shown to be available for the 
production of sugar, as well as in 
Holland, Belgium, and a great part 
of the Continent. It was not perhaps 
known to the general public that 75 
per cent, of the sugar consumed in 
England was beet root sugar, and 
only 25 per cent, was cane sugar. 
We paid Germany, France, Austria, 
Belgium, and Holland 15,000,000?. 
sterling per annum for a product 
which he was quite confident could 
be grown in this country. It was 
time, therefore, that that Society 
should see whether this great indus- 
try could not be developed. It was 
possible that a committee might be 
formed to get all the information 
they could on this important subject. 
It would be said that the bounty 
system was difficult to overcome : 
within a few months that would be 
materially altered ; but one of the 
great reasons why the governments 
of the Continent offered these bounties 
was not so much as a fiscal operation 
as for the improvement of the agri- 
culture of the country. The immense 
improvement in the fertility of the 
soil around which beetroot culture was 
carried on was quite sufficient induce- 
ment for the governments of the 
Continent to offer a bounty. 
Votes of Thanks to Chairman. 
Mr. R. Jasper Mobe, M.P., in pro- 
posing a vote of thanks to the Presi- 
dent for presiding over the meeting, 
said that in these days they in London 
heard a great deal of those who were 
at both ends of the agricultural 
ladder, the great landlords in the 
House of Lords, and the agricultural 
labourers. They did not hear so 
much as they could wish of the 
farmers. The best chance these had 
of being able to make their opinions 
felt in London, and of drawing at- 
tention to their needs, was when they 
were met by one of the great land- 
owners in the chair. He ventured to 
thank his Lordship for presiding over 
them on that occasion, and he con- 
gratulated the Society on the great 
advantage of having the chairman- 
ship of the noble Lord during the 
past year. He knew his Lordship 
chiefly as being a breeder of Short- 
horns, but he begged that he would 
