the Royal Agricultural Society. 
3 
At the time of the renaissance of these societies the migratory 
principle was generally adopted. The 'Highland Society, which 
was reorganized in 1834 under the more extended title of " The 
Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland," was probably the 
first to adopt this system, which was followed by the Yorkshire 
Society in 1837, by the Royal Agricultural Society in 1838, and 
subsequently by the Royal Irish Improvement Society, and some 
few of the leading provincial associations. The importance of 
not visiting the same district twice, except at an interval of some 
years, can scarcely be overrated, as by this means new exhibitors, 
new visitors, and new contributors to the expenses of the meetings 
are annually secured, and it is notorious that a life and activity 
have thus been infused into these meetings, of which previously 
they were in great need. 
Second only in importance to the migratory principle has been 
the rapid extension of the railway system, by which stock, imple- 
ments, and visitors have been conveyed to these shows in much 
less time and at much smaller cost, and therefore from much 
greater distances and in much larger numbers. The increased 
receipts thus obtained for admission to the shovvyards have fur- 
nished means for the offer of larger prizes, and thus increased the 
attractions of subsequent exhibitions, so that the improved mode 
of conveyance afforded by railways, and the improved policy of 
changing the places of meeting, have during the last twenty- 
five years fostered and developed these associations to an unpre- 
cedented extent, the published list for the present year containing 
the names of no less than 358 agricultural societies in Great 
Britain and Ireland. 
The circumstances which favoured the formation of the Royal 
Agricultural Society having been thus briefly described, its pro- 
gress will be best perceived by inspecting the accompanying 
statistical tables, which give the leading facts of its history in a 
compendious form. 
Statistics of the Royal Agricultural Society. — Table (A.) shows 
the number of its members and its annual income and expendi- 
ture (irrespective of the country meetings), commencing with 
1841, the first year in which the Society's balance-sheet and list 
of members were sufficiently complete to be of any value in a 
comparative point of view. Some explanatory remarks are, how- 
ever, required to prevent misconceptions. 
In column 2 will be found the number of members on the 
Society's books in each year at the time of the annual meeting in 
May. These figures give an average of 5522 for the whole 
period. A considerable deduction must, however, be made on 
account of those members who allowed their names to remain on 
B 2 
