xlvi Annual General Meeting of Governors and Members, 
Council of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society. The arrangements for the 
Show at Newcastle-upon-Tyne next year were progressing most satisfactorily, 
and there was every indication that the Show in that city would be one of the 
most successful the Society has ever held. The Local Committee had been 
most generous in their contributions to the Prize Fund, to which they 
were prepared to subscribe a sum not exceeding 2,000Z. This, he was sure 
would be appreciated with greater force when they saw the excellent prize- 
sheet for the Newcastle Show, which had now been finally settled. The Farm 
Prize Competitions — the revival of which was received with so much gratifica- 
tion last year — had been again instituted for farms in the district of the Show 
— namely, the counties of Northumberland and Durham. The Society had 
been able, through the generosity of one of its Members, to offer prizes 
amounting to lOOZ. for plans of farm buildings, particulars of which would be 
found in the prize-sheet to be issued shortly. For 1909 the Society had 
accepted the invitation of the authorities of Gloucester to hold the Show 
in their city. Apart from the financial result of the Lincoln Show, the most 
important financial matter was the completion of the sale of the Society’s 
valuable property in Harewood House for 46,000Z. The total result was that 
the financial position of the Society had much improved since the last annual 
meeting, and that the Reserve Fund, including investments, to-day stood 
at 14,000Z., and the 7,000Z. to be shortly added would make the total of 
the Reserve Fund of the Society 21,000Z. He regretted that the total number 
of Members on the books was only seventy more than at the last annual 
meeting, and he could not help thinking that their membership was not 
as large as it might well be. He was glad that the suggestion made to 
Members by the Secretary when sending out the Report to that meeting, that 
each Member should use his best endeavours to obtain at least one new 
subscriber, had had some result, but the matter had not yet been taken up as 
generally as it might be. He was sure that all of those present could think of 
friends and acquaintances interested in Agriculture who were not yet members 
of the “ Royal,” and he would like to take the opportunity of asking them to 
help in the matter, as a large membership was the surest foundation on which 
the Society could build. 
Adoption of Report. 
Mr. J. B. Ellis (West Barsham) said it was with much pleasure that he 
rose to move the adoption of the Report, as it was always a pleasure to under- 
take that duty when the Report was a successful one. He was sure that the 
efforts of the Council, and of their hard-working Secretary, had been the means 
of making their Show an abnormal success, and as nothing succeeded like 
success, there was no doubt that they would still go on and prosper. He was 
sure he was speaking for all the Members in expressing regret at the absence of 
their noble President. Nothing but ill-health would have kept him from 
occupying the chair on that occasion, because he had the interest of the Society 
so much at heart. They should all put forth their individual efforts to help to 
raise the membership of the “ Royal,” and he did not think that it was a very 
hard matter. He believed that thej' had now nearly 10,000 Members, and if 
each one of them would only get half-a-one apiece, they would soon increase 
their list of subscribers. — (Laughter.) — It was very gratifying to know that 
they had passed through the stage of depression, and that they now had a 
reserve of 21,000Z. He did not know that anything could be more gratifying 
than to be told that they had such a nest-egg as that. 
Mr. John Evens (Burton, Lincoln), speaking as a Lincolnshire tenant- 
farmer, had a special interest in seconding the adoption of the Report. They in 
Lincolnshire had been very proud to receive a visit from the Society, and they 
were still more proud to know that that visit had had such a splendid result. 
At the same time, he also shared the regret expressed by their Chairman — for 
they had been gaining Members all along the line during the year — that they 
had only a net gain of seventy Members. If they woukl all try to obtain one 
