Report of Stock Prizes Committee. 
XXXI 
the Board of Agriculture, the Veteri- 
nary Department was left with only 
two gentlemen, most eminent in their 
profession, Mr. Cope and Mr. Duguid, 
who were now doing, or attempting 
to do — he felt sure most conscien- 
tiously — the work which had formerly 
been done by three. The cattle 
plague in 1877 was stamped out with 
an expenditure of 7,0007. after the 
Veterinary Department had been 
established on its present footing. 
In the previous epidemic, when the 
Department was less highly organised, 
the “ stamping out ” process had cost 
some millions of money. It was not, 
therefore, a very exaggerated state- 
ment to make that, as a consequence 
of the Veterinary Department being 
equal to the task of dealing with these 
terrible diseases, the country had 
been a great gainer from a monetary 
point of view. He asked whether 
that was the time when the Veterinary 
Department ought to be weakened. 
On the contrary, he thought it ought 
to be strengthened. They knew at that 
moment, from the public piints, and 
from the report of the Veterinary Com- 
mittee, that there was a considerable 
amount of swine fever in this country, 
and that a praiseworthy attempt was 
being made by the Board of Agri- 
culture to get rid of that disease. It 
was also well known that, in order to 
arrive at a conclusion as to the best 
means of eradicating swine fever, an 
enormous quantity of post-mortem 
examinations were necessary. He 
therefore ventured to suggest that 
this was not the time when the 
Veterinary Department should be 
weakened. Supposing that there 
were only two professional gentlemen 
left to do the work of the Department, 
and that there were a sudden out- 
break of disease, a breakdown of the 
machinery might occur, with serious 
consequences to the community at 
large. He thought that it would 
not be at all satisfactory to the 
agriculturists of this country unless 
to succeed Professor Brown an ap- 
pointment was made without delay 
of a gentleman, as eminent in the vete- 
rinary profession as could be found, 
to occupy the position that had been 
filled by Professor Brown with so 
much credit to himself and such ad- 
vantage to the country. (Hear, hear.) 
Professor Brown said he should be 
glad to be permitted to express his 
personal satisfaction at the very kind 
remarks which his Grace the Duke 
of Richmond and Gordon and Mr. 
Dent had made as to the Veteri- 
nary officers and the Veterinary 
Department. In 1878 the Duke of 
Richmond had reorganised the De- 
partment which then existed, and 
appointed himself and his colleagues, 
who had worked with him long 
before that time, and since. His 
colleagues would be very greatly 
gratified when he reported to them 
what he had heard that day in their 
favour. So far as the question of his 
retirement and the future arrange- 
ments of the Veterinary Department 
were concerned, it could not be desir- 
able that he should say anything 
more than this, which he was autho- 
rised to say, viz., that the whole 
question of his retirement and of his 
future connection -with the Board of 
Agriculture was under consideration. 
His chief object in rising now was to 
thank the Council very heartily on 
behalf of his colleagues and himself 
for the very cordial way in which 
they had expressed their appreciation 
of their services. 
Stock Prizes. 
Mr. Sanday reported his election 
as Chairman of the year. The first- 
prize animal in Class 51 at the Ches- 
ter Meeting (Mr. Robert Thompson’s 
Shorthorn heifer “ Margaretta Milli- 
cent ”) and the second-prize animal 
in Class 80 (Mr. Ellis’s Welsh heifer 
“ Tiny ”) having failed to comply 
with the Society’s regulations as to 
calving, the Committee recommended 
that these two animals be disquali- 
fied, and the three prizes in Class 54 
and the second and third prizes 
in Class 80 be awarded as follows : — 
Class 54. 
No. 577, First Prize of 157. to Edward 
Ecroyd for “ Armathwaite Rose ” (Second 
Prize). 
No. 573, Second Prize of 107. to C. W. Brierley 
for “Rosedale Georgie” (Third Prize). 
No. 576, Third Prize to David Cooper for 
“ Lady Agnes ” (Reserve Number). 
Class 80. 
No. 795, Second Prize of 107. to W. E. 
Oakley for “Eog Myrtle” (Third Prize). 
No. 797, Third Prize of 57. to Hon. F. G. 
Wynn for “ Glyn Agnes ” (Reserve Number). 
