lxxvi 
Anniversary Meeting, May 22, 1894. 
list of the members — that issued at 
the end of December 1892 — he found 
that there were eighty-four members 
of the Society who had free life mem- 
berships owing to their having passed 
this examination. He had taken 
some little trouble to find out what 
was the present occupation of these 
members. From fourteen he had as 
yet no return whatever, owing to 
their residence abroad or in the 
Colonies, but of the remaining seventy 
only two wrote to say that they were 
not, at the present time, intimately 
connected with agriculture. Ten 
were engaged in farming, twenty- 
three were land agents, eighteen were 
teachers at different centres, such 
as Edinburgh University, Newcastle- 
on-Tyne, Reading, Cairo, Poonah, 
&c., and seventeen were either 
small landowners or were otherwise 
intimately connected with the agri- 
cultural industry. He believed that 
Mr. Pell, who was responsible for the 
motion, said that all these young men 
were elected at too small a composi- 
tion. Let them, then, increase the 
amount of the life composition to 20Z., 
or, if they preferred, revert to the 
decision come to by the Couucil in 
December, which was to award life 
memberships every year to the first 
five successful candidates in the 
Senior Examination. He did not 
wish to move any amendment to the 
Report, but he should like to have 
some explanation of this change of 
policy on the part of the Council. 
Professor Wallace wished to add 
a word or two in support of what had 
been said by Mr. Dickson. He could 
assure them that it would prove one 
of the greatest misfortunes to agri- 
cultural teaching if these life mem- 
berships were withdrawn, especially 
at this moment. They had great dif- 
ficulties in getting the County 
Councils to do something for agricul- 
tural education, and if a great Society ' 
like that were to take away one of 
the most important honours open to 
students, he thought it would be a 
most unfortunate thing for the in- 
terests of agricultural education. 
The President said he was not 
present at the meeting of the Council 
at which this change was unanimously 
resolved upon ; but the gentlemen 
who brought this subject forward 
would probably be satisfied if he in- 
formed them that the matter would 
be reconsidered by the Council as a 
suggestion from the general meeting. 
Suggestions. 
In response to the usual inquiry 
from the Chair as to whether any 
Governor or member had any remarks 
to make or suggestions to offer that 
might be referred to the Council for 
consideration, 
Mr. J. Kersley Fowler suggested 
that some attention should be given 
by the Council to the growth of sugar 
beetroot in this country. A large 
number of stations had recently been 
set apart in the Kingdom for 
testing the saccharine contained in 
the roots grown. In every instance 
the amount of the saccharine con- 
tained in the roots in almost every 
part of England, Scotland, and Ire- 
land was equal to that of Belgium, 
France, and Germany, showing that 
this country really could and ought 
to grow the whole of the sugar which 
it at present imported from abroad. 
Mr. Frederick King reviewed the 
progress which had been made by the 
Society since it first met at Cavendish 
Square, and held its first meeting at 
Oxford in 1839. and referred to the 
Society's great indebtedness to those 
gentlemen who had so generously 
helped them to acquire their new 
premises at Harewood House. 
Vote of Thanks to Chairman. 
No other member rising, 
Mr. C. C. Cotes said he had great 
pleasure in proposing a vote of thanks 
to the Duke of Devonshire for pre- 
siding. 
Mr. W. Barrow Simonds seconded 
the motion, which was put by the 
Secretary, and carried unanimously. 
The President thanked the meet- 
ing very much for their kind vote of 
thanks. He hoped that most of them 
would meet upon the next occasion of 
their meeting at Cambridge, and lie 
trusted that the Show would be as 
successful as any in former years, 
and worthy of the great pains which 
had been taken by the Council and its 
Committees in all the preparations. 
The proceedings then terminated. 
