XXIV 
Monthly Council , May 7, 1913. 
Her Majesty values such kind words of condolence with her in her great grief 
Society of England. fr ° m S ° large and influential a bod y a § the Royal Alricultural 
I have the honour to be, Sir, 
Your obedient Servant, 
(Signed) D. M. PROBYN, General, 
The SECRETARY, Comptroller to 1 Efer Majesty 
Royal Agricultural Society ^ een A,exandra - 
of England. 
Before p r ° cee dmg with the ordinary business, the President reported 
officially the death at the age of eighty-four, of Mr. Joseph Martin, of Little- 
poi , Ely, who had been a Member of that Council for upwards of thirty years, 
laving been elected to it so far back as 1874. Many of those present would 
remember him as a colleague and fellow-worker in the interests of agriculture 
with which industry he had been connected all his life. Since his resignation 
Him the Council 111 1905 ’ Martin had maintained his interests in the 
Society and had been a regular attendant at the General Meetings of Members 
on which occasions he had been frequently a speaker. 
Those Members of the Council who knew Mr. Martin would feel great regret 
at hearing of his death, and it would be the general wish of the Council that he, 
as President, should convey an expression of this to the members of the family. 
lne minutes of the last meeting of the Council, held on April 2, 1913 
were taken as read and approved. 
p Mr ‘ Cap T el Banbury, of Pontypool Park, Monmouthshire, and Mr. E 
Page, of Warren Hall, Broughton, Chester, were elected Governors, and seventy 
duly nominated candidates were elected Members. 
Mr Rogers, in presenting the Report of the Botanical and Zoological 
Committee, referred to the deputation who went to the Board of Agriculture 
on the previous day upon the question of the establishment of a Seed Control 
Station, and stated that Mr. Runciman had said he would consider the matter. 
In presenting the Report of the Veterinary Committee, which was received 
anc adopted Lord Northbrook called .the attention of the Council to the 
offer of the Royal Veterinary College to assist the Members in cases of out- 
D1 fwn° f ab °!'. tl0n ' ^ hlch he b °Ped might prove an important step in dealing 
with the question. Sir John McFadyean had informed the Committee that, as 
the result of experiments which had been carried out during the past few years 
ie presence of contagious abortion in cattle can be discovered by testing the 
un U f °/i th S amma1 ' and tb at, in his opinion, this test was completely reliable. 
What the Royal Veterinary College were offering to Members of the Society 
was this, that when a case of abortion occurs in cattle, the Member may give 
notace to the College, who will carry out -a test of the blood. If that test 
shows that the animal is not suffering from contagious abortion, well and good, 
and the mind of the owner is relieved of any anxiety. If, on the other hand, 
t be shown that the animal is infected with contagious abortion, the College 
M ill test the blood of the other animals on the farm to discover how many of 
hose are infected and they will then advise the owner as to the method in 
which they should be dealt with, how they should be treated, and the best 
steps that should be taken for freeing the herd from disease. This they are 
wffp aie Q- m d i? f S e ^ f /° St ’ and . to treat as man y cases as they are able to deal 
. mi John Mcladyean thinks they will be able to undertake cases that 
are sent to approximately the number of 100. The only expense which the 
<mnei will incur will be the cost of taking a sample of blood and sending that 
sample to the Royal Veterinary College. Sir John McFadyean wishes to make 
two conditions, one that the sample of blood shall be taken and shall be trans- 
mitted to the College by a qualified veterinary surgeon, and the other is that 
V 1 0Wner n 1 n 1, 80 f mi as ^ he 1S i ble ’ cari T out the advice given him by the 
fri ti nar p C °! The C ° uncif would to thank Sir John McFadyean 
and the Royal Veterinary College for the offer, which, he thought, they would 
toMeXs of en t e h”soc°iet; alld to be of great advantage 
