lxxvi 
Monthly Council , November 1, 1905. 
position with the object of making 
such further economies as might be 
possible. They pointed out, in the 
first place, that the very considerable 
economies in the Chemical Department 
effected at the beginning of the present 
year had not yet had time to make 
themselves felt. It might be remem- 
bered that, as the outcome of the 
report of the Sub- Committee on 
Finance, presented in May, 1901, there 
was a reduction of 150Z. per annum 
made in Dr. Yoelcker’s salary; and 
further, the allowance of 400Z., given 
to Dr. Voelcker for the work of his 
laboratory, salaries of assistants, &c., 
was dropped, Dr. Voelcker taking in 
return the fees paid by Members for 
analyses, which amounted in 1904 to 
330Z. Accordingly there was, as com- 
mencing from January, 1905, a direct 
saving of about 220Z., which would 
appear for the first time when the 
accounts for 1905 were presented. 
The present cost of the Chemical De- 
partment, inclusive of the Pot-culture 
Station at Woburn, did not exceed 
650Z. per annum, this including Dr. 
Voelcker’s salary (550Z.), printing, &c. 
(say 50Z.), and the balance required 
(about 501.) to pay the salary of the 
assistant at the Pot-culture Station 
(200 Z.), over and above what was 
received from the Hills’ Bequest. The 
Committee did not feel that they could 
sensibly decrease the expenditure 
further at present, though opportunity 
for doing so would be taken should it 
offer. The Committee had reviewed 
the work of the Woburn Experimental 
Station, and they desired to call the 
attention of the Council to the fact that, 
owing to the liberality of the Duke of 
Bedford, the work of the Station 
entailed at present no charge on the 
finances of the Society beyond a pro- 
portion of Dr. Voelcker’s salary. The 
Committee were of opinion that, with 
the economies already effected, they 
might reasonably expect to be able to 
carry on their work as in the past ; and 
they hoped that, in view of the great 
importance of the Society’s Chemical 
Department, no further curtailment of 
its work would be found necessary. 
Stock Prizes Committee. 
Mr. Greaves (Chairman) reported 
that the Committee had considered a 
draft of the prize sheet for the Show 
of 1906, on the lines laid down by the 
Special Committee, viz., that the total 
amount of the prizes offered by the 
Society should not exceed 4,000Z. 
The Committee had considered a 
communication from the Polled Cattle 
Society asking that the age of Aber- 
deen Angus cattle should be reckoned 
as from December 1 instead of 
January 1, and proposed that in 
the prize sheet for 1906 the ages of 
Aberdeen Angus animals should be 
calculated as from December 1. 
The Committee recommended that the 
Ayrshire cows or heifers should be 
shown in-milk only ; that the auction 
sales should be held, as usual, in the 
Showyard ; and that facilities be 
afforded to exhibitors of stock for 
showing their animals for the purpose 
of sale, a privilege already granted in 
the case of exhibitors of horses. They 
also recommended that sheep entered 
for competition for the Society’s prizes 
must be entered or certified as eligible 
for entry in the Flock Book of their 
breed, provided that the Flock Book 
had been in existence for five years ; 
and that the regulations with regard 
to the shearing of sheep exhibited in 
the Society’s Showyard be omitted 
from the prize sheet. 
Date for Calculation of Ages of Aberdeen 
Angus Cattle. 
Mr. John Thornton said that, 
with reference to the recommendation 
of the Stock Prizes Committee on the 
subject of the calculation of the 
ages of Aberdeen Angus cattle from 
December 1, instead of January 1, it 
hardly seemed just that the ages 
of one breed of cattle should be so 
reckoned, when in all other breeds 
of live stock the age dated from 
January 1. 
Mr. Ralph Palmer said he desired 
to support what had fallen from Mr. 
Thornton, as he failed to appreciate 
the reason why Aberdeen Angus cattle 
should date from December 1, and 
the ages of Galloways should date 
from January 1. He was of the 
opinion that, if any alteration were 
made in this direction, it should apply 
to all classes of stock at their Show, 
and not to any particular breed. He 
