lxxx 
Monthly Council , December 6, 1905. 
desired, under the new order of things, 
that the ages should he reckoned from 
December 1. 
Mr. Greaves thought the Society 
must go even further. If they allowed 
any of the breeds to choose their own 
dates, they must allow all the breeds 
to do likewise. It would not be fair 
on the application of one breed to fix 
a certain date without consulting the 
other breeds. 
Mr. Middleton said that all 
animals had to be eligible for entry in 
their respective Herd Books. If so, 
they ought to take the dates from those 
books. It might be assumed that the 
different Societies knew the require- 
ments of their own breeds best. If the 
Society required the cattle to be 
entered in the books of their breed, 
they might leave it to the Breed 
Societies to fix the date themselves. 
Mr. Stratton said that before the 
amendment was put he should like to 
mention that that was the third 
occasion that the motion had been 
brought up as a recommendation from 
the Stock Prizes Committee, viz., that 
the petition of the Aberdeen Angus 
Society that the ages of Aberdeen 
Angus cattle should be calculated from 
December 1 be granted. He had hoped 
that this would be the last time that 
this matter would have been brought 
before the Society, and that the petition 
would be granted. Mr. Palmer’s argu- 
ments against the motion were very 
interesting from the point of view of 
ancient history, but they would not 
avail now. The Society allowed the 
Dorset sheep breeders to take their 
dates at a different time from the 
others. Having done so, the bottom 
was knocked out entirely of Mr. 
Palmer’s arguments, as well as of the 
others who opposed the Committee’s 
recommendation. He did not think 
there was any objection to the recom- 
mendation amongst the breeders. He 
might say that it was something like 
twenty-five years ago since the sug- 
gestion was first made by the Aberdeen 
Angus Association, and they had per- 
sistently followed it ever since. 
The Society’s refusal to meet the 
wishes thus expressed had occasioned 
a great deal of ill-feeling, and it had 
no doubt caused much unpopularity 
to arise in connection with the 
Society. Surely it was politic for 
them to consider the wishes of the 
Breed Societies, as their Society was 
practically a reflection of them. It 
had been clearly demonstrated that 
the continuance of the old date had 
militated very much against the Aber- 
deen Angus breed. They could not 
compete on the best terms, and he 
(Mr. Stratton) did not think that they 
ought to put anything in the way of 
their competing on the best possible 
terms. 
Sir John Gilmour supported what 
had fallen from Mr. Stratton, as he was 
of the opinion that the time had 
arrived when the Council should come 
to a decision on this matter. There 
was no more enthusiastic class of men 
at the Shows than the breeders of 
Aberdeen Angus cattle, and to grant 
their wishes could not but have a good 
effect upon the membership of the 
Society and upon the representation of 
the breed at the Show. All the other 
Societies except the Royal had adopted 
the 1st December date, and he thought 
the time had certainly come when the 
Council should adopt the finding of the 
Stock Prizes Committee. 
The President having formally 
put Mr. Palmer’s amendment to the 
meeting, it was declared lost, and the 
recommendation of the Stock Prizes 
Committee was adopted. 
Committee of Selection. 
Sir John Thorold (Chairman) 
reported that Mr. James Falconer, 
of Northbrook Farm, Micheldever 
Station, Hants, had been duly elected 
under Bye-laws 84 and 88 as an 
ordinary Member of the Council for 
the Division of Hampshire, to fill the 
vacancy caused by the election of the 
Earl of Northbrook as a Vice- 
President. He also reported that for 
the four divisions — Cornwall, Dorset, 
Essex, and South Wales — in which 
there were vacancies on the Council 
to be filled up, the following Members 
had received the largest number of 
votes : — Cornwall : Mr. George Lobb, 
of Lawhitton, Launceston. Dorset : 
Mr. Arthur Hiscock, jun., of Manor 
Farm, Motcombe. Essex : Mr. John 
Barker, of The Grange, Bishop 
Stortford. South Wales : Mr. C. 
Coltman Rogers, of Stanage Park, 
