102 TiMEHRI. 
which might well be copied by the other villages, not 
only in the number but also in the quality of the exhibits 
made. Year by year, the number of exhibits sent to the 
Shows has been steadily increasing, but with little appa- 
rent improvement in the quality generally. Marked 
improvement after all is but a produ6l of time, and 
there are not wanting signs that a definite beneficial effe6l 
is being produced by these annual exhibitions, as evi- 
denced by the better observance of the conditions of the 
Shows, and by the greater care in the sele6lion and the 
method of putting up of the exhibits. This year, more- 
over, was marked by very unfavourable weather conditions 
for agricultural pursuits, and some allowance must 
therefore be made for deterioration in quality on this 
account. A general comparison of the entries for this 
year may be made from the following table : — 
jSqs i8g4 i8g^ i8g6 i8gy i8g8 
Class of Plants ... 
37 
io8 
135 
390 
373 
516 
Flowers 
Fruit 
V'tables 
Economic 
39 
74 
8o 
47 
i68 
172 
45 
105 
'25 
69 
271 
271 
47 
541 
552 
121 
546 
498 
» 
Produ6ls 
Miscel- 
— 
84 
71 
298 
479 
451 
laneous 
5 
17 
12 
30 
7 
— 
j> 
Poultry 
42 
90 
87 
66 
235 
596 
535 
1.425 
2,086 
2,^98 
The entries under the various items of the Prize-list 
were this year much more distributed than in former 
shows, though an excess of competition, as it may be 
called, took place under many heads, such as in single 
crotons, sweet oranges, cassava, limes, starch, plantain 
meal and cassava meal, where the number of competitors 
was out of all proportion to the prizes offered. The 
principle of a larger number o( small prizes has thus far 
worked satisfactorily, and it is advisable in these cases 
to still further extend it, more particularly considering 
how little difference there generally is in quality in those 
exhibits where the competition is keenest. 
