1 Juny, 1901.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 53 
their secretaries could communicate the state of the markets in their different 
localities to the different societies acting together, the secretaries to make 
summaries of this for publication in the local papers. At the time of publica- 
tion a secretary could ee about 150 slips run off and posted to the various 
affiliated societies. A man on the Downs, who has got a good crop of maize to 
dispose of, goes to a buyer and asks what he will give for it. The reply is, 
perhaps, that there is a tremendous quantity of maize coming down from 
Bundaberg, and that, therefore, so-and-so dnly can be given. The grower, 
knowing nothing to the contrary, will, perhaps, close there and then, although 
the storekeeper may only be bluffing him. I know a case where a man had 
twenty bags of rye ready to put onthe market early in the season. A. store- 
keeper offered him 2s. per bushel, which was accepted, although rye was selling 
at the time for as much as 2s. 6d. If such a scheme as suggested, however, were 
adopted, it would prevent the possibility of such occurrences, and otherwise do 
an immense amount of good. I am sorry that Mr. Fielding did not touch 
upon certain matters that are of vital interest so far as agricultural societies are 
viewed in the light of educational factors. There are many instances where 
societies fail in carrying out their ostensible object. Maize, for instance, is a 
staple product, and some of the finest samples of it are to be seen at our shows, 
but what information do they convey beyond the fact that good maize can be 
grown? What ought to be there, to teach the farmer anything, is the name 
of the variety, its height, when it was sown, when it was harvested, and, more 
important still, whether it is suitable for late or early sowing, for there are 
kinds of maize admirably suited for spring crops, but which are failures when 
sown for late crops, and vice versd. If it were made a condition that an exhibit 
which obtained a prize should bear its correct name and the information I have 
suggested, then the competition would be educational. A collection of apples 
was exhibited at a late Toowoomba show, and amongst them was a variety 
described as Uncle’s Favourite. A gentleman who was pleased with its appear- 
ance came to me for some trees of it, but as I had never heard of sucha variety 
as Unele’s Favourite, I made inquiries, with the result that I found the apple 
was really Trivitt’s Seedling. Supposing the exhibitor had fixed the name 
Ribstone Pippin to this particular apple, anda novice, on the strength of it, 
ordered a dozen Ribstone Pippins from a nurseryman. When the trees came 
into bearing, he would find they produced an apple totally different to the one 
he had been led to expect. 
Mr. T. pp M. Murray-Prior (Maroon) : I should like to say a few words 
on Mr. Fielding’s very able paper, and those are on the subject of judging. I 
cannot agree with Mr. Robinson that judges should not give their opinions 
ublicly. If people send stock to shows they must be prepared for criticism. 
hey should not send stock to shows solely for sale, but should send a beast 
there to compete on its merits. If judges are fit for their position, they should 
be prepared to state their reasons for their decisions. Until that is done, we 
shall not have as successful shows—that is, successful from the educational 
point of view—as we might have. Itis a pity that some method cannot be 
started whereby competent judges can be nominated for all our shows. Mr. 
Moffat has explained to you Mr. Mahon’s method of judging at our 
Fassifern show, and I think every judge ought to be prepared to follow that 
example. I feel very strongly on the subject of Mr. Peek’s very able paper, 
for I appreciate keenly what we producers lack in combination. We are 
wanting in organisation, and, as Mr. Deacon said yesterday, while we are 
lacking that, we shall not progress as we should. Here we are at the fifth 
meeting of the Agricultural Conference, and if we are not educated sufficiently 
by this time to have a chamber of agriculture we have done very little good. 
I think myself that we are quite fit for it, and that we ought to formulate a 
scheme for inaugurating it. Mr. Peek has, perhaps, been a little ambitious, and 
has tried to fly too far. It would, perhaps, be better if we proceeded slowly 
and approached the subject in the proper manner. In the first place, Mr. Peek 
has not dealt with the way in which we should get the funds for the suggested 
