Chapter Eighteen Miscellaneous Articles
AGRICULTURAL Societies.- Mr. Monk states, 1794, "There is a Society which meets annually, on the fourth Wednesday in October, at Leicester ; it consists of about one hundred members ; the Earl of Moria is the president ; William Pochin, Esq. M.P. and J. Peach Hungerford, Esq. Vice-presidents." This society still continues, with the same president ; but the vice-presidents and time of meeting are altered. The following is their last advertisment, 1807 :
Leicestershire and Rutlandshire Agricultural Society.
At the annual meeting of the Society held at the Three Crowns Inn, in Leicester, on Friday, the 2d day of October, 1807,
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Present, |
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Rev. Charles Swann, |
J. E. Carter, Esq. |
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The following premiums are offered for the year 1808 :
To the person who shall produce the best estimate of the comparative advantage between the use of oxen and horses in husbandry work - 25 guineas.
To the person who shall make the best comparative experiment between the effects of fresh dung and rotten dung, arising from the same species of animal and forage, upon grass land within one year ; the extent not being less than one acre for each kind of dung - 10 guineas.
N.B. dung not to be considered fresh after the third day.
To the person who shall, on the day of the annual meeting for 1808, produce a pen of five of the best fat shear-hogs, to have been fed with grass, hay, or roots, and not to have had corn or cake - 10 guineas
For the second best pen of the same - 5 guineas
For a pen of five of the best 2-year old wethers - 10 guineas
For the second best pen of the same - 5 guineas
For a pen of five of the best ewes, to be shewn at the annual meeting for 1808, which shall produced and reared lambs at two years old, and the following year, the lambs not taken from the dams until Midsummer (old stile) in each year, to have been fed with grass, hay, or roots, but not to have had corn or cake - 5 guineas
For a pen of the same number of ewes that shall have been kept on natural grass alone - 5 guineas.
For the best conducted experiment for ascertaining the relative profit of different breeds of sheep in wool and carcass, strict attention being paid to the quantity of food each breed has consumed ; the weight and value when put up to feed, and when taken off, being specified, and to have been fed with artificial food, with the exception of corn and oil cake - 10 guineas.
For the second best experiment- 5 guineas,
For the best conducted experiment for ascertaining the relative profit of different breeds of sheep in wool and carcass, the same attention being used in this as in the last class, to ascertain the quantity of food consumed, the weight and value of the animals, when put to feed and taken off, to have been bred and kept on natural grass alone - 10 guineas.
For the second best experiment of the same - 5 guineas.
Note. - These premiums will not be allowed, unless the experiment in every case has extended to at least 5 sheep of some distinct breed.
For the best ox under three years old, the time when calved being ascertained as nearly as may be - 6 guineas.
For second best ditto - 4 guineas.
For the best ox under 4 years old - 5 guineas.
For the second best ditto - 3 guineas.
[To have been fed with grass and vegetables.]
For the best ox that shall have been worked from 3 years old off, to 6 years old off, or longer, the age being specified - 8 guineas.
For the second best ditto - 4 guineas.
[To have been fed with grass and vegetables or oil cake, but in the case of the latter being used, an account of the quantity consumed to be produced].
To the person who shall make the best experiment and the shortest report on the practical effects of lime upon the various sorts of land - 20 guineas.
To the person who shall state the best manner of forming compost dunghills, mentioning their materials, quantity, and place - 5 guineas.
For the best conducted experiment, ascertaining the relative advantages to be derived from soiling or grazing cattle in the usual way - 10 guineas.
The same experiment for sheep - 10 guineas.
To the person who shall have cleared not less than 5 acres of land from ant-hills, within one year, in the best and most effectual manner, the expense being stated to the committee, and it being understood that no premium will be allowed without proof of the efficacy of the measure for 3 years - 20 guineas.
The following premiums are offered for servants.
To the person having had the care of sheep, to be exhibited for the premiums, that shall appear to have rendered the most effectual service to his master, in the capacity of a shepherd - 3 guineas.
The claim for this premium to be accompanied by a testimonial from the master, as to the good conduct of the man ; which testimonial is to state the number of the sheep under such servant's care, the number of lambs reared, and other circumstances connected with such servant's duty, so as to enable the committee to form a correct judgement of his merit.
To the man who shall make the experiment as to dung, for which a premium shall be obtained - 1 guinea.
To the servant that shall be employed in working of horses and oxen in husbandry work, on which a premium shall be awarded - 2 guineas.
To the man who shall cut, lay, or plash an hedge, in the best and most effectual manner as to the preservation of the quick, and for making it a fence, the same to be ascertained by the owner and two of the committee, a premium of -3 guineas.
To the person who shall, at the annual meeting for 1808, report the most satisfactory information, as deduced from actual experiments, of the soils and situations best adapted for orchards, and of the means used in their plantation and subsequent management -10 guineas.
For the best cow that shall have produced not less than three calves, and shall be in milk at the time of shewing, the time of her last calving being ascertained by the owner -6 guineas.
For second best ditto - 4 guineas.
These premiums not to be given for any animals of mixed breeds, nor unless the particular breed is ascertained to the satisfaction of the judges.
The following conditions are to be complied with by all candidates for premiums.
Every candidate, or person appearing on his behalf, is to enter his stock or claim to a premium with the secretary, on or before the 1st day of September next, the stock to be exhibited at a time and place to be appointed by the committee. A certificate, in the following form, is to be delivered to the secretary at the time of entry :
I, A. B. do certify, that the intended to be produced for the premium offered by the Leicestershire and Rutlandshire Agricultural Society in class
is the property of
[Here shall follow a statement of such other particulars as may be required by the terms of the premium, and for ascertaining the claim of the candidate.]
(Signed)
The secretary is requested not to disclose the entries of the claims for premiums until after the 1st day of September, 1808.
All cattle shewn must be previously rendered tractable, in order to prevent accidents.
No candidate to enter more than one lot in the same class.
In every class where doubt shall arise, the committee is to decide.
There shall be no more than three judges for each description of animal, and no person is to act in that capacity in any case in which he may be interested.
Instructions to the judges. - You shall decide which is the best animal, or lot of animals, in the several classes, having a regard, in forming your judgement, to excellence and utility of form, quality of flesh, lightness of offal, propensity to fatten, and early maturity, as far as may be consistent with the special terms of the premium. Also in sheep, to quantity and quality of wool. Having signed your adjudication, you are not afterwards to propose any change, nor mention your decision till announced by the committee. You are not to disclose the opinion of each other ; and the decision of the majority is to be conclusive ; and you shall number the lots in each class in order of their merit.
G. N. NOEL, Chairman.
Mr. Samuel Stone produced a heifer only 2 years and 10 months old, which had reared a calf in 1806, and was sufficiently fat to be worth the best market price of the day.
Also another heifer, 4 years and a half old, which had had four calves.
Mr. Stone proposed to the committee to go on with experiments respecting these animals, and promised to communicate the result, at a future time, to the Agricultural Society.
Mr. Watkinson produced a cow of 8 years old which had reared 6 calves.
The above named animals had considerable merit in the opinion of the meeting, but, on account of informality in the notices of intention to shew them, could not be entitled to the premiums of the Society.
Clement Winstanley, Esq. V. P. exhibited a handsome cow, but which was not offered for any premium.
Several pens of sheep were produced, but on account of irregularity, no premiums were adjudged.
A claim from Colonel Crump was received for the premium offered for clearing land from ant-hills.
Edwyn Burnsby, Esq. Produced a drill machine, made by Mr. Hicks, of Leicester.
By order,
R. COOKE, Sec.
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Copyright Guy Etchells Ó 2001 All rights reserved. Permission is granted for all free personal and non-commercial uses. It is my intention to make all data contained herein freely available for all private, non-profit and non-commercial uses. Commercial use of any portion contained herein is expressly prohibited. |
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