The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-09-13 00:00:00

THE DO'

IRS:

Susan House, Bingham's Melcombe third, Is, Lucy Clark,
Longbredy. Ditto. between 12 and 13. 0 &I, Jane Gale, 1.
brv.ly; seemul, 4s, Sarah Ricketts, Staffonl ; third, 3r Bd, Emma
Vincent, Dewlish ; extra, V% rid, Fanny Gale, Litticbruly.
Ditto, beta een 11 and It 4s, Alice l'ype, Stafford; second,
34 iird, Cecily PArrons, Dewlish ; third, 3s, Emily Rads,
Upway. lttto,bet,eecn 10 and 11, 3. 6d, Maul Otter, Broad-
way ; eccoird, 3s, Eliz.beth House, Plldletrentlilde. Diuo,
between 9 and 10,3. Elizabeth Barton, Dowlish ; mooed, 3. 0.1,
Amelia 80n:roods, Broadway ; third, Es, Alice Braitherayte,
Piddletrenthlde. Ditto, between 8 and 0, 2. 61, Sarah Seymour,
Stafford ; second, Es, Helen Honneybun, Littlebredy ; third,
Is 81, Hannah Bush, Bingham's Melcombe. DR o, between
7 and 8, b Od, Emily Male, Melcornhe Reis; second, its, Alice
Cutler, Dewlish ; third, Is tkl. Ellen Riggs. Bingham'. Mel-
combe ; extra, Es 8.1, Ellen Abbot, Meloombe Rem*. Ditto,
between 6 and 7, 2. 0.1, Georgina Amey, Stafford ; second. Is,
Anids Honeybun, Littlebredy ; third Is 64, Emma Day,
Broadway ; :etre, b, Annie Barrett, Littlebrudy. Ditto, under
5 2., Mary pry, Lenoredy. Girl'a coloured frock, 54, Mary
Winds, Longbredy ; extra, 3s, Annie Hurst, Stinaf..rd ; gs,
Blanch Parson., Dewlish. Girl's white frock, 0, Mary A.
Barter, Dewash ; extra, 4s, Ellen Cox, Littlebredy. Knitted
steeling*, es, Elisabeth Follett, Uperay ; second, 5.. Harriet
Reid, Stafford; third 4s, Ann IL Sainways' Plush ; fourth, 3.4,
Ellen Chard, Littlebredy. Marking, Orr, Sarah J. Russell, Stins-
ford ; second, ss, &min Taylor, linsidmayne , third, 44, Susan
0. Symonds, Broralway ; fourth, 3s, Annie Slut eta, Stafford.
Patchwork quilt or covering, ss, Ann Lorries., Upway.
Woman's knitted stocking*, 7s. Marla Synods, Broadmayne ;
second, 54, Sarah Rogers, Broadway; third, 3., Ellzabeti.
pope, Bruslmayne, timockfruck, 0, Mary Loveless, Stafford;
extra, 34, Elisabeth Nutley, Upway ; 3s, Elizabeth Willis,
Broadax.) or.
The meeting woe held in the Guildhall. J. C. Manse',
Esq. presided, in the aboenee of J. Gawky, Esq., the
president for the year, and amongst the's present were:
Lady Michel, Colonel and Mrs. Bingham, the Rev. C.
W. act' Mrs. Bingham, Major Steward, Rev. Cyril and
Mrs, Wilner, Rev. A. Klambronski, Rev. H. E, and
Mrs. Ravenhill, Rev. Prebendary Li. L Nash, E. L.
Kindersley, Esq., Mrs. Kinderaley and family, Mrs. J.
, C. Manuel, Rev. Prebendary Baker, Rev. and Mr..
, Reginald Smith awl family, G. Warry, Seq., and Mrs.
Warry, Rev. J. M. Evans Rev. T. W. Knipe, Re.. 11.
J. Green, the Mayor of Dc:rehester(J. F. Hodges, E.q.),
' R. if. Eliot. Esq., Miss Buller, bliss Knipe, Mr. Raven.
hill. Rev. Ar. Bony, bliss Steward, Rev. and Mr..
L; 11. 11. Williams and family, lie,. H. Pigott, Mr. al.
Miller, Miss Miller, Rev. W. and Mrs. Uiquhart, and
, Rev. P. D. 0. Sylvester. The hail was well filled with
' the competitors and their friends.

In opening the prooedings, the Cuniattair said he was
there as • substitute for Mr. Gundry, who was away
from home in esonsequenee of the illness of his wife. It
must be a source of gratifiution to those who were
benefited by this society, that the mantle of Mr. Foreher
had fallen on the shoulders of so energetic and oonsiA.
eat a friend to the poor a,4 their hon. secretary, Mr.
Kinder*ley, and he (the Chairman) bore personal testi-
mony to the labour such • work involved. They hail
to deplore the loss of one of their pattern, the late
Bishop of Salisbury, whose kindness of heart and
benevolence at all times brought him to the foremost
rank in all movement. for the welfare of the poor;
and be was glad to see that his successor (Bishop Motor-
ley), whose charge they had heard a short time since in
this town, held such large-hearted sentiments, and he
hoped they would be carried into effect. Another of
their patrons was the Lord-Lieutenant of the county
(the Earl of Shaftesbury), whose name was everywhere
honoured, and many poor persona, now in health and
strength, had to thank him for good work done in
former days in bringing forward and tarrying Bills
to protect the weak, young, and females, from
the severe labour. which unhappily prevails to so
large an extent id the manufacturing districts.
We did not know Lord Shaftesbury so well person-
ally as they did In the north, but we honoured
him for his work's sake. There other patron, Lord
Dishy, was well known Al • kind, and benevolent, and
generous nobleman, and he took much interest in the
welfare of the poor, and especially those of his own
neighbourhood and county. With regard to the show
down-stairs he must say it was not so extensive or the
competition so great as oottld be wished. looking
thrugh the hat of subscribers, and seeing the names of
so many eminent gentlemen who promote the society,
he thought a better competition might be expected.
The paucity of the entriee might perhaps ho attribut.
stile to the great drought this summer. However, it
was evident some of the exhibitors had learnt the art
of root culture, and had used water, manure, and other
means to bring on their crops, for there were some
particularly fine potatoes, curets, and parsnips. The
bread, he thought, must be very gratifying to all
anxious for the welfare of the labouring classes, and he
remarked, for the benefit of those concerned, what a
great advantage it is for each cottage to have an oven
so that the labourer's wife may hake their breed
Instead of baying from the baker. A large number of
prises was distributed at the schools, and he approved
the system, as tending to make skilful needlewomen of
those hereafter to be beads of families, But there was
one thing which he thought was not sufficiently culti-
vated in our rural districts—be meant flowers. He
thought that if instead of planting cabbages up to the
very door of their cottages the labourer introdueed •
few flowers, it would very much enhance the appear-
ance of our villages, and that their cultivation would
exercise a civilising influence. In former years the
culture of flowers must have been followed to a couch
greater extent than now, for tummy of the flowers
now growing wild were not indigenous to this tiountry,
bat had been brought here, many nu doubt were Intro-
duced for their medicinal properties, and the making
of decoctions and salves for those who bed not the
advantage of • doctor dose at hand. Hellebore and
many other plants were exceedingly useful in this
respect. With regard to beautiful plants he was
always glad to see them in the gardens of the poor.
Some time ago Mr. Bingham gate hill a list of IA or 60
wild plants collected by • ebild in Idr. Horneee school
In Somerset, and he %jibed this knowledge were more
general. In ha (the ('hairman's) own neighbourhood
not lung ago h.. was picking two or three flowers from •
hedge as the school children passed by. They gathered
round, and seemed to think him a eery strange gentle.
man to pick buttercups. He asked them the name of
s ,ene common flower, and after they had all giggled
awhile, one boy said 'lt sent got no name I"-
-(larighter). He thought that wan not • satisfactory
state of things, Now in Frame, where the people had
not the advantage provided in this country of parish
doct .ra, will plants were mach mere known than in
E•lttlend. Last year he was staying at Grenoble, in the
South of France, in • very romantic 'spot, where there
was • monastery, and • great portion of the revenues
of the establishment were derived from the production
of wild flowers on the hill, from which 11114 made a
most delicious liqueur called Chartreuse. The collie..
tion of wild flowers could not be carried out to the
extent here that it was in France, because the distribu-
tion of the land was different. Here we,hed no large
mountains, and on the heaths we knew what would
grow—" farce daggers" and "wild horses " (laughter).
But in France the land was very much brokee up into
Patches, and there was a great portion not cultivated as
It is in this country. k *occlusion, he said he could not
help feeling what a *entreat there was between our
peaceful and happy state and the condition of France
at this time. As he had said, the lanai in Pomo] wee
much more divided into holdings than here, anise.
quently the marching of vast masses of *mei men—
probably not less than 200,0(X) cm both sides—through
vineyards, and fields, and orchards, through houses stet
towns, entailed sufferings that could not be told. We
read of the numbers of men mown down by the
mitrailleuses and artillery, of the disroofing of the
magnificent cathedral at Strasburg, and of the destruc-
tion of property and bomea, so that hundreds were left
hi ruin, families were broken up, and sons, the support
of widowed mothers, slain. Let them prey God that
this country might be preserved in peso°. Hut we
most tens, mher that "righteousness exalteth a nation:"
t.ie sios i.f Franc., had culminsiel,end now the hand of
God wee upon them. There were three great plagues—
famine, peatilenoe, war. The two former were very
much in our own hands but from the last tie y most
seek to be delivered by loving and serving God, and
walking in the ways of righteousness.
The Rev. C. W. BINGHAM said he felt disposed not
to say a word at the meeting, for he was told the other
day that their animal meetings were always alike—
first, the President made his speech, and then he (Mr.
Bineham) got up and "buttered" Mr. Kindertley—
Haughterf—and he was not sure whether he had not a
br ad hint that the custom of his of "buttering Mr.
Kinderaley." would be "more honoured by the breach
than in the observance"- (Isughter.) However, he
bad lb-en called on by Mr. Kindersley and the Presi-
dent to say a few words and would do so; and he did
so readily because the parish he represented had been,
be was sorry to say. but very badly represented in the
competition that day. This was the 24th anniversary of
the society, and he believed it so happened this year
for the first time, Bingham's hleloombe had not received
any prise for allotments, lie hoped this would be a
salutary lesson to the parish. Sometimes he believed
an Idea prevails) that those who took an active part in
the society rather favoured their own parishes, and
that they carried off more perhaps than their fair
share of prises. This would show at any rate that
Bingham's Meloambe had not been unduly favoured—
of swum his brother and himself would have been glad
for the parish to have taken prises if they rightly
could. Ile thought they ought to thank the Pry-silent
for the solemn aubjett he had so ably brought before
them—it must be the foremost thought in each wind;
and it was a blessed thing that we were able to meet
together in so much purse and happiness whilst our
pace neighbours were 'suffering all the calamities of war.
Living in this happy country we would not at all
realise the miseries to which our fellow,
greaten. in France were now subject ; but let
us all do what we could to relieve the miseries under
which they are brought. At any rate we could help
them by our prayers and earnest supplications to God
that he would be pleased to cad the strife and that we
may learn righteousness from the judgments our
Heavenly Father is bringing on the nations—(hear,
hear). There was one important matter he wished
them to hear abut from Mr. Kindersley, but he was
so modest that he (Mr. Bingham) was afraid he would
not get up unless urged to do so. He wanted Mr.
Kindereley to give them his views respectite; the
society, because he was the working man—he, since the
days of him he al worthily sumeedrol, had taken • deep
and constant intereat in the operations of the society—
he did not merely appear on the review days, but
worked for it all the year round, and always hail a
little corner of his mind open to the interests of the .
Labourers' Improvement society, and something to
tell of its working. To-day he thought Mr Kiudersley
might have something to say respecting a proposition
for extending the competition. Ile scarcely knew
whether Mr. Kindersley favoured the suggestion or not.
There was • proposition to add a flower show to their
oolliction of garden produce to be open to the higher
as well as the lower classes, and thus it ass
hoped awaken greater interest in ,the society than
had been hitherto done, lie himself thought it doubt-
ful whether such an addition would be • benefit to the
society. It had goers on very well up to this point.
Perhaps to-dier threw was, little deficiency in the show
and at tile met Licg—atill, he thought the aeociation
hat done pretty well, awl it might be prod••nt to
"le tve well abme." He quite rig r.-. with Ur. Mined
in hit desire th .t the loser closes should be better
acqualeted with the flowers they cultivate; and he
could Tide o•iroborate what tile Chairman het said
a• to the ignorance which prevailed as to the n oneo of
(lan,s ant flow. re. Not keg ago he was travelling 011
the road with a I tweet boy—not at all an unintelli.Mnt
lad and il.ev cone Los patch of rupee with a beauti-
ful show of bin, hyacinths, lie asked the boy what
they w. r-, ant he answered " Granfer Griggles !" •
(lituihter) A l'ttle farther on there appeared • fine
lot of the scarlet Bohn* em trelnently seen in the e
Is-
spring, so he asked the lad what they were "0
• tid les,"they an- Granter Griegke r--(much laugh ter).
Inquiring how they eon d b both celled alike, ho
rephed " Ono le blue Grader Cri,;gas, and thu other