The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-09-22 00:00:00

PuRTLAND iIoRTIVU LTUR4 L SuCIHT Y.

To the Zlihre.

Sir, read witli—st pool of interest the
hotter under the a11..V0 heading in your loot iasue4 and,
while I denim to thank "A hover o 4 Justice and
".tgriculturist " for their moral support and apposite
auggestions, I must ask you to allow Inc to answer
what all people who know anything about the matter
can only consider as the misleading and ill advised
letter of the honon7u7 secretary of the s, wiety. In the
first place I emphatically deny the assertion that I
wish to diacreolit the society in the i•yeil of the 1.111.1ie
nay, rather it is to widen its *cola% to destroy the
monopoly which exists, to give ti,. C. ottageno justice,
awl to make the ow ociety worthy of its name.
At the torment t. o it is an anomaly.
I cannot think that in the county, or yet in England,
then, can Is. found a • 'lsm :society worked upon I
such cramped, unjust lines ; in other wonle there is
always a class for atames only. It is a noteworthy
fact that in the recent show at Weymouth exhibitor's
from liortlowl took prize.i in the clam. for amateurs,
or tie.. not employing a regular gardener, and they
are to be congratulated for KO t 11.•
tittle does it 11.11. 'NOM a moral. .tt Portland they no• '
allowed to compete with the cottager.., and their ,
marked is seall.ll.ly to 11l Woialeri.4l at. That '
ilw cottager', of Portland are Iwo* ily handicapped
iii having tO C.. 11111.• I. aide by aide with many
that would not be allowea tonoinpete with tin,
catsup-no of Weymouth is a notori 0000 1 and grievous
fact. The hon. sec. mint 100- of a very sanguine tem
perament, jtadging from his appeal to the subaeriloing
public to support I that 310 lajUatiCe cast poSsibly
Is. dam. the cottager* 4111 SOW" of having less time
to attend to their prolong. The pan n
''t is ably lilt
by ' when he says "It is obramo
that the artisan cannot devote a. much time and
attention to his garden Its a num, perhapa, who has
little elm, to do.' 'Phew are many such who compete
with the cottagera of Portland ; and with all confi-
dence I 1.1111-c the point and its imams for the decision
of the Raid aulricribing 1.111.1ie. In respect to the
slight discrepancy in the her of exhibitors and
their clasaification, I may say that, (rout a cursory
examination of the secretoufs books, they are in the
te. be relied up on ; indeed, it remains for I to
explain, if he thinks it point of grave importance,
the discrepancy to which fie refers. I must here say
the said hooks were left for the observation and
ex: 0000 ination of any visitor to the show, and "theta
Issiolos noyaelf availed themselves Of the opts irtunity.
If it was wrimit no to do, I, for my tcrt, plead the
neresaities of the mato, and the long-contti ttttt injustice
done to the cottager.. I can afford WNW, over his am'
SfrnSniiii taunt with the tontenita it do-arroyo. At the
came time I think it tool:canning of him to attempt to
ride the high boor. lie nays the society has always
endeavoured to benefit the workingadasses ; these Sr.'
highosninding words, which are correct only to a
certain extent, They will, however, be better under-
*bind hiy again referring to the relative amount,.
awarded. 'Me aatagera receives' 42 awards,
or et and four articles, while the well.m.do
classes received 96 awards, ~r Ell r,.,, sail eleven,
articles. It should he remembered that titecon tttt itteu,
with their wires and children, took no leas than G.
awards. This conclusively shows that the remark ol a
"Lover of Justice" that the *minty existed for the
gratification and benefit of the few, not for the many,
to be well founded. The society should, liko 011/1111es