The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-04 00:00:00

WEST CUMBERLAND AGRICULTURAL

SOCIETY

The annual meeting of this society took place at
Whitehaven, on Thursday last. The show of stock,
implements, and produce, was considered, in all re-
spects, satisfactory.
After the show a dinner was held at the Globe
Hotel, and was numerously attended. The Earl of
Lonsdale was in the chair, supported by Captain
Lowther and Mr. Irton, the members for West Cum-
berland, and other gentlemen. Mr. Brisco occupied
the vice chair.

The loyal toasts having been drunk,
The Earl of LONSDALE then said, the next toast I
have to propose is "The Army and Navy."—(Cheers.)
There is an event that has recently occurred which I
cannot on this occasion pass over in silence—it is a
melancholy fact—the loss, the death of the Duke of
Wellington. No country, I believe, has ever possessed
a general who has attained to such a reputation and
enjoyed such wide-extended confidence in his own
country.—(Cheers.) The eyes, not only of England,
but of Europe, have been upon him for the last
half-century, owing to the very distinguished services
which be has rendered in the East Indies up to the
present time. His career has been not less re-
markable for the success which attended it than for
the continued and ever increasing respect which it
gave him, not only for his military but for his
political services. He has rivalled all the generals
that have ever passed in the history of the world. His
skill and his prudence have been remarkable. With-
out the drawbacks and weaknesses of other great
commanders, he has been the safeguard of the consti-
tution of England, and her protection from without.
No one was more respected for his talent and deci-
sion of character. He raised himself to the most
conspicuous position in spite of extraordinary diffi
I -
culties, and believe that his name will live among
men as long as the history of this country is known
on the earth.—(Cheers.) There can be no English-
man who does not heartily respect the memory of
that eminent man who has so lately gone from among
ns.—(Cheera.) Gentlemen, I beg leave to give you
the " Army and Navy "—bearing in mind these re-
collections of the Duke of Wellington. The Noble
Earl concluded by coupling the toast with the name
of Dr. James Barry, army physician.
Dr. BARRY responded for the army, and Captain
PEW on behalf of the navy.
Mr. IRTON, M.P., gave " The Health of the Earl
of Lonedale, Lord Lieutenant of the County.—
(Cheers.) On the present occasion they had to view
him as an agriculturist. The great improvements he
had effected on his land, particularly in the matter of
draining, afforded a noble example to all parties in
this country.

The Earl of LONSDALE replied. He said—l feel
flattered by the complimentary remarks of my friend
Mr. Irton—flattered, indeed, that my health should
be drunk as an agriculturist.—(Cheers.) With all
respect for the Queen, whose commission I hold, I am
very glad on an occasion like the present to be recog-
nised in an agricultural character. I felt something
refreshing today in reviewing the show-field while
looking at the stock, and also at some of the produce.
A relief I assure you it was from the study of the
dry details of the ocial papers I have had to super-
intend as regards the approach of the cholera and va-
rious matters of education. Agricultural matters I
feel quite pleasing and refreshing.—(Cheers.) How-
ever, speaking of agriculture, I think we in the north
of England have to think ourselves fortunate that our
crops are considerably better or more profitable, or
that there is nothirg to complain of as compared with
results this year in the south. I understand that
here the hay was an average crop, that there is
nothing to complain of as regards the grain—that
the turnips are very promising, and that the only cloud
among us is as regards the potatoes. We have a great
many fancies—a great deal said about agriculture at the
present time. I do not mean to speak locally ; but
generally throughout England, there are two classes
of farmers—one class who trust to what nature will
give them without much cultivation, and another
composed of enthusiastic and fanciful expectants, who
say that they will even grow turnips off a deal board.
—(Laughter.) Between the two, however, there is
a middle course to pursue, which is that of common
sense.—(Cheers and continued laughter.) We all
know that land responds and answers to a certain de•
gree the pains of cultivation. If we duly assist nature
she will be productive; and without entering into the
visionary views of those persons who coincide with a
rev. gentleman who stated that he could grow tur-
nips on a deal board, but which by the way was only
applicable with his own manure—(Laughter)—.with•
out entering into such views, I believe there is an
intermediate course, and by exercising vigilance
and assisting nature, by discharging the land of
its cold, chilly water, and of its weeds—l believe
that then a fair crop may be expected at a reasonable
cost. Th. prurient course to pursue will be that of
encouraging nature, and in this way encouraging the
natural increase of fertility in the soil. The true
science of developing the fertility of the soil is to
assist nature, because we all have to come to nature at
last.—(llear, hear.) In this part of the country, we
cannot, perhaps, grow some kinds of grain—we can-
not grow some descriptions of white crops to the same
advantage as they do in the southern counties. We
have not the same force of the sun, and no art can give
us that ; but we have, from the moisture of the soil,
and likewise by the proper and efficient application of
manure, the power of growing the best green crops in
the United Kingdom.—(Cheers) I will be bound
that, take ten miles of country about Whitehaven, and
you will find that no ten miles of country in the king-
dom can show the same quality of green crops which
I have seen here.—(Cheers.) Really, gentlemen,
these are the products to be encouraged, for, under
the circumstances in which we are placed it may not
be so advantageous to grow wheat; bat if we look to
the markets and consumption of the country—if we
look to the exports of the country, there seems to be
no limit to the demand for mutton and wool. There-
fore, though the farmer formerly gained by his wheat
crops, there is at present an appearance that he may
attain the same advantage by another road.—(Cheers.)
I shall have other opportunities of saying something
upon other subjects, and shall only now return you
my thanks for the honour you have done me in drink-
ing my health as lord-lieutenant of the county, as an
agriculturist, on the present occasion.—(Applause.)
The Earl of LONSDALE then gave "The Bishop and
Clergy of the Diocese."—(Cheers.)
The Rev. Canon PauxiNsorr, in returning thanks,
assured the meeting of the interest which the clergy
felt in the prosperity of agriculture. He condemned
the practice of the half-yearly hiring of male and
female servants, and recommended the adoption of
the system of a month's warning or a month's wages,
The VICE CHAIRMAN proposed "The Health of the
Members for the Western Division of the County."
The east bad chosen Free-traders, and the west had
returned Protectionists. This difference he attributed
to the difference in the soil of the two divisions. The
east was much better adapted for the heavy produc-
tion of wheat at less cost than the west. The west
was best adapted for barley, grass, and turnip culti-
vation. He gave " The Members for West Cum-
berland.—(Cheers.)
Captain LOWTHER, M.P., briefly acknowledged the
compliment.

Mr. Lame, M.P., in returning thanks, remarked
that in many parts of this country the cultivation of
wheat was more general than beneficial. In many
cases where a crop of wheat was taken it would be
much better if a crop of oats succeeded. We had
here a less portion of sun, and could not produce that
quantity of wheat which they did in the south.—
(Hear.) Then there existed a too extensive use of
guano. Nobody had benefited more from guano than
he had, but he was afraid that its application was,
generally speaking, too extensive. He recommended
that guano should be used mixed with farmyard ma-
nure, Mr. Brisco had been kind enough to propose
his health as a Protectionist.—(Hear.) He would
be sorry on such an occasion to enter on any political
question. He knew not what proposition, if any,
the Government might intend to make for the relief
of agriculture.—(Hear.) Of this, however, he had
now a very strong opinion, that in the feeling and
temper of the present times, it was not expedient for
Government to propose such a duty as would, from
its amount, prove of beneficial effect to the farmers in
general.
The Earl of LONIDALE—I have now another
toast to give, and after that we shall enter
on the business of the evening. The list
of awards will then be read. From my
experience at these meetings. I find it has been
customary to drink " Success to the West Cumber-
land Agricultural Society."—(Cheers.) In pro-
posing that toast, it is usual to make some introduc •
tory observations. In reading over the account of
what took place at Carlisle and in Penrith, I think
that these have been two most instructive meetings,
as to the truth of what was asserted at those places.—
(Hear, hear.) There were certainly two eminent
and distinguished men at Carlisle—the Earl of Car-
lisle and Sir James Grabatn.—(Cheers.) The policy
of draining and of deep draining was fully admitted
by the Earl of Carlisle, who employs the same engi-
neer that I do—namely, Mr. Parkes, for as to drain-
ing, it is only an engineer that understands it. And
Sir James Graham avowed that he had begun as a
shallow drainer—(Laughter)—but he thinks from
experience, that the deeper draining is the only
draining that will do. In matters of improvement.
the first attack comes from the neighbours of the par-
ties improving. Your improvements are always looked
at by them on the black side. After the avowal of
the Earl of Carlisle and Sir James Gra-
ham as to the effects of deep draining, I
look at the question as settled. After all the little
spites, and criticisms, and old fashions, your eighteen
inch draining is all banished—all buried in oblivion.
—(Cheers and laughter.) Drains of two feet and
two feet three and three feet, have had their day.
The figures have gradually gone up step by step, and
I think that hereafter drains of from four to six feet