The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-13 00:00:00

Bath and West of England Meeting.

SALISBURY, Wednesday.
A sunny day, relieved by refreshing breezes, has
filled the showground with company clustering
round the horse-ring when the horses were paraded,
especially thronging the picture gallery, the arts
department, and the flower tent, and crowding all
the afternoon round the orchestra. Indeed, in jus-
tification of the popular taste, we may mention that
the band of the Grenadier Guards has this week re-
ceived the high compliment of being elected to re-
present England at the Paris International compe-
tition. To-morrow the musical attraction at
Salisbury will be the band of the Royal Marines
(Plymouth division) ; conductor, Mr. Winter-
bottom.

Of the horticultural department we may say that,
while on a smaller scale than the shows of the
Horticultural Society, it has not been surpassed for
the quality of specimens exhibited. In fact, the
plants here shown by Lady Ilerbert of Lea, Dowager
Lady Ashburton, Sir Frederick Bathurst, the Rev.
Mr. Piggott, and Mr. Jonathan Gray are superb.
The aim of the stewards—Mr. Jonathan Gray and
the Rev. E. Phillpotts—has been not so much to
astonish the public with quantity of specimens—
though the show is by no means diminutive—as to
assemble together a grand exhibition of the most
perfect individual plants, and this without being
indebted to trade florists, beyond a beautiful show
of calceolarias from Mr. Wheeler, and some con-
tributions from another local nurseryman. Pre-
eminent in excellence are the New Zealand tree-
ferns, azaleas wonderfully trained and full of bloom,
some remarkably choice and fine orchids, a mar-
vellous specimen of osrides odorata, and more espe-
cially the management foliage plants, or caladiums,
all in the greatest perfection of beauty and extraordi-
nary development.
The pictures are pronounced by competent critics
to surpass in merit any that have hitherto been ex-
hibited at the Society's meetings. Of course, among
453 works of art, oil-paintings, drawings; sketches,
carving, &c., some mediocre specimens will appear,
but painters of considerable eminence appear here,
and the character of the general show is undoubtedly
high. Special interest is taken in the collection of
" decorative art" lent by the South Kensington
Museum, including carvings in wood and marble,
marquetry, goldsmiths' work, majolica, Oriental
porcelain, ironwork, modern art productions, ancient
Venetian glass, reproductions from Continental
museums, and so on; and particularly conspicuous
•are Dr. Salviati's splendid collection of modern
Venetian glass, and his extrc ordinary glass mosaics.
In the building devoted to arts and manufactures
the display is more interesting, more beautiful, and
more meritorious than it was last year ; but so mul-
tiform are the objects exhibited that we cannot pre-
tend to single out articles of special attraction. It
is to be observed that the lace, a great feature in
former shows, no longer appears, the society consi-
dering that their efforts in the improvement of this
branch of artistic labour have accomplished the
purpose fur which they were designed.
If the company has been plentiful in the show-
ground, so also have visitors been many in the trial
fields. Reapers, grass and clover mowers, horse-
hoes, haymakers, horse-rakes, and so on, have been
at work throughout the day ; the chief interest
centring upon the steam cultivators. It should be
explained, however,' that these so-called " trials"
are not competitive, the society having long ago
discontinued prize-lists and implement judges ; but
the public working of field machines is most in-
structive to purchasers, giving them an opportunity
of witnessing each implement in action, while
leaving every one to form his own ; judgment upon
the several performances. John Fowler and Co. do
not exhibit at the present meeting ; but steam cul-
ture is represented by the apparatus of Messrs. i
Howard, and that of Messrs. 'Tasker; while farm-
road steam locomotion is accompanied by the trac-
tion-engine of Messrs. Aveling and Porter (the
most simple and successful of any yet introduced),
and that of Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth. The
latter engine, of 10 horse power, we found driving
the Bedford cultivating tackle, on a piece of so-
called " light," but hard and strong ground. The
apparatus, as well known, consists of a sta-
tionary windlass, anchored pulleys, wire rope, and
an implement hauled to and fro without turn-
ing at the ends. Under the management of Mr.
Sutton the cultivator made admirable work, and
the four-furrow plough cut and laid beautiful fur-
rows of a soil particularly difficult to plough at all.
The Bullstrode " slings" were shown in operation,
very considerably shortening the time in reversing
the motion of the implement at the ends. One fact
of considerable importance has been elicited at the
present meeting—namely, that since the publication
of the Royal Agricultural Society's Report upon
steam cultivation in England a rapid influx of orders
has poured in upon the makers of steam ploughs.
The Leeds Steam Plough Works are busy with
1,000 hands ; the Britannia Works at Bedford are
sending out many new sets of tackle, and makers
in other places are doing their share in the suddenly
increasing trade. Regrets, however, have been ex-
pressed by farmers that they are unable to procure
the official Report in a cheap form.
The novelty in the steam trial-field this year is
furnished by Messrs. Tasker, of Andover, in an in-
vention of Mr. Robert Higgins, of ilarchwood,
Hampshire. It is denominated a "patent appara-
tus for scarifying, drilling corn and other seeds,
harrowing, rolling, and sowing grass and clover
seeds in one operation," and yet it does not appear
in practice to attempt too much, for the whole is
evidently the contrivance of a practical farmer,
and not designed by the mere theory of the shop.
Harrowing has already become one of the most
successful operations of steam culture. Mr.
Smith, of Woolston, grubs and drills simul-
taneously by one and the same machine, and all
that was wanted seemed to be a combination of im-
plements for harrowing, drilling, and rolling all
together—anincalculable advantage on sticky soils,
or, in wet weather, on any soil that should be left
after sowing in the condition of a well-tilled garden.
In this new apparatus we have a drill, Bft. 2iu. wide,
guided by a steerage wheel, and preceded by a broad
iron drag harrow. This drill is followed by a set
of three iron seed harrows ; and these, again by a
broadcast small-seed sowing box, mounted upon a
field roller and a travelling wheel. This part of the
apparatus does not follow precisely in the rear of
the drill, but towards one side, so as to balance the
drag of the slack rope on the opposite side of the
drill. The drill is turned round at the ends of
the field, on the Woolston " turnbow" principle,
the draught chain of the following implements
slipping along a bar behind the drill. During
this " turning" half the drill cutters are lifted up,
And as the roller of the seed-box is in two halves
the turning of this also is easily effected, and the
harrows follow readily iu the proper track. With
some little modifications this apparatus promises
to be very useful ; the ingenuity is shown in turn-
ing with ease a number of separate implements
that one would suppose must run back upon each
other during the operation.
The show of implements and machines in the
yard is very large, including five stands of Hornsby,
Itansomes and Sims, Tuxford, Howard, Coleman
and Morton, the Reading Company, the Beverley
Company, Ashby and Jeffery, &c.
As no other society in England provides so many
sources of popular interest, amusement, and edifi-
cation as those al ways found at the Bath and West
of England meetings, so no society enjoys equal
chances of success. The managers and stewards
work with a zeal and public spirit scarcely to be
paralleled elsewhere ; and the West of England
cities and towns always give the Society their
heartiest welcome—certainly sparing no expense,
as witness the street decorations at every con-
fluence of thoroughfares, the flagstaffs, festoons,
and banners surrounding the noble market-place,
the nightly bands of music playing gratis to a
delighted open-air audience ; and lastly, the grand
blaze of pyrotechny by the Crystal Palace artist,
inhabitants which last night drew forth all the of
Salisbury into the principal square. And zeal and
confidence once more have their reward ; the pre-
sent meeting is a decided success, in spite of the
absence of horned cattle. Iu the general slackness
of buzincw anionz the implement litalla the number

~...a'

of persons visiting the show and the receipts at the
entrance gates have fully equalled the expectations
of those who wished well to the society, and there
is every prospect of good shilling-days both to-
morrow and Friday.

,Ala-
fitlrt
•
HER MAJESTY, &c•

Rumor:AL, Jane 11.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise, drove
out yesterday morning.
In the afternoon the Queen, accompanied by
Prince and Princess Christian and Princess Louise,
drove to Glen Ey.
Prince Leopold, attended by Mr. Legge, drove to
Gavin Shiels.
The Prince of Wales, accompanied by their
Royal highness the:Prince and Princess Louis of
Hesse, rode out yesterday forenoon, attended by
Lady Emily Kingscote and Lieutenant-Colonel
Keppel.

THE QUEENS RETURN .FROM SCOTLAND.__Ner
Majesty the Queen, with theirßoyal Highnesses Prince and
Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and infant son,
and Princesses Louise and Beatrice and Prince Leopold,
will leave Balmoral next Tuesday, the 18th inst, en rode
for Windsor. The Royal suite in attendance will include
Duchess of Athole, Lady Susan Melville, the Hon. 3lrs
Gordon, Lord Charles Fitzroy, General Grey, Dr. JeOtter'
and Messrs. Sahl and Legge.
THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES.
Royal Highnesses are expected at Trentham on Saturday
next, on a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland.
Great preparations are being made for the reception of the
Prince and Princess, whose stay will probably extend over
some weeks.