The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-27 00:00:00

PARLIAME

THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.

SOUTHAMPTON, FRIDAY.—A general meeting of the So-
ciety was held this morning at the Victoria-rooms, at which
the President elect, the Duke of Richmond, was inducted into
• office.
The Marquis of DOWNSHIRE, in proposing a vote of thanks
to the retiring President, Earl Spencer, spoke in the most
• flattering terms of the conduct of that nobleman in his ex-
ertions, not only during the period of his office, but at all
times, to promote the interests of the, Society, and of the
agriculturists generally.
At the next annual meeting, which is to take place at
Shrewsbury, in addition to the prizes given this year to the
various:classes of cattle, prizes will be given to the owners of
sheep best adapted to a mountain district. Prizes will also
be given for the best essays on the following subjects :
Fifty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will be
given for the best report on the farming of the county of
Nottingham. Competitors will be expected to describe the
different varieties of soil which prevail in the county, the
ordinary mode of farming and courses of cropping adopted
accordingly in its various districts, and to state how far any
peculiar practices in its husbandry are, or are not justified
by peculiarities of soil or climate. They will also be ex-
pected to state what improvements have been made in the
farming of Nottinghamshire since the, report of Mr. Robert.
Lowe, in 1798 ; and especially to point out what further im-
provements ought to be effected either by better farming on
land already cultivated, or by taking new land into culti-
vation.
Fifty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will be
given for the best report on the farming of the county of
Cornwall. Competitors will be expected to give similar de-
tails to the foregoing of the varieties of soil and the peculiar
practices in the husbandry of this county, and to state what
improvements have been made in its farmingsince the report
of Mr. G. B. Worgan in the year 1811.
Fifty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will be
given for the best report on the farming of the county of
Kent, with the foregoing details, and to state what improve-
ments have been made in the farming of Kent since the report
of Mr. John Boys.
Twenty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will
be given for an account of the best method of reclaiming
heath land. Competitors will be required to describe methods
which have been successfully adopted in the reclaiming of
heath land, reference being had specially to the following
points :—The mode of breaking up, whether by paring and
burning, or by simply ploughing: the application of lime; the
course of cropping; the conversion of heath land into pas-
ture, where either the steepness of the land, or its elevation
above the sea, does not allow the culture of corn.
Ten sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, for the
best essay on the advantage of one-horse carts. Competitors
will be required to point out the saving in horse labour, and
other advantages which undoubtedly arise from the substitu-
tion of one-horse carts for waggons.
Twenty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will
be given for the best essay on catch meadows. Competitors
will be required to describe the best and cheapest method of
forming water meadows on the sides of natural slopes, as
practised in Somersetahire and Devonshire; the mode of
managing them, and of applying their produce; the increase
of value thereby given to unproductive hill-sides l and to
state how far this mode of improvement might be applied
to the mountainous districts of Wales and of the north of
England.

Twenty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will
be given for the best essay on fences. Competitors will be
required to describe the best and neatest methods of manu-
facturing hedges, whether for arable or for grazing, and to
point out how far the present fences in various parts of Eng-
land are injurious to the farmer, whether by their size, their
excess in number, or the over-abundance of timber which
they contain.
Twenty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will
he given for the cheapest and best method of establishing a
tile yard. Competitors will be required to attend to the fol-
lowing points :—Mode of working the clay, according to its
quality; machine for making the tiles; sheds for drying the
tiles ; construction of the kiln ; cost of forming the establish-
ment ; cost of the tiles when ready for sale.
Ten sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will be
given for an account of the best method of fattening cattle, as
to the places in which they are kept, large or small yards or
stalls, as well as the food, roots, hay, &c., on which they are
fed during the time of fattening,
Fifty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, for the
best description of the Dutch method of salting butter,
pointing out the causes of its superiority to other salted butter.
Twenty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value, will
be given for an account of the best experiment in agriculture.
These essays must be sent to the secretary on or before the
Ist of March, 1845, and all information contained in them
must be founded on experience or observation, and not on
simple reference to books or other sources. The copyright of
all essays gaining prizes shall belong to the Society, which
will have the power to publish them ; the other essays 11
be returned on the application of the writers.
There was a ball last night (according to custom), which
took place at the Victoria-rooms, and was very fully at-
tended, upwards of 400 persons being present, among whom
were the Earl and Countess of Hardwicke, Lady Mary and
the Misses Long, Lady Henry and Miss Paulet, Mrs. and
the Misses Colt, Colonel Sir George and Lady Burgoyne, Sir
H. Paulet, Admiral Dacres and family, Captain Dacres, R.N.,
Mr., Mrs., and the Misses Welds, of Lulworth Castle; Mr.
Hope, M.P. ; the officers of the Grenadier Guards, from Win-
chester; the officers of the Victory, Excellent, and others of
her Majesty's ships at Portsmouth ; Mrs. Abbott and the
Misses Abbott, the Misses Duke, Colonel Henderson, &c.
This morning the show yard was again visited by many
thousand persons, many of them attending for the purpose of
purchasing some of the stock intended for sale. A great
portion of the stock, brought only for exhibiting, not in-
tended for sale, was removed from the ground and sent off by
special trains from the temporary station made for the occa-
sion at Portswood.

THE SALE OF STOCK.
The sale commenced in the show yard at ten o'clock, under
the auspices of ➢lr. A. Fletcher, of Milbrook, a well-known
auctioneer in this part of the country.
A great number of persons were present at the sale, not
less, indeed, than 2,000. Several of the lots fetched high
prices, and excited keen competition, but many others were
bought in.
Mr. John Cooper's short-horned bull fetched 1001., three
years old and upwards.
Mr. John Herbert's short-horned bull, four years and three
months old, 601.

Mr. H. 1.. Mow's short-horned bull, two years and eight
months old, 63/.
Mr. G: H. Sidebotham's pure short-horned bull, two years
and eight months old, 145/.
Some other bulls of the same breed fetched prices varying
from 1001. to 50/.

The short• horned cow of the Rev. T. Cator brought thirty-
five guineas; and another cow belonging to the same gentle-
man, 361.

A.short-horned heifer of the Duke of Devonshire's, two
years and six months old, 52 guineas.
Sir C. Morgan's fine short-horned yearling heifer, 501.
Amongst the Herefords, a bull of Mr. W. F. Hobbs's sold
for 50 guineas.

A Channel Islands bull, belonging to Mr. W.G. Phillips,
Eling Vicarage, two years and four months old, realised
291. Bs.

A fine Jersey mulch cow, belonging to Mr. M. Fowler, of
Stanmore, 301.

One of the same breed, by Colonel W. Couleur, 26/.
Mr. Robins's cow of the same breed, realised 291., and others
were sold at the same rate.

A thorough-bred stallion of the Duke of Richmond's fetched
only 37/. ; but was evidently of much higher value. It was
probably bought in.
The Southdown rams sold generally for good prices, vary-
ing from 361. to 10/.
Mr. J. M. Goodlake's ram was the one that obtained the
highest price. Very few sold for less than 20/.
Amongst the long-wools, a Cotswold ram, belonging to
Mr. E. Handy, brought 21/.
A pen of five shearling Lincoln and Leicester ewes, six-
teen months old, bred by Mr. James Linton, realised the sum
of 501.

The sale, however, is not finished at the moment of dis-
patching our communication, and any further particulars
must be reserved to our next.