AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES AND SHOWS. In British agricultural history there is no parallel to the enthusiasm which spread through the country during the last quarter of the 18th century. It spread downwards from George III., "Farmer George," who himself contributed to Young's monthly publication, Annals of Agriculture, started in 1784. The politicians, including Fox and Burke, the great landowners, such as the duke of Bedford and "Coke of Norfolk," all shared in the zeal and were excited by farming topics and busy with farming experiments. One of the results was the founding of the Board of Agriculture by Pitt in But the board was preceded by the birth of a number of local associations in different parts of the country. Among the earliest and more important were the Bath and West of England Society, founded in 17 7 7 ; the Highland Society in 1784, and the Smithfield Club in 1798; and before the end of the century very many of the counties had founded organizations of one sort or another for the promotion of the art and craft of agriculture.
The chief activity of the greater societies was the holding of an annual agricultural show; and the annals of many such shows be gin in the year of the society's foundation. But in this respect the board did not at once follow the example of the societies, and its popularity waned as agriculture became depressed. It was indeed dissolved in 1822, but in the year before its temporary extinction it held, at Aldridge's repository, the first national agricultural show. It was modelled on the many local shows, of which the oldest had already a history of 44 years. But the agricultural show, such as we know it to-day, may be dated from the formation of the Royal Agricultural Society at a later date.
The great additions to the scope of agricultural shows in the century were made, not only with the idea of promoting agri cultural science, but also to increase the spectacular attractions, and so provide funds for the proper objects of the society. The modern royal show, which continues for five days, may occupy as much as zoo acres of land, and the machinery, much of it seen "in motion," is alone a great feature. Besides classes for almost all breeds of stock and of poultry, and in addition to forestry, educational and scientific sections, it contains pavilions or tents for the display of rural crafts, and for the work of the women's institutes. A flower show, usually both large and elaborate, is housed in a series of great marquees. A working dairy is seen in action several times a day. Lectures and demonstrations of many sorts are given at intervals, and every afternoon, except on the opening day when the bulk of the judging is done, horse jumping and harness competitions are held in a spacious ring and draw large crowds.
The royal show has always been peripatetic, except for the years 1903, 1904, 1905, when it was brought to Park Royal, on the north of London, with disastrous results to its finances. The prevailing principle in the selection of sites is to visit populous districts more or less alternately with purely agricultural centres ; and except when the weather has been unfavourable, it has generally been found that the money made at the crowded centres enables the society to bear the losses sustained in more strictly agricultural areas.
Several local shows are comparable with the royal, though rather smaller and of shorter duration. But similar variety of exhibit is seen in the shows of the Highland Society, of the Bath and West of England, the Welsh national show, the "Royal Counties," the "Three Counties" and indeed many of the larger county shows, notably in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cornwall, Oxford, and Suffolk. Many of these, as well as the royal, attract large numbers of for eign buyers, especially from South America.
The history of most of these shows and societies was a history of progress, with some oscillations, till the years of depression in agriculture following the great prosperity of 1918 and 1919. It began to appear at this time that the shows were too many, and perhaps too elaborate. Though many societies remained abundantly prosperous—and such shows as those of the Suffolk, Lincoln shire, and Cornish societies were never better than in 1927, the year of the 1 loth anniversary of the earliest, a movement for the amalgamation of local and county shows now began as a result of the unsatisfactory agricultural conditions and a shrinking of many farmers and landowners from the expense of exhibiting. Though some contraction may be inevitable, yet the breed societies, more in Britain than in other countries, show no sign of degeneration, and are the backbone of the agricultural show. Elsewhere two of the largest agricultural shows in the world are held annually at Buenos Aires and in Sydney, New South Wales. Both have a generic likeness to the English shows and enjoy the same popularity.
Although as already recounted, the Royal Agricultural Society of England was nearly ruined by the experiment of holding its show in London, the great fat-stock shows, held in November and December, and the dairy show, held in London in October, have flourished progressively under urban conditions. Especially since dairying took the lead over corn-growing as the chief department of British farming following the World War, the annual dairy show has become a remarkable epitome of the science of dairying as of the quality of the dairy breeds of cattle. Of the winter fat stack shows the three that attract the best fat stock are held at Norwich, Birmingham, and the Agricultural Hall at Islington in North London. The Smithfield Club, which is responsible for the London show, was founded as the Smithfield Cattle and Sheep Society as early as 1798, and has always emphasized at its shows its original object to promote the supply and breeding of the best meat. (\'V. B. T.)