"PROSPERITY TO AGRICULTURE."

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 234, 31 October 1876, Page 4

"PROSPERITY TO AGRICULTURE."

At a late meeting ot the Ma.don WorkiDg Men's Conservative Association, Sir C. Dv Cane, X.C.8., gave this toaßt from the chair: — " Gentlemen, I presume that in these days of education everybody in this room can at least read largo letters; and the letters whioh I ara about to point out Jo you are certainly very large. I don't know that I have ever seen "Success to Agriculture" written in larger letters than those at the bottom of this hail. The only fault I have to find with the raotto is as to the color in which these letters are painted. I could wish myself that those letters had beeu blue, because then I think they would have been typic tl at all events of the blue skies and the blue waters, in which we hope English agriculture will soon sail. I could gentlemen — I don't know whether you will all allow me to get to the end of my sentence — but I could have indeed preferred even yellow color to the red, for the yellow would at all events have been typical of the harvest rich with golden grain, that we hope the English farmer is shortly about to reap. But, gentlemen, the inoetious wag who painted those letters in a red color, I acn airaid, caeunt to express to you a feeling that the British farmer is bleeding at every pore. Gentlemen, in one sense, lum happy to stand here and be able to assure you I can propose success to agriculture iv the firm belief that tha British farmer is not quite so much down in the dumps as some of his friends would have you believe at the present moment. Ouly a fortnight a^o my rent *_ay came off, aud I am happy to tell you that of all the pleasant gatherings I have ever had at the Dv Cane Arms, at Braxled, I never had a more pleasant or a more thoroughly satisfactory gathering than the one I had about a fortnight ago. Therefore I really believe lhat better days are in store tor English agriculture. And after all, gentlemen, you must take the good times wuh tha bad. And let me tell you that at the other end of the world the good times and the bad time had their alternations as well as here. I bave known good times there, better times, perhaps, than you have ever known here, but, on the other haul I have known worse times than you have ever known here. I have known wheat down to three shillings and sixpence a bushei, aud I hsva known a whole cheep sold in the market for sixpence. You must take the rough with the smooth, and I don't know that I can do better than repeat to you a few words of advice that I heard given about a week ago at the annual meeting of the Essex Agricultural Socitty to the English farmers assembled around bim, by one of the best practical men of their lot, ouo of tho judges, hy name Mr Bowley. H<?3 aid, talk about depression, keep your pecker up. Talk about agricultural distress, you are the producing classes of the country. The consumers must have beef and mutton to eat, and you the producers must supply it, and they must get it from you. Theu, gentlemen, act on Mr Bowley's advice, keep your pecker up, and drink 'success to agriculture.' "