Young Farmers' Club

Chairman: W. E. Porrs. Vice-Chairman and Minutes Secretary: A. G. BLACK. Secretary: S. C. GIBSON. Treasurer: E. S. BOLTON. Committee Members: D. P. CoLas and D. S. ATKINSON.

At the first meeting of the term, on 1st October, a lecture on "Farming in Australia" was given by Mr. Crayke. This talk was supplemented by some excellent colour photographs taken by the speaker, and a complete picture of Australian farming was given to the Club.

The next meeting, on 22nd October, was devoted to a talk on grain drying, by Mr. G. V. Clark, assisted by Messrs. Williams and Atkinson, who had come to join in the discussion. Various methods of drying and storing grain were discussed, and the question of the moisture content of the grain was considered. Questions were asked by many members of the Club, completing a most interesting meeting.

An internal meeting was held on 5th November, and two separate lectures were given by members of the Club, D. P. Coles and J. M. D. Kirk, on "The social life of the farmer". The first lecture dealt with such sports as hunting, shooting, and to a lesser degree, fishing. The speaker also talked about racing and weekly markets. Mr. Kirk described the organisation of a pack of beagles, and completed the afternoon's programme by relating his experiences on a fishing trawler, showing some photographs of the trawler on the epidiascope.

On 19th November a member of the National Agricultural Advisory Service, Mr. Crabtree, gave a talk to the Club on forage harvesters and silage. The speaker dealt with the different types of machinery employed in the preparation of silage and compared the relative advantages and disadvantages of each. This talk was also supplemented by colour photographs, taken at the demonstration of silage making at Basingstoke.

For the fifth meeting of the term Mr. Stuart came to talk on the broiler industry, turkeys, and poultry in general. With the aid of slides, Mr. Stuart explained the principles of the poultry industry in America and then explained turkey rearing systems at the Yorkshire Poultry Packers at Thirsk; in conclusion, several questions were asked by members of the Club.

The last meeting of the term, on 10th December, consisted of a lecture on Farming in the United States, with emphasis on the manufacture of haylage. The lecture was delivered by Mr. Mason, assisted by Mr. Sykes. The apparatus used for haylage manufacture was discussed, and also the advantages which haylage possesses over silage. Photographs of American farms and of New York, the Niagara Falls, and Chicago, were most impressive.

To complete the term a visit to John Smith's Brewery at Tadcaster was arranged for Wednesday, 16th December. A very interesting tour of the brewery was made, and all the various processes in the brewing of beer were very clearly explained by the guide. The Club then divided itself into two separate canteens according to age, and appropriate refreshments were provided. A.G.B. 20