Farm and Garden .
This year has been notable or the success of the agricultural shows, which culminated last week in the "Royal" at Shrewsbury. Almost all the county and more general shows have surpassed the records in one way or another ; and they have attracted a very fair number of foreign buyers, even from Russia. One hopes that all this prosperity is a sign of the re-establishment of the farm in public estimation ; and certainly a very large proportion of the visiting public has been urban. The variety of exhibits also has increased, especially in the direction of education and propaganda. At Shrewsbury, for example, one of the first exhibits fa be seen, Opposite the main entrance, was set up by the Village Produce Association. Within a small space were shown appliances, even a tractor, that could be bought co-operatively for village gardens, many sorts of livestock, and all manner of domesticities, including cheese, mead and home-made soap. One of the events of the year has been the reduction in size and increase of handiness of a good deal of machinery. Even a harvester-thresher of moderate dimensions and cost is now available. The largest of these astonishing machines will now bale as well as thresh ; and baling is a method greatly on the increase, to the general advantage.
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