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164

THE CARLISLE MEETING, 1902.

CUMBERLAND, in whose capital City of Carlisle the Royal Agricultural Society's Sixty-third Annual Meeting was held in 1902, under the Presidency of H.R.H. Prince Christian, is one of the most interesting of English counties. Historically, its border position has made it the scene of many stirring episodes. Romance and the truth that is stranger than fiction are bound up with the road to Gretna Green, which is only a few miles from Carlisle. Wordsworth drew lofty poetic inspiration from the hills and valleys of the Lake District in his native county. The Cumberland "dalesmen were formerly some of the most sterling representatives of English yeomen, a class whose disappearance many lament, and would like to see resuscitated.

Carlisle on the west, and Newcastle on the east represent the most northern localities in which the Society's Meetings have been held. Both cities and York are the only places that have thrice received the Society, the intervals separating each Meeting at Carlisle or Newcastle being from about 20 to 25 years. A few statistical details of the Shows at these two cities are given below:

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THE SHOW GROUND.

The site was the same as that selected for the previous Carlisle Show in 1880, a pleasant situation on land just beyond

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FIG. 1.

VIEW OF ENTRANCES TO THE CARLISLE SHOW, 1902.

The Show Ground.

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the City boundaries, and known as "The Sauceries" and "The Willow Holme." Being close to the City, the Showyard was conveniently accessible to local inhabitants and to visitors by rail. In fact, the entrances to the Show lay almost beneath the shadow of the walls of the picturesque old Castle at Carlisle, as will be seen on reference to the view opposite to page 164, where the Castle buildings appear to the left of the picture. On the north and east of the Showyard, the river Eden formed a serpentine boundary; on the west was the straight line of the Caledonian Railway. Intersecting the Showyard, and completely dividing the implement and live stock departments was the River Caldew, a tributary of the Eden. Two substantial

bridges, a permanent one of iron, and the other a temporary structure of wood, erected for the purposes of the Show, gave access across the Caldew. Profiting by the experiences of 1880, special precautions had been taken against the risk of inundation, and at no time, in spite of a heavy rainfall, was there any cause for apprehension on this account. The plan printed on pages 168 and 169 will serve to indicate the general disposition of the site and the manner in which the various departments were accommodated.

ENTRIES.

It will be convenient to give, as in former years, a statement showing the number of entries in the different sections, with the corresponding figures for the nine previous years, 18931901:

Number of Entries at the last Ten Meetings, 1893-1902.

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Shedding allotted at the last Ten Meetings, 1893-1902.

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The Table on page 165 shows that all descriptions of farm live stock at Carlisle were much more numerously represented than at Cardiff in 1901; the entries approximated, in fact, more nearly to the average of the past ten years. A grand collection of Clydesdale horses and an excellent show of Galloway cattle were conspicuous features of the Live Stock Department. The entry of implements was smaller than in any year since the Plymouth Meeting of 1890.

A COMPARISON.

A small plot of fifteen acres sufficed in 1855 for the Royal Showyard; in 1880 this area had increased four-fold. In 1902, the total acreage was 80. The following figures will serve to show the immense development that has taken place since the Society first visited Carlisle :

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Upon examination of the classes provided for live stock in 1855, the great difference between that date and the present is still more apparent. The following figures should be

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