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UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
LIBRARY

S

74

E8E8
1 866-70

"^^iANSACTIONS

OF THE

Essex Agricultural Society,

IN MASSACHUSETTS,

TOR THE TEATl

(V, J» "%"!

WITH THE

ANNUAL ADDEESS

BY

HOiS^. OTIS P. LORD.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.

SOUTH DANVERS:
PRINTED BY CHARLES D. HOWARD, SUTTON BUILDING.

1866.

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AII^ERSI MASS.

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ADDRESS.

Mb. President and Gentlemen of the Essex County
Agricultural Society: —

There were considerations, which made the invitation of
the representatives of your Society to address you on this
occasion, peculiarly pleasant. I ought, perhaps, to have
declined it. It is not possible, that it could have been in
the mind of any one, that I should speak upon your chosen
pursuit. Education, habits of life, course of study and gen-
eral pursuits, each alike forbids me to attempt such task, and
is conclusive, also, that you ask some other theme.

I could, indeed, congratulate you, generally, upon the
success of the season ; upon the fruits, that have rewarded
your toils ; upon the richness of the earlier and the abundant
promise of the later harvests ; or, I might bring in review the
marvellous changes which the present generation has wit-
nessed in the culture of the ground ; the introduction, use
and improvement of new implements and machinery ; the
almost total uprooting of all received notions of practical
husbandry ; the wonderful increase in vaiiety, quality and
value of crops ; the attention to stock and its relation to the
farm, with an almost infinity of other things, interesting to

you, but in all of which you could entertain and instruct me ;
and it cannot be, that of such things you would have me
speak.

It were easy, also, to address you Upon the dignity of
labor ; upon the independence, that goes with tilling the soil ;
upon agriculture, as the primal source of accumulation ; as the
foundation of the social state, upon which all other arts and
trades and professions rest ; but I am quite sure, that you have
not invited me here to flatter you or to eulogize j^our voca-
tion, and, certainly, I shall not so far forget myself, nor so fail
in respect for you, as to make this platform a stump, from
which to try to tickle j^ou or to aggrandize myself.

I might — indeed I should be wholly neglectful of duty did
I not — congratulate you upon the changed condition of pub-
lic affairs. Through several succeeding years your Society
held its annual festival in tears — in sorrow, though in hope —
over a torn, distracted, belligerent country. This — the fair-
est fabric of human government — was shaken — the last
hope of the friends of civil liberty all over the world — was
imperilled. Over an extent of territory never before equalled,
and on a scale of terrible grandeur never approached — war —
civil — fraternal — war was raging with an intensity impossible
before to conceive ; the whole land red with the blood of
brothers ; the heavens all lurid with the smoke and the flame
rising from a thousand battle fields ; the stoutest hearts were
quailing and at times the hopes of men seemed to be going
out. But how changed ! Instead, since your last annual
meeting — nay even since I so recently accepted your invi-
tation— the proper and rightful authority has proclaimed from
his high place " that peace, order, tranquility and civil au-
thority now exist in and throughout the whole of the United
States of America." How infinite the contrast ! And, now,
after this terrible convulsion, and even before the tears have
been dried, which were shed over so much of devotion and
consecration of health and life to a country worthy of it all,
"we have a partial relief iu some matters oH giatuhition, which

it will be neither unfit, nor distasteful to the proprieties of the
hour, for a moment to bring to mind. It is certain])- a matter
of congratulation, that upon the re-establishment of civil gov-
ernment, when the nation takes its place again unbroken
among the first powers of the world, it comes forth purified,
by the fires through which it has passed of that plague spot,
which, from the first, has been our mortification and our fear ;
that it presents to the world the grand spectacle of a pojmla-
tion of more than 30,000,000 of souls, each one of whom is
before the law the exact equal of each other one ; nay, fur-
ther, that we stand in Christendom with a fundamental and
constitutional declaration of that great law, which Loid
Brougham, many years ago, declared to be above all the en-
actments of human codes, M'ritten by the finger of God upon
men's hearts, that man cannot hold property in man ; while
proud and boastful England, in which human servitude long
existed, and by whose agency it was planted among our peo-
ple, has never yet, by legal enactment, forbidden slavery, ex-
cept in some of her far-off possessions. Within the limits of
the Biitish isle, there has never been a law abolishing or pro-
hibiting its existence. It ceased to be economical — and it
ceased to exist.

Nor can we hesitate to see, with emotions of the highest
interest and satisfaction, that the years of strife and war have
developed the fact, that the people of the United States have
determined that there is a government, which must be pre-
served; that the great interests of civilization demand, that
we shall continue one people; that this community of States
is not a mere aggregation of atoms to be t^eparated and dis-
integrated at the will of aspiring and discontented men ; but
that within its true sphere, the goveraujent of the country
shall remain absolute and permanent. It is not well to try
to weigh life in the balance with political advantages and
political results ; it is not, therefore, well to make compari-
sons of the value of any result with the cost by which it
has bfccii purchased ; it is enough, if we fully realize and

6

adequately appreciate the great good, which, out of this great
evil, has been assured to us. Our study should rather be to
secure and render perpetual what, in the Providence of God,
so great a sacrifice has opened to us.

It is also no little satisfaction to know, that those, what at-
tacked most violently and desperately the integrity of the
Republic, made no attempt to establish a better and no claim
that a better was attainable by them. On the other hand,
they were compelled, practically, to confess that they could
lay no better foundations than were laid, by copying with
almost precise exactness the very Constitution, which they
were attempting to avoid ; and while they based their ob-
jection to the integrity of the nation, not upon the govern-
ment itself, but upon the administration of it, they were forced
to the position — to make a pretence of justification before a
civilized and Christian world — that it was not so much against
the administration, which they had experienced, as against that
which they feared might, in the future, be resorted to — that
they took up arms. Such a cause, except by the grossest der-
eliction of duty on the part of those having control of public
affairs, could not succeed ; and the people of the country de-
termined that with the blessing of God it should not succeed.
It failed. The government stands ; and it shall stand for-
ever. There may have been — undoubtedly were — errors of
opinion and errors of conduct, but the one great pervading,
all-absorbing, universal determination of the people, with an
identity like the pulsations of one great heart, was for the in-
tegrity of the nation, its government and its institutions. It
was indeed at a fearful cost; that cost should enhance our
appreciation of the value of the result.

It has seemed to me that, now, just as we are emerging
from this terrible conflict, there can be no fitter subject for an
hour's consideration than the nature, object and purposes of
good government, with especial reference to our own and its
institutions.

What is government ? Till very recently, we have' scarcely

had occasion to know or even to think of government, or its
nature. I ask your indulgence for a moment, while I attempt
to turn your thoughts to the condition of affairs but six years
ago. Our country, then, was a magnificent spectacle to the
world of a peaceful, prosperous government ; but, a govern-
ment, the existence of which as a physical power, we had
never realized even in contemplation. Its hand had never
borne heavily upon any man. It had afforded protection and
security of person and of property against individual wrong
and against aggregated assault. It had given to every citizen
the fullness of enjoyment of all that is dear to him, not life
only, not liberty only, but individual freedom, freedom of con-
science, freedom of pursuit without molestation, as pricelessly
as a good Providence has given his air. It had done all this
and more. Did we then appreciate it ? Did we give our
mind for a moment to the question. What is this government ?
We were accustomed to contemplate and to speak of our rapid
and gigantic development. Our population, during our exist-
ence, from three or four millions, had multiplied to thirty
millions and more. Our commerce had been extended till
our sails were in every water ; our enterprise had developed
itself beyond the dreams of imagination ; science had begun
to compete and was keeping pace with the advance of the
most learned of the age ; in the arts we were rivalling all
other peoples • in the development of physical resources,
(grand and gigantic to sublimity) without precedent and
without parallel ; in literature, more than respectable among
those of the highest culture ; in civil and religious advance-
ment and liberty our course had been rapid, safe, and with
full assurance of permanence ; man, as man, had been ele-
vated ; labor was honorable and of sure reward ; certain suc-
cess crowned honest effort ; public and private charities were
administei-ed with almost prodigal liberality and with results
of good which seemed to justify profusion ; distance and space
so far annihilated, that it was scarcely exaggeration to say that
families and friends, separated by thousands of miles, could

hourly conveise together ; our territoiy, from a comparatively
narrow belt along the Atlantic, augmented till its western
shore bounded the great quiet sea ; and yet more compact, of
more easy access and intercommunication than the old thirteen
of the revolution ; our political privileges extended till they
had almost outrun the conception of the socialist ; and this
under a government controlled and administered silently —
noiselessly — as the great system of the universe. We trav-
ersed the country hundreds and thousands of miles in our
railway cars, and equal thousands upon our steamboats, or by
whatever other agency of locomotion we selected, and the
sight of a bayonet or a soldier was so rare that we stopped
and gazed upon the spectacle and wondered the object of its
existence. The simple star upon the breast of a hundred or
two of otherwise undistinguished citizens in our large cities,
gave ample assurance of safety and protection by night and
by day, to every individual. With all this there was no bur-
den of tayation ; the very term "rates" almost, or quite
obsolete ; our system of administration of public affairs differ-
ing widely from what the world had ever before seen ; with a
national government designed to have and having simply suf-
ficient jurisdiction "to establish justice, insure domestic tran-
quility, provide for the common defence, promote the general
welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and
our posterity ; " with State governments, each adapted to its
peculiar locality and its peculiar institutions, regulating the
police and protecting the citizen, in some, especially in our
own, developing all the resources, mental, moral and physi-
cal, but generally so administering affairs through the agency
of those primal and most pertect democracies (the town m^eet-
ings of Massachusetts) that wisdom and economy were com-
bined, and the citizen saw that every dollar, which he was
called upon to devote to the public service, was but an in-
vestment made by him, the income of which, he personally
realized in the education of the children and in the protection,
security and comfort of the people. There was no idea of

odium attached to taxation ; the citizen felt it to be rather a
voluntary and self-imposed contribution, the benefits of which
he should personally realize. Such, in part, hastily and im-
perfectly drawn, were the results of good government. Was
it strange or not that, under such circumstances, men should
not make the subject of government a study ? The true
theory of government was not well expressed by Pope when
he said :

For forms of government let fools contest,
Whate'er is best administered is best.

Good administration is essential to any form of government,
and, indeed, will make any system of government tolerable.
More accurate, indeed, was the view of a nearly contem-
porary British Jurist, who said, " the true liberty of the sub-
ject consists, not so much, in the gracious behavior as in the
limited power of the sovereign." I should rather say that
government is best to the existence of which the subject is
most unconscious. It has, however, this penalty. Being un-
conscious of it, the subject becomes unmindful that there is
such a power as government, and, naturally, if not neces-
sarily, becomes neglectful of its study ; and without study
and careful contemplation, erroneous notions upon the sub-
ject of government, equally as upon other subjects, spring
up.

If by any process the question could to-day be submitted
to each voter, even of Massachusetts, What is the nature and
purpose of government ? and an independent answer could be
had from each, while, probably, no single answer would be pro-
nounced wholly and absolutely wrong, we should assuredly
find that there is no identity and very little similarity of
opinion on the subject. It is almost impossible to give any
definition of government and its purposes, which shall not
have something of truth in it. Upon the minds of most peo-
ple, the general histoi-y of public affairs and the common use
2

10

of language have impressed the idea that the word govern-
ment imports, of itself, a governing and a governed class.
There is, undoubtedly, a sense in which this is true, but in
spirit and in essence it is false. So also there is prevalent a
vague idea that the object and purpose of government is to
compel, in the subjects of it, compliance with its will. Like
the former, there may be a sense in which this is true, but
like the former, in its spirit and essence it is false and per-
nicious.

There must be government. We may say it has its origin
in necessity; or we may use another phrase and say, govern-
ment is ordained of God. We mean the same thing, which-
ever expression M^e may use; for in either case we mean, only,
that in the Providence of God, man was made to associate with
man ; and men cannot associate in masses without some or-
ganization. That organization, in the mode which shall best
advance the interests of man, is the best government. To
ascertain what that best government is requires us to look
at the purpose and end of human life. The assembly's
catechism, which very many of us believe, defines the chief
end of man to be, to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
AVhether we accept this definition as the true one or reject
it, we certainly all agree in this, that man's personal rela-
tion with the Divine Creator constitutes his highest interest
in life. It is a personal — an individual relation — and out
of it grow the paramount obligations of life. To secure
the individuality of that relation is the highest and most
important duty of each person, and with this there is —
there should be — no human power to interfere. It is neces-
sary, therefore, that government shall be so constituted as not
to interfei-e with the fullest development of such individual-
ity ; and, consequently, it follows, that there shall be no in-
terference with individual conduct, but that eveiy person
shall be allowed to act as he himself deems proper, Avithout
control or influence from any source. Inasmuch, however,
as absolute freedom from all control in every individual and

11

the absolute right in each individual to do exactly according
to his pleasure would inevitably lead to coaflict, there be-
comes, of necessity, one qualification ; and upon that one
qualification is based the whole justification of civil govern-
ment; that qualification Is, that in the exercise of one's own
right, he shall not violate the rights of another ; that each
man shall so use his own as not to abuse another's. The
best government, therefore, is that which allows the largest
latitude of thought, opinion, conscience and conduct in the
subject of it ; a government, which neither coerces nor re-
strains individual action ; which is unseen ; unfelt in its
operations ; whose legitimate authority is strictly limited
to two specific subjects, to wit : its own self-protection, and
the restraint of an individual from doing injury to the rights
of another. To him who will look carefully into the true
principles of a government, which is to be the bulwark and
defence of civil and religious liberty, these two duties will
appear to be the paramount — indeed — the sole ones. It is
true, that we have a mass of laws and an aggregation of legal
decisions, more or less obligatory upon the citizen, which
fill volumes, that a lifetime does not suffice to read; but, if in
all that multifariousness of laws, there is one single rule
which goes beyond the limit I have named, so far there is
usurpation beyond the true bounds of good government.
Under our own law, an examination of the entire Crim-
inal Code will show, that thei-e is no one offence, which the
law-maker did not consider either an act like treason, which
attempts the subversion of the government, or some act Avhlch
tends to undermine the government, or some wrong to an in-
dividual. The Civil Code merely decides between the indi-
vidual claimants to the same right. The true standard,
therefore, by which to test a government, or to test legis-
lation, is this : — Is the measure proposed necessary either
for the protection of tlie government itself, or for the en-
joyment of each individual of his right to do exactly as he
pleases, with this only qualification, that he shall not, in so

12

doing, prevent another from the exercise of the same free-
dom ?

Without any doubt, the g-overnment under which we have
lived, local and national, has come nearer to the model of
the best government than any other, for the reason that it
has claimed for itself less power than any other, and has,
substantially, limited itself to its two legitimate purposes.
Till the establishment of limited governments, restricted by
written constitutions, there was always implied in the gov-
erning power omnipotence in reference to the subjects of it.
To-day, though practically false, the Parliament of Great
Britain, by her statesmen and jurists, is spoken of as omni-
potent, and in theory it is so ; because it is based upon the
long -tolerated dogma that in the Providence of God there
are two classes — a class to govern and a class to be under
subjection to government. If it were within the limits of
this discourse it would be interesting and instructive to re-
view in detail the principles upon which government is
founded and justified, with its limitations and restrictions, as
they are carefully and concisely enunciated in that immortal
prefix to the Constitution of Massachusetts, popularly called
the Bill of Kights. This bill of rights, which in many re-
spects is a mere transcript of Magna Charta, had, an hundred
years ago, a meaning understood by every body. To-day,
these are comparatively free who appreciate it, and because
of the reason before referred to, that it has performed its part
in the accomplishment of its work, so successfully, and so
noiselessly, that we had become unconscious of the presence
of a power, which was operating with such potency and be-
neficence. The people of Massachusetts long ago outgrew
the fiction, that there was a governed and a governing power.
Always, from the very first, they had good government, the
evils of which were almost wholly theoretic. During their
colonial existence, there were at work causes, of which they
themselves were seemingly unconscious, which must destroy
the whole theoretic structure of government. Without ap-

13'

parently understanding exactly why, or by what means, it was
brought about, when their circumstances called upon them to
remodel and reorganize society upon what was deemed a more
popular basis, they saw and proclaimed the true purposes, end
and aim of government ; and they first promulgated the great
truth, which I have tried to develop, that such purpose and
end is simply and only to preserve itself and protect the
individual. It was for this that the Eill of Rights was
ordained, and was designed to be before and above all con-
stitutions and above all human authority — or to speak with
more careful accuracy, it was to declare that there were things
which were not the subjects of human government. It is en-
titled not a " Bill of Rights," as it is now almost universally
designated, but " A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhab-
itants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ;" by which was^
meant, the rights of each individual, with which no human
government had any authority or rightful power to interfere,,
rights — born to the individual; rights, which he could not
surrender ; rights, which it is mere usurpation in any gov-
ernment, whatever that government may be, to attempt to in-
terfere with. We can better appreciate the importance of thi&
declaration of rights, when we contrast it with the interpreta-
tion which, even in England, had been put upon the same
declaration. But just previously to the adoption of the Con-
stitution of Massachusetts, a celebrated writer, the " enchant-
ing harmony" of whose style, together with the elegance
and comprehensiveness of his commentaries, has made his
work a text book to this day, thus comments upon the great
charter. " Thus much for the declaration of our rights and
liberties. The rights themselves, thus defined by these sev-
eral statutes, consist in a number of private immunities ;
which will appear from what has been premised, to be, in-
deed, no other than either that residuum of natural liberty,,
which is not required by the laws of society to be sacrificed
to public convenience ; or else those civil privileges, which

14

society hath engaged to provide, in lieu of those natural
liberties so given up by individuals."

From the world-wide difference of construction between the
founders of our State and the illustrious commentator, it will
be perceived that it is not from Magna Charta alone, that we
derive our institutions. We must look elsewhere ; for just as
are the principles enunciated in the great charter and inesti-
mable as the rights secured by it, they are all consistent
with a theory of government, which our fathers rejected and
which we shall be slow to adopt. Before, however, looking
for the causes which led to such different constructions of the
rights of persons, and to such different results in relation to
the theory of government, I beg to call attention to a veiy
prevalent, and, it may become, a very dangerous error. It has
been supposed that what would be usurpation in an indi-
vidual, if he were despot, autocrat, emperor, or monarch of
any description, might be a legitimate exercise of authority
if done under a popular government and with the sanction
of a majority of the people ; or in other words, that it is the
duty of a minority in a popular government always to acqui-
esce in and submit to, as right, whatever shall be so deemed
by the majority. The nature of the government makes no
difference in the true power of the government. Whatever
is within the true sphere of government may be done, Avhether
the nature of the government be what is called despotic or
what is called popular; and whatever is not within its legiti-
mate province can be done by neither. It was precisely to
define what does belong to government, and what does not*
that written constitutions were devised. Those constitutions,
the product of our institutions, organize society and define
the province to which government is limited. So well had
been considered this subject that I have endeavored to illus-
trate and enforce — the great truth, that government has but
two rightful purposes to accomplish — the protection of itself
and the security to each person of the widest freedom of indi-
vidual, independent opinion and conduct — that it was taken

15

as a postulate — requiring no proof — to be stated, only by
way of formal declaration, as a preamble to the declaration
of rights, which, although a pait of, is precedent to, the Con-
stitution of the Commonwealth. That preamble, possibly
forgotten by some who hear me, commences thus :

*' The end of the institution, maintenance, and administra-
tion of government is to secure the existence of the body
politic, to protect it and to furnish the individuals who com-
pose it with the power of enjoying in safety and tranquility
their natural rights and the blessings of life." Thus, in a
word, are more succinctly and more tersely stated, than per-
haps anywhere else, the exact purposes, objects and ends of
civil government. Such a government, our fathers designed
to make, and such a government substantially has been en-
joyed by the people of the commonwealth for nearly a cen-
tury.

How came it to be created ? How is it to be preserved ?
These are important enquiries, to which we have been ac-
customed to give too little thought. To say that it is the
product of popular institutions and is to be sustained by sus-
taining popular institutions, is merely to use other language
to convey the idea that it exists and is to be preserved as
heretofore. But what are popular institutions ? No phrase
is more frequently upon the lips of all classes of people, and
I suspect, that no phrase is so used with less appreciation of its
meaning. Ask an enthusiastic declaimer upon the virtues of
popular institutions what he means by the expression, and
when he shall have collected himself, he will not be unlikely
to say, that he means the right of the people to choose offi-
cers and to hold office ; to vote and to be voted for ; or pei -
haps he would say that he meant by it only popular govern-
ment. Neither of these answers, however, conveys any
proper idea of that condition of things that is meant by
the language, popular institutions. If popular government
means only a government that is satisfactory to and is sus-
tained by a majority of the people, then it can scarcely be

16

said to be peculiar to any people or nation ; for it is undoubt-
edly true, that every government, which exists, is substantially
such a government as a majority of the subjects of it desire,
or to express it more accurately, such as the majority of the
subjects of it prefer to acquiesce in, rather than attempt to
change.

Names, however, are not very important in this discussion.
Whatever we may call our institutions, we mean that system
of measures, which during the progress of centuries have been
inaugurated, established and improved, till individual liberty
of conscience, opinion and action have been secured to every
person. The limits of this discourse will not allow a full
enumeration of all the measures. Magna Charta and the
habeas corpus have undoubtedly a inost important place
among them. The foundation and distribution of the dif-
ferent powers of government, so that the branch, which
makes the laws, shall neither construe nor execute them,
and the branch, which executes, shall neither make nor con-
strue, and the branch, which construes, shall neither make
nor execute, thereby making a government of laws and not
of men, are also entitled to a high place in such an enu-
meration. Trial by jury also, though from obvious causes
of less value to us, than to those from whom we derived
it, is entitled to a conspicuous place ; but far above them
all and far transcending in importance any and perhaps
all other causes combined in creating, preserving and trans-
mitting popular institutions, is the proprietorship of land.
Next to that, is the town meeting. The ownership of land
has always been a badge of sovereignty. By the theory of
the British government, all sovereignty is in the King and by
the same theory all the lands in the kingdom are held by the
subject, either mediately or immediately, from the King, who
is the absolute owner, while the owner of the fee is entitled
to the use.

That gigantic system of institutions, or regulations, or gov-
ernment, or whatever it mav be called which, under the name

17

of Feudal System, pervaded Europe during an origin, growth
and decay of a thousand years, and traces of which linger in
the language of the title deeds of every one of you, was
based also upon the same idea that proprietorship of land
involved sovereignty — political sovereignty. It would be
tedious to attempt to enumerate the various and multiplied
forms of tenure, which prevailed under that great and. com-
plicated system, every one of which required fealty in some
form and under some name to the owner by the possessor.
The estate of " freehold " was in its first signification simply
the possession of the soil by a Free-man ; and the word fee,
which to all of us imports the highest possible estate, is of
the same feudal origin, and implies that the estate is held not
in the right of its possessor, but under another, to whom some
allegiance or some service is due. Men held their lands upon
condition that they acknowledged fealty and rendered service
to the owner, and he who was possessed of land to which no
such condition was annexed, was himself a sovereign over a
larger or smaller domain, as his possessions were more or less
extended. When some six hundred and fifty years ago the
signature of King John was obtained to Magna Charta on
that little strip of meadow upon the banks of the Thames,
now famous through the civilized world as Runnymede, it
was substantially the triumph of landed proprietorship. It
was the Liber Homo — the Freeman — the possessor of lands,
who derived the substantial benefits from that instrument. In
terms, it was broad enough to secure justice in some respects to
all — but like the common law, it was subsequently made ap-
plicable rather by its elasticity, than because it was originally
made to cover the condition of others, than the barons who
secured it. The ladies, however, will not pardon me if, be-
fore taking leave of Magna Charta, I do not say, that by
that great instrument the right of dower became incorpo-
rated into the constitution of England as a part of its funda-
mental law. But although the proprietorship of land is thus
influential and is in the nature of sovereignty, it, by no means,
3

18

of itself secures good government ; we are therefore led to
another and further enquiry as to the nature of that pro-
prietorship, which has heretofore operated thus beneficially ;
and it is not necessary to stop and reason with the enthusi-
astic visionary, who, now and then, has denied the right of
the individual to the ownership of land ; who has told us,
that God first created the Earth and then made man to its
inheritance and sent him forth to till the ground for his
subsistence, and that each individual, under that Divine
ordination, had the right to enter upon and cultivate the
earth, and that he, who shall undertake to exercise exclu-
sive ownership, must show his title deed from the Almighty.
If we should assume that such speculations as these cannot
be logically answered, it would not necessarily follow that
they are therefore sound. In the great scheme of creation
and human existence, the profoundest student has made but
little advance. There are problems in life above and beyond
all logic and all reason. These are not to be solved by the
rules of metaphysical didactics, for they are of the mys-
teries of the Divine economy. Call it instinct, call it rea-
son, call it faith, we may be assured of the sound basis of
that, which the general judgment of civilized men, in all
times and under all circumstances, has taken to be true. We
must accept as truth what the natural and universal judg-
ment of man has assumed to be true ; if we cannot demon-
strate the truth, still, it were only folly and presumption to
deny or to doubt. Whether this is the true vindication of
the lawful proprietorship of land, it will be neither interest-
ing nor profitable here to enquire. Suffice it, that such pro-
prietorship has existed in some form, — whenever civil gov-
ernment has existed — always with marked relations to that
government. Our enquiry, now, is limited to the peculiar
relationship of landed proprietorship to our government. If
it were required of me to give in a word the origin of the
popular institutions which have made this government so
near the model government of Christendom — I should not

19

hesitate to say, The small farms of New England. It is the
subdivision of the soil and the facility of acquiring land
which has made each man in his nature and bearing a sov-
ereign. The observation of the most careless cannot fail to
have shown him, that the first acre, which a young man ac-
quires by the fruits of his own labor, stamps that man with
a dignity and an importance, which are seen and felt through
life ; and we shall find not only better citizens but a better
government in proportion as we find young men, on attaining
their majorities, becoming possessed, in their own absolute
right, of some portion, however small, of the soil. The laws,
therefore, which favor the subdivision of lands — that bring
the ownership of lands not only within the means but with-
in the easy and certain grasp of every aspirant for it, are those
which are best adapted to secure and perpetuate political sov-
ereignty in the body of the people.

Establish to-day throughout the British empire the laws
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which regulate the
descent and distribution of the estates of deceased persons,
and those which relate to the alienation of real estate and
the barring of entails, and the child lives, who shall see that
proud government totter and fall. Those baronial and im-
perial estates, the accumulations of centuries, the pride and
the grandeur of the few, the degradation of the many, would
crumble and waste. It would not need a dissoluteness of the
heir to open the grounds to the competition of the tenant
and the peasant ; and soou — very soon — those old castles
would be vacated by their titled occupants and a truer and
higher nobility by nature would succeed them. It would be
said, literally, as was figuratively said of their system of reme-
dial law^ that their old Gothic Castles, erected in the days
of chivalry, were fitted up for a modern inhabitant; that
their moated ramparts and embattled towers and their tro-
phied halls, though magnificent and venerable, were useless
and neglected, but that the inferior apartments, accommo-
dated to a new and daily use, had become cheerful and

20

commodious. With the loss of these vast dominions, for many
of the estates are really such, the priviledged order of nobili-
ty must cease as a power in the state ; for the existence of
such an order, without large territorial possessions to sustain
and support it, is a dream, in which the wildest schemer
never indulged. That destroyed, the whole fabric of En-
glish government topples. It is not within the design of
this discussion to consider what consequence, for good or
for ill, would follow such an event ; nor whether to En-
gland or to the world, it would be a desirable event. Nor
do I mean to enter at all into that great arena of debate,
which attempts to decide the question whether agriculture
is, upon the whole, advanced by those princely possessions
and princely experiments which are here and there found
among the immense estates of some British peer, who unites
with the vast power of his real and personal wealth, that
higher and more noble property, the disposition to develope
all the capacities of his land and to increase and improve its
products. These questions have indeed a bearing upon the
general truth which I desire to present, but are simply col-
lateral and incidental, and I leave them.

But the small farms of New England needed as their ad-
junct in the establishment and perpetuity of popular institu-
tions— the town meeting.

Has it ever occurred to you to think how large a propor-
tion of all the matters of public interest are acted upon and
settled at the town meeting. We have had a National and a
State government, but till very recently we have hardly been
called upon to contribute to their support. Indeed, we hardly
knew of their existence, except as election days came round
and we were called upon to recognize the claims of some
friend of the people to distinction and office. The substan-
tial affairs of life were settled in town meeting. Our taxes,
imposed by the government, have been such only as were
necessary to preserve the organization of the State and com-
pensate its officers. It is only recently that either State or

21

National government has gone beyond that and never much
beyond. The real burdens of the government have been sell
imposed in the town meeting. Duties have, indeed, been laid
upon the towns by the government, but they have been such as
the towns desired to have, rather than to have the same per-
formed by the States. Sometimes the State has seen fit to
impose a minnimum of taxation, but rarely has that minni-
mum been as high as the towns themselves have fixed, so
that practically the amount of taxation has been left with
the people of each town to determine according to their
discretion. The cost of maintenance and repairs of roads —
the support of schools and the education of the youth —
provision for the support and comfort of the poor — these
are the subjects of taxation — and these the little democ-
racies deal with wisely and economically. Each man feels
that he is an owner and a sovereign in the territory for
which he is acting. Sometimes, undoubtedly, towns act
without due regard to economy, to wisdom and to the rights
of minorities ; generally, however, so purely a practical mat-
ter of business is made the aflfairs of the town, so little po-
litical or other excitement of feeling enters into it that it is
eminently wise, judicious and satisfactory. I will be con-
tent if the National and State Legislatures will conduct their
affairs with as much practical wisdom and propriety as the
least wise of all the towns of the Commonwealth. It is not
difficult to understand why towns act thus judiciously. Each
individual is acting in relation to his own business, which he
fully comprtthends and appreciates. He sees that his inter-
est is the public interest and the public interest is his. But
the town meeting would be of no account except for that
universal interest which the inhabitants have by reason of
the proprietorship of land. If some baron owned all the
acres of a town and the inhabitants were his tenants the
town meeting would be as worthless as a telescope to a blind
astronomer. It is the two, that have laid the foundations
and erected the structure of popular institutions ; without

them, such institutions can scarcely be secure for a genera-
tion ; with them they may be immortal and perpetual.

The way is open, if we will take it, for a higher, a nobler, a
more glorious future.

But frankness to you and justice to myself require that be-
fore closing I shall say to you, that there are perils before us —
perils of a serious and alarming nature — perils which agita-
tion, excitement and passion will aggravate rather than dis-
pel — perils which require all our firmness, all our prudence,
all our wisdom to avert. What they are and what are the
remedies, it is not for me, here and now, to say. Their dis-
cussion requires a confiding, if not a sympathetic audience.

May God in his gracious Providence be to us as to our
fathers — give us wisdom according to our need.

H Y M ]sr.

BY DB. JAMES E. NICHOLS.

Adieu to angry strife, and words

With passion all aglow ;
To wars' alarms, and gory fields.

Deep fraught with human woe.
Praise God for calmer themes, and minds

Vexed by no caucus toil,
Praise Him for hills and peaceful vales,

The rich and fragrant soil.

Since last we met, the sun and earth,

Beneath the zephyr's wing.
Have nursed the tender germs, and burst

The varnished buds of Spring.
The Summer's ardent heat hath urged

Each seed and springing blade.
And waves of green have swelled along,

By valley and by glade.

And Autumn, with its ripened fruits,

Its rich and golden grain.
And treasures hid beneath the soil.

Hath filled our stores again.
The cattle by the meadow brooks.

The sheep upon the bills,

u

Unite in praise to Him, who thus
Our cup of plenty fills.

O, feeble trust ! O, trembling faith !

How weak our fears and vain.
When lurid suns and cloudless skies,

No promise gave of rain.
Henceforth, in Spring-time, sow the seed,

A.11 ill forebodings spurn,
The promise stands ; we will not doubt

The harvest's glad return.

REPORTS, &c.

The Cattle Show and Exhibition was held at Haverhill,
Tuesday and Wednesday, September 25th and 26th.

FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle have examined those en-
tered, and report the following premiums : —

To Daniel G. Todd, of Rowley, first premium for his near
ox, $10.

To Frank Brickett, of Haverhill, second premium for his
off ox, $8.

To Stephen Little, of Bradford, third premium for his off
ox, $5.

Joseph Newell, Geo. W. Davis, Matthew Poor, J. C. Gage,
Committee.

STATEMENT OF DANIEL G. TODD.

I offer for premium one pair of fat oxen, five years old,
4

26

weighing about 5000 pounds. Their feed for the past fear
has been old pasture for five months ; for seven months,
one-half English, the other half Black grass and Salt hay,
with four quarts of meal each per day.

BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls would respectively report : —

The number of entries was large, and the animals were,
generally, of a superior quality. The variety was very
noticeable — Dutch, Shorthorn, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Na-
tives of various shapes and sizes constituting the number.
Your Committee would suggest that there must be an un-
usual diversity of soil in any limited section of the country,
which would allow so many different types and breeds to be
fed to a profit; They would also suggest that this is almost
the only Society in the country which now ofiiers premiums
for grade bulls.

The Committee award the following premiums :

To Charles P. Mighill, of Rowley, Jersey Bull, first pre-
mium^ $8.

William A. Russell, of North Andover, Dutch Bull, first
premium, $8.

John Day, Jr., of Boxford, Shorthorn Bull, second premi-
um, $5.

£1. O. Cummings, of Andover, Grade Bull, first premi-
um, $8.

Joseph Newell, of "West Newbury, Grade Bull, second
premium, $5.

GEO. B. LORING, Chairman of Committee.

rt

HEIFERS.

The Committee on Heifers having attended to their duty,
report : —

There was one entry of three year old heifers; six two
year olds ; thirteen yearlings, and three entries of calves.

The Committee award to Jacob F. Jewett, of Georgetown,
the first premium of $10, for his three year old Heifer.

To W. A. Russell, of North Andover, for his Half Dutch
two year old Heifer, the first premium of $5.

To H. K. West, of Haverhill, the second premium, Harris'
Insects, for his Grade Jersey.

To E. C. Mitchell, of Haverhill, first premium of ^5, for
his Grade Durham yearling.

To H. K. West of Haverhill, second premium, for |his
Grade Jersey yearling.

To E. T. Northend, of Bradford, the premium of $6, for
Calves.

Wm. B. Carleton, E. S. Parker, J. D. White, S. P. Spof-
ford, Nathaniel Annable, Committee.

STEERS.

The Committee award the first premium of $4 to John C.
Tarlton, of West Newbury, for his yearling Steers.

Francis Dodge, Charles W. Titcomb, Robert A. Smith, D.
M. Tukesbury, Committee.

WORKING OXEN.

The Committee on Working Oxen report : —

There were ten yoke of Oxen and four pairs of Steer?

entered for premium. Dr. J. R. Nichols, of Haverhill,
presented a pair of well -matched and well -trained cattle,
that could draw, back, push, or do almost anything re-
quired, and the Committee award to him the first premi-
um of $12.

The second premium of $10 they award to Charles 0.
Cummings, of Andover, for his dark-red Oxen,

For the best pair of Steers they award the first premium of
$8 to Joseph S. How, of Methuen.

The second premium of $5 they award to Wm. Foster, of
North Andover.

The Committee would say there were several pairs of Oxen
that performed their work very well, but appeared to need a
little more training.

The attention of the Committee was called to a town team
from Bradford — seventeen yoke of noble Oxen — and your
Committee thought they were worthy of more than a passing
notice. It is seldom that so many good Oxen are seen to-
gether, not a mean one being found in the lot. 'J he Commit-
tee thought the seventeen pairs were worth $5000. Can
another town in Essex County furnish such a team ? And
yet the gentlemen from Bradford told the Committee they
expected five pairs more as good as the average of those they
presented. Your Committee would recommend a gratuity of
$30 to the team.

James Holt, Roger Buttrick, Andrew Mansfield, Committee.

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

The Committee on Farm and Draft Horses respectfully re-
port that seven Horses were entered and but five appeared for
trial.

They award the first premium of $10, to M. H. Poor, of
West Newbury.

The second premium of $8, to J. L. Farnham, of North
Andover.

The Committee would say that they considered the horse
entered by Samuel Moody, Jr., of West Newbury, a very su-
perior animal for farm purposes, but, being smooth-shod, and
the ground slippery, he did not perform as well as he might
otherwise have done.

Edward H. Little, Moses A. Shackley, Rufus Slocum, Geo.
A. Abbott, Committee.

FAMILY HORSES.

The Committeee on Family Horses have attended to that
duty, and report eight horses entered for premium.

They have awarded the first premium of $10, to Mrs. B.
B. Pool, of Byfield.

The second premium of $8, to John Gardner, of Haver-
hill.

J. W. SNOW, Chairman of Committee.

BROOD MARES.

The Committee on Brood Mares, having carefully ex-
amined the same, make the following report, viz :

30

There were ten entries, and we have awarded the premi-
ums in the following manner :

The first premium of $15, to Enoch Northend, of Bradford.

The second premium of $10, to John Gardner, of Haver-
hill.

The third premium of $8, to Phineas E. Davis, of Haver-
hill.

The Committee found that most of the Mares entered were
of a superior class, so that they found it difficult to make the
selection satisfactory to themselves.

Seth Kimball, George W. Winslow, J. B. Spiller, Com-
mittee.

COLTS.

The Committee on Colts present the following report, with
their award of premiums :

In the class of Four Years Old were four Colts.

1st. a grey gelding, weighed 1030 lbs. two weeks since,
owned by Mr. Nathaniel Gage, of North Andover ; sired by a
horse called " Ben. Butler," he by "Trotting Childers; " dam
not known to his owner, but a gentleman of the Committee
knew her to have been a first-class roadster.

2d. a bay gelding, weight not known, owned by Mr.
John L. Knight of Haverhill ; sired by a horse called '* Hum-
ming Bird," whose pedigree was not known to Mr. Knight ;
dam, a French mare of good speed.

3d. a bay gelding, weight not known, owned by Mr. J.
B. Spiller, of Haverhill ; sired by a horse called " Ben. But-
ler;" dam, a Morgan mare of good repute.

4th. a sorrel filley, weight not known, owned by Hon.

31

James H. Duncan, of Haverhill ; sired by " Prince Albert,"
owned by Mr. George Lee, of Haverhill ; dam, known as the
" Brown Mare."

The first premium of $10 was awarded to the sorrel filley
of Hon. James H. Duncan, of Haverhill.

The second premium of $5 was awarded to the grey geld-
ing of Mr. Nathaniel Gage, of North Andover.

In the class of Three Years Old were four Colts.

1st. a brown gelding, weighed. 938 lbs., owned by Mr.
Cyrus K. Ordway, of West Newbury ; sired by a horse owned
by Dr. William Coggswell, of Bradford ; dam, a Morgan mare.
This colt was ruled out by the Committee on account of
lameness, and on examination it was thought that the in-
cipient stages of spavin caused the colt to limp.

2d. a black gelding, weighed 1010 lbs., owned by Mr. D.
L. Goodrich, of West Newbury ; sire, a horse owned by Dr.
William Coggswell, of Bradford ; dam, a good traveller.

3d. a bay filley, weighed 875 lbs., owned by Mr. R.
Lynch, of West Newbury ; sired by ** Young St. Lawrence ; "
dam, a Messenger mare, a good roadster.

4th. a black gelding, weighed 850 lbs., owned by Mr.
H. M. Chadwick, whose pedigree, as presented by Mr. Chad-
wick himself in writing, was as follows : — " Sired by ' Young
Childers,' he by * Trotting Childers ; ' dam, a Messenger mare
called 'Lily Dale,' now owned by Mr. Jellison, of Gitat
Falls, N. H.

The first premium of $6 was awarded to the black gelding
of Mr. H. M. Chadwick, of Bradford.

The second premium of $4 was awarded to the black geld-
ing of Mr. D. L. Goodrich, of West Newbury.

In the class of Two Years Old were three Colts.

1st. a brown gelding, weight not known, owned by Mr.

32

James H. Winchell, of Haverhill ; sired by " Trotting Chil-
ders ; " dam not stated.

2d. a bay gelding, weight not known, owned by Mr. E.
R. Todd, of Rowley ; sired by an Ethan Allen colt ; dam, be-
lieved to have trotted in three minutes.

3d. a brown gelding, weight not known, owned by Mr.
Wm. M. Chase, of Haverhill ; sired by " Trotting Childers ; "
dam owned by Mr. Samuel Moody, and took the first premium
as a Brood Mare, at Lawrence, in 1864.

The first premium of $5 was awarded to the sorrel gelding
of Mr. W. M. Chase, of Haverhill.

The second premium of |3 was awarded to the bay stallion
owned by Mr. E. R. Todd, of Rowley.

In the class of Yearlings were four Colts.

1st. a red Roan, weight not known, owned by Mr. Farn-
num SpofFord, of North Andover ; sired by *' Danvers Boy ; "
dam said to be quite fast.

2d. a bay, weight 700 lbs , owned by Mr, Joseph Newell,
of West Newbury ; sired by a Canada horse ; dam, a colt
bought in Canada. Some of the Committee thought this colt
should have been classed as a two year old.

3d. a sorrel, weighed 695 lbs. in August last, owned by
Mr T. Weed Quimby, of Amesbury ; sired by Taggart's " Ab-
dallah ; " dam, a Messenger and Morgan mare. This colt had
a bunch on his off-forward knee, but from the opinion of a
member of the Committee well versed in the matter, it was
only occasioned by rubbing in the stall, and could easily be
reduced in 24 hours.

4th. a bay filley, weight not given, owned by Mr. C. H.
Palmer ; sired by a horse owned by Mr. John Kimball ; dam, a
small but smart mare.

The first premium of $4 was awarded to the sorrel colt
owned by Mr. T. Weed Quimby, of Amesbury.

S3

The second premium of $3 was awarded to the red Roan
colt of Mr. Farnham SpofFord, of North Andover.

The Committee take the liberty to suggest to those present-
ing Colts, the propriety of stating as clearly and as accurately
as possible, as of just as much consequence, the pedigree
(when it can be obtained) on the dam's side as on the sire's,
and to have these pedigrees always ready for the examination
of the Committee. They would also advise the selecting of
suitable men, who are accustomed to the handling of colts, to
show them ; or would recommend the presence of the owners
themselves, that the stock may appear to the best advantage.

It may also be well to add here that a colt showing marks
of unsoundness has no chance for premiums from a committee
which should always be selected for its ability to judge of
such matters, and that lame colts, with spavins partially
grown, can have no favors ; and it is earnestly urged, as far
the more profitable, and most assuredly the most satisfactory
course, the breeding from nothing but stock of pure pedigree
as only worth raising at all.

Samuel C. Oliver, Eben King, Committee.

STALLIONS.

The Committee on Stallions having attended to their duties,
make the following report :

They award the first premium of $15 to E. T. Northend, of
Bradford, for his six year old Stallion, " Hiram Woodruflf; "
and the second premium of $10 to George B. Martin, of Dan-
vers, for his five year old Stallion, " Dan vers Boy."

The first premium of |8 to Elbridge Battell, of Newbury-
port, for his three year old Stallion ; and the second premium
5

34

of |5 to George CofRn, of Haverhill, for his three year old
Stallion.

WILLIAM COGGSWELL, for the Committee.

SHEEP — COARSE WOOLED.

The Committee on Coarse Wooled Sheep report :

For the best flock of Sheep, first premium of $8, to Charles
Corliss, of Haverhill ; second premium of $5, to Joseph New-
ell, of West Newbury.

For the best Buck, premium of $6, to Charles Corliss, of
Haverhill.

Calvin Rogers, Ariel H. Gould, George Worcester, S. B.
Swan, Committee.

SWINE.

The Committee on Swine report that they found entered
for premium two Breeding Sows one by O. H. Roberts, of
Haverhill, with 12 pigs, but the Committee could not find
them on exhibition — and one by Daniel Carlton of North
Andover, with 10 pigs, to whom we award the first premium
of $8.

There were three Boars — two by William Foster, of North
Andover, to whom we award the first premium of $8 ; one by
Robert Buxton, of South Danvers, and we award to him the
second premium of $5.

We also found ten Weaned Pigs on exhibition for jjremi-
um — six by J. Longfellow, of Byfield, two months old, to
whom we award the first premium of $5 ; four by John P.

35

Foster, of North Andover, five montlis old, and we award to
him the second premium of $3.

We would also make honorable mention of four Sow Pigs,
for cxJilh'ilion onhj, by J. Lonfrfellow — specimens of pigs
raised on Deer Island by T, E. Payson, which showed close
observation and sound judgment in breeding Swine.

Paul T. Winkley, Paul D. Patch, B. P. Pool, Committee.

POULTRY.

"We, the undersigned. Committee on Poultry, have attended
to our duty and make the following report :

We award to Wm. Rankin, Jr., for one coop "of Brahmas,
a gratuity of $5.

To Henry McLawlin, one coop of Leghorn, a gratuity of
Harris' Book on Insects.

To Robert G. Buxton, one coop of Brahmas, gratuity of
$2 ; one coop of Geese, gratuity of $2 ; one coop of Ducks,
gratuity of $2.

To Jos. R. Patterson, of South Danvers, one coop of Ducks,
a gratuity of $2 ; one coop of Geese, gratuity $1.

To Henry McLawlin, of Haverhill, one coop of Spanish,
a gratuity of $1.

Daniel Buxton, Jr., Charles T. Chase, John Swinerton,
Committee.

PLOUGHING— WITH DOUBLE TEAMS.
The Committee on Ploughing with Double Teams would
report :

36

They award the first premium of $10 to J. L. Farnham and
Daniel Carlton, of North Andover. Plough — Hussey, No. 16.

The second premium of $9 to J. & D. L. Goodridge, of
West Newbury. Plough — Hussey, No. 16.

The third premium of $8 to R. T. Jaques, of Newbury.
Plough — Hussey, No. 20.

The fourth premium of $7 to C. O. Cummings, of Andover.
Plough — Whittemore & Belcher.

I. Longfellow, Isaac Patch, Benjamin F. Jenkins, Sherman
Nelson, Joseph S. Howe, Committee.

PLOUGHING — WITH SINGLE TEAMS.
Report of Committee on Ploughing with Single Teams
One team only was entered. We award the second premi-
um to John P. Foster, of North Andover, the sum of $6.

James P. King, Joseph A. Lunt, Samuel A. Merrill, Dean
Holt, Committee.

PLOUGHING — SIDE HILL PLOUGH.
Report of Committee on Ploughing with Side Hill Plough :
Two teams only were entered. The Committee award to
AVilliam Foster, of Andover, the first premium of $10.

To Cyrus K. Ordway, of West Newbury, the second premi-
um of $8.

The Committee would further say in regard to the ploughs
used, and in justice to the ploughmen, while the work of both
was done well, they have a decided preference for the Nourse

37

Plough used by Mr. Foster ; the Doe Plough used by Mr.
Ordway, being lighter, was easily thrown out of the furrow
by small stones, thereby making a loss of time in backing the
team, besides causing harder work for the holder of the
plough.

JOHN DANFORTH, Jr., for the Committee.

PLOUGHING — WITH HORSES.

The Committee on Ploughing with Horses report as fol-
lows :

There were four entries made for ploughing. They award
the first premium of $8 to Otis F. Putnam of Danvers ; sec-
ond premium of $6 to Jacob & J. L. Farnham, of North An-
dover ; third premium of $3 to Wm. P. Buttrick, of Haver-
hill.

James D. White, Daniel H. Stickney, Elijah Clark, E. S.
Parker, Roger Battrick, Committee.

DAIRY.

The Committee present were — Joseph How, James Cham-
berlain, John A. Putnam, David S. Caldsvell, James Nayson
and Nathaniel Lambert — a goodly number, and (aside from
the Chairman) efficient men.

There were twenty-one samples of Butter to be examined,
and the most of it proved to be of superior quality — some of
it nearly perfect.

38

The Committee, after careful examination, came to the fol-
lowing result. There was, however, some difference of opinion
among the Committee, as there were many samples so nearly
alike, but, being all loyal men, (no rebels among them,) they
concluded to be governed by republican principles — the ma-
jority rule — and would recommend the following premiums:

First premium of $12, to Mrs. Nathaniel Carleton, of Brad-
ford.

Second premium of $10, to Ezra Batchelder, of Topsfield.

Third premium of $8, to Sarah L. Ridgeway, of West
Newbury.

Fourth premium, Harris' Insects, Mrs. George Spofford, of
Georgetown.

CHEESE.

There were three specimens of Cheese, for which the Com-
mittee would recommend the following premiums :

First premium of $12, to D. L. Goodridge, of West New-
bury.

Second premium of $10, to N. W. Moody, of West New-
bury.

Third premium of $8, to Daniel P. Nelson, of West New-
bury.

There have been rarely, if ever, so many samples of superior
Butter entered for premium as at the present. Some of the
samples were entered by old veterans in butter making, who
have heretofore often received the Society's premiums ; others
have entered, whose names were never seen there before ; and
it is extremely gratifying to see so much interest manifested
among our good dairy women, and more so that there are
younger ones coming forward to take the place of those who
are passing away.

There are many things to be considered in making good
butter and in making it profitable. First, good cows are in-
dispensable, as there is much difference in the quantity and

39

quality of the butter made from them ; hence every person
should know the quality of each cow separately. Good keep-
ing is also necessary, as it has much to do with the quality as
well as the quantity of the butter. In addition to English
grasses, green corn stalks, pumpkins, or carots, are good keep-
ing for butter. Next, a good place for setting the milk. It
should be cool and dry, with good ventilation, and, as much
as possible, let the air draw through the room. The room
should also be kept light, as light tends to make the butter
yellow. Care should also be taken that nothing having an
offensive odor should come in contact with the butter, as it
rapidly imbibes anything of the kind. It is therefore neces-
sary that all the utensils used in the process of butter making
should be kept perfectly clean and sweet.

With regard to the process of making butter we cheerfully
refer to the statements of those ladies who receive the premiums.

The art of butter making is not new ; from the early ages
it has been used. Abraham, when entertaining his celestial
guests, set before them butter and milk with the tender calf
that had been dressed ; but how his good wife Sarah made the
butter we are not informed, neither are we informed what
kind of cows gave the best milk, whether Jacob's ring streaked
and speckled were of a superior quality.

It is said in some of the Eastern counties, at the present
time, they churn their butter as follows : — Put the milk into
bottles made from the skin of the goat, put it on the camel's
back and start for market ; when they arrive the butter is
ready for use. Such butter would hardly be expected to re-
ceive a premium at our fair.

JOSEPH HOW, Chairman of Committee.

STATEMENT OF MRS. CARLETON.

I present for your inspection 18 lbs. and 10 oz. of butter
made in September, from the milk of six cows in two days

40

and a half. The milk was strained into tin pans and placed
in a cool and well ventilated room, the cream taken from the
milk in 36 hours after being milked ; then churned, and salted
to the taste after standing in a cool place 24 hours. It was
then worked over till the buttermilk was all out.

STATEMENT OF MRS. GEO. SPOFFORD.

I present for premium 15 pounds of September butter, made
in the following manner : The milk was strained into nicely
scalded pans and allowed to remain so until sour, in a well
ventilated room ; then skimmed into tin pails ; stirred once a
day until churned. When taken from the churn, salted to the
taste ; then set away until the next morning ; worked with
the hands and made into balls as presented.

STATEMENT OF EZRA BATCHELDER.

I present for your inspection 15 pounds of September but-
ter. The process of making is as follows. The milk is
strained into tin pans and set in a cellar prepared for the
purpose, and allowed to remain from 36 to 48 hours ; the
cream is then removed to stone jars, and stirred twice a day.
We churn once a week, and salt to the taste. The butter is
worked by hand twice and formed in pound lumps.

STATEMENT OF MRS. RIDGEWAY.

I offer for premium 15 pounds of September butter, made
in the following manner : The milk was strained into nicely
scalded tin pans and allowed to remain 3^ hours in a ven-
tilated cellar ; then skimmed into tin pails and the cream

41

stirred morning and evening. As soon as churned (which
was twice a week) it was washed in cold water and salted to
the taste, with rock salt, and worked twice with the hands,
at intervals of ten or twelve hours.

STATEMENT OF D. L. GOODRIDGE.

I present for examination four New JMilk Cheeses. Each
Cheese contains the milk of two days. My manner of mak-
ing it is as follows : Strain the evening milk ; add rennet in
sufficient strength to form a curd in thirty minutes ; let it
stand one hour, then break and place to drain until morning ;
repeat this process with the morning's milk. Scald the curds
with water; drain thoroughly; chop fine; salt and press
twenty-four hours.

STATEMENT OF DANIEL P. NELSON.

I present for your inspection four New Milk Cheeses, one
of which is sage. The manner of making is as follows : —
Strain the milk into a tub as soon as drawn from the cows at
night ; add rennet in sufficient strength to form a curd in an
hour ; slice it and let it remain in the tub until morning ; re-
peat this process with the morning's milk ; scald the curds
with water ; drain thoroughly and grind fine ; allow half an
ounce of salt to a pound of curd, and press twenty-four hours.

STATEMENT OF N. W. MOODY.

The Cheese that 1 offer for your inspection was made in the
following manner : — The milk was set as soon as it was
drawn from the cows at night, and rennet enough added to
6

42

form the curd in half an hour, when it was broken and left
to drain. When sufficiently drained, it was sliced and put in
the cellar; the same process was repeated with the mornini^'s
milk. The curds were then put together, with warm water
enough to cover them; after remaining twenty minutes, they
were drained, chopped fine, and salted with half an ounce of
salt to a pound of cheese, and a tcaspoonful of saltpetre well
stirred in, and pressed 3() hours.

ARTICLES MANUFACTURED EROM LEATHER.

The Committee regret to see so little interest in this depa)t-
ment. They, however, award

To Rufus H. Page, of Gioveland, for his fine display bf

Machine Sewed Ladies' Shoes, the first premium of $5.00

To Winchell Bros., of Haverhill, for Ladies' Shoes, the

second premium of , 3 00

To P. S. Dwinnels, of Georgetown, for his superior pair of

Brogans, a gratuity of 2.00

To Kelley & Blaisdell, of Haverhill, for Women's Pegged

Shoes, a gratuity of 3.00

To Goodrich and Fitts, of Haverhill, for Ladies' Slippers, a

gratuity of 3.00

To Goodwin & Jaques, of Haverhill, a gratuity of LOO

To C. D. Wallace, of Haverhill, a gratuity of LOO

To G. F Perkins, of Haverhill, for Boots, a gratuity of LOO
To J. M. Poor & Co., Haverhill for Shoes, a gratuity of 50
To Geo. J. Tenney & Son, of Georgetown, for Sole Leather,

a gratuity of LOO

To J. Kelley, Haverhill, for Shoe Trees, a gratuity of LOO
To D. Woodbury & Co., of So. Danvers, for lot of Skins, a

gratuity of ^.00

43

To Burnham & Cheeney, of Haverhill, lot of Heels, a
gratuity of $1.00

To Geo. H. Waterhouse, Topsfield for Dies, a gratuity, 50
To J. S. S. Gage, of Haverhill, for Box Heels, *' 60

To Daniel Peters, of Haverhill, for Harness, " 4.00

DANIEL. H. STICKNEY, for the Committee.

MILCH COWS.

There were five Cows entered for premium, and six for
exhibition only.

The Committee award the first premium of $25, to Henry
G. Kimball, of Bradford, for his half Ayrshire cow.

They award the second premium of $10, to S. G. Sargent,
of Methuen.

It will be seen by Mr. Kimball's statement, that his cow
has not been highly fed, yet she has undoubtedly had good
care. High feeding often injures a good cow, but good care
does not. It was a question with some whether he was en-
titled to premium according to the rules of the Society, which
require the milk to be weighed for the first ten days in June
and September. We do not think that it was the intention of
the rule to debar a cow, that had not calved on the first of
June, from competing for a premium — if, from the time she
did calve, we had satisfactory evidence of the quantity of milk.
We know that the letter of the rule requires the milk to be
weighed, but when the measure is given the weight can be
readily obtained. As milk is sold by measure and not by
weight, we think that in future, when the premium is ofiPered,
the rule should require either weight or measure.

We noticed in the pens some fine Dutch cattle exhibited by
W. A. Russell, of North Andover. We had no statement in
regard to the cow, and could not award any premium. From

44

her appearance, we should think that the account given in
the Ma'ldaiie paper was correct: — "The Dutch cows beat
the world in the quantity of milk they give, but they consume
a large amount of food, and it is difficult to fatten them after
they fail for the dairy."

William B. Carlton, of Haverhill, exhibited a fine herd of
cows, we are told by those that ventured out in the rain to
look at them. We hope that next year the Committee will
have an opportunity to see them under more favorable circum-
stances.

Wm. R. Putnam, Henry A. King, Joseph Longfellow, Ed-
ward K. Lee, Z. C Wardwell, George Johnson, Committee.

STATEMENT OF HENRY G. KIMBALL.

One cow, five years old, half blood Ayrshire, half Du"rham;
she dropped her last calf July 30th, 1866 ; she is with calf,
to calve May 29th, 1867, by the Dutch bull, "King Charles."
During the month of August she averaged 19| quarts of milk
per day ; during the month of September, up to the 24th, she
averaged 18 quarts of milk per day. Her milk is of excellent
quality. She has had no fall feed nor extra keeping.

BREAD AND HONEY.

The Committee on Bread and Honey report, that there
were sixteen entries of Bread and six entries of Canned Pears,
but no entry of Honey.

Some of the bread was so new that it was difficult to judge

45

of Its quality. The Committee, however, were unanimous in

awarding the first gratuity to Joanna Horrigan, Haverhill, $2.00

To Ann Attridge, of Haverhill, 1.00

To Ellen- Conners, of Plaverhill, 1.00

To Mrs. E. K. Jenkins, of Andover, 1.00

Miss Belle Bailey, aged thirteen years, entered a loaf of

bread, which, of the kind, was good, but the regulations of

the Society would not admit of awarding her a gratuity.

The Committee recommend a gratuity of $2 to Mrs. Josiah

M. Littlefield, for best Canned Pears; $1 to Mrs. H. S.

Blodgett ; $1 to Mrs. F. Reed ; 50 cents to Mrs. Thomas

Dodge, and 50 cents to Mrs. Elbridge Webster, of Haverhill.

ALFRED KITTKEDGE, for the Committee.

PEARS.

The varieties shown, although not so extensive as in some
previous years, were fine, particularly the Flemish Beauty,
Duchesse d'Angouleme, Beurre d'Anjou and Beurre Bosc.
The following premiums and gratuities were awarded by your
Committee :

For the best 12 specimens of the Bartlett, to Harvey Ray,
of Haverhill ; Belle Lucrative, to William Maloon, of Salem ;
Flemish Beauty, to E. P. Hill, of Haverhill ; Beurre Bosc, to
H. G. Herrick, of Lawrence ; Beurre Superfine, to J. V.
Stevens, of South Danvers ; Beurre Langali o, do. Swan's
Orange, to W. D. Northend, of Salem ; Doyenne de Comice,
do. ; Passe Colmar, to Peter Wait, of Danvers ; Seckel, to
AVm. Maloon, of Salem ; Buffum, to E. Mitchell, of Haver-
hill; Winter Nelis, Black Pear of Worcester and Vicar of
Winkfield, to W. D. Northend, of Salem ; Andrews, to Wil-

46

Ham Maloon, of Salem ; Glout Morcean, to E Page, of Brad-
ford; Lawrence, to W. D. Northend, of Salem ; Louis Bon d'-
Jersey, P. G. Parmenter, of Bradford; Beurre Clalrgeau, to
G D. Glover, of Salem ; Golden Beurre, to Charles F. Ives,
of Salem ; Thompson, to B. P. Ware, of Marblehead ; Du-
chesse d'Angouleme, to Moses How, of Haverhill ; Catillac,
to W. R. Whittier, of Haverhill ; Urbaniste and Fulton, to
Peter Wait, of Danvers ; Wilkinson, to Charles F. Ives, of
Salem ; Beurre Diel and d'Anjou, to E. Gage, of Bradford ;
Paradise of Autumn, to Wm. Maloon, of Salem; Maria Louie,
t^ Peter Wait, of Danvers; Haathcote, to D, P. Harmon, of
Hiverhill; — pi each.

For the best exhihirion of Pears by one individual, " Har-
ris' Insects," to Williim Miloon, of Saletn.

The following Gratuities, of 50 cents each, were awarded:
J. Flanders of Hiverhill, J. Chase, E. B. Lebosquett, E.

Mitchell, G F. Ives, B. P. Ware, John V. Stevens, P. G.

Parmenter, Warren Ordway, J. & C. Stevens, J. B. Sargent, E.

H Hiking, G. H. Carlton, David Boynton, A. F. Bosson and

William Maloon.

John M. Ives, J. V. Stevens, John P. Langley, Warren P.
Whittier, Robert Manning, George Coggswell, Committee.

APPLES.

The Committee on Apples award for the best 12 specimens
of the following varieties a premium of $1 each :

Peter Wait, Danvers, Hunt Russet, Danvers Winter Sweet,
Minister, Ramsclell's Red Sweet, Roxbury Russet, Swaar,
Northern Spy; Penj. P. Ware, Marblehead, Pickman Pippin,
Haskell Sweet, Sweet Baldwin, Drap d'Or, Lyscom, Ben or

47

Eustice ; George W. Chadwick, West Boxford, Hnbbardston
Nonsuch, Rhode Island Greening ; W. L. Weston, Danvers,
Seaver's Sweet, Ladies' Sweet ; William Caldwell, Bradford,
Porter ; John Carleton, Haverhill, Baldwin ; John Keely,
Hciverhill, Gravenstein ; Nathaniel Annable, South Danvers,
Fall Harvey ; J. G. Dvvinells, West Newbury, Green Sweet.

For the best exhibition of Apples, " Harris' Insects," to
Peter Wait, Danvers.

A gratuity of $1 each to Clara Gale, Bradford; George M.
Young, Haverhill ; T. K. Leach, Topsfield ; Geo. W. Chad-
wick, West Boxford. 50 cents each to P. E. Davis, Haver-
hill; George S. Walker, Groveland ; J. B. Hoyt, Haverhill ;
William Buttrick, Bradford ; William Hall, Bradford ; Ed-
mund Gage, Biadford ; Alfred Ordway, Bradford ; INIrs.
John Page, Groveland ; Henry Hobbs, Wenham ; R, Webster,
Haverhill; J. B. Sargent, West Amesbury ; Wm. B Carlton,
Haverhill ; H. S. Brown, Haverhill ; Israel Carlton, Haver-
hill; S. W. Randall, Bradford; Johnson Noves, Haverhill ;
J. J. Marsh, Haverhill ; F. Butters, Havereill ; Warren Ord-
way, Bradford. $L50 to D. P. Harmon, Haverhill We
would also make honorable mention of apples from George
Sumner, of Plaistow, N. H.

Your Committee regret to say that the show of apples this
year is very small, compared with former exhibitions. Ten
years ago the Society's tables were loaded with the choicest
specimens from all parts of the county — excelling, even, those
of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society — while to-day, were
it not for the efforts of two or three individuals, the show would
hardly do credit to one of our town, or farmers' club fairs.

While pears and grapes are receiving increased attention,
the apple — the most important fruit of all — has been "left
out in the cold," at least as far as regards our exhibitions.
We are aware that the trees throughout this section are look-
ing badly ; but this (as well as the partial failure of the apple
crop) we attribute mainly to the ravages of insects, (partic-

48

ularly the Canker Worm,) and also to the drought of the two
last seasons.

The Essex Society have, for the last few years, generously
offered a premium for a cheap and effectual remedy for the
ravages of the Canker Worm ; and while we have patiently
waited to see what ingenuity might invent, or wisdom devise,
the Canker Worms have kept steadily at work, and nearly prov-
ed the destruction of some of our finest orchards. In former
times their ravages have generally been limited to a term of
three or four years, but this time they have already gone be-
yond that term, even to five or six years. To be sure, last
spring they were not as numerous as before, but it becomes us
all, every one, who own apple trees, to do something at once
for their destruction. We would say, then, emphatically, pro-
tect your trees — and what are not worth protecting, cut down.
There are thousands of old apple trees in pastures and by road-
sides, in this county, which will never do credit to any one,
and the sooner they are cut down the better ; all they will do
during their protracted lives, will be to feed Caterpillars,,
Canker Worms, Borers, etc. The same might apply to nu-
merous wild cherry trees, which annually bear heavy crops of
Caterpillars, to attack apple trees the next season. None of
these insects are very formidable, except the Canker Worm ;
and to destroy this, many use troughs filled with oil, or tin
protectors; others object to these on account o^ t\ie expense
and care, which it is necessary to use. Others still go back
to the old fashioned remedy of tar — but from numerous in-
quiries and observation, we are inclined to think that printers'
ink is as effectual, and not near as expensive as tar. Those
who have used it with success, moisten it with oil, and apply
with a brush, the same as with tar, being careful to protect
the trees with tarred paper, or something else of that nature.
The advantages over tar are, that it is less expensive, and does
not need to be applied oftener than once in two or three
weeks. Next, we would advise very shallow ploughing for
orchards — (late in autumn would be preferable) — manure

49

if necessary, and ^radiLallij prune out all dead and decaying
limbs. To produce fndtfalness, the pruning should be done
in summer ; to produce growth, in winter.

Apple trees are often planted injudiciously upon wet or
springy laud, which is the cause of their premature decay.
The loss of the apple crop is a serious one to many farmers ;
one half, at least of the actual income of many f;\rms in
this county was formerly derived from this crop. It was the
nv'st profitable crop, considering the expense. Let us look to
it, that it may be so in future.

It is the opinion of your Committee, that many of the
varieties of apples, for which premiums are offered year after
year, have either a local value, or no value at all for general
cultivation, and ought to be discarded. Some of them ai*e as
unproductive, and as much out of date, as is the old St.
Michael pear. We Avould recommend for general cultivation,
only a few varieties, and those of the highest excellence, both
as regards the growth and fruitfulness of the tree, and the
value of the fruit in the market.

T. C. Thurlow, George W. Gage, James Flint, Alfred Fel-
lows, William Chickering, Committee.

GRAPES, PEACHES AND ASSORTED FRUIT.

The committee were very happily disappointed in finding
so large and very superior show of Grapes. There were 113
plates entered, by twenty-two individuals, which in quality
the Committee think they have never seen surpassed at any
show. They would especially mention the very superior
show of thirty-one plates — nineteen kinds of Grapes — by
Eben Mitchell, of Haverhill ; also that of seventeen platea
7

50

of hardy Grapes, by G. "W. Gage, of Metliuen, among them
a very fine dish of Allen's White Hybrid, which may be num-
bered among the best of the new Hybrids ; and to have origi-
nated such varieties as E-odgers' Nos. 19, 15 and 4, richly
entitles the producer to the grateful thanks of the whole com-
munity, made better and happier by the growing of such
delicious fruit.

Nor do the Committee forget the superior qualities of the
Concord and Delaware Grapes, which they feel that they can
confidently recommend for general cultivation. Many super-
ior specimens of each were shown upon the tables to-day.
After a careful examination the Committee award the following
premiums and gratuities :

For the best specimen of Concord, to James R. Nichols, of
Haverhill, $1 ; do. Hartford Prolific, to T. C. Thurlow, of
West Newbury, $1 ; for best Isabella, to J. M. Ives, of Sa-
lem, $1 ; do. Delaware, to D. P. Harmon, of Haverhill, |1 ;
do. lona, to Moses How, of Haverhill, $1 ; for best specimen
of Isabella, to Moses How, of Haverhill, $1 ; do. Adirondack,
to E. Mitchell, of Haverhill, |1 ; do. Allen's White Hybrid,
to G. W. Gage, of Melhuen, $1 ; do. Rodgers' Hybrid, No.
19, to G. W. Gage, of Methuen, $1 ; do. do., No. 15, to E.
Mitchell, of Haverhill, $1 ; do. do.. No. 4, to J. M. Ives, of
Salem, $1 ; do. do.. No. 3, to E. Mitchell, of Haverhill, $1 ;
for best assortment of Cold House Grapes, to E Mitchell, of
Haverhill, $2.

For best White Flesh Peach, to W. R. Whittier, of Haver-
hill, $1 ; for best Yellow Flesh Peach, to W. R. Whittier, of
Haverhill, $1.

For best basket of Assorted Fruit, to Peter Wait, of Dan-
vers, $3 ; second best basket of Assorted Fruit, to Nelson
Bod well, of West Boxford, $1.

For a plate of Figs, a gratuity to D. Emery, of Haverhill,
50 cents ; for five plates of Grapes, a gratuity to A. F. Bos-
son, of Salem, $1 ; do, do., a gratuity to Adrian Chase, of
Haverhill, $1 ; two plates do., a gratuity to Chas. Barker, of

51

Haverhill, $1 ; for very fine show of Grapes, a gratuity to
E. Gage, of Bradford, $1.50 ; for plate of Coe's Golden Drop
Plum, a gratuity to E. Gage of Bradford, 50 cents ; for show
of Grapes, a gratuity to D. P. Harmon, of Haverhill, $1 ; for
show of Concord Grapes, very fine, a gratuity to J. N. Snow,
of Haverhill, $1 ; for waiter of Fruit, very fine, a gratuity to
Luther Bartlett, of Haverhill, 50 cents.

Benj. P. Ware, Josiah Newhall, William Hall, Committee.

VEGETABLES.

The Committee on Vegetables beg leave to make the fol-
lowing report :

Number of entries, 43. We were unanimous in awarding
for the largest and choicest variety of Vegetables from any
Farm or Garden in the County, as follows :

To S. A. Merrill of Danvers, first premium, $12 ; Richard
W^ebster, of Haverhill, second premium, $6.

They would recommend the following gratuities :

To David Wentzell, Salem, $5 ; M. Batchelder, So. Dan-
vers, $4 ; J. G. Eaton, Haverhill, $3 ; Jacob Gale, Bradford,
lot of Potatoes, $1 ; N. Bodwell, Boxford, do., $1 ; D. At-
wood, Groveland, do., $1 ; A. P. Johnson, Bradford, do., $1 ;
C. A. Gordon, Haverhill, lot of Pumpkins, $1 ; W. B. Carle-
ton, Haverhill, do., $1 ; Robert Stevens, Bradford, lot of
Squashes, &c , $1 ; F. G. Phillips, Bradford, do., $1 ; Ira Lib-
by, Bradford, do., $1 ; H. K. West, Haverhill, do., $1 ; C. E.
Morse, Bradford, do., 50 cents ; John Carleton, Haverhill, do.,
50 cents ; Moses How, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; E. S. Parker,
Groveland, do., 50 cents ; T. H. Balch, Groveland, mammoth

52

Squash, |1 ; J. W. Ropes, Danvers, mammoth Squash, 50
cents ; James Wilson, Topsfield, do., 50 cents ; Ira Libby,
Bradford, lot of Parsnips, $1 ; H. K. West, Haverhill, do.,
50 cents ; Ira Libby, Bradford, lot of Carrots, $1 ; H. K*
West, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; G. L. Gage, Methuen, lot of
Tomatoes, |1 ; Ira Libby, Bradford, do., 50 cents ; H. K.
West, Haverhill, lot of Onions, $1 ; H. F. Gile, Haverhill,
do., $1 ; A. P. Johnson, Bradford, lot of Turnips, $1 ; John
Carleton, Haverhill, do., $1 ; Levi Emery, Lawrence, lot of
Cabbages, $1 ; F. G. Phillips, Bradford, do., $1 ; B. How,
Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; Ira Libby, Bradford, lot of Beets,
$1 ; A. P. Johnson, Bradford, do., 50 cents; John Carleton,
Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; Levi Emery, Lawrence, lot of Mel-
ons, 50 cents ; Ira Libby, Bradford, do., |I ; H. K. West,
Havei'hill, lot of Mangel- wurzels, 50 cents ; J. G. Parmenter,
Bradford, lot of Squashes, $1 ; Moses How, Haverhill, lot of
Cauliflowers, 50 cents ; H. K. West, Haverhill, lot Sweet
Corn, $1 ; do., lot Field\Corn, 50 cents; Albert Kimball,
Bradford, lot Potatoes, $1 ; E. F. Webster, Haverhill, variety
of vegetables, $3 ; Master Charles G. Johnson, Bradford, (the
young farmer,) aged eight years, for a fine basket of vegeta-
bles, his own raising, $1 ; A. L. Johnson, Bradford, variety of
vegetables, $1 : J. R. Nichols, Haverhill, do., copy of Harris'
Insects ; W. Ordway, Bradford, do,, copy of Harris' Insects ;
D. H. Stickney, Groveland, do., copy of Harris' Insects.

The Committee would congratulate the Society on the ex-
hibition made in the department to which their attention has
been called, giving evidence, as it does, of the interest that
has been taken.

They would also notice the contribution of Mr. S. Sumner,
of Plaistow, N. H.; also the result of the planting of one
kernel of corn by F. H. Gile, Esq., of Haverhill, and of J.
Brown, of Haverhill — the former yielding eleven ears, the
latter ten.

53

SEEDS.

A fiae display of Grain and Garden Seeds (400 varieties)
were exhibited by James J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, and
we very much regret that they were not presented previous to
the awards. We are of opinion that the interest Mr. G. has
taken in this branch of agriculture deserves more than a pass-
ing notice, and think we express the minds of the Society by
saying that we feel proud to know that one person in our
midst, at some future day, (not far distant) will provide all
the seeds necessary for use in our county ; and we shall not
be dependent on some foreign gardner, but will encourage
and depend on home production. We would recommend a
gratuity of $2.

Trusting that the exhibition this year may be an incentive
for further progress in the future, this report is respectfully
submitted.

J. P. GILMAN, W. A. CUERIER, Committee.

FLOWERS.

The Committee on Flowers report the follov/ing awards and
gratuities :

For best pair of Parlor Bouquets, Mrs. H. S. Blodget, Brad-
ford, $2 ; do. Hand Bouquets, James Barrett, Bradford, $2 ;
for best Floral Design, Mr. John Lee, Haverhill, $3 ; do. Dish
Cut Flowers, Mrs. Laburton Johnson, Bradford, $2 ; do. 12
Phloxes, Messrs. Bosson & Glover, Salem, $1 ; do. Dish of
Native Flowers, Mr. M. P. Atwood, Groveland, $1 ; for largest
and best display of Flowers, Messrs. Bosson & Glover, Salem,
$2.

GRATUITIES.

For fine display of Native Flowers, Isabella S. Parker,

54

Groveland, $1; fine Bouquet, Frederick Lamson, Salem, $1 ;
two Parlor Bouquets, James Barrett, Bradford, $1 ; display of
Flowers, Miss Emma Mitchell, Haverhill, $1. Bouquets, Mrs.
Knowles, Bradford ; Cassia Plant, Mrs. G. B. Foster, Haver-
hill ; Bouquets, Phineas Ayer, Haverhill ; Orange Tree, Mrs.
R. G. Walker, Haverhill.; Basket Flowers, H. S. Blodgetc,
Bradford ; Bouquets, Mrs. E. G. Frothingham, Haverhill ; do.,
Mrs. L. Johnson, Bradford; Dish Phloxes, do., do.; Flowers,
Otis Nichols, Lynn ; do., J. M. Littlefield, Haverhill ; Bou-
quets, Mrs. A. F. Kimball, do.; Native Flowers, Mrs. S. M.
Downs, do.; Variegated Plant, Mrs. J. S. Fuller, do.; Cen-
tury Plant, James Barrett, Bradford ; Bouquets, Mrs. K. I.
Ordway, do.; Dish Flowers, Miss Fannie Seely, Haverhill ;
Geranium, Mrs. L. B. Spaulding, do.; Flowers, Mrs. Daniel
Watson, do.; do.; Robert Stevens, Bradford ; do., E, P.
Brooks, Salem ; do.. Miss Alice Fitts, Haverhill, — 50 cents
each.

The committee express their pleasure at the very generous
contributions of Flowers, and only regret that the small sum
of money placed at their disposal, prevents them from award-
ing more and larger premiums and gratuities. The display is
unusually large, and the elegance and variety, fully equal to
that of any previous exhibition.

It would be an act of injustice not to notice particularly
the magnificent collections of Native Flowers. Two of the
prominent exhibitors offer more than fifty varieties each, and
the others, splendid specimens of those most rare. The in-
telligence and industry evinced in the collection of these
Native Flowers is of no ordinary character, and calls for
high commendation.

The taste and skill shown in the arrangement^ Bouquets
and Dish Flowers, also deserve notice.

James R. Nichols, James West, Andrew Nichols, Laburton
Johnson, Committee.

55

CARRIAGES.

The Committee award to Grieves & Co. the sum of
for the best display of Carriages.

C. S. Gage, S. W. Spalding, T. K. Leach, Committee.

FARM IMPLEMENTS.

The exhibition in this department was larger and of a more
interesting character than usual. The show-tent had numer-
ous visitors, who manifested an intelligent curiosity to see the
many new inventions by which the labor of the farm is made
easier and more effective. Indeed, any one who has swung a
scythe or used a hand-rake through the busy season of hay-
ing, can well appreciate the saving of time, muscle and pa-
tience effected by the substitution of the Horse-Mower and
the Horse-Rake. These two inventions have enabled our
farmers, west and east, to harvest their hay and grain crops
during the late rebellion, when there was such a scarcity of
men that these crops would otherwise have been largely
damaged or lost. And the high cost of labor at the present
day is compelling the use of labor-saving implements on the
farm to an extent never before known in this country.

It was a wise and well-timed offer, therefore, of a premium
of $25, made by our President " for the best collection of
Farm Implements now in use and owned on any farm in Es-
sex Countv." His object was to encourage the introduction
and use of the very best tools, and to direct attention to the
subject in such a way as to show its connection with good
husbandry. Unfortunately, there was no entry for this lib-
eral premium, owing, perhaps, to its being made so late in
tie year. If the premium is continued — as we hope it will
be — our next Cattle Show ought to bring out some com-

56

petltors. Surely, we have farmers in the courity who are
not ashamed to exhibit the tools they work with, but who
are perfectly willing to let it be known that it is good econ-
omy for them to buy only the best. But not to enlarge on
this point, we will proceed to give some account of the im-
plements that were on exhibition, with the award of premi-
ums therefor.

The rhost novel implement presented for our inspection was
a Potato Digger, operated by two horses, in a rough piece of
ground where the potatoes were raised in drills. The machine
run on a pair of high wheels in the rear, so as to pass freely
over the vines. The Digger was simply a sort of shovel-
plough, which worked under the potatoes, bringing them up
over it and thence through a set of iron fingers behind, so as
to free them of the dirt. The driver rode on the machine,
but was sometimes obliged to jump off, owing to its sudden
tilting. This might, perhaps, be obviated by making the
body of the machine longer. Under the circumstances, it
operated well. Very few of the potatoes were cut or in-
jured. Some few were left in the ground, owing to its in-
equalities. But on level ground, such as some of the culti-
vated plains in Marblehead and Danvers — free from rocks
and seeded at a uniform depth — this machine would do good
service. We ihink its inventor deserves great credit for his
perseverance for many years in endeavors to perfect it. He
has devoted himself to it with that enthusiastic faith in its
possibility that will make it, if it has not already made it, an
accomplished fact. We award, therefore, the highest gratuity
lof $8 for this horse Potato-Digger, to S. S. Hicock, of Me-
thuen, its inventor.

Next came a group of ploughs and other farm implements,
all of the latest and most approved patterns, and of the best
material and workmanship, from Joel Nourse, a citizen of
Lynn, in our own county, but having his agricultural ware-
house in Boston. To Mr. Nourse is awarded a gratuity of $5.

A highly attractive feature in the Farm Implement depart-

57

ment was the exhibition of a Horse Pitch Fork, suspended be-
tween two apple trees and put in actual operation on the
ground by Joseph Kittredge, of North Andover. Probably
most of the spectators for the first time witnessed such a sight.
In the lofty and roomy barn, this huge fork may unload hay
more expeditiously than could be done by hand-forks, but for
ordinary sized barns it can hardly take their place. To Doct.
Kittredge we award a gratuity of ^3.

There were two specimens of Horse Mowers on exhibition —
one the famous Buck Eye, to be operated by a span of horses,
which is so generally used in our own County, and has lately
taken the highest premium at the great ti'ial of Horse Mowers
— more than fifty entries having been made — by the State
Society of New York. To the Buck Eye Manufacturing
Company, Fitchburg, we award a gratuity of $3. A very
fine one horse INIower, called the Clipper, was entered by John
M. Weare, of Seabrook, N. H., to whom is awarded $2.

Alfred Titcomb, of Amesbury, offered a new style of churn,
called Mclntire's Excelsior, which claims to make butter in the
shortest possible time and to extract all the butteraceous proper-
ties from the cream, by grinding it through a machine attached
to the churn, before it reaches the dashers. This contrivance
we consider of little or no use ; the butter would come just -as
well without as with it. But the dashers to this churn seem
to have some new and excellent qualities and we therefore
award for it a gratuity of $2.

The most striking invention brought to our notice was an
iron axe-handle wedge, which is inserted into the head of the
handle in such a way that it can by no possibility work out,
being operated by a screw. It would seem from its simplicity
and efiectiveness it must come into general use. We award
for it, to H D. Hoyt, $2.

Two force pumps, varying in their construction and actions,

were presented, the one by B. F. Watson, of Salem, styled

Kelley's force pump, the other by Whittemore, Belcher & Co.,

of Boston, styled Joyce's double acting force pump, and we

8

58

award |1 to them respectively. Of the comparative merits of
these pumps we are unable to judge. Indeed, they are not
strictly in the line of agricultural implements and yet are used
sometimes on our farms.

There were other implements, altogether outside the limits
of the offer of the Society, and we could not properly take
notice of them. We earnestly commend this department to a
higher rank on the premium list of the Society.

Allen AV. Dodge, Charles O. Cummlngs, J. B. Sargent,
John Day, Jr., Committee.

COUNTERPANES, CARPETINGS AND RUGS.

The Committee on Counterpanes, Carpetings and Rugs re-
port as follows :

COUNTERPANES.

The first premium to Miss C. G. Read, Haverhill, $4 ; sec-
ond premium to Eliza G. Lord, Haverhill, $2 ; and gratuities
of $1 to Ellen S. Russell of Haverhill; Mrs. E. Mitchell, do;
Mrs. E. G. Tilton, do; Sarah P. Coffin, do; Susan A. Moore,
West Boxford ; — Mrs. A. C. Carr, Haverhill, 50 cents ; Nan-
cy Barker, do, 50 cents.

CARPETINGS.

Mrs. A. B. Brown, Haverhill, first premium, $5 ; Messrs.
Brooks Brothers, of Haverhill, made a fine display of carpet-
ings, which were worthy of premium, but were not entered
for examination by the committee.

RUGS.

Mrs. J. Osgood, Haverhill, first premium, $3 ; Mrs. Lydia
Smiley, do, second premium, $2 ; and the following gratuities:

59

A. W. Sumner, Haverhill, $2 ; S. E Morse, do, three rugs,
$1.50; Mrs. Cyrus K. Ordway, West Newbury, Mr. J. R.
Home, Haverhill, Alice S. Stewart, do, Martha F Palmer,
Georgetown, Mrs, E. G. Hyde, Danvers, flax cloth, $1 each ;
Anna D. Carr, West Newbury, 50 cents.

The Three Taylors, of Haverhill, made a fine display of
clothing, carriage robes and mats, but the committee did not
feel disposed to award them a gratuity as the articles were not
of their own manufacture.

The committee would respectfully suggest in future a differ-
ent division of the articles offered for exhibition, as many very
handsome rugs and quilts, which were worthy of premium,
were entered as Fancy Articles, and did not come before the
committee for examination, therefore they were not able to
award the full amount of money placed at their disposal.

Moses T. Stevens, Eben Sutton, E. R. Ide, S. W. Hopkin-
son, John Elliot, Committee.

FANCY WORK, &c.

The Committee on " Fancy Work, and all other articles "
not consigned to other committees, report the following premi-
ums and gratuities :

Mrs. Ezra Kelly, Haverhill, wrought worsted picture, $3 ;
Miss Elizabeth C. Marsh, do, do, $2 ; Mrs. Mary F. Ames,
do, embroidered fire screen, $1 ; Mrs. H. M. Hoyt, do, worst-
ed ottomans and chairs, $1 ; Miss Emeline Johnson, Bradford,
two affghans, 50 cents ; Miss Susan B. Clark, Amesbury, aff-
ghan, $1 ; Miss Hattie Robinson, Haverhill, do, 50 cents ; Miss
Julia Hall, Waltham, do, 50 cents ; Mrs. Clara Vance, Haver-
hill, wrought ottomans and picture, $1; Mrs. M. A. Blake,

60

do, worked rug, $1 ; Mrs. M, H. Farnsworth, do, knit shawl,
50 cents; Mrs. Bessie D. Grant, do, shell card table, $1 ;
Mrs. E. M. Harding, do, aged 60 years, painted glass table,
$1 ; Miss Mary E. L. Stewart, do, tidy, 50 cents; Miss S. C.
Ccddwell, do, embroidered flannel shirt and sacque, $3 ; Miss
Sarah Caldwell, do, embroidered skirt, $2 ; Mrs. M. Ward-
well, Methuen, husk basket and hat, $1; Mrs. Daniel Palmer,
Haverhill, skeleton bouquet, 31; Miss Clara E. Wardwell,
Andover, framed hair work, $1; Mrs. E. G. Woodward, Hav-
erhill, oil painting, $1 ; Alvah S. Shedd, do, cutlery, fancy
goods, pictures, etc., $1; Daniel Hook, do, Mason & Hamlin's
cabinet organ, $2 ; George M. Guild & Co., do., piano forte,
$3 ; Singer's Sewing Machine ; $3 ; Humphrey's Button-hole
Machine, $1 ; Mrs. E. H. SafFord, Lamb's Knitting Machine,
$2 ; Three Taylors, carriage robes, mats, ready-made clothing,
$2 ; Kobinson Brothers, photographs, $2 ; W. A. Currier,
Haverhill, stoves and tin ware, $2 ; Jewett & Gordon, do,
brackets; Ayer Brothers, do, wool hats; F. D. Brooks & Co.,
do, carpetings, rugs, flannels, etc. ; N. SpofFord, do, bit brace ;
J. F. Brown, do, target rifles ; Sawyer & Dennison, do, rifles ;
Butterfield & Haven, Boston, Howe's Sewing Machine ; J. A.
Appleton, Haverhill, stoves and crockery ware ; J. V. Smiley,
do, case books, albums and paper hangings ; James Noyes &
Co., do, paints, oils and paper hangings; W. W. S. Overton,
Bradford, coflee roaster, window blind supporter, and clothes
dryer, were awarded $1 each ; Mrs. A. S. Shedd, do, blanket ;
Miss Helen L. Lee, do, embroidered flannel skirt; Miss S. A.
Palmer, do, bead bracket; Miss A. B. Sdckney, do, lace work ;
Miss M. Chase, Newburyport, wrought handkerchiefs ; Mrs.
Wm. Elliot, Bradford, sofa pillow ; Mrs. J. M. Littlefield,
Haverhill, tidy; Miss Lizzie K. Harriman, do, shell and
hair work ; Mrs. G. W. Ladd, do, framed sea shell flow-
ers ; Miss Sarah Holt, Andover, silk quilt ; Miss E. K. Batch-
elder, Newburyport, wax flowers; Sarah R. Corliss, Haverhill,
hair work ; George K. Hale, do, framed hair wreath ; Mrs.
M. A. Soule & Co., do, case millinery and fancy goods; Union

61

Washer ; Master Charles J. Stewart, Haverhill, 12 years old,
bracket ; J. F. Dorr, do, chairs and ottomans ] Locke & Col-
by, do, cotton batting ; J. W. N. Hunt, do, baby carriage ;
N. B. Jewett, do., astronomical clock ; Sidney Carpenter, do,
hat and bonnet forms ; Enoch Butler, do, pearl buttons and
buckles ; Stewart & Crane, do, box soap, were awarded 50
cents each ; E. E. Jaques, do, bracket curtain, 75 cents.

James H. Carleton, R. S. Chase, J. B. Swctt, S. B. Shat-
tuck, James A. Bartlett, Robert Rich, Committee.

ROOT CROPS.

The Committee on Root Crops make the following report :
We have received three claims for premiums, viz : — one
from H. A. Stiles, of Middleton, for Summer English Turnips,
and one each from Hanson Ordway of West Newbury, and
David Wentzell of Salem, for onions.

In the case of Mr. Stiles, we would say that he has ac-
quired a wide reputation for success in the raising of English
turnips for the summer market. We examined the crop for
which he claims a premium before it was gathered, and we
respectfully recommend that a premium of $8 be awarded to
him.

We have examined the ground upon which the crop of
onions entered by Mr. David Wentzell was raised, and we
also saw most of the crop after it was harvested. The yield
is a very large one and the evidence of the measurement of
land and crop is not only according to rules in form but is
satisfactory in substance, and we recommend that a premium
of $8 be awarded to him. Respectfully submitted.

S. A. MERRILL, for the Committee.

STATEMENT OF H. A. STILES.

Nearly three-quarters of the land upon which the crop of
turnips grew, (the quantity of which is two acres and three-
quarters and sixteen rods) and which I offer for premium, was
sowed to turnips in 1864. Manure used 9 loads, 125 lbs.
Coe's superphosphate, 60 lbs. Pacific guano, 250 lbs. Rhodes'
superphosphate. The remainder was grass land, upon which
no manure was used.

In 1865, nearly all the land produced turnips (including
the late crop) and the quantity of manure was 11 loads, to-
gether with 300 lbs. Pacific guano, 200 lbs. Rhodes' super-
phosphate and 1 barrel of Poudrette.

The nature of the soil is sandy and loamy.

The present year the land was ploughed in April, about
seven inches in depth. Applied 18 loads of manure, of thirty
bushels each, and 250 lbs. Rhodes' standard manure. Har-
rowed twice with tooth and smoothed the surface with the
bush harrow.

Sowed the seed at different times from April 5th to May
10th in drills twenty inches apart, using a pound to the acre.

The turnips were hoed twice. The first time, weeding and
thinning the plants, leaving a space of eight inches between
them. Commenced harvesting the crop on June 15th, and con-
tinued it until the 1st of September, putting six in a bunch
when properly trimmed and washed.

Whole No. of bunches sold, 11,525. Cash received, $780.50
Gathered 40 bushels for stock feeding j value, 10.00

790.50

Cost.-

— Ploughing, «&c.,

$15.00

Manure,

60.00

Sowing and seed,

5.00

Hoeing and weeding,

40.00

Preparing for market,

150.00

Interest on land,

15.00

$285.00

Profit, $505 50

63

This may certify that I have surveyed the land upon which
the above crop of turnips grew, and find it contains 2f acres
and 16 rods. SAMUEL DEMSEY.

STATEMENT OF DAVID WENTZELL.

The crop of onions offered for premium was raised on one
acre of land. The crop of 1864 was partly onions, the re-
mainder beets and carrots ; that of 1865 was onions. In 1864
some muscle and barn yard manure mud was used. In 1865
ten cords muscle mud was used. The soil is yellow loam,
ploughed about eight inches deep once in the fall of 1865 and
twice the next spring, and the ground was raked, at a cost of
$16.50. About twenty-four loads of stable manure was spread
on the ground and ploughed in, cost, $72. Planted April 19
with five lbs. seed, cost $9. Cut through with the weeder
four times and weeded by hand three times ; cost of cultiva-
tion, $23. The onions were pulled the first week in Septem-
ber, and carried to the barn about three weeks after ; cost of
harvesting, $26. There were twenty-one cart loads after
cleaned of tops. Three of the cart loads were measured and
contained one hundred and twenty-five bushels of 52 lbs. each,
thus making the crop, after allowing for some waste, eight
hundred and sixty-five bushels.

Measurement of land certified by Charl-^s A. Putnam, sur-
veyor ; weight of crop by Edward Collins, and certificates
annexed.

DESTRUCTION OF THE CANKER WORM.
A liberal premium of one hundred dollars has been offered

64

for several years for a new, cheap and effectual remedy for the
ravages of the canker -vvorms, hoping, in this day of improve-
ment, that some plan would be devised for their destruction,
easier and cheaper than tarring the trees.

No application has yet been made for the premium. Tar-
ring the trees has been the most effectual method of destroying
them, and has been practiced more or less for a long time.

In the latter part of the last century the canker worms
ravaged the orchards in the north part of the county and I
have been informed that tarring was then practiced. A late
hard frost destroyed the worms and also destroyed nearly all
the apples. A few apples, however, escaped on high land.

Early in the present century the worms agai i appeared and
were again destroyed by a frost in the cold season of 1816.
vSince that time, they have not prevailed in the north part of
the county, until within ten or twelve years. When they first
appeared, I was somewhat alarmed, knowing their destructive
nature, but a kind Providence ordained as they increased, the
cherry bird (as they are called) appeared and destroyed them.
One year in particular the worms were so plenty I feared my
orchard would be seriously injured. The blids soon appeared
like flocks of black birds, in early spring, and fortunately
saved it from destruction. Every season since w^e have had
more or less worms, but the birds have appeared in sufficient
numbers to destroy them to such an extent that my orchard
has received but Uttle injury.

One word in favor of the birds. Spare them. A neighbor
remarked to me last summer, "the cherry birds have been
eatino- my cherries and I have caused many of them to be
killed " A gentleman also said to me that he shot a robin
which had canker worms in its mouth. He further said he
thouc^ht he never should shoot another. 1 was not a little
surprised afterward at seeing the skeletons of two robins hang-
ino- in the same gentleman's grapery, which were killed, as he
said, for eating some of his fine Delawares. Now it is not
strange that the birds should like fruit as a dessert, after eating

65

so large an amount of insects. I say, then, Increase the fruit
and supply the birds, spare them and save the orchards.

The process of tarring the trees requires much care and
labor. I well remember, when a boy, assisting in tarring my
father's orchard. The process, as then practiced, was nearly
as follows : Tar and blubber were used, in nearly equal pro-
portions, and applied when warm and late in the afternoon, as
the insects go up the trees early in the evening. Sometimes
they pass up the trees in warm weather, late in autumn, but
the most of them go up in early spring, soon after the frost is
out of the ground. The process must be renewed every day,
otherwise the tar gets hard, and the grubs pass over. Much
care and experience is necessary to judge correctly whether
they will run or not, the expression used to be. As I have
before said, they go up the trees only in warm evenings, hence,
if a person cannot judge somewhat correctly, they will some-
times tar when unnecessary, and at other times omit it when
necessary, as they do not run every evening after they com-
mence, but depend on the weather. Therefore it requires
more care and labor than it otherwise would.

I recollect too that various remedies were formerly used, but
nothing proved effectual except tarring and that but partially.
The apple tree protector, as it is called, has of late been
used to some extent, and it is said with good success. But it
is somewhat expensive to be used on large orchards, and
further, it is said that the grubs will deposit their eggs on the
bark of the tree or something else, and if care is not used to
destroy them, the eggs will hatch and the smaller worms will
pass up the tree and nothing will prevent.

Another method has been adopted which is said to be effec-
tual, which is placing coal tar, or oil, in a groove or trough
around the tree. This is attended with considerable expense
and requires much care, as the wind will blow out the oil and
blow in leaves ; also the grooves will be filled with rain. An
article has been recently published in the papers, recommend-
ing printers' ink, to be used instead of tar around the trees, as
9

66

it is said it will retain its softness for two or three weeks, and,
if applied on tarred paper put around the trees, it requires but
little ink and will be attended with small expense. Your
Committee think the subject worthy of notice, and hope it will
be carefully tried and the result made known to the Society.

JOSEPH HOW, Chairman.
Methuen, Nov. 15, 1866.

FARM BUILDINGS.

The Hon. William Sutton, President of the Essex Agricul-
tural Society, has generously offered four premiums, of $25
each ; one for the best arrangement of farm buildings, economy
(supposed) to be taken into the account. It is of as much im-
portance to have farm buildings well arranged and convenient,
as it is to have improved farm implements, such as the mower,
the horse rake and others of like character.

The writer well remembers the time when some barns had
no doors to the floor way, a few rails answering the purpose,
and the boarding was so loose, that if a hen should unfortu-
nately be buried in the hay under the beam, she could in some
instances escape through the openings between the boards, or,
if the space was not sufficient, she could put out her head and
cry for help. Such a case was fortunate for the hen, but un-
fortunate for the cows, as they would be cold, and in stormy
weather, covered with snow, would give but little milk, and
when the time arrived for their accustomed drink, would rather
stay in the cold barn, thirsty, than to buffet the storm to the
spring or brook.

Now almost every good farmer has a warm barn for his
cattle, and water in his yard, or some other convenient place.

In a well adapted barn, much time is saved in feeding and

67

watering the cattle ; besides, the more comfortably they are
kept the better they will thrive, and the cows will give much
more milk.

Among other improvements of the present day are barn
cellars, which are of great importance, as it not only saves the
solid manure from being dried by the wind, and washed by
the rain, but the liquids, which are of nearly as much value as
the solid parts, can be mostly saved by applying muck or some
other material by which it can be absorbed and applied to the
land.

Also a portion of the cellars may be used for roots, vegeta-
bles or other purposes, such as circumstances and location will
permit and the wants of the owner require.

Another consideration in favor of barn cellars is, it costs
little or nothing to keep them in repair. The roof of a build-
ing is not only expensive but soon goes to decay, therefore it
seems desirable and economical to have as much available
space under the same roof as possible.

About thirty-five or forty years ago, the Hon. Moses Newell
of West Newbury, built a large barn, with a cellar under it,
for which he received a premium or gratuity from the Essex
Agricultural Society. It was then considered a model barn.

Since that time, most of the barns which have been built in
the county are nearly on the same plan ; floor lengthwise the
barn, stalls for cattle and horses on one side, and hay on the
other, with cellar under and such other arrangements as circum-
stances seem to require and the opinion of the owner to
dictate.

There have been four applications for premium, — Horace
C. Ware of Salem, John Day, jr., of Boxford, Eldred S.
Parker and Thomas Balch of Groveland.

The barns of Mr. Parker and Mr. Balch are in common
form, with cellars under, cattle fed from the floor. The fix-
tures in. and around the barns are very convenient, showing a
good degree of thought and wisdom in the arrangement.

Mr. Day's barn, as will be seen from his statement, is

68

entirely different, being two stories above the cellar, which in
the opinion of the Committee is a very judicious arrangement,
as it is economical and convenient, affording a large amount of
additional room under the same roof. In addition to having
water in his yard, as most farmers have, he has water in his
barn for his horses and cattle, having a trough on wheels that
can be moved along before his cattle with little trouble, which,
in cold stormy weather, must be very convenient.

Another arrangement the Committee thought favorably of
is doors at the end of the cattle stalls, sufficiently large to
admit a cart for the purpose of carrying muck or other mate-
rial to drop through the scuttles to make manure. His barn
is also well ventilated, which is an important consideration,
particularly the cattle stalls. Further information may be had
from Mr. Day's description. If that is not sufficient, view it
personally and no one it may be presumed will regret his
trouble.

One thing, however, should be named. Mr. Day's situation
was favorably adapted for building such a barn, there being a
hollow between two small knolls or elevations which every
location does not afford, consequently every person who would
desire it, has not the location to build such a barn conveniently.

Mr. Ware's buildings are nearly all new, he having unfor-
tunately lost his former buildings by fire. The stable and
other buildings near the house are very convenient and well
adapted to the purpose for which they were designed.

The barn, as will appear from Mr. Ware's statement, is on
an entirely different plan from those above described. The
floorway is on one side of the barn lengthwise, with a wing
for the cattle stalls. Other arrangements in and around the
barn convenient.

Mr. Ware's barn is built on nearly the same plan as those
in New York, recommended by a committee where several
premiums were offered, one of which was $150. They recom-
mended a wing for cattle, horses and sheep, on either side.
Such barns, in the opinion of your committee, are more expen-

69

sive than those in common form, and it must also be more
inconvenient feeding cattle, as the hay must be carried a great
distance, either on wheels (as recommended by the editor of
the American Agriculturist) or some other way.

The reasons for building on that plan are supposed to be, to
prevent the breath and moisture of the cattle from coming in
contact with the hay.

One of your Committee, more than thirty years ago, built a
barn 84 by 40 feet, (with cellar under,) with stalls on one side
the floor for cattle, which have usually been occupied. The
barn is tolerably tight and warm, and very little or no incon-
venience has been received from moisture to the hay, or un-
pleasant odor from the cellar. Other barns in the vicinity,
differently located, where large numbers of milk cows are
kept, and nearly all the time in the barn in cold weather, have
received inconvenience from moisture.

Therefore, the conclusion of your committee is that no defi-
nite plan can be recommended which will apply to all circum-
stances and locations.

Every person wishing to build a barn should first determine
how much room he wants, and for what purpose it is to be
occupied ; then should examine the best barns in the vicinity
and adopt the plan best suited to his location.

Your Committee would recommend that $15 be paid to
John Day, Jr., of Boxford, and $10 to Horace C. Ware, of
Salem.

JOSEPH HOW, E. G. KELLEY, Committee.

STATEMENT OF JOHN DAY, JR.

Having presented to your notice, for inspection and pre-
mium, my farm buildings, I hereby submit the following
description of them. My carriage house and granary is
situated on the southeast side of a hill, making it convenient

70

to drive into the basement and the first story. The building
is 33 feet squaie, with a flat roof, covered with mastic roofing.
The basement is 8 feet deep, and is used for sawing and stor-
ing wood. There is also a small store room. The first floor
is 8 feet high, and is used^o keep carriages and farm imple-
ments in. The upper story is also 8 feet high and is used for
granary. On the west and north sides are bins for corn, 3^
feet deep, set out 4 inches from the sides of the building.
There are also three doors on each of these sides that can
be opened to admit the sun and air to thoroughly dry the corn.
The fiat roof I find very convenient for spreading fruit to dry.
The outside of the building is finished with planed and
matched boards, painted. This building is connected with
the house by a covered passage, 3| feet wide, 50 feet long.

The barn is situated northwest of the granary. It faces the
south. It is 100 feet 9 inches long, 40 feet wide, 26 feet
posts. The cellar is 9 feet deep, the bottom paved with small
stones. 88 feet of the cellar is used for manure, and to keep
swine. In the east end is a room 12 feet wide, with cement
floor, which I used to store vegetables in. On the first floor I
have tie-ups to accommodate 41 head of cattle, which occupies
72 feet of the length of the barn. The tie-ups are 13 feet 4
inches wide, and the floor between them is the same width.
The height of the tie-ups is 7 feet, and the floor is 8 feet
high. 24 feet of the south side is used for horse stalls and
harness room. On the north side, is a meal room and a spare
stall. Between the meal room and stall is the passage to
carry the swill to the cellar for the swine. On the east and
west ends are wide doors, that will admit a cart and oxen, for
the purpose of carrying in muck, etc., to put into the cellar
below. This story is ventilated by lour conductors, (two op-
posite each other,) 16 inches square, running up back of the
bays, then following the roof uniting in a common ventilator
on the top of the building. In the second story there is a bay
on either side, 100 feet long, 13^ feet wide. The posts on
the back side are 19 feet high. In the middle is a floor way.

71

13 feet wide, with a scuttle in each band to drop the hay to
the story below. There are also places to conduct the hay to
the horses' cribs. In the second band from the west end I
have put in Fairbanks' Hay Scales, which are very convenient
to weigh stock, hay, etc. The third band from each end is
dropped down three feet from the beams, to make it easier to
fill from the floor. The bays are ventilated on the back of the
hay by swivel blinds, placed at the bottom of the bay, which
can be opened or closed at will. There are also slats running
from the bottom up to the top, insides the timbers, to give a
free passage of air behind the hay. The entrance to this
story from the ground is over a bridge at either end, 22 feet
long 14 feet wide. Over the middle floor, on the posts, is laid
a tight floor, 13 feet wide. On either side of this floor is an
open floor, 13^ feet wide, for storing corn fodder. It is laid
with plank eight inches wide, eight inches apart, laid loose, so
they can be slipped back when the bays are filled with hay.
There are stairs leading from the first story to the cupola on
the top of the building. The outside of the barn is boarded,
clapboarded and painted, and the roof shingled. It is lighted
by eight windows on each side, and two in either end. There
are lights over the large doors in the second story.

In the basement there are eight lights on the north side.
On the south side are large doors, which are kept open in
summer and closed in winter. The barn is supplied with pure
spring water (from the hill, 1500 feet west of the barn,) by
an aqueduct. It is carried into the first story and the two
yards. The yard on the south side is 90 feet square. On the
west side is another yard, 100 feet long, 40 feet wide. 25 feet
of this yard is covered, forming a shed on the northwest cor-
ner of the barn. In the southwest corner of the large yard is
a building 33 feet square. The lower story is used for a
hennery, the next story to store farm implements and the
upper part of the building I use to store and manufacture
cider vinegar.

Boxford, October, 1866.

78

STATEMENT OF HOKACE C. WARE.

I here give you a statement and plan of my barn and out-
buildings as near as I can. The lumber I contracted for in
the state of Maine last winter, and let out the most of the la-
bor by contract, and in reckoning up I find my large barn, 80
by 40 feet, with leanto for cattle attached, S2 by 60 feet, to
cost about $3,250.00, including the cellar, without any account
of my own labor. I have ventilators on both barn and leanto,
with slated roof; cellar under the entire building about 10 feet
deep, giving ample room to drive in and tip up a cart. Under
the leanto is ample room for the making of manure. Under
the main barn is room for a vegetable cellar, and for carts and
wagons ; also open to the cow yard, which faces the south,
where there is a never failing supply of water running.

Nearly opposite the barn is a building which I built ten
years ago at a cost of $325, when building material was much
lower than now. This building is 35 by 22 feet, built on a
side hill, the upper, as well as the lower part, being level with
the ground, and is used for the storage of ploughs, sleighs,
mowing machines, barrels, harrows, gates in winter, and some-
times for wagons. Under it is room for carts and wagons.

My other out-building near the house consist of a stable for
horses, 25 by 20 feet, with cellar under it for hogs and ma-
nure. Attached to the stable is a one-story building, about
100 feet long, and used for three open sheds, wood-house, car-
riage house, work shop, tool room for farm implements, privy ;
and wash-room, where I have a boiler and sink set, with water
running when desired. Under the wash-room is a cellar for
the storage of wash-tubs, and also for cooling of the milk be-
fore it goes to market, as there is running water in this cellar.
The carriage house, work shop and tool room, set on posts at
back part, facing the south, which makes a fine warm hennery
to keep my hens in at seasons when I don't want them at
large. The cost of this string ot buildings is about $1000.

My house is not yet completed, and is larger than is neces-

73

sary for a farm house, yet that, part which is required for farm
use is very convenient and not expensive for the times, the
lower flower having kitchen, dining room, and men's sleeping
room, with ample closets in each room, and water in kitchen.
Salem, October, 1866.

MANURES.

The Committee on Manures report :

The statements which have been submitted to them, and
which are appended hereto, relate entirely to artificial ma-
nures, and of course confine the attention of the committee to
these fertilizers alone.

The question of the value of all condensed, artificial and
strictly chemical fertilizers is one which has occupied the at-
tention of all who are devoted to modern agriculture. In for-
mer days every form of putrescence, all stercoraceous matter,
all decomposed vegetable matter, earthy compounds found in
natural deposits, were used as manure, and were the means of
conducting all experiments, and the subjects of every essay on
the principles and processes of fertilization. The distinguish-
ed founder of this society, in all his careful investigations,
never advanced beyond a consideration of " that precious
liquor," as he called it, which flows through the drainage of
our stables, or is absorbed by the materials which make up our
heaps of composted manure. Since his day we have advanced
into the regions of science, and not content with the farmyard,
we have called upon chemistry to furnish us with those sub-
stances which, from their portable form, and their specific
properties, promise to make fertilization an easy process, and
a well defined and positive art.
10

74

The introduction of guano Into the list of fertilizers has un-
doubtedly done much to excite the endeavors of those who
would imitate this highly stimulating manure ; and the inge-
nuity of man has been exhausted in endeavoring to supply the
farmer with homeopathic remedies for the diseases and weak-
nesses of his soil. Phosphates, chlorides, ammonia, nitrogen,
all salts and all gases, have been produced in every form sim-
ple and compound, to tempt the farmer away from his manure
heap, or to supply the place of such a heap, when its produc-
tion was an impossibility. That much benefit has been de-
rived from this there can be no doubt. The worn-out lands
of some portions of our own country, and the highly cultivat-
ed lands of Great Britain, have undoubtedly derived great ad-
vantages from guano, bones, the phosphates, and other con-
densed forms of manures. The precise nature of the benefit
of each one of these substances should be carefully investigat-
ed by the best experiments. The farmer should be enabled,
in some way, to know precisely what he may expect from an
investment in the expensive fertilizers so freely offered him —
whether it will be of temporary or permanent value, and
•whether of any value at all.

While your committee present the recorded experience of
some of the best farmers in the county, in the use of some of
the condensed fertilizers of the day, they Avould urge the con-
tinuation of these trials upon the remainder of the list. Facts
ascertained with regard to bone separated by mechanical pro-
cess alone, and without any increased solubility by chemical
combination, may not be ascertained with regard to guano or
the superphosphates. It is important that the subject should
be thoroughly investigated — especially when we remember
that the good cultivator always returns to a well prepared ma-
nure heap, the product of his stable and farm yard, with a
confidence which chemistry and the guano islands have not
yet shaken.

In conclusion, your committee would earnestly recommend
the continuance of experiments with bones as a fertilizer. Of

75

their value too much cannot be said. When properly intro-
duced into the soil they take the highest rank among fertiliz-
ing agents, and have never failed to answer the expectations
of the cultivator, when "properly prepared and used. The dis-
solving of bones in sulphuric acid has long been known as a
most valuable mode of preparing them. More recent experi-
ments with ashes and caustic lime seem to have resulted well.
And it remains to be proved how far mechanical solution will
take the place of these chemical processes. We most ardently
hope that every eifort now going on in the county to provide
us with bones for manure will be continued and improved up-
on, until we have a good supply of this manure, prepared in
the best manner.

GEO. B. LORING, Chairman.

STATEMENT OF WM. R. PUTNAM.

To the Committee on Manures :

Ey the request of the secretary I send for your information
the result of a small experiment in the use of bone manure.
It was made without any intention of making it public, but
simply to satisfy myself which was the best bone manure,
made at the different mills in the county.

The soil where the corn was planted is a good loam. It
had been in grass for six years. It was ploughed in Novem-
ber, 1865, about seven inches deep. It was well worked with
the harrow and cultivator the last of April. The first week
in May it was planted ; the same kind of seed was used on
the whole lot of about two acres.

Lot No. 1 was manured from bone meal from Breed's Mill
in Lynn, the cost of which was three cents per lb., and was
applied at the rate of 500 lbs. per acre. The hills were three
and a half feet apart each way ; the bone was mixed partially
with the soil.

Lot No. 2 was manured with the flour of bone from Wal-

76

ton's mill in Salem, the cost of which was three cents per lb.,
and the same quantity applied as in No. 1.

On lot No. 3 I put the same quantity of bone from Day's
Mill in West Boxford, costing four cents per lb.

Lot No. 4 was manured with compost manure at the rate of
SIX cords to the acre, spread on and partly covered with a
small plough. I estimated the manure worth $10 per cord
when put on.

Lot No. 5 was manured the same as No. 4, with the addi-
tion of a small quantity of bone put in the hill ; each lot con-
tained 512 hills one about one-ninth of an acre, and the land
is nearly level and of uniform quality. It all received the
same care and cultivation during the season.

No. 1 produced 11 3-4 bushels of ears of good sound corn,
and 5 1-2 bushels poor corn — total, 17 1-4 bushels.

No. 2, 10 bushels good, 5 1-2 poor — total, 15 1-2 bushels.
No. 3, 8 bushels good, 6 poor — total, 14 bushels.

No. 4, 17 1-2 bushels good, 2 poor — total, 19 1-2 bushels.
No. 5, 18 1-2 bushels good, 1 3-4 poor— total, 20 1-4 bushels.

From the above it will be seen that the cost of the manure
for No, 1 was $15 per acre, and the yield was at the rate of
40 bushels of shelled corn per acre, without the poor corn.

No. 2, cost of manure, $15 per acre, 35 bushels corn.

No. 3, cost of manure, $20 per acre, 28 bushels corn.

No. 4, cost of manure, $70 per acre, 62 bushels corn.

No. 5, cost of manure, $76 per acre, 65 bushels corn.

It will be seen from the above that manure for a bushel of
corn cost on No. 1, 37 1-2 cents; No. 2, 40 1-2 cents ; No.
3, 67 1-2 cents; No. 4, $1.10; No. 5, $1.10 1-2.

Perhaps I should have stated more particularly the kind of
bone used. Mr. Breed's, as he informed me, was the raw
bone crushed in a quartz mill.

Mr. Walton's was made from bones that had been used at
the Lowell Print Works, and all the gelatine extracted.

Mr. Day's had been steamed to extract the gelatine.

77

STATEMENT OF DAVID CHOATE.

Statement of experiments made with Bone Flour, manu-
factured by the Boston Milling and Manufacturing Company.

As requested by the Trustees at their late meeting, I sub-
mit the following statement :

I received one barrel of the Flour of Bone, manufactured
as above, on the I5th of May last; and on the 19th, and again
on the 2od, I applied it to Indian corn as follows, viz. : —
premising, however, that the whole field had been manured
uniformly from the barnyard, the manure having been spread
and harrowed in. I took six rows, each 36 hills in length ;
and upon the first two, which I call lot No. 1, I applied one-
third of a pint to each hill. The corn in all six of the rows
was just coming up.

The two middle rows (say No. 2) had no bone at all.
Upon the remaining two rows, No. 3, everything being equal
as before, except that it was four days later, I applied one-
sixth of a pint to each hill, just half the amount put in the
case of No. 1. The quantity applied to No. 1, was at the
rate, very nearly, of 17 bushels per acre, of 3240 hills; and
upon No. 3 just half that amount, or more exactly, 8.43 bush-
els per acre.

The mode of cultivation through the season was the same
in all six of the rows.

The crop was harvested on the 29th of October. I should
have added, that no one, whose attention was called to the
experiment, could satisfy himself that the bone flour either
hastened or retarded the growth or maturity of the crop in
any degree whatever.

The weight of the corn was as follows :

In rows, No. 1^ with 17 bush, bone to the acre, 109^ f>ounds.
No. 2, with no bone, 98 f "

No. 3, with 8.43 bush, bone to the acre, 100^ "

78

The above result would give, to the acre of 3240 hills, as
follows, viz :

No. 1, 4927 pounds.

No. 2, 4443 «

No. 3, 4511 «'

What precise amount of shelled corn this weight of ears
would give, I have not determined ; it was, however, quite
unripe, and unfit for shelling or use.

The difference in favor of the bone in the case of No. 1,
there being 17 bushels of bone to the acre, is 484 pounds of
corn in the ear, more than where no hone was used, and 416
pounds more than where half the quantity was used.

Suppose 70 pounds of corn in the ear, in the state which I
found it in at harvest, to make a bushel of shelled corn, then
an acre, using 17 bushels of bone, would produce 6 6-7 bush-
els of corn more than where no hone was vsei ; and an acre with
8.43 bushels of bone would yield 5 7-7 bushels of corn more
than where none was used; and what increases the perplexity,
17 bushels of bone to the acre produces only one bushel of
corn per acre more than half that quantity does.

Now for the cost. A bushel of bone flour will weigh, I
believe, 76 pounds, and 17 bushels at three cents per pound
will cost $38.76 ; so that 6 6-7 bushels of corn will cost that
sum, viz : $38.76. For transportation from Boston, it will be
perceived, I have reckoned nothing, though 50 cents would
be, I think, the true expense.

BONE FLOUR UPON ENGLISH GRASS.

One square rod with bone, at the rate of 18 bushels per
acre, yielded 69f pounds of grass cut and immediately weigh-
ed, July 9th. The adjoining rod, without bone, cut and weigh-
ed on the same day, weighed 73^ pounds.

The same experiment was made on lower land, some eight
to ten rods distant, and cut July 27th. The rod with bone,
as before, yielded 33 pounds; the adjoining rod, without bone,
yielded 36 pounds.

79

The bone had been applied in both these cases, as I think,
on the 28th of May, and I selected lots for the experiment,
where no difference was perceptible in the height or thick-
ness of the grass.

ON BARLEY.

One rod with the bone, 18 bushels to the acre, weighed 20f
pounds ; the adjoining rod, with no bone, 30| pounds.

The barley was ripe and was cut and weighed, with the
straw, on the 26th of July. I find I have lost the date of
applying the bone to both the barley and grass, but believe to
have been, as above, on 28th of May.

ON POTATOES.

25 bushels of bone meal was applied to the acre on the
6th of June, being one half a pint to the hill. I ought to say
that in the case of both corn and potatoes the soil was removed
from the plant with the hoe, the bone then applied and cover-
ed. The potatoes were dug in my absence, and not weighed
but measured — fifteen hills with hone yielding three-fourths of a
peck more than the adjoining row without. This is equal to
40 bushels per acre — the 25 bushels of bone costing, how-
ever, $57.00.

ON ONIONS.

Flour of bone was used at the rate of 39 bushels per acre,
hoed in by the side of the row just as the onions were break-
ing ground. These, also, were harvested in my absence, but
as no difference was perceptible, they were neither measured nor
weighed.

ON CARROTS.

Bone applied, 39 bushels to the acre, and in the same man-
ner as to the onions. The yield was 29| tons per acre with
bone, and 23 1-5 tons without bone. Difference 6 3-10 tons.
At $10 per ton the produce in the first case, per acre, would

be $295.00 ; without bone, $232.00 ; cost of 39 bushels of
the bone, $88.92; thus the 6 3-10 tons excess, with bone, cost
this sum, $88.92.

An answer to all this may be urged, viz : — that a part, per-
haps a larger part, of the strength of the bone will be avail-
able next year, and perhaps for a still greater length of time.
I hope it will prove so, but where I used it last year, I am
unable to perceive any manifest traces of it.

On the whole, the results, so far as my experience goes at
present, are as astounding as they are painful and unaccount-
able. Last year I was led to think and say the bone had
done nobly for onions, but I now strongly suspect I was de-
ceived, and attributed an apparent result to a wrong cause.

Were this the time and place for argument, I should urge
the importance of an analysis of the soil, as well as of the
stimulant to be applied to it, lest it should appear that it was
as well supplied with a given element as the prejmred manure
itself, and a consequent failure should be inevitable. But the
field is as limitless as it is important, and I leave it to abler
hands.

STATEMENT OF CHARLES P. PRESTON.

To THE Committee on Manures :

Having heard from persons whom I supposed to be good
authority, that is, those who had experimented with bo?ie as a
mamirc, that it was a very valuable fertilizer, for corn, as well
as other crops, and having also the opinion, that our soils are
generally deficient in yhospJiatcs, I bought last spring five bar-
rels of bone mani:re — four of Day's manufacture, and one
from the firm of Devereux 8c Co., Boston.

I applied it at the rate of 300 pounds per acre to two acres
of corn land, fi'st having spread 10 ox cart loads of good
barn manure to the acre on the green sward and turned it

81

under to the depth of six inches ; the bone being applied in
the hill, and mixed with the soil as much as practicable.

The corn came well, but ( with the exception of some
places where manure heaps had formerly been put,) it grew
generally very slowly indeed, and some hills not at all. The
worms destroyed some plants, and other plants, which were
not molested by them, seemed to die out for the want of
nutriment to keep them alive, so that the vacant hills were'
quite plenty and were filled by planting white beans.

On a small portion of the field no bone manure was ap-
plied, and no appreciable difference marked the crop on this
portion. On another part unleached ashes, at the rate of 25 '
bushels per acre, was applied in the hill at the time of plant-
ing, without bone. Here, I think, nearly double the quantity
of corn grew, it having started very well in the spring and
continued a good growth through the season. On another
small portion, " Gould's Muriate of Lime," at the rate of 600
pounds to the acre, was put in, on which the crop produced
was about the same in amount as on the other parts of the
field to which an application of bone was made.

In this trial I could perceive no difference between "Day's
Bone Manure" and the "Flour of Bone" procured in Boston.

I planted another lot of one acre; one-half with corn and
the other with, potatoes, having ploughed the sward under to
the depth of seven inches and spread and harrowed in about
four cords of compost per acre. I used Day's bone manure
at the rate of 500 pounds per acre in the hill for corn, and in
drill for potatoes, leaving a row in each lot in which none was
applied. I had a fair crop of corn and potatoes, but could
discover no inferiority in the crop by measure, from the rows
in which no bone was applied, as compared with the re-
mainder of the lot.

The result of these trials satisfies me that I cannot afford

to buy bone manure for these crops ; as you will perceive it

failed entirely to start the corn earlier and more vigorously

than it would have done without its aid, and I failed to dis-

11

83

cover that it was at all beneficial in promoting its later
growth, as it did not seem to make much progress till the
roots reached the sward and manure which was turned under,
when that which had survived the difficulty of living through
the first one or two months without support, started into a
vigorous growth and produced a very fair crop, though too
late to ripen so perfectly as is desirable. I think, judging
from that portion of the field to which ashes was applied,
that, if applied to the whole, it would have increased the
product at least fifteen bushels to the acre.

What benefit the land may derive from the bone hereafter,
I cannot, of course, predict ; but think I can safely say that
farmers, in these times of low prices for produce and high
rates for manure and labor, cannot afford to wait many years
for a favorable result ; and very few failing to perceive such
result from the application of a costly manure one season,
could be induced to apply the same the next.

STATEMENT OF FRANCIS P. PUTNAM.

Last April I purchased 500 pounds of Day's bone meal,
for $20, beside freight. I was told it was much cheaper than
stable manure, to say nothing of the labor saved in carting.
Thought best to try it in different ways to see if it was equal
to what Mr. Day and friends recommended. The first piece
to which it was applied was sandy loam sward land, ploughed
in the fall of 1865 ; a coat of about five cords of compost
manure to the acre spread on the surface and well worked in
with harrow and cultivator ; then furrowed three and one-
half feet apart one way, one gill of bone meal put in the hills;
two and one-half feet the other way, and stirred in with the soil
on one-half the piece ; nothing in the hills on the rest of the
piece ; the whole was then planted with potatoes on the 8th
of May. I could see no benefit at all from the bone in the

8^'

growiag^ crop, and the yield of potatoes was no more where
the meal was used than Where it was not. Yield about 180
bushels per acre.

Second piece. The land was similar and adjoining the
first ; no manure spread ; the bone meal put in the hills in
nearly the same quantity ; the hills about three and one-half
feet apart each way. Planted it with corn on the 10th of
May ; it came up well but failed to grow, except one strip
about a rod wide, on which dry wood ashes were spread the
spring before. This strip produced pretty fair corn.

Third. Ploughed the ground, on which the grass was
mostly killed out, July 25th ; harrowed and furrowed, and
put compost in all the rows except one — in that put pond
muck, mixed with half a bushel of bone meal. The rows
were nearly eight rods long. Planted it with round turnips.
The produce of the row where the bone meal was put was
about the same as the others. I cannot see as yet that I have
received the least benefit from the bone meal thus applied.

TREADWELL FARM.

At a meeting of the Committee on the Treadwell Farm,
held last March, it was voted that the care of the farm should
be delegated to a Sub-Committe for one year, and also to lease
it, according to the following terms :

Time, seven years from April Ist, 1866; rent two hun-
dred and fifty dollars per annum ; to apply to the land each
year, at least fifty cords of good merchantable manure and
two hundred loads of muck ; to keep all fences in good re-
pair, and cultivate the farm in all respects in a good, husband-
like manner ; reserving to the Society full right and power to
enter upon the premises at all times by themselves, or by a

84

Committee by them appointed, to make all necessary repairs
upon the buildings and to view the farm ; also, to have the
use of one room in the dwelling house for meetings of Society
or Committees.

The Sub-Committee have been pleased with the result of
the application to the farm of more than sixty cords of good
manure, for a better seven acre field of corn is very seldom
seen in this county than we saw there ; also an acre of car-
rots, that promised a good yield ; all grown upon the plain
land that has previously appeared so barren, proving that,
with high culture, corn and carrots may be successfully and
easily raised upon that peculiar quality of land. The pota-
toes planted upon the same produced but a small crop, owing
either to the kind of manure used (1. e., slaughter manure,)
or the quality of the land. Future experiments will prob-
ably solve the question.

The appearance of the grass land adjoining the cornfield,
and of a similar kind, indicated a very small crop indeed —
hardly worth mowing. Some other parts of the farm yielded
a better crop of hay, but a small one generally.

Various kinds of vegetables, such as rutabagas, cabbages,
squashes, etc., have been also grown upon the farm this sea-
son, with fair success.

But the Committee wish particularly to call the attention of
the Society to the fact that excellent crops of corn and carrots
can be raised upon that plain land by good cultivationj and
with less labor than is usually required.

BENJ. P. WARE, for the Committee.

REPORT ON THE LIBRARY.
The, Standing Committee, chosen at a meeting of the Trus-

85

tees, to whom was committed the Eeport of the year previous
on the condition of the Library, ivith particular reference to the
better accommodation of the Boolis, have attended to the busi-
ness, and would respectfully Report :

That being unable to obtain for the present any better ac-
commodation than we now have, and as the Athenaeum in-
tends to erect a gallery over the southern room for the better
accommodation of the Essex Agricultural Society's Books, as
well as for the Medical Society's Library, your Committee
would suggest that the books remain, for the present, as they

are. .

J. M. Ives, James Kimball, F. Poole, Committee.

CRANBERRIES.

The Committee on the Culture of Cranberries, to "Whom
was referred the statement of Mr, Gilbert Conant, of Ipswich,
regarding the experiment of Mr. Conant as judicious, economi-
cal and successful, recommend that his statement be published,
and that he rebeive a premium of $10.

JAMES H. DUNCAN, Chairman of Committee.

STATEMENT OF GILBERT CONANT.

The following is a statement of my method and success in
the cultivation of the cranberry, for which I make application
for a premium. In the summer of 1861 I prepared about an
acre of meadow, by cutting a ditch to drain it, and in the fall
I ploughed it from four to six inches deep, according to
the height of different parts of the . meadow. Since then I
have flowed it annually about the first of November, and'
let the water off about the first of May. '^^-"^ o^

.^6

The first summer after preparing the meadow as stated,
vines sprang up and grew considerably, on the lowest parts of
it. The second summer the vines increased and grew rapidly.
In the fall of that year I gathered about a half bushel of cran-
berries. In 1864 the vines blossomed full, and after the ber-
ries were set, gave promise of a fine crop ; but, an e^rly frost,
while , they were quite green, injured th^m ^o that I gathered
but about a bushel.

In 1865 the vines had increased in some spots on the
meadow, so that they had almost killed out the grass, and in
the fall, when the berries were ripe, they lay so thick that
the vines were scarcely visible. I gathered twenty bushels of
cranberries, worth three and a half dollars per bushel. The
expense of gathering and marketing these berries was less
than ten dollars. This year there are but very few cranber-
ries in this section of country, though my vines are bearing
better than I have seen any others oil fresh meadow. The
crop is not yet gathered, but your Committee can see it on the
yines.

The expense of draining this i^f^eadpw was nothing. The
peat taken from the ditch paid the expense. It cost me but
$5 to flow it. This was done by a small flood-gate at [the
bridge. I spread upon the ice in the winter of 1863 two
loads of yellow sand, which cost but $2.50, making the whole
amount that it has cost me to prepare the meadow, but $7.50.
I would here state that the vines on the spot upon which the
sand was spread were far more prolific last year than any
other vines upon the meadow.

I have had experience in preparing several other pieces of
meadow in the same manner, for the cultivation of the cran-
berry, and in every case have been successful. I neither plant
vines nor sow the seed. Whenever any meadow adapted to
the cultivation of the cranberry is prepared in the manner
that I have prepared mine, vines will spring up and bear
spontaneously.

One thing more I will state. This meadow was owned by

87

my grandfather and then by my father, and from him I in-
herited it — consequently I have kno\ni it from my earliest
recollection, and I do not think that in all that time a bushel
of cranberries has grown upon it before the year 1861, when
I first prepared it for the cultivation of the cranberry.

Last year there were but few small spots upon the meadow
where the vines were sufficiently matured to produce berries.

TRIBUTE TO COL. DANIEL ADAMS.

Remarks of Hon. David Choate, and r'^solutions adopted
by the Trustees, on the death of Col. Daniel Adams.

It is well known that an Ex-President of our Society, Col.
Daniel Adams, of Newbury, has deceased since our last an-
nual meeting.

To recognize the services and review the lives of the
founders and distinguished men of our Society, after all that
is mortal of them has passed away, is a duty we owe alike to
the living and the dead. Shall we not therefore arrest our
business matters for a moment this morning, and listen to the
voice of that Providence which has so recently *^ broken the
strong staff and the beautiful rod ?"

A chair, rarely, if ever vacant at a meeting of this Board,
is to-day a vacant chair. That voice, and those words of
wisdom which we have been so accustomed to hear, and
which we delighted to hear, coming from Col. Daniel Adams,
we shall hear no more forever.

Our meeting comes late for this duty, for the Press has long
since forestalled any action or resolution of ours, and public
opinion was even in advance of the Press. The funeral eulo-
gy has be6n pronounced, the solemn procession has moved,

and presently the sculptured monument will lift up its front,
proud to perpetuate the name of Adams ; all salutary and
consolatory to the living, though to him, how vain and un-
availing !

Mr. President, due honors to the founders of an institution
are important, because, in the language of the great Webster,
they give hope that the institution itself will prove to be im-
mortal. We mourn this day, and we cannot help mourning,
the decease of one who had identified himself with our whole
history — one who may be said, I believe, to have assisted at
its very birth, forty-nine years ago — one who rocked its
cradle, if you please, and almost carried it in his arms. We
do not, we cannot forget such a man, and it will be my hap-
piness, with your permission, to attempt to lay one sprig of
laurel upon his grave to-day.

In making a brief review of the connection of Col. Adams
with the Society and Board of Trustees, it must be said that
our early records, though generally full and ample, are not
quite so explicit upon some points as we could now wish; and
it does not appear from them, either that Col. Adams was, or
WM not present at the first meeting for organization, on the
16th of February, 1818. His name, says our vigilant Secre-
tary, first appears in 1820, as one of a committee for raising
funds. He was first elected trustee in February, 1823. In
1828 he was one of a committee "chosen to procure and to
present to Hon. Timothy Pickering, a medal with proper
emblems, expressive of the high estimation in which the So-
ciety held his services as JPresident, on his retirement from
the office."

He was elected President in X858 and 1859. The
iufrequency with which his name appears in our Trans-
actions as a contributor to its pages, is in perfect keep-
ing with the fact that his tastes and his activities were more
consonant with fiQld and out-door movements — a department
of vast importance, and yet one not always easy to fill. In
this department, whether at the ploughing match proper, or

'8(9

at the trial of working oxen, or elsewhere at the trial of
farm implements, but especially the former, [he was in some
sense our spokesman.

Whenever and wherever off-hand uU&'ances were necessary,
and wherever lightning rapidity in deciding and acting was
necessary, there was Col. Adams always, and there he some-
times seemed himself, almost a host. If the gifted editor of
the Newburyport Herald can say, as he does, in an article of
elegant, discriminating eulogy, that to him. Col. Adams "al-
ways seemed to be more than one-half of a Newbury town
meeting," shall not many of us concede that on some occa-
sions he seemed himself almost one-half of the whole show
on our gala days ?

Though of an ardent temperament, Col. Adams could not be
said to he.Jitful or spasmodic in any degree. On the contrary,
he was firm, persevering and consistent with himself. When
Jiis purposes were once formed, he was almost as immovable
as a rock. While, however, he was frank, bold and intrepid
in defending the constitution and the by-laws of the Society,
yet was he cautious in providing against obstacles that might
at some future time create embarrassment.

Is it not remarkable that, taking as he did a leading part in
all the operations of the Society and the Board for near €fty
years, his measures, sometimes prevailing and sometimes being
overthrown — I say, is it not remarkable that he was uniform-
ly successful in commending himself to the members as a man
of capital 'g^ood nature and capital good sense, of far-reaching
sagacity, and what is more, of incorruptihle integrity ! You
knew him, Mr. President, longer and better than I did ; but
did we not all see, from his deportment, his general bearing
and his temper, that while there was sometimes a flavor of salt,
yet there was no hitterness in him at all; no malice lived long,
or could live in that large heart ; nothing, I may say, but
kind feelings beamed from his benevolent eye. Take him, in
short, for all in all, one is almost ready to ask, when shall
we look upon his like again ?
• 12

.90

I do not forget that his pretensions to eiucation, in its com-
mon acceptation, were small. The common school and his
favorite Dummer afforded all the advantages which the press-
ing occupations of his father's farm would allow him to em-
brace. Like many others of our distinguished men, he was
self-taught and was the architect of his own fame.

I have left myself room to speak of but one trait more i^
the character of our departed friend. That one trait, how-
ever, was the only one he could carry with him as he went
over the " rolling river." His earthly honors he had done
with, having deposited them where envy could not tarnish
them — "where malice could not blast them." But wow, as
the life of the Christian had been his life, so the death of the
Christian, we fe6l assured, was his death. During his last
year, it was but too evident that the grasshopper was becom-
ing a burden, and that he would soon go to his long home,
and the mourners would go about the streets ; but during this
year's decay, and while " the keepers of the house were
trembling," the traits of the Christian character developed
themselves more and more, till his vision, it is believed, was
swallowed up in fruition. He died on the 16th of October,
and now rests from his labors, and his works follow him.

I would respectfully move the Board to adopt the follow-
ing resolutions :

" Resolved, That in the death of Col. Daniel Adams this
Board is called to mourn the loss of one of its earliest friends
and brightest ornaments, and that we shall ever retain a lively
recollection of his many virtues and his active labors for the
promotion of the cause of Agriculture.

" Resolved, That we tender our sympathies to the relatives
and friends of Col. Adams on the loss, which both they and
we have sustained in this bereavement.

" Resolved, That the Secretary be requested to forward a
copy of these resolutions to the family and friends of the
deceased."

BREAD, AND BREAD MAKING.

BY JAMES R. NICHOLS, M. D.

The remarks made by a Committee on Bread, at the So-
ciety's Exhibition in 1863, are eminently proper and just.
They remark '* that they can see no benefit to be derived
from an exhibition of bread, unless those who are so unfor-
tunate as to be lacking in skill *can go and do likewise.'
They can look at the beautiful loaves on exhibition, and, with
a sigh, express the wish to know how to make such bread;
but the information has not been given by the exhibitors. We
suggest that, hereafter, all entries of bread shall be accom-
panied by a statement describing the process of mixing,
kneading, baking, etc."

A premium having been awarded to bread made in my
family, at the last exhibition of the Society, I am induced by
the expressed wishes of many, to make a statement in rela-
tion to the methods of its production, and also to present
some general observations upon bread, and the science of
bread making.

As regards the show of bread at the exhibition, it was in-
deed not of a character such as we could wish it to be. The
number of loaves upon the tables was unusually large, and
among them were many specimens of a quite imperfect char-
acter, being heavy, doughy, and some had passed into the
acetic fermentation stage and become sour.

It is presumed that in preparing bread for exhibition and
premium, the makers do their best in its production, and that

92

a display of the kind may fairly represent the best skill in
this department of household labor,

Eegarded in this light, the conclusion is reached that very
many families have hardly yet learned what good bread is,
and that there is a wide margin for improvements in the
methods of bread making. No subject is certainly more im-
portant, as it has a direct bearing upon the health and conse-
quent happiness of households, and it should receive the at-
tention which it deserves.

Besides the manipulating processes, the manufacture of good
■bread involves some other considerations of no secondary im-
portance. It is useless to attempt its production with imper-
fect or bad materials. The flour or meal must be sweet and
from fully matured grain. During the past two years the
market has been crowded with flour of a damaged character.
The severe rains and long-continued moist weather at the
South and West, were unfavorable for securing the grain
crops, and much of it germinated in the fields and barns and
was thereby rendered unfit for bread making. In the germi-
nating process, diastase is formed ; this reacting upon the
starch of the flour in the baking, transforms it into dextrine
and sugar, and prevents the formation of light, spongy bread.
Flour from such grain will afford only sticky, glutinous, heavy
bread, no matter how much care and skill is bestowed in the
making. Fungous growths also appear in wheat injured by
moisture, and the flour becomes " musty." In bread from
such materials, beside its repulsive physical appearance and
unpleasant taste, a chemical change has occurred which ren-
ders it positively injurious as an article of diet. The nutritive
properties, the gluten, especially, has undergone decomposi-
tion and new bodies have been formed, which are not of an
alimentary nature. Impaired digestion, derangements of the
bowels follow the use of bread from such flour. The poor,
who are unable to pay large prices for choice, selected brands,
sufi'er greatly from this source, and much of the bread they

9Sr,

are compelled to eat Is well calculated to weaken ratter than
sustain the vital functions.

During the most favorable seasons thousands of bushels of
wheat are made into flour, which, owing to local causes, ^elay
in harvesting, or storage in large bodies, is rendered entirely
unfit to be used as food. A portion of this is employed in
the arts, but the great bulk goes into families, and feeble chil-
dren, as well as adults, are forced to consume it, much to their
injury. It is doubtful if anything can be done to abate this
evil ; the cupidity of men is but little affected by considera-
tions of right, and the thirst for gain is potent and irresistible.
There are several methods of testing wheat flour, which are
available to purchasers, although none of them afford positive
indications. Good flour is not sensibly sujeet to the taste, but
bad flour often is. This is owing to the presence of glucose,
resulting from chemical changes in the grain, by partial malt-
ing. Extreme whiteness is a good indication, as changed
grain is discolored in the process of change. Good flour is
tenacious and unctous to the touch ; when thrown against a
wall it should adhere and not fall readily. It does not feel
crispy, and when formed into a ball in the hand, adheres to-
gether like a ball of snow. To the sense of smell it is sweet
and pleasant, and when taken into the mouth, forms a glutin-
. ous mass, free from all disagreeable taste.

The nutritive quality of flour depends upon the proportion
of gluten which it contains. In the best specimens 10 or 12
per cent, is found. A barrel of flour contains about 20
pounds of gluten, and 150 of common starch. The starch
can easily be washed out of a small quantity of flour by plac-
ing it in a bag of cotton cloth and kneading it under a stream
of water. The gluten remains upon the cloth and is a gray,
viscid, tenacious mass, insoluble in water. It is the strength-
giving principle of the flour, and in a three pound loaf of
bread there should be at least three ounces of this substance.

Bad bread is by no means always chargeable to imperfect
materials. Hundreds of families, who procure and use the

91

most perfect flour, subsist upon bread of a very inferior qual-
ity. Some housekeepers assert that they can have no " luck "
in bread making ; their loaves are always heavy, or sour, or
doughy, or burnt, and they give up experimenting andbecome
discouraged. As with good materials every one can prepare
good bread, there should be no want of success.

Success depends in a great measure upon good judgment,
faithfulness and patience in working, and in using the right
materials. It is quite preposterous to present a fixed recipe
and set it up as an infallible guide in this department of house-
hold labor. The method adopted in my family, and that by
which the specimen exhibited was prepared, is as follows :

Sift five pounds of good flour and put it in an earthen pan
suitable for mixing and kneading. Have ready a ferment, or
yeast, prepared as follows :

Take two potatoes the size of the fist, boil them, mash and
mix with half a pint of boiling water. A fresh yeast cake, of
the size common in the market, is dissolved in water, and the
two solutions mixed together and put in a warm place to fer-
ment. As soon as it commences to rise, or ferment, which re-
quires a longer or shorter time, as the weather is warm or
cold, pour it into the flour, and with the addition of a pint
each of milk and Water, form a dough, and knead for a full
half hour. Form the dough at night, and allow it to stand
until morning, in a moderately warm place ; then mould and
put in pans, and let it remain until it has become well raised ;
then place in a hot oven and bake.

The points needing attention in this process are several.
First, the flour must be of the best quality ; second, the pota-
toes should be sound and mealy ; third, the yeast cake is to be
freshly prepared ; fourth, the ferment must be in just the right
condition ; Ji/th, the kneading shoul(i be thorough and effec-
tive ; sixth, the raising of the dough must be watched, that it
does not proceed too far and set up the acetic fermentation
and cause the bread to sour ; seventh, after the dough is placed
in pans it should be allowed to rise, or puff up, before placing

95

in the oven; eighth, the temperature of the oven, and the
time consumed in baking, has much to do with the perfection
of the process.

If this method is followed with the exercise of good judg-
ment and ordinary skill, white bread of the highest perfection
will be uniformly produced.

XJnfermented, or "cream of tartar" bread, is never placed
upon the table in my family. There are special dietary,
or sanitary reasons for its exclusion. All '* quick made "
bread is usually prepared in haste, and the adjustment of acid
and alkali is apt to be imperfect. Not one pound in a hun-
dred of cream of tartar sold in the market is free from adulter-
ation. In ten specimens procured from as many different
dealers, in a town of ten thousand inhabitants, I ascertained
by analysis that the least per centage of adulterating material
was twenty-two per cent., and several were over seventy per
cent. The " yeast powders " so common in the market are
composed of acids in association with alkaline carbonates, us-
ually bi-carbonate of soda. If tartaric acid, or cream of tar-*!
tar, is used with the soda, there remains in the bread after
baking a neutral salt, the tartrate of soda, which is diffused
through the loaf and is consumed with it. This salt has aperi-
ent properties — in fact is a medicine — and thus at the daily
meal, those who use bread made with *' powders," or with
cream of tartar, are taking food and medicine together.

Some years ago. Prof. Horsford, of Cambridge, proposed
substituting phosphoric acid for the tartaric, and this excellent
idea has been put into practical effect in the production of
yeast powders. In the use of this acid, phospJiate of soda
would remain in the loaf, and as this is made up of the ele-
ment which we lose in sifting out the bran from the flour, it
must prove healthful, or at least unobjectionable. But bread
prepared by ejfervesing powders is, at best, a poor substitute
for that which results when the dough is raised through the
agency of vinous fermentation — regular yeast, in some of its
forms, being employed. Effervescents may be used in ex-

igeneles, which occasionally occur, but it is hoped that the
good housewives in our county do not, in their bread making,
habitually depart from the good old way of raising the loaf
by panary ferftientation.

It was a noticeable fact that no specimens of whole meal,
wheaten, or corn bread was offered for exhibition. It is pre-
sumed that the premiums of the Society were intended to in-
clude these forms of the " staff of life," and it is a matter of
regret that none were presented. There is manifestly a per-
version of sentiment, or fashion, as regards bread made from
the unbolted meal of wheat, which ought to be corrected.
Why, upon the tables of farmers, the white flour loaf should
usurp the place of the darker, but sweeter and more healthful
one from the whole meal, is a question of no little interest
and importance. In Essex county but few soil cultivators
raise this noble grain in quantities large enough to meet
family wants, and it is probable, if the reverse of this were
true, the grist would be carried long distances to a ilnill with a
bolt, to separate the fine flour. ;:::i<jti-i;

If there is any one form of bread more delicious than
another, or more conducive to the sustentation of the physical
and intellectual powers, it: is that from unsifted wheat meal;
and every owner of land shohld include this grain among his
crops, that he may have the bread fresh and in its highest per-
fection. A generous dressing of finely ground bone will put
almost any field in condition to grow a profitable crop ; and in
these days,when Western flour of the better sorts commands
such enormous prices, there seems to be no good reason why
farmers should not resume the cultivation of wheat in our
county.

Corn bread is also excellent and most nutritious. It con-
tains a large amount of oil not found in other grains, which
adds greatly to its value. There is far too little of this used
in our families. The old-fashioned dish of corn " pudding
and milk " is now nearly as obsolete as that of '' bean por-
ridge j" and may we not, with much reason, attribute the

97

physical degeneracy of the present race to the radical changes
in the forms of food ? Regarding the matter from a chemical
and medical point of view, it certainly would be difficult to
select better or more healthful forms of human nutriment —
forms so well calculated to build up and sustain a " sound
mind in a sound body," as the two named above, once so
popular, but now banished from our tables. They were easy
of digestion and assimilation and contained all the chemical
substances, or organic and inorganic constituents needed to
nourish the body and mind. Certainly, white flour bread,
cake and condiments, are poor substitutes for the sensible,
but plain dishes of our fathers and mothers a half century
ago.

ESSAY ON THE PEESERVATION OF ERUIT AND
THE CONSTRUCTION OF FRUIT HOUSES.

BY ROBERT MANNING, OF SALEM.

Twenty or thirty years ago, when winter pears began to be
generally cultivated, much disappointment was experienced by
cultivators, who found them hard, green, and tasteless, instead
of juicy and delicious, as they had been described. But with
the introduction of better varieties, improved cultivation, and
the maturity of the trees, under our hot suns their ripening
became so accelerated that pears, which should have kept un-
til mid-winter, or later, could not be preserved to the end of
December, and the inquiry was — for means to retard, rather
than promote their maturity. I need not spend time in argu-
ing the necessity of such means of preservation, especially to
those who have found their late pears ripe and gone from one
to two months earlier than they had anticipated.

The ripening of fruit is the completion of the chemical
process by which starch is transformed into sugar, and is the
first step toward decay. Decay is a process of fermentation,
and is but the continuation of the ripening process. What-
ever promotes fermentation will hasten the ripening and decay
of fruit ; whatever retards fermentation will tend to its pres-
ervation. The conditions necessary to the perfect ripening of
fruit on the one hand, and its preservation on the other may
be stated as follows :

1st. Unless fruit attains a certain degree of development

&9

updn the tree, the ripening process will not continue after it is
separated from the tree. So true is this that when one side of
a fruit is fully, and the other only partially developed, the
ripening will be confined to the former part, which will be
rich, melting, and juicy, while the latter will remain hard,
green, and tasteless. This is not unfrequently seen in the
Easter Beurre pear.

It is desirable that fruit should remain upon the tree as long
as possible without too great risk of injury from hard frosts or
by blowing off; but nothing is gained by allowing it to hang
after the leaves have fallen, whether from disease or natural
ripening. From the first to the middle of October will be
found the best time for gathering winter apples and pears
here, but on dwarf trees or in sheltered places it may hang
longer than on tall standards or in exposed situations. I have
kept pears on the tree until the middle of November, but
without deriving any advantage from it.

2d. The fruit must be gathered carefully when perfectly
dry, and must not he bruised or chafed. The waxy secretion
found on the skins of fruit, especially grapes and plums and
less abundantly on apples and pears, is a natural provision for
the protection of the skin from the efiect of moisture, and
therefore the skin should not even be wiped lest the bloom be
removed. When the skin is broken by bruising, so that the
oxygen of the air comes in contact with the juices of the fruit,
fermentation commences immediately, and decay soon extends
throughout the fruit.

3d. Fruit must be protected from frost, which is well
known to completely disorganize its texture.

4th. It must be kept from too great a degree of heat, for
this is the most powerful agent in promoting fermentation.

5th. The proper temperature being ascertained it must be
kept uniform. The expansion and condensation of the juices
by variations of temperature, hasten their fermentation in-
stead of permitting it to take place slowly and gradually, as
desired. But though it is well known that apples and pears

100

may be exposed to a temperature a few degrees less than 32*^,
for a short time, without material injury, it is found that when
kept long at a temperature but little above freezing the ripen-
ing process is checked to such a degree that it is never per-
fectly resumed, and experience has shown that a uniform tem-
perature of 40*^ is as low as is advisable. Fruit may safely
be exposed to still air of less than S2° when it would be in-
jured in currents of the same temperature. It seems hardly
necessary to say that a thermometer is indispensable in a fruit
room.

6th. Light is one of the strongest stimulants of vegetable
growth. Its effect on the skin of the fruit continues, though
in a less degree, after it is separated from the tree, and there-
fore the fruit should be kept as far as possible in total dark-
ness. Not only does it keep better but the flavor and color,
both of summer and winter fruit, is better when the light is
excluded.

7th. The atmosphere should be uniformly dry, for mois-
ture is not only necessary to fermentation, but by being con-
densed on the skin tends to decompose it, and thus render its
protection less effectual. This happens to a greater extent in
apples and pears with smooth and glossy skins, than on those
russetted varieties, whose thick, rough skins are less perfect
conductors of heat, which may account for the well-known
long-keeping of the russet apples. The moisture produced
by condensation from the air must not be confounded with
that caused by sweating when the fruit is placed in large
masses soon after being gathered. When the air becomes
colder than the fruit evaporation takes place, and the surface
becomes dry, and these alternations of moisture and dryness,
like those of heat and cold, are injurious.

Having determined the conditions necessary to the ripening
and preservation of fruit, we have now to apply these prin^-
ciples to the construction of a fruit house. Passing by the
costly patented methods which have been tried and con-
demned, or which, though correct in principle, are not yet

101

practically tested here, let ns consider what may be better
adapted to the wants and means of the fruit-growers of Es-
sex county.

Security against frost is the first requisite, for if our fruit
ripens prematurely we have only to eat it sooner, but if frozen
it is utterly worthless. Where, as in this climate, the mer-
cury sometimes falls to 20 degrees below zero, to afford cer-
tain protection against frost the walls should not be less than
three feet in thickness, filled with dry tan, sawdust, or other
non-conducting material ; or they may be made with two
walls, each one foot thick, filled with tan, etc., with an air
space one foot wide between. The top and bottom should be
built in the same way as the sides, and the bottom made im-
pervious to the moisture arising from the earth ; or, better to
secure this end, the room may be in the second story of a
building. The roof may be of the ordinary description.
There should be but one entrance with double doors, six
inches thick, filled with tan. The window should not be
larger than is necessary to admit the light requisite in stowing
and examining the fruit. It should be double and protected
by an out side shutter constructed like the doors, and both
doors and windows should be tightly fitced ; or perhaps it
would be better to omit the window and use only artificial
light, which is less stimulating than sunlight.

Such^a house, when once brought to a proper temperature,
will, when closed, retain it for a long time, and never can
change it suddenly. Moisture arising from the fruit may be
removed by means of chloride of calcium, which possesses the
property of absorbing twice its weight of water. It may be
spread on the floor or in shallow pans, and, when it becomes
liquid, can be dried over the fire so as to be fit to use again.
The entrance should be through an ante-room, in which the
fruit may be sorted and arranged, and if the quantity is large
it would be better to divide the house into two or three apart-
ments for the earlier and later ripening fruits.

It is evident that security from frost might be obtained

102

at much less expense by constructing the fruit room in a cel-
lar. The object of building it above ground is to avoid the
"vvarmth and moisture arising from the earth, but I believe
that Avhen a cool, dry cellar, on the north side of a building,
can be obtained, it will answer every purpose so well that it
would not be worth while to incur the additional expense of
building above ground. It should be provided with ventila-
tors on the north side, but these should be opened only when
the air is cool and dry. The floor should be cemented to
avoid vermin. A cellar under a barn or other outbuilding
would be preferable to one under a dwelling-house ; or if
obliged to use the latter it should be rendered independent of
heat from above by a non-conducting top formed by one or
two thicknesses of lath and plaster, with air spaces between,
or by filling between the timbers with tan. Similar partitions
should separate it from other parts of the cellar. If circum-
stances necessitated a situation less dry than is desirable, this
might be remedied by tight lining of boards on the bottom
and sides, with air spaces of three or four inches between the
I'n^ng and the floor or walls, or the dampness could be re-
moved by the chloride of calcium.

It will be found that some specimens of fruit will keep
much longer than others of the same variety ; those from an
old or unhealthy tree, or from a warm soil, will generally
ripen earlier than those grown on young and vigorous trees,
or on strong and colder soils. Before being finally placed in
the fruit room they should be carefully assorted, and those
likely to ripen first, deposited by themselves. A little experi-
ence will enable the cultivator to do this. There is a kind of
fungus having the appearance of black spots, which should be
especially thrown out, for it is contagious, spreading rapidly
in a warm barrel and communicating a bitter taste to the fruit.
It has been recommended to pick fruit only when cool, avoid-
ing the middle of the day, but this would reduce the working
time so as to cause great inconvenience where there is much
to be gathered, for all agree that it must not be picked with

103

the dew upon it, and it is not easy to see why fruit cooled on
the tree should keep better than that cooled in the house. It
will be found a good plan to gather fruit after the middle of
the forenoon when the heavy autumn dews have dried, and
devote the morning to sorting and arranging what has been
picked the day before.

The most critical time in the management of winter fruits is
during the beautiful, warm, damp, Indian Summer days of
October and November. They will then need special atten
tion to maintain a cool, even temperature and prevent the
deposition of moisture.

The fruit should be placed in tight boxes or casks. It is
best not to put more than two layers of pears in a box, for
the pressure of the superincumbent fruit not only disfigures
that below by flattening its sides, but may even rupture the
vessels and cells and thus cause decay. All boxes, casks, etc.,
must be perfectly sweet, clean and dry. If flour barrels are
used they should be thoroughly washed and dried, for the
flour which remains after the most careful brushing is certain
to mould with the least moisture. When filled the packages
should not be moved more than is necessary, and then gently
and carefully. All decayed specimens must be immediately
removed, and no vegetable or other matter, which would pro-
duce unpleasant odor, should be allowed. A fruit room
should not be otherwise occupied ; frequent opening and
shutting produces injurious changes.

If it is desired ^to use fruit before it would ripen in the
fruit-room, it may be placed in a temperature of from 55 de-
grees to TO degrees, when it will mature in one or two weeks,
but it must not be exposed to the air. The flavor will not be
improved over those ripened in the cooler atmosphere of the
fruit room, except it may be in the case of a few varieties,
such as the Vicar of Winkfield, which is thought better when
ripened in a warm place. The Easter Beurre and Chaumon-
telle have been found] to be improved by a somewhat change-
able and moist atmosphere, but these are exceptions to the

104

general rule. Other kinds, such as the Bergamotte Fortunee,
■which in the more moderate heat, but longer seasons of Eu-
rope, are good dessert pears, under our fierce suns and shorter
seasons fail to acquire such a degree of maturity on the tree
that with the utmost care in the fruit room they can be ren-
dered melting. Others, like the Josephine de Malines, though
difficult to ripen when grown on young trees, mature easily as
the trees attain age.

In considering this subject I have had the pear chiefly in
mind, for the obvious reason that it is the most difficult fruit
to preserve and ripen, and that whatever conditions will effect
this will certainly preserve and ripen apples.

The cultivation of the grape has during the last ten years
increased with a rapidity unparalleled in the case of any other
fruit, and is destined to still further extension. It is extreme-
ly desirable to prolong the season of this fine fruit through
the winter, and this may easily be done by placing them on
shelves in a cold, dry closet, with a thickness of wadding over
them ; or in not more than two layers in shallow boxes in the
fruit room, with a sheet of soft paper between the layers.
They must be sound and well ripened, and all unripe, imper-
fect, bruised, or decayed berries must be carefully removed.
Varieties with a thick skin are preferable for keeping, and
among these none have succeeded better than the Diana.

Although the term " preservation " can hardly be applied
to the ripening of summer fruit, it is so closely connected that
a few remarks on that subject may not be out of place. It is
now well known that almost all summer pears, to be eaten in
perfection, must be ripened in the house ; the exceptions to
this rule are the Roussetet family, of which the Rostiezer is
the only one generally cultivated. The property of ripening
in the house is a most valuable one, for the fruit, gathered
from one to two weeks before it will be in use, can in the
mean time be transported hundreds of miles to distant mark-
ets ; and the waste and trouble are far less when the whole
crop is gathered at once, than when it must hang to be picked

105

as it ripens. The direction commonly given for gathering
summer fruit has been to pick when it could be detached by
merely lifting, but if we follow this rule our fruit will remain
on the tree too long ; it should be gathered as soon as it can
be perceived that its hold on the branch is loosened. The
flavor and color are brought out best when a considerable
quantity is ripened together and in darkness and exclusion
from the air, and the ripening is hastened by warmth and re-
tarded by cold. The difference between pears ripened in the
house and on the tree is so well stated by Mr. Barry that I
quote his words: — "The process of ripening on the tree,
which is the natural one, seems to act upon the fruit for the
benefit of the seed, as it tends to the formation of woody
fibre and farina. When the fruit is removed from the tree
at the very commencement of ripening, and placed in a still
atmosphere, the natural process seems to be counteracted, and
sugar and juice are elaborated instead of fibre and farina.
Thus pears that become mealy and rot at the core when left
on the tree to ripen, and are pronounced worthless, become
juicy, melting, and delicious when ripened in the house."
The jformation of woody fibre is especially noticeable in the
Paradise d'Automne and Onondaga pears when left too long
on the tree.

The majority of apples are better house-ripened, but the
Early Harvest, Red Astrachan, Williams' Favorite, and Grav-
enstein should be allowed to hang on the tree until they drop.
Early peaches, to be in perfection, must be ripened on the
tree ; but the later kinds, ripening after the twenty-fifth of
September, may be picked without injury, but rather benefit,
a week or ten days before ripening ; and some kinds, which
are apt to be dry and pasty, are improved as much as pears.

To sum up as concisely as possible the conditions necessary
for the preservation of fruit, they are — well grown, sound
specimens, uniform exclusion of light, air, and moisture, and
as low a temperature as possible without freezing. The sim-
plest method of fulfilling these conditions is the best.
14

106

Our knowledge of this subject is yet very imperfect, and all
who experiment upon it should accurately record their at-
tempts, whether successful or otherwise, for their own benefit
and that of the public, so that we may ultimately attain to a
fall understanding of its principles and methods. I would
also urge upon cultivators the importance of originating from
seed, either hybridized or carefully selected, new varieties of
winter pears, which can be kept and ripened with less trouble
and care than those we now possess. The successful experi-
menter would be well repaid, both pecuniarily and in the con-
sciousness of having conferred a rich boon upon his fellow-
men.

ANNUAL EXHIBITIONS OF THE SOCIETY.

PLACES WHERE HELD AND DATES.

1820, in Topsfield;

1821, in Danvers ;

1822, in Topsfield ;

1823, no Show held ;

1824, in Topsfield;

1825, in Topsfield ; [vers ;)

1826, in Danvers (now S. Dan-

1827, in Newbury ;

1828, in West Newbury ;

1829, in Haverhill ; dover ;)

1830, in Andover (now N. An-

1831, in Andover do. do.;

1832, in Newbury ;

1833, in Georgetown ;

1834, in Georgetown ; [vers ;)

1 835, in Danvers (now S. Dan-

1836, in Danvers do. do. ;

1837, in Topsfield ;

1838, in Topsfield;

1839, in Georgetown ;

1840, in Georgetown;

1841, in Georgetown;

1842, in Andover ;

1843, in Andover ;

1844,
1845,
1846,
1847,
1848,
1849,
1850,
1851,
1852,
1853,
1854,
1855,
1856,
1857,
1858,
1859,
1860,
1861,
1862,
1863,
1864,
1865,
1866,

in Ipswich ;

in Ipswich ;

in Lynn ;

in Lynn ;

in Lynn ;

in Salem ;

in Salem ;

in Salem ;

in Lawrence ;

in Lawrence ;

in Lawrence ;

in Haverhill ;

in Newburyport ;

in Newburyport ;

in Danvers ;

in Danvers ;

in South Danvers ;

in South Danvers ;

in Georgetown;

in Andover ;

in Lawrence ;

in Lawrence ;

in Haverhill.

108

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109

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

FOR 1866-67.

PRESIDENT.

WILLIAM SUTTON, of South Danvers.

VICE PRESIDENTS.

LEWIS ALLEN, of South Danvers.
DAVID CHOATE, of Essex.
JOSIAH NEWHALL, of Lynnfield.
E. G. KELLEY, of Newburypdrt.

TREASURER.

EDWARD H. PAYSON, of Salem.

SECRETARY.

CHARLES p. PRESTON, of Danvers.

ONORARY TRUSTEES.

JAMES H. DUNCAN, of Haverhill.
JOHN W. PROCTOR, of South Danvers.
ALLEN W. DODGE, of Hamilton.
JOSEPH now, of Methuen.

no

TRUSTEES.

Randol Andrews, Ipswich ;
Thomas J. Clark, Salisbury ;
Elijah Clark, Groveland ;
J. M. Cushing, Newbury port ;
Wm. Foster, North Andover ;
James Flint, Middleton ;
Thos. P. Gentlee, Manchester ;
Jonas Holt, Andover ;
Joseph S. Howe, Methuen ;
Henry Plobbs, Wenham ;
Eichard T. Jaques, Newbury ;
John Keeley, Haverhill ;
Jos. Kittredge, No. Andover ;
Albert Kimball, Bradford ;
James P. King, So. Danvers ;

George B. Loring, Salem ;
Samuel A. Merrill, Danvers ;
Joseph Newell, W. Newbury;
James R. Nichols, Haverhill ;
Hiram L. Newhall, Lynn ;
Sherman Nelson, Georgetown;
Warren Ordway, Bradford ;
Wm. R. Putnam, Danvers ;
Isaac Patch, Gloucester ;
John Perkins, Lynnfield ;
Calvin Rogers, W. Newbury ;
Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence ;
David Smith, Newburyport ;
Benj. P. Ware, Marblehead ;
John T. Wood, Boxford.

Ill

NEW MEMBERS — 1866.

Daniel Atwood, Groveland ;
Randol Andrews, Ipswich ;
Horatio Bodge, So. Danvers ;
Barnard Brickett, Haverhill ;
John Burbank, Groveland ;
Ezra Batchelder, Topsfield ;
C. 0. Cummings, Andover ;
Nehe'h Cleaveland, Topsfield ;
Abel W. Chase, Haverhill ;
W. T. Colman, Newburyport ;
Eben P. Cutler, Newburyport ;
H. M. Chadwick, Bradford ;
Nath'l Carlton, Bradford;
Phineas E. Davis, Haverhill ;
W. J. Dale, Jr., N. Andover j
Chas B. Emerson, Bradford;
Joseph E. Farrar, Haverhill ;
E. G. Frothinghara, Haverhill;
Dan'l D. Flanders, Haverhill ;
J. L. Farnham, No. Andover ;
T. C. Goodwin, Newburyport;
John Gardner, Haverhill ;
J. Grieves, Haverhill ;
Edw. Harrington, Groveland ;
Dan'l Harablet, Newburyport;
Isaac Hale, Jr., Newburyport;
Daniel Hooke, Haverhill;
S. S. Hicok, Methuen ;

L Thos. Johnson, Haverhill^
A. P. Johnson, Bradford ;
Chas. G. Johnson, Bradford;
J. F. Jewett, Georgetown;
A. L. Kimball, Bradford ;
H. G. Kimball, Bradford ;
T. K. Leach, Topsfield ;
Charles Lunt, Newburyport;
J. Austin Lunt, Newbury;
Alphonzo Mason, Beverly ;
Seth K. Mitchell, Haverhill ;
John F. Merrill, Bradford ;
H. A. Moulton, Newburyp't;
E. Mitchell, Haverhill ;
E. T. Northend, Bradford ;
Dudley Porter, Haverhill ;
R. M. Perley, Newburyport;
John H. Perkins, Lyunfield;
Mrs. B. B. Pool, Byfield ;
Geo. F. Reed, Salem ;
Amos C. Rollins, Methuen ;
J. B. Richardson, Haverhill ; j
J. E. Remick, Newburyport;
Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence ;
D. Silloway, W. Newbury ;
J. B. Spiller, Haverhill;
S. P. SpoSbrd, Georgetown ;
Jesse W. Snow, Danvers ;

112

Samuel Swett, So. Danvers ;
L. P. Shattuck, Jr., Haverhill;
Farnham Stiles, Middleton ;
Hiram A. Stiles, Middleton ,•
George G. Smith, Marblehead ;
Andrew Smith, Marblehead ;
J. B. Swett, Haverhill ;
G. W. Sanborn, Georgetown ;
Henry E. Smith, Lynnfield ;
S. G. Sargent, Methuen ;
Benaniah Titcomb, Haverhill ;
Chas. W. Titcomb, Bradford ;

E. S. Toppan, Newburyport;
J. B. Tewksbury, Bradford ;
Martin Taylor, Haverhill ;
Oliver Taylor, Haverhill ;
Levi Taylor, Haverhill ;
James F. West, Haverhill ;
H. T. Wheeler, Lawrence ;
Richard Webster, Haverhill;
E. F. Webster, Haverhill;
Jas. H. Winchell, Haverhill;
H. K. West, Haverhill;
David Wenzell, Salem.

^^ Any citizen in the County may become a member ^by
paying the sum of three dollars to increase the permanent
funds of the Society, and he will receive a certificate of his
membership from the Secretary. No fines or assessments are
ever imposed. Members are entitled to the free use of the
Library and a copy of the Transactions each year. All or-
dained Ministers of the Gospel residing in the County, and
editors of newspapers, published therein, are entitled to the
privileges of the Library.

113

LIST OF PREMIUMS, &C.

FAT CATTLE.

Daniel G. Todd, Rowley, 1st premium, $10.00

Frank Brickett, Haverhill, 2d premium, 8.00

Stephen Little, Bradford, 3d premium, 5.00

BULLS.

Charles P. Mighill, Rowley, Jersey Bull, 1st premium, 8.00

Wm. A. Russell, North Andover, Dutch, '* 8.00

John Day, Jr., Boxford, Short Horn, 2d « 5.00

C. O. Cummings, Andover, Grade Bull, 1st " 8.00

Joseph Newell, West Newbury, 2d " 5.00

MILCH cows.

H. G. Kimball, Bradford, Grade Ayrshire, 1st prem., 25.00

S. G. Sargent, Methuen, Native, 2d " 10.00

HEIFERS.

Jacob F. Jewett, Georgetown, 3 year old, 1st prera., 10.00

W. A. Russell, N. Andover, 2 yr. old, Dutch, 1st " 5.00
H. K. West, Haverhill, 2 year old. Grade Jersey, 2d

premium, Harris' Insects
E. C. Mitchell, Haverhill, yearlings. Grade Short

Horn, 1st premium, 5.00
H. K. West, Haverhill, yearling. Grade Jersey, 2d

prem., 3.00

E. T. Northend, Bradford, Calves, 1st premium, 6.00

15

114

WORKING OXEN AND STKERS.

James R. Nichols, Haverhill, Oxen, 1st premium, $12.00

Chas. O. Cumminj^s, Andover, " 2d " 10.00

Joseph S. Howe, Methuen, Steers, 1st " 8.00

Wm. Foster, No. Andover, «* 2d " 5.00

Town Team, Bi-adford, 17 pairs Oxen, gratuity, 30.00

STEEKS.

J. C. Tarlton, West Newbury, yearling, 1st premium, 4.00

STALLIONS.

E. T. Northend, Bradford, Stallion over 4 years old,

1st premium, 15.00

George B, Martin, Danvers, Stallion over 4 years old,

2d premium, 10.00

Elbridge Battelle, Newburyport, Stallion under 4 years

old, 1st premium, 8.00

George Coffin, Haverhill, Stallion under 4 years old,

2d premium, 5.00

BREEDING MARES.

Enoch T, Noithend, Bradford, 1st premium, 15 00

John Gardner, Haverhill, 2d " 10.00

Thineas E. Davis, " Sd " 8.00

FAMILY HORSES.

Mrs. B. B. Bool, Byfiehl, 1st premium, 10.00

John Gardner, Haverhill, 2d '' 8.00

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

M. H. ' OM-, West Newhury, Ist premium, 10.00

J. L. Furnhani, No. Andover, 2d " 8.00

115

4 year olds, 1st premium,
" 2d

Jamee H. Duncan, Haverhill,

Nath'l Gage, No. Andover, " "

H. M. Chadwick, Bradford, 3 " " 1st

D. L. Goodridge, W. Newbury, " " ♦' 2d
W M. Chase, Haverhill, 2 " " 1st

E. R. Todd, Rowley, " " " 2d
T. Weed, Quimb}-, Amesbury, yearling, 1st
Faruham SpofFord, No. Andover, " 2d

SWINE.

Daniel Carlton, No. Andover, breeding sow, 1st premium,

William Foster, " " boar, 1st *'

Robert Buxton, So. Danvers, " 2d "

Joseph Longfellow, Byfield, weaned pigs, 1st "

John P. Foster, No. Andover, " " 2d "

lO.OO
5.00
6.00
4.00
5.00
3.00
4.00
3.00

8.00
8.00
5.00
5.00
3.00

SHEEP COARSE WOOLED.

Charles Corliss, Haverhill, flock, 1st premium,
Jos. Newell, W. Newbury, " 2d
Charles Corliss, Haverhill, buck, 1st "

8.00
5.00
6.00

PLOUGHING — DOUBLE TEAMS.

J. L. Farnham & Daniel Carlton, North Andover. Plough,

Hussey No. 16, 1st premium, 10.00

J. & D. L. Goodrich, West Newbury. Plough, Hussey

No. 16, 2d premium, 9.00

R. T. Jaques, Newbury. Plough, Hussey No. 20, 3d prera , 8.00

C O. Cummings, Andover. Plough, Whittemore, Belcher

& Co., 4th premium, 7.00

PLOUGHING — SINGLE TEAMS.

John p. Foster, North Andover, 2d premium, 6.00

PLOUGHING^WITH HORSES.

Otis F. Putnam, Danvers. Plough, Nourse Universal, 1st

premium, 8.00

Jacob & J. L. Farnham, North Andover, 2d premium, \ 6. 00

Wm. P. Buttrick, Haverhill, 3d " 3.00

116

PLOUGHING — SIDE HILL PLOUGHS.

William Foster, North Andover, 1st premium, $10.00

Cyrus K. Ordway, W. Newbury, 2d " 8.00

FARM IMPLEMENTS.

S. S. Hicok, Methuen, potato digger, operated by two hors-
es, gratuity, 8.00

Joel Nourse, Boston, collection of ploughs and other farm

implements, gratuity, 5.00

Joseph Kittredge, North Andover, Raymond's horse pitch-
fork in operation, gratuity, 3.00

Buck Eye Manufacturing Co., Fitchburgh, a two horse

mower, gratuity, 3.00

John M. Wean, Seabrook, N. H., a one horse clipper mow-
er, gratuity, 2.00

Alfred Titcomb, Amesbury, Mclntire's Excelsior churn, gra-
tuity, 2.00

H. D. Hoyt, axe handle wedge, gratuity, 2.00

B. T. Watson, Salem, Kelley's force pump, gratuity, 1.00

Whittemore, Belcher & Co., Boston, Joyce's double acting

force pump, gratuity, 1.00

CARKIAGES.

T. Grieves & Co., Haverhill, best display, premium^ 10.00

BUTTER AND CHEESE.

Nathaniel Carlton, Bradford, butter, 1st premium, 12.00

Ezra Batchelder, Topsfield, " 2d " 10.00

Sarah L. Ridgway, West Newbury, " 3d " 8.00
Mrs. Geo. SpofFord, Georgetown, •' 4th "

Harris' Insects

D. L. Goodridge, West Newbury, Cheese, 1st premium, 12.00

N. W. Moody, " " •* 2d " 10.00

Daniel P. Nelson, " " " 3d " 8.00

ROOT CROPS.

David Wenzell, Salem, onions, premium, 8.00

Hiram A. Stiles, Middieton, turnips, premium, 8.00

117

EXPERIMENT WITH MANURES.

William R. Putnam, Danvers, 1st premium, $15.00

CRANBERRIES.

Gilbert Conant, Ipswich, experiment with cranberries, prem., 10.00

EARM BUILDINGS.

John Day, Jr , Boxford, 1st premium,
Horace C. Ware, Salem, 2d " .

ESSAY.

Robert Manning, Salem,

15 00
10.00

25.00

Awarded by Committee on Poultry, " Harris' Insects" and $15.00

«• «' ♦♦ Vegetables and Seeds, H. I. and 68.50

" '• " Fruits, 2 copies H.'s Insects and 105.50

« " « Flowers, 27.50

" »' " Articles from Leather, 29.00

»» " •• Counterpanes, Rugs, &c.| 31.00

«* " " Fancy Articles, &c., 65.25

«« ♦• " Bread, &c., 10.50

Total,

$1,000.25

118

RECAPITULATION.

FARMS, &C.

Amount

awarded to Experiment with Manures,

$15.00

(«

((

Farm Buildings,

25 00

((

((

Ploughing,

75.00

(i

((

Farm Implements, &c.,

FARM STOCK.

37.00

8152.00

Amount awarded to Fat Cattle,

$23.00

(<

(1

Bulls,

34.00

<«

((

Milch Cows,

35.00

((

<(

Heifers,

23.00

it

((

Calves,

6.00

<(

((

Working Oxen and Steers,

65.00

((

((

Steers,

4.00

(<

((

Stallions,

38.00

<(

«<

Brood Mares,

33.00

((

((

Family Horses,

18.00

((

<(

Farm and Draft Horses,

18.00

(<

ti

Colts,

40.00

((

((

Swine,

29.00

t(

c«

Sheep,

19 00

({

((

Poultry,

15.00

«/100 00

FARM PROnUCTS.

Amount

awarded to Onions,

$8.00

(<

((

Turnips,

8.00

«<

((

Cranberries,

10.00

(<

C(

Vegetables,

68.50

((

({

Fruits,

105.50

<«

t<

Flowers,

27.50

<«

(i

Butter and Cheese,

60.00

«<

«(

Bread, &c..

10.50

«t

«(

All other objects.

150.50

Total, $1,000.25

CONTENTS

Address of Hon. Otis P. Lord, 3

Hymn, by Dr. James R. Nichols, 23

Keport on Fat Cattle, with statement of Daniel G. Todd, 25

Bulls, 26

" Heifers, Steers and Working Oxen, 27

'* Farm and Draft Horses, 28

**■ Family Horses, and Brood Mares, 29

Colts, 30

*' Stallions, 33

" Coarse Wooled Sheep, and Swine, 34

**■ Poultry, and Ploughing with Double Teams, 35

** Ploughing with Single Teams and Side Hill Plough, 36

** Ploughing with Horses, and Dairy, 37

Statement of Mrs. Carleton, 39

Statements ot Mrs. Geo. Spotford, Ezra Batchelder

and Mrs. Ridge w ay, _ J 40

Statements of D. L. Goqdridge, Daniel P. Nelson

and N. W. Moody 41

** Articles Manufactured from Leather, 42

" Mikh Cows 43

Statement of Henry G. Kimball, 44

♦' Bread and Honey, 44

" Pears, 45

" Apples, , 46

120

PAGE.

Report on Grapes, Peaches and Assorted Fruit, 49

" Vegetables, 51

" Flowers, 53

" Carriages, and Farm Implements, 55

" Counterpanes, Carpetings and Rugs, 58

" Fancy Work, &c., 59

" Root Crops, 61

Statement of H. A. Stiles, 62

Statement of David Wentzell, 63

** Destruction of the Canker Worm, 63

'* Farm Buildings, 66

Statement of John Day, Jr., 69

Statement of Horace C. Ware, 72

" Manures, 73

Statement of William R. Putnam, 75

Statement of David Choate, 77

Statement of Charles P. Preston, 80

Statement of Francis P. Putnam, 82

" Treadwell Farm, 83

" The Library, 84

" Cranberries, with statement of Gilbert Conant, 85

Tribute to Col. Daniel Adams, 87

Bread, and Bread Making, 91

Preservation of Fruit and Construction of Fruit Houses, 98

Annual Exhibitions, 107

Treasurer's Report, 108

Officers of the Society, 109

New Members, 111

List of Premiums. 113

Recapitulation, ^ 118

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

Essex AgTiciiltural Society

In MASSACHUSETTS,

FOR THE YEAR

1867,

WITH THE

ANNUAL ADDRESS

BY

Rev. R. H. SEELEY, D. D,

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.

SOUTH DANVERS:
PRINTED BY CHARLES D. HOWARD, SUTTON BUILDING.

1867.

ADDRESS.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Essex Agricul-
tural Society :

When the invitation to deliver the address on the
present occasion was sent me by your honored secretary,
I hesitated, because my pursuits do not bring me into
the practical operations of farming, and I could not re-
gard the interest I had always taken in this particular
branch of those great forms of industry on w^hich the pros-
perity of the country depends, as fitting me to instruct,
or even to entertain an association like this, composed of
gentlemen who are skilled in the practice and learned in
the science of Agriculture.

But sometimes the inexpert may be of use to the
proficient, and the looker-on may be able to turn the at-
tention of one who is closely engaged in a piece of work
to matters connected with it which otherwise he might
have overlooked. So, not without misgivings, I consent-
ed to perform the service, in which, I doubt not, I shall
both need and receive your kind forbearance.

I suppose the question, What shall I do with my
Fakm ? may have awakened anxious interest in the mind
of many a one amongst you ; and this question I pro-
pose as a gateway to the field we are now to explore.

The first thought which suggests itself in reply to
such an inquiry is this, viz : ilud it is not advisabte to sell
or leave the farm for the 2ii^ii"P<^se of remo^'ing into the
neighboring village or city, nor for the pur2)ose of emi-
grating to some newly opened field, whether in the West
or South.

That the tendency, at the present time, in New Eng-
land, is to the concentration of population in cities and
villages, is quite evident, and that this tendency por-
tends evil, nay, has already injured the rural districts,
we may ascertain without any extraordinary keenness
of perception.

Farms that have yielded fair retmns in days gone l)y,
for the thought and toil expended upon them, are no
longer managed by the sturdy race Avhich has given to
New England the pre-eminence she occupies among na-
tions. The fathers are dead, and the sons are in work-
shops, manufactories, mercantile establishments, engaged
on railroads, enduring the hardships of frontier life on
western prairies, pushing their fortunes in far-ofi" Cali-
fornia, or entering what openings they can find in the
partially reconstructed South. Meanwhile the home-
stead and firm which form the center of their most
cherished memories, and the surrounding neighborhood,
are returning to a wilderness state — except where the
shrewd immigrant, from beyond the Atlantic, erects his
cabin, plants his patch of cabbages, and rears his nu-
merous brood of boj^s and girls, the first steps toward a
permanent and sole possession of the district. It needs

no prophet's ken to perceive that, if this process con-
tinueSj there will be, in time, a complete exchange of
races and religions, Avith as complete a change in the in-
fluence which New England exerts upon our country
and the world.

But why should this process continue to the extent
which we are witnessing at this day ? There may be
families for which the old farm and the old neighbor-
hood are too narrow ; and some of the boys — some of
the girls also — must go forth into the newer and wider,
or the busier and narrower places of the land. But, if
you are not thus crowded from the dear old hive, why
should you leave it ? Are you impelled by patriotism ?
And would you emigrate for the purpose of extending
or maintaining the political principles you cherish, with
those of an enlightened Christianity, over the fields in
the West or South where you purpose to spend your
life ? If, on careful inquiry and reflection, you come to
the conclusion that by removing you can live to more
purpose than b}^ remaining under the old roof-tree, then
go forth. Go as a missionary — whether your garb be
that of a flierchant or mechanic, manager of public
•works, or tiller of the soil. Go and sacrifice on your
chosen altar ; but go counting the cost, and remember
that amid the boundless plains of the West, or the
scorching and debilitating heats of the South, you must
often sigh for the hills and vales, the perennial springs
and crystal streams and bracing airs of the home you
are leaving ; and that you mau find the wish taking pos-
session of your heart that you had decided to serve your
country and your God, in a less ambitious way, near the
natal spot.

It may bo, however, that you are moved by other con-

6

siderations. Possibly you feel constrained to leave a cli-
mate which, while it gives health and strength to others,
is depriving you of yours. In this case, also, we bid
you God-speed. Go to some one of those broad fields
in the interior of our wide land, which the fog and mist
of ocean never reach, where a virgin soil awaits your
coming, and will repay your toil ; or plant yourself in
the sunny South — in a tropical climate, if you please —
where, under the spreading shades of your your figs and
olives, oranges and bananas, you can recline and fan
yourself, and think how pleasant it would be to breathe
once more the cool crisp air of the mountains, or to slide
over the smooth paths of the shining snow, with the
merry jingle of the bells and the music of laughter-lov-
ing maidens, or with the still sw^eeter music of cheerful
wife and rosy-cheeked children.

But, perhaps, you feel that your sphere of action is
here too limited ; and you would cover with your title
deeds, and vex with your plough and harrow, some of
those wider and more fertile fields which stretch away
toward the sunset.

I do not deny the attractions there 'presented to
brawny muscles, and active brains, and ambitious hearts.
It must be a pleasant thing to behold a field of a thou-
sand acres, which one can call his oirn, covered with
countless cattle and swine, or with wheat fields waving
their welcome to the summer's sun, and giving golden
promise of bountiful harvests. Other things heing equals
this is decidedly preferable to a few acres of thin hard
soil, with a scanty patch-work of the various crops,
which the. climate permits, while there is nothing in suf-
ficient quantitf/ to afford either a desirable profit, or rea-
son for an honorable pride.

But while the latter is too frequently the character of
the home-view, we must remember that not every one
who enters into western prairie life can make sure of his
thousand acres ; and many of the broad fields of grain,
and large flocks and herds which thrive in the imagina-
tions of ambitious emigrants, never come into the region
of the actual for them. 'Tis true, they are beheld here
and there. Certain prairie farmers become possessors of
immense estates, which they manage with great success ;
but, like the overgrown fortunes sometimes accumu-
lated in mercantile communities, they are exceptional
cases ; they are the achievements of those who have
special qualifications for the pursuits in which they are
engaged; and it is barely possible, to say the least,
that ?/ou may not have the " special qualifications" which
are necessary for the acquisition of such an estate.

But suppose you should emigrate and succeed in get-
ting your thousand acres, well-stocked, well-cultivated,
and generously productive. What then ? Is it certain
that your enjoyment of life would be greater than in
your present surroundings with a smaller domain ? It
may be that you will need educational advantages for
your children; but such advantages cannot be very
great on the broad prairies where farms are large and
neighbors are " few and far between." It may be that
you love the house of God, and "the sound of the
church-going bell ;" but worshipping assemblies are ne-
cessarily far apart on those wide plains ; and the Sab-
bath bell never sent its sweet echoes over the threshold
of many a domicile where, amid boundless fields of corn
and wheat, there are hearts that long for its solemn mu-
sic, and sadly acknowledge the truthfulness of those
words, " man shall not live by bread alone."

8

One should weigh well this matter, and consider
whether, for the sake of covering a larger surface Avith
his title deeds, he is willing to lose the associations of
his childhood, the fellowship of brothers and sisters, and
the loving presence of father and mother, with all the
privileges and enjoyments of a New England home. —
These are things for which breadth of acres and depth
of soil are not to be reckoned as equivalents.

When the paternal estate is small, and the family is
large, so that the farm Avhen divided would not afford to
each a fair opportunity for success, then it may be ne-
cessary for some of them to exile themselves ; and, if
their tastes are for agriculture, the West affords an am-
ple and inviting field. It needs those who, imbued with
New England principles, will use their influence in be-
half of a high social and moral culture, and it presents,
to the enterprising and industrious, abundant opportuni-
ties for the acquisition of Avealth. We should be willing
to admit that the chances of ])econiing rich — especially
in farming — are greater for that portion of the family
which emigrates than for those who remain at home.

But the actual value of wealth is in its power to pro-
cure that which, in some way, will promote the comfort,
enjoyment, or improvement of its possessor. Judged by
this criterion, the lesser amount secured by him who
remains at home, may be, to the larger share gained
by the other, as gold to silver — less bulk}^, but more
valuable ; for, while the fields are not so broad, nor the
soil so deep, while the enclosures are more contracted
and the crops are less luxuriant, while occasional steeps
and knolls and boulders, and ledges of rock, present
more difficulties to the cultivator, and the same number
of acres do not yield such full and generous returns, it

9

must be remembered, on tlie other hand, that there is
not so great an exposure to the sweep of wintry winds,
the population is not so sparse, nor are the privileges of
social life, the means and appliances, the influences and
results of civilization so limited.

The one, therefore, who plants himself on the prairie
— a monotonous wilderness — where his possessions have
so little to distinguish them from those of others, must
often turn with a sigh to the spot so dear to memory,
where the companions of his boyhood continue to weave
the chain of their early friendships. There is the old
homestead surrounded by the everlasting hills, their bold
outlines giving grace and grandeur to the scene, their
forests waving like Lebanon, their crystal streams dash-
ing down to the valley and sparkling through the sweet
green pastures, bearing refreshment and health to man
and beast. Each hill-side and interval are covered with
crops, which exhibit the results and fair rewards of care-
ful tillage ; while frequent, neat and convenient dwell-
ings, embowered mid fruit trees and gardens, like rubies
set round with emeralds, betoken a numerous and thrifty
population, whose characteristics are testified no less by
the general appearances of industry and comfort, than
by the district schools and village spires.

Recalling such scenes, our exile must be made of
sterner stuti' than most of us if he does not have some
slight symptoms of homesickness ; and musing upon
his own estrangement from the old familiar faces and
places, from the cottage of his childhood and the graves
of his sires, repeat, with emphasis, the well-known lines :

'* Happy the man whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound ;
Content to breathe his native air

On hk ovt-n ground.

10

But I may be addressing some young man who is dis-
posed to leave the farm with a view of entering into
trade — manufacturing or merchandizing — in the hope of
living more easily, and acquiring large, perhaps sud-
den, wealth.

As to acquiring large and sudden w^ealth by merchan-
dizing, we might as well face the facts at the outset. It
is true that the merchant handles more cash than the
farmer. It is also true that here and there a merchant
prospers. A few among the multitude amass large for-
tunes, and on these the gaze is fixed of every farmer's
son who is tempted to desert the plantation for the
counting-room.

But we have already remarked that the men who ac-
quire these large estates have special gifts for this venj
thing — as truly so as Raphael for painting, as Praxiteles
for sculpture, as Bezaleel and Aholiab for producing the
artistry which adorned the Tabernacle of the Wilder-
ness; and there ^iq fanners who have the same gift for
accumulating j)roperty, who rise from poverty to opu-
lence, no matter where they dwell, on the wide wes-
tern prairie, or in the narrowest, roughest, most unprom-
ising district of New England. But these prosperous
farmers are overlooked by those who rush from the
plough and flail to the yard-stick and ledger.

It cannot l)e disputed the mercantile profession has
a, fair field in this country. Almost every one who
wishes can enter it and find something to do, while
many attain a good degree of success. But this is only
one side of the picture. The other side discloses the
fact that the career of multitudes of those engaged in
commercial pursuits is one constant struggle with anxi-
ties and difficulties, perhaps temptations to knavishness,

11

until, in some financial crisis, credit and commercial
standing are swept away, and the latter portion of life,
over which had floated so many golded visions of wealth
and luxury, and honor and ease, is spent in shinnings
and make-shifts, in disappointment and poverty — per-
haps in disgrace and actual want. It is not a strange
thing for the merchant who has handled millions, whose
check has been an " open sesame " before which bank
safes swung wide their iron doors and delivered untold
amounts of gold, to reach a point in his career, wdiere he
would be glad to call his own the humblest cottage and
the smallest form, and wishes he had never been tempt-
ed from a farmer's peaceful and happy life by the glit-
tering promises of commerce.

We are presenting no imaginary cases. The state-
ment was made, some years since, that not more than
one New York merchant in ninety, managed to escape
failure at some time in the course of his life ; and obser-
vation favors the conclusion, that the examples of final
and complete success are comparatively few, — that the
great body of merchants are forced to battle hard to
make the ends of each year meet, even down to the
close of their business career -, while many of them end
it as clerks, employees and dependents of others. I
have seen the man who, at one time, was most widely
known among the merchant princes of New York, whose
name stood at the head of all subscriptions for charitable
objects, and wa» a talisman in the cause of reform, — I
have seen him acting as an employee of his former
clerks in the very establishment which his own enter-
prize and genius had founded and upreared. This is,
by no means, a solitary case.

Mercantile pursuits, however, are not the only ones

n

that open their portals to tempt our youth from the
farm. There are those of the Mechanic and the Manu-
facturer, which are supposed to be less hazardous than
that of the Merchant, but more remunerative and less
toilsome than that of the Agriculturist.

But let us consider this matter. It is not always ad-
visable to take a bare supposition on trust. Behold the
lot of the Mechanic. From the time he puts on his har-
ness as an apprentice, till he lays it aside in later life,
he must work as unremittingly as the sun shines. He
must have customers, and they must be served with
promptness and regularity. The constancy of labor
must precede those rewards of labor on which his living
depends ; Avhile, in most mechanical pursuits, the con-
stant repetition of the same things — the sameness of the
w^ork — must render it tiresome. It is with each of them
as with Longfellow's Biacksmifk :

" Week in, ■week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow ;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
AVith measured beat and slow."

Finally, after years of hammering, he reaches the
close of his working days, and then what ? Why, he
seeks rest for his body and refreshment for his mind, in
the pursuits of a farm ! and feels himself happy if he
has been sufficiently successful to be able to purchase a
few acres, in connection with a modest dwelling, and
barn room enough to accommodate a horse and cow.

The Manufacturer may not be forced, it is true, to
this ceaseless exertion of the muscles ; but he may have
to endure that severer toil of the brain which wears di-
rectly on the sources of health and strength and life,
and he has not even that brief exemption which the

13

meal time, the nighty raid the Lord's day, each brings to
the mechanic ; for carking care sits by his side in the
home circle, flaps its dark wing o'er his nightl}^ slum-
ber, and too often follows him to the house of God.

Moreover, if either he or the mechanic, lays aside his
toil ; if he remits his exertions, whether voluntarily,
from sickness, or from want of customers, the sources
of his income are checked ; and, as his expenses con-
tinue, he must break in upon the stores he has laid
by in his busy and prosperous seasons ; consequently,
like a bird in the air, he must keep his pinions out-
spread and in motion, or he begins to descend and is
threatened with a fall.

Now is it unreasonable to affirm that, in these re-
spects, the farmer's lot is preferable to that of either of
these men ? We all know that he has to do some very
hard w^ork — that there are seasons when he must be
astir, both early and late, and bend to the task before
him with a right good will. We know that there are
disappointments, from drought and mildew, from cold
and wet, from blighted crops and sickly cattle, enough
to try his spirit and test his character severely. More-
over— as we may have occasion to note somewhat at
length — his calling demands thought as truly as that of
the manufacturer or the merchant. But Avhen all these
things are taken into consideration, it still remains true,
that, having breathed the pure air of heaven through the
day, he lies down at night to the sweet sleep which God
gives to his beloved. Then, again, he has his seasons of
relaxation, when plough and hoe, scythe and flail, bush-
hook and axe, may all be quietly housed together, while
he enjoys, with physical rest, the pleasures of the intel-
lect and of social life to the full extent, without one

14

qualm of conscience over any neglect of duty, or the
thought that his temporary cessation fv6ni work will
lead to pecuniary loss.

We admit that in New England farming does not or-
dinarily afford the prospect of sudden wealth. But
what lawful pursuit does give such a promise ? or, giv-
ing the promise, makes the promise good ? There is
no safe and honorable pursuit which holds out any such
prospect ; and, surely, the sudden acquirement of wealth
is not such a necessity/ that one should leave the farm
with its honest labors and honest independence too, for
a calling which has in it any characteristics of the gam-
bler's trade.

The sum of the matter is this, viz : f/te farmer is noto
in the very pursuit for which the mechanic, the manufac-
turer and the merchant longs ; to which each of them
looks, as the crowning happiness of his life's labors ; and
for which he only waits till he can secure a '"'' compe-
tence" and '-retire from business." B}' a "compe-
tence," he means the wherewithal to purchase a country
home and a well-stocked farm ! As to " retiring from
business " — if he has the necessary knowledge and shall
conduct his farm in such a manner as to do himself hon-
or, and his pocket no harm, he will find himself still in
business, though of a description more pleasing, perhaps,
than that he has laid aside ; and, we may add, if he has
not the requisite knowledge, he may possibly find that
his retirement has brought him into business a little too
large for his comfort and his cash.

When a man has gained a competence in one of the
callings to which we have referred, and proposes to '' re-
tire," he thinks himself to be entering a golden period
of ease and dignitv, over which no clouds will gather,

15

in wliicli no dangers will lurk. But observation shows
that he is mistaken. Out of ten men who can make
money in the pursuits with which they are acquainted,
not more than five of them can keep that which they
have made, when they leave those pursuits. For, in
withdrawing from the track with which he is familiar,
and entering the new path, our gentleman with the com-
petenence runs many risks, and frequently makes most
ruinous mistid-ces. If he goes into the stock market he
finds sharpers, bigger than the dividends their schemes
promise, and more abundant than the nuggets of gold
and silver in the mines of which they would have him
])urcliase shares.

If, turning from such snares, he invests one portion of
liis property in safe concerns, and another portion in the
much desired farm, he lacks the practical skill in the
management of the latter, which one possesses who has
spent his daj^s in agricultural pursuits ; and it will not
be strange, if it takes all the income of his vested funds
to enable him to carry on the farm with as fair a show
as his practical neighbor, who manages without the in-
come of investments.

Let him, therefore, who has a farm in any district of
New England, which equals the average for fertility and
advantages of position, hold it, as the safest form in
which his property can be invested, and work it with
that thought and skill which are the guaranty of fair
returns, remembering, meanwhile, that not the ruler of
the State, nor the proudest merchant upon 'change, is so
independent as himself, of the crises and changes, which^
whether by violence, or the operation of steady laws,
occur so frequently in the social and political affiairs of
the country.

16

The ownership of land in itself is honorable, and, as
was well shown in the address to which we listened one
year ago, is of great importance to the State. The re-
tention of a homestead and farm in the possession of a
family is one of the most desirable things, whether we
consider it as a matter of investment, or of a just and
honest pride, as tlie foundation of a sentiment of fam-
ily respectability and honor, which successive genera-
tions feel themselves bound to maintain, thus proving a
safeguard to the children, restraining them from conduct
which might disgrace the family name, or sacrifice the
cherished inheritance.

Plaving decided to retain the farm, the question ivhat
to do tvith it, returns ; a.nd the solution of this rjuestion
can be reached only by taking into consideration the
adaptedness of the farm to this or that purpose, its
extent, aspect, soil, and relation to the market.

As it should be worked with a view to profit, the first
thing to ascertain is, what it may he made to jrroducc that
is worth raising — that will pay.

We may safely assume, at the outset, that no man in
our good County of Essex can make his farm ver}^ prof-
itable who w^orks it on the plan, too frequently pursued,
of raising scattering patches of corn, potatoes, yjq, oats,
beans and grass, on a small scale, and half starved soil;
Avith a large extent of cider orchard, left uiunanured and
uncultivated, a perfect hotel for caterpillars, borers,
canker-worms, and apple-moths ; this lean plantation
stocked with a few indifferent cows, a pair or two of or-
dinary oxen, two or three pigs, and a horse of all work
the whole establishment barely supplying the annual
consumption by the family through hard work and much
economy on the part of all its members.

17

This style of farming will not prosper in these days,
when steam and the iron horse have brought the prair-
ies, with their limitless extent of surface, and unequal-
ed soil (and all for a dollar and a quarter an acre) with-
in such easy reach of the seaboard.

We must adapt ourselves to the change of circum-
stances thus introduced, and raise something that will pay,
on a scale large enough to pay, or New England farming
will come out " at the little end of the horn."

A farm in our county may be well adapted for dairy
purposes, or for sheep raising ; it may present facilities
for growing root crops, or for market gardening. It
may include favorable situations and soils for apples, and
pears, or for the cultivation of hops, or grapes, and the
other small fruits. Any of these products, if the soil
and aspect be suitable, and the access to a market easy,
can be made profitable with the right management. Graz-
ing and dairy farms do pay nobly in New England.
There are towns which (without facilities for the sale of
milk) have prospered and become rich by the manufac-
ture of butter and cheese. In certain districts, and
under certain conditions, sheep raising is profitable ; as
the example of Mr. Edwin Hammond, and other Ver-
mont farmers, fairly demonstrates. Market gardening,
on the right kind of land, and in the vicinity of a mar-
ket, pays w^ell. There are instances enough to show
that root-crops may be remunerative in New England ;
and, it is worthy of remark, that the cost of transport-
ing such bulky products as these, saves us from the ne-
cessity of competing with the West. It has been
abundantly proved, also, by experiments in France, that
the cultivation of beets for the purpose of making su-
gar, is not only feasible, but is also profitable to such an
3

18

extent, tliat the manufacturers of beet-root sugar ask no
protective duties to enable them to compete with the
imported sugar which is made from the cane. The time
is coming when this matter will be taken up in our
Northern States ; and when that time arrives, the culti-
vation of the sugar beet will form an extensive and lu-
crative department in the business of flxrming.

I do not know that the soil and climate of New Eng-
land would prove favorable for the cultivation of hops
on a large scale, but judging from the luxuriant growth
and fruitage of single vines, here and there, in our
neighborhood, the conclusion seems reasonable that the
ordinary kind of hops would flourish in our old-fashion-
ed fields, quite as well as another variety of " hop " in
our fashionable hotels, and prove much more profitable
to those engaged in " getting them up."

Then we have the finer varieties of apples and pears,
with the smaller fruits — the strawberry, the raspberry,
the blackberry, and the cranberry — most of which re-
quire nice management, and some little enterprize to se-
cure success ; but which yield most generous returns for
the care and expense bestowed upon them. Of apples
I need not speak — though I am informed that one of
the members of your society has received four thousand
dollars for his crop of apples in a single year ! A few
years since, at the counter of the Brevoort House, in
New York city, I saw nineteen dollars and the express
charges paid for five pecks of pears ; and I was not
more surprised at the price paid, than at the remark of
one of the proprietors of the hotel, that the fruit came
from Boston, and that the finest pears and most of the
hot -house grapes used in that establishment, were
brought from the same city.

19

Those who are familiar with the facts (and those who
are not should read the charming book, entitled " Ten
Acres Enough") are aware that the cultivation of straw-
berries, raspberries, and blackberries, in large quantities,
and in the neighborhood of a large market, is exceed-
ingly profitable, throwing into the shade the gains se-
cured by any of the ordinary farm staples ; while of the
profits afibrded by cranberries I need not speak. And
where, we may ask, can a more favorable locality be
found for the ready and profitable sale of such fruits
than our own County, with its several cities and large
manufacturing centres, and withal so conveniently situ-
ated in respect to Boston ?

I cannot leave this part of my subject without saying
a few words concerning the vineyard cultivation of grapes.

It is not every farm that presents the right soil and
aspect for this purpose ; but a person w^ho owns a piece
of ground which is well adapted for a vineyard, can not
afford to use it for anything else. Experiments are
sufficiently numerous to show that, even with the varie-
ties of grapes we already possess, vineyards may be
made exceedingly profitable. That of Dr. Underbill,
at Croton Point, on the Hudson River, is, probably,
one of the most profitable in the country, but it is
so largely devoted to the production of wine, that it can
hardly be referred to as an example. Dr. Underbill has
between fifty and sixty acres of vines in bearing at Cro-
ton Point, and several additional acres at his fiirm three
miles distant. He employs from ten to thirteen men
through the season, and, during the vintage, a number
of women also are employed to assist in selecting and
packing the fruit for market, and assorting that which
is made into wine, so that no unripe berry shall enter

20

the wine press. The exact amount received for the crop
of any particular year can not easily be ascertained,
since the wine is not sold until it is four years old.
But the statistics are sufficient to show that the profits
must be very great. About half of each crop is sold in
the New York market, and the other half is converted
into wine. The vintage of 1863 gave 5,550 gallons.*
In 1864, the product was 6,000 gallons ; in 1865, it
amounted to 7,000 gallons ; while in 1866 the total
was diminished in consequence of the severe winter of
1865-6.

It must be admitted that the situation of this vine-
yard is much more favorable than can be secured ordi-
narily ; and in the vicinity of such a market as that of
New York there are advantages which can not be pos-
sessed by every one. But the example is an interest-
ing one on many accounts.

The practicability of cultivating grapes in vineyards,
and on a large scale, in our Commonw^ealth, is demon-
strated by Mr. Bull and his enterprising neighbors at
Concord. There are in that town more than twenty
acres of vineyards. Experiments are also being made
in Haverhill, which will furnish additional proof, w^e
doubt not, both of the possibility and the profitableness
of this crop. Indeed, we hope ere long to see every
suitable spot occupied, and the County of Essex adorn-
ed with vineyards, beautiful and remunerative as those
which grace the slopes of the Jura, as seen from Lake
Geneva.

Mr. Bull, of Concord, to whose experiments and suc-
cess, and intelligent communications on this subject the

*The pure juice of the grape. We understand that Dr. Underhill does not
adulterate his wino with sugar, or water, or alcohol, or any form of drugs.

31

whole country is under obligations, makes certain state-
ments (which have been published in the annual reports
of the State Board of Agriculture) to which I would
invite your special attention. He states :

Firstly — That wherever Indian corn will ripen, there
the grape will also ripen. (He refers to the Concord
grape.)

Secondly — That for field culture in our climate, trench-
ing and heavy manuring are not only unnecessary, but
actually injurious ; but that a soil cultivated to a suffi-
cient depth, and made sufficiently rich, for producing a
good crop of corn, is deep enough and rich enough for
grapes. Indeed, he claims that, for our climate, the
plants should not be set more than six inches deep in
the warm and dry soils ; nor more than four inches deep
in those which are strong and moist.

Thirdly — That it requires no more labor and expense
" to take care of " an acre of grapes, than to " make "
an acre of corn ; since the latter implies the necessity
of carting on manure, ploughing, and successive hoe-
ings, while the grapes need fertilizing with a little plas-
ter of Paris, bone dust and ashes, only once in four or
five years, and consequently require less work to keep
down the weeds. As to prunmg, he says, " a little wise
neglect is better than a too frequent, or too severe
application of the knife." " You plough and cultivate
as soon as the frost is out, and again in the summer, to
keep down the weeds ; and you imicli the growing shoots
two or three times, to consolidate the growing wood ; —
this is all the care they need until the crop is ready to
gather." Moreover, he affirms that, when planted in
rows eight or ten feet apart, and six feet apart in the
TOW, and treated in the manner described, the Concord

grape needs no protection in winter ; and that " they
find at the West that one man can take care of five
acres of grapes, and the same thing can be done here."

Fourthly — As to projits, Mr. Bull makes the following
statements :

From the records of the Agricultural Society of Wir-
temberg (in Germany) — which records have been kept
for more than four hundred years — about one half the
number have been tolerably favorable seasons for the
grape, both as to productiveness and the quality of the
vintage.

The average yield of wine throughout Europe is a-
bout two hundred and fifty gallons per acre, worth, at
twenty-five cents a gallon, sixty-three dollars an acre ;
or, for the twelve millions, two hundred and eighty-five
thousand, and seven hundred and eighty acres under
cultivation, somewhat more than seven hundred and sev-
enty-four millions of dollars.

But in this country, where such large quantities of
the fruit are sold for the table at good prices, and where
the yield per acre is much greater, Mr. Bull claims that
the profits greatly surpass those secured in Europe. He
states that Col, Hussman of Missouri — fifty miles
west of St. Louis — gets nearly nine tons of grapes, and
makes a thousand gallons of wine to the acre ! This,
however, is an extraordinary yield ; for the average pro-
duct of the vineyards in Missouri is from 250 to 600
gallons of wine to the acre ; and the yield of the Ca-
tawba grape, on Kelley's Island, Lake Erie, is only
three and a half tons to the acre. Yet Mr. Jode of
Burlington, Iowa, took 8,860 pounds of Concord grapes
from half an acre, which had been planted but four
years — this being the first crop — while a gentleman in

23

Worcester County, Massachusetts, has gathered crops
from his vineyard the value of which has averaged 1700
dollars to the acre.

Mr. Bull does not think the situation of his own vine-
yards very favorable, but states that he has raised
seven tons per acre ; and that last year, which was an
unfavorable one for grapes, he gathered five and a half
tons per acre, while for seventeen successive years he
has not failed to have a good crop. He regards seven
tons of the Concord grape per acre as a fair average
yield for a vineyard well established, in a favorable as-
pect, soil, etc., and states that a ready market is secured
for the crop at prices which have steadily advanced
from ten to twenty cents a pound, while at ten cents
the full crop of an acre would amount to $1400, and at
20 cents to $2800.

These amounts seem fabulous. Nevertheless, Mr.
Bull states, on his own knowledge, that $2000 per acre
was realized in 1865. But let us suppose the average
crop to be but 02 tons per acre, and the price but ten
cents per pound, this gives $700 to the acre.

I visited some of the vineyards in Concord last year,
and, on making inquiries as to the matter of profits, I
was convinced that Mr. Bull had not overstated the re-
sults. A proprietor of one of the small vineyards in-
formed me that his net profits for the preceding three
years — one of which had been unfavorable for grapes —
had been an average of $996 per acre.

But, may not the market be glutted, and the j^rices
be so reduced as not to be remunerative ? This ques-
tion is discussed by Mr. Bull, and satisfactorily answer-
ed in the negative. Moreover, it is worthy of remark
that no one apprehends a glut in the market for apples,-

24

when planting an orchard of that fruit. The truth is,
that, ever since the temptation in Eden, the appearance
of good fruit awakens in beholders a desire for it ; and
it makes a market for itself to such an extent, that,
taking the average of seasons, it pays well.

As I have referred to the apple as an illustration, per-
mit me to close this long digression with the remark,
that an acre of ground ivill produce more pure wine than
pure cider, and hegin to yield several years earlier ; and
that while a first rate quality of either article can be
made only by the exercise of neatness and care, wine
may be made as easily as cider, and when made, as it
should be, from the right kind of grapes, well ripened,
the pure juice needs no water, nor sugar, nor extra in-
gredients, nor " doctoring" of any sort, to preserve it.

When I contemplate these facts, and see around me
so many localities that would be eligible sites for vine-
yards, used as pastures, lean and poor, or planted with
some of the ordinary crops, I am reminded of the Span-
iard who lived in poverty and died of starvation on a
piece of land that covered a gold mine ; and when I see
how slowly these facts attract the attention of our farm-
ers, I cannot but think of the long occupancy of Cali-
fornia by the Jesuits and Spaniards, without the suspi-
cion that they were actually in El Dorado, which, for
centuries had excited the hopes of these adventurers,
and where, with simple spade and pickaxe, they might
have dug more gold than they had dreamed of in their
wildest imaginings.

But let us return to our ^^ subject. Not every farm
presents the proper aspect and soil for a vineyard, and
the most of our cultivators must be content to raise
some other products. Consequently, having well con-

25

siclered what crops his farm is best adapted to produce,
the matter of concentrating capital and lahor upon it, is
worthy the careful study of each farmer.

The common fault in New England is that of attempt-
ing to cover too much surface, to have too great a va-
riety of crops, so that the cultivation is not so neat, so
thorough, nor so profitable as it ought to be. I have re-
ferred to a style of planting which gives to the fields
the appearance of a checker-board, w^ith very small
squares, and wdiich, apparently, proceeds on the princi-
pal that a large variety, though planted on a thin soil,
insufficiently fertilized and half cared for, will make up
for heavy manuring, deep ploughing, and clean, careful
cultivation.

In keeping with this mode of raising the crops, is
that method of selling them, which, for the sake of get-
ting the retail prices, spends valuable time in taking-
small quantities to market and peddling them out, fre-
quently occupying a day, which would be worth two
dollars if employed in getting out the muck, working it
over and spreading it on the farm, in disposing of articles
that do not bring more than two dollars in cash. But
while we could not approve of such a style of doing-
things, neither would we recommend ordinary farmers
to attempt competition with, or even imitation of, those
of their neighbors who pursue expensive methods —
methods which look rather to the style than to the prof-
its of farm management. The latter, ordinarily, are gen-
tlemen famers, who have a prosperous manufactory or
mercantile establishment, or a quantity of stock in
banks and railroads, on which they can rely for the
means, so that, in the fjirm buildings, the laying out of
their fields, the fences, the fertilizers employed, the trees
4

26

planted, the implements and animals with which the
fami is stocked, and the hands by which it is w^orked,
little regard is paid to the expense, but the endeavor is
to have everything excellent of its kind.

It is very pleasant to have such establishments sprin-
kled in among the farms of a given district. They fur-
nish striking examples of what may be done in the
field, the garden, and the stall ; and their influence in
improving the general style of cultivation and manage-
ment around them is, confessedly, very great. Those
who can afford to establish and maintain them are, or
may be, public benefactors ; but our farmers generally
must be content to learn what they can from both the
successes and the failures of such high farming, and to
follow at a respectful distance. They can neither put
up such fences and farm buildings, nor go so largely in-
to drainage and irrigation ; nor purchase such costly
fertilizers ; nor OAvn such expensive horses, cattle and
sheep. Nevertheless, they can see the importance of
concentrating expenses and labor on a smaller extent of
land, and in a smaller number of animals. If the same
amount of manure and labor will give as much profit on
one acre as if spread over two acres, leaving the one
acre in better heart, and the two acres more exhausted
than when they were taken in hand, then it is manifest-
ly advisable to work half the number of acres in the
superior manner ; for, in a few years, both the amount
of the products and the value of the land w^ould be
greatly enhanced. If a man can secure greater returns
of cash from an acre of vineyard than from eight acres
of corn or potatoes, then the cultivation of the single
acre is better than that of the larger number. If the
same amount of money expended in five sheep of a

particular breed, will give more wool and much better
mutton, than if invested in ten of the ordinary lean,
thin-wooled, long-legged fence-jumpers, better for his
pockets, and for the dispositions of his neigJibors, to pur-
chase the five. If a few good cattle, of superior breed
and qualities, wdll furnish more milk and butter, or more
and better beef, than twice their number of " the com-
mon run," and if their increase is worth more, at three
months old, than the progeny of the latter at six months
or a year old, then the profits, to say nothing of the sat-
isfaction enjoyed by the proprietor, would indicate the
desirableness of having the better breed of animals.

There are men in Florida whose herds of cattle are
numbered by the thousand, and one proprietor, about
fifty miles south of Jacksonville, is said to own about
forty thousand. But the animals, like all those of that
region, are poor, little starvelings, scarcely equal to re-
spectable goats ; and, it is said, a- dozen of them give
not much more than a gallon of milk. This is worse
than anything in New England ; but we might find, in
our own Commonwealth, perhaps, examples as little de-
serving of commendation. Concentration of capital in
animals is evidently as wise as the concentration of ex-
pense in the cultivation of a few acres well, rather than
spreading it over many acres. The advice of Virgil —
" Praise large farms but cultivate a small one," — is as
applicable to our age and country as to Italy in his day.

It is time this matter was pondered by our farmers.
The cheapness of land in this country has led to an am-
bitious mode of extending a superficial tilth over large
surfaces, and congregating worthless animals on lean
pastures, without proper regard to appearance or to
profit. The consequence is a slovenly style of conduct-

ing agricultural operations, on the part of many, that is
without a parallel in any civilized land. Take a drive,
in almost any direction, in almost any neighborhood, and
behold the numerous orchards festooned with caterpil-
lars' Avebs, scorched by canker-w^orms, and dying out
from the borers ; and see the fields covered with the ox-
eye daisy (white weed), the golden rod, and broad
clumps of savin (juniper), wdiile the road-sides are dec-
orated with Canada thistles, and rendered dangerous
by wild parsnips, poisonous sumachs and dog-wood, or
disgusting with stagnant pools, and with vermin that
seek refuge from the dying orchards in the superior
fertility of the highway.

Why do we behold such things ? They are the re-
sults of attempting too much. The man who tries to
work more land than he can properly work, and to keep
more animals than he ought to keep, can afford no
thought, nor time, nor expense, for defending himself
from the evils to which we have referred. Clean farm-
ing, and a due attention to his road-sides, are as imprac-
ticable for him as thorough farming.

Now the public has no right to prevent him from im-
poverishing himself by his mode of management ; but it
has a right to demand that he shall not make his farm
a nuisance to his neighbors — and a nuisance it is if he
converts it into a seed-bed and nursery for these plants
and insect-pests, so that his neighbors are constantly
supplied with fresh accessories, no matter how much
pains they take to keep their own plantations clear and
clean.

I believe it is admitted that the destruction of these
evil plants and insects is possible in any given instance.
It follows, therefore, that under certain conditions thev

^9

might all be exterminated. I have therefore thought
that it might be expedient to enact laws offering boun-
ties for the clearance of each farm and the highways
contiguous thereto, from these pests, for the period of
five years, and, at the end of that, declaring them pub-
lic nuisances, which may be abated like any other of-
fence of the same class.

If by some such measure each one should be induced
to attempt no more than he can do thoroughly and well,
there can be no doubt that the interests of individuals
and of the public would be promoted. The results of a
well-planned concentration would improve both land and
stock, and th^ gradual extension of operations would
mark the increase of wealth, and not, as is now too fre-
quently the case, be an advertisement of incapacity and
poverty. In this connection, the suggestion may be
worth heeding, that the New England fanner should not
expect too large profits from his farm.

Retired manufacturers and merchants are not a little
prone to be impatient with their agricultural invest-
ments. In their business heretofore they have been ac-
customed to quick returns, and if "successful men,"
they have probably made large profits on short credits.
Hence they are tempted to feel a little " grouty" when
their fiirming operations are not attended with like re-
sults. But they overlook several considerations. It is
manifest, e. g., that outlays for the purpose of display,
or for the mere gratification of sesthetic tastes in farm-
ing, have in them no tendency to secure profits, while,
in the warehouse and counting-room, the contrary may
be true. In the latter case, the architecture, the furni-
ture, and arrangements which attract attention, and
please the eye, may be a species of advertising, and, as

80

such, may pay well. But analogous expedients will not
increase the showers or sunshine, or the crops of a farm.

Our gentleman-farmer may also overlook the fact that
actual improvements, whether in the quality of the land
itself, by manures, drainage, or extra cultivation, or in
the fences, buildings, implements, and farming conven-
iences generally, are of the nature of permanent invest-
ments, which may add to the intrinsic valne of the farm
without immediately increasing its profits. If so-called
improvements do not add to the intrinsic value of the
farm, they surely should not be set down in the account
against it. For it is not answerable for the mistakes of
its proprietor. If a gentleman puts up shooting-boxes,
boat-houses, kiosks, fancy barns, massive walls, with ex-
tensive conservatories and flower gardens on his place,
and indulges in fancy horses and shoAvy equipages ;
these must be regarded as so many expenditures for per-
sonal gratification ; and ought no more to be included in
the outlay for which the farm should yield returns, than
the amounts which are expended for pictures to be hung
in the parlor, and for concert tickets, or in visiting
Saratoga, the White Mountains, and the sea-side, should
be reckoned as capital invested in business, on which the
ledger must show a fair balance of profits.

Moreover (and none know it better than do our busi-
ness men), the amount of returns justly to be expected
from an investment, depends somewhat on the safety of
the latter ; if it be perfectly secure, the income may very
properly be much smaller than where there is more or
less risk. But if this principle be applied to the matter
of farming, it will follow that the profits derived from it
ought to be smaller than those of most other forms of
business in which capital is employed. Nothing can be

31

safer than a well-advised investment in a farm ; since the
intrinsic value of the land is subject to none of the
mutations v^^hich affect almost every other form of invest-
ment, in the midst of those political and financial crises
which sweep over our land like successive tornadoes.

Again, it is worthy of notice that all the returns re-
ceived from an outlay of capital, are not in the form of
money. An expenditure made in one direction may re-
sult in honor and influence — as when an aspirant for
public favor contributes to an electioneering fund. —
Made in another direction, the return may be in the form
of personal enjoyment — the gratification of taste in the
appearance of a splendid equipage, or in works of art,
as paintings and sculptures, or architecture. But why
should not the pleasure afibrded by the appearance of
flocks and herds of fine animals ; by the sight of grassy
meadows and growing crops ; waving harvests and flour-
ishing orchards and purple vineyards ; why should not
the enjoyment which these things always afford to the
lover of nature, be regarded as an important item in
reckoning with the fiirm ? I think myself not entirely a
stranger to the fascination there is for certain minds in
works of art. I am not wanting in those impressions
which the artist seeks to awaken, when with a master's
hand, he rounds the marble into magic forms of life, or
makes the canvas glow with the varied features of the
landscape ; but were I possessor of a well-situated and
well cultivated farm, I know that from the contemplation
of its changing aspects — the swale and swell of mead-
ows green, the waving luxuriance of cultivated fields,
the thrift of trees and vines, bowing and swaying under
their burdens of purple and gold ; and the show of ani-
mals, (sheep, cattle, and horses), browsing on the pas^

32

tnres/ or reposing in the grateful shades ; I should derive
more pleasure than from all the sculptures and pictures
that ever crowded palace halls and palace walls.

Consequently, while men pay their five, ten, twenty,
fifty thousands of dollars for single works of art, should
not he who indulges his aesthetic tastes in a generous
farm, reckon as of something worth, the exquisite and
constantly renewed pleasure he derives from it ? and, if
he looks so exclusively or so greatly to the gratification
of taste in his methods of farming, should he not remem-
ber, when the pecuniary returns prove to be small, that
the less satisfactory works of art are simply and only a
dead weight upon the pocket ?

Let us also bear in mind that refined enjoyment can be
derived from a farm by those who can neither purchase
costly works of art, nor indulge in expensive methods of
agriculture. One's farm may be small, and his means
may be limited, but if he exercise wisdom in concentrat-
ing and managing such expenditures of toil and money
as he can bestow upon it, he too will have his share of
true enjoyment, as he will also secure his measure of
thrift.

Finally, we would suggest that each proprietor of a
farm should read and think about his calling and his
farm. There is, or has been, a senseless prejudice among
certain farmers against books and treatises devoted to
their calling ; a vast deal of " cant, " and not a little at-
tempted concealment of mental sluggishness, by an out-
cry against " book-farmers " and " book-farming. " If there
is any man or set of men in danger of trusting too en-
tirely to books, and discarding practice in their agricul-
tural operations, then let some one whose methods are
faultless, and whose success is great, exhort them to drop

33

the books and follow his example. Till such cases occur
we must thiuk that the reading of well-written w^orks on
his calling, and devoting much careful thought to the
subject, will be necessary to the highest success. of every
fjirmer. The truth is, the world is greatly indebted to
those who have thought and written upon Agriculture,
and also to those whose studies have related to the gen-
eral topic, whether their field has been that of Natural
History or Natural Philosoph}^; whether Comparative
Anatomy, Entomology, Meteorology, Botany, or Chem-
istry. The improvements in stock, fruits, crops, imple-
ments and methods of farming, are made by men who
read and think ; and the man who talks most about the
superiority of practical farming, is indebted to some
"book farmer" for that which is most valuable in the an-
imals, the crops, the fruits, and the implements on his
farm, and for the best modes he pursues in working it.
Nay, the grain crop and the hay crop of the present sea-
son which have saved the nation from famine, from
calamities greater even than those of war, could not
have been gathered without the aid of those machines
which have been given to the w^orld by ingenious in-
ventors, i. e. by men w^ho have devoted long and intense
thought to these things ; and who, seeing the demand,
have sought to meet it, and thus to lighten, facilitate and
render more profitable the toils of those engaged in cul-
tivating the soil. In saying that the farmer should read
and think upon his calling, we only affirm, that in com-
mon with every other man who pursues a regular voca-
tion, he should thoroughly understand his business in all
its details and relations, and should make the most of it
and of himself.

It is too late in the day for ignorance to conceal itself
5

u

a false issue on this subject, or to secure honor and behind
success in a pursuit so respectable and so difficult as that
of farming. In one of his admirable and instructive An-
nual Reports, Mr, Secretary Flint quotes the saying of a
celebrated painter, who, on being asked what he mixed
his colors with to render them so perfect, replied : " I
mix them with hrainsr That is the material with which
every man should " mix his colors, " and the farmer no
less than any other man. He should rear and use his
animals, fertilize and cultivate his fields, select and dis-
pose of his crops, " with brains ;" and for these purposes
he should use both his own brains and those of other
men, to as great an extent as possible. Let him, there-
fore, co-operate in the establishment of Farmers' Libra-
ries and Reading Clubs. Let him take, and read, the
best agricultural journals; let him use wisdom in se-
lecting, and industry in studying the best works on ag-
ricultural chemistry, horse, cattle, and sheep raising ; on
bees, and on grapes, and other fruits ; also the vari-
ous writings of practical formers, gardeners, and nurs-
ery-men. If he can, let him procure, and carefully
read the Annual Reports of the Massachusetts State
Board of agriculture, and especially the discussions of
that Board. Let him pursue such a course of reading,
meanwhile not neglecting his Bible. In other words, let
him 1)0 a thorough, intelligent New England farmer, and
a good, intelligent New England Christian, and he may
enjoy as much of Eden, here, in Essex County, Massa-
chusetts, as any of Adam's race have enjoyed since the
gates of Paradise were closed.

With many thanks for the attention 3^ou have given
to these remarks ; with sincere wishes that each of you
may live to see many returns of this Annual Festival of

35

your Society, attended by that constant improvement in
the great Agricultural interests which you so wisely and
generously seek ; and with congratulations on the suc-
cess which a kind Providence has bestowed upon the la-
bors of our farmers the present season, I hasten to,
what I know you are anxiously awaiting, my last
Avord,

37

FOETY-SEYENTH
ANNUAL EXHIBITION

AT HAVERHILL.

The Annual Dinner was served to a large assembly of
the members of the society and their friends and invit-
ed guests. Every seat at the table was taken, and the
hall filled with other spectators. After prayer by Rev^
Mr. Kingsbury of Bradford, about an hour was spent
in discussing the merits of the eatables, after which the
assembly was called to order by the following remarks
of the President of the Society, Gen. Wm. Sutton of
South Dan vers :

REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT.

Ladies and gentlemen, — Revolving time has once
more brought us together, to show the works of our
hands and to consult together upon the interests in
which we are engaged. We welcome you to this our
anniversary. This Society is now nearly half a century
old. It was organized in 1818. Its first Exhibition

38

was held in 1820. From that time to the present we
have gone on increasing in numbers and in wealth. Its
23roperty at the present time amounts to something over
$11,000; all invested in stocks, which would sell to-day
for over $12,000. It has a valuable library, it owns a
farm, and I call that success for the Essex Agricultural
Society. And now, my friends, for the first time for
many years we are honored with the presence of the
Chief Overseer of the old Massachusetts Farm, and I
have now the honor to present the Governor of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

REMARKS OF GOVERNOR BULLOCK.

Mr. President, — There is something unique about the
old Essex Agricultural Society which interests me. This
is one of the oldest societies in the United States ; and
the ancientness of its organization makes it venerable.
Then, I believe, your county is an exception among all
the other large counties by having only one chartered
agricultural society ; and that fact gives to it an added
dignity. I hear that you own no exhibition grounds or
buildings, and that, like another Essex Institute, you
make the circuit of the county, dispensing good equally
over the whole. They tell me, also, that more nearly
than others you adhere to the traditions and customs
of the founders, and that you have not entirely given
way to the modern horse heresy which is sweeping so
many of us into its vortex. In short, here in the coun-
ty of Essex, which has more cities than any other coun-
ty of the Commonwealth, where the mechanic arts are
at their height, and the air murmurs with the stitcher

39

and the clicker, with the spindle and the loom, I find
myself confronted by a society which has made agricul-
ture keep pace wath the other pursuits, which has blend-
ed the element of progress with the element of stability,
and which, sitting in the shadow of the name of its ear-
ly benefactor, Timothy Pickering, surveys and judges
calmly the busy scene of life, welcoming that which is
good, and rejecting that which is not essential,

I cannot help thinking that on many accounts your
circumstances are felicitous. They have surely proved
felicitous for your own profit and contentment, and I
must regard them as equally fortunate in furnishing to
others an illustration and a model worthy of study, and
in a great measure worthy of copying. The conditions
and relations of industry in Essex present an example
which is full of suggestions to all communities that
would be prosperous and happy. They show a people
who are devoted exclusively neither to agriculture nor
to manufactures, nor to the mechanic arts ; but they ex"
hibit a community wdiich is proportionately devoted to
each and all of these. And it is, perhaps, the happiest
circumstance of all the array of facts before us, that
while the intense and absorbing growth of your manu-
factures has overshadowed the more modest and patient
pursuit of cultivating the land, yet they all render to-
day, and on every occasion, their grateful obeisance and
homage to agriculture — which is patriarchal and parent-
al— which is always first and which can never become
secondary. As the sons in a modern family, who have
gone beyond the aspirations of their ancestors, and have
successfully extended their enterprize over adventurous
fields of which their fathers never dreamed, still date all
success from the fountain head of the virtues of the

40

original stock, so, here and now, in Essex County, and
in all of Massachusetts, this great and triumphant sys-
tem of mechanism and manufacturing, which takes ap-
parently the honors of the day, at all times acknow-
ledges to have received its blood and impulse from the
parentage of agriculture, which gave to it life and has
supplied its virtues. The fraternity of all these inter-
ests which makes Essex what she is, appears symbol-
ized in the varied life of the county, and speaks upon
this occasion from the hundred tongues of a diversified
but united republic of labor. And all these voices and
ascriptions mingle in one accord of common tribute to
the society over which the old revolutionary patriot of
the county originally presided.

Two lessons of political economy and social happiness
we may learn from the existing condition of the public
industry in this powerful county. The first is, that a
purely agricultural community cannot, unaided, realize
the ideal of an organized and vigorous civilization. Po-
etry and romance might content themselves with annals
of Arcadian simplicity and purity ; but the progressive
advancement of Essex in the last thirty years has added
to the cultivation of the land other departments of skill
and labor which have changed the ancient scene. While
the farming interest has been constantly increasing in
importance, dignity and profit, other interests have
started up by its side and have imparted to it a new
impulse and stimulus. Rockport, from its depths of
granite, builds streets in distant cities ; Haverhill and
Lynn, in their work upon the skins of animals brought
from remote shores, have compacted a population of
thirty to forty thousand ; Lawrence and Newburyport
and Andover engage nearly as many more upon the

41

machines which yield their product to every part of the
Union, Avhile Gloucester and kindred ports launch their
enterprize upon the sea. Your county is full of intense
life, competition of business, sharpness of the faculties,
contact and collision of minds, populous growth, and ac-
cumulations of wealth have come of this modern upris-
ing of genius and skill, and art and manufactures.

But the second lesson is, that the employments of ag-
riculture have reacted with an effect of beauty and fe-
licity upon the other and more active departments. It
amply repays them for their markets by preserving and
strengthening their virtues. Commerce and the arts
create the town ; agriculture keeps good and pure the
country ; and that State is happiest in wdiich town and
country reflect upon each other the advantages and the
graces of both. In such a population as j^ours, com-
prising these two conditions of society, rural life com-
municates through all the avenues of the city the pur-
ity of its manners and its tastes 5 while liberal thoughts
and liberal arts proceeding from the city impart their
invigorating forces to the country. The concentrated
activities of the one blend to mutual advantage with
the calm and serene occupations of the other ; the so-
cial sympathies of both gather strength by the union ;
and a Commonwealth of homogeneous character springs
up out of the diversities of labor, one and indivisible in
interest and in sympathy. Such is the county of Es-
sex, such is Massachusetts. It has happened in the last
twenty-five years that increasing numbers of our fellow-
citizens, having their business in the metropolis or in
the other cities and larger towns, by reason of railroad
facilities, and from sanitary and moral considerations,
have established their homes and their hearts in the
6

42

country. By their liberal investments in a studious
and methodical culture of the soil, and in improving the
quality of the animals, they have rendered a beneficent
service to the cause of agriculture -, and, in return, re-
ceiving by contagion the sweet influences of the heav-
ens and the earth which have been spread out before
them in the open country, and which have inspired them
with sentiments far above the thoughts of ordinary com-
merce, they have carried back to the marts of business
a new and more genial soul, wdiich spreads like sunlight
over others, and warms them to follow the example.

Mr. President, when I think of these indirect bless-
ings which even the lighter attention to agriculture has
conferred upon a great class of our people whose lead-
ing interests are in other pursuits, it appears to me that
we ought to encourage and spread the example. In a
large number of these cases it may be called senti-
mental, but it is none the worse for that. Of sentiment,
which is quite too frequently called sentimentalism, we
have little to discard or to spare in our life of routine
and practicality. If the country boy, converted into a
metropolitan merchant by jenYS of application and en-
grossment amid the cares and perils of the town, shall
be drawn back to his earl}^ love, whether by instinct or
interest, or accident, he becomes only justly as he
should be, the benefactor of the class among whom his
own first breath was born, and his own heart first was
moulded. Though you may call him a benefactor, he is
a debtor still to them. Within the past few years it
has been my opportunity to lodge in this county under
the roofs of several whom we know as merchant princes
in the capital, but whose greater and more genuine
wealth lies in the exaltation and expansion which agri-

43

culture and country life lias bestowed upon them. —
This is truthfulness to nature. This is the hiorher
and better part of our social existence. Mr. Words-
worth many years ago impersonated this sentiment in
one of his poetic characters, which he found in real life.
In the neat and beautiful poem of "' The Farmer of Tils-
bury Vale," he traced the career of a husbandman, who,
compelled by misfortune to give up his country home,
dragged out his remaining days amid the trials and
hardships of the crowded city. But his heart never lost
the fragrance of his early occupation :

' 'Mid coaches and chariots, a wagon of straw,
Like a magnet, the heart of old Adam can draw ;
With a thousand soft pictures his memory will teem,
And his hearing is touched with the sounds of a dream.

Up the Haymarket hill he oft whistles his way.
Thrusts his hands in a wagon, and smells at the hay ;
He thinks of the fields he so often hath moAvn,
And is happy as if the rich freight were his own.

But chiefly to Smithfield he loves to repair.
If you pass by at morning, you'll meet with him there.
The breath of the cows you may see him inhale,
And his heart all the while is in Tilsbury Vale.

Now farewell, old Adam ! W'hen low thou art laid.

May one blade of grass spring over thy head ;

And I hope that thy grave, wheresoever it be.

Will hear the winds sigh through the leaves of a tree."

At the conclusion of Gov. Bullock's remarks, which
were frequently applauded, the President introduced
Gen. Banks, who was greeted with a perfect ovation of

44

applause, which he acknowledged in the following
speech :

REMARKS OF GEN. BANKS.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, — It gratifies
me to be present with you and participate in the exer-
cises of to-day, and I only regret that I have been de-
prived of the pleasure of attending with you through-
out the whole of this interesting and instructive occa-
sion, but accident deprived me of that privilege. I un-
derstand, of course, that it is the privilege of the Presi-
dent to set every citizen up upon this platform, in this
free country, to make sometimes a poor exhibition of
himself He has put me in that condition. I am worse
off than anybody else in this assembly, for I have noth-
ing to sell, nothing to show, and nothing to say. It is a
good thing not to be a Governor — if His Excellency
will pardon me the remark — for it is his duty to break
the ice upon these occasions, and, as these gentlemen on
my right, and upon my left, and in front of me will find,
when they come to occupy that position, it is no easy
thing to do. It is said by those skilled in eloquence
that if a man only can read the thoughts of his audi-
tory, he has no trouble at all. I think that His Excel-
lency the Governor must have had that second sight.
At any rate I owe him thanks, for he has, by his elo-
quent, inspiring and enthusiastic statement of the ad-
vantages of the day which you celebrate, done so much
that I feel, if I could read your thoughts, there would
be nothing for me to say, or for you to desire. Or, as
Binney, the English butler, says, Avhen asked to make
beer, '^ I 'av'n't the 'ops." I might content myself with

45

saying, when asked by your President to make a speech,
I have not the thoughts. It is many years since I was
here. If I dared to remember, I shouhl say it was as
early as 1854 or 1855 that I was last present in this
very town to participate in the last celebration of the
anniversary of your society which I had the honor to
attend. I remember it perfectly well. It was an out-
door affair, small in numbers, with no such a feast as
this, with no such an assembly as this. There were
Avooden benches and bare tables, and little to commend
it except the eloquent speeches of distinguished gentle-
men who were present. If the vegetables and the cat-
tle of the county have improved as much as the people,
I would like to see them ; for, as I now look upon this
assembl}'^, and having hurriedty ridden through your
town, by the kindness of a friend, I can say that any
city or any town would have reason to congratulate it-
self upon the success of its industry and the prosperity
of its devotees.

Ladies and gentlemen, this year is an era in the in-
dustry of the world. From this year of 1867 will date
a new future — a future that shall not tend to discord,
wars and quarrels, and that shall bring the whole
intellectual power and spirit of the nations of the
earth to the expansion and the enlargement of the
pursuits of industry. I regard the exhibition of the
world's industry at Paris as the most memorable event of
modern times ; and although there might be justification
for dwarfing it in comparison with victories or defeats
of armies or nations, in battle, if we could (which we
cannot do) measure and correctly weigh the consequences
of the exhibition of the world's industry in the capital
of France this year, we should be willing and able to

46

say that no event would compare with it in its import-
ance to the people and to the interests of civilization.
I am gratified that Americans have done so much to
highten the effect of this rivalry of industry of the peo-
ples among the nations of the earth. I did what I could
to enlist the Government in its favor, and to promote
among the people a larger desire for participation in it
than they enjoyed, but I did not expect, when I did
this, that we should be justified in the expectation of
achieving a triumph like that we have accomplished. A
recent letter from Mr. Beckwith, the American Commis-
sioner, states that out of five hundred American exhibit-
ors, three hundred prizes of awards have been given — a
half larger proportion than has been attained by an}^
other nation, not excepting even England or France.
And this is nothing at all compared with what might
have been gained by our citizens, if our country had
been properly and fully represented. But it is not in
the power of awards that we find the testimony of the
world in behalf of the superiority of American intellect
as devoted to industry. In those great powers that di-
rect and shape the future we have been first, if not
without a rival : in the locomotive that extends civiliza-
tion throughout the world ; in the electric telegraph that
annihilates space and time ; in the sewing machines that
give comfort to every family in the land ; in the piano
forte that makes harmony and household pleasure, and
extends to all the children of our country and of the
world, the participation in this divine inspiration and
power ; in the agricultural implements that suppl}'^ the
place of exhaustive and inefficient labor — in these we
have been the first and received the first prizes at this
exhibition. But there is one point Avhich touches me

47

more nearly, and gives me great gratification. The civ-
ilization of tlie world turns to the element of productive
labor, and of course the protection and encouragement
and fostering of that element of the prosperity and
strength of the nation hereafter, is an important matter.
In a neighboring town through which I passed, I saw to-
day a manufactory devoted to articles known and used
everywhere, the material of which during the memory of
man had been waste and utterly useless. The greatest
triumph that ever is achieved in the civilization of the
world, in anything appertaining to material affairs, is to
create a new and national wealth out of that which had
no value, by means which before had been unknown. —
That man who can do it is a creator, and belongs to the
creative properties. The Katan factory is an institution
of this kind ; and there is scarcely a household in the
whole country, or ultimately in the world, where its pro-
ducts will not find a place, and confer benefit and impart
luxury; and yet this has sprung from the mind and
genius of a single citizen of this county. If it were
alone it would be of no account ; but I see in this dis-
trict for which I speak — I see in this district of which
you are citizens — the origin of all the successful manu-
facture or industrial prosperity of this country. In the
town in which I live, the man resided who created the
cotton manufacture and made the machinery — who in-
vented the process — who collected together under one
roof the several processes which had been known before,
and added to them others which will make this branch
of human industy one of the most successful, one of the
most powerful of the world. In my judgment, Francis
C. Lowell, for whom the city of Lowell was named, was
the greatest American this country has produced. I

48

know in what degree to estimate men w^ho, by official
position, have been able to produce great results ; but
here is a man at twenty-tw^o years of age, invalided,
without phj^sical strength to discharge the ordinary du-
ties of life, a prisoner on board a British man-of-Vvar,
looking at the flag which domineered the seas of the
world — here is a sick man, a prisoner, a youth who
without friends or capital, without any adventitious aid,
by his own inventive genius, created a power that rules
the commerce of the world. The cities which have
sprung up around us are his monument. Other nations
have copied his machiner}^, and now to-day the world
gives to the city that was the result of his genius and
his enterprise, the credit of having devised the most
perfect development of industrial means that history
has known. That is not alone. The shoe interest is
another of the same character. Shoes have been made
from time immemorial, but the genius and enterprize of
Essex County monopolizes the manufacture and makes
every part of the country subsidiary either to its pro-
ducts or the processes which it has invented. In my
own town this characteristic is more prominent than
perhaps any other. The watch, which is as perfect a
time-keeper as can be suggested, is made from the
roughly-shaped materials given to boys and girls in the
morning, to come out from the manufactory a perfect
time-keeper and measurer of the days of men. All this
is done by a new process of manufacture invented here,
which is filling the world with its products. Every-
where I see the evidences of this genius and power. —
Let the men who are learned in the world's history •
let the men who have studied the various periods of
civilization ; let the men who know about these matters

49

ill France, or Germany, or any other country ; let the
men who know the history of the United States ; let
them who know as well as his Excellency the Governor
the capacity and power vvithin the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, point me to an exhibition of such success
and such genius, such power and such far-reaching in-
fluence as can be seen in the manufactories of Essex and
Middlesex counties. We have every reason to rejoice
at the success which attends us in this contest of the
nations of the world. We have every reason to be proud
of that success which has been achieved by our fathers,
and to rejoice in the prosperity which their genius has
given to us ; but it belongs to us to remember that our
duty is of the future, and not of the present or of the
past ; that our pride must be, not in what our fathers
have done, but in that which we shall do. Let us re-
member the field in w^hich we are called to labor, as yet
far wider, far more expansi^'e ; that we are placed, as it
were, on the threshold of seven hundred millions of the
people of Asia ; that we contend foot to foot with the
hundreds of millions of Europe, and that wherever we
are, we are put upon an equality, and that the great
contest is for the superiority. Many years ago I spoke in
this room. I am naturally affected by the associations
of the time and place; and. although this is no occasion
for political suggestions, yet I trespass upon your good
nature to sa}^ that I trust the day is not far distant when
all the disturbing elements of our social and political or-
ganization will be removed, and that, with the power to
be a free government, the American people, with a
geniu;? like that of Essex and Middlesex, will hew its
way through the thick ruins of the despotic traditions
of the old world, and by their genius and success impart

50

to other nations an idea of Vv'liat a people left to tliem-
selves can do. There was one thing that I wish we
should exhibit more extensively in the Paris Exhibition
than we do, and that is our people. I regret not that
so many of our people went abro ad ; I only regret that
there were not five, or ten, or twenty millions of them
to show themselves to the European nations. They
know but little of us across the water. A cultivated
European told me that Mr. Chambers of Edinburgh, the
celebrated publisher, ten of whose works are sold in
America to one in Great Sritain, said to him only a few
years ago, that he was surprised that a man of such de-
cent appearance should live in such a country as Amer-
ica. I remember, too, that the Moniteiir in Paris publish-
ed the fact that the Speaker of the House of Kepresenta-
tives, some years ago, was a negro. Perhaps he believes
it now, and may be that he foreshadow^ed the time that
is to come. But the fact shovv^s that in the capital of
France they knew very little of Americans, or of Amer-
ica, at that time. It is not the fault of European nations,
but our ov/n. Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted
with the opportunity of being here. If you are as much
pleased to see me as I am to look upon your faces, you
are in a comfortable condition. I regret I have not been
here in the discharge of public duties 5 but I have been
absent for some time, and have been living a sort of
checkered life of late ; but whether here or whether else-
where, let me assure you that the memory of the past of
Essex and Middlesex have always been and always will
be my pride.

51

JfOTES ON THE EXHIBITION.

The Exhibition of Fruits, Domestic Manufactures, &c.,
ill the Hall, was conceded to be of the highest character,
and that of stock in the pens was very satisfactory,
though not so large, or of so decidedly superior charac-
ter as it is in the power of the farmers of the county to
furnish, and as may reasonably be expected in response
to the very liberal premiums offered in that department.

The show of Agricultural Implements and ^lachines
was never surpassed, probably not equalled, in Essex
County.

The Ploughing Match was well contested by a large
number of teams, and was particularly noted for the
trial of skill between seven boys under 19 years of age,
in competition for the premiums amounting to fifty dol-
lars, offered hy the President of the Society.

The entries of Stock numbered 103 — animals, 175.

Entries for ploughing, 24 teams, comprising double
and single, ox, horse- and mule teams.

Entries in the Exhibition HaU, 735, comprisii:ig 1000

52

plates of Fruit, and a great variety of Vegetables, Dai-
ry Products, and articles of Domestic Manufacture.

The description of the Exhibition in the Hall, which
follows, was written by Warren Ordway, Esq., the evi-
dent superintendent of that department, and is worthy
of special attention. Secretary.

The Exhibition in the Town Hall was superior to any
other that the Society ever gave. The whole of this
spacious and elegant building was generously given up
by the town authorities to the Committee of Arrange-
ments, which gave them ample room to display to the
best advantage a great variety of products from the
farms and work shops, the parlors and kitchens of this
time-honored county. The broad halls upon the first
floor of the building, w^ere partly occupied by carriages
and sleighs. The side hall upon the same floor was de-
voted to vegetables, of which there was a very creditable
show, especially from the farms of Messrs. S. A. Merrill
of Daiwers, and Richard Webster of Haverhill. The
large hall which is upon the second floor, with the side
rooms adjoining, were overflowing with the greatest va-
riety of the finer productions of nature and art. There
were four tables spread lengthwise of the hall, filled
with one thousand plates of most excellent fruit, com-
prising the most extensive assortment of apples, pears,
peaches and grapes, that was ever exhibited in the State
outside of the city of Boston. Two tables were devoted
to fancy work, embroidery, and general merchandise, up-
on which also were show-cases containing silver ware,
lamps, and dry goods. In other localities were cooking-

53

stoves and tin ware, sewing-machines and musical instru-
ments, paints and paper hangings. The w^alls and the
front of each gallery were hung wdth quilts, counter-
panes, rugs, and affghans. Many of them were very
beautiful, and when taken together this part of the ex-
hibition reflected great credit upon the industry, in-
genuity, economy and taste of the fair contributors. —
One of the side rooms w^as devoted to butter and cheese.
One to bread, honey, domestic wine and preserA^ed fruit.
One to boots and shoes, doors, window sashes and blinds,
and another to machinery and curious inventions. The
rostrum in the hall was wisely selected for the floral dis-
play, and by the exertions of an efficient committee,
three hundred boquets and floral designs with one hun-
dred varieties of w^ild flowers w^ere contributed by the
ladies in the vicinity. These were arranged by Mr.
West, the chairman of the committee, wdiose magical
power in this department never fails to produce the most
beautiful effect. Last, but not least, came the crowd of
delighted visitors filling the spacious hall, with the gal-
leries to repletion. They w^ere w^elcomed by the artistic
music of the Haverhill Band to enjoy amidst the aroma
of fruit and the perfume of flowers, the fairy scene that
had been prepared for them, and the pleasure it afforded
was duly acknowledged by the universal exclamation,
"It is beautiful."

55

EPORTS, &c.

FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle, report an av/arcl of the

1st premium of $10, to Mrs. M. P. Little, of Bradford, for
her ofi" ox.

2d do. of $8, to Mrs. M. P. Little, for her near ox.

3d do. of $5, to James H. Reynolds, of North Audover, for
his near ox.

It will be seen by our reward, that the first and second pre-
miums are given to the same pair of oxen ; as the offer was
made, we felt bound to give them to the best animals ; yet we
have some doubt of its being the intention of the Society, to
give two premiums to one pair of oxen. To us, it appears
more desirable to ofTer the premiums for the best^;ttir of fat
cattle, as most of the oxen that are fattened in this County, are
those that are kept in part for their labor, and we wish to get
all the information we can upon working and feeding oxen, so
as to fit them for beef.

We think that there should be separate premiums given for
fat cows, for we cannot expect them to compete with oxen,
conseq^uently we never see them at our exhibitions. As most

56

farmers are annually obliged to fatten some of their cows, it
would be well to get what information we can about feeding
them. Many farmers let their cows dry up their milk, and
then put them to pasture, to fatten. Others, by high feeding,
keep up the flow of milk in part, and make them gain, so as
to dispose of them to the butchers. "Where milk is in demand
and pasturing scarce, this is perhaps the best method, but
such cows do not often get fiit enough to compete for a
premium.

In the statements given us we undoubtedly have the truth,
so far as it goes ; but " doing all the work upon the fiirm, and
working out some by the day," is rather indefinite. On some
farms, we think the oxen would not gain much. We can not,
in this County, raise cattle exclusively for beef, as they do at
the West; but we need oxen, to some extent, to carry on
our farms. On many farms the work may be done, and the
oxen be continually gaining.

At the time we awarded the premiums, we were not aware
that Mrs. Little's ox took the third premium last year ; but
since then we have learned that he did. If we could have
known the entire amount of hay and grain consumed by them
during the year, it would have been valuable information.
Our impression is, that cattle that are in a high condition as
these have been the past year, or, as we sometimes express it,
" well filled up inside with tallow," do not consume so much
fodder as poor cattle of the same size. The philosophy of
this, we do not attempt to explain ; but our observation has
led us to this conclusion.

It Avill be seen by the statement of Mr. Reynolds, that his
oxen have gained rapidly. We have heard it stated, by those
who have had good opportunities to know, that the live weight
of an ox at different seasons of the year, is not a true index of
his gain. They say an ox will weigh as much alive in March,
as he will the first of June, yet be fed so as to keep him gain-
ing all the time ; or in other words, the shrinkage is more at
some seasons, than at others. The condition of the stomach

57

at the time of weighing, will make probably two hundred
pounds difference .in the weight of a pair of large oxen. His
cattle had a very thrifty appearance, and we hope he will keep
them another year, and show that they have continued to gain
as fast as they have done since he has had them.

Committee — William R. Putnam, James T. Carleton, Wm.
Foster, George W. Davis, Isaac Carruth.

STATEMENT OF J. H. REYNOLDS.

North Andovek, Sept. 23, 1867.

I present to your notice for premium, one pair of fat oxen,
5 years old, purchased by me in Cambridge, the 20th of last
June ; they then weighed on North Andover scales, 3710 lbs.
Since that date have done all the work on the farm, besides
working out some by the day.

Their feed has been common pasturing, until September 1st,
since then, have each had two quarts corn meal, daily ; weight
this day, Sept. 23d, on North Andover scales, 4250 lbs.

BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls report : —

They award to Joseph Kittredge, of North Andover, for his
Jersey Bull, 1st premium, $10.

To A. R. Fellows, of Ipswich, for his Jersey Bull, 2d pre-
mium, $5.

To William A. Russell, of Lawrence, for Dutch first pre-
mium Bull, in 1866, mileage.

Committee — George B. Loring, J. Longfellow, Jonas Holt
George Cogswell, Stephen Nichols.
8

58
MILCH COWS.

The Committee on Milcli Cows, report : —

That there were four entries, with statements. One, that of
W. A. Russell, of Lawrence, did not conform to the rules of
the Society, inasmuch as he did not give the amount of milk
given in the first ten days of June and September, of this
year. The amount given last year, as per statement, 5028
quarts, or nearly 14 quarts per day. Certainly, a remarkable
animal, and one showing good care and feed. Would it not
be well for some who may read his statement, to inquire how
much their cows give on an average per day, for one year ?
For we are of the opinion that there are many kept in Essex
County, that did not give more than one-third of the amount
given by this cow last year, which were called good cows.
We noticed this cow had two fine calves by her side, and hope
she has imparted her milking qualities to her progeny. We
recommend that Mr. Eussell's statement be printed.

Mr. Seth Kimball, of Bradford, entered two very good
cows. To one of them, his speckled cow Dolly, the Commit-
tee award the first premium of $15. They thought her not
only a good cow now, but one which promised to excel her
present excellence. They award the second premium of $10
to John M. Barry, of Haverhill, for his grade cow.

Jacob F. Jewett, also showed a good young and small cow,
which with a little more generous diet will improve upon her
present attainments.

For the Committee — Francis Dodge.

STATEMENT OF SETH KIMBALL.

Grizzled cov/, 8 years old ; breed, one-half Durham and
one-half native ; last calf second day of March last ; next
calf to be the 24th of March next ; milk, first ten days of
June, 17 quarts a day ; September, first ten days, 13 quarts
per day.

59

Speckled cow Dolly, five years old, breed, three -fourths
Durhan, one-fourth native ; last calf 1st day of April ; next
29th of March ; milk, first ten days in June ; 19 1-2 qts. aver-
age ; first ten days September, 15 quarts.

STATEMENT OF JOHN M. BARRY.

To the Secretary of the Essex Agricultural Society : I
enter for premium, one grade Devon cow, seven years old.
She calved March 15th, and will calve again the 28th of Feb-
ruary, next. Her milk was weighed both morning and eve-
ning, on the first ten days of June and September inclusive,
according to the annexed statement. Her feed has been a
common pasture with other cows.

Amount of milk the first ten days in June and September.

Ju

Morning.

Evening.

Morning.

Evenir

uie 1.

19 lbs.

20 lbs.

Sept 1.

14^

15

' 2.

19 "

191

«

2.

14

m

' 3.

18^ "

20

((

O.

15

15J

' 4.

20 ''

21

((

4.

14

15

' 5.

19 "

20

(e

5.

m

15

' 6.

18 '*

19^

te

6.

15

16

' 7.

20 «

21

ee

7.

15

16

' 8.

19 «

20

<(

8.

14

151

* 9.

21 "

22

iC

9.

15

16

' 10.

20 "

11

<c

10.

15

16

193|

204

146

1541

Total for June, 3971 ; for September, 300i.
Average for 10 days in June, 39 7-10 lbs.; September, 30
lbs., I oz.

Haverhill, Sept. 23, 1867.

60

STATEMENT OF WM. A. EUSSELL.

The grade Durham cow I enter for premium has given, by
actual measure, 5028 quarts of milk between December 1st,
1865 and December 1st, 1866. She brought in June 19th,
1867, a pair of twin calves, affording sufficient milk for both,
and from thr je to four quarts beside, for about two months.
Both calves are on the cow now, and I think she must now
give 24 or 25 quarts daily. She has nothing but pasture feed.
The year above mentioned she received extra feed through
the winter — none after she was turned out to grass in May.

Lawrence, Sept. 24, 1867.

HERD OF MILCH COWS.

We report there were none that properly came before your
committee. There were 18 cows presented by Wm. B. Carle-
ton of Haverhill, for exhibition only ; and as a compensation
for the interest he has manifested in our Exhibition, by pre-
senting animals, which, when taken collectively, are by your
committee considered of superior quality, we recommend a
gratuity of $15, the highest premium offered by the Society
on Herd of Milch Cows.

E. G. Berry, for the Committee.

HEIFERS.

The Committee on Heifers having attended to their duty,
submit the following report :

The number of entries was not large, consisting of 3 three
years old, 2 two years old, and 7 yearlings.

61

They award the first premium of $10, to Wm. A. Russell,
of Lawrence, for his three years old Midwould Heifer,

The second premium of $6, to Wm. A. Eussell, of Law-
rence, for his three years old Heifer, "Fanny."

They award to Albert E. Emery, of Haverhill, the first
premium of $5, for the best two years old Heifer.

The second premium to EHphalet Davis, of Haverhill.

For the best yearling Heifer, they award the first premium
of $5, to Seth Kimball, of Bradford.

The second premium of $3, to Wm. A. Russell, of Law-
rence.

There were three lots of calves entered, only one of which,
however, by the regulations of the Society, was entitled to a
premium, the other two lots being deficient in number ; and
they award the premium of $6, to George E. Silsby, of
Bradford.

Committee — George A. Abbott, Farnham Stiles, Hiram
Goodhue, B, H. Farnham.

WORKING OXEN AND STEERS.

The Committee on Working Oxen and Steers, report : —

Seven entries of Oxen and three of Steers were made ; but
only one pair of Steers appeared and performed.

The entries were as follows, viz.,

1st. One pair of Oxen, five years old, weighing 2985
lbs. By William Foster, of North Andover.

2d. Two pairs of Oxen, one pair of which was seven years
old and weighed 3195 lbs. This pair only was tried. By
John T. Wood, of Boxford.

3d. Two pairs of Oxen, one pair of which only, six years
old and weighing 3150 lbs,, was tried. By Frai^cis Dodge, of
Danvers,

eg

4th. One pair of Oxen six years old, weighing 3100
lbs By Francis P. Putnam, of Danvers.

5th. One pair of Oxen, five years old, M'cighing 2835 lbs.
By C. E. Ordway, of West Newbury.

6th. One pair of Oxen, five years old, weighing 3450 lbs,
By Romelus Jaques, of West Newbury.

^jTth. Two pairs of Oxen, of which one pair, seven years
old, and weighing 3160 lbs., was tried. By Charles O. Cum-
mings, of Andovcr.

8th. One pair of Steers, four years old, weighing 2775
lbs., made the only trial of Steers.

After a careful observation of the performance of the differ-
ent teams, some of which showed very careful training,
(especially one driven by a young son of Mr. Dodge), the
Committee award the first premium of $12, to Francis Dodge,
of Danvers.

The second premium of $10, to John T. Wood, of Boxford.

But one pair of Steers appeared on the ground, and for their
good performance the Committee award to E. S. Bray, of
Newbury, the first premium of $8.

The attention of your Committee was called on the first
day of tlfe show, to a team of twenty-three pairs of oxen from
the neighboring town of Bradford. It did credit to that good
old town. The oxen in general were very good, and some
were particularly so. Capt. Little's oxen took the lead on the
team, and also at the show, of which he might well feel proud.

On the second day of the show, Bradford finds herself in
the condition of the man who told the first story, for to-day
Haverhill is represented by a town team of thirty-three pairs
of oxen, drawing a wagon loaded with fifteen ladies from
ninety to one hundred years of age, judging from their dress,
and very good looking at that.

Your Committee have no right to report on Ladies at all,
(and beg pardon for having transcended their duty), as they
appeared to be in charge of a very competent Committee, con-

63

sisting of our worthy Ex-President, Mr. Dodge, and Mayor
Huntington, who made their report on the field.

It afforded your Committee pleasure to see such noble teams
from towns in Old Essex, which would do credit to a purely
agricultural county.

Committee — Josiah Newhall, J. Longfellow, T. G. Ordway,
John W. Kent.

STEERS.

The Committee on Steers report the award of the following
premiums : —

To John Tarlton, of West Newbury, for two year old
Steers, the first premium of $5.

To Alfred Kimball, of Bradford, for yearlings, the first
premium of $4, and the second premium of $S.

Committee — James Nason, Joshua N. Kent, Abel Stickney.

STALLIONS.

The Committee on Stallions respectfully report :—

No entry was made for three years old stallions.

For four years old and upwards :

1st. Warren Perley, of Haverhill, enters a horse, full or
partially thorough-bred, owned by Dr. Samuel K. Towle, of
Haverhill. This horse, not being entered by the owner, but
by another person, can not be entitled to a premium ; being
precluded, as the Committee think, by the rules of the Society.

64

^D. E. Battelle, of Newburyport, the owner, enters a four
years old, which we have carefully examined ; and in our
judgment Mr. Battelle is entitled to the second premium of
$10, for this horse.

3d. George B. Martin, of Danvers, the owner, enters
a six years old, which we have carefully examined ; from
which examination, and from reliable information otherwise
obtained, and from the fact that the same horse has been here-
tofore favorably noticed by the Society in the way of premi-
ums, the Committee do not recommend that a premium be
awarded to Mr. Martin, at the present exhibition for this
horse.

Committee — H. A. Bodwell, William Tagcjart.

BEOOD MARES.
The Committee on Brood Mares, report : —

They award to W. E. Kimball, of North Andover, the first
premium of $15.

To H. W. Cheever, of Haverhill, the second premium
of $10.

To Herbert E. Wales, of Groveland, the third premium
of $8.

There were several very fine Mares and Colts which would
have received premiums, but in the opinion of the Committee,
were unsound.

Committee — Joseph Kittredge, George B. Martin, Seth
Kimball, George Dane, Joseph B. Spiller.

65

FAMILY HORSES.

The Committee on Family Horses report the following
awards : —

To J. G. S. Little, of Haverhill, the first premium of $10.

To Jas. R. Nichols, of Haverhill, the second premium of |8.

Committee — Francis Sargent, William B. Morgan, Thomas
K. Leach, Frederick Perley.

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

The Committee on Farm and Draft Horses, report : —
They award to James T. Carlton, of Bradford, the first
premium of $10.

To R. S. Bray, of Newbury, the second premium of $8.
Committee — Benj. P. "Ware, Royal Day, M. H. Poor.

COLTS.

The Committee on Colts present the following report and
award of premiums : —

In the class of four years old, four were entered for pre-
mium.

To Orrin Ordway, of Groveland, the first premium of $10.

To S. C. Kimball, of Haverhill, the second premium of $5.

In the class of three years old, four were entered for
premium.

To Romulus Jaques, of West Newbury, the first premium
of $6.

To George Coffin, of Haverhill, the second premium of $4.
9

66

In the class of two years old, five were entered for premium.

To John Swinerton, of Danvers, the first premium of $5.

To T. Weed Quimby, of Amesbury, the second premium
of $3.

'J he Committee deem it proper to state that two very fine
Abdallah Colts were offered in this class for premium. It was
difficult for them to decide between the two, which was entitled
to the second premium, but they finally determined as above
stated. In fact all of this class were very fine animals.

In the class of yearlings, six were entered for premium.

To John Gardner of Haverhill, the first premium of $4.

To J. T. McDonald, of Haverhill, the second premium of $3.

In this class also were some very fine Colts.

The Committee are of the opinion that those of the two last
named classes are superior animals, and that a decided im-
provement is being made in this branch of agriculture.

Committee — James P. King, Albert Kimball, Hazen Ayer,
William J. Dale, Jr., Paul D. Patch.

SWINE.

The Committee on Swine, report that the exhibition was
unusually small ; there were but four competitors.

The Committee would recommend the first premium of
$8, to C. E. Morse, of Bradford, for his Cumberland Boar.

The first premium of $8, to Daniel Carleton, of North
Andover, for his breeding Sow.

The first premium of $5, to Michael McDonald, of Haver-
hill, for his eight Pigs.

Farmers necessarily have to change their business, accord-
ing to the wants of the people, and raise such articles as are

67

best adapted to the wants of the market; or, in other words,
produce such articles from which they can make the most
money.

Formerly, almost every farmer raised more or less pork for
the market. Potatoes were raised in large quantities, which
were cooked and mixed with meal and the refuse from the
dairy, making good keeping for swine ; also apples were used
in the fall of the year to some extent, which were of some
value. Now, circumstances have entirely changed ; potatoes
can no longer be profitably raised for swine, except the refuse
ones. The crop of corn, has been changed by many farmers
for vegetables, to supply the market. Milk, is also sold in the
market, instead of being made into butter and cheese, as
formerly ; so that the keeping of swine from the products of
the farm with many farmers, is almost entirely cut off. Pork
is also brought in large quantities from the West, to supply
the market.

Now, under all these circumstances, what shall the farmer
do ? Is it profitable to buy grain and make pork ? This de-
pends upon the proportional price of each article. In the
opinion of the writer, with a good breed of swine and proper
care, pork can be raised for ten cents per pound, when corn
can be purchased for one dollar per bushel, offsetting the
manure for the trouble of taking care of them.

Hogs will make a large amount of manure, if they have a
suitable place to be kept, and material on which to work.
They like a dry place to eat and sleep ; although they like to
wallow in the mire, they do not like to eat and sleep there.
They should also be fed regularly ; I mean about the same
time every day, as they will be more quiet, and the more quiet
they are, the better they will thrive.

Now if pork is not profitable at all times to raise for the
market, most farmers like to raise pork and lard and hams, for
family use ; and if the profits on pork is small, it is none the
less important that the best breeds should be selected.

Chairman of Committee— Joseph How.

68

SHEEP— COARSE WOOLED.

The Committee on Coarse Wooled Sheep, report the award
of the

1st premium, to J. P. Poster, of North Andover, for his
flock of Ewes, $8.

1st premium, to D. R. Webster, of Haverhill, for his Buck,
$6.

Committee — Charles Corliss, A. P. Bateman, Henry Patch,
Benjamin Needham.

POULTRY.

The Committee on Poultry have attended to their duty, and
make the following report : —

We have awarded to E. S. Tappan, of Haverhill, for the
largest and best show of Fowls, $o.

To Wm. Rankin, Jr., of Danvers, for second best. Strong's
Book on Grapes.

To E. F. Webster, of Haverhill, for coop of Turkeys, $1.

To Willie B. Ladd, of Groveland, for one coop of Plymouth
Rock Fowls, $1.

To Robert G. Buxton, of South Danvers, for one coop of
Bremen Geese, $1.

To Otis F. Putnam, of Danvers, one coop of Wild Geese, $1.

To E. W. Hayward, of Danvers, for one coop of Black
Poland Fowls, $1.

To J. E. Osborn, of South Danvers, for one coop of Leg-
horn Fowls, $1.

To John Bogardus, of Newburyport, for best coop of Brah-
ma Fowls, $1.

To John Perley, of ^Bradford, for one coop of cross pf
Brahma and Native Fowls, $1.

69

To Frederick A. Brown, of Haverhill, for one coop of
Bremen Geese, $1.

To Nelson Bodwell, of Boxford, for one coop of Brahma
Fowls, 50 cents.

To David Webster, 2d, of Haverhill, for one coop of
Brahma Fowls, 50 cents.

To A. D. Eobinson, of Bradford, for one coop of Native
Ducks, 50 cents.

To Robert G. Buxton, of South Dan vers, for one coop of
Muscovy Ducks, 50 cents.

To Horace Morse, of Haverhill, for one coop of Sea Bright
Bantams, 50 cents.

To Eugene H. Tilton, of Haverhill, for one coop of Black
Bantams, 50 cents.

Committee — John I. Ladd, S. Southwick, Andrew Nichols,
David Kimball.

PLOUGHING— DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Double Teams, respect-
fully report that there were four entries of teams, all of which
competed for the premiums, and we award as follows : —

To J. L. Farnham, of North Andover, the first premium of
$12 ; he used the " Hussey " Plough, No. 16.

To R. T. Jaques and R. S. Bray, of Newbury, the second
premium of $10 ; the " Eagle " Plough, No. 20, was used.

To Cummings & Phelps, of Andover, the third premium of
$9 ; these parties used the " Doe C." Plough, No. 7.

To C. K. Ordway, of West Newbury, the fourth premium
of $8 J he used the " Doe C." Plough, No. 7.

Committee — S. A. Merrill, Henry Hobbs, Henry A. Gould,
Everett J. Gage, Bobert A, Smith, Wm. B. Morgan.

70

PLOUGHING— SINGLE TEAMS.

The Committee report four entries, but two of whom ap-
peared on the ground. They award the first premium to
Richard T. Jaques, of Newbury, using the *' Hussey " Plough,
No. 16.

The second premium they award to Romulus Jaques, of
West Newbury, he using the " Conical " Plough, No. 4.

Both competitors performed their work in a creditable
manner, and deserve the commendation and praise of the
Society, for their skill and pains.

Committee — William Little.

PLOUGHING— WITH HORSES.

Eight teams were entered, but only six teams appeared, five
Horse, and one Mule team. The ground selected for Plough-
ing proved unfit, it being stony and uneven, and the lots
drawn not equal, making it difficult for the Committee to judge
of the Ploughing. The premiums were awarded for Horse
teams, and the Committee award the first premium to William
R. Putnam of Danvers, Holbrook's Universal Plough, No. 98.
Second premium to Thos. C. Shattuck, of N. Andover, *' Hus-
sey " Plough, No. 16. Third premium to James H. Duncan,
of Haverhill, " Concord Eagle " Plough.

The Mule team, entered by Nathaniel Stevens & Sou, of
North Andover, considering their light weight and cool condi-
tion after ploughing, eclipsed all others, doing their work as
well as any, and in less time. The Committee were unani-
mously in favor of giving this team the first premium, but were
debarred, from the fact that the premiums were offered for
Horse teams. Moody S. Dole, of West Newbury, drawing a
poor lot, abandoned the contest, after showing very good work
■with what he had to contend with.

Chairman of Committee — W. A. Russell.

71

PLOUGHING— SIDE HILL PLOUGH.

The Committee on Ploughing with Side Hill Plough, have
attended to the duty assigned them and report : —

There were but two entries made. The Committee were
unanimous in the opinion that the work performed by the
Plough No. 6, was superior to any work of the kind ever wit-
nessed by them, and they think that this plough is superior to
any plough of the kind that they have ever seen, for ease of
draft and quality of work. The Committee, through the kind-
ness of the ploughman, Mr. Pettingill, tested the performance
of the plough at different depths from six to nine inches, with
satisfaction to themselves and comfort to the team.

They are unanimous in the award of the first premium of
^ $10, to Messrs. Pettingill & Allen, of Topsfield. Plough —
F. r. Holbrook's wood-beam, No. 6,

The second premium of $8 to John T. Wood, of Boxford.
Team, four oxen ; Plough — J. Nourse's, No. 9.

Committee — Horace Ware, Charles H. Nichols, John N.
Kent, S. B. Swan, John Perley.

PLOUGHING— BY BOYS.

The Committee on Ploughing by Boys under Nineteen years
of age, submit the following report :

In the earlier years of this Society, its premiums were in-
tended to stimulate and encourage among the farmers of the
county an improved style of agriculture. Very soon the far-
mers' daughters were invited by premiums and gratuities to ex-
hibit specimens of their taste and skill in domestic manufac-
tures, and the arrangement of flowers, etc. And later, we
have included in the objects of our premiums, the finer, as
well as the useful arts ; until only the largest halls in the

county can furnish sufficient room to exhibit the various prod-
ucts of industry and art to the thousands attracted by their
beauty.

But while every other class have been stimulated to aid in
making our annual shows an occasion of general interest, the
hoys have been strangely, but unintentionally neglected. It is,
therefore, not surprising that few premiums have ever been of-
fered by this Society for any object, which have excited such a
general interest as have the generous premiums offered by our
President for boys' ploughing. And the boys naturally feel that
they are no longer to be merely spectators, but actors and com-
petitors with men.

The ploughing match has always been an exciting scene at
our annual shows. Not only farmers, but men of all occupa-
tions, and ladies also, eagerly watch with glowing interest
each stalwart competitor, as with vigilant eye he guides his
well-trained team, and skillfully with experienced arm prompt-
ly counteracts any slight unevenness of the team which would
mar his work.

But, as was naturally expected on this occasion, the public
eye was turned with a deeper interest to see these hoys, with-
out the strength and experience of the stalwart ploughmen
around them, undaunted by the public gaze, — guide their
teams and lay their maiden furrows.

Seven boys competed for the prizes :

Charles Fish, of Danvers, age 15 years ; team owned by
Francis P. Putnam — used Holbrook's Universal Plough, No.
94.

Eben Dodge, of Danvers, age 17 years ; team owned by
Francis Dodge — used Holbrook's Universal, No. 94.

S. F. Barker, pf North Andover, age 16 years ; team own-
ed by William Foster — used Puggles & Morse's, letter B.

Eustis Balch, of Groveland, age 18 years ; team owned by
Thomas Balch — used Holbrook's Universal, No. 95.

George Stiles, of Marblehead, age IT years ; team owned
by , used Lion Plough, No. 61.

Frank C. Phelps, of Andover, age 17 years ; team owned
by Harmon Phelps — used Whittemore, Belcher & Co.'s, No.
20.

Walter Cummings, of North Andover, age 16 years ; team
owned by Newell Atkins — used Morse's, No. 2 1-2.

Though the field was well adapted to the purpose, yet
some of the lots tested the skill of the boys. On all the lots,
with one exception, (Barker's) the work was well done. In
the judgment of the Committee the ploughing of the three
successful competitors would have been creditable to experi-
enced workmen. Had the cutters of two or three of the
ploughs been bent some two inches, so that the plough front
would have exactly followed it, the work would have been
smoother. The lower lot ploughed by Fish, was a few fur-
rows wider than the others. This will explain why he finish-
ed later than they.

The Committee unanimously award to Charles Fish, of Dan-
vers, the 1st premium of $25.

To George Stiles, of Marblehead, the 2d premium of $15.

To Eben Dodge, of Danvers, the 3d premium of $10.

In addition to these large premiums given by the President
of the Society, he also generously authorized the Committee
to award to each of the other boys a gratuity of $5, if it was
thought that they merited it. The Committee, therefore,
unanimously award to Eustis Balch, of Groveland, Frank C.
Phelps, of Andover, and Walter Cummings, of North Ando-
ver, this gratuity of $5 each.

The Committee regret to add, that both the ploughing and
also the management of the team by Barker were so defective,
that they could not justly recommend that the gratuity be giv-
en to him.

Chairman of Committee-— John Keely.

10

74

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

No subject should receive more attention from those inter-
ested in progressive agriculture, than farm implements. It lies
at the very foundation of all improvement. We may have
new fertilizers, new modes of applying them, and increased
products, but the cost of tilling and harvesting must be kept
down by the use of labor saving machines, or there will be lit-
tle or no profit. So with the hay crop for example, every
implement that facilitates cutting, curing and gathering, tends
to make the crop more remunerative.

The greatest outlay on a farm now-a-days is for wages. To
a great extent these must correspond to wages in other occu-
pations, or our farms wdll be deserted. And yet every farmer
— we do not include market gardeners — well knows that he
cannot pay extravagant or even comparatively high wages, and
make both ends of the year meet. Hence he is greatly inter-
ested in the substitution of horse power and steam power for
man power, and where this can be effected on the farm, it is
no detriment to the latter, as there are always other avenues in
this country for its profitable employment.

In the West, where farming is carried on on so grand a scale,
horse and steam power and improved implements and machin-
ery are used to an extent to which we in New England are
unaccustomed. With them it is a necessity, or their work
could not be accomplished. Our farms and crops are so small
we do not so generally feel this necessity. We can "rub and
go" with the same tools that our fathers used, but then we
make no headway either in filling our barns or pockets. Thus
it is that so many complain of farming as a poor business, and
they always will complain till they set their brains at work to
devise the means to help their hands.

But we are not obliged to invent new implements ourselves ;
wc have only to select from those already invented, or which
are constantly invented to meet the wants of the farm. True,
it costs considerable money to get these implements, but the
first cost is not the question. The question is whether it will

75

be a good investment. Again, you fear to buy lest a better
implement will shortly be introduced, and you will wait for
that. But, by the same rule, when that comes, you will wait
for its successor, and so on, till you miss your opportunity. So
fares it with some farmers, and you can easily tell whether
they are among the most thrifty. Others run to the opposite
extreme, buy every new implement that comes along, and have
a good deal of useless machinery to fill their sheds. Of course
there is discretion to be exercised here, as in other things, and
by it you must direct your path.

Of implements of acknowledged utility, we say in the words
affixed to the advertisements of Webster's Dictionary : " Get
the best." Depend upon it, the best is in the long run the
cheapest. Only be sure to use and house your tools carefully.
As a general thing, you will be more likely to do this, if you
buy the best, than if you buy the cheapest. Yet we would
not be understood as claiming that high cost is an infallible
guarantee of the best quality. There may be fixtures about
tools, as well as tools themselves, that are more ornamental
than useful. A farmer needs to have his eyes open when he
is shown a churn, for example, that has a variety of arrange-
ments by which it is asserted that butter can be churned by a
small child, and that too in five or ten minutes. He may be
wheedled into a purchase, but after a few trials he will be no
more proud of it than Franklin was of his whistle.

A farmer, of all men, needs to have a wise caution in pur-
chasing things that promise large results. He must look into
them for himself, or must rely upon the judgment or experience
of others who have tested them. If he takes only the word
of the vendor, or the certificates of persons unknown to him,
he will be liable to be swindled, as some in our county have
been this very season.

AVith reference to new implements, it may truly be said that
one trial will not fully test them. " One swallow does not
make a summer," is a good adage for farmers. Many new
agricultural tools, like new brooms, work well at first, but be-

76

fore long one defect and another come out where you little sus-
pect it, and unless it be remedied, they must be abandoned.
Pope's very conservative rule with regard to fashion, might
perhaps be recommended in the use of fiirm implements : —

"Be not the first by whom the neAv is tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside ; "

only we should be glad to know, if every body adopted this
rule, how any impiovement is to be introduced ? There must
be a first one to try every new thing, and generally it is the
most enterprlzlng and thrifty — sometimes, too, the most no-
tional— who is ready and willing to do it. And the whole
farming community are under obligations to such men ; men
who at great expense of time and money, and sometimes at
the risk of prejudice and ridicule, go forward with a new
horse-mower, or a horse-rake or hay-tedder, and by their ex-
ample revolutionize their neighborhoods. All honor to such
men ! They are benefactors of their race ! Let the Essex
Agricultural Society ever encourage such men by prompt and
appreciative attention, and by a liberal award of premiums.

At an exhibition of agricultural implements, the committee
labor under a difficulty in making their awards. It is seldom
they can assign reasons for their preference of one implement
over another of the same class, founded on a trial of them on
the spot. They must rely, therefore, on a careful inspection of
the implements and such reliable testimony as they can gather
from those who have used them. And this, with a single ex-
ception, is all we have been able to do on the present occasion,
and accordingly we submit the following premiums and
gratuities : —

PREMIUMS.

For the best Mowing Machine, to Whittcmore, Belcher &
Co., of Boston, for Wood's New Jointed Bar Mower, $10.

For the best Farm Wagon, to Samuel A. Merrill, of Dan-
vers, the same being a two-horse Market Wagon, $10,

77

For the best Horse Pitch-fork, (tested on the cattle ground,)
Raymond's patent, to John S. Preston, of Danvers, $10.

For the best Horse Rake, Bay State Pattern, to Charles
Perley, of Boxford, $5.

For the best Horse Hoe, (not tested at the Fair as required
by the rules,) Share's pattern, one-half the premium offered,
to Amos Poor, of West Newbury, $5.

GRATUITIES.

To S. A. Merrill, agent of Ames's Plough Co., for a Horse-
hay tedder, Garfield's pattern, $10.

To E. E. Lummus, of Boston, for a Kniffen one-horse
Mower, $5.

To Nathan Page, Jr., of Danvers, for a Portable Pump and
Graduated Sprinkler, $5.

To George E. Herrick, of Lynnfield, for his improved Seed
Sower, $3.

For the best Collection of Implements, the special premium
offered by the President of the Society, is awarded to Whitte-
more. Belcher & Co., of Boston, their collection comprising
75 articles, $25.

Committee — Allen W. Dodge, William Hazeltine, Henry
A. Bodwell, Asahel H. Patch.

CARRIAGES.

The Committee on Carriages, award the premiums as fol-
lows : —

To Alvah Whittler, of Haverhill, for Buggy, $3; for Car,
riages, $4 ; for Sleighs, $3.

Committee— George French, Calvin How, J. F. Merrill,

78

DAIRY.

The Committee on Dairy Products, would report as follows :

There were twelve entries of Butter, and three of Cheese ;
one factory Cheese for exhibition only. Some of the contrib-
utors failed to comply with the rules of the Society in regard
to quantity exhibited, and some failed to present a statement,
so that the number of contributors eligible to a premium was
somewhat diminished.

The committee award the first premium of $12, to Hannah
Lambert, of Rowley ; the second premium of $10, to Mrs.
Farnham Styles, of Middleton ; the third premium of $8, to
Sarah L. Ridgeway, of W. Newbury ; the fourth premium of
Burr's Field and Garden Vegetables, to Mrs. Nathaniel Carle-
ton, of Bradford.

Your committee considered the cheese made at the Byfield
factory the best exhibited, and thought the others of not suf-
ficient excellence to justify the award of a premium.

The chairman of your committee submits the following :

It is a fact well known that the production of Butter and
Cheese is not a leading agricultural interest of this county. —
Our numerous cities and villages require a large proportion of
the dairy product, in the form of milk, and this proportion is
constantly increasing. And yet it does not necessarily follow
that less effort should be made to produce the best qualities of
butter and cheese. Most of the farmers, and many who are
not farmers, produce their own butter, and as no poor article
of food — always excepting poor bread — so injures an other-
wise good meal as does poor butter, and as our enjoyment in
life depends largely on the quality of the food Ave eat, it per-
haps follows that excellence in the manufacture of butter will
contribute quite as much to our comfort and happiness, as if it
were the leading agricultural product.

We were struck with the similarity of the statements of the
contributors of butter — both of those who received a premium
and those who did not. The manner of making seems to be

79

in most cases essentially the same. And yet there was a wide
difference in the quality of the different samples — a difference
which could not be accounted for by any difference in the
methods of making. We suppose the highest excellence in
the production of butter requires three things : 1st — cows
that give the best quality of milk ; 2d — feed of the best kind ;
3d — the best method of making the butter. The first named
requisite is no doubt the most essential. We want for butter
purposes a good stock of cows, whose chief excellence consists
in giving milk rich in butyraceous particles. This is the first
step towards improvement, and here arises a practical difficul-
ty. How shall we get such a stock ? If we could have cows
which would average as good as the best we now have, either
for the production of milk or butter, the dairy would be the
most profitable branch of farming. Is this result attainable ?
If so, how ? We believe it is, but not by going to Brighton,
or the country, and buying the cheapest looking animal to be
seen ; neither is it generally a profitable operation to pay extra
prices, because cows are highly recommended. Most farmers
do not sell their best cows until they grow old, or something
befalls them to impair their usefulness. No doubt the best
cow is the cheapest, even if a high price is paid, but the diffi-
culty is to be reasonably certain that the cow is as good as the
price. We believe the best way and the only way in which
we can make any real improvement in our stock, is to raise it
ourselves. It is true, that many of our Essex County farmers
think that stock-raising does not pay. Undoubtedly it does
not pay to raise inferior, or even average stock here, and sell
it as soon as it arrives at maturity. But experience and ob-
servation both, convince the writer, that it pays to raise good
cows. By putting our best cows to a bull from good butter
or milk stock, and raising the heifers, we shall be pretty cer-
tain to get a better stock than we can readily buy, and by a
systematic and judicious management, vastly improve the qual-
ity of our cows. If it is said that cattle can be raised some-
where else cheaper than here, we admit it. But the cattle are

80

hot raised with reference to milk or butter. Breeders gen-
erally are not careful to breed only from the best, and if we
want the best, we must breed them ourselves. Even if it does
not pay at once, we shall be making permanent improvement,
which in the long run will be sure to tell. It will create an
interest, and by raising the standard, will lead stock raisers to
be more careful in the selection of their animals. This matter
lies at the foundation of all improvement, either in the produc-
tion of butter or milk. It costs but little more to keep a cow
that makes three hundred pounds of butter per year, than one
that makes but two hundred ; or that averages ten quarts of
milk per day, than one that gives but six. How to obtain
such cows, is the practical problem to be solved. Much might
be said, relative to the other points mentioned. We imagine
that if our farmers had a better paying class of cattle, they
would naturally feed better, and when we furnish our wives
and daughters with the best material for the manufacture of
butter and cheese, we do not believe they will be found lacking
in their part of the business.

Committee — Joseph S. Howe, John A. Putnam, Hiram
Tozier, Nathaniel Lambert.

STATEMENT OF HANNAH LAMBERT.

This parcel of Butter, consisting of 15 pounds, was obtained
by the following process : first, the milk was strained in nicely
scalded tin pans to the depth of two and one half or three
inches, then set in a cool room, where the air was kept as free
as possible from all impurities, to stand about 36 hours ; after
which the cream was removed to an earthen jar, and stirred
twice every 24 hours, until the time of churning, which was
8 days after the first cream was collected. It was churned in
"Davis's Patent Self-adjusting Churn." When the butter
was well collected, the butter-milk was drawn from the churn.

81

and the butter removed by hand, care being taken to press all
the butter-milk possible from it. The butter was then weighed
and 1 1-4 ounce of salt added to each pound of butter. The
whole lump was then put in a cool place to remain 24 hours ;
when each pound was taken separately and all the remaining
butter-milk removed by hand. The lumps were then left for
12 hours to partially harden, when they were put into their
present form, by the use of common butter-clappers.

STATEMENT OF MRS. NATHANIEL CARLETON.

I present for your inspection fifteen pounds of Butter made
from the milk of six cows in two days and a half. The milk
after being drawn is strained in tin pans, set in a cool, well
ventilated room, and after standing thirty-six hours the cream
is then taken off and kept in a cool place till churned ; the
butter is then taken from the churn and salted to the taste. —
In from twelve to twenty-four hours it is again worked over
with the hands till it is perfectly free from any moisture. Then
with clappers it is made into the shape that is presented to
you.

STATEMENT OF MRS. FARNHAM STILES.

I present for your inspection, a box of September Butter,
containing 16 1-2 pounds. Process of making : The milk is
strained into well scalded tin pans, and placed in a well venti-
lated dairy room, to remain from 24 to 36 hours ; the cream
is then removed into a stone jar and stirred twice a day. We
churn once a week. The butter ia taken from the churn into
pure cold water, and the butter-milk thoroughly worked out
with the hands and salted to the taste. After remaining about
24 hours, it is worked again, and made into lumps as presented.
11

BREAD AND HONEY.

The Committee on Bread and Honey report the following
gratuities :

Gould, of Wenham, $5 ; Batchelder of

Newbury port, $4, for very interesting exhibitions of Honey
and Hive of Bees at work.

Gratuities on Bread. — Joanna Harrigan of Haverhill, $2 ;
Miss Loisa Ordway, and Mrs. George Lovejoy, of Bradford $1
each ; Ellen Moriarty, Mrs. H. S. Gould, and Mrs. John
Goodrich, of Haverhill, 50 cents each ; Miss F. W. Hazeltine,
of Bradford, 50 cents.

Gratuities on Preserves — Mrs. A. Littlefield, of Haverhill,
$2 ; Mrs. G. B. George, $1 ; Mrs. S. G. Long, Mrs. Daniel Pal-
mer, Mrs. U. H. Ayer, and Mrs. E. B. Johnson, of Haverhill,
50 cents each.

For the Committee — James R. Nichols.

PEARS.

The Committee on Pears make the following award as pre-
miums and gratuities, viz :

To Wm. Maloon, of Salem, for 12 best specimens Bartletts,
$1 ; W. D. Northend, do, 12 best specimens Duchesse d'An-
gouleme, $1 ; B. P. Plow, Haverhill, 12 do Belle Lucrative,
$1 ; H. F. Rich, do, 12 do Flemish Beauty, $1 ; W. D. Nor-
thend, Salem, 12 do Beurre Bosc, $1 ; Wm. Maloon, do, 12
do Beurre Superfine, §1 ; David Boynton, Haverhill, 12 do
Onondago, $1 ; W. Maloon, Salem, 12 do, Doyenne du Corn-
ice, $1 ; Henry Savary, Groveland, 12 do, Seckel, $1 ; Sum-
ner Southwick, South Danvers, 12 do Buffum, $1 ; S. P. Brad-
ley, Haverhill, 12 do Winter Nelis, $1 ; W. D. Northend, Sa-

83

lera, 13 do Black Pear of Worcester, $1 ; H. Webster, Hav-
erhill, 12 do Yicar of Winkfleld, $1 ; Wm. Maloon, Salem,
12 do Lawrence, $1 ; E. Gage, Bradford, 12 do Glout Mor-
ceau, $1 ; J. W. Haines, Haverhill, 12 do Louise Bonne de
Jersey, $1 ; Aaron Woodman, do, 12 do Beurre Clairgeau, $1;
Mrs. B. F. Horsford, do, 12 do Golden Beurre ; Warner E.
Whittier, do, 12 do Catillac, $1 ; Warren Sheldon, Dan vers,
12 do Urbaniste, $1 ; Wm. Maloon, Salem, 12 do Beurre Di-
el, $1 ; J. B. Swett, Haverhill, 12 do Sheldon, $1 ; S. W.
Hopkinson, Bradford, 12 do Heathcot, $1 ; W. D. Northend,
Salem, 12 do Beurre d'Anjou, $1 ; J. V. Stevens, South Dan-
vers, 12 do Paradise d' Autumn, $1 ; Wm. Maloon, Salem, 12
do Marie Louise, ^1 ; J. V. Stevens, South Danvers, 12 do
Doyenne Boussock, $1 : Mrs B. F. Hosford, Haverhill, 12 do
Beurre Gris, $1 ; Sumner Southwick, South Danvers, 12 do
Tongres, $1 ; Richard Webster, Haverhill, 12 do Baron de
Mello, $1.

The following gratuities of 50 cents each, for the best 12
specimens, were awarded to

Moses How, Haverhill, Bartletts ; D. P. Harmon, do, do ;
A. L. Peirson, South Danvers, Belle Lucrative ; S. P. Brad-
ley, Haverhill, Duchesse d'Angouleme ; Peter Wait, Danvers,
Flemish Beauty ; S. B. Bradley, Haverhill, Doyenne Bos-
souck ; D. D. Flanders, do, Onondago ; F. Brickett, do. Vicar
of Winkfield ; J. V. Stevens, South Danvers, Beurre d'Anjou;
M. H. Roberts, do, Beurre Bosc ; A. L. Peirson, do, Seckel ;
Gilbert Kimball, Haverhill, Louise Bon d'Jersey ; Warner R.
Whittier, do, Beurre Clairgeau ; Sumner Southwick, South
Danvers, Easter Beurre; S. H. Elliot, Haverhill, Paradise d'
Autumn ; E. Gage, Bradford, Beurre Diel ; Mrs. B. F. Hor-
ford, Haverhill, Glout Morceau ; E. G. Pressey, do, Winter
Nelis ; E. Gage, Bradford, Lawrence ; A. B. Fellows, Ips-
wich, St. Michael.

For the best collection of Twenty Varieties, to Wrn. IVf^-.
loo», Sfvlem, 15,

84

For the best collection of Ten Varieties, to W. D. Northend,
Salem, $3.

Eor the best collection of Five Varieties^ to J. V. Stevens,
South Danvers, Burr's Garden Vegetables.

Committee — W. R. Whittier, John V. Stevens, Wm. D.
Lamb, Hiram Rodgers.

APPLES.

The Committee on Apples award the following premiums:

For the best Twenty Varieties, to Charles H. Lake, Tops-
field, $5.

For the best Ten Varieties, to Benj. P. Ware, Marblehead,
$3.

For the best Five Varieties, to Albert Kimball, Haverhill,
Burr's Garden Vegetables.

For the best 12 specimens of the following varieties the
committee award a premium of $1 each :

Porter, to William Caldwell, Haverhill ; Golden Kussett,
Charles H. Lake, Topsfield ; Pickman Pippen, Benj. P. Ware,
Marblehead ; Baldwin, Chas. H. Lake, Topsfield ; Jonathan,
James Flint, Middleton ; Hunt's Russet, Peter Wait, Danvers ;
Danvers Sweet, Charles H. Lake, Topsfield ; Seaver Sweet,
B. P. Ware, Marblehead ; Haskell Sweet, do, do ; Graven
stein, H. S. Brown, Haverhill ; Minister, James Flint, Mid-
dleton ; Sweet Baldwin, Drap d'Or, Lyscom, Benj. P. Ware,
Marblehead ; Roxbury Russett, Russet Sweet, Williams Red,
J. A. Lunt, Newbury ; Rhode Island Greening, George N.
Ordway, W. Newbury ; Eustice, Josiah Newhall, Lynnfield ;
Ladies' Sweet, Fall Harvey, James Flint, Middleton ; Detroit,
iS. H- Sheldon, Haverhill ; Sweeting, S. A. Merrill, Danvers ;

85

Hubbardston, J. R. Nichols, Haverhill ; Fall Pippin, William
Perkins, Newbury.

The following gratuities of 50 cents each were awarded :
Hunt's Eusset, to Amos Brown, Danvers ; Rhode Island
Greening, Peter Wait, Danvers ; English Sweeting, H. R.
Snow, Haverhill ; Minister, James AVilson, Topsfield ; Hub-
bardston, J. A. Lunt, Newbury ; Pumpkin Sweet, Josiah New-
hall, Lynnfield ; Gravenstein, Roxbury Russet, Charles H.
Lake, Topsfield ; Fall Harvey, Nathaniel Annable, South Dan-
vers ; Orange Quince, A. R. Lancaster, Haverhill ; Pound
Sweet, Richard Webster, Haverhill. For Varieties, to Asa
Adams, Newbury ; B. Bricket, Haverhill ; T. K. Leach, Tops-
field ; D. Plumer, Newbury ; James Wilson, Topsfield ; E. G.
Hyde, Danvers • Richard Webster, Haverhill.

Committee — J. B. Sargent, G. W. Gage, John Perkins.

PEACHES, ASSORTED FRUITS AND GRAPES.

The Committee on Peaches, Assorted Fruits and Grapes,
have awarded the following premiums and gratuities :

For the best Free Stone, White Flesh Peach, to John P.
Foster, of North Andover $1.

For the best Yellow Flesh Peach, to P. F. Butters, of
Plaverhill, $L

For the best Seedling Peach, to Charles F. Ives, of Sa-
lem, $1.

For the best Collection of Peaches, to G. W. Chadwick, of
West Boxford ; $2.

For the best Basket of Assorted Fruits, first premium to
C. H. Lake, of Topsfield, |3.

For second best Basket, to Nelson Bodwell, $g,

86

For third best Basket, to Peter Walt, of Danvers, f 1.

For the best Concord Grapes, to George C. Bailey, of Ha-
verhill, $2.

For the best Hartford Prolific, to E. Harrington, of Grove-
land, $2.

For the best Isabella, to John F. Abbott, of Danvers, $2.

For the best Delaware, to Moses Howe, of Haverhill, $2.

For the best lona, to Charles Barker, of Haverhill, $2.

For the best Israella, to Moses Howe, of Haverhill, $2.

For the best Adirondack, to Moses Howe, of Haverhill, $2.

For the best Eogers's Hybrid, Nos. 4 and 19, to George W.
Gage, of Methuen, $4.

For the best Rogers's Hybrid, No. 15, to Adrian Chase, of
Haverhill, $2.

For the best ten varieties of Grapes, to G. W. Gage, of
Methuen, $5.

For the best five varieties, to Charles Barker, of Haver-
hill, $3.

For the best assortment of Cold House Grapes, to E. Mitch-
ell, of Haverhill, $3.

For the second best assortment, to E. Gage, of Bradford,
Strong's book on Grapes.

Gratuity for collection of Grapes, to Robert Bailey, of
Newburyport, $1.

Gratuity for collection of Grapes, to James R. Nichols, of
Haverhill, $1.

Gratuity for collection of Grapes, to D. P. Harmon, of
Haverhill, $1.

Gratuities for fine plates of Peaches, to Luther Bartlett,
Oliver Taylor, S. W. Hopkinson, C. Webster, C. B. Emerson,
and S. F. Proctor, of Bradford ; C. Horsey, of Haverhill ; —
each, 50 cts.

Your Committee would respectfully suggest the expedicncv
of hereafter placing all of a given kind of fruits in one locality,
in the exhibition hall. Our duties were quite onerous not only
in attending to three departments, all generously supplied with

87

entries, but each plate seemed to have assigned it a place de-
signed to elude official eyes, a modesty unusual with contrib-
utors, if a fault of theirs.

The most lamentable feature, however, in this unwarrantable
distribution of fruits over the tables, was the great length of time
thereby required to complete our amplified labors, amounting
to " prohibition " on all outside gustatory enjoyments ! And
we would take this occasion to express our most sincere regrets
to the many hospitable citizens of Haverhill and Bradford,
that we were consequently unable to comply with their polite
invitations.

Your Committee were limited to the sum of five dollars, cur
rency, to be awarded in premiums on Peaches raised in Essex
County for the year of our Lord 1867. Our arithmetic and
most profound judgment were brought into requisition to di-
vide this appropriation, not equally but according to merit!

We at once virtually resolved ourselves into a tasting com-
mittee of the whole. Perceiving that a son of our venerable
member from Salem had a seedling for consideration, we dis-
posed of this delicate matter during a temporary absence of our
worthy colleague, and necessarily interested party. We can
therefore fully exonerate this pioneer in fruit culture from all
undue or personal influence in our ultimate decision ! Stern
justice and justice only, guided us on the ground of quality,
beauty, and years of pains-taking. May this one dollar en-
courage Charles to renewed efforts for the public good as well
as his private emolument.

We owe an apology to Messrs. Foster aud Butters for sub-
jecting them to the trouble and expense of collecting one dol-
lar each, or otherwise disposing of said sums already deposited
to their credit in Mechanics' Bank, Salem. But the by-laws
of the Society and absolute duty were imperative ! We fur-
ther regret that by the same rules we could not award a "less
sum than 50 cents " in gratuities to the unfortunate recipients
named ! Lucre was needless to compensate or to encourage
the cultivators of such fine specimens in addition to the self-

88

consciousness of their excellence, and of duty performed to
the society and the public in presenting them.

" The best Collection " of Peaches, your anxious Committee
construed to mean in part the highest number ; and for this
they were curious to know the specie value of the premium
they were permitted to give ! They therefore feel that in award-
ing Mr. Chadwick only 143 cents cash for his large and good
assortment, the Society, on the mere doctrine of equivalents, are
under further pecuniary obligations to him. The transportation
from Boxford, time spent, injury to fruit and its presumptive
diminution through the indulgence of the Committee, are items
that must foot up a serious loss to the exhibitor, as the matter
now stands ! It may, however, be many years ere another
such peach season shall return to tax the patience of growers,
or afford similar gratification to a committee !

Assorted fruits as generally presented in baskets, are curios-
ities indescribable ! As ornaments they add much to an exhi-
bition, and deserve awards for the ingenuity displayed in ar-
ranging such a medley of fruits, independent of their quali-
ties. Of the latter we did not presume to know. Our motto
in this department was from Paul to the old Colossians, " touch
not, taste not, handle not !" The base of operations in these
pyramids, — which may have been aught else but fruits — and
the superstructure so tastefully arranged, doubtless, by fair
hands, were all equally sacred from investigation !

Without making a precedent for our successors, we are
bound to say that the points of merit on which we disposed
of another five dollars, legal tender, were beauty, size, design,
and variety of components ; making in the aggregate the best
ornamental display. Competitors will therefore perceive that
they might as well have constructed these artistic models en-
tirely of artificial fruits, which are now made to excel the nat-
ural in polish and splendor, and negatively in fragrance !

On the matter of out-door grapes, your Committee award-
ed premiums according to requirements, for the best of each
and all varieties ; but it was a singular anomaly that the best

89

could be found where there was neither the good nor the bet-
ter ! The Chairman had the tact and good fortune, in the
outset, to have the duty assigned to him of recording the im-
portant decisions arrived at by his fellow members, and was
only required to give a vote in case of a tie. Hence he be-
came irresponsible for the awards on the shades of difference
in Rogers' thirty numbers, or the distinction without a differ-
ence between six and half a dozen, as in his own opinion
pertained to many other kinds ! And, furthermore, he es-
caped personally all abdominal and gastronomical pains and
penalties, gyrations and contortions, which must have afflicted
his colleagues ! If the *' fathers who eat sour grapes set their
children's teeth on edge," great and fearful must be the respon-
sibility of our fellows, to the third and fourth generation !

When a raging fever is consuming life, its subject perchance
a maniac, surrounded with sympathizing friends, with death
waiting at the door, one is moved only to pity, as all in the
course of events. But when the insane raves, and in his hal-
lucinations acts the grotesque, and utters the most ludicrous
absurdities, even friends are convulsed with laughter amid the
scene. So while the epidemic knoAvn as the grape fever is
sweeping the land with its inflated impostures and train of
evils, it is impossible for a quiet looker-on to treat the matter
seriously ; while the propagators, venders, and bookmakers,
being those who win, laugh and grow fat !

We would not imply that the victimized in this case are de-
ceived more than those of any other hobby with which New
England especially is periodically afflicted. This is, doubtless,
the year of the grape collapse, and it only requires a Burnham
to produce relapse and convalescence by exposure and ridicule.
A Rogers' hybrid will then excite as much disgust as a State
Constable or a Shanghae ! This latter nondescript, an appar-
ent cross of the turkey and the old-fashioned hen, is no more
like, or to be compared to either, than some of our hybrids are
to a Hamburg, or the old frost grape which every country boy
feasted on in his youth.
12

90

We are especially in favor of progress, but not fitful or ret-
rograde. Not every change is an improvement, and if disas-
trous the goal of perfection is farther off. The fact that some
species of the vine are supposed to be indigenous to these
Northern regions, is not evidence conclusive for paying suc-
cess in cultivation. All seeds from even torrid climes have
only to be deposited elsewhere by any agents, and under prop-
er conditions with heat and moisture, they will germinate ; and
if a portion are sufficiently hardy to withstand our winters in
some protected locations, they yet may not mature fruit, ow-
ing to too short and cold seasons. Hence many things native,
are not natural, or in other words, congenial ; and are, there-
fore, accidental and out of place. Adaptation is essential to
success.

Our seedlings and crosses may be sweeter and more profita-
ble raised farther South ; and while we hope for others more
promising, it is doubtful if farmers can depend on such as are
now before them, for profit, compared with the average income
on other products better suited to our soil and climate. It
seems to us that the apple must still be our first fruit for do-
mestic use and export ; and we predict a value to its refined
juice as a beverage, hitherto unknown.

Opinions, however, are of no account opposed to facts and
figures. Isolated cases of remunerative vineyards for given
years are occasionally published, but not many of these are
east of the Hudson valley ; nor do we see reports at all from the
ninety-nine persons who have more or less vines. So general is
the infatuation that probably one-half of our population who
own land have from one to half a dozen vines, for which they
paid as many dollars — and these are their reports, though not
in print : A's rot, B's mildew, C's drop, and so on to the end
of the alphabet. Indeed, this Northern grape tax, including
the preparation of the soil, which is often unnecessarily expen-
sive, must be thousands upon thousands of dollars over any in-
come from the same source.

It was reported to the Committee that some of the best

91

specimens of grapes at the exhibition were ripened by the aid
of glass ; but the Committee did not feel free to act only on
the condition of the fruit as presented. If contributors had
been to that extra expense they verily needed gratuities. It
may yet be a question, after finer varieties are obtained,
whether such, added to the Delaware, Diana and Rebecca,
may not be profitably raised under cheap glass structures, as
they would require some less care than foreign varieties.

As a general rule, all things should be cultivated where
they thrive and produce best year by year, and exchanged for
products raised elsewhere. Rail transportation, ice packing,
canning, and fruit preserving houses, must bring tropical and
other fruits to our doors, at all seasons, cheaper by far than he
can raise inferior and uncertain kinds. Choice foreign grapes
and a few other luxuries may be forced and fostered, and re-
munerate for the time and means spent. But who would now
think of raising the sweet potato, tobacco, or the negro, under
glass, or by out-door culture in the Northern States, even at
their former high prices ? The fever for the latter is subsid-
ing to a healthy condition, and although some, propagators still
force the eyes of the former, few have the folly to purchase
the slips. We must ever look to old Virginia and the Caro-
linas, not only for the best sweet potatoes but for Norton's and
other Virginia grapes, and the very good Avines made there-
from.

Unquestionably some varieties of native grapes, such as the
Isabella, may produce and ripen well in some situations, as on
the walls of houses, and be useful in families. But our foxy
and pulpy grapes, in years when they ripen best, cannnot com-
pare or compete in the market with the more delicious, as
the Catawba, raised farther south.

Of the grapes which ripen by open culture, few can be en-
dured as table grapes besides the Delaware, which this year
has not matured, and when it does is often taken by the birds.
Tolerable wine may be made from this grape without sugar
Conjioisseurs, ho\yevef,, aj-e not pleased with any wines yet

92

made in this country, including those of California ; and they
sneer at any so-called wines which have required the addition
of sugar for proper fermentation, as is well known to be the
case with the juice of the Northern grapes generally. If,
then, sugar must be added to produce the alcohol, is not the
juice of the currant or strawberry to be prefered, inasmuch as
the fruit can be depended on annually ? Vinous fermentation
not being confined to the juice of the grape, it would seem
that wine must be the result in all cases of this fermentation,
differing in quality and flavor by specific causes.

Alcohol being the legitimate product of vinous fermentation
and in its pure state essentially innoxious to health, it is all-
important that vile additions should be absolutely prohibited.
All vinous beverages, in other words all alcoholic liquors, es-
pecially when for sale, should be rigidly inspected or analyzed
by government and certified to as unadulterated, and if not so
stamped, destroyed at once with heavy penalties. This would
be striking, successfully and justly, at the root of the evil.
Then let all who will, make, sell or use pure articles as they
do meats and other necessaries and luxuries of life.*

If this gratuitous advice is deemed obstrusive, it is simply to
prepare the way for the more than innuendoes understood to
be in the Annual Address, boding the speedy millenium of
plentiful and free use of grapes and wines in this country as in
France and Germany. Satiated with prohibition and special
license, both equally obnoxious to principles of freedom, the
next somerset and febrile attack, led on by some of the clergy
of course, will no doubt be for the unrestricted sale and use of
all pure vinous drinks. This is in fact the true doctrine, al-
lied to temperance. This will encourage the grape enterprise.

*To expressed views on this subject, it has been replied that a law to en-
force in:^pcction would not, and could not, be eifectual. Let such enquire
into the excise laws of England and France and their execution, and they
will find that expert detectives of bad liquors arc seldom deceived, and if un-
faithful from any cause, a long term of imprisonment folloAVs. On the con-
trary, if no exception to their fidelity and success occurs for a certain number
of years, a pension is the reward,

93

the domestic manufacture of wines, and check the excessive
importation of good and bad liquors generally.

It is the opinion of some that if our people would use and
be satisfied for a time with a common wine, like the Claret
and cheap wines of Europe, they could be supplied from the
varieties of grapes now raised, such as the Concord and Clin-
ton. Nothing but inexorable climate will baffle the indomit-
able Yankee energy in the future success with grapes and
wines, and it would indeed be a happy era of prosperity and
good feeling.

It is one of the most gratifying and marvellous sights abroad?
to behold the level fields of France, the rising hills of Switzer-
land, and the terraced cliffs of the Rhine, thickly studded with
stakes, entwined with vines, loaded with luscious fruits. Their
comparatively free and happy people, male and female, toil and
revel, feast and make merry, in spite of the lords of the soil,
whose questionable rights they in time will be ready to dis-
pute. Without the juice of the grape Paris would be a pan-
demonium. Unused to restraint, the people abuse not their
freedom — their wines seem to soothe rather than excite — to
quench instead of increasing the appetite — and they are
strangers alike to indigestion and nightmares — horror and
hobgoblins !

Unfortunately, all attempts to succeed with the many fine
foreign grapes in any part of this country, by open culture,
have failed. Under glass they are Vought to the highest per-
fection as eating grapes. The old theories for preparing ex-
pensive borders and the equally unnecessary outlay on the
buildings, have deterred most people from indulging in the sup-
posed luxury for the more wealthy. But the time will come
when farmers even, will have their cheaply constructed grape-
ries and realize more on the cost and labor than on the same
amount of each bestowed on field crops.

Care is required in raising grapes under glass ; and while
this is necessary for success in everything, few objects com-
pensate better, pecuniarily and socially, than a well-managed

94

grape house. The beautiful idea in Dr. Seeley's address, that
all of income is not in dollars and cents, is especially true of
him who can sit under his own vines, eat of their fruit, give to
his friends, and gratify his own family. Our community gen-
erally may not be aware of the remarkable success in this de-
partment, for years, of some of our citizens in various parts of
the county. But in a report intended more especially for ag-
riculturists, extended remarks would not be expected, detailing
or in praise of what might be considered out of their routine.
For the Committee — E. G. Kelley.

FLOWERS.

The Committee on Flowers report the following awards and

gratuities

Mrs. R. G. Walker, Haverhill, best pair Parlor Bouquets,
$3 ; Frederick Lamson, Salem, do Hand Bouquets, $2 ; Mrs.
Haverhill, John Goodrich, best Floral Design, $3 ; Mrs. La-
burton Johnson, Bradford, best dish Cut Flowers, $2 ; John
C. Higgins, gardener to R. Bayley, Newburyport, best spec-
imen Dahlias, $1 ; Mrs. J)anlel Palmer, Haverhill, Rustic
Basket of Phlox, best, $1 ; Mrs. Philip Quimby, Haverhill,
best Verbenas, 16 varieties, $1 ; M. P. Atwood, Grove-
land, best bouquet Native (Wild) Flowers, $2; Miss Isabella
S. Parker, Groveland, 2d best do do, $1 ; James Dewhurst, by
James Barrett, Gardner, Bradford, largest pyramid Cultivated
Flowers, largest pyramid Native (Wild) Flowers, and largest
genei-al display, $3 each ; John C. Higgins, gardener to Rob-
ert Bayley, Newburyport, 2d largest general display, $2 ;
Mrs. James R. Nichols, Haverhill, Rustic Basket, $1 ; Mrs.
R. H. Seeley, Haverhill, English Design, $1; Mrs. H. S^

96

Blodgett, Bradford, pair Bouquets, $1 ; to the same, for dish
Cut Flowers, 50 cents ; Mrs. D. C. Knowles, Bradford, two
Pyramids, Asters and Dahlias, $1 ; Mrs. S. W. Hopkinson,
Bradford, 30 varieties Asters, $1 ; S. Sylvester, West New-
bury, pyramid of Asters and dish of Pansies, $1 ; Mrs Sam'l
M. Downs, Haverhill, Fringed Gentians and Wild Asters, $1 ;
Miss Helen W. How, do, Pyramid Bouquet, 50 cents ; Mrs.
H. S. George, do. Floral Design do do, 50 cents ; Mrs. Daniel
S. Watson, do baskets Cut Flowers, 40 varieties, and Bou-
quet, $1 ; Miss Simington, Ayers' Village, Haverhill, pyramid
Bouquet; Mrs. Dudley Porter, Haverhill, basket Cut Flow-
ers ; Mrs. P. E. Pearl, Bradford, do do ; Miss Anna E. Dodge,
Haverhill, Bouquet ; Mrs. Henry Taber, do do ; Miss Lillie
Ames, do, 3 do ; Miss Mary L. Dodge, do, dish Cut Flowers ;
Mrs. Alvah Merrill, do. Bouquets ; Miss Priscilla Parker,
Groveland, Moss Design ; Mr. Otis Nichols, Lynn, pair Bou-
quets ; Miss Alice Fitts, Haverhill, dish Cut Flowers ; Miss
Estelle Sanders, do. Verbenas ; Mrs. S. W. Hatch, do, pair
Bouquets ; Mrs. J. M. Littlefield, do do . Mrs. Eliza Buttrick,
do, Dahlias ; Mrs. K. A. Durgin, Bradford, do ; Mrs. Moody,
Atkinson, N. H., Star Design ; Miss C. Lizzie George, Hav-
erhill, dish Cut Flowers ; Mrs. C. W. Chase, do do ; Mrs.
Alice Treab, do do ; Mr. N. Nichols, bouquet — 50 cents each.

The display of Flowers has been very large and elegant —
very much superior to last year — comprising some three hun-
dred bouquets and floral designs, embracing all descriptions of
cultivated, and eighty-eight varieties of wild, flowers. The
committee regret that the amount of money to be awarded was
not larger, as it was impossible to award premiums to all who
were deserving of them, and would urge upon the society the
propriety of placing a larger sum at the disposal of the com-
mittee in this department.

The committee would tender their earnest thanks to the la-
dies of Haverhill, Bradford and vicinity, for the very prompt
and generous manner with which they responded to the call

96

wKich has made this part of the exhibition so large and at-
tractive.

Committee— J. F. West, Dr. J. E. Nichols, Laburton John-
son, Charles Butters, Geo. A. Fuller.

VEGETABLES.

The Committee on Vegetables are unanimous in awarding
the following premiums and gratuities :

To S. A, Merrill, of Danversport, for best display, the first
premium of $12.

To Richard Webster, of Haverhill, for second best display,
the second premium of ^10.

To H. K. West, the third premium of $8.

To H. K. West, onions, $1 ; George N. Ordway, West
Newbury, 50 cents ; Richard Webster, Haverhill, Turnips,
$1 ; S. A. Merrill, Danversport, do., 50 cents ; F. G. Phil •
lips. Squashes, $1 ; E. F. Webster, Haverhill, do., 50 cents;
C. E Morse, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; Lucia Drew, Haverhill,
do., 50 cents; F. Brickett, Haverhill, Pumpkins, $1 ; D. Web-
ster, 3d, Haverhill, do., 50 cents; John Carlton, Haverhill,
do., 50 cents; R. Webster, Haverhill, Tomatoes, $1 ; J. Dew-
hirst, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; Richard Webster, Haverhill,
Corn, $1 ; S. A. Merrill, Danversport, do., 50 cents ; Alfred
Kimball, Bradford, Potatoes, $1 ; E. F. Webster, Haverhill,
do., 50 cents ; S. A. Merrill, Danversport, Cabbage, $1 ; D.
A. West, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; Richard Webster, Haver-
hill, Beets, $1 ; S. A. Merrill, Danversport, do., 50 cents ; S. A.
Merrill, Danversport, Carrots, $1 ; R. Webster, Haverhill, do.,
50 cents ; R. Webster, Haverhill, Parsnips, $1 ; H. K. West,
Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; S. A. Merrill, Danversport, Beans,

97

50 cents ; M. Tarlton & Son, Haverhill, Melons, $1 ; John
Currier, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; S. A. Merrill, Danversport,
do., $1 ; W. L. Carlton, Haverhill, Citron, 50 cents; E. Web-
ster, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; John E. Mills, Haverhill, Pep-
pers, 50 cents ; A. H. Knight, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; A.
F. Austin, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; Edwin Robinson, Haver-
hill, Onions and Squashes, $1 ; J. B. Sargent, West Newbury,
Sweet Potatoes, 50 cents ; John Higgins, Newburyport, Cauli-
flower, 50 cents ; Robert Bailey, Newburyport, Celery, 50
cents ; David Webster, 2d, Haverhill, Potatoes, 50 cents ; H.
Morse, Haverhill, Tomatoes, 50 cents ; Julia A. Spofford,
Georgetown, Corn and Beans, 50 cents ; R. Webster, Haver-
hill, Peppers, copy of *' Garden Vegetables " ; S. A. Merrill,
Danversport, Celery, " Garden Vegetables " ; H. K. West,
Haverhill, Mangle Wurtzels, " Garden Vegetables"; A. R.
Winship, Haverhill, do., 50 cents ; Josiah Newhall, Lynnfield,
Gourd, 50 cents.

Committee — Sherman Nelson, John H. Perkins, Herman
Phelps, William Sleeper.

COUNTERPANES, CARPETINGS AND RUGS.

The Committee on Counterpanes, Carpetings and Rugs,
have to report an unusually large and fine display of Rugs and
Counterpanes, and recommend the following premiums and
gratuities :

COUNTERPANES.

To Mrs. Sarah Wellman, the first premium of $4,
To Mrs. J. K. Ordway, the second premium of $2.
13

98

RUGS.

To Mrs. C. K. Ordway, the first premium of $3.

To Mrs. Jacob Osgood, the second premium of $2.

To Mrs. Moses Haynes, a gratuity of $3.

As especially deserving of notice, we would recommend a
gratuity of $1 each to Mrs. Allen Peabody, Mrs. E. A. Ben-
nett, Mrs. G. F. Perkins, Mrs. Gardiner Keniston, Mrs.
Crocker, Mrs. Cyrus Richards, Miss H. A. Gould, Mrs. J. S.
Frye, Mrs. Betsey Reed, Mrs Susan C. Foster, Mrs. Sarah
Pillsbury, Mrs. B. Batchelder, Mrs Thomas Ramsay, E. H.
Woodbury.

Also, a gratuity of 50 cents each to Mrs. F. D. Wentworth,
Mrs. Mary E. Merrill, Mrs. George Ayer, Mrs. E. J. Green-
ough, Mrs. John Frye, Mrs, John Davis, Miss Mary Gamble,
Mrs. A. E. Batchelder, Mrs. Nancy H. Jacobs, Mrs. John
Stewart, Miss C. G. Reed, Mrs. Lydia T. Dole, Mrs. L. W.
Drew, R. P. Eaton.

There was but one entry of Carpetings, and we would re-
commend a gratuity of $1 to Brooks Bros., for their fine dis-
play of Carpets.

Committee — H. N. Stevens, F. W. Jacobs, F. D. Brooks.

ARTICLES MANUFACTURED FROM LEATHER.

The Committee on Leather and articles manufactured there-
from, report :

They award to Winn & Clarke, for best Harness,
To Daniel Peters, for second best Harness, $5.
To John Brown, for three pairs of Boots, $5.
To Goodrich & Fitts, for Slippers, $4.
To S. P. Bradley, for one pair Congress Boots, $1

99

To W. W. P. Oberton, for Lace Boots, new pattern, $5.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
Committee — A. D. Wait, J. F. Merrill, Amos Gould, C,
Tompkins,

MANUFACTURES AND GENERAL MERCHANDIZE.

To the Committee on General Merchandize, were assigned
all articles not under other specific heads, and as no premiums
are within their gift, and only $20 for gratuities, they can only
recommend small awards to the most meritorious contributions.
These are as follows :

To S. R* Marston, for Sewing and Button Hole Machine,
$2 ; Mrs. E, H. Safford, Knitting Machine and Work, $2
W. W. S. Oberton, Blind Support and Combined Hinge, $1
to the same, for Bit Stock, $1 ; O. P. Pettingall, Edge Tool
$1 ; N. B. Jewett, Astronomical Clock, $1 ; Hall «& Co., Egg
Beaters, $1 ; H. A. Smith & Co., Yeaft Cakes, 50 cents ; N.
N. Dummer, Clapboard Bolt, 50 cents ; Paul Luut, Felt Slip-
pers, 50 cents ; William Bacheller, Skirt Supporter, 50 cents ;
Dr. Wm. W. Russell, Sets of Teeth, $1 ; Dr. W. Sellers,
Teeth and Preparation, $1 ; Dan'l Hook, for display of Musical
Instruments, Sewing Machines, etc., $1 ; Flanders and Co.,
do. Dry Goods, $1 ; Three Taylors, do. Robes, Mats and
Clothing, $1 ; Brooks Bros., do. Carpets, 50 cents ; J. V.
Smiley, do. Books, etc., $1 ; W. Smiley & Son, do. Lamps,
etc., $1 ; Kimball & Gould, do. Silver Ware, etc., $1 ; H. L
Dole & Co., do. Silver Ware, etc., 50 cents ; James Noyes &
Co., do. Paper Hangings, Paints, Oils, etc., 50 cents ; Hunt
& Gould, do. Doors, Blinds, etc., 50 cents ; J. A. Appleton,
do. Stoves «& Hard Ware, especially for Seamless Pressed Tin

100

Ware, $1; W. A. Currier, do. Stoves and Ware, $1; C. Le
Bosquet & Co., do. Stoves & Ware ; $1.

Committee — E. Stuart Chase, Charles Ingalls, S. W. Hop-
kinson, Leverett Kimball, S. K. Mitchell.

FANCY WORK.

The Committee on Fancy Work have attended to their duty
and submit the following report of awards of premiums and
gratuities :

To Sallie G. Sargent, West Amesbury, for Hair Work, $1 :
Mrs. E. E. Langley, Lynn, Wax Cross, $1 ; Mrs. Daniel Pal-
mer, Haverhill, Skeleton Wreath, $1 ; G. H. P. Palmer, Ha-
verhill, Model House and Brackets, $1 ; Emma Stuart, Mat,
Tidy, and Worsted Work, $2 ; Katie Bartlett, Lawrence,
Paintings in Oil and Water Colors, $1 ; James H. Hodgdon,
Bradford, (soldier without arms,) Oriental Painting, $3 ; A.
G. Taggart, Haverhill, Toy Bedstead, $1 ; George F. Seaver,
Haverhill, Fancy Dressing Case, $2 ; E. A. Bartlett, do , Car-
riage Blanket, $1,50 ; Emma Merrill, Bradford, do. $1 ; Miss
Lucy Caldwell, Haverhill, Embroidery, $1,50 ; M. M. Hun-
tington, Amesbury, Butternut Toy Furniture, $1 ; Miss Mary
E. Merrill, Haverhill, Patch Work, finished at 8 years of
age, $3 ; Dr. Russell, Haverhill, Wax Flowers, First premium,
copy of Complete Guide to Ornamental Work ; Miss Marsh,
do., Glass Wrought Pictures, Night and morning, copy of the
same Work ; Miss H. E. Woodbury, do.. Carriage lilanket,
copy of the same.

To Mrs. G. W. Wallace, Farmer's Wreath ; INlrs. George
Ayer, Model House ; 75 cents each. Mrs. P. E. Pearl, Brad-
ford, W^orsted Tidy ; Mrs. John D. Glines, Haverhill, Wrought

101

Table Cover ; E. Bradley, do., Toilet Box ; Miss A. E. Bean,
do., Embroidered Skirt ; Miss E. H. Stevens, do., Watch Case
and Cushion ; Mrs. B. P. West, do,. Tidy ; Mrs. Eliza L.
Kimball, do., Sampler; Mrs. Isaac Hardey, do., Wrought
Night Dress ; Mrs. Emma N. Stevens, do. Wrought Cushion ;
Mrs. Emma Fitts, do.. Wrought Cushion ; Mrs. Emma L.
Davis, Bradford, Wrought Suspenders ; Mrs. Eben Webster,
Haverhill, Needle Work ; Fannie Home, Bradford, Hanging
Bead Basket ; E. J. Greenough, Haverhill, Sofa Cushion ; A.
C. Kenrick, Haverhill, Worsted Tidy, ; George Chase, do.,
Fancy Box ; A. E. Atkinson, Newburyport, Worsted Bracket ;
Lucy E. Bayley, do., Sofa Pillow ; E. H. Batchelder, do.,
Cross and Autumn Leaves, in Wax ; Georgiana Morse, Tidy ;
E. Noonan, Model Ship; Mrs. H. T Elliott, Bead Watch
Case ; Annie H. Whittier, 8 years old. Stockings ; Mrs.
Samuel Davis, do.. Hair Work ; Mrs. G A Furbush, do.. Hair
Work ; Miss F. S. Bennett, do.. Autumn Leaves in Wax ;
Mrs. John Perley, Bradford, Autumn Leaves ; Mrs. Abbie
Stevens, Feather Basket ; Mrs. Paul Lunt, Newburyport, Cloth
Shoes ; W. Richman, Haverhill, White Stockings ; Mrs. Han-
nah Bryant, do.. Tow and Linen Cloth; Miss M. G. Bradly,
do., Pillow Shams; Miss M. E. Snow, do.. Wrought Watch
Case; Miss Mary Hewes, do. Bead Watch Case; Miss Lizzie
Piley, do.. Bead Watch Case ; Hattie Potter, do.. Watch Case
and Tidy : Mrs. G. A. Furbush, do.. Stockings from hair of a
poodle dog ; . Mary Batchelder, do., Linen Thread ; Miss
E. W. Hammond, Haverhill, Wrought Slippers ; Mrs. Charles
E. Gould, do.. Wrought Slippers ; Mrs. G. W. Geary, do..
Wax Fruit and Flowers ; Sophia K. Adams, do., one pair
Hose ; H. M. Hubbard, do., Moss Work ; Maggie P. Palmer,
Crayon Drawings ; Mrs. Harrison Sawyer, Embroidery ; Miss
Mary E. Le Bosquet, Wrought Handkerchief ; A. M. H.
Grecnman, Oil Painting ; R. H. Schogan, Haverhill, fancy Work
Box ; A. J. Fernald, do., Case Wax Work ; Mrs. O. S. Love-
joy, do.. Dried Flowers ; Mrs. R. E. Harper, do.. Lamp Mat ;
Mrs. F. 0, Raymond, do., Cross ; C. E. Hackett, do., Silk

103

Embroidery ; Cynthia Smith, do., Stand Cover and Worsted
Bracket ; Cora L. Savory, do., Pin Cushion ; — 50 cents
each.

Committee — E. P. Hill, Hayden Brown, Edwin Mudge,
M. J. Dole, Dudly Porter, Charles B. Emerson.

FARMS.

The Farm of Richard Webster, situated in Haverhill, AVest
Parish, having been offered for premium, was visited by the
Committee, on the 2Tth of August. Mr. Webster's Statement
which is appended, presents most of the facts connected with
the purchase, and the improvements made upon the farm. It
will be seen that this farm is a small one, about 40 acres being
the whole amount included in tillage and pasture, and a con-
siderable portion of this is still unreclaimed. The condition
of the land prior to its passing into Mr. Webster's hands in
1859, was not very inviting, being poor and rocky. Mr. W.
was a carpenter by trade, having little or no experience in the
cultivation of the soil. He was driven to seek out-of-door
employments, by the threatening aspects of pulmonary disease
which was making rapid inroads upon his constitution. He
resolutely took hold of the business of cultivating and improv-
ing his land, so far as his impaired health would permit ; built
a small but comfortable dwelling-house ; erected a grain house ;
put an old barn upon the premises, in order to receive his
scanty crops ; and struggling against the adverse influences of
physical weakness and scanty means, has in seven years accom-
plished so much as to lead him to venture upon submitting his
farm for examination, with the view of obtaining the Society's
premium.

103

What has Mr. "Webster accomplished ? His brief statement
affords a tolerably clear idea of what has been done. A con-
siderable area of his land is now under clean culture ; the rocks
are removed ; portions are under-drained ; the stone walls have
been to a large extent rebuilt ; orchards have been planted ;
pasture land cleared of bushes and stumps, and planted with
corn and other grains. He has also erected a substantial and
convenient barn during the past year, and the committee found
it well filled with hay and grain. The barn is admirably ar-
ranged with the view of affording comfort to stock, storing
roots, as well as hay and grain, and saving manure. Mr. W.
like all sensible farmers, makes a great point of economising
and increasing manures. The receptacle in the barn cellar for
holding the excrement of his animals, is of brick, with cement-
ed bottom ; thus adapting it to retain the liquid as well as the
solid portions. No point in successful husbandry is more im-
portant than this. The liquid excrement of an ox or cow, is
actually worth more than the solid, as a fertilizing agent, and
every ounce of it should be saved. A manure bin, like that
of Mr. W's, below the stalls of a dozen animals, will from its
liquid condition, require the daily admixing of large quantities
of chaff, muck, soil or peat, to act as absorbents ; and the
amount of active plant aliment thus secured, is surprising to
those who treat their manures in the ordinary wasteful manner.

The committee in the examination of Mr. Webster's farm,
were highly pleased with the results of his labors. It was ev-
ident, however, that the work of renovation was but partially
completed. The element of time must enter into all under-
takings for the improvement of lands, and a few years more
are required to place the farm in a condition to meet the So-
ciety's requirements as a premium farm. There is much to be
done in connection with lands immediately around the farm
buildings. In the march of improvement, the fences, gates,
drive-ways, etc., have not been reached. These will doubtless
soon receive attention at the hands of the industrious and per-
severing owner, and the committee cherish expectations that

' 104

the time is [not far distant when it will be a model farm, and
entitled to the Society's highest premium.

In view of the energy and intelligent industry displayed by
Mr. Webster, resulting in so many farm improvements, the
committee award a gratuity of thirty dollars.

For the Committee — James R. Nichols.

STATEMENT OF RICHAED WEBSTER.

The farm I enter for a premium, I bought in 1859 for
$1950 00, and it contains about forty acres. Fourteen of this
was called field land ; the remainder bush pasture, with alders,
birches, etc., and about one hundred cords of oak, pine, and
maple wood standing, and would pasture three head of cattle ;
and I wintered the first year I was on the farm — 1860, one
cow and horse, by buying about a ton of hay. Around all of
the walls in the fields, was a margin of bushes from three
to fifteen feet wide, being sprouts from oak, ash, cherry, and
other stumps, which I had to dig out by the roots ; and by many
of the walls loads of stone had been dumped for the sake of
convenience. In one field I hauled off over thirty cords ; in
other fields were a large lot of boulders, and I blasted about
three hundred, around many of which were bunches of bushes
growing. In one of my best mowing fields of four acres, I cut
in 1860 less than three quarters of a ton of poor hay. The
blasting has been done principally by myself, and required
over seventy pounds of powder. When I commenced on this
farm, I had no experience in farming, having spent my
time previously mostly at mechanical pursuits, and went to
farming on account of ill health. I had done no work of any
amount since the spring of 1857, and was far from well when
I began farming. I commenced a series of accounts with dif-
ferent crops to see which was the most profitable to raise, and
have kept accounts on crops five years, and on farming up to

105

the present time. The first four years' work, as will be seen
by my expenses, was done at a loss, but since then there has
been some iiriprovement. My losses have been partly on ex-
periments, of which patent manures have formed a prominent
part, as I have tried all the different kinds which I heard re-
commended, from Pacific guano down to poudrette, which I
found expensive experimenting, though it may be profitable in
the end. In experimenting on crops I found out some things
that did not correspond with views I heard expressed by those
who claimed to be posted in farming, and very different from
what I had myself supposed. To convince some of this, I
have planted crops side by side in the different ways. I have
labored under a great inconvenience sometimes in help, as it
was a hard task to get the sleight-of-hand way of doing work
as practised in some parts of Maine and New Hampshire, out
of their heads. Some think it profitable to half hoe, half ma-
nure, and half do work generally, but I do not. I think it
more profitable to take care of one acre well than to have two
acres half taken care of. I have been over all of the farm
thoroughly, taking out stone, under-draining, etc., excepting
about twelve acres of pasture, which I intend to improve as
fast as I can, taking up some each year. I have under
cultivation about eleven acres this year, and cut from the bal-
ance of the field land (estimating 525 feet for a ton in bays,)
some over thirty tons of hay, and have fed three horses with
hay since June 26th. In expenses of farm, is reckoned taxes,
interest, depreciation of stock, wear of tools, board of help,
blacksmith's and other bills ; and in income from the farm all
crops, milk, labor done from farm by help, mowing, etc. I
have set out 450 pear trees at a cost of $420, and 280 apple
trees costing $75, and in 1865 built a barn at a cost of about
$3000 00, in which the saving of manure alone has paid the
interest of it since it was built. In 1860 all I sold and harv-
ested as sho~;n by the farm account taken Jan. 1st, 1861, a-
mounted to $873 31, and expenses aside from building, were
$464 25. My crops were mostly corn, potatoes and grain.—
14

106

The same year I built a house at a cost of $550, and a gran-
ary which cost $150. In 1861, I sold from the farm the
amount of $652 33, and my expenses were $688 33. In 1862,
I sold from the farm the amount of $693 67, and my expenses
were $834 16. During this year I built over most of my line
walls, put in under-drains, cut bushes, etc. In 1863, I sold
$1115 80, and my expenses were $1083 80. In 1864, I sold
$1945 50, and my expenses were $1371 00. In 1865, I sold
$2274 16, and my expenses were $1763 00. This year I built
my barn, and we had considerable extra work in digging cellar,
hauling stone, lumber, etc., besides working on the farm. In
1866, I sold from the farm $2595 83, and expenses were
$1647 70. This year, 1867, my crops are not as good as in
years previous, but prices have been better, so that my sales
will not be far from what they were last year. What the farm
is worth now, I could not exactly tell, and as it is not for sale,
I do not wish to set a price upon it, but others call it worth all
the way from $5000 to $8000.

IMt^EOVING PASTUEE AND WASTE LANDS.

The Committee on improving pasture and waste land, have
had no entry for the former and but one for waste land — that
of Kichard Webster, of Haverhill.

Three of the Committee visited this piece of land in Sep-
tember, and were pleased with the improvement made upon
it. It will be seen by the statement of Mr. Webster, that he
was liberal in his expenses, having spent over twelve hundred
dollars for labor, seed and manure, on less than three acres, in
three years, but large as the expenditure was, the income was
still larger. We have looked at the amount of sales from this

107

piece for the three years, with some care. It will be seen that
the prices were the highest retail ones, so that he must have
carried them to the consumer. He was fortunate in having a
large part of it planted with potatoes in 1864, which he sold
for $430. Again in 1865, he was fortunate in having so many
squashes when they sold high. In 1866, his crops appear to
have been much larger, but his sales were not so great. He
has not given us any estimate of the expense of marketing the
crops. In the balance which he has struck, it appears that he
has made $965 15 by his operation. The Committee think
that twenty per cent, should be deducted for marketing ; and
if we leave out of the account the $350, the estimated improve-
ment of the land, we shall have about $350 gain.

Mr. Webster says that he was not bred a farmer, but he ap-
pears to have the faculty of disposing of his produce well. —
It is pleasing at the present time, when so many are disposed
to live between the producer and the consumer, to find one
who deals directly with the consumer. The Committee would
award to him the first premium of $15.

For the Committee — William E.. Putnam.

STATEMENT OF RICHARD WEBSTER.

Aceonnt witli Past Lire Lot No. 4.
1863. Dr.

To Labor, ploughiug, etc., .^26 25

Turning sods at odd jobs, 10 00

1864.

Harrowing, digging out roots, haulinsr

oft' stones, etc..
Furrowing, dunging out and planting,
30 bushels potatoes for seed,
6 quarts corn,
15 cords manure.

Amount carried forward, 190 60

15 00

35 00

30 00

60

110 00

.1?36 25

108

Amount brought up, 190 60

Hoeiug, etc., 40 00

Harvesting, 38 00

Interest and taxes, IS 00

Ploughing in tlie fall, 18 00

Digging out bushes \ stone & underdrain, 100 00

1865.

1806.

1867.

Ploughing and harrowing in Spring, 18 00

Furrowing, dunging out and planting, 30 00

20 cords manure, 160 00

Hoeing and weeding, 42 00
Potatoes, corn, squash, peas & tomato seed 20 00

Interest and taxes, 17 00

Ploughing and draining in the Fall, 75 00

Harvesting, 35 00

Ploughing and harrowing in Spring, 18 00

17 cords manure, 170 00

Furrowing, dunging out, planting, etc., 40 00
Corn, cabbage, squash, peas beans, for seed 18 00
Hoeing, transplanting, etc., 45 00

Interest and taxes, 18 00

Harvesting, 30 00

Ploughing, harrowing, brushing and roll-
ing land, and grass seed, 28 00
Labor in getting out stone, 25 00
70 pear aud 00 apple trees, 90 00

Labor cutting and getting in hay, 10 00

Interest and taxes, 20 00

Picking stone, hoeing, manure, seed, etc., 40 00

S401 60

$397 00

S482 00

^70 00

.f 1380 85
2 7-8 acres land worth '63, 120 00

11506 85

109

1864. Cr.

By 50 1-2 bushels potatoes, $3 00, $150 00

350 " late « 80, 280 00

20 " corn, 100, 20 00

Early corn, 15 00

Fodder and turnips, 20 00

1865.

1866.

1867.

Pease sold and seed,

45 00

Tomatoes,

90 00

6 1-4 tons squashes,

60 00

370 00

ITO bushels corn in the ear,

150 00

2 1-2 tons fodder,

20 00

125 bushels potatoes,

105 00

1-3 acre fodder corn.

60

15 00

180 bushels potatoes.

108 00

8 1-2 tons squashes.

255 00

Sweet corn sold,

105 00

Cabbages sold.

160 00

Peas and beans.

22 00

Turnips,

12 00

3 1-2 tons hay estimated, 70 00

Carrots, beets, tomatoes, etc., estimate, 75 00

Stone hauled oft; 25 00

2 7-8 acres land worth, 350 00

§485 00

.S795 00

S662 00

$145 00

$375 00

$2462 00
Dr., 1506 85

Balance, " 955 15

This piece of pasture land was as rough as any on the farm,
being mostly overgrown with alders and birches ; the balance
with huckleberry bushes, and all more or less covered with
stone, some 150 being necessarily removed by blasting. It is
now all underdrained with stone drains, three and a half fee^
below the surface and about eighty rods in es;tent,

110

GRAIN CROPS.

The Committee on Grain Crops report that only two claims
were entered for premium ; one by Oliver P. Killam, of Box-
ford, for his crop of Indian Corn, and the other by Eugene W.
Day, of Bradford, for Oats.

Mr. Killam, it appears, had 3 3-4 acres in Corn. The es-
timates in his statement refer to the whole piece. One meas-
ured acre of this Corn yielded 84 3-4 bushels of 80 pounds
per bushel. Two of the Committee saw Mr. Killam's Corn
when a part of it had been harvested. It is an eight rowed
variety with a very large kernel. Some 300 bushels of uni-
formly large ears were then lying on the floor of his Corn
chamber and presented a magnificent appearance. The acre
measured was then standing, and as we went through it, we
were satisfied that the yield was unusually large. We noticed
that this Corn, as in most cases where a very large crop has
been obtained, was closely planted, the rows being only three
and one half feet apart each way. There were no missing
hills, and the allotted number, four stalks, were in nearly every
hill, each stalk bearing its full ear. Heavy seeding, and then
leaving to grow, only strong and vigorous plants, contributed
largely to secure this important element of a large crop.

The cultivation was judicious, though many good farmers
would demur in regard to burying most of the manure eight
inches beneath the sward. It appears that 20 1-3 loads per
acre of barn manure were ploughed in, and 5 1-3 loads per
acre of good compost were put into the hiH to start and feed
the j)lants until they reached the ample nourishment buried
below. It was cultivated both ways three times, and regularly
hoed twice, and then the weeds were knocked out with the
hoe. No hill was made.

This very large crop, obtained in a season not remarkably
o-ood for Indian Corn, was raised on a field from which the
whole crop of hay in 186(3, "was taken off in two loads.

Two things are worth noting : 1st. the fodder from this

Ill

•
Corn is worth as much as a fair crop of hay ; 2d. It will pay
for a farmer to raise his own Corn.

In Mr. Day's statement, it will be noticed that one tenth
of the land was sowed with a sort of Oats which proved almost
a failure.

The Committee unanimously award to Mr. Killam for his
crop of Corn, the premium of $10.

They also unanimously award to Mr. Day, the offered pre-
mium of $8, for his crop of Oats.

For the Committee — John Keely.

STATEMENT OF OLIVER P. KILLAM.

The land upon which was grown the crop of Corn which I
offer for premium, possesses a dark, gravelly, loamy soil ; and
in the years 1865 and 1866, English hay was raised upon the
same without the use of any manure. For a Corn crop, the
ground was ploughed once eight inches deep, just before plant-
ing, and 76 loads of manure turned under. The ground upon
which the Corn grew measures 3 3-4 acres. The land was
harrowed and furrowed, and manured in the hill with twenty
loads of compost. The cost of ploughing was $22 50 ; of
harrowing and furrowing, $10 ; and the value of the manure
— 24 cords— on the ground, was $192 00, The field was
planted from the 20th to the 30th of May, 3 1-2 feet apart
each way, with 37 1-2 quarts of yellow eight rowed Corn. —
The cost of seed and planting was $25. The field was culti-
vated three times each way, and hoed twice before haying, and
the weeds were also knocked out with hoes on the 10th of
August. The cost of cultivation, including weeding, thinning,
and clearing out weeds, was $30. The top stalks were cut off
from the 16th to the 21st of Sept., and the Corn was got in
and husked from the 20th of October to the 7th of November.
The cost of cutting and securing the stalks, was $15 ; of har-
vesting and husking, $35. Amount of Corn produced on

ii2

S 3-4 acres, 600 bushels in the Ear. Estimated amount of
top stalks, 40 tons ; valued at $60! Estimated amount of
butt stalks, 8 tons ; valued at $64.

This certifies that I measured one hundred and sixty rods of
land in corn, on the field of Oliver P. Killam, and no more.

WILLIAM FOSTER.
North Andover, Nov. 2d, 1869.

I hereby certify that Oliver P. Killam, appointed for that
purpose by the Committee on Corn Crops, appeared before me
and took oath that he has ascertained the weight of the crop,
on the acre of land measured as above according to the regu-
lations of the State Board of Agriculture, on the eighth day
of November, and that it was 6750 pounds.

JOHN F. KIMBALL, Justice of the Peace.

STATEMENT OF EUGENE W. DAY.

The land upon which this crop of Oats was raised, was for-
merly covered with a heavy growth of oak timber, and it was
next used thirty years as a pasture. Within a few years it has
been converted into a field. In 1865, it was planted with
corn and potatoes, the quantity of manure used being forty
cart-loads of common barn-yard manure upon the lot. In

1866, it was again planted with corn and potatoes, with the
same quantity of manure. The crop each season was excel
lent. In April 1867, it was ploughed to a depth of seven
inches, and sowed with Oats (upon the furrow,) and then har-
rowed twice. The crop measured one hundred and sixty-four
bushels of good Oats, thirty-two pounds per bushel, and sev-
eral bushels of a lighter quality. No manure was used in

1867. The amount of seed used was ten bushels, one bushel

113

of which was Delaware Oats, which rusted badly, grew rank
and lodged, and were otherwise very much damaged by a flock
of thirty hens and turkeys.

From actual measurement, I hereby certify that the land
which the above crop of Oats covered, contained three acres,
and forty-one rods, and no more.

B. P. CHADWICK, Acting Surveyor.

Essex ss, November 4, 1867. Subscribed and sworn to be-
fore me,

JEREMIAH P. JONES, Justice of the Peace.

N. B. No person was appointed by the Committee, to
measure this crop of Oats, for the reason that a portion of
them were measured and sold, before all the crop was winnow-
ed, and before I thought of entering the crop for premium,
but the statement of 164 bushels, actual measurement, is
correct.

E. W. DAY.

Essex, Nov. 4, 1867. Subscribed and sworn to before me,
JER. P. JONES, Justice of the Peace.

COST OP CROP. tHE CROl'.

Ploughing, $12 00. 164 bushels of Oats, 164 00.

Harrowing, 5 00. g 1-2 tons of Straw, 45 00.

Cost seed & sowing, 10 00. .

Harvesting, 13 00. Total, $209 00*

Threshing, 14 00. Cost, 59 00.

Marketing, 5 00.

$59 00.

$150 00.

15

114

TREADWELL FARM.

To the Trustees of the Essex Agricultural Society: —

The Committee on the Treadwell Farm was notified to meet
at the farm, April 8th, Present at that meeting, Messrs. B.
P. Ware, F. Dodge and C. P. Preston. They found the farm
and buildings in a creditable condition, except that the house
required some inside repairs, to make which they allowed the
tenant, Mr. A. H, Gould, a sufficient sura.

They also found that the house requires new sills and other
slight repairs on the outside, and respectfully ask the attention
of the Trustees to the matter.

On measurement, by Mr. Ware, of the manure on the farm,
ready for application to crops, it was found to amount to sixty-
four cords, of a good quality.

The Committee received of Mr. Gould, Two Hundred and
Fifty Dollars rent for the year past, from which twenty-five
dollars was deducted for inside repairs on house, leaving a
balance of two hundred and twenty-five dollars, which was
paid into the Treasury.

Another meeting was held on 4th inst. Members present,
Messrs. J. L. Newhall and C. P. Preston. Mr. Gould stated
to the Committee that he had applied 90 cords of manure on
the farm the past season, of which a portion was used in top-
dressing grass lands — the remainder applied to the following
crops :

4 acres oats, produce, 160 bushels; 1 acre potatoes, produce,
25 bushels (lost most of the crop by rot;) 1^ acres carrots,
produce, 950 bushels ; | acre mangolds, produce, 50 bushels ;
1 acre ruta bagas, produce, 200 bushels ; ^ acre early summer
turnips, produce, $100; f acres beans, produce, 4 barrels; 2
acres round turnips, produce, 200 bushels ; English hay, esti-
mated at 12 tons; meadow hay, estimated at 10 tons. 20
bushels of cranberries were produced on the meadow.

15 acres of land have been sown to winter rye, with grass
seed, and heavily manured — the policy of Mr. Gould being to

115

get the land in condition for a crop of grass as soon as a lib-
eral allowance' of manure will accomplish that object.

It will be seen that in the application of manure Mr. Gould
has exceeded the amount stipulated in the lease, by 40 cords,
the past season. He has, however, not applied the muck re-
quired, as the meadow from which it is to be taken produces a
large crop of cranberries, and he doubted the expediency of
destroying its utility for that purpose, but expresses his will-
ingness to remove the muck, if thought best by the Trustees.

It is not yet time to see any remarkable improvement in the
farm from the liberal treatment bestowed upon it by the ten-
ant, but your Committee have no doubt that a large increase
of crops next year will result from the heavy application of
manure the past seasons ; and they cannot too highly com-
mend the tenant for his disposition to apply a much larger
quantity of manure than he M^as required to do by the terms
of his lease — thus showing his determination to bring the
farm to such a state of fertility as will make it a credit to him-
self and to the Society.

The Committee regret that so little interest is manifested in
the farm, as is shown by the meagre attendance at our meet-
ings.

Committee — Charles P. Preston, Benjamin P. Ware, J. L.
Newhall.

MANURES.

The subject of manures and fertilizers, and their application,
has been so fully discussed during the last year in the agricul-
tural iouru^ls, that it is with some hesitation that your commit-

116

tee presume to offer opinions or suggestions concerning them.
But as much good to the farmer's interests is believed to have
been done by the statements of several series of experiments
with manufactured fertilizers, published in our Transactions of
1866, a further consideration of the subject may be admissable.
The question how can the farmer maintain and increase the
fertility of his fields, and also secure an annual remunerative
crop, is one of paramount interest to every cultivator of the
soil, and at the same time difficult to answer. The result of
the carefully conducted experiments before alluded to, and
many others which, after the ice was once broken, were made
public by modest experimenters, who did not care to stem the
flood tide of popular advertisements and endorsements of the
various nostrums for securing universal fertility, is, that they
do not answer the desired end. What little fertilizing quality
they possess will not pay the cost of them. We mention, for
instance, the flour of bone. No one questions the great fer-
tilizing properties of bone, but that the flour of bone is in a
condition to be immediately assimilated by plant growth, it
therefore fails to answer the purpose required of it. Hence
the farmer who earns his money cannot afford to pay the high
price demanded for it when he can buy the pure unground
bones for one-third the price, and reduce them at a small ex-
pense to a condition readily assimilated by all plants.

Mr. Henry Coleman uttered a valuable truth when on be-
ing asked '' what has chemistry done for the farmer ?" he re-
plied that it had dissolved bones by sulphuric acid-

Nor is it for a moment questioned that Peruvian Guano is a
very valuable specific fertilizer, but as a general thing its high
cost places it beyond the reach of the practical farmer. Fish
pomice or guano, is sold at a comparatively low price, is un-
adulterated, makes a valuable compost, and may perhaps be
afforded. Many of the articles offered in our markets as fer-
tilizers at high prices, recommended as being entirely inoffen-
sive to the most fastidious, may be well adapted to those who
would farm with kid gloves on, and to such only can we recr
ommend them,

117

What then are the resources of the farmer for manure ?— *
We answer — the barn yard, the stable, the privy, waste animal
and vegetable material, whether grown upon the land or in the
sea, all of which should be husbanded with the utmost care,
their volume and power multiplied by composting with peat,
loam, and in some cases sand. As much poudrette can be
made from a single load of night soil by composting it with
meadow mud or muck, as can be purchased for twenty-five
or thirty dollars ; and of as good quality. Sea manure, con-
sisting of kelp and the various sea mosses, or rock weed
when mixed with an equal quantity of muck, will make a com-
post equal in quality with the best stable manure. The farmer
having secured as great a quantity of these materials as pos-
sible, has yet anothei' resource, unlimited in extent, easy of
access, and with the materials already at hand, may increase
the fertilizing capacity of his manures immensely.

Chemistry informs us that plants are enabled to absorb large
portions of three of the four organic elements which constitute
them, through their leaves, viz.. Carbon, Oxygenand Hydro-
gen, while the fourth Nitrogen, though constituting four fifths,
of the surrounding atmosphere is not thus absorbed, as has
been proved by careful experiment ; but must be supplied
through their roots. According to the estimate of a careful
chemist, three fifths of the value of barn-yard manure is the
Nitrogen that it contains. Now the question arises, how can
the farmer within his own means, draw from the never failing
fountain that nature has so generously provided, and appropri-
ate to the growth of his crops. It is well known that nitre or
saltpetre is manufactured by composting animal and vegetable
manures with loam, meadow muck and other earthy substances.
In short, a good thorough compost heap, well worked, will ac-
cumulate nitric acid from the atmosphere in proportion as it is
worked over and exposed to it. France has in time of war
manufactured two thousand tons of saltpetre annually in this
way. Why not make the same effort to promote the peaceful
art of Agriculture? An economical, and it is believed a suc>

118

cessful method of accomplishing the same end, is to apply the
manure made during the summer, directly to the land, and
ploughing it in after harvest, and then ploughing twice in the
spring before planting, thereby making a nitre bed of the
whole surface of the field. This process seems to be justified
by the principle upon which every good farmer composts and
pitches over manure to increase to the utmost its fertilizing
power. This method would not be advisable on what is called
leachy land, but on other soils it has been practised with much
success. Some of the largest root crops ever known to your
Committee, were grown upon land where this method of apply-
ing manure in the fall was pursued. The object of the Com-
mittee at this time, is not to treat this great subject at length,
but simply to draw attention to a few important points.
Committee — Benjamin P. Ware, Henry Hobbs.

FOREST TREES.

The Committee on Forest Trees submit the following report :

The planting of forest trees to supply the waste of a native

growth' and to cover acres of unprofitable land, with beauty,

ornament and value, is worthy the attention of Agricultural

Societies.

The Essex Agricultural Society, in coincidence with this
idea, has instituted two premiums, the highest of which in my
judgment is too trifling for such an enterprise ; but which out
of respect to the eff'orts of Dr. E. G. Kelly, of Newburyport,
who offers his grounds for the claim, should be respectfully
awarded him. According to his written statement, which ac-
companies this, it is evident, that with a different design in his
mind, with regard to planting, he considers himself as fulfilling
the conditions ; to which conclusion I render my assent-

119

The third day of October last, was assigned the Committee
to visit and examine Dr. K.'s grounds, with reference to award-
ing the prize. I was the only one of the Committee who was
on the spot as directed ; and with the exception of the Chair-
man (B. Perley Poore), who sent an explanatory note of his
absence, no member has been heard from. The following re-
marks, which are to be found in this Report, are therefore en-
tirely and wholly mine own, and I am alone responsible for
them.

The land used for artificial growth of forest trees, is an area
of seventeen acres, situated on High Street, and therefore
bounding on a central and conspicuous portion of the city,
amidst elegant residences and substantial dwelling houses. —
Its entire surface is not planted out, that is to say, the surface
of the land is not covered over, as is usual in forest tree cul-
ture : but the plan of the Society's premium does not necessa-
rily contemplate such a contingency. It simply specifies cer-
tain kinds, and requires a fixed number of individuals. Not
having at my command a list of Dr. K.'s trees, I- am not able
to state whether all the kinds are growing on his grounds ; in-
deed it would be difficult even if I had such a list.

The Society doubtless had some reasons for limiting the con-
ditions by specifications of kinds, but 1 think it an objectiona-
ble arrangement. As to number, counting separately the trees
in all stages of growth, employed, they would far exceed that
required. Dr. Kelley, I presume, is aware of these facts, yet
I deem him justified in putting in his claim, on a constructive
interpretation of the language. To encourage similar planta-
tions of rare, curious and ornamental foreign species, suitable
to the climate of New England and of value to our country,
the highly ornamental grounds of the Doctor should be admit-
ted to the claim from the Society of its highest premium. In-
deed, if a suggestion be not out of place here, would it not be
well that the Society offer its present first prize or premium for
this especial end ; and increase the amount of a new premium
based on a stringent adherence to conditions published by its

120

Secretary. As they now stand according to the " Order of
Arrangements for Premiums and Committees for 1867," the
White Oak, Yellow Oak, Locust, Birch, White Ash, Maple,
Walnut, or White Pine, are expected to be grown in such
plantations as compete for the premium. But when it is con-
sidered, that the list though an admirable one, defines trees
which require a particular soil for their growth? if intended to
be a permanent one and already an incipient foi-est, the reward
by the premium or honor of the Society, should be more pro-
portunate to the skill, labor and care essential to the experi-
ment. Mixed and miscellaneous planting even of other than
native kinds as specified in the list, will always succeed best
and be the most satisfactory. This is proved by such planta-
tions as Dr. K.'s, and by others which have been tried else-
where. The importance of such labor on the land cannot be
seen at first ; time is requisite to develope it entirely. Every
year, however, convinces the experimentalist, that it is a wise
economy which provides for the future, in labors whose results
are distant and afar off.

The grounds of Dr. Kelly were, when taken in hand, almost
destitute of any tree growth. A few old pear and apple trees
of shattered and venerable appearance, still stand as memorials
of olden time. His mansion standing in such a position as to
be exposed to the street, is now, after twelve years' cultivation
of the front area, beautifully shaded and sheltered from obser-
vation. The free use of evergreens has yielded in this brief
time to the front of the house, a deep s.haded grove, resonant
with the murmur of pines ; while the ground beneath is carpet-
ed with their dry, brown, needle-shaped leaves. Under this
shade and in this seclusion, some of the finest shrubs are grow-
ing freely, both native and foreign species. Here may be seen
the snowy-flowered dogwood cornel, the fragrant sassafras,
whose'rich colored berries attract rare and superb birds ; the
mespilus, beautiful alike in flower and fruit ; the crab-apple in
many varieties, always attractive ; the bloody or red willow,
whose brilliant crimson stems glisten in winter and contrast

121

with soberer stalked shrubs ; the smaller and prettier maples,
the viburmims prized for flower or for berries, and many of the
novelties from Japan. Masses of rhododendrons and kalmia,
and the holly-leaved barberry of the Rocky Mountains, help
also to render this retreat a magic scene, in summer's heat or
winter's cold.

It can be seen at a glance, that the close growth of so many
shrubs and trees would be injurious to their health and vigor,
unless judiciously thinned and trimmed. This has been done
on hard and soft wooded kinds alike. Once it was thought
that the resinous trees would not patiently bear the knife, but
the visitor will see here, solid columns of perennial greenery
of different heights, formed by topping and pruning, somewhat
after a style of old fashioned gardening known as topiary work.
By this process, while novelty of shape is realized, pleasant
vistas to the street are opened.

It will be unnecessary to particularize the other features of
this spot, as the remarks of Dr. K. offered to the Society, with
better knowledge of details, will do this more satisfactorily. —
Suffice it to add, that very many rare and valuable trees of
finest proportions, rapid growth and pleasing foliage, were at
the time of my visit objects of my notice and admiration.

The frequent use of thick and substantial hedges for protec-
tion and shelter, is deserving a passing remark. The hemlock
has been principally used — an evergreen tree, which when
young proves admirably adapted to the necessary shearing. —
The Norway spruce is another species employed, and produces
a fine effect by its compact, solid growth. For screens, the
white cedar, cypress or arbor vitse, blended with other trees,
has been used. I have before, many years ago, seen the good
effect of employing the arbor vitee to make permanent, living
and substantial screens from the Northern or Eastern winds.
As the belt of a mixed growth of forest trees and evergreens,
such as firs, spruce, pine, and hemlock, rises to the spectator's
eye above the front planting, and in the rear, the slender and
feathery spray of some birch, the tapering column of the fas-

16

122

tigiate oak, the curved apex of some weeping and curious kind
of tree, blending in harmony, is extremely pleasing.

Thfe |:jlanting of shade trees for the comfort and use of cattle,
if not an entire novelty, is yet a combination of good taste and
humanity. Some such a plan as begun by Dr. K., could be
usefully pursued on any farm, and on some where the appear-
ance and effect would be a secondary consideration. To con-
vert rough and scorched pastures into sweet and attractive
spots for man and beast, by grouping a few well and carefully
planted shade trees, such as the broad limbed willows, or a fine
thrifty elm, or the several maples at every one's command,
would be worth the time that is sometimes spent very unprofi-
tably at the grocery or some village resort. Then there are
other rapid growing trees, which will thrive where grass will
not even grow ; and the beneficial effects on thin, poor soils, of
planting the yellow locust, were years ago noticed and com-
mented on by an honored member of your Society, whose name
is yet repeated with affection in many a farm-house of Essex
County. A noble tree of the canoe or paper birch, brought
from New Hampshire, stands in the pasture ground of one of
the oldest farms in Danvers — a specimen worth any one's
while to visit.

I trust, if by the generosity of the Society, such efforts as
Dr. K.'s should meet with favor, and the expression of the
sense of their value be made by award of its first premium,
that repeated invitations to visit other plantations of a similar
or even more limited kind, would occur.

The value of the timber trees, whether of foreign or of na-
tive species, in a social and commercial point of view, should
prompt the farmers of Essex county to experiment on these
sorts of crops. The sturdy and weather beaten stumps and
fragments of oaks yet to be seen on the rough jDastures between
Rowley and Newburyport, attest to the early character of that
region for timber. In other sections of the State, I have met
with similar ruins of beech woods, which seem to invite labor
to reclothe the land with such vegetation. The Scotch larch^

of a more rapid growth than our species, has been found to
grow most readily on the rocky grounds near Salem and Lynn,
under the planting of E.. S. Fay, Esq., and oaks from acorns
plucked from seedlings of a third generation, may be seen on
the farm of the late E. Hersy Derby, growing in various soils.
The increasing taste for summer residences on the very marge
of the ocean, seizes upon any tree form which will grow on the
marine soils : and Emerson in his Report on the Trees and
woody plants of Massachusetts, recommends the use of the
pinaster of Europe or cluster pine, which has been successfully
employed in France, to cover and turn to advantage the barren
sands of the coast.

The artificial production of forests addresses the pocket of
the farmer, whose family, if not himself, may be benefited
thereby. Fuel and timber are among the prime articles on any
farm ; each coming from growths which need scarcely more
than a let-alone policy when once fairly on the start, and pay-
ing all they promise on demand from the axe.

I do not expect to see such enterprises, so long as land is so
cheap and our woods so vigorous ; and still more so, when
every farmer born on the spot he cultivates, inherits his wood-
lot ; and he who does not, can readily purchase : nor do I ex-
pect much until Agriculture rises in the estimation of the pub-
lic ; until patriotism enters into its calculations, giving to its
future a little present foresight, and by a seasonable prevention
avoiding a great coming evil. Should our Agricultural Schools
and Colleges prove a success, and the great subject of the cul-
tivation of the earth be studied, and in all its bearings consid-
ered, with its relations to a country's prosperity and very ex-
istence, the time may come when the barren and waste places
shall be thus planted by the same hands and with the same
pride and skill, that now lay out the wide fields of grain, re-
deemed from sterility or seized upon in their virgin freshness,
and that garner a sure harvest, which science as well as indus-
trious and honorable toil shall insure from season to season and
from year to year,

124

The intimate connection of the forests with the meteorologi-
cal character of countries, is too well known and understood to
provoke incredulity. Countries periodically destitute of rain,
and those where severe droughts may at any season occur, have
been made or become so by the indiscriminate destruction of
their woods ; the cooling and condensing properties of lofty
growing vegetation arresting and depositing the moisture al-
ways present in the atmosphere. In the newer States, where
timber is only to be sought in narrow belts, and this too often
of inferior sort, bordering the larger streams, droughts, such as
New England Avith its green woods and piny clad hills, hap-
pily as yet has never known, are always to be apprehended. —
It is by no means a fair inference, that because the drier por-
tions of such States, like the rolling prairies, are treeless and
their herbage the coarser grasses, that they will not produce a
timber growth : the reason lies in the practice of annual burn-
ing, and in consequence of this conflagration, the inability of a
young woody growth to appear. When this savage treatment
of the soil shall cease, when Agriculture shall convert these
broad acres into farms, and an enlightened policy shall plant
the greatest variety of timber possible, the most frightful desert,
may blossom like the rose, and the parched surface be mois-
tened with dews and gush with brooks aud streams.

A celebrated naturalist, resident for many years in California,
for researches among her forests, in speaking of the Red-Wood,
a gigantic cypress, has observed this same result, where it cov-
ers the country with its growth. This species acts especially
in no small degree in condensing the fogs and mists, turning a
heavy fog into a rain as it strikes its limbs and tops, thorough-
ly wetting the earth and supplying springs of water during the
usual dry seasons. The crops on the Coast Range are not liable
to fail ; and the springs in the vicinity are never in want of a
full supply of water. So valuable are the services of these
noble forest trees, that on their future and possible destruction,
California will become a desert ; on their safety depends the
welfare of the State.

125

The amelioration of a soil by the moisture of the atmosphere,
comes within the limits of Agricultural Science, and every one
who in his way and in his own method, contributes to intro-
duce the subject in a reasonable, economical and profitable
point of view, is benefiting more than the area of his experi-
ments and labors.

In conclusion, satisfied that your claimant is entitled to the
respectful consideration of the Society, I award to him the first
premium for the planting of Forest Trees.

John L. Russell — of the Committee on Forest Trees,

STATEMENT OF E. G. KELLEY.

In presenting the following Statement on the planting and
culture of Forest Trees, we offer all the varieties, and many
more in number, in the aggregate, than are required for the
premium instituted by the late lamented Mr. Fay. It may be
supposed that Mr. Fay intended more especially to encourage
the planting of large forests as in England. But so diverse
are the conditions of the two countries, that extensive planta-
tions, if merely for timber, will seldom be undertaken here.

Other considerations and designs of no less utility, such as
protection, renovation, and even ornament — for all forest trees
may be called ornamental — should doubtless come under the
same head. Nor should the natural or accidental disposition
of trees be a sine qua non, though more gratifying to the sight
than the staid and often regular rows of the artificial forests
abroad.

The location and planting of trees for other objects than
piere wood is therefore desirable, while their growth and culti-
vation should be something more than the usual custom of ne-
glect. With these preliminaries— of suggestions for the Com-
mittee rather than intended Influences — we submit our opera-
tions and arrangements.

We commenced about twelve years ago by setting out a row

1^6

of elms and maples, alternate, on the street. We also planted
a great variety of forest trees on a belt 50 by 300 feet, the lat-
ter being the extent of our land on the street. This plantation
includes the front of the house, with a driveway and walks
lined with hedges.

The aspect of woods bordering a street in a city may be a
novelty, but it subserves many good purposes. The exposure
of the house and along the street was formerly very bleak.
Already the protection of these trees from winds and storms,
and during summer their cooling influences, are quite percepti-
ble. Seclusion and shade are not the least of the objects ob-
tained. While walking unseen, or seated in the arbor curios-
ity is not unfrequently gratified by the remarks of passers by !

Even woodcocks and mischievous rabbits frequent the thick-
ets as game ! and the number of songsters and other birds are
a subject of general remark and delight.

In rear of this small forest are the pear orchard, lawn, and
flower garden, all thus well protected on the north. The plan
tation of pears is lined on its three other sides by a narrower
belt, towering above the fruit trees, preserving the buds from
frosts and the fruit from blowing off". The lawn or pleasure
ground is also surrounded and studded with a rare collection
of ornamental trees.

Next in order, is a grove, chiefly of evergreens, shading and
protecting half-hardy and ornamental shrubs, ferns, pot plants,
etc. Further on, hedge rows and tree screens from 3 to 30
feet high surround three squares devoted chiefly to small fruits,
which must speak for themselves, each in their season, of the
benefits of their protectors.

The orchards for standard pears and apples are not over-
looked in this system of protection. Tree screens also enclose
the kitchen garden, and the rapidity with which their roots ex-
tend in the deeply trenched soil, is more than ofl'set by the
early and luxuriant growth of the vegetable.

The chief utility perhaps of a thrifty enclosure to a pond —
aeide from its beauty and shade— is the number of dead ducks

121

annually secured ! Surrounding the entire nine acres devoted
to cultivation is a single row of Norway spruces, 8 feet apart,
trimmed for protection in part to farm crops.

A pasture of seven acres adjoining, is being improved by
shade trees. We had often observed our cows standing
during the heat of mid-day on the highest portion of exposed
land. On this elevation we have hundreds of trees, chiefly
white pines, for future shade, in addition to the cooling breeze^

In surface draining this pasture a pond has been made for
permanent water, in the centre of which is an island covered
with trees, that our pet cows may choose between shade in the
water or on high ground ! The honey locust — gleditchtia tri-
canthus — is being tried here for a live fence.

Previous to planting any portion of even the forest trees, we
generally drained and trenched, or where practicable, subsoiled
the land. To this preparation of the soil we owe what little
of success has been attained — what some have thought to be
extra — -together with the use of ashes annually, for some years.
The undue anxiety of planters to see their trees set out, results
too often in their merely living without a thrifty growth. —
Draining is indispensable in some localities, but trenching is
not a paying operation for trees if subsoiling can be effected.

Some years since, the worthy County society to encourage a
practice common abroad, ventured to offer a premium for sub-
soiling ; but our candid statement of the operation and the con-
sequent growth of trees, so astonished the fogies of that day,
that the representative body — the august trustees— through
the notorious agency of a limited number, voted not to allow
the prize already awarded by the appropriate committee ! —
They also abolished the offer for the future, meaning of course,
their future, not all future time ! The device of sending a
special committee to see the evidence was not then thought of,
as subsequently, in the case of Veracity vs. Marblehead
Squashes and Cabbages !

A majority of our non-fruit-bearing trees were imported
from France while very small, and at a moderate expense.—

128

Stumps of some of these cut down in thinning out, are a foot
in diameter. Others of the imported lot, not then an inch in
diameter, are now three feet in circumference. We would
suggest to the doubting umpire on the subsolling question, the
propriety of inspecting the premises and products, even at this
late day. It's never too late to learn, even in unofficial capa-
city ! It is however peculiarly unfortunate that the science of
agriculture should suffer through one's success being at the dis-
posal of another's impulsive ignorance, uncontrolled by a saga-
cious body of men !

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

The Committee on Essays, Farm Accounts, and Reports of
Committees who award premiums, report :

No Essays or Statements of Farm Accounts were received _
Nine reports of Committees were placed in our hands by the
Secretary, which were considered by us in awarding the three
premiums offered for the best reports.*

At first thought, it might seem that a Committee to award
premiums, had fully discharged their duty when such award
had been made, but a little reflection convinces us, that making
and publishing such awards is but an inconsiderable part of the
duty which such Committees owe to the Society. As the mere
distribution of a few hundred dollars per annum among suc-
cessful competitors is but a small part of the real service which
an Agricultural Society is supposed to render to the community
of farmers, so the reports of the several committees, if merely

♦The reports of Dr. Nichols, of Haverliill, and Rev. Mr. Russell, of Salein ,
were not received until after the Committee had made their decision, so that
they were not considered as competing reports.

bald statements of awards, are of but little interest or value to
those who are concerned in agricultural progress. These re-
ports should give practical character and value to the " Trans-
actions of the Essex Agricultural Society."

In farming, as much' as in other pursuits, there is need of
the changes and improvements which the changing times re-
quire. The farmer who keeps closely to the old paths nn^
clings to the traditions and practices of his fathers, may not in-
cur much risk of great immediate loss, but can be assured of
diminishing profits from year to year, especially from the ex-
haustion of the soil and the increased cost of manual labor. —
To secure the conditions of success in all departments of pro-
ductive labor there is a steadily increasing demand for skill,
and a close calculation of expenses on the part of those who
are carrying them forward, and to this rule, farming is by no
means an exception. How to secure a sufficient supply of fer-
tilizing material to replenish wasted land, and how to econo-
mize and make more efficient the labor of man, are problems
with many farmers, of difficult solution. As to the mode and
the means by which the needed advancement in Agriculture is
to be made, we must generally rely upon that experience
which is every where the best teacher ; the farmer however
cannot afford to wait upon the instructions of his own expe-
rience in all things — life is too short for that, and the expense
of schooling would often be too great. In taking the experi-
ence of others as a guide, that is mainly to be consulted which
has been gained under conditions of soil and climate like our
own, and where the cost of labor is nearly the same. It mav
be interesting to read of great crops raised a thousand miles
away upon those fertile, virgin lands, where the deepest plough*
ing don't turn up the yellow dirt, which we find at so shallow
a depth > or of how cheaply the necessary labor can be obtain'^
ed where the rat^ of wages approximates the old standard of
a penny a day j but such facts do not instruct us ; we wish to
know how we may restore to our soil, never extraordinarily
fertile, but now much impoverished, the strength it has lost ;

17

130

how we can make the verdure of a hundred years ago wave
upon our gray and moss grown pastures ; and how the scarcity
and cost of labor here, where men receive their $2,50 or $3,00
per day at times, may be compensated for by the use of the
machinery, the invention of which has-been so much stimulat-
ed recently by this very scarcity and cost. Our Agricultural
Society is expected at its Annual Fair to collect and investigate
to some extent the results of the labors of the enterprising and
skilful farmers of the County for the year preceding, and the
various Committees are to put upon record in their reports, the
successful processes and results, with such suggestions and
comments as the subjects prompt. Thus these reports, if as
full, plain and practical, as they may be made by thought and
labor, become very valuable additions to our Agricultural lit-
erature, and will furnish that summary of home experience
which we see to be so important.

The Committee award the first premium of $8, to Allen W.
Dodge, of Hamilton, for Report on Agricultural Implements ;
the second premium of $6, to B. P. Ware, of Marblehead, for
Report on Manures ; and the third premium of $4, to Joseph
S. Howe, of Methuen, for Report on the Dairy.

For the Committee — Daniel E. SafFord.

131

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132

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

FOR 186 7-8.

PRESIDENT.

WILLIAM SUTTON, of South Danvers.

VICE PRESIDENTS.

LEWIS ALLEN, of South Danvers.
DAVID CHOATE, of Essex.
JOSIAH NEWHALL, of Lynnfield.
JOHN KEELEY, of Haverhill.

TREASURER.

EDWARD H. PAYSON, of Salem.

SECRETARY.

CHARLES P. PRESTON, of Danvers.

HONORARY TRUSTEES.

JAMES H. DUNCAN, of Haverhill.
JOHN W. PROCTOR, of South Danvers.
ALLEN W. DODGE, of Hamilton.
JOSEPH HOW, of Methuen.

133

TRUSTEES.

Hayden Brown, W. Newbury ;
Thomas J. Clark, Salisbury ;
George Cogswell, Bradford ;
Wm. B. Carleton, Haverhill ;
Levi Emery, Lawrence ;
James Flint, Middleton ;
Wm. Foster, No. Andover ;
Alonzo B. Fellows, Ipswich :
Thos. P. Gentlee, Manchester;
Alfred E. Goodwin, Amesbury ;
Jonas Holt, Andover ;
Joseph S. Howe, Methuen ;
Henry Hobbs, Wenham ;
E. G. Kelley, Newburyport ;
Jos. Kittredge, No. Andover ;

James P. King, So. Danvers ;
Oliver P. Killam, B oxford ;
George B. Loring, Salem ;
Ed'd H. Little, Newburyport ;
Samuel A. Merrill, Danvers;
James R. Nichols, Haverhill;
J. L. Newhall, Newburyport ;
William Osborn, Lynn ;
Isaac Patch, Gloucester ;
William R. Putnam, Danvers;
John Perkins, Lynnfield ;
Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence ;
Calvin Rogers, W. Newbury;
Dan'l H. Stickney , Groveland ;
Benj. P. Ware, Marblehead.

134

NEW MEMBERS — 1867.

J. M. Barry, Haverhill ;
Elbridge Battell, Newburyport;
William Cogswell, Ipswich ;
George W. Chadwick, Boxford ;
Gilbert Conant, Ipswich ;
James T. Carleton, Bradford ;
Wm. P. Clark, Haverhill ;
James Dewhurst, Haverhill;
Hiram Day, Bradford ;
Lafayette Day, Bradford ;
Royal Day, Bradford ;
W. W. Fowler, Wenham ;
John P. Gilman, Haverhill ;
James F. Gile, Haverhill ;
George E. Herrick, Lynnfield ;
Wm. Hazeltiue, Bradford ;
Thomas Hazeltine, Bradford ;
Romulus Jaques, W. Newbury ;
Joseph Knowlton, Hamilton ;
Jonathan Kimball, Bradford ;
Sylvester Kimball, Bradford ;
David Kimball, Bradford ;

Ira Libby, Bradford ;
C. H. Lake, Topsfield ;
Mrs. M. P. Little, Bradford ;
J. G. S. Little, Haverhill ;
Robert Manning, Salem ;
Orrin Ordway, Groveland ;
Asahel H. Patch, Hamilton ;
John S. Preston, Danvers ;
Otis F. Putnam, Danvers ;
John Perley, Bradford ;
John P. Peabody, Salem ;
Daniel Peabody, Bradford ;
Frank Peabody, Bradford ;
Eben Sutton, North Andover ;
John L. Shorey, Lynn :
S. C. Sleeper, Haverhill ;
John A. Sears, Danvers;
Hiram Tozier, W. Newbury ;
Horace C. Ware, Salem ;
Alden B. Woodls, Salem ;
Herbert E. Wales, Groveland ;
Chas. A. Whittemore, Boston.

1^ Any citizen in the County may become a member by
paying the sum of three dollars to increase the permanent
funds of the Society, and he will receive a certificate of his
membership from the Secretary. No fines or assessments are
ever imposed. Members are entitled to the free use of the
Library and a copy of the Transactions each year. All or-
dained Ministers of the Gospel residing in the County, and
editors of newspapers, published therein, are entitled to the
privileges of the Library.

135

LIST OF PKEMIXJMS, &C.

FAT CATTLE.

Mrs. M. P. Little, Bradford, for off ox, 1st premium, $10

Mrs. M. P. Little, Bradford, for near ox, 2d " 8

Jas. H. Reynolds, No. Andover, '' " 3d " 5

BULLS.

Joseph Kittredge, No. Andover, Jersey Bull, 1st prem., 10
A, R. Fellows, Ipswich, " " 2d " 5

Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence, Dutch 1st premium Bull in

1866, for exhibition only, mileage.

MILCH cows.
Seth Kimball, Bradford, 1st premium, 15

John M. Barry, Haverhil, 2d " 10

HERD OF MILCH COWS.

William B» Carleton, Haverhill, gratuity, 15

HEIFEKS.

Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence, for 3 yrs. old " Midwould,"

1st premium, 10
Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence^ for 3 years old ** Fanny,"

2d premium, 6

Albert E. Emery, Haverhill^ for 2 yrs. old, 1st premium, 5
Eliphalet Davisj " " " 2d "

Burr's Field and Garden Vegetables.

Beth Kimballj Bradford, yearling, 1st premium, 5

Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence, " 2d " 3

George E» Silsby, Bradford, calvea •* 6

136

WORKING OXEN A^'D STEERS.

Francis Dodge, Uanvers, 1st premium, 1^

John T, Wood, Boxford, 2d '' 10

E. S. Bray, Newbury, steers, 1st " 8

STEERS.

John Tarlton, West Newbury, for 2 years old, 1st prem , 5
Alfred Kimball, Bradford, for yearlings, 1st '' 4

STALLICXS.

E. Battelle, Newburyport, stallion over 4 yrs. old, 2d

premium, 10

BROOD MARES.

William E. Kimball, North Andover, 1st premium, 15

H. W. Cheever, Haverhill, 2d " 10

Herbert E Wales, Groveland, 3d « 8

FAMILY HORSES.

J. G. S. Little, Haverhill, 1st

James K. Nichols, " 2d

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

James T. Carlton, Bradford, 1st premium,
R. S. Bray, Newbury, 2d "

COLTS.

Orrin Ordway, Groveland, 4 years old,

S. C. Kimball, Haverhill,

Romulus Jaques, W. Newbury, 3 years old, 1st

George Coffin, Haverhill, " "

John Swinerton, Danvers, 2 years old,

T. Weed Quimby, Amesbury, " "

John Gardner, Haverhill, yearlings,

J. T. McDonald, "

emium.

10

((

8

10

8

1st premium.

10

2d

5

1st

6

2d

4

1st «

5

2d

3

1st "

4

2d

3

U1

SWINE.

C. E. Morse, Bradford, Boar, 1st premium, 8
Dan'l Carleton, No. Andover, breeding sow, 1st *' 8
Michael McDonald, Haverhill, weaned pigs, 1st " 5

SHEEP COARSE WOOLED.

J. p. Foster, North Andover, flock, 1st premium, 8

D. K. Webster, Haverhill, buck, 2d " 6

PLOUGHING — DOUBLE TEAMS.

J. L. Farnhara, No. Andover, Hussey Plough No. 16, 1st

premium, 12

R. T. Jaques & R. S. Bray, Newbury, Eagle Plough No.

20, 2d premium, 10

Cummings & Phelps, Andover, Doe Plough No. 7, 3d

premium, 9

C. K. Ordway, W. Newbury, *' Doe C " No. 7, 4th prem., 8

PLOUGHING — SINGLE TEAMS.

Rich'd T. Jaques, Newbury, Hussey Plough No. 16, 1st

premium, 7

Romulus Jaques, W. Newbury, Conical Plough No. 4, 2d

premium, 6

PLOUGHING — "WITH HOKSES,

Wm. B. Putnam, Danvers, Holbrook'a No. 98 Universal

Plough, 1st premium, 10

Thomas C. Shattuck, North Andover, 2d premium, 7

James H. Duncan, Haverhill, 3d ** 4

18

138

PLOUGHING — WITH SIDE HILL PLOUGH.

Pettengill & Allen, Holbrook's Swivel Plough, wood beam,

No. 6, Topsfield, horses, 1st premium, 10

John T. Wood, No. 9 Swivel Plough, iron beam, Box-
ford, oxen, 2d premium, 8

PLOUGHING EOR SPECIAL PKEMIUMS BY BOYS UNDER 19 YEARS

OF AGE.

Charles Fish, Danvers, Holbrook's Universal Plough No.

94, 1st premium, 25

George Styles, Marblehead, 2d premium, 15
Eben Dodge, Danvers, Holbrook's Universal Plough No.

94, 3d premium, 10

Eustish Balch, Groveland, gratuity, 5

Frank C. Phelps, Andoxer, " 5

Walter Cummings, N. Andover, " 5

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Whittemore, Belcher & Co., Boston, best collection of Im-
plements, special premium, 2b
Whittemore, Belcher & Co., Boston, Wood's Improved

Mowing Machine, 1st premium, 10

Sam'l A. Merrill, Danvers, Market Wagon, 1st premium, 10
John S. Preston, Danvers, Raymond's Horse Pitchfork,

1st premium, 10

Chas. Perley, Boxford, Bay State Horse Bake, 1st prem., 5

Amos Poor, Jr., W.Newbury, Share's Horse Hoe, 1st " 5
S. A. Merrill, agent for Ames Plow Co., Garfield's Hay

Tedder, gratuity, 10

E. E. Lummus, Boston, one Horse Kniffen Mower, gratuity, 5

Nathan Page, Jr., Danvers, Portable Pump, " 5

George E. Herrick, Lynnfield, Seed Sower, " 3

139

CARRIAGES.

Alvah Whittier, Haverhill, 1 Buggy, gratuity, 3

" •'* " Carriage, " 4

« " " 3 Sleighs, « 3

BUTTER.

Hannah Lambert, Rowley, 1st premium, 12

Farnham Stiles, Middleton, 2d " 10

Sarah L. Ridgway, W. Newbury, 8d " 8

Mrs. Nath'l Carlton, Bradford, 4th "

Burr's Field and Garden Vegetables.

FARMS.

Richard Webster, Haverhill, gratuity, 30

IMPROVING WASTE LANDS.

Richard Webster, Haverhill, premium, 15

GRAIN CROPS.

Oliver P. Killam, Boxford, corn crop, premium, 10

Eugene W. Day, Bradford, oat crop, " 8

FOREST TREES.

E. G. Kelley, Newburyport, premium, 20

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton, 1st premium, 8

Benjamin P. Ware, Marblehead, 2d " 6

Joseph S. Howe, Methuen, 3d *' 4

140

iVwarded by Committee on Poultry, 1 vol. *^ Strong on

the Grape " and 15.00

Awarded by Committee on Vegetables, 3 copies " Gar-
den Vegetables " and 58.50
Awarded by Committee on Fruits, 2 copies " Burr's Gar-
den Vegetables," 1 do "Strong on the Grape "and 138.00
Awarded by Committee on Flowers, 46.00
" <* " Articles from Leather, 30.00
" " " Counterpanes, Rugs, &c., 35.50
" " " Fancy Articles, 2 copies "Art

Recreations " and 50.50
" " " General Merchandize, 24.00

" « " Bread, &c., 20.00

Total, $1,111.50

141

RECAPITULATION,

FARMS, &C,

Amount awarded to Farms,

" " Improving Waste Lands,

" " Ploughing,

" " Farm Implements, &c.,

830.00
15.00

156.00
98.00

5299.00

FARM STOCK.

Amount awarded to Fat Cattle,

$23.00

a

u

Bulls,

15.00

((

((

Milch Cows,

40.00

((

((

Heifers,

29.00

((

t(

Calves,

6.00

«

((

Working Oxen and Steers,

30.00

((

((

Steers,

12.00

,c

((

Stallions,

10.00

u

«

Breeding Mares,

83.00

u

((

Family Horses,

18.00

((

((

Farm and Draft Horses,

18.00

u

((

Colts,

40.00

{(

i(

Swine,

21.00

(I

U

Sheep,

14.00

((

((

Poultry,

15.00

FARM PRODUCE.

Amoun

it awarded to Corn Crop,

sio.oo

((

((

Oat Crop,

8.00

♦»

t(

Vegetables,

58.50

(t

((

Fruits,

138.00

♦»

u

Flowers,

46.00

H

«

Butter,

30.00

(t

u

Bread, &c,,

20.00

n

u

All other objects,

178.00

S324.00

$488.50

Total,

$1,111.50

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Address by Rev. R. H. Seeley, D. D 3

Forty- Seventh Annual Exhibition, 37

Remarks of the President, 37

Remarks of Gov. Bullock, 38

Remarks of Gen. Banks, 44

Notes on the Exhibition, . . . • 51

Report on Fat Cattle, with statement of J. II. Reynolds, 55

" Bulls, 57

<< Milch Cows, with statements of Seth Kimball, John M. Bar-
ry and Wm. A. Russell 58

«' Herd of Milch Cows, • . GO

" Heifers, 60

•' Working Oxen and Steers, , . . 61

•' Steers 63

" Stallions 03

<' Brood Mares 64

•' Family Horses 65

" Farm and Draft Horses 65

" Colts, 65

" • • Swine, 66

" Sheep, Coarse Wooled, 68

M Poultry, 63

143

PAO£.

Report on Ploughing, Double Teams 69

" Ploughing, Single Teams 70

♦' Ploughing, with Horses, 70

'< Ploughing, with Side Hill Plough, 71

" Ploughing, by Boys, 71

" Agricultural Implements, 74

" Carriages, 77

" Dairy, with statements of Hannah Lambert, Mrs. Nathaniel

Carleton and Mrs. Farnham Stiles, 78

" Bread and Honey ' 82

»• Pears, 82

" Apples, 84

" Peaches, Assorted Fruits and Grapes So

•' Flowers, 94

«• Vegetables 96

" Counterpanes, Carpetings and Rugs 97

" Articles Manufactured from Leather, 98

" ilanufactures and General Merchandize, 99

" Fancy Work, . 100

" Farms, with statement of Richard Webster 102

" Lnproving Pasture and Waste Land, with statement of Rich-
ard Webster, 106

•' Grain Crops, with statements of Oliver P. Killam and Eugene

W. Day 110

" Treadwell Farm, 114

" Manures 115

" Forest Trees, with statement of E. G. Kclley 118

" Reports of Committees, 128

Treasurer's Report 131

OtRcers of the Society 132

New Members, t . . 134

List of Premiums 136

Recapitulation, , . . , .«••••••• i • 141

TRANSACTIONS

or THE

Essex Agricultural Society

In MASSACHUSETTS,

FOR THE TEA.B

1868,

WITH THE

ANNUAL ADDRESS

BT

Dr. GEORGE B. LORING.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.

PE AB O D Y,
PRINTED BY CHARLES D. HOWARD, SUTTON BUILDING,

1868.

ADDRESS.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Society:

We have met here to-day to discharge a most agree-
able duty. The Essex Agricultural Society has finished
the first half century of its existence ; and we, to whose
care it is now entrusted, desire to pay just tribute fo
the distinguished men who have guided its destinies
thus far, and to recall their labors in the cause of agri-
culture, while we ourselves commence upon a new era
of usefulness and prosperity. The history of our soci-
ety is identified with almost every active movement for
the advancement of Essex County, for the last fifty
years. In the early days of its existence, the leading
statesmen, and lawyers, and educators and farmers of
our county, came up to its support as to a common
cause, believing in agriculture as the foundation of the
best social and civil organization, and inspired with that
love of the land which always characterizes a brave and
loyal people. Within this circle all religious and polit-
ical controversies have been stilled j all social rivalries

and distinctions have been forgotten ; the leading minds
of almost every occupation have contributed to our de-
liberations ; and the clergyman in his pulpit, the law-
yer in the courts, the physician in his daily round, the
farmer in his field, the merchant in his counting-room,
the manufacturer in his mill, have all joined in the work
of developing an institution, which, commencing with
the most primitive modes of farming and domestic man-
ufacture, now offers encouragement to the most ingeni-
ous and elaborate methods by which the land can be
tilled, and the raw material can be wrought into fabrics
of use and beauty. Beginning with the scythe, and the
hand-rake, and the wooden plough, and the spinning-
wheel, and the hand loom, we have advanced to the
mowing machine, and the horse-rake, and the tedder,
and the iron mould board of every line of grace, and
the power loom ; from the homespun of our fathers to
the rich and beautiful products which are placed by our
mfanufacturers and mechanics, within the reach of every
industrious and thriving citizen.

The progress which Essex County has made during
the life time of this society should not be forgotten ;
nor should the growth of that country of which it forms
a part, and in which its intellectual and physical activ-
ity has had so large a share. In 1818, when the organ-
ization of this society first occurred to Timothy Picker,
ing, the republic to whose existence he had devoted all
his early powers, had hardly commenced its career of
prosperity. It had just come out of an exhausting
■^ar — its second struggle for position among the nations
of the earth. A narrow strip of land between the At-
lantic and the AUeghanies, contained nearly all its valu-
able and productive industry. The great cities of the

West were unknown ; the valleys and prairies were ly-
ing idle ; the coal fields were unexplored ; the mineral
wealth of the Pacific slope was unheard of; manufac-
tures were in their feeblest infancy ; and the most vig-
orous commerce under the American flag was carried on
by the citizens of Essex County, who poured the wealth
of the great fishing grounds and of Ormus and the Ind,
into the diminutive harbors of Salem and Marblehead
and Newburyport. The entire revenue of this country
was then less than $30,000,000 annually. Prosperous
as Essex County was in that early day, paying nearly
one seventh of the entire State tax, she had less than
70,000 inhabitants, had no manufacturing nor mechani-
cal interests, had not a steam engine within her limits,
had not a cotton mill, and but two woolen mills so far
as I can ascertain, and depended entirely upon agricul-
ture and commerce for her growth and prosperity. —
North of the Merrimac River, in the now thriving towns
of Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Amesbury and Salis-
bury, there were then less than three thousand inhabit-
ants ; Lynn was but a village ; Salem a small commer-
cial town ; a few baggage wagons transported all the
merchandize in the county; and a few stage coaches all
the travellers who depended upon public conveyance.

It was in this condition of affairs in the country, and
in this county, that " a meeting of farmers and others,
inhabitants of the county of Essex," was held at Cyrus
Cumming's tavern in Topsfield, on Monday the sixteenth
of February, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight
hundred and eighteen, for the purpose of forming an
Agricultural Society for the county of Essex." Ichabod
Tucker, Esq., of Salem, was chosen " moderator" of the
meeting ; David Cummings, Esq., of Salem, secretary ;

and these two gentlemen, both lawyers as well as land
holders, together with Paul Kent (farmer), John Adams
(farmer), and Elish Mack (lawyer), were appointed a
committee to report a plan of organization for the soci-
ety. This was done at once, and Timothy Pickering
was chosen President. The first vice presidents were
William Bartlett of Newburyport (merchant), Thomas
Kittredge of Andover (physician), John Heard of Ips-
wich (merchant) and Ichabod Tucker of Salem (law-
yer), the first corresponding secretary was Leverett Sal-
stonstall of Salem (lawyer), and the first treasurer was
Nehemiah Cleveland of Topsfield (physician). I mention
the occupation of these first ofiBcers of the society to
show how largely the professional men of that day were
interested in farming, and what a prominent part they
took in the agricultural investigations of the time.

It seems to me proper that we should here pay a just
tribute to the most conspicuous of those officers of this
society, who, by their distinguished public service have
recorded their names in the history of our country.

Foremost among these in point of time and of illus-
trious public service, stands Timothy Pickering. His
patriotic career is known to you all. Commencing with
his gallant resistance to British aggression at the North
Bridge, in his own town of Salem, a successful armed
resistance made two months before the stand at Con-
cord, he served his country through the war of the Rev-
olution in military life, and through the administrations
of Washington and Adams in civil service. Bold, hon-
est and uncompromising, he represented all that stern
and defiant purpose which characterized the founders of
our government. No personal considerations ever con-
trolled his public action. Regardless at all times of

popular clamor, perhaps too defiant of the revolutionary
thought of hi* time, he pursued his stern and steady
way through life as a statesman, and at last sought re-
pose as an intelligent, practical farmer on his native
soil. It is for others to record his important service as
a public servant during the most trying days of our re-
public ; but it is for us to remember that he was one of
the pioneer farmers of this county ; that he was one of
the most accurate of our early agricultural investigators;
and that during the ten years of his Presidency he filled
the records of this Society with his sound practical ob-
servations and his wise inferences. It was said of him
at his death — " How much the Society is indebted to his
exertions is well known to all acquainted with its opera-
tions. His high reputation, his knowledge of agricul-
ture and zeal for its advancement, combined with a read-
iness and hapi^y talent in communicating information,
either orally or in writing, enabled him to render proba-
bly greater services than would have been in the power
of any other individual." " It may be mentioned as an
instance of his zeal for the Society, that but a few weeks
before his decease he wrote the memorial, presented on
their behalf to the Legislature, for a continuance of the
grant to the Agricultural Societies of this State." His
Presidency extended from 1818 to 1828, and was the
last public office held by him. The memorial presented
by this Society to the family of Colonel Pickering, after
his decease, was a tribute of respect and regard alike
worthy of himself and of those whom he had so long
and so faithfully served. And his farm at Wenham,
where he applied those jDrinciples of agriculture which
he so carefully investigated, now bearing the marks of
his industry, reminds us ever of his devotion to the

8

cause, and of the peaceful years which closed his long
and useful life. »

Passing from the distinguished founder of our Society,
along the line of worthy Presidents, Howes and Mosely
and Duncan and Kittredge, I come to the name of one
whom many of us remember as the genial gentleman,
the fervid orator, the honest statesman, the pacific law-
yer. The sixth President, Leverett Saltonstall, was
one of the most admirable, and stands nearest in our
history to the first and greatest. " Pickering and Sal-
tonstall " — said Mr. Daniel P. King in his eulogy of the
departed statesman — " worthy names, worthily associat-
ed ; no encomium of ours can add one green leaf to
their ever fresh chaplets ; their deeds, their talents and
their virtues, have secured for them an enduring fame."
And he adds — " Descended from a Puritan family, Mr.
Saltonstall made an honored name more honorable ; of
New England stock, he was worthy to represent the
stern virtues of New England ; they were his pride and
his only boast. Truth, honor, and virtue, he worshiped
always, not because of the sure and adequate reward
which they pay, nor because it is fashionable occasion-
ally to make a pilgrimage to their altars, but because
for their own sakes, he loved truth, and honor, and vir-
tue. The beautiful language applied by President Kirk-
land to Fisher Ames, is no less true and beautiful when
applied to Mr. Saltonstall : '■ Happily he did not need
the smart of guilt to make him virtuous, nor the regret
of folly to make him wise.' Liberty, religion and holi-
ness he loved, and his reverence for God was habitual
and controlling."

Mr. Saltonstall won high honors in the State and in
the nation ; and death alone, which laid its icy hand on

him before he had reached old age, prevented his attain-
ing still higher position. He was President of the So-
ciety from 1842 to 1845. Of those who succeeded him
in office, three have passed away — Newell, Adams and
Fay — all eminent in agriculture, and all recipients of
heartfelt eulogy from their associates here, after they
had left their fields of labor.

Of the Presidents of the Society there are now
living : —

James H. Duncan, President from 1836 to 1839.

John W. Proctor, President from 1845 to 1852.

Allen W. Dodge, President from 1861 to 1863.

Joseph How, President from 1863 to 1865.

William Sutton, President, chosen in 1865.

Stepping out of the list of Presidents, I find one
name among our Secretaries, whose fortunate public
career, cut off as it was, by premature death, made him
peculiarly conspicuous. It is hardly necessary that I
should say that I refer to Daniel P. King. Mr. King
possessed that rare combination of faculties which se-
cures for its possessor the reputation of being specially
favored of fortune. Passing most of his life on his se-
cluded farm, he was a careful observer of public affairs ;
and when brought into the work of a servant of the
people, his prudence, good judgment and sound informa-
tion, gave him peculiar advantages over the more ambi-
tious and restless. I think one of the most eloquent
and appropriate tributes ever paid by one public man to
another, was that pronounced by Caleb Gushing, in his
allusion to the death of Mr. King, at the annual meet-
ing of this Society in 1850, when he says of him: —
" He owed to the accidents of birth and circumstances
but this — that he was enabled to pass into the public

10

service without going through that apprenticeship in ac-
tive life, or training in the learned professions, which,
though it sharpen the faculties and enlarge the sphere
of knowledge, yet has a tendency to leave the heart
hardened in the conflict of human passions and interests,
and the mind sophisticated by the habit of seeking for
arguments to maintain an assumed opinion or side, in
the stead of the unprejudiced exploration of the depths
of supreme and eternal truth. In this he was fjivored
by fortune ; the rest was all his own — opportunities of
education and mental formation faithfully improved,
scholarly accomplishments, a graceful and ready elo-
quence, courteous bearing, candor of judgment, a spirit
manly and generous, firmness of tenet softened by mod-
eration of temperament, justness of principle, philan-
thropy in sentiment and practice, not in loud profession,
religion of the heart as well as of the head and of the
outward life, equableness of general worth, constancy
and uprightness in the performance of all his duties,
whether to himself, his country, or his God."

Mr. King was Secretary of the Society from 1842 to
1844, and was one of the Vice Presidents from 1848
to 1850, the year of his death.

The Secretaries of the Society have been —

David Cummins, 1818.

Frederick Howes, 1819.

John W. Proctor, 1820—1842.

Daniel P. King, 1842—1844.

Allen W. Dodge, 1844—1861.

Charles P. Preston, 1861.

Of these, David Cummins, Frederick Howes and
Daniel P. King are deceased. I am happy in this op-
portunity to pay a just tribute to the long and valuable

11

service of Mr. Proctor, both as Secretary and President.
And I know you will join me in expressions of sympa-
thy for those infirmities which have visited his old age
and render his enjoyment of this day, so rich in memo-
ries to him, impossible.

The Treasurers of the Society have discharged their
duty well from the beginning, and the invested funds
have constantly increased, under their careful and pru-
dent management. They have been —

IcHABOD Tucker, 1818.

Daniel A. White, 1819—1823.

Benj. R. Nichols, 1823—1825.

Benj. Merrill, 1825—1828.

Andrew Nichols, 1828 — 1840.

Wm. Sutton, 1840—1866.

Edw. H. Payson, 1866.

I have selected these names as those to whom the
highest honors of the Society have been paid, while
they have achieved distinction also in larger fields. But
when I remind you that among those trustees who have
passed away from earth I find the names of Joseph
Story, B. W. Crowninshield, Hobart Clark, Andrew
Nichols, Bailey Bartlett, Samuel Putnam, Benjamin T.
Beed, Temple Cutler, Daniel Putnam, Jesse Putnam,
Stephen Abbott, Stephen Barker, Wm. Johnson, Dean
Bobinson, B. A. Merriam, Jeremiah Colman, Henry Col-
man, Erastus Wade, Francis Peabody, Hector Coflin and
Josiah Lovett, you will realize the deep interest which
has been felt in your Society by the prominent men of
the county from its earliest history.

The only person living of the original subscribers to
the Society, in this neighborhood, is Major David Em-
ery, of Newbury pori, now 82 years old. He has pre*

12

served his receipt for the payment of his membership
fee, as follows :

Received payment by the hands of Robert Dodge, the amount of three
dollars, for file Essex Agricultural Society, for David Emory.

IcHABOD Tucker, Treasurer.
May 6th, 1818.

Major Emery has enjoyed the respect of his towns-
men through a long life, and amidst the infirmities of
old age retains his interest in all those institutions which
operate for the benefit of the community.

In another part of the county, there still resides,
blessed with longer life than often falls to the lot of
man, Hobart Clark, one of our first trustees. As a law-
yer, and an active member of the community, he will
long be remembered by all who appreciate devoted ser-
vice to the welfare of society. As a pioneer in the rail-
road enterprises of the State, he took the lead, and is
entitled to the respect and gratitude of a prosperous
people.

When you consider the character of those who organ-
ized this association, you will not be surprised to learn
that the preparation of addresses and essays upon agri-
cultural subjects formed an important, and for some
years the only duty in which its members were inter-
ested. Colonel Pickering began, continued and ended
his connection with the Society by constant and diligent
labor with his pen. His example has been well follow-
ed, and while our volumes have been filled with essays
by practical farmers, the annual addresses, invariably
delivered by a citizen of the county, form an interesting
and useful part of our agricultural literature.

The first address was delivered by Timothy Pickering,
May 5, 1818, upon "Manure; Domestic Animals, or the

13

live stock of a farm ; Green Food, comprehending car-
rots, the great beet, or mangel wurtzel, the Swedish tur-
nip, and Indian corn plants while abounding in sweet
juices ; Ripened Indian Corn and Wheat " — a large field
to be tilled, it seems to me, in one day. He says : " My
own practice, since, has been conformed to this conclu-
sion: diligently ploughing in all manure as soon as
spread, even so far as to spread in the morning no more
than could be ploughed in before the hour of dining, and
while the cattle were eating to spread only so much
more as they could plough in by night." " I am induced
to think the spreading of dung on grass land the most
wasteful way in which it can be used." Of cattle he
says : " I would inquire whether giving rewards for the
biggest and the fattest is the best method of obtaining
the most valuable breeds." " In fattening cattle and
sheep there is a point to be attained at which their flesh
will be of the best quality and most valuable to the
consumer. Is not 'all beyond this a waste of time and
expense in their keeping ? " He says in the same ad-
dress that Swedish turnips should be sowed early in
May ; and that no green food " will afford butter of equal
excellence " with that produced by green corn fodder — ^^^
two points in which fanners of this day would differ
from him.

Again, on February 21, 1820, Col. Pickering address-
ed the Society, in accordance with a vote of the trustees.
He discussed deep-ploughing and manuring, root crops
Indian corn and winter wheat, live stock and orchards —
giving his views on these subjects with wisdom and
practical good sense.

Andrew Nichols was the next orator. He delivered
the address at Topsfield, October 5, 1820, in which he:

14

urged the farmers who listened to him to " cultivate no
more land than can be thoroughly ploughed, well ma-
nured at once, and kept free from weeds." "Never
keep land many years under the same crops." " Never
lay land into grass except it be well prepared and in
very rich condition."

October 17, 1821. Rev. Abiel Abbott, one of the
soundest thinkers of his day, and one of the most care-
ful scholars and patrons of letters, stepped down from
the pulpit, and in an address delivered at the annual
exhibition at Danvers, declared that "Every attentive
farmer has doubtless observed that the best manure is
taken from under cover, from his sheep or cattle shed,
from his barn cellar. This should be an inducement to
make manure, as much as possible, under cover. Econ-
omy should induce us to make cellars under our stables."
He said furthermore, " Every farmer perceives a great
difference in the breed of cattle, sheep or swine ; that a
poor ox, cow, sheep or hog is not so easily kept, nor so
profitable as a good one."

October 2, 1822. Rev. Peter Eaton, another of the
strong-minded and strong-bodied clergymen of that day,
delivered an address at Topsfield, in which he set forth
that it is a maxim in husbandry, that no scheme of
management is of advantage to the community, which
will not give a profit ; and that is the best which will
afford the greatest profit with the least labor and ex-
pense."

The year following, October 6, 1823, it fell to the lot
of Hon. Frederick Howes to address the Society ; and
he did it well, for he declared that " an essential requi-
site of good husbandry is, that the soil should be kept

15

free from weeds." And no one disputed it. He also
urged the cultivation of root crops.

Reports of committees for 1824 were published in
the N. E. Farmer. In 1825 no address seems to have
been delivered. In 1826 and 1827 the reports were
published in the N. E. Farmer.

On September 25, 1829, Col. Pickering was again
called on to address the Society, the annual address hav-
ing been omitted since 1823. In this, his last appear-
ance as a teacher of agriculture, he spoke of ploughs,
and said with much truth: "It is not so much the
weight as the shape of a plough which makes it of easier
or harder draft ; and this depends chiefly on the mould
board." He also urged keeping manure " under cover."
He says : " Many years ago I became satisfied that the
hilling of Indian corn was at least useless ; I was rather
inclined to think it injurious."

The orator for 1830 was Hon. James H. Duncan, who
is still one of the active and useful members of the Soci-
ety. He announced with justice that " there is the same
and equal occasion for discernment, good judgment and
intelligence in the business of husbandry as in the other
employments of life." He favored small farms, and sys-
tematic husbandry ; urged careful education in agricul-
ture ; and recommended " good tools."

Rev. Henry Colman delivered the annual address at
Andover, Sept. 29, 1831. This was one of Mr. Colman's
earliest efforts in that cause to which he devoted so use-
fully the latter years of his life. In this address he stat-
ed that " Ploughing is too deep when it buries all the
richer parts of the soil, and brings to the top only a cold
and gravelly substance, imless you have manure in such
abundance that you can create a new vegetable surface."

16

He says : " Late ploughing in the spring is preferable to
early. Quotes from Curwen that : " By making use of
dung in its freshest state, the farmer may extend his
cropping to one-third more land with the same quantity
of manure."

Rev. Gardner B. Perry spoke at Newbury, at the ex-
hibition, Sept. 27, 1832. He approved of the Society, as
having a tendency to remove some of the hindrances to
agricultural improvement — such as an " unsettled state of
mind," — an " impression that farming is not a genteel oc-
cupation"— and an idea that " learning is of little advan-
tage in the business of a farmer's life."

Dr. Jeremiah Spofford was the speaker at New Row-
ley (now Georgetown) Sept. 26, 1833. He said, with
truth and emphasis : " To no class of men does this ne-
cessity of constant industry apply more forcibly than to
the farmer. He turns his own wheel of fortune more em-
phatically than almost any other class ; those great and
sudden turns of fortune which sometimes raise or depress
others, lie quite out of his track. With firm foothold he
climbs the ascent to wealth ; or with loosened energies he
slides down the gradual descent to poverty."

Hon. Ebenezer Moseley ascended the rostrum at New
Rowley, Sept. 25, 1834. He urged agricultural educa-
tion ; spoke of the advantages of Dummer Academy as
an agricultural school ; dwelt upon the proper time to
cut timber ; and recommended the cultivation of fruit."

Hon. Daniel P. King delivered the annual address at
Danvers, Sept. 30, 1835. He put forth the idea that:
" The great object of the farmer is to obtain the most
valuable products with the least possible labor, and at the
same time to keep his farm in a state of progressive im-

17

provement ;" and he recommended " that a farmer should
use his eyes as well as his hands."

Hon. Nathan W. HAZEN.was selected as the orator, at
Danvers, Sept 28, 1836. He spoke of the importance
of agriculture, and stated in striking phrase that : " When
agriculture loses the services of youth, and they desert
its fields for other employments, it is as though spring
should be struck from the seasons of the year, or should
forget to bloom." He recommended : ^' the adoption of
s^^stem in husbandry" as apt to induce that minute at-
tention and close observation on which its success so
much depends.

Rev. Nathaniel Gage addressed the Society at Tops-
field, Sept. 27, 1837. He laid down some valuable rules
of husbaudrj^, and said : " A prominent difficulty, in ad-
vancing a general improvement in the husbandry of the
great body of farmers, arises fi*om an attachment to ex-
isting usages and a dread of innovations."

Rev. Leonard Withington spoke at the exhibition at
Topsfield, Sept. 27, 1828. He advanced the idea that:
" We must bring our manners and our political theory in-
to more harmony. Our creed must sanction our practice,
and our practice must be in conformity with the spirit of
our creed. We nmst not attempt to put new wine into
old bottles ; else the bottles break and the wine runneth
out and the bottles perish ; or, in plain langmage, the re-
publican spirit must be put into republican forms ; and
we must be content to take the system, the whole system,
with all its blessings and attendant evils." Sound agri-
cultural doctrine.

Rev. Allen Putnam was the speaker at Georgetown,
Sept. 26, 1839. Said he : " I have a few words for the
fanners' wives. However skiUful, industrious, and pru-
3

18

dent your husbands may be, their success m money mak-
ing depends as much upon you as upon them." Does
any farmer doubt this ?

Hon. AsAHEL Huntington, the orator for 1840, at what
place the Transactions do not inform us, dechtf ed that :
" to secure an increased and increasing production. Ma-
nure is the great and principal instrumentality. This is
the beginning, the middle, and the end of thriving hus-
bandry."

Alonzo Gray, A. M., the speaker at Georgetown, Sept.
29, 1841, proclaimed : '' that in order to secure constant
progress and permanent improvement in agriculture, its
principles must be made a regular branch of study in an
extended course of an English education.

Hon. Allen W. Dodge, at Andover, Sept. 28, 1842,
encouraged the fruit-growers of this county with the dec-
laration that : " The apples Of Essex may yet be as wide-
ly celebrated as the oranges of Havana." He also stat-
ed, with much good judgment, that : " extensive cultiva-
tion of root crops is the basis of good husbandry in Great
Britain, and I see no good reason why it should not be
with us." He urged " the personal visitation of farms
that are distinguished for good management in general,
or for excellence in any specific department."

Hon. Leverett Saltonstall, speaking eloquently at
Andover, Sept. 27, 1843, said in defence of agricultural
societies — " no one now opposes or attempts to cast ridi-
cule on these associations, which are spreading over our
broad land, and whose good effects are seen in improved
cultivation, not only in our own blessed New England,
but in the States of the for West — and their light has
broken in upon those less favored regions, where labor is

19

not held in that honorable estimation which it must en-
joy, before a community can be truly prosperous."

Hon. John W. Proctor, the appointed speaker at Sa-
lem in 1844, said well : " as soon should I expect a man
to be skillful in the management of a ship, who has nev-
er been upon the water ; or expert in chemical experi-
ments, who had never been in a laboratory ; as to under-
stand the necessary processes of farming, without actual
personal experience in them." " Cultivate," said he, " so
much land as can be well done, and no more ; and leave
no part of the process of cultivation slightly performed."

Rev. Edwin M. Stone delivered the address at Ipswich,
Sept. 24, 1845. He said in a long and elaborate docu-
ment : " It has always seemed to me a reproval to the
farming interests of this country, that it should depend
on foreign supplies of improved stock, when it can easily
be supplied at home." Not so easily as some might sup-
pose. He stated that : " Good pasture is as essential
to the best results of the dairy, as it is to the best ap-
pearance of stock: " urged soiling milch cows ; and ex-
pressed the opinion that " the product of a single acre
will suffice for ten or fifteen cows, and give them their fill."

Hon. Moses Newell was the orator at Lynn, October
1st, 1846. He said : " all manures mixed with eaiih, for
top-dressing or ploughing-in, should be composted in ref-
erence to the soils to which they are to be applied." A
good idea — and one which should not be forgotten. He
said, too : " A barn-cellar under the stalls is the best
store-house" for manure.

Thomas E. Payson, Esq., gave the annual address at
Lynn, Sept. 29, 1847. He spoke of the Aalue of the
newspaper press. " Slowly and silently, almost by
stealth, without the knowledge of the man himself, this

20

mighty engine undermines old prejudices, and has taught
the farmer that however independent he may be, he is
not so much so, as that the experience of others will not
profit him. Most of us have become wilhng to seek di-
rections, even if they are contained in a book. We are
becoming more like liberal, free-born, aspiring men."

JosiAH Newiiall, Esq., addressed the Society at Lynn,
Sept. 28, 1848. He thought "the great stumbling block
in the way of agricultural improvement has been the
want of a knowledge of the vegetable economy of the
structure and growth of plants. Did farmers fully reid-
lize the indispensable necessity of supplying food to plants
to promote their growth, that they do to feed animals, we
should immediately see the commencement of an improv-
ed husbandry.

Hon. Asa T. Newhall, the orator of the Society, Sep-
tember 26, 1849, at Danvers, recommended the reclama-
tion of " wet meadows and swamps when the mud or peat
is from two to ten feet in depth," rather than those " where
the plough would run to or near the hard pan beneath."
He spoke of the necessity of curing salt hay properly ;
said " the willow on low marshy land will rather improve
the grass than otherwise, and afford a large quantity of
wood, it being of rapid growth."

Hon. Caleb Gushing was the orator at Salem, Septem-
ber 26,1850. He said: "In proportion as productive
land is abundant, and easy of acquisition by all the mem-
bers of the community, will society be sound on the main
point, that is, the absence of either serfdom or pauperism,
and of the criminal classes created by the unequal distri-
bution of limited national wealth." True.

Rev. Milton P. Braman spoke before the Society Sep-
tember 25, 1851, at Salem. He dwelt on "the oppressed

21

condition of many who have cultivated the soil ; " de-
clared that " to ensure a more rapid improvement in agri-
culture, the system of tenantry must be abolished, and
the cultivator must be the owner of the soil ; " and that
" the want of chemical knowledge " has " retarded the
advancement of agriculture." He recommended the foun-
dation of agricultural schools.

Hon. Henry K. Oliver addressed the Society Septem-
ber 30, 1852, at Lawrence. " Let me then commend to
you books on farming," said he, " and the farming of
books." "And of education, as the bringing-out of the
man into all possible physical, intellectual and moral per-
fectness, for that is education, may your tongues and
mine never cease to speak in terms of highest honor."

Hon. Joseph S. Cabot, in addressing the Society at
Lawrence, September 29, 1853, said: "Agriculture, like
every other science, is one of progress, and that, too, in
accordance with the greater or less advancement of soci-
ety." He also adds : " Whatever means may be adopted
for the purpose, one rule with respect to cultivation may
be safely laid down as an established axiom, and that is,
that no land will produce a remunerative crop unless it
contains, or is made to contain, an adequate supply of
vegetable nutriment, the labor of cultivation remaining
under all circumstances nearly the same." His speech
was a valuable essay on fruit culture.

R. S. Fay, Esq., spoke at Lawrence, September 28,
1851. He urged the use of labor-saving machines, and
a liberal supply of manure. He said also : " The estab-
lishment of regular markets or Fair days throughout the
county, at the most accessible points, would be a very
great advantage to a farming community like ours." He

proposed tlie planting of forest trees and the protection
of birds.

Dr. James R. Nichols, who delivered the addi-ess at
Haverhill, September 27, 1855, dwelt upon the value of
agricultural chemistry. He discussed the qualities of
various kinds of manures, and added : " I have said
enough, I trust, to accomplish my object, which has been
to show the husbandman how intimately connected is
Chemistry with his vocation, how much he has learned
fi'om it, and how much it is able to teach him."

Ben. Perley PooaE, Esq ., delivered the address at
Newburyport, October 2, 1856. It was an interesting
historical sketch of the agriculture of the country from
the earliest days, and an appeal for improvement. " Cher-
ish, then," he said, " arboriculture and horticulture, each
cultivator resolving to improve, and storing his mind
with the scientific studies of the learned, the experience
of the experimentalist, and, above all, with the results of
his own practical observations."

Dr. E. G. Kelley spoke at Newburyport, October 1,
1857, stating with propriety " that the Society and its
exhibition might well be called industrial." His essay
on society contained many valuable hints. " By early
marriage," said he, " the chances are that a greater num-
ber, in the aggregate, enter this state than otherwise
would. If deferred, disappointments of various kinds
may finally prevent it." And he says, moreover, " The
first and great motive to be urged upon the owner of the
farm house is to secure thereto the attachment of his
children."

Dr. George B. Loring delivered the annual address at
Danvers, Sept. 30, 1858. He spoke of the importance
of agricultural societies, and of the value of practical

23

Jinowleclge. He said : " The best professor of agricul-
tural chemistry is he who comes embrowned from the
compost heap, which by judicious application has forced
a hundred bushels of corn from each of his Avell cultivat-
ed acres. The best teacher of the art of tilling the soil
is he who has by long experience become acquainted
with the habits of plants, from their tenderest infancy
to the ripened harvest."

J. J. H. Gregory, Esq., addressed the Society at Dan-
vers, Sept. 30, 1859. He said : " My principal object
on this occasion is to draw your attention to the import-
ance of correct observation and thorough experiment to
the farmer, with reference to the elevation of his nature
and the improvement of his calling."

Rev. John L. Russell was the speaker at the annual
exliibition at South Dan vers, September 26, 1860. Deal-
ing with agriculture as an art, he said : " But no art can
successfully be pursued without a science to aid and as-
sist to prompt the labor and to point out the course."

Hon. Alfred A. Abbott was the orator of the Society
at South Danvers, Sept. 25, 1861. He recommended
strongly the careful keeping of farm accounts, and eulo-
gized agricultural education. He said : " In the next
place, and of equal, and perhaps greater importance, the
young man who is to become a farmer should at once
feel and realize that the occupation upon which he is en-
tering is not a mere mechanical routine of labor ; that
while it is one which may require severe physical toil, it
also calls for and demands the exercise of the hierhest

o

intellectual faculties."

George J. L. Colby, Esq., addressed the Society at
Georgetown, October 1, 1862. He spoke on "The Re-
lations of Man to Agriculture," and said : " Man's prog-

24

ress in civilization has been and mnst be through ih§
paths of agriculture ; that comes first as the foundation
of society." He said also what I suppose we are all
ready to believe here, that " the majority of great minds
from the beginning of time have come from rural life."

Hon. Daniel Saunders, Jr., addressed the Society at
Andover, September 30,1803. He declared: "His a
mistaken idea that for successful field labor merely phys-
ical training is required." " What is wanted by our
farmers is an education that shall not only accumulate
facts, but which shall enlarge the mind, develop the pow-
ers of the brain, widen and deepen the channels of in-
formation, and bring into operation those latent elements
of mental perception and concentration."

Hon. Darwin E. Ware delivered the annual address
at Lawrence, September 28, 1864. He stated : " But it
is not enough that mechanical and manufacturing indus-
try supply the implements, the markets, and the general
conditions necessary to a self-sustaining and improving
agriculture. The true principles of such an agriculture
must be investigated, inculcated and diffused. This ne-
cessity has been most emphatically recognized in the lib-
eral grants of land Congiess has made for the establish-
ment of agricultural colleges. Such a measure is of
good import."

Nehemiaii Cleveland, Esq., was the orator of the Soci-
ety at Lawrence, September 27, 186G. He remarked : " I
do not hesitate to say that these addresses constitute a
valuable body of learning and counsel, specially design-
ed, indeed, for the fjirmer's advantage, but broad enough
to be of service to us all." Some of us will undoubtedly
agree with him. He also says : " To form a system in
agriculture as in anything else — to deduce and lay down

25

rales — we must first collect facts. But this alone is not
enough. Unless the observations are of the right kind
and made in the right way ; unless they are exact and
accurate, so conducted and so reported as to admit of
proper arrangement and comparison, they will avail lit-
tle, and may even lead to confused and mistaken
notions."

Hon. Otis P. Lord spoke hefore the Society at Haver-
hill, September 26, 1866. He said: "It has seemed to
me that now, just as we are emerging from this terrible
conflict, there can be no fitter subject for an hour's con-
sideration than the nature, object and purposes of good
Government, with special reference to our own and its
institutions." And so he spoke of government.

Rev. R. H. Seeley, D. D., addressed the Society at
Haverhill, September 25, 1867. He said : " Let him,
therefore, who has a farm in any district of New En-
gland, which equals the average for fertility and advan-
tages of position, hold it, as the safest form in which his
property can be invested, and work it with that thought
and skill which are the guaranty of fair returns, remem-
bering, meanwhile, that not the ruler of the State, nor
the proudest merchant upon 'Change, is so independent
as himself of the crises and changes which, whether by
violence or the operation of steady laws, occur so fre-
quently in the social and political affairs of the country."
At the same time he adds : " In this connection the sug-
gestion may be worth heeding, that the New England
farmer should not expect too large profits from his farm."

A peculiar interest attaches to these addresses from

the fact that they are all the eftbrts of citizens of Essex

county, of men conversant with the w^ants and purposes

of this locality, and familiar with the questions and ob-

4

26

jects of importance among us in their own day. And
they indicate most creditable ability in those various
walks of life from which their authors have been taken.
But not in addresses alone has the agricultural
thought of this county been engaged for the last half
century. The example set by the distinguished first
president, has been followed to this day. The practical
essays, more or less elaborate, of Timothy Pickering,
numbering in all nearly two hundred, form a part of the
most valuable literature of the Society. In this work
he had many followers. The " statements," as they were
called, of farmers who entered their stock and crops for
premium, are highly interesting and instructive. And
the reports of committees, with these " statements " and
the addresses, composing nearly all there is of the early
published transactions, constitute a reliable and valuable
fund of information. Among these papers may be found
the admirable Farm Report of Henry Colman, in 1830 —
the commencemeut of that series of papers written by
him on farm stock, on corn, on exact and experimental
agriculture, on swine, on the dairy, on agricultural pub-
lications, on cutting and preparing feed, on Essex county
agriculture, for which the farmers of this county will
always hold his name in grateful remembrance. The
reports upon the mulberry tree and silk culture, com-
mencing with Edward Mosely's paper in 1830, contain-
ing Gardiner B. Perry's long and eLiborate essay on the
same subject in 1831, Mr. Mosely's second essay in
1833, Mr. Perry's again in 1834, and the report of Tem-
ple Cutler in 1840, form an interesting chapter in the
history of that curious attempt to introduce Italian in-
dustry upon the soil of New England. The writings up-
on cattle by Hectar Coffin, who in 1830 declared that

27

" Essex County is adapted to the breeding of cattle, but
to a very limited extent ;" by R. A. Merriam on the dis-
eases of animals ; by John W. Proctor treating of cattle
for New England farms, and by numerous practical and
sensible judges acting as committees at the exhibitions,
may be consulted with advantage by all who desire in-
formation on this valuable branch of agricultural indus-
try. Our attention is particularly attracted by the re-
port made by John Torrey, of Newbury, with regard to
the cost of keeping a cow from Feb. 5 to Sept. 28, 1831,
as follows : —

Half a ton of salt hay, 2 00

45 bushels of small jxrain, 2 87

Stalks and suckers from 195 rods of land, 3 00

One bushel of potatoes, 20

Pasturing from Aug. 5 to Sept. 28, 1 00

Total, $9 07

An account worth remembering in these extravagant
days.

The various reports on Agricultural Implements are
peculiarly suggestive. In 1831 — Moses Newell found
but three entries in this class, and speaks of the revolv-
ing horse rake as just introduced from Pennsylvania. In
1835, three entries were again made, according to the
committee, who reported upon a straw-cutter, a harrow,
and two carriages. In 1846, a careful report was made
upon four entries : — one cultivator by David Baker, of
Ipswich, two bee-hives by W. H. Brickett, of Haverhill,
and a harness to prevent cows sucking themselves, by
James Porter, of Lynn. And it was not until 1848,
that reports were made on " large lots " of implements ;
Parker and White presenting a considerable collection

28

that year, remarkable as the committee say, only for
"superior finish." In 1855, we find the first elaborate
report on mowing machines, the result of a careful trial
made that year. In 1831, Jeremiah SpofTord writes well
on the subject of Irrigation. Gardner B. Perry treats
at that early day on Insects injurious to vegetation ; and
Asa T. Newhall discourses on reclaimed meadows ; An-
drew Nichols first appears in 1835, writing on Fruits
and Flowers ; he appears again in 1840, treating of the
Science of Agriculture ; and again in 1842 in a valua-
ble paper on experiments in manures. In 1846, Gard-
ner B. Perry comes forward again with a report on turn-
ing in crops as manure ; in 1847, in a treatise on Forest
Trees; in 1851, in an essay on the introduction of new
fruits. As earl}^ as 1840, John M. Ives commenced his
valuable papers on Fruits and Flowers, which he contin-
ued down to 1863 ; and in 1842 and '43, the useful re-
ports of John W. Proctor on the Plough, form important
parts of the transactions. E. Hersey Derby writes of
Line Fences in 1842. In 1843 and 1844, Fitch Poole
writes his inimitable reports on Swine ; and in 1851,
the same witty author sums up the Poultry of the coun-
ty in a way which the historic swine might envy. The
first essay on Onions was written by John W. Proctor
in 1849. And the same year William D. Northend
wrote his treatise on Pear Trees — to which he added
valuable suggestions in 1865; making with his paper
on manures in 1858, three important contributions.
David Choate wrote of the Cranberry in 1847 ; of Boot
Crops in 1849 ; of Sheep Husbandry in 1852 ; of Farms
in 1850 ; of Ploughing in 1859. B. S. Fay set forth
the importance of Forest Trees in 1848. Allen W.
Dodge, in 1848, called the attention of the community

29

to the establishment of Agricultural Libraries and Agri-
cultural Societies ; and in 1850 to the rearing of the
Turkey. The same year Temple Cutler discussed the
improvement of wet meadows and swamp lands. In
1849, John Pickering made an elaborate report on Poul-
try; C. L. Flint wrote a historical sketch of Indian
Corn; and Wm. R. Putnam wrote a sound practical es-
say upon the cultivation of that important crop.

In 1850, a useful treatise appears from C. L. Flint on
top-dres.sing ; and B. Perley Poore sets forth the impor-
tance of Farm accounts and diaries. In 1851, Henry
K. Oliver writes brilliantly of Bees and Honey, and
flowers ; and to this he adds a glowing paj)er on Poultry
in 1854; E. G. Kelley writes of Deep-Tilling in 1854;
J. J. H. Gregory of Vegetables in 1856 ; S. P. Fowler
of insects injurious to vegetation, the same year ; Wil-
son Flagg of the Sources of Fertilization in 1858, and
of inquiries in relation to Experimental Farming, the
same year; of the Potato Disease in 1859 ; and a Plea
for Birds in 1861. Nathan Page, Jr., gives a useful pa-
per on Strawberry Culture in 1857 — another on the
Hobin in 1858 — and another on Cranberries in 1861.
George D, Phippen wrote a pleasing paper on Flowers
in 1857 ; and C. N. Tracy another essay on the same
subject in 1860; Geo. B. Loring appears with a report
on Farms in 1857; again in 1860; again in 1862; on
Underdraining in 1859 : an essay on Sheep in 1862 ;
root-crops in 1863 ; and Farms in 1863. David Stiles,
Jr., presents an admirable paper on Horse-shoeing in
1859 ; and Edmund Smith a treatise on Bees in 1863.
In 1866, James B. Nichols teaches how to make bread;
and Robert Manning teaches how to preserve fruits.

In this enumeration I have given only a part of the

30

intellectual labor which has been bestowed fur the honor
of this Society and for instruction in the Art of Agri-
culture. Page after page of our Transactions is filled
with short reports of Committees, concise statements
upon crops and cattle, and manures, and processes of
cultivation, and grass, and fruit trees, containing hints
and facts by which the farmer may 1)e guided in his
business. But not only for the information which it
contains, is this long record of fifty years of agricultural
thought, valuable and interesting — but for its signifi-
cance as the product of an intelligent, inquiring and ed-
ucated community. A prize animal in the stall, pre-
mium crops on the acres, indicate a skillful devotion to
agriculture which all practical men respect. A thought-
ful essay upon this animal or crop indicates an intellect-
ual ambition which we all admire. It tells of schools
and books, and studious hours, and diffusion of knowl-
edge, and social respectability, and civil elevation, and
all the moral advancement which attend upon popular
freedom, and the institutions of an enlightened people.
It tells of prosperous and progressive agriculture.

Of the practical operations of this Society, of the
premiums it has awarded, the plans of improvement it
has designed, there is a long and honorable record, which
I should be glad to lay before you in all its details ; but
I must content myself with some of its most promi-
nent features.

The encouragement of well-managed farms was one of
the early objects of the Society ; and I am sorry to say
it is an object which has met with indifferent support
from our farmers. For many suscessive years there
have been no entries in this class ; and a vast amount of
information has been lost from the unwillingness of farm-

31

ers to submit their operations to the inspection of com-
mittees of the Society. I trust as our ambition increas-
es and our agriculture improves, this reluctance will be
wholly removed.

The farms which are recorded as having received the
first premium are those of Jesse Putnam of Danvers, in
1824 ; Moses Newell of Newbury in 1826 ; Jacob Os-
good of Andover in 1829; Erastus Ware (the Pickman
farm) of Salem in 1830 ; Matthew Hooper of Danvers
in 1831 ; Thomas Chase of West Newbury in 1832 ;
Daniel Putnam of Danvers in 1835 ; Joseph How of
Methuen in 1837 ; Christopher How of Methuen in
1845; Leaverett Bradley of Methuen in 1849; J. F.
Winkley of Amesbury in 1850 ; W. F. Porter of Brad-
ford in 1851 ; Samuel Raymond of Andover in 1858 ;
Geo. B. Loring of Salem in 1862 ; and Richard Webster
of Haverhill in 1867. There are many others which
have received second premiums and honorable mention ;
and among them will occur to you the farms of Daniel
P. King of Danvers, Isaac Osgood of Andover, William
Thurlow of West Newbury, Joseph Kittredge of Ando-
ver, and E. Hersey Derby of Salem. I trust the chron-
icler of the next half century will have a longer list to
record than I have found in the past.

Turn now with me to the exhibitions. The first of
these meetings was held at Topsfield. Oct. 5, 1820. The
amount of money offered for premiums was $182.00.
There were four classes : 1st. Working oxen and neat
LIVE STOCK : 2d. Fat Oxen and Swine : 3d. Indian Corn
AND Potatoes : 4th. On Manures. The first yoke of
oxen which had the honor of taking the first premium
in the county, belonged to Samuel Wheeler of Newbury-
port. The first prize bull belonged to Asa Andrews of

S2

Ipswich, and he received the premium as a " dark brin-
dle bull."

The first cow, taking a first premium in the county,
belonged to Jacob B. Winchester of Salem. The best
bull calf of that day was owned by Jonathan Berry of
Middleton ; the best heifer calf by Simon Smith of Sau-
gus. There were no fat oxen on exhibition.

The best boar of the day belonged to George Adams
of Newbury ; the best sow to Elias Putnam of Danvers ;
and the best litter of pigs to Elias Putnam.

Tristram Little of Newbury, took the first premium
on a Corn crop ; having raised 103 1-2 bushels on one
acre of ground, and John Dwinell of Salem took the
first premium on Potatoes ; having raised 398 1-2 bush-
els to the acre.

Two communications on Manures were received — one
from Benjamin T. Reed of Marblehead, and one from
Asa Andrews which were published with the " thanks "
of the trustees.

Joshua Lovett of Beverly received the first premium
on the Dairy, having made 502 lbs. of butter and .750
lbs. of cheese from five coavs, between the first day of
May and the last day of November ; and the premium
was awarded, as the committee say, " inasmuch as the
object of this society is to encourage judicious efforts
in agricultural improvements" — there being but this
one entry.

The first premium for ploughing was awarded to Tim-
othy Pickering, on account of the superior performance
and superior utility of his plough ; and the second pre-
mium was given to Gorham Parsons, of Byfield. Col.
Pickering's plough was made by Henry Borden at Utica?
New York.

ill 1821, the premium list consisted of oJBers for man-
agement of a farm — green crops for cows, Indian corn
and other crops, sumac, the dairy, cider, live stock and
forest trees.

Premiums for domestic manufactures were first offered
in 1822, and the women of the country were enlisted in
the enterprise.

It was not until 1832 that premiums were offered for
horses, and as follows :

For the best horse raised in the county, not less than three nor

more than five years old, $20 00

For the second best, 15 00

For the third best, 10 00

In their report the committee say — '-^ they regard the
improvements in the breed of horses as an object of util-
ity and importance; * * * and their value and
beauty should excite more attention than has hitherto
been given to the rearing of them in this county." There
were many entries ; and the first premium ever given to
a horse by this Society, was bestowed on the Iron Gray
Colt, three years old, of John 0. W. Brown, of Newbury.

In striking contrast with the simplicity and necessary
smallness of the early premiums offered, stands the lib-
erality of the last. In 1857, the society paid $1,111.50
in premiums as follows :

Farms, etc., S299 00

Farm stock 324 00

Farm produce, 488 50

The manner of conducting the exhibitions has not
changed since the first show was held at Topsfield.

The introduction of improved breeds of cattle in the
county, by members of the Society, has been carried on
5

34

with liberality and energy. E. Hersey Derby of Salem,
and Gorham Parsons of Byfield, were among the early
importers of what were called Durhams in their day;
the Alderney was introduced by Col. Pickering, in
1825, and in later years by C. G. Loring, R. S. Fay, R.
S. Rogers and others. Ayrshires were imported in
1846, by Wm. S. Marland of Andover, and Chas. A.
Stetson of Swampscott, and by Geo. B. Loring in 1858.
An ^Ayrshire bull was consigned to Moses Newell of
Newbury by the Massachusetts Society in 1857, and
Dutch cattle were introduced by Wm. A. Russell of
Lawrence, in 1865. The improvement of stock in the
county is now evident, and the "dark brindle bull,"
which took the first premium in 1820, would stand a
small chance in these days, especially under the Soci-
ety's offer for the " best full-blood bull."

I have no doubt, and you have none, that all this ef-
fort of the Society, which I have recited to you as much
in detail as time will allow, has promoted the cause of
agriculture among us, and has encouraged us to over-
come those difficulties which arise from a hard soil and
climate ; and yet it is interesting and instructive to look
back and see what crops our fathers raised, when this
Society was yet in its infancy. I have already spoken
of Tristram Little's corn crop of 103 1-2 bushels to the
acre, and now let me give you a statement made in
1829, of the crops which had then been raised at differ-
ent times in different parts of this county : —

Of Wheat — 24 bushels and 26 bushels to the acre.

Of Indian Corn— 70 bushels; 72 bushels; 77 1-2
bushels ; 90 1-2 bushels ; 93 3-4 bushels ; 105 bushels
and 6 quarts; 110 bushels; 113 1-2 bushels; 115 bush-
els; 117 1-4 bushels. ^

35

Of Barley — 50 bushels ; 51 1-2 bushels ; 52 bushels
and 18 quarts.

Of Potatoes— 518 1-2 bushels.

Of Carrots— 849 bushels; 864 bushels; and 878
bushels at 56 pounds to the bushel ; and 900 bushels.

Of Mangel Wurtzel— 924 bushels; and 1034 bushels.

Of lluta Baga — 688 bushels.

Of Beets— 783 bushels.

Of English Turnips— 636 bushels ; 687 bushels ; 672
bushels ; 751 bushels ; 814 bushels.

Of Onions — 651 bushels.

" We know of a lot of six acres from which thirty
tons of hay, accurately weighed, were gathered in one
season; and another field of about forty acres, from
which, according to the statement of respectable and dis-
interested individuals, the yearly crops have averaged
more than one hundred and twenty tons, or three tons to
the acre. We can point to a small dairy establishment,
the produce of which, when all circumstances are con-
sidered, is probably not surpassed in the Slate, when
some of our native cows, with no extra feed whatever,
have averaged a yield of 100 pounds each of butter in
a season ; and another when with high feeding five cows
have produced 208 pounds in a season to a cow." This
statement was, I think, drawn up by Col. Pickering.

We shall not find it easy, gentlemen, to exceed such
crops as these. If we, as farmers, win for ourselves as
honorable a record, we shall do well. But we can re-
member with satisfaction that in our day we have added
to the business of general farming which produced the
extraordinary crops above cjuoted, the careful and profit-
able culture of the crops then but little known. Since
that day, the great business of root crops has been made

36

by us a most important sonrce of revenue. The onion
has been brought to a greater degree of perfection. The
cabbage crop has been made very profitable. All mar-
ket gardening has been largely developed. Fruits of
every description, for which in 1829 no premiums were
offered by the Society, have become a most interesting
and useful branch of agricultural business ; and the
pear, the apple, and the grape have been vastly improv-
ed hj the intelligence and skill of our cultivators. The
condition of our farm buildings has vastly improved._
Our farm houses are constructed with more economy and
taste ; our barns are more convenient ; and a barn-cellar
as a receptacle for manure has become the rule instead
of the exception. Well ordered estates, which were
then rare, are now numerous. In and around our large
cities, the prosperous merchants and manufacturers have
taken pride in beautifying their grounds according to
the best rules of landscape gardening ; and our beauti-
ful sea-coast is adorned hj the hand of man, to a degree
hardly surpassed in any other region of the old world
or the new.

And while this narrow spot marked out for us as Es-
sex County has grown in years, how has she increased
in wealth and population, and in all the memories and
deeds which make a people great. AVe contemplate her
growth with pride, from the day wlien fifty years ago
Timothy Pickering called a few enterprising farmers
about him to consult upon what was then the great busi-
ness of our people, down to this hour, when her teeming
and busy population hardly find rest from their inces-
sant toil. Within the life-time of this Society Law-
rence and Lynn and Xewburyport and Salem have
sprung into existence as cities ; Haverhill and Glouces-

3T

ter and Maiblehead and Amesbnry, and Peabody and
Danvers, and Andover and Georgetown, have become
large towns — some of them have been born. The prod-
ucts of our industry have reached the fabulous sum of
nearly $82,000,000 annually; schools have multiplied
in greater ratio than the increase of population ; libra-
ries and institutions of learning and religion have grown
up on every hand. The early benefactions which made
the name of Phillips and Bartlett illustrious among us,
have been eclipsed by the larger bounties which Peabody
and Heard have bestowed on their native county. And
while the founders of this Society could look back over
a refulgent history of statesmanship and scholarship and
patriotic valor, recalling the memory of their own sons
who fell in the early days of the revolution — the gallant
deeds performed by the men of Essex on land and sea
in the subsequent war — the courage and wisdom of their
own Pickering, the friend of Washington, the incorrupt-
ible Roman of the young republic — the comprehensive
power of Parsons, the statesman and jurist — the saga-
cious merchants who at that time had explored unknown
seas, and given the ports of Essex county a name
throughout the world — what an abounding treasure of
greatness has accumulated for us of this later day. In
letters and law and public service we point now to Pres-
cott, and Hawthorne, and Whittier, and Story, and Gush-
ing, and Rantoul, born and nurtured on our own soil.
The part, too, which Essex County performed in the pat-
riotic services of our first heroic period has not been for-
gotten by her sons of our day. The lesson taught by
Pickering at North Bridge, and by the men of Danvers
who marched to the fore front for the freedom of their
country, is fresh in our memory, and guides us still.

When the Union was threatened, and the Flag was in-
sulted, the sons of Essex were among the first to enter
Baltimore, the first to enter Richmond — and the last
to leave. They fell on almost every battle-field of the
war. They were found among the horrors of Port Hud-
son, at the weary work at Vicksburg, fighting for free-
dom at Gettysburg, toiling with Grant through the
gloom of the Wilderness, holding New Orleans under
loyal sway with Butler, passing along the great march
with Sherman, manning the decks of our navy on every
sea. What a half century of greatness the Almighty
Father has bestowed upon us ! May we who are here
never forget our obligations — and may those who come
after us be true to their great inheritance.

In concluding this address, gentlemen, I desire to ex-
press my grateful recognition of the honor you have
conferred upon me, by selecting me for a second time to
discharge this duty — an honor bestowed by this Society
upon but one other — and he the distinguished first Pres-
dent. I congratulate you upon your career thus far, —
upon the wisdom and good judgment which have always
guided your counsels — upon the fraternal regard which
has always existed among your members — and upon the
devotion of your present presiding ofiicer in Avhose hands
the first half century of the Society is brought to a
bright and prosperous termination. I trust your career
will still be successful — and that among the most useful
of the institutions which we transmit to those Avho come
after us, will be the Essex Agricultural Society, support-
ed by the practical intelligence of the county, and sur-
rounded by all the delightful associations wliich cheer
alike the young and the old, in a cultivated and happy
rural life.

EEPOETS, &c.,

The 48tli Cattle Show and Exhibition was held at New-
buryport, Tuesday and Wednesday, September 29tli
and 30th, 1868.

FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle have attended to their duty
and submit the following report : —

There were four pairs of cattle upon the ground and only
two entries. After an examination of the cattle we were
unanimous in awarding

To Charles Adams, of Newbury, for his right ox, the first
premium of $10.

To J. S. Eeynolds, of North Andover, for his right ox, the
second premium of $8.

To Charles Adams, of Newbury, for his left ox, the third
premium of $5.

Committee— Geo. H. Green, James O. Cheeyer, Luther
Allen.
6

42

BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls have attended to the duty assigned
them, and beg leave to submit the following report : —

They award to A. B. Fellows, of Ipswich, for his Jersey
bull, the first premium of $10.

To Moses Colman, of Byfield, for his Ayrshire bull, the
first premium of $10.

To Ben. Perley Poore, of West Newbury, for his Short-
horn bull, the first premium of $10.

To Asa T. Newhall, of Newburyport, for his Ayrshire,
the second premium of $5.

The Committee regret that there was not another premium
at their disposal in this class for C. C. Adams, of Newbury^
who exhibited a very fine young bull.

'I'hey also recommend mileage to Wm. A. Russell, of North
Andover, for Dutch bull, Zuider Zee, and to D. F. Appleton,
of Ipswich, for his Kerry bull. Mr. Appleton has quite a
herd of this little hardy race of cattle, which are very well
spoken of in the vicinity where they are kept, and the Com-
mittee are of the opinion that they would do well in some lo-
calities where larger breeds would starve.

There were a number of entries of grade bulls, with which
the Committee have nothing to do under the rules, but they
desire to say that the four years old bull entered by Paul T.
Winkley, and the two years old bull entered by David H.
Cook, of Newburyport, were both superior animals.

The Jersey bull, Abraham, exhibited by Mr. Dane, of Ham-
ilton, we did not find on our book, but we find that he is on
every other book that is of importance to him or his posterity.
He is a noble specimen of his race. Mr. Dane is going pretty
largely into the Jersey family, aud we think he has displayed
excellent judgment in securing the services of Abraham as
the patriarch.

Committee — J. Longfellow, Oliver Porter, W. B. Morgan,
A. W. Smith George Dane.

43

, ,

MILCH COWS.

The Committee on Milch Cows report that there was but
one entry for premium, with a statement, — that of Paul T.
"Winkley, of Newburyport, to whom your Committee award
the third premium of $5 for his grade cow, " Daisy."

The Committee noticed a very good Kerry cow belonging
to D. Fuller Appleton, of Ipswich. We regret that Mr.
Appleton had not entered her for premium, as he undoubtedly
could have given a good report of her milking capacity.

This breed seems to be adapted to the poorer portions of
New England, being small, compact, and capable of getting a
living where the large breeds could never thrive ; and we
think the Kerry, or perhaps a grade, might be a valuable ad-
dition to the stock of New England.

The Committee regret that there was but one competitor for
the premium offered.

There are valuable animals in the County, of all the differ-
ent breeds, and it is not uncommon to hear of twenty quarts
of milk per day in the height of feed, and of ten quarts per
day for the three hundred and sixty-five days, — and of large
amounts of butter made from one cow. How is it that we
have so meagre a show in this department ? Are gentlemen
unwilling to certify to the amount their cows may give ? —
Without facts, it would be impossible for the Committee to de-
cide, and we think the Society has wisely determined that no
premium should be given without a statement setting forth the
amount of milk given during the first ten days of June and
the first ten days of September, etc., etc. This not only gives
some data to the Committee whereby they may determine the
merits of the different animals, but, what is of more import-
ance, it gives to the farmer and the public a knowledge of what
a good animal, well cared for, can produce in milk ; and with
this knowledge, every man who has a milch cow or a herd
will compare the products of his own with those which are
exhibited, and if there is a disparity, he will inquire as to the

44

cause; and we suppose that it is among the great objects of
the Society, first, to obtain the facts by exhibition and state-
ment and then to elicit inquiry and comparison.

We have heard it said that we cannot expect a man to bring
his stock to the fair, on account of the trouble and expense
that he must necessarily incur, for so small a return in pre-
mium, even if he should be so fortunate as to get one. In
answer to this we may remark that every Agricultural Society
is a joint stock concern, in which every man who is a farmer
or a friend to agriculture, is a partner, or ought to be, and
should be willing to do something for the company.

The Society was formed to promote the interests of the
farmers, and that has been its object and aim from its founda-
tion to the present time. It has no offices of emolument, and
those who serve take the honor and the good that they may
do, for their pay, und unless the farmers of Essex County are
animated by this spirit and by a genuine desire to excel, we
must see the Essex Agricultural Society, instead of advancing,
taking the retrograde course.

For the Committee — Francis Dodge.

STATEMENT OF PAUL T. WINKLEY.
I offer for premium the grade Durham and native cow,
Daisy, eight years old, with calf one day old by her side.
She dropped her calf Sept. 16th, 1867. She gave, the first
ten days in June, 9 1-2 quarts of milk per day, and the first
ten days in August 4 and 5 quarts per day, and has been dry
since the 30th day of August. She gives, when first in milk,
about 16 quarts per day. She is a very hearty and easily kept
animal, which is of considerable importance, and should be
taken into consideration as well as milking qualities. Her
milk is of excellent quality, but I cannot state as to the quan-
tity of butter she will make, as we sell our milk in the market.
Her keeping has been black grass and English hay in winter,
and one quart meal and two quarts shorts per day ; and noth-
ing but a good pasture in summer.

45

HEEU^OF MILCH COWS.

The Committee on Herd of Milch Cows, have awarded
Moses A- Plummer, of Newburyport, the first premium of $15

His herd was the only one offered for premium. It consist-
ed of six cows, four of which were grade Ayrshire, one grade
Jersey, one grade Durham. His statement in regard to quan-
dtity and quality, and their appearance, showed good care and
good judgment in the selection of his stock.

For the Committee -W. A. Russell.

STATEMENT OF MOSES A. PLUMMER.

In regard to the feeding and general management of the
Herd of Cows entered for premium, I would say, that I feed
them regularly night and morning, with the best black grass
nay, giving each a peck of brewers' grain a day ; and that
(each cow is carefully groomed every morning. This is my
treatment from the time they enter the barn in the fall, until
ihey are sent to pasture in the spring. The grain costs 20
cents a bushel at the brewery, and the hay $16 a ton at the
barn. The cow Lupin dropped her calf the first of March
Lillian the first of April ; Beauty the 20th ; and Jenny the
22d of April. The average quantity of milk from, the time
they dropped their calves until the first of July, was 16 quarts
of milk a- piece per day ; and from that time to Sept. 20th,
they gave from 10 to 12 quarts a-piece per day. This falling
oflf in milk was owing to the flies and short feed in the pas-
lure. They were driven about 1 1-2 miles to pasture. The
age of Beauty is 9 ; grade Ayrshire and Durham. Jenny is
S ; Durham and Native. Lupin is 5 ; Jersey and Ayrshire.
Lillian 4 -, Native and Jersey. Fanny dropped her calf Sept.
19th, and is 8 years old, and gives now 16 quarts of milk
per day. Texalier is 5 ; dropped her calf Oct. 1867, and is
to have another the present month (October, '68). The milk
IS sold at the house at 6 cents per quart in the summer, and
7 cents in the winter.

46

HEIFERS.

The Committee on Heifers report that a large number of
very superior animals of this class were entered for premium
and submitted to their inspection, viz. : thirty-five heifers, be-
sides twenty-seven calves. Of these some were natives, many
were of the different grades, and but few were of pure breeds.
Among the latter was the full-blood Jersey stock, sixteen ani-
mals in all, belonging to Francis Dane, of Hamilton, who is
giving attention largely to the raising of this breed, so famous
for its milking qualities, and is collecting together specimens
from some of the best importations.

It was gratifying to the Committee, and must be to all in-
terested in the improvement of our Dairy stock, to witness the
increased attention now given in the county to the raising of
our own heifers. The price of good heifers from the droves
has of late been so high, that it must pay well to select the
best heifer calves dropped on our farms, and raise them to form
our milking herds. The temptation to sell to the butcher veal
calves, and then to buy yearlings at about the same price in
the fall, is too great to be generally resisted ; but it frequently
happens that the calves are sold and the yearlings not bought.

From our own observation — not at the Cattle Show merely,
but on farms in different parts of the County, we are of the
opinion that at the present time more young stock is being
raised here than for many years past. We cannot but think
it is a step in the right direction. We hope many more of
our enterprising farmers will follow it and that the Society will
increase the number and amount of its premiums for young
milking stock. We can conceive of no way in which it can
more advantageously expend a portion of its income — so mak-
ing our County self-sustaining in its dairy stock, and our an-
nual shows, cattle-shows not in name merely, but in reality.

We award the following premiums : —

HEIFER3 THREE YEARS OLD.

Francis Dane, Hamilton, first premium, $10.

47

f

Paul T. Winkley, Newburyport, second premium, 8.

Eben Mason, " third « 5.

HEIFERS TWO YEARS OLD.

Moses ColemaUj Newbury, first premium, ^8.

Daniel Plummer, Newburyport, second premium, 5.

Paul T. Winkley, " third « 3.

HEIFERS ONE YEAR OLD.

Joseph Kittredge, North Andover, first premium, $5.
Jeremiah Coleman, Newbury, second premium, 3.

CALVES.

Asa T. Newhall, Newburyport, premium, |6.

Committee — Amos Gould, H. L. Moody, Isaac F. Knowl-
ton, Moses A. Plummer.

WORKING OXEN AND STEEPS.

The Committee on Working Oxen and Steers respectfully
submit the following*report : —

There were fourteen entries of working Oxen. Thirteen
pairs competed for the premiums, and they all performed their
•work well. The Committee were unanimous in awarding the
following premiums :

To Francis Dodge, of Danvers, the first premium of $12.

To F. P. Putnam, of Danvers, the second premium of $10.

To Samuel Moody, of West Newbury, the third premium
of $8.

The Committee would recommend a gratuity of $6 to P. S.
Bray, of Newbury.

Of working steers there were three entries, all of which
competed. The Committee award as follows :

48

To George A. Randall, of Newbury, the first premium of $8,

To Silas Little, of Newbury, the second premium of $5.

The Committee recommend a gratuity of $3 to Romulus
Jaques, of West Newbury.

Committee — S. A. Merrill, E. S. Parker, J. O. Edwards,
J. P. Goodale, I. Worcester.

STEERS.

The Committee on Steers would submit the following
report : —

The whole number of Steers entered was six pairs — fout
pairs of two years old, and two pairs of yearlings.

The Committee report the following awards : —

To Alfred Kimball, of Bradford, for his dark red two years
old Steers, the first premium of $5.

To Romulus Jaques, of West Newbury, for his two years
old Steers, the second premium of $4.

To Paul T. Winkley, of Newburyport, for his yearling
Steers, the first premium of $4.

There was one other pair of yearling Steers which the Com-
mittee did not think of a quality entitled to a premium.

Committee — Abel Stickney, I. F. Tappan, Andrew Dodge,
David Webster, 2d, Francis R. Allen.

STALLIONS.

The Committee on Stallions would report : —
They found but two of the horses which had been entered,
on the ground — the Green Mountain Morgan, entered by Ezra

49

P. Downing, of Amesbury, and the Abdallah Colt, three years
old, entered by T. W. Quiniby, of Amesbury.

Mr. Downing's horse is a good specimen of the old-fashion-
ed, well-known, valuable"* and serviceable Morgan horse of
Vermont. He is a strong-built, muscular, vigorous horse, of
gallant, resolute action and great courage. We consider his
introduction into the County fortunate for those who desire to
breed good business horses.

The Committee award him the j_first premium in his class,

Mr. Quimby's colt is a valuable animal — well-bred, free and
open gaited, and of good speed. He promises to be a valuable
stock horse, and the Committee award him the first premium
in his class, $8.

Committee — Geo. B. Loring, Geo. M. Wonson, A. W.
Mooney, C. H. Gould.

BROOD MARES.

The Committee on Brood Mares report that they found elev-
en entries submitted for their inspection, and after a careful
examination, taking particularly into consideration the sound-
ness of the animals, together with other qualities, award as
follows :

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, the first premium of $15.
To W. J. Dale, Jr , of North Andover, the second premium
of $10.

To A. C. Morse, of Haverhill, the third premium of $8.
For the Committee — James B. Foster.

7

50

FAMILY HORSES.

The Committee on Family Horses, report nine entries, eight
of which appeared for inspection. Among them were a very
fine pair of matched bay horses, owned by Dr. E. G. Kelley,
which the Committee took great pleasure in examining, but
the premiums being offered for single horses, they were com-
pelled to pass them and make the following awards : —

To Plummer & Balch, of Newburyport, for their sorrel
horse, the first premium of $10.

To Eliphalet Griffin, of Newburyport, for his bay horse, the
second premium of $8.

The Committee regret that more premiums were not at their
disposal, as there were several other very worthy horses shown.

Committee — ^Benjamin P. Ware, John W. Balch, W. W.
Fowler, Charles C. Blunt.

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

The Committee on Farm and Draft Horses report the fol-
lowing award of premiums : —

To Orrin Putnam, of D.invers, the first premium of $10.

To S. A. Merrill, of Danvers, the second premium of $8.

To Samuel Foster, of North Andover, the third premium
of $5.

Committee — Henry Hobbs, James Flint, M. C. Andrews,
Alonzo Fellows, A. H. Patch.

COLTS.
The Committee on Colts report the following premiums,
viz. : —

61

FOUR YEARS OLD.

To Romulus Jaques, of West Newbury, the first premium
of $10.

To Edward F. Knight, of Newbury, the second premium
of $5.

THREE YEARS OLD.

To D, F. Appleton, of Ipswich, the first premium of $6.
To John Swinerton, of Danvers, the second premium of $4.

TWO YEARS OLD.

To Asa T. Newhall, of Newburyport, the first premium
of $5.

To Daniel O. "Weed, of Amesbury, the second premium
of $S.

YEARLINGS.

To Elbridge Batelle, of Newburyport, the first premium
of 4.

To J. N. Rolfe, of Newbury, the second premium of $3.

Committee — Eben King, "William P. Piumer, Benjamin
Akerman.

SWINE.

The Committee on Swine respectfully report, that they met
on the morning of the first day of the show, fully impressed
with the responsibilities with which the Board of Trustees had
invested them, and with some difficulty discovered the scene
of their coming labors. The swine, instead of having a posi-
tion in line with the other animals, had been posted at the foot
of ** a steep place," down which the whole herd had it become
possessed with unclean spirits, might have ran violently into

52

the waters of the neighboring pond and perished. Whether
the biblical lore of those in authority prompted this out-of-the-
way location, or whether fears Avere entertained that some ir-
reparable damage might be inflicted by the hogs on the immac-
ulate sward of Bartlett Mall, so tenderly cherished by some
citizens of Newburyport, your committee did not discover.
The hogs, however, manifested much curiosity on this or some
other question of the day, by poking their noses into whatever
presented itself, with an insinuating manner that would have
been creditable to a newspaper reporter.

Your committee were not preceded by a band of music, nei-
ther did a mounted marshal, with badge and baton, announce
their advent, to pronounce judgment upon the porcine candi-
dates for premiums to be awarded, but as they approached the
pens they were encouraged by a welcome chorus, in which the
more sedate competitors grunted basso profimdo, while the
frisky youngsters indulged in altissimo squeals. It was indeed
an imposing spectacle, and your committee felt inspired by
what they saw and heard, to mete out exact justice. The four
practical members set about making the awards, while to ther
associate, who is more familiar with the ])e>i than with the ani-
mals, was assigned the task of preparing the report. An inti-
mation had been given that this production was, if possible, to
be made spicy, to season the Society's transactions, yet on the
part of the hogs there was nothing but gravity of demeanor
visible, and your committee would respectfully suggest that as
the jollity of a horse laugh is proverbial, the equine committee
be next year charged with the comic business.

The history of the Hog, — general and local, — should not
be forgotten. It has been generally believed that the original
American porkers were carpet baggers, brought to this conti-
nent by the Spaniards soon after its discovery by Christopher
Columbus, but modern science shows that the race existed on
this continent ages before. Fossil bones, identified as those of
the Hog, have been found in the deposits of the miocene age,
^which was the second division of the tertiary epoch,) repos-

53

ing with the remains of the mastodon, the elephant, the ihi-
nosceros, and other gigantic beasts which used to stalk over our
land. Fortunate is it for us that the unwieldy forms of these
last named monsters cannot now alarm us, while their porcine
cotemporary remains in existence, to contribute to the nutri-
ment of man, who only dates back to the pliocene, or most
modern tertiary deposit.

The ancients honored the Hog, by sacrificing him to Ceres,
the goddess of abundance, for having taught man to plough the
earth. In Egypt he was sacrificed to Bacchus, as an intrepid
beast, who in his fury ravaged vineyards, treading under foot
the juicy fruit. The death of the wild boar of the mountain
of Erymanthe was one of the twelve labors of Hercules, and
the inspired seer who read the oracles of destiny to ^^neas,
foretold the hero that his wanderings would not cease until he
should espy a white sow recumbent with her litter of pigs,
emblem of a multiplying and civilized people. In Rome, the
Hog was held in the highest estimation, and there the most
particular attention was paid to the art of feeding and fattening
him, called Porculantio. A favorite dish at the costly repasts
of the wealthy Romans was a hog cooked in the Trojan style,
in allusion to the famous horse of Troy, filled with combat-
ants. The hog was killed and dressed, then filled with
game and oysters, moistened with wines, and then roasted.

The hog was held in high repute among the less ancient
people of Great Britain and of Europe, its flesh forming not
only their common flesh-food, but also the principal dish of
their best repasts. For centuries a soused boar's-head has
been served up at the Christmas dinner in the refectory of
Queen's college, Oxford, while the statute books of France,
England and Germany yet contain laws against hog- stealing,
based upon the old Salique edict — de furtis jwrcorum. The
English paid especial attention to their hogs, and at the period
when New England was peopled, they had reconstructed their
wild boars into an uncouth breed, black and white in color,
t^i'ith large bones, long limbs, arched backs, low shoulders, and

54

long snouts, with coarse bristles on the spine and large flapping
ears.

These imported Hogs, ungainly as they would now appear,
were the most profitable and useful of all the animals bred by
the Puritan pioneers. They arrived earlier at maturity, re-
quired less care, sought out much of their own food, and were
not subject to accidents or diseases. They were also so pro-
lific that they became troublesome, and in 1663 the potent
magistrates of the colony of Massachusetts Bay declared it
" lawful for any man to kill any swine that comes into his
corne." This was not acceptable to the yeomen, then largely
in the majority, and a convention of two delegates from each
town, (the first convention which ever met on the American
continent,) assembled, and called for a sight of the royal col-
onial charter. Examining it, they " resolved " that the right
to make laws rested not with the magistrates, but with the
FREEMEN, neither did they cease their exertions until they had
established the law-making and money-raising .power of the
"General Court" in 1634. Some offending poiker who had
made a raid on Governor Endicott's corn-patch, or had dam-
aged Mr. Winthrop's garden with his insinuating snout, thus
became the parent of that august body which has so ungrate-
fully adopted the cod-fish as its emblem !

The obnoxious Hog-edict of 1633 was repealed at the first
session of the General Court in 1634, where it was also "agreed
that every towne shall have liberty to make such orders aboute
swine as they shall iudge best for themselues, and that if the
swine of one towne shall come within the ly mitts of another,
the owners thereof shallbe lyeable to the orders of that towne
where their swine soe trespasseth." The next year, (1635)
the empounding of stray hogs was legalized, the General Court
adopting an order drawn up by Mr. Treasurer, Mr. Dummer,
Mr. Neweberry, Mr. Beecher and Robert Moulton, which read
thus : —

" July 8, 1635. It is ordered, that there shalbe a pound
made in every plantaciou within this jurisdiccion before the

55

8th day of this moneth, and yt such swine as shall be found
in any corne feild shalbe impounded & notice giuen to the
owner thereof, if hee can be knowen, or otherwise to be made
knowen at the nexte lecture, & if within three dayes after no-
tice giuen they be not owned, it shalbe lawful for the party
whoe hadd the harmes done to gett the swine prized by two
of his neighbrs, & then he shall have liberty to sell the said
swine, & pay himselfe duble damages, being iudged by two
indifferent men. The like recompence is to be made for such
swine as are owned before publique notice gy ven thei'eof ; this
order to extend to all ffermes, but not to lyttle small parcells
of corne of an acre or lesse, planted remote from townes and
unfenced. Further, as for such swine as cannot be impound-
ed, it shalbe lawful for the party whoe hath the harmes done
to kill the said swine, and pay himselfe for harmes, & soe to
returns the remainder thereof to the owner of the swine ; &
if any swine shall escape out of the pound, or be taken out,
the owner thereof shall, notwithstanding, be lyeable to pay
damages, as before mencioned, if hee can be knowen."

This law was not probably enforced, as it was enacted in
October, 1636, that there should be " chosen yearely in euery
towne some one discreet person, who shalbe called the hog-
reeve " to enforce the laws concerning swine. There was,
however, much subsequent discussion and consequent legisla-
tion in the General Court about swine, prompted by the con-
flicting interests of the corn-growers and the pig-owners. In-
deed, the subject was the bore of those days, as the Hoosick
Tunnel is of ours.

A century and a half later found the colony one of the
United States, but there had not been much improvement in
the breed of Hogs in Essex county, or elsewhere on this con-
tinent. They were, aCs^ording to the most reliable accounts, a
long-nosed, long-eared, long-legged and slab-sided race, as
gaunt as grey-hounds, with the nose of a tapir, the appetite
of a boa-constiictor, and the maw of a shark — excellent as
meal chests, but miserable for filling pork-barrels.

56

Hogs increased and multiplied, but we have no evidence
that any attempt was made to improve the breed in this coun-
try, until after the war of the Revolution. In the summer,
the young pigs were generally turned into the woods to graze,
or later in the fall to feast upon the products of the forest —
great hogs from little acorns grew. The winter pens were
small, cold structures, with adjacent yards which have since
been well described by Gen. Oliver as " a stew of stercoraceous
stench — a Serbonian bog of fathomless filth and miasmatic
putresence."

Col. Timothy Pickering was the first Essex farmer, — so far
as your committee can learn, — who systematically attempted
to improve our breed of hogs. Visiting his friend Col. Ridge-
ley, near Philadelphia, he there saw some of the genuine Wo-
burn breed, descended from a pair which had been sent by the
Duke of Bedford, who had introduced them to President
Wafhington, and he obtained a pair for liis farm at Wenhara.
They were white, with more or less small black or red spots,
round in the carcase, small limbed and headed, and for some
years they were in great demand.

The superiority of these Woburn or Bedford hogs over the
black gaunt breed generally raised, prompted a general im-
provement of the Essex county porkers, and some valuable
crosses were obtained by the ship-captains who then sailed from
Salem and Newburyport to China and to Africa. Newbury
is said to have thus produced a local breed and we read in a
Kennebunk paper of February 17, 1819 : " Mr. David Nich-
ols, a worthy member of the Society of Friends, has this day
killed a hog aged 21 months, 13 days, half blooded, of the
Newbury Whites : his girth six feet five inches ; unusually short
in proportion to his size ; weighing with the rough fat 670 lbs.
precisely ; having gained at least one lb. per day since he was
littered : he was sold for twelve and a half cents per pound."

Byfield parish, in the town of Newbury, produced in due
time a breed of hogs, which was regarded as the best in the
country. The progenitor was a hog, probably brought from

57

China, which was purchased in Newburyport from a ship's
cook by a Byfield farmer, and crossed with the " Newbury
Whites," and with the Mackay* and Leicester swine brought
by Gorham Parsons, Esq., to his "Fatherland Farm" in By-
field. The pens of the well arranged and comfortable piggery
were always creditably filled, and the food for the inmates was
always excellent and well cooked. In 1826 James Ferguson,
the foreman of Mr. Parsons, sold at Newburyport thirteen
hogs, the weight of which was as follows, 494 — 424 — 530 —
406 — 556 —454—496—336—578—370—500—400—526,
and two pigs, the weight of which was 211 and 255, making
an aggregate of 6,536 pounds. He only received seven cents
a pound, which was then considered a high price for pork, and
it is questionable whether he was remunerated for his outlay.
But these unprofitable agricultural operations by "gentlemen
farmers" are useful lessons to the our^-yeomen, and the Byfield
hogs were then and are now unsurpassed in the county.

About 1840 the Suffolk breed of hogs was introduced into
the county, by the purchase of imported stock, and we have
since had specimens of the Middlesex, the Berkshire and the
Essex breeds from England, the Neapolitans from Italy, and
the Chester and the Columbia, of native production. But
there has not been that care bestowed upon the improvement
of our hogs that has been lavished upon our neat cattle, horses.

♦Captain John Mackay commanded for 'some years a packet-ship which
sailed between Boston and Liverpool. Having a taste for rural pursuits, as
is generally the case with sea-faring men, the Captain bought a farm in Wo-
burn, and stocked it with the best hogs which he could find on the vessels
which came to Liverpool from different parts of the globe. When he at last
ceased to plough the deep, and devoted himself exclusively to his farm, he
gave especial attention to thej combination of the several excellencies of his
best hogs, especially those of the Asiatic race, and by perseverance and judg-
ment he at last produced, (just as Robert Bakewell produced the Shorthorns,)
the "Mackey" Breed. For several years Capt. Mackey's hogs took all of
the premiums at the Brighton State Cattle shows, and Sanford Howard said
of them in 1838, that "for aptitude to fatten, and the attainment of great
size at an early age, they are unrivalled by any swine ever known in our
country."

58

sheep and even poultry. Some of our best farmers either
breed from indifferent animals, or purchase pigs from droves,
and not only the number but the quality of the hogs of Essex
is falling off. Our shows are not now graced by such imperial
hogs as that which was once exhibited by Mr. John Alley, 3d,
of Lynn, weighing some 1200 pounds, neither do we enjoy
succulent young porkers at our annual repasts. Kerosene has
superseded lard-oil, or it might be thought that Essex county
farmers are making light of their hog-crop.

THE AWARDS.

Your committee, having made the above review of the his-
torv and of the present condition of the hogs in the county,
decided that as " like will produce like," the pedigrees of the
masculine competitors for the Society's premiums must be care-
fully scrutinized. While our Puritan ancestors wisely abjured
a hereditary aristocracy, and the rights of primogeniture, the
quadruped race is not inspired by that adherence to democratic
equality which despises ancestry. Occasionally the economist
may find some good pigs among the progeny of a runt, whose
only recommendation is the small sum charged for his service,
but in such a lottery there are many blanks to one prize.

Moses Colman's Suffolk boar, thirteen months old, with a
pure pedigree, maintained the porcine reputation of Byfield.
He was a symmetrical animal, with a small well set head, round
body, straight back, broad loins, evidently small bones, and a
healthy looking skin. Your committee were unanimous in
awarding Mr. Colman the first premium of $8, and they hope
that his boar, having thus been made the recipient of the high-
est honor to which a hog can aspire, may be useful in his day
and generation, and pass the evening of

" his life in peace,

And accumulate mtich grease.
Eating corn — eating corn."

Joseph Longfellow of Newbury exiiibited a Columbia coun-
ty boar, eleven months old, which had a well set head, long

59

body, round ribs, plump hams, and other indications of an
aptitude to fatten. He was awarded the second premium of
$5, at which, or from some other reason he was fired with jeal-
ous rage, and seceded from his pen, to make a hostile demon-
stration of *' onpleasantness " against Mr. Colman's more fort-
unate patriarch. A pitched battle ensued, and it could no
longer be said of this interesting department that " its ways
are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are paths of peace.'*
Had the combatants been rams, their pugnacity might have
been attributed to the horns which each had taken, but hogs
are never corned during life. The phraseology of the prize-
ring might be exhausted in chronicling the contest in which
blood was freely shed, and it was intimated that politics had
something to do with the fight. But a State constable happily
appeared, proclaiming " let there be peace," and the combat-
ants were separated, grunting defiance.

Moses S. Little of Newburyport exhibited a fond couple of
fine hogs which testified to the good cheer of the Merrimac
House, and were equally characterized by their fine propor-
tions, their evident readiness to fatten, and the roseate hue of
their delicate skins. To the help-meat of the pair the com-
mittee awarded the Society's first premium of |S for the Best
Breeding Sow.

Jesse Cashman of Newburyport invited the attention of the
committee to a matron who needed neither hoops nor padding
to give her an attractive plumptitude, while the donation of
nine to tbe hog-population at her side commanded respect,
and secured for her the second premium of $5 for ** good
breeding."

The premium for Weaned Pigs the committee could not con-
scientiously award to the only quartette exhibited, but they
cannot withhold their praise of a trio of pure Chester Whites,
bred by N. P. Boyer & Co., of Parkersburg, Pa., and exhibited
by E. Griffin, of Newburyport.

Pearson's Bakery, of Newburyport, exhibited five noble fat
hogs, which well deserved a premium, as they were living wi

60

nesses that Essex county can yet raise candidates for the pork
barrel, the smoke-house, the spit, the sausage making machines,
the frying-pan and the chowder-pot.

Honorable mention should also be made of the matronly
and amiable partners of Mr. Longfellow's bellicose Boar, who
testified their pacific dispositions by sternly repressing several
manifestations of a disagreement between their respective off-
spring, who proved themselves minors by burrowing into each
others pens to engage in juvenile rows.

Your committee vainly endeavored to ascertain what was
the improvement on an " Improved Sufiblk Boar," but could
discover nothing remarkable about the animal unless it was an
unusually long snout. This feature could but find favor with
those farmers who believe with , Mr. Holbrook, of Vermont,
that it is sounder practice to use hogs as manufacturers of old-
fashioned manure than to buy the fashionable fertilizers of the
day, which too often merely stimulate the present crop, and
leave the land no better than they found it. An industrious
hog, like Wilkins Micawber, Esq., is always " waiting for
something to turn-up " with his insinuating yet effective snout,
and if supplied with the materials will speedily compost them.
Peat, as a basis for hog operations, is more remunerative than
when compressed into patent fuel.

The committee failed in their endeavors to obtain from the
exhibitors any new information on the much discussed question
as to whether it is profitable to cook food for hogs, about which
there has been and is such a wide difference of opinion among
the best practical farmers of Essex county. The poet Southey
has asserted that —

" The pig is a philosopher who knows
No prejudice."

Indian-corn doubtless makes the most and best pork, but no
properly educated hog objects to the orts and ends of the farm
and garden, or the contents of the kitchen swill-pail. There
are good reasons however for believing that much of the pork

61

fattened near our large cities by scavengers, distillers and
butchers is indeed " unclean " and unfit for use by Gentile or
Jew. Whatever wholesome food is given to hogs, the quantity
should not be stinted, for " feed not breed " is a porcellian
maxim. In the days when our land was cursed with slavery,
CufFee came into his cabin one cold night, almost frozen, and
began to enjoy a roaring fire. Soon his wife exclaimed :
*' CufFee, isn't your feet a burnin ? " 'Taint my feet," was the
laconic reply, " they'se massas ! " This philosophical reason-
ing can be applied to feeding hogs. When a hog eats, he
doesn't eat for himself but for his owner, turning that individ-
ual's meal or potatoes into pork.

Ben: Perley Poore — Chairman.

POULTRY.

The Committee on Poultry would submit the following
report : —

They award to E. S. Tappan, of Haverhill, for the best
show of Poultry, $5.

To J. Pillsbury, of Georgetown, for Black Spanish Fowls, $2.

To J. Pillsbury, of Georgetown, for Fancy Pigeons, $5.

To P. T. Winkley, Jr., of Newburyport, for coop of half-
blood Brahma Hens, $2.

To P. T. Winkley, Jr., of Newburyport, for coop of red
English Fowls, $1.

To T. H. Cutter, of Newburyport, for coop of Spanish
Fowls, $i.

To S. A. Magoon, of Haverhill, for Silver Spangled Po-
lands, $1.

To J. R. Chapman, of Beverly, for Silver Spangled Ham-
burgs, $1.

62

To T. E. Bartlett, of Newbury port, for coop of Ducks, $1.
Committee — H. M. Goodridge, Wm. Proudman, Ira S.
Woodman.

COARSE WOOL SHEEP.

The Committee on Coarse Wool Sheep report :

They award to Romulus Jaques, of West Newbury, for his
grade Cotswold Ewes, the first premium of $8.

To Joseph Kittredge, of North Audover, the second pre-
mium of $5.

To Romulus Jaques, of West Newbury, for the best lot of
lambs, the premium of $3.

To Joseph Kittredge, of North Audover, for his South
Down Buck, the premium of $6.

Committee — Wm. R. Putnam, Charles Corliss, Theodore
Andrews, Henry Patch, Gorham Norwood.

PLOUGHING— DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Double Teams have at-
tendsd to the duty assigned them, and report as follows : —

They award to R. T. Jaques and R. S. Bray, of Newbury,
the first premium of $1^.

63

To Joseph Goodridge, of Newbury, the second premium
of $10.

To D. L. Goodrich, of Newbury, the third premium of $9.
To Edward H. Little, of Newbury, the fourth premium of $8.
For the Committee — J. P. King.

PLOUGHING— SINGLE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Single Teams report : —

They unanimously award to R. T. Jaques's team, Hiram
Young, ploughman, the first premium of $7.

To Thomas C. Ordway, of West Newbury, Washington
Winslow, ploughman, the second premium of $6.

For the Committee — John Keely.

PLOUGHING WITH HORSES.

The Committee on Ploughing with Horses award to E. H.
Little, of Newbury, Conical plough. No. 4, the first premium
of $10.

To Orrin Putnam, of Danvers, Holbrook plough. No. 64,
the second premium of $7.

To Samuel B. Hill, of North Andorer, Robinson plough,
the third premium of $4.

Committee — James Flint, J. A. Lunt, Wm. J. Dale, Jr.,
Asahel H. Patch, E. G. Berry.

6'4
PLOUGHING— SIDE HILL PLOUGH.

The Committee on Ploughing with Side Hill Plough, re-
spectfully report as follows : —

There were but two entries made. The Committee very
much regret that the number of entries was so small. They
think the wood-beam swivel plough of Messrs. P. F. Holbrook
& Small, superior to any now in general use.

They are unanimous in the award of the first premium of
$10 to Samuel Moody, of West Newbury. Team, one yoke
of oxen without driver : he used the F. F. Holbrook & Small
plough, No. 6.

To Messrs. Kittredge & Foster, of North Andover, the sec-
ond premium of $8. Team four oxen with driver. They
used the F. F. Holbrook & Small plough, No. 9.

Committee — Alonzo B. Fellows, William Dodge, Jr.,
Franklin Brickett, William H. Felton, George L. Hawkes,
Paul D. Patch.

BOYS' PLOUGHING.

The Committee on Boys' Ploughing report :

Hon. William Sutton, President of the Society, generously
offered fifty dollars to be awarded in three premiums of $25,
$15 and $10, to boys under 19 years of age, for ploughing.

Four competitors appeared on the ground. They all did
well, showing they had experience in driving the oxen and
holding the plough. As there were but three premiums to be
awarded, and four deserving competitors, the Committee being
desirous that no one should be " left out in the cold," suggest-
ed the fact to the generous donor (Gen. Sutton) who cheer-
fully increased his donation eight dollars, making it $58 in-

65

stead of $50, which your Committee would recommend be
awarded as follows : —

To Albert B. Ordway, of West Newbury, 17 years old,
the first premium of $25.

To Charles Fish, of Danvers, 17 years old, the second pre-
mium of $15.

To Eben Dodge, of Danvers, 18 years old, the third pre-
mium of $10

To George W. Bray, of Newbury, 16 years old, a gratuity
of $8.

Ordway used Mead's conical plough, No. 5 1-2; Fish and
Dodge msed Holbrook's Universal plough ; Bray used Hussey
plough, No. 15.

When so many of our young men are leaving the farms of
their fathers to seek their fortune in the cities, in the work-
shop, or on the fertile prairies of the West, it is pleasant to
see some of them who are willing to drive the oxen, and hold
the plough, and cultivate their native soil. It may be suppos-
ed the generous premiums given by Gen. Sutton, were not
wholly for ploughing, but to encourage boys in the cultivation
of the farm ; and therefore a few remarks may not be improper
on the occasion.

The cultivation of the earth was the first business of man.
When man first came from the forming hand of his Maker,
he was placed in the garden of Eden to dress and keep it.
The next information we have, Cain and Abel were farmers.
Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel was a keeper of
sheep. The good old patriarchs were also farmers, or produ-
cers of cattle and sheep. Elisha, it is said, on a certain occa-
sion was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen. We are not
to suppose they were all on one team, but each yoke of oxen
had a plough, and they were following each other. As we are
informed, there has been but little change in that country un-
to the present time. Dr. Thompson, who has resided many
years in the land of Palestine, says in his writings entitled
" The Land and the Book," that he has seen more than a doz-
9

66

en teams of one yoke of oxen, following one after another
as closely as possible. He farther says, their little ploughs
make no proper furrows, but merely root isp the ground and
throw the soil on either side, so that any number of teams
may follow one another, and when at the end of the field they
can return along the same line, and thus back and forth, initil
the whole is ploughed. Now why is there such a contrast be-
tween that country and our own ? Are we not indebted to the
rapid progress which has been made in education and science ?
Great changes have taken place in the implements of husband-
ry within the last generation, as many of us can testify, which
make farming less laborious, and we hope, more attractive.

I have alluded to the disposition of our young men to leave
the farm, and engage in other business. This is right to a cer-
tain extent, as it is necessary that the different professions and
different kinds of business should be carried on and sustained.
In many cases, however, all the children leave the farm, and
the father is left to trudge along as best he can, making the in-
firmities of age burdensome. Now is there not an evil here
that can be remedied ? If parents would cease complaining,
as they sometimes do, of their hard lot, as they are pleased to
call it, and be more cheerful and happy, would not home be
■Viore attractive to the children ?

M«ake home pleasant by making it neat and comfortable.
I'iant the forest trees and shrubbery, sow flower seeds, which
■.he wife and daughters in most cases will with much pleasure
ualtivate.

The desire of happiness is something inherent in our nature,
and where can more of it be found than in a community of
intelligent, industrious farmers, — all engaged in the same call-
ing and interested in each other's welfare, controlled by a spir-
it of kindness and benevolence, and governed by the precepts
of the Gospel ?

For the Committee — Joseph How,

67
AGKICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

The Committee on Agricultural Implements award the fol-
lowing premiums, viz. : —

To Charles P. Preston, of Danvers, for Wood's two-horse
Mower, 15.

To Samuel A. Merrill, of Danvers, for the American Hay-
Tedder, $5.

To Whittemore & Belcher, for the best Hay Cutter, $3.

To S. M. Ayers, of Boxford, for the best Ox Yoke, $3.

To the Fitchburg Co. for the Bay State Horse Rake^ $5.

To J. S. Preston, of Danvers, for Raymond's Horse Pitch-
fork, $5.

To Parker, Gannett & Osgood, of Boston, for Collection of
Implements, $5.

GRATUITIES.

1 o Parker, Gannett & Osgood, for the best Churn, $2.
To F. F. Holbrook & Small, for Harrington's Seed Sow-
er, $2.

For the Committee — Lewis Allen.

CARRIAGES.

The Committee on Carriages report the award of the fol-
owing gratuities : —
To George Adams, of West Amesbury, for his Buggy, $5.
To Dana Dodge & Son, of Newburyport, for their two-seat-
ed Carriage, $3.

To Wm. B. Peart, of Danvers, for his Express Wagon, $2.
C ommittee— T. K. Leach, Wm. H. Patch, Wm. Dodge, Jr.

68

DAIRY.

The Committee on Dairy examined the eleven specimens
of Butter presented to them, and found quite a number of su^
perior excellence. They award as follows : —

To A. F. Hobbs, of Wenham, the first premium of $12.

To D. G. Todd, of Rowley, the second premium of $10.

To Mrs J. Longfellow, of Byfield, the third premium of $8.

To R. S. Rogers, of Peabody, the fourth premium of $5.

CHEESE.

There were but three specimens of Cheese submitted to the
Committee, and they report the following awards :

To N. W. Moody, of Newbury, the first premium of $8.

To the Byfield Factory, the second premium of $5.

The Committee were unanimous in awarding a premium on
butter to Delia Foley, of Newbur^.'port, but regretted to find
that the qxsantity exhibited was insufficient to meet the rule of
the Society.

Committee — George Foster, N, Lambert, J. A. Putnam,
Thomas Hale, D. T, Morrison.

STATEMENT OF A. F. HOBBS.

This box of September butter containing 18 lbs., was ob-
tained by the following process. First, the milk was strained
into shallow tin pans to the depth of one and one half inches.
After standing 12 hours each pan of milk was p'aced separately
on the stove and slowly scalded. It was then set back into
the dairy-room to remain from £4 to 36 hours, care being ta-
ken to remove the cream before the milk began to thicken.
The cr- am was kept in a stone jar, salted and stirred daily un-
til it was churned, which was twice a week. After the butter
was churned and collected, the butter- milk was thoroughly

69

pressed out by hand, then weighed and salted. My rule for
salt is 11 ounces to 10 lbs. of butter. The whole lump was
then placed in the dairy cellar to remain 24 hours, when it
was again worked over into one lb. lumps and formed by the
use oi oak butter clappers.

STATEMENT OF DANIEL G. TODD.

I present for examination, 15 lbs. of September butter. It
is a sample of 1000 lbs. made this season from my herd of
grade Ayrshire and Jersey cows. The milk is strained into
tin pans and placed in the cellar to remain 36 hours; two table-
spoonsful of salt are added to each tin pail of cream. Churn-
ing is done three times a week, and after the butter-milk is en-
tirely removed, the butter is salted to the taste and prepared
for market.

STATEMENT OF MRS. J. LONGFELLOW.

The box of Butter which I enter for premium, contains fif-
teen lbs. and was made the present month. The following is
the process of making : the milk is strained into tin pans to
the depth of two and one half inches, and is allowed to re-
main from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, according to the
weather. Then the cream is taken off and put into a stone
jar with a little salt, stirred twice a day till churned, which is
done twice a week. When the butter is collected, the butter-
milk is drawn off, the butter taken from the churn, and work-
ed by hand, and salted to taste, which requires about one
ounce of Syracuse dairy salt to the pound. After twenty-four
hours it is worked again and formed into lumps as presented.

70

STATEMENT OF R. S. ROGERS.

15 lbs. Butter — made from the milk of 10 grade Jersey
cows (1-2 and 3-4 bred). 112 quarts were used in a common
barrel churn (No. 3.) Pans used were of tin, 15 inches wide
at top, 3 1-2 inches deep, being filled less than half full — milk
standing 36 hours before skimming. Butter when taken from
the churn was worked over three times in cold water, salted
with one ounce of salt to the pound, reworked the next day
and stamped.

STATEMENT OF N. W. MOODY.

The Cheese that I offer for your inspection, was made in
the following manner : the milk was set as soon as it was
drawn from the cows at night, with a suitable quantity of ren-
net to form the curd, and the same process repeated in the
morning ; the curds are sliced and drained, then chopped fine,
salted with half an ounce of salt to a pound of cheese, and
pressed thirty-six hours.

BREAD AND HONEY.

The Committee on Bread and Honey respectfully report : —

There were two entries of Honey and nine of Bread. After
careful examination gratuities' were awarded as follows : —

To D. C. Batchelder, of Newburyport, for Hive of Bees and
Honey, a gratuity of $6.

For Bread. — To R. J. Woodman, of Newburyport, $3 ;
Mary Braxton, of Newburyport, $3 ; Anna Titcomb, of Row-

71

leVj $3; J. Pearson, Jr., of Newburyport, $4; Lizzie A.
•Smith, of Xewburj'port, $1.

Committee — Josiah Newhall, Charles Ingalls, Robert Cal-
lahan, Dean A. Perley, Hiram A. Stiles.

PEARS.

The Committee on Pears report that the show was hardly-
equal to the average of former exhibitions. The season of
1868 has proved unfavorable for this fruit, much of it having
been injured by mildew and the extreme heat of the Summer
months. Several very fine specimens of Bartletts were found
upon the tables, and also the Duchess variety was not in gen-
eral inferior to that of former years. The Committee regret
that so few specimens were furnished from parts of the county
remote from the place of exhibition. In exhibitions of fruit
it is desirable to have specimens from as many of the towns
in the County as possible, in order to observe the influence-of
locality and different varieties of so.l in its perfect develop-
ment. The Committee award the following premiums and
grntuities to exhibitors, viz. ;

Premiums of $1 each, to Isaac P. Noyes, Newburyport, for
Bartletts ; Wm. Maloon, Salem, Belle Lucrative ; Wm.
Wheelwright, Newbury jort, Flemish Beauty; Jos. A. Atkinson,
Newburyport, Beurre Bosc ; Wm. Maloon, Beurre Superfine ;
Wm. Maloon, Onondaga ; Henry Savory, Groveland, Seckel ;
T. K. Bartlett, Newburyport, BufFum ; Chas. G. Savory,
Groveland, Winter Nelis ; Chas. H. Lake, Topsfield, Black
Pear of Worcester ; Wm. Maloon, Vicar of Winkfield ; Chas.
Ireland, Newburyport, Lawrence ; Wm. Otis, Newburyport,

72

L. Bonne de Jersey ; "Wm. P. Sargent, So. Amesbury, Beurre
Clairgeau ; Wm. H. Huse, Newburyport, Golden Beurre ;
Thos. H. Cutler, Newburyport, Duchesse d'Angouleme ; Wm.
Maloon, Urbaniste ; H. Janvrin, Newburyport, Sheldon ;
Wm. Maloon, Beurre d'Anjou; Wm. Maloon, Paradise d'Au-
torane ; Wm. Maloon, Marie Louise ; Peter Wait, Danvers.

For the best Ten Plates of Pears, to Wm. Maloon, of Sa-
lem, premium of $3.

Gratuities of $2 each were awarded to Samuel Brown, New-
buryport, for best specimen of Beurre Superfine ; R. S. Grif-
fith, Newburyport, display of Pears ; Chas. M. Bailey, New-
buryport, do. ; Benj. P. Ware, Marblehead, do.

Gratuities of $1 each were awarded to C. H. Meader, New-
buryport, for fine specimen Clairgeau ; to S. M. Gale, Newbury-
port, display of pears ; Peter Wait, Danvers, do. ; Isaac Hale,
Newburyport, do. ; J. B. Sargent, W. Amesbury, do. ; A. E.
Goodwin, W. Amesbury, do ; E. P. Tappan, do.

For the Committee — James E. Nichols.

APPLES.

The Committee on Apples award the following premiums
and gratuities, viz. :

For the best Twelve specimens of the following varieties, a
premium of $1 eaA :

Charles H. Lake, Topsfield, Porter, Baldwin, Danvers Win-
ter Sweet, Sweet Baldwin, Ramsdell's Red Sweet, Red Russet
of N. H., Detroit ; Peter Wait, Danvers, Hunt's Russet, Min-
ister, R. I. Greening, Swaar ; Benj. P. Ware, Marblehead,
Pickman Pippin, Drap d'Or, Lyscom ; Joseph Horton, Ips-
wich, Golden Russet ; Warren Sheldon, Danvers, Hubbards-

73

ton Nonsuch ; E. P. Cutter, Newburyport, Gravenstein . T.
G. Ordway, West Newbury, Roxbury Russet ; Wm. Wheel-
right, Newburyport, Fall Pippin; Josiah Newhall, Lynnfield,
Eustice ; T. C. Thurlow, West Newbury, Ladies' Sweet ; Ira
S. Woodman, Groveland, Northern Spy.

For the best Twelve specimens of any other variety, $1 to
B. Brickett, of Haverhill.

For the best collection of Twenty varieties, $5 to C. H.
Lake, of Topsfield.

For the best Ten varieties, $3 to T. C. Thurlow, of West
Newbury.

For the best plate of Apples (not less than Twenty-four
specimens) a premium of $5 to John Fairbanks, of Haverhill.

A Gratuity of $1 each to the following :

T. K. Bartlett, Wm. C. Crockett, Charles Smith, B. G.
Gerrish, S. M. Gale, P. T. Winkley, Otis Delano and D.
Smith, of Newburyport; Wm. W. Perkins and R. T. Jaques,
of Newbury ; J. B. Spiller, of Haverhill ; S. A. Merrill, of
Danvers ; Wm. R. Putnam, of Danvers ; Josiah Newhall, of
Lynnfield.

A Gratuity of 50 cents each to Wm. A. Felch, D. Plumer,
and S. F. Newman, of Newbury ; Albert Russell, N. Stacy,
Mrs J. Bartlett, A. L. FHnt, D. S. Purington and J. J. Knapp,
of Newburyport ; F. D. Chase, B. A. Follansbee, T. S. Ord-
way and A. L. Moore, of West Newbury ; Robert Buxton,
of Peabody ; Peter Wait, of Danvers ; J. B. Sargent, of West
Amesbury.

The Committee were happy to find upon the tables this
year, a good and very extensive show of Apples, and —
although the fru t is small this season — most of the specimens
were quite creditable to the producers. We regret not being
able to award more and higher premiums, as many of the ex-
hibitors have not been mentioned at all, and others only by a
small gratuity. We would suggest to exhibitors, that the rules
of the Society require at least twelve specimens upon a plate,
in order to obtain a premium ; also that " all fruit must be en-
10

74

tered in the name of the producer ;" and we trust that those
who gather their fruit promiscuously throughout the county —
as we learned after the premiums had been awarded, had been
done by one individual — will not hereafter be entitled to
premiums.

Perhaps the most noticeable apple upon the tables, was the
Hubbardston Nonsuch, which has of late years been growing
more and more in favor, and this year it excels all others, both
in size of fruit and productiveness of the tree. This is prob-
ably now the best apple of its season, while the Baldwin, Rus-
set and Greenins, still continue to be the best long-keeping
varieties. Among earlier apples, the Gravenstein is looking
remarkably well, while its companion, the Porter, is generally
this season small and inferior. We believe the apple, more
than almost any other fruit is local in its character, and that
those varieties which originated in this vicinity and have prov-
ed superior here, have generally for a term of years been the
most profi able and best suited to our soil and climate. There
are some exceptions certainly, but we would caution those who
are planting or grafting trees, not to be misled by the high-
sounding names and praises of many of the New York and
western apples.

We would respectfully suggest to this Society, that in our
opinion some of the varieties upon its list are not worthy of
cultivation; and your Committee believe-— judging from their
observation from year to year — that no really good specimens
are, or can be brought to the exhibition, of such varieties as
Seaver's Sweet, Ramsdell's Red Sweet, Jonathan, Fallawater>
etc., and we have thought it best not to award premiums to
them.

We would advise planters to confine themselves to a feio
varieties, and those of the highest excellence. But in dealing
with facts, we admit that apples do not flourish as they former-
ly did — that the trees as a general thing look badly ; many
are dead — many more are half dead — while others look green
and vigorous. These last are usually found where they have

75

been planted in a congenial soil, have been properly trimmed,
and in most cases cultivated, and above all have been protected
from the canlier -worms, where the scourge has visited them.

Many of the pomological writers of the present day are re-
gretting the failure of the apple crop, attributing it to a lack
of phospliates, lime, or some other ingredient in the soil ; they
say, and with much truth, that the apple tree requires a new
or virgin soil ; and that apple culture is being abandoned for
that of the pear, etc. It is our opinion that apples will again
do well ; that they are more valuable and more generally use-
ful than any other fruit in our climate, and as profitable as any
other farm crop.

It will be remembered — at least in the northern part of the
county — that the canker-worms in 1864 and 1865 were more
numerous and destructive than at any other period ; and
the long protracted droughts of those years, especially of
1865, when the limbs, entirely stripped of leaves, remained
through the summer and fall exposed to the sun, and the
ground so dry that many of the surface roots actually perished.
This we think will explain why there are so many dead and
decaying limbs upon the trees, and why the fruit failed to
**set" the next spring, although there was a good bloom.
This season and the last having been favorable to the growth
and recovery of the trees, we predict a good crop next year,
where the trees are in bearing order.

We would advise then to cut down all trees that are past
recovery — thin out where they stand too thick, and gradually
cut off all dead and decaying branches Shallow ploughing,
especially in the fall, is beneficial ; in fact the soil in an or-
chard should always be kept loose and broken. Above all,
protect your trees from the canker-worm. Our most intelli-
gent farmers now — having tried the various " patent protec-
tors " — use generally the printers' ink, or the old-fashioned
article, tar. One enterprising farmer who has a large crop of
apples the present season, uses print 3rs' ink reduced somewhat
with rosin oil — put on with a paint brush, upon strips of tar-

76

red paper tacked around the tree. He commences in the fall,
and applies it as often as necessary (in from three to six days)
during the " running season," with one or two applications at
the time the buds start, to catch the worms that were hatched
below the tarred paper. Some of the ink that is manufactured
on purpose and sold as " bug exterminator;" is not worth ap-
plying, as it is poor and dries sooner than tar. The greatest
objection to the ink is, that the surface dries or coats over so
rapidly, especially during cool nights (and is again soft in the
day time) that the grub walks over it with impunity. Cannot
some of our chemists look into the matter, and give us some-
thing that will remain sticky for a long time, or else that will
poison the grubs ? We saw one very successful experiment
tried last year, where the ground was ploughed about four
inches deep, just before it froze up for the winter. The worms
were very plenty in the orchard the year before, but this either
killed them or frightened them away, for there were none
there of any consequence this year.

Other insects as caterpillars, borers, ef c, are more easily ex-
terminated, and should be in all cases where they exist.

For the Committee — ^^T. C. Thurlow,

PEACHES, ASSORTED FRUITS AND GRAPES,

The Committee on Peaches, Assorted Fruits and Grapes,
report:

The season has not been favorable for Grapes ; but if we
may judge from the large collection and fine specimens of
Peaches on exhibition, it has been propitious for this latter
fruit.

The Committee would have been glad to award premiums
to several exhibitors who have gratuities only ; but only four

77

premiums were offered in this department. They are awarded
as follows :

For the best White FJesh Peach, to Wm. Wheelwright, of
Newburyport, $1.

For the best Yellow Flesh Peach, to N. G. Bassett, of New-
buryport, $1.

For the best Essex County Seedling, to J. M. Ives, of
Salem, $1.

For best Collection, to Wm. Wheelwright, Newburport, $2.

Gratuities of 50 cents each are awarded to the following
exhibitors :

Moody Ordway, West Newbury ; D. C. Batchelder, Miss
Addie Coffin, J. J. Knapp, T. K. Bartlett, H. A. Ingraham^
Capt. E.. Couch, Lizzie Le Bretton, of Newburyport.

GRAPES.

The Committee have awarded the premiums and gratuities
for the best specimens of the several varieties and collections
of Grapes, as follows :

For the best specimen of Concord Grapes, to E. S. Mosely,
of Newburyport, $2.

For the best Hartford Prolific, to Luther K. Pemberton, of
Groveland, |2.

For the best Isabella, to N. T. Stickney, of Groveland, $2.

For the best Delaware, to Curtis French, of Newburyport, $2.

For the best lona, to N. T. Stickney, of Groveland, $2.

For the best Israella, to G. W. Gage, of Methuen, $2.

For the best Adirondac, to C. H. Ireland, of Newbury-
port, 12.

For the best Rogers, No. 3, to G. W. Gage, of Methuen, $.2.

For the best Rogers, No. 4, to G. W. Gage, of Methuen, $2.

For the best Rogers, No. 15, to N. T. Stickney, of Grove-
land, $2.

For the best Rogers, No. 19, to G. W. Gage, of Methuen, $2.

For the best Rogers, No. 33, to J. Whittier, of Ames-
bury, 12.

78

For the best Allen's Hybrid, to G. W. Gage, of Methuen, $2.

For the best Diana, to VVm. Wheelwright, of Newbury-
port, $2.

For the best Creveiing, to N. T. Stickney, of Groveland, |3.

For the best Collection of Cold House Grapes, to Capt.
Robert Bayley, of Newburyport, $3.

For the best Collection of not less than ten varieties, to
G. W. Gage, of Methuen, $5.

For the best Plate of not less than ten lbs., to G. W. Gage,
of Methuen, $5.

Gratuities of 50 cents each to the following exhibitors :

For a plate of Rebecca Grapes, to Wm. H. Huse, of New-
buryport ; For a fine collection of Grapes, to C. H. Ireland,
of Newburyport ; For a plate each of fine Grapes — J. B. Sar-
gent, W. Amesbury ; Mrs. A. S. Alden, Newburyport ; Aaron
S. Hilton, Salisbury Mills; Wm. Kidder, Newburyport; Fred-
erick Hills, Amesbury ; J. M. Ives, Salem ; R. Rich, Salis-
bury ; Rufus S. Griffith, Newburyport ; W. H. B. Currier,
Salisbury ; Frederick Hobbs, Amesbury.

For Baskets of Assorted Fruit.

First premium to Peter Wait, of Danvers, $3.
Second '* to Wm. Currier, of Newburyport, $2.

For Specimens of Canned Pears.

No premium offered, but the Committee have awarded a
gratuity to Mrs. M. Haskell, 50 cents.

.Wines.

There is a collection of bottles, labelled " Wine " on exhi-
bition ; but the Committee'^ did not feel warranted in sanction-
ing (on the part of this Society), the application of this name
to mixtures composed of the juices of fruits, and sugar and
■water — whether the fruits be Grapes, Currants, Elderberries,
Blackberries, or StaUcs of Rhubarb !
The specimens of " pure juice of the grape," in the collec-

79

tion, did not seem to have been sufficiently well cared for in
the " curing " process, to demand either premium or gratuity.
For the Committee — R. H. Seeley.

FLOWERS.

The Committee on Flowers report the following awards and

gratuities :

Premiums. — J. C. Higglns, pair Hand Bouquets, $2; War-
ren Currier, pair Parlor Bouquets, $2 ; Mrs. M. A. Shaw,
Floral Deiign, $1.50; J. C. Higglns, Floral Design, $1.50;
William Wheelwright, dish Cut Flowers, $2 ,• Chas. Adams,
best 12 Dahlias, $1 ; J. C. Higgins, Newburyport, largest and
best display, $3.

Gratuities. — B. D. Hill, Jr., Lilliputian Dahlias, $1 ;
James Dewhirst, Dahlias and pot plants, $1 ; Wm. Wheel-
wright, general display, $1 ; Otis Nichols, cut Flowers and
Astors, $1. T. C. Thurlow, vase of Roses ; J. C. Higgins,
parlor Bouqi^et ', Thomas Allen, display of Flowers ; Wm.
Ashby, cut Flowers ; Mrs. H. Janvrin, Pansies and general
display ; Mrs. Fred. Knight, Bouquets ; Mrs. M. Haskell,
Bouquets; Mrs. T. K. Bartlett, Geranium; John Osgood,
Feather Grass ; M. Susie Merrill, cut Flowers ; Annie E.
Burrill, cut Flowers ; Warren Currier, pot plants ; Nace Ca-
mill, cut Flowers ; R. J. Colby, vase of Flowers ; R. J. Terrey,
Bouquet . Carrie L. Torrey, cut Flowers ; Mrs. Lunt, Bou-
quet ; Miss L. Greenlow, Cactus ; — 50 cents each.

The premiums awarded usually for Phlox, Verbenas and
Native Flowers were not awarded, because there was no com-

80

petition or entries ; and the amount appropriated for this pur-
pose was expended in gratuities.

Committee — Fred. D. Burnham, George D. Glover, Isaiah
A. Rogers, Alfred Osgood.

VEGETABLES.

The exhibition of Vegetables was one of the largest and
best ever mads by the Society. It was not till 1835, seven-
teen years after the institution of the Society, that any men-
tion is made in the Transactions, of such an exhibition. This
occurs incidentally in a report on Fruits and Flowers, and re-
fers mainly to the " vegetable marrow squash," then just in-
troduced here. The writer. Dr. Andrew Nichols, says :
"This excellent squash ought to be generally known and cul-
tivated by farmers. Great care must be taken to prevent it
from mixing with the blue African squash, with which it is
much disposed to amalgamate and lose, in great increase of
size, its peculiarly valuable properties." ITiirty-three years
have elapsed and this delicious product has become a general
favorite, maintaining all its good qualities and purity by careful
cultivation. The raising of vegetables both for the table and
live stock has become quite common with the farmers of Es-
sex, and constitutes with some of them a special branch of
field husbandry.

Whoever has given attention from year to year to this de-
partment of our Show, must have noticed a growing interest
in it, and a corresponding increase of contributors. This in-
terest has been manifested not only by those who have visited
the halls of exhibition, but by the cultivators, who have with
commendable pride and public spirit, and at considerable

81

cost — often- far greater than the amount they have received In
premiains — sent in their choicest products. Some have taken
great pains to exhibit a few vegetables or even specimens of a
single variety, feeling, as it would seem, that the Society and
the public have claims upon them which they must recognize.
Tnis feelhig, it is to be hoped, will become more and
more prevalent, not only among individuals, but towns and
communities.

To give additional interest to the exhibition, there might be
stands appropriated to different towns or neighborhoods, and
premiums offered for the best displays by them. Something
of this sort — new features in our shows — should be resorted to
occasionally to wake up fresh enthusiasm and bring out more
competitors. Old societies are apt to get into ruts in the man-
agement of affairs. Agricultural societies are no exceptions to
this tendency, as may readily be seen by a glance at their pre-
mium lists for a series of years. Some departments admit of
little or no variation in their offers of premiums or their rules
and regulations, but others do admit of it. It should be the
aim of the managers to make such variations as often and as
far as it can advantageously be done.

In order to give more definiteness to the award of premi-
ums and to encourage the exhibiting only of the best varieties
the premiums might be offered for a given number of each va-
riety, just as it is done in respect to apples and pears. Why
not ? Surely it is as important to have the best kinds of veg-
etables as of fruits, and the Society should help disseminate a
knowledge of the former as well as the latter.

It seems to us, too, that improvement might be made in the
way of exhibiting vegetables at our shows. The object should
be with managers, as doubtless it is with contributors, to ex-
hibit them to the best advantage. They are now placed on
tables and huddled together so promiscuously that they cannot
be easily or intelligently viewed, either by the Committee or
others. Suppose that instead of those tables, there was a se-
ries of shelves extending round the sides and through the mid-
11

82

die of the hall, narrowing and receding as they rose, the low-
est shelf for the larger specimens, such as squashes and pump-
kins, the next cabbages, then root products, then potatoes,
then onions, and thus continuing till all weie provided for.
Each contributor might have his section, large or small, ac-
cording to the extent of his collection, where it could be seen
together. Then all specimens of the same vegetables exhibited
by the several competitors, would be in a line together, extend-
ing round or through the hall, and could be more easily com-
pared by the Committee. Visitors, too, specially interested
in any particular vegetable, could have it before them by pass-
ing round the hall, could see the names of its different culti-
vators and see its different varieties, and would thus avoid the
difficulty now so generally experienced in selecting it from the
different collections in different parts of the hall, and carrying
it in the mind, but not in the eye, from one part to another.
The shelves, with the uprights to support them, should be
made of good materials, and so contrived as to be put up with-
out nails or anything to damage them. Well painted and
carefully housed, they would last a lifetime.

No statements are required from contributors of vegetables
as to their methods of I'aising them and the yield of the same.
Indeed, these details which go to the very foundation of good
and profitable cultivation, are all passed over to another de-
partment, that of root crops, and the furnishing of them is
made a condition on which premiums are awarded. These
two departments, while embracing the same articles for consid-
eration, are distinct from each other. The one encourages the
display of the best specimens of vegetables, without reference
to the method or expense of production — the other bestows its
approval on the largest yield per acre at the least cost. The
one has to do only with the product itself — the other with pro-
cesses and cost as well. Hence, a more interesting and in-
structive report can be made in the latter than the former de-
partment. Still the latter has this compensation, it appeals
directly to the sight. To the eye it tells its story, and seeing

83

is believing, I see an unusually fine specimen of a vegetable
product, finer than any I have ever raised, and I at once ask
myself why I have not equalled it. Is it for lack of the req-
uisite skill or effort, the right kind of soil or manure, or why
is it? Here in the specimen before me is a fact, visible, pal-
pable. The fact demonstrates a possibility. If one man has
raised such choice potatoes, cabbages or squashes, and this man
can raise them, why not I ? Thus I am forced to confess
my ignorance, unskillfulness or laziness, and if there is a spark
of ambition in me, I must resolve to go and do likewise.

The demand for vegetables is large and increasing. The
population of our cities and manufacturing towns are nearly
all mere consumers and must be supplied. The earliest prod-
ucts in market bring great prices. Some cultivators make a
specialty of early vegetables and raise or start them under
glass. Dr. Fisher, of Fitchburg, supplies New York with its
first cucumbers and makes a handsome profit. A skillful cul-
tivator in this county, Levi Emery, of Lawrence, sends the
earliest lettuce to the same city. Taking advantage of the
protection from northerly winds afforded by a pine grove, he
also raises early tomatoes and sells his whole crop at high pri-
ces before the market is glutted.

To do all this mere muscle and manure will not suffice.
This fact cannot be blinked out of sight. Scientific farming,
when spoken of synonimously with fancy farming, may excite
a smile or a sneer, though often with great injustice to the man
of large wealth who lavishes it in introducing improved stock,
fruits, tools and methods of husbandry, by which a whole
neighborhood is benefited. True science as applied to agri-
culture, is but the key to the secrets of nature, which no man
can afibrd. to despise or reject when proffered him.

A matter of greatest concern to the cultivator of vegetable
crops, is the certainty of having good reliable seed, seed that
will germinate and prove true to the varieties intended to be
raised, with no other admixtures. To secure this object many
large cultivators raise their own seed and find their account in

8i

it But the business of raising vegetable seeds for sale, is car-
ried on in the county, and by a single individual, on a scale
far more extensive than many are aware of. We allude to J.
J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, who by devoting himself per-
sonally to the details, has from small beginnings built up a
business that now gives employment to many hands to fill the
orders that yearly come to him from every part of the country.
This year he has had under cultivation nearly sixty acres, for
the sole purpose of raising seed for his establishment. Some
of his crops, however, are grown to furnish seed next year, so
that his business is that of a farmer and seed-grower combined.
Great care and pains are taken in the management of a busi-
ness so vital to the interests of those engaged in vegetable
culture, and he has achieved a reputation of wliich any man
might be proud. Mr. Gregory has also written and published
two little manuals, one on the Onion, and the other on the
Squash, giving full information as to their different varieties
and qualities, the best methods of raising and keeping them,
and answering enquiries that have been made of him in the
course of his business, all in so plain and practical a way, that
even a novice can understand it.

The exhibition this year was largely indebted to S. A. Mer-
rill, of Danvers, whose collection contained over a hundred
varieties, and to William Huff and others of Newburyport,
who severally made large and excellent displays. There were,
however^ not a few specimens of mammoth squashes, the qual-
ity of which must be inferior for table use. We trust the So-
ciety will not lend its sanction to mere monstrosity. There is
a standard in size and quality for nearly all varieties of vege-
tables, which is well known to cultivators and dealers, but
not easily described. To this standard competitors should be
held to conform, in order to retain them in their purity, just
as much so as the exhibitors of the various breeds of animals
are required to conform to their standard. It is well to re-
member, too, that all vegetables raised on low wet lands,
■whilst they attain to a large size, have more water and less

85

saccharine in their composition than such as are grown on high
and dry soils. Of course the latter will keep better, and are
better for the table than the former.

To Samuel A. Merrill, of Danvers, for largest and choicest
variety, the first premium of $12.

To William Huff, of Newburyport, for variety, the second
premium of $10.

To J. J. H. Gregory, of Maiblehead, for variety, the third
premium of $8,

To A. T. Newhall, of Newburyport, for variety, the fourth
premium of $6.

GRATUITIES.

To Charles Smith, of Newburyport, for variety, $3 ; T. K.
Bartlett, do., do., $3 ; N. R. Cole, do., do., $2 ; William
Bricher, do., do., $2 ; David 0. Nelson, Eowley, do., do., $2 ;
E. T. Jaques, Newburyport, do., do., $1.50 ; Benj. P. Ware,
Marblehead, do., do., $1.50; Daniel H. Stickney, Groveland,
potatoes, $1 ; Moody Ordway, Newburyport, do., $1; M. C.
Andrews, Lawrence, do., $1 ; George Thurlow, West New-
bury, do., $1 ; Amos Poor, Jr., do., 50 cents ; Edmund
Smith, Newburyport, do., 50 cents ; Alfred Kimball, Brad-
ford, do., 50 cents ; Frank Barnes, Boxford, do., 50 cents ;
Rev. D. F. risk, Newburyport, sweet potatoes, 50 cents ;
Mrs. A. W. Miltimore, do., do., 50 cents ; Thomas Jones,
Gardener to Warren Ordway, Bradford, do., 50 cents ; Sidney
Low, Essex, do., 50 cents ; Warren Currier, Newburyport,
squashes, $1 ; James H. Dockham, do., do,, 50 cents ; Wm.
Wheelwright, do., do., 50 cents ; John M. Ives, Salem, Tar-
tarean squash, 50 cents ; Hanson Ordway, West Newbury,
onions, $1 ; George Donnels, Newburyport, do., 50 cents ; G.
A. Randall, Newbiiry, do., 50 cents; S. F, Newman, Newbury,
do., 50 cents; W. E. Crockett, do., corn, 50 cents; Sidney
Low, Essex, do., 50 cents ; Michael O'Conner, corn, 50 cents;
Mrs. Sarah Hale, do , 50 cents; B. G, Gerrish, Newbury,

86

parsnips, etc., 50 cents ; John C. Higgins, New bury port,
cauliflowers, etc., 50 cents; Miss Matilda Plummer, do.,
vegetables, 50 cents.

For the Committee — Allen W. Dodge.

VEGETABLES RAISED BY BOYS.

The Committee on Vegetables — premiums for Boys, report ;

The exhibition in this class was highly creditable, and indi-
cated industry and laudable ambition in the boys.

The largest and best variety was entered by Ernest S. Mer-
rill, of Danvers, and they award him the first premium of $10.

To Frank Barnes, of Boxford^ for his collection of varieties
of potatoes, they award $3.

To John S Somerby, of Newburyport, 15 years old, for his
squashes, $1.

To Eben E. Cutter, of Newburyport, 10 years old, for his
potatoes, $1.

Committee — Geo. B. Loring, Wm. E. Putnam, Jonas Holt.

COUNTERPANES, CARPETINGS AND RUGS.

The Committee on Counterpanes, Carpetings and Rugs, re-
port as follows :

There were thirty-two entries of Counterpanes or Quilts,
and thirty-nine entries of Rugs and Braided Mats. No floor
or stair carpetings were offered. The c'isplay of Counterpanes

8T

and Quilts was good, many of them containing a very large
number of pieces, showing patience, industry and considerable
skill and taste in putting them together.

The first premium is awarded to Miss Martha J. Bradley, of
Newburyport, for a fine Quilt containing 6276 pieces, $4.

The second premium is awarded to Miss Sarah E. Batchel-
der, of Newburyport, for Counterpane containing 6783
pieces, $2.

Gratuities are awarded as follows :

To Mrs. F. Smith, Newburyport, 75 years of age, for Quilt
containing 1200 pieces. $1.

To Mrs. Vesta Edgerly, Old Ladies' Home^ Salem, 79 years
of age, for Quilt containing 8912 pieces, made without glass-
es, $1.

To Miss Ann F. Chase, West Newbury, for Counterpane
finely put together, $1.

To Miss Ella ID. Wilson, West Newbury, for Quilt (called
Job's patience) containing 4000 pieces, $1.

To Miss J. T. Rowe, Newburyport, for fine workmanship
on a silk Quilt, $1.

To Mrs. J. Smith, Newburyport^ 80 years of age, for a knit
Counterpane, $1,

To Mrs. F. D. Morse, Bradford, 72 years of age, for white
Bed-spread, $1.

To Mrs. N. Blaisdell, Haverhill, for Quilt, $1.

To Miss Ella M. Sawyer, West Newbury, for Quilt, contain-
ing 4600 pieces, $1.

To Miss Elizabeth Merrill, Newburyport, 11 years of age,
for a Quilt, $1.

To Mrs. Dolly Colby, Salisbury, 77 years of age, for
Quilt, $1.

RUGS.

There was a good number of Eugs on Exhibition, some of

which w<.re very fine; and considering that many of them
were made from material of little or no value, they did much
credit to the skill of the contributors.

The first premium was awarded to Miss Ella M. Sawyer, of
West Newbury, for a hearth Rug, beautifully shaded in colors,
and well made, $3.

The second premium was awarded to Mrs. Mary Titcomb,
of Newburyport, 79 years of age, for Rug, $2.

Gratuities were awarded as follows :

To Mrs. Sarah Harris, Newburyport, for Rug, $1.

To Mrs. George Stover, Newburyport, for two Rugs, $1.

To Miss Hannah L. Currier, Newburyport, for Rug, $1.

To Mrs. C. K. Ordway, West Newbury, for Rug, $1.
BRAIDED MATS.

The display of Braided Mats was good, there being a large
number on exhibition.

Gratuities were awarded as follows :

To Mrs. Augusta P. Orne, Danvers, a lady who has been
totally blind 9 years, for a Mat made without the aid of any
one — assorting and shading the colors, threading her own
needle, braiding and sewing every strip, and putting the same
together, $2.

To Mrs. Amos F. Hobbs, Wenham, for large and extra
well made Mat, $2.

To Miss Sarah A. W. Dodge, Newburyport, for Mat con-
taining 921 feet of braids, $1.

To Miss Ann M. Pemberton, Groveland, for two Mats, $1.

To Mrs. William H. Kendall, Newburyport, for Mat, $1.

To Miss Eunice A. Woodwell, Newburyport, for Mat, $1.

To Miss A. Delano, Newburyport, for Mat, |1.

For the Committee — Thomas P. Gentlee.

FANCY ARTICLES.

The Committee on Fancy Articles award the following pre-
miums and gratuities :

For the best specimen of work performed by a child under

89

13 years of age: to Mary J. Knight, of Newburypoit, aged
11 years, the first premium of $3.

To Charles R. Merrill, of Newburyport, aged 9 years, the
second premium of $2.

GRATUITIES.

To A. C. Merrill, under 12 years, $1 ; Etta R. Cutter, un-
der 6 years, 50 cents ; Nellie Clark, under 8 years, 50
cents ; Sylvia Noyes, under 6 years, 50 cents.

To William Sumack $3.

To the following persons, $1 each: Miss H. C. Bartlett,
Miss M. E. Couch, Mrs. A. W. Knapp, John RadclifFe, Lucy
Caldwell, John T. Brown, Mrs, H. Armstrong, Mrs. John
Burrill, Mrs. J. P. Tappan, J. H. Carter & Co., E. B. Chase,
S. E. Morse, M. J. Teel, Mary C. Currier, Mrs. G. S. Gillett,
D. M. French, Hanson H. Adams, Charles A. Todd,' James
W. Wilson, S. T. Brown, Mrs. E. K. Batchelder, C. R. Sargent.

To the following persons, 50 cents each: Mrs. G, J. L.
Colby, Miss E. Harriet Bayley, Mrs. William Ashby, Miss
Annie L. Knapp, Martha J. Bradley, Miss J. N. Balch, Mrs.
A. S. Pettigrew, Mrs. George W. Hayes, Margie Tappan, S.
L. Tappan, jNIay W. Bartlett, Mrs. Martha Silloway, Mrs. S.
S. Knight, Gordon Plumer, Capt. Geo. L. Woods, Laura A.
Shaw, May M. Bartlett, A. M. Connell, Thomas A. Hamilton,
Charles Meinerth, Lucy E. R. Hill, Lizzie F. Foot, Mrs. S.
Boardman, Frank Thurlow, H. H Adams, Miss S. C. Kimball,
Miss Kate Hoyt, Mrs. Hannah B. Coffin, Charles A. Morrill.
Committee — E. F. Ballou, Andrew Nichols.

MANUFACTURES AND GENERAL MERCHANDIZE.

The Committee on Manufactures and General Merchandize
report the award of the following gratuities :

To the Merrimack Brush Co., Newburyport, $2 ; Charles
12

90

Bartlelt, do., Car Coupling, $1 ; Colby Lamb, do., Meat Chop-
per. 50 cents ; E. Y. Ballou, do., Ornamental Hair AVork, $;2 ;
Wm, Kuhl, do., Watches. Chronometer and Xautical Instru-
ments, $2; John Dow, do., Book Case. $1 : Wm. E. Crockett,
do.. Belting and Rolls, $1 ; L. D. "Wheeler, do.. Horse Shoes
and Tools, $2 : J. Burrill, & Co., do.. Machine Graining, 50 cts. ;
Steam Heater, $2 ; I. Hale, Jr., do., Egg Beater, 50 cents;
J. S. Hart, do.. Coat, Vest, and Pants, $3 ; Sewell Jewett,
Haverhill, Blind Fastening, $1 ; Urias Uney, North Andover,
Horse Shoes, 75 cents ; Hugh McGlew, Xewburyport, do., 75
cents.

Committee — M. T. Stevens, S. C. Bancroft, Richard Plum-
mer, Wm. Foster, Edwin Mudge, H. G. Herrick.

FARMS.

The farm of Mr. Samuel A. ^lerrill, of Danveis, or as it
may properly be called, the vegetable garden, has been brought
to the notice of your Committee on Farms, and some members
of that Committee have visited it twice during the season.
The farm comprises fifteen acres of land, the soil of great va-
riety and the surface very uneven — quite unlike that usually
chosen for the purpose of market gardening. This inequality
of surface gives better facilities for the arrangement of hot-
beds so as to secure suitable protection from the cold winds of
early Spring ; and, it must be conceded, is better adapted to
the production of some of the market crops, especially those
intended for the early market. It precludes the necessity of
underdrainage, which is an absolute necessity on some flat
lands, where for the want thereof many crops failed entirely

91

the last spring. This farm, before Mr. Merrill's occupation,
was in the care of an administrator, who testifies that for a se-
ries of years no manure was applied, but sufficient crops were
taken off to reduce the land to the lowest condition.

Mr, Merrill, according to his statement which accompanies
this report, took the only course possible to restore it to fertil-
ity, viz. : the application of large quantities of manure of va-
rious kinds, and the practice of thorough cultivation ; and
some of the Committee who from time to time have had op-
portunities to witness his operations, will testify that these op-
erations have been conducted with an energy and a determina-
tion to " push things " in this line^ worthy of imitation by all
farmers within our borders, or even in the famed countv of
Middlesex. The crops raised have generally been gocd, and
the farm has shown an increased capacity from year to year.

In the specialty of hot-bed culture, it appears that Mr. M.
has been quite successful. As will be learned from his state-
ment, a very long range has been laid down, and the arrange-
ment and management seem to have been such as to secure
satisfactory results.

The crops of Mr. Merrill are more varied than is usual
among the cultivators of this vicinity, commencing with the
earliest lettuce under glass in the spring, with other crops
constantly maturing, and terminating with the late root crops
in the autumn. One advantage of this system is, that if an
unfavorable condition of the season affects otie crop injuriously,
others may compensate for the failure, by uncommon excel-
lence ; or if some crops sell at a low rate in the market, oth-
ers will bring such prices as to keep the scale even. This fact
was particularly noticeable within a year or two, when it hap-
pened that the earliest vegetables under glass sold at very
high prices, whila those maturing late in the season, barely
paid the cost of cultivation.

Duiiug the visits of your Committee, they saw many of the
crops which are enumerated in the statement of Mr. Merrill,

92

on the ground, and they appeared to be abundant in quantity
and of superior quality. Other crops which had been har-
vested and sold, some of which were seen by a portion of the
members at an early visit, they have no reason to doubt are
fairly represented by figures in the statement.

Many specimens of vegetables from the crops raised on this
farm, have been exhibited at our annual exhibitiouSj and suf-
ficiently attest the success which has attended the labors of the
proprietor, which success may in our judgment be attributed to
the abundant application of good manure ; the thorough work-
ing and pulverization of the soil ; care and judgment in the
selection of seeds, and the use of those only of known purity
and excellence ; the planting of the several varieties in such
localities with regard to their habits and wants as will insure
their best growth and most complete maturity ; and such clean
and careful cultivation and attention as only can secure the de •
sirable results. When these requisites are united with the ca-
pacity to market the product in the best condition, regard be-
ing had to its proper maturity,. and to the time when it can be
disposed of for the highest price, whether (if a late crop) by
putting it at once in the market, or reserving it a few weeks
or months for a more favorable sale, — the farmer cannot fail
in ordinary seasons to receive a fair, though moderate compen-
sation for his labor.

The buildings are of a very substantial character — the house
being of brick, and the barn of stone. The barn, though not
constructed for the purposes for which it is used, and not con-
venient for an ordinanj farm, is tolerably well adapted to the
wants of this farm ; and the other buildings, together with the
extensive range of hot-beds, are well planned and situated.

Taking into view the fact that the land was worn out by ne-
glect and constant robbery for a series of years, and that it
has now become by the judicious management of Mr. jNlerrill,
one of the best and most productive market gardens in this
vicinity, and as a recognition by the Society of the value of

93

such an example to the farmers of the County, we award to
him a gratuity of twenty dollars.

For the Coriimittee — Chas. P. Preston.

STATEMENT OF S. A. MERRILL.

My farm is situated in the town of Danvers, near the Iron
Foundry. It comprises about fifteen acres of land, with sub-
stantial brick dwelling house, stone barn, and other out-build-
ings. It formerly belonged to Matthew Hooper, deceased, a
well known and enterprising citizen, I bought in 1864. At
that time no part of the land was under cultivation, except a
small garden. The rest had been laid down to grass several
years before, and was nearly run out. I bought in the sum-
mer, ploughed first in the Fall, and planted first in the follow-
ing Spring. I planted about fourteen acres, mostly with gar-
den vegetables. In the Fall o'f 1864, I laid down about 800
feet in length of hot-beds five feet wide. In 1866 I planted
the same land with about the same variety of vegetables as the
year before. I also set out about 100 pear trees that year,
and reclaimed a piece of land of about half an acre, which
was so low as to yield nothing. I laid through it several
blind drains. This land now bears grass at the rate of four
tons per acre. In 1867 I planted the whole land as before,
treating it about the same In all respects. During these three
years I dressed the land heavily, chiefly with a compost of
meadow mud, fish, night soil and barn-yard manure. As I
spent so much during this time for manure, I had to content
myself without any other profit from my operations, than the
increased agricultural value of the land. I am satisfied from
its present productive capacity, that this profit was a very fair
remuneration for the labor and capital invested. I commenced
my farming in 1868, with about 75 cords of manure, planting

94

about thirteen acres. In addition to this I used about 35 cords
upon neighboring lands which I hired, about which nothing
farther need be said, as I propose to confine my Statement to
my own farm. I planted about three acres of onions upon
the most elevated portion of the land, which is a gravelly
loam with a clay bottom. The present year has been a bad
one for onions everywhere. I had what may be called a mid-
dling crop 1 planted one acre of cabbages which yielded a
good crop, two acres of sage which succeeded well, one acre of
beets, three quarters of an acre of carrots, one acre of toma-
toes, two acres of squashes and melons ; the balance of the
land having been devoted to various vegetables. As to most
of the vegetables, they did not suffer from the weather, the
crops being all I could reasonably expect. The partial failure
of the onion crop was owing to unfavorable weather. There
was no trouble from the maggot, and indeed, there never has
been on this farm that I am aware of. The potato crop was
reduced about one half by the rot. During the season I have
kept four cows, five horses and three or four hogs. But as I
have carried on this farm in connection with other lands, and
have kept no separate account of the labor, I cannot give
any definite statement of the expenses.

The product for 1868 was as follows :
Early vegetables, including tomatoes, lettuce, early

cabbage, etc., total amount of sales, $3153,98

Sage, two tons at $440 per ton, 880,00

Late squashes, four tons, 160,00

Onions, in addition to sales included in first item,

(600 bushels,) 1200,00

Beets, 200 bushels, 90,00

Carrots, ten tons, 150,00

Hay, four tons, 100,00

$5733,98
I do not understand it to be necessary to give any details o^

95

the expenses of carrying on the farm, as my object is not to
make any exhibit of the mode or success of carrying on my
business, but to show that I have improved the farm; that it
is now in a good state of cultivation, and that it has the past
season produced large crops. I can say, however, that I have
the present year made farming pay as well as I could reasona-
bly expect.

IMPROVED PASTURE AND WASTE LAND.

The Committee on Improved Pasture land, etc., have attend-
ed to their duty and report :

One entry only was made, and that by Mr. Samuel B.
Locke, of Andover.

His pasture, containing about three acres, was two vears ao-o
a very rough piece of land, almost covered with boulders, and
a part of it was a bog. Mr. Locke has laid a nice under-drain,
so that he can now plough the whole land ; and he has plough-
ed about one-half, and had it planted to corn and potatoes. I
went to examine the land August 26th. The corn and pota-
toes looked very well at that time, and I was very sorry that
no other member of the Committee was present,

Messrs. Brown, of Ipswich, Smith, of Lynnfield, Batchel-
der, of Wenham, and myself, visited the ground October 30th,
but owing to a mistake, Mr. Locke was not at home. His
man said the potatoes were so badly diseased, that they had
fed the greater part to the cattle. The corn was not harvested
at this time, and the Committee judged it to be a very laro-e
crop, and were very much pleased with the clean and neat ap-
pearance of the field. They unanimously recommend the
award of the first premium of $15 to Mr. Locke.

For the Committee— Jonas Holt.

96

STATEMENT OF SAMUEL B. LOCKE.
I propose to offer a piece of Pasture land for premium. It
consists of about four acres, one half of which I have plough-
ed up. The expenses and profits of the same are as follows :

KXPENSES. I

To Getting out Stone, $50.00;

Ditching and Stoning, 70.00

PloUi!lnng, 16.00

Manure, 32.00

Seed Potatoo.'^, 12.00

Seed Com, ■■ ■ ■ 50

Hoeing and Harvesting 54.00

$234.50

Raised ox Same.
80 Bush. Sound Potatoes, (ffi $1.00.. . $S6.00

114 '• Unsound " 50,.. .57.00

95 " Corn in the Ear, 75,.. 70.50

2 Cart loads Pumpkins, 10.00

Stocks and But.s for fodder 1. om

about ail acre of Corn, 10.00

$233.50

ESSAYS AND REPOPvTS OF COMMriTEES.

The Committee on Essays and Reports of Committees, re-
ceived from the Secretary, for their consideration, four Essays
and six Reports, and av/ard as follows :

To Dr. J. R. Nichols, for Essay on " Special Manures," the
premium of $10.

To Gilbert L. Streeter, for Essay on " Management of the
Hen Coop/'" a gratuity of $8.

To Ben. Perley Poore, for Report on Swine, the first pre-
mium of $15.

To Allen W. Dodge, for Report on Vegetables, the second
premium of $10. '

The Committee considered themselves author zed to award
a premium to one essay only, however deserving the others
might be, but we recommend that all of them should be print-
ed with the Transactions of the Society, as they are too impor-
tant and interesting papers to be lost to the public ; the agri-
cultural essays which give the results of the careful and intel-
ligent experiment and observation of the writers themselves,
are of such practical value that it would perhaps be well so to
enlarge the authority of this Committee, that premiums could
be awarded to all such essays as should be worthy of this
acknowledgement.

For the Committee — Daniel E. Safford.

jSJoTE. — Dr. Nichols declined serving on this Committee.

MANURES— SPECIAL OR CONCENTRATED FER-
TILIZERS.

BY JAMES R. NICHOLS, M. D., OF HAVERHILL.

Nothing more readily attracts the attention of farmers,
or conveys more palpable ideas of value, than hulk in
manurial substances, and yet, nothing is more deceptive
or fallacious. A huge bank of animal excrement under
the eves droppings of the barn, has indeed a positive
value, but it does not consist in the great mass of the
material of which it is made up. Squeeze out the water,
remove the sand and chaff, and we can place all the fer-
tilizing elements of that heap in the smallest sized dump
cart. The high value of stable or barn yard manure,
is not found in the eighty or ninety per cent of water,
silica, etc., which it contains, but in the nitrogenous ele-
ments— the potash, soda and phosphatic salts, which in
amount occupy relatively a most insignificant position.
And I may say further, that the excrementitious salts
found in the manure heap, have the highest positive val-
ue as plant food, of any substances with which we are
acquainted. They exist in a form ready to be again ta-
ken up by plants and assimilated into the living organ-
ism. They differ from tlie same class of agents found
13

98

isolated in the hands of the chemist, inasmuch as they
have had conferred upon them in their passage through
vegetable and animal structures, a kind of vitalized ca-
pability, the nature of which is imperfectly understood
by chemists.

But the deceptive nature of bulk in fertilizing agents,
is not confined to barn yard manure. Leaves, peat,
muck, chaff, etc., need to be carefully examined in order
to understand their actual value to the farmer. I have
been led during the present autumn to make somewhat
extended analysis of these substances with the view of
testing the correctness of some published statements re-
garding them, and also, to learn of how much positive
service they may be to the farmer. A bushel of well
pressed dr}^ leaves, as they fall from the trees in autumn,
weigh about four pounds ; by further drying, they part
w^ith a little more than thirty per cent of water held in
the cells of the leaf structure. A cord of absolutely
dry leaves will weigh about 325 lbs., reckoning one hun-
dred bushels to the cord. In weight, then, a cord repre-
sents about one twelfth of a cord of wet barn yard ma-
nure, and if they contained the same amount of fertiliz-
ing material in the same condition, would bo equal in
value to that amount of manure. But this is fir from
being the fact. The dried leaves I have found to stand
relatively to the leached organic matter of manure, as
10 to 30, in ash value, and when the soluble salts of ma-
nure are taken into account, the comparative value is as
10 to 60, weight for weight. A cord of dry forest leaves,
made up of the usual deciduous varieties, maple, beach,
oak, etc., has an actual mamirial value of not over fifiij
cents, reckoning good stable manure at eight dollai's the
cord. Will it pay to collect them ? Certainly not for

99

the amount of fertilizing material tliey contain. As lit-
ter or absorbents in the stable, leaves have some value,
but much less than straw, inasmuch as they lack the
reedy character of straw, and because they are far more
difficultly and slowly decomposed.

A pound of good thoroughly formed peat taken fresh
from the meadow upon my farm, lost of water in drying,
a little more than fourteen ounces. A farmer drawing
from his meadow a cord of peat weighing 4000 lbs., has
upon his wagon 3500 lbs. of water and but 500 lbs. of
the dry material he seeks. This, dried and compressed,
could be placed in a couple of our largest sized farm
baskets. The amount of ash constituents in the pound
of peat after drying, was a little less than 10 per cent,
so that when we reduce the heavy load of peat, which to
the eye appears so bulky and valuable, down to its con-
tained inorganic principles, we find the whole amount to
be less than 60 lbs. I hope not to be misunderstood in
the matter. The ashes are far from being the only ma-
nurial part of peat, and as in burning some of the most
valuable elements are volatilized and lost, it is not aood
economy to burn peat for ilie purpose of securing the
ashes. Fresh peat allowed to ferment in contact with
lime, is changed into new substances capable of nourish-
ing plants, and where it can easily be obtained, it pays
the farmer well to secure a good supjoly. I cannot help
remarking, however, in this connection, that many of the
statements made by our chemists and journal writers re-
garding the value of muck or peat, are simply absurd,
and are proved erroneous by practical experiment. The
great value of peat after all, lies in its absorbent quali-
ties. From the experiments and experience of a consid-
erable number of years, I feel more inclined to uro-e the

100

farmers of our County to save the liquid excrement of
their animals by the use of seasoned peat in their cattle
stalls and manure pits, as an absorbent, than to recom-
mend them to drag it many miles at much expense to be
used by itself or in compost, for fertilizing purposes.

How strangely we overlook the value of the liquid
excrement of our animals ! A cow under ordinary feed-
ing furnishes in a year 20,000 lbs., of solid excrement,
and about 8000 lbs. of the liquid. The comparative
money value of the two is but slightly in favor of the
solid. This statement has been verified as truth, over
and over again. The urine of heibiverous animals holds
nearly all the secretions of the body which are capable
of producing the rich nitrogenous compounds, so essen-
tial as forcing or leaf-forming agents in the growth of
plants. The solid holds the phosphoric acid, lime and
magnesia which go to the seeds principally; but the
liquid; holding nitrogen, potash and soda, is needed to
form the stalk and leaves. The two forms of j)lant nutri-
ment should never he separ'oted or allotvcd to he wasted hy
neglect. The farmer who saves all the liquids voided by
his animals, doubles his manurial resources every year.
Good seasoned peat is of immense service to farmers,
when used as an absorbent, and the stalls for animals
should be so constructed as to admit of a wdde passage
in the rear, with generous storage room, besides, for peat,
to be used daily with the excrement.

The remarks above made, may be regarded as prelim-
inary to some brief, general statements upon another
branch of the subject of fertilizers. With a proper idea
of what really constitutes plant aliment, and of the phys-
ical and chemical nature of the bulky substances in gen-
eral use, the enquiry very naturally arises, why cannot

101

the concentrated principles of such be obtained through
other channels, and used more economically and directly
upon our lands ? An answer to this enquiry opens up
the whole subject of the value and use of special or
concentrated fertilizers, and this is a subject which has
been so often and so fully discussed by theorists and
others, that the reader will not thank me for going over
the ground again. Upon no subject connected with ag-
riculture does a wider difference of opinion prevail, and
the discussion of the subject in the usual unsatisftictory
empirical way does not tend to settle disputed points, or
clear away the clouds of doubt which hang around the
whole matter. Experiment usually decides controverted
points in matters of physical enquiry, and it is capable
of reaching this end in the subject under consideration,
but it must be made carefully, intelligently, and be long
continued. Having entered upon a series of experiments
of this nature with the determination to make no report
for at least five years, or until soils could be carried
through a period long enough to observe the effects of
disturbing influences, and also learn something regarding
the growth of different crops, and the lasting effects of
peculiar modes of treatment, I find myself at a point of
time when it is proper to examine and make known re-
sults. The time and space allowed me in this essay do
not admit of detailed statements, and such must be re-
served for another channel of communication, if health
and strength permit.

The experiments have been made upon a farm of about
eighty acres, which was purchased in 1863 with the
view of entering upon a course of experimental enquiry
interesting to agriculturalists. The question deemed
most important to decide was, whether a run-down farm

102

could or could not be brought into comparative good
tilth by the employment of fertilizing agencies outside
of stalile and barn yard manures. The farm at the time
of purchase was well suited to a trial of thiis kind, as it
had been in administrators' hands for several years, and
was consequently neglected and unproductive. The soil
is varied in its character, with upland and lowland, a fine
peat bog occupying a basin between the hills. A por-
tion is silicious, another portion loamy with a clay sub-
soil, and still another part is rich in organic debris, a for-
est having until within a few years densely covered it.
Perhaps no tract of land in our county presents a greater
variety of soils, of differences of exposure, or affords the
gradations from w^et to dry, so desirable for fair experi-
ment. The product at the time of purchase consisted
entirely of hay — about twelve tons being produced, of
indifferent quality. The crops the present year upon
lands embraced in the original purchase, have been oO
tons of good hay, 100 bushels of potatoes, 25 bushels of
wheat, 150 bushels of corn, 75 bushels of turnips, and
one and a half tons of grapes, beside other fruits in con-
siderable cpiantities. There has been a steady increase
in the amount of crops each year, notwithstanding a se-
ries of most unfavorable seasons. The number of acres
in tillage is not flir from twenty. No stable or barn yard
manures, excepting a few loads at the start, have been
purchased during the five years, and the amount made
upon the premises has been small ; the stock consisting
until within the past year of only three cows, a pig and
one horse. At present the farm sustains eleven cows
and heifers, three horses, a pig, and during a part of the
year, one yoke of oxen.

The fertilizing substances used (of which an accurate

108

account has been kept, as also of crops, expenses of la-
bor, etc.), embrace the entire range of those agents which
chemistry suggests, and those which have been brought
to notice through the recommendation of farmers and
experimenters — bones, ashes, lime, salt, the nitrates
of potassa and soda, sulphate of ammonia, carbonate
of ammonia, plaster, potashes, fish pommace, shorts,
muck, horn shavings, and lastly the refuse of the
Maine lobster factories. The methods of application
and the conditions under which these have been em-
ployed, the combinations produced, present details
which although extremely interesting, are too exten-
sive to enter upon in this essay. A definite end has
been kept in view, that of securing practical facts from
which safe general conclusions could be reached. Of
course, many experiments known to be empirical, have
been undertaken, and the results noted. For example,
a half acre of grass land was divided into eighteen equal
parts, and eighteen different substances applied : the re-
sults were curious, but the experiment actually proved
nothing, although a great difference was observable in
the crops of grass. More than one half of the experi-
ments which we find reported from year to year, are of
this nature. The substances affording the highest satis-
faction have been those which furnished in largest quan-
tity and at the lowest rates, the great fundamentals of
plant food, phosphoric acid, lime, potash, nitrogen. These
have been obtained from bones, ashes, potashes, fish pom-
mace, and nitrate of soda principally. Bones have been
largely dissolved in acid, and true phosphate and super-
phosphate of lime made upon the farm premises. Bones
ground and unground have been dissolved in the caustic
lye of ashes, also in commercial potashes, and fertilizing

104

substances of the most prompt and satisfactory character
produced. I doubt if better crops of wheat and corn
have ever been produced in the County, than have result-
ed from the use of these agents, upon weak lands. I
think it must be conceded that the results of these labors
go to prove that exhausted soils can be brought and sus-
tained in good tilth by concentrated chemical agents, at
an expense considerably less than by the use of excre-
mentitious manures at present market prices in the more
densely populated parts of our country. In conclusion,
I will briefly present some facts regarding a special ex-
periment upon a measured acre of hill land, dry, and ex-
hausted from repeated croppings. It has been continued
through five consecutive years. In the autumn of I860
it was ploughed, and in the succeeding spring dressed
with 500 lbs. of pure fine bone sown broadcast, and plant-
ed Avith corn, a handful of homemade superphosphate
mixed with ground nitrate of soda, placed in each hill.
One hundred and fifty-seven bushels of corn in the ear
were taken from the field in the autumn of 1864. After
the corn was removed, the land was ploughed and again
dressed with 500 lbs. of a compost made up of bone
dust, ashes, and refuse salt-petre, and sowed down to
winter rye. The crop was 31 bushels of nice, plump
grain. The season of 1866 was exceedingly dry, and
the ground became so parched that the tender grass roots
were greatly injured. The crop of hay was twenty-
three hundred pounds. The next season, a top dressing
of 500 lbs. of compost made of bone gelatine and muck,
was given it in the spring, and a crop of hay cut weigh-
ing forty-three hundred pounds. A heavy aftermath
was secured this season, which was not weighed. The
present season, the crop of hay reached two and a half

105

tons, and the field appears to be in good condition for a
fine product next year. Here we have what may be
considered a fair experiment, which proves that without
the use of animal excrement, a worn-out field may be
brought to produce very generous crops — crops wliich
pay a good return for the expense incurred. It proves
that chemical unorganized agents are capable not only of
supplying nutriment to plants for a single year, but for
sustaining crops for a series of years. The fertilizing
elements supplied for the five years cost a little less than
thirty dollars. The experiment upon this field is not re-
garded as finished, and the crops will be noted until they
are observed to falter.

AGRICULTURE OF ESSEX COUNTY,

BY W. A. DURANT, OF LAWRENCE.

Doubtless there are many members of the Society
who can remember the time when Salem and Newbury-
port were the chief markets of the County ; when farm-
ers drove down to these ports their loads of grain, beef,
pork, mutton, butter and cider, and returned with their
supplies of groceries and dry goods ; when the principal
income from the farm was from the sale of grain and
stock, and the light lands of Danvers, Andover, and in
the valley of the Merrimack were highly valued for rais-
ing corn ; when, after supplying the inhabitants, there
was still a surplus of provisions ; in short, when agricul-
ture was the leading interest of the County. But in
the course of events in the last score or two of years,
the enterprise and success of our manufacturers have led
them to add rapidly forge to forge, spindle to spindle,
loom to loom, and factory to factory, causing thereby
thriving villages, large towns and populous cities to
spring up where there were formerly only small and se-
cluded hamlets or sparsely populated farming districts,
until by these large accessions to the population, the

107

number and importance of the home markets have been
greatly increased.

The questions very naturally arise : Have our farmers
in the meantime manifested the same energy and pro-
gressive spirit ? Have they been making their rough
fields smooth, their waste places productive, adding barn
to barn, doubling and trebling their crops to meet the
wants of these new markets ? What are they now doing
towards supplying the inhabitants with food, and what
can they do ? The fact that the produce of the County
is not sufficient for its own demands, is Avell known.
The exact amount required beyond what is produced is
not so easily told ; however, the returns of the last State
census enable us to obtain an approximate idea. From
these we learn that the beef, pork, mutton and veal pro-
duced within the County, give to each inhabitant a little
over 21 pounds; all the wheat, rye, barley and buck-
wheat divided would be not quite seven quarts apiece.
Allow that the whole potato crop is merchantable, an
equal division would give 2.21 bushels for each; but de-
duct a fair percentage for refuse, seed, and what is in
other ways used upon the farm, and there would be left
only five or six pecks. If all the butter sold from the
farms were carried to Salem, the good people of that
city would find themselves limited to about ten pounds
each ; the cheese likewise if taken to that market would
furnish about one pound. The supply of milk may be
equal to the demand.

In fruitful seasons there is a surplus of winter apples
and cranberries, and any one at all acquainted with the
onion crop would not doubt there was always enough
for home consumption with some to spare. With other
vegetables there is a deficiency, for while a portion of

108

the products of the market gardens in the south-east
part of the County is carried to Boston ; Newburyport,
Amesbury, Haverhill and Lawrence are receiving sup-
plies from neighboring towns in New Hampshire and
Middlesex county. Add to these the early vegetables
and small fruits brought from the South, and there is a
large amount to counterbalance. The quantity of small
fruits, both fresh and preserved, and early vegetables
brought in is very large, and yearly increases, and I am
not sure but that what is thus brought into the County,
taking a number of years together exceeds what is sold
of all kinds produced here even during fruitful seasons.
If all the corn and oats were fed to the horses at the
rate of six quarts per day, it would last them a hundred
and nine days. The English hay divided equally among
the horses and mules, oxen and steers, cows and heifers,
and one fifth of the sheep, would give 1.33 tons to each
animal. Add in the meadow and salt hay, and they
will have 2.15 tons each. There are then only four arti-
cles of importance where the quantity raised comes up
to the demand.

Thus the County has gradually passed from exporting
to importing provisions. This fact becomes more signifi-
cant when it is remembered that our farmers are engag-
ed exclusively in the production of food. Were any
considerable portion of land devoted to raising tobacco,
flax, broom-corn, or any material to supply our numerous
manufactures, the case would assume a different aspect.
This great deficiency cannot arise from an excess of
population, for in 1865, after deducting the 4,835 acres
of what is termed unimprovable land, there was still
more than one broad acre to every inhabitant. It can-
not be because too much land is given to the growth of

109

wood, for our wood lands amount to only 22 per cent of
the whole. And will any one say that it is because the
land already produces all it can bear, when the farmers
themselves admit that for every acre of improved land
they owned, there were .41 of an acre of unimproved land
upon which the}^ did not cut a ton of hay per acre, upon
either marsh, meadow, or English sward ; that their corn
would not measure more than 30 bushels per acre ; that
their potatoes, both large and small, did not exceed 78
bushels ; that an acre of oats although selling at one
dollar per bushel, cash, would give onlj'- 23 1-2 bushels ;
and while all other grains were bringing unprecedented
prices, rye yielded 16 1-3 bushels, barley 17 1-3, and
wheat 19 bushels per acre. Can it be claimed that the
land is well stocked, when there are 9.3 acres of improv-
ed land to every cow and heifer ; or in still another form,
only one cow for every 14 persons ; when the sheep av-
erage one and a small fraction to every farm ; when
1,039 farmers kept neither oxen nor steers, and if all
the horses in the County were owned by farmers, they
would have only 2.3 each. At that time pork brought
prices that put Western farmers in high fever to multi-
ply greatly the porcine race, but an equal division of all
the swine in the County gives two hogs and a very
small pig to each farm. What could be done to meet
the deficiency when to work this hard, rough, rocky
New England land, the persons employed were 1.6 for
every 57 acres, which is the average size of our flirms.

The returns further show for that decade, that there
was an increase in horses of 539 ; sheep 1,150 ; swine
4,542 ; cows and heifers 1,235 ; and a decrease in oxen
and steers of 3,986. The tillage and mowing of all
kinds amounted to 40 per cent of all the farming land

no

in the County. In 1855 the acres in grain and hoecT
crops numbered 15,649. In 1865 the same numbered
14,430; a decrease of 1,219 acres. The gain in English
mowing for that decade was 2,289 acres, so that the ac-
tual increase of tillage and upland mowing was 1,070
only. The acres in meadow and marsh mowing are not
given in the returns of 1855, so that I cannot show the
exact gain of land of that description, but allowing one
half as much as there was in the upland, there would be
gained about 1500 acres in all, in which if every farmer
had an equal share, there would not be half an acre for
him — not a very heavy job, considering there were ten
years to accomplish it. At this rate of progression it
will require 343 years to reclaim the 51,578 acres of
unimproved land in the County.

But it is not necessary to confuie ourselves entirely
to statistics to learn the condition of our agriculture.
An ocular demonstration may be quite as forcible as one
of figures. It is true that men have left the crowded
city from an inborn love of rural life and rural pursuits,
and by their enterprise, skill and money have made their
mark along the seaboard and in various other places, and
thus the general appearance of the County has been
much improved within the last few years, and to these
amateurs or patrons of the science be all praise. Yet
among those who live strictly upon and from the land, a
large portion with difficulty hold their own. Ride in
whatever direction you may, work to be done stands
prominently before the eye. One may go a long dis-
tance without meeting a single improvement in progress.
Here and there may be seen a new house or barn, but
these are as often erected because the old one is tum-
bling down, as from the pressing necessity of enlarged

Ill

accommodations. This is a day for the adoption of farm
machinery, yet few are found who are preparing their
land to work it advantageously. There seems to be ;i
o-eneral waitins; for inventive 2:enius to turn out some-
thing that can of itself overcome all obstacles in our
small, rough, and many-sided fields. The number of ap-
ple trees reported, 294,184 may have surprised you; in-
deed, you hear farmers say apple culture has been car-
ried to an excess in this County, and does not pay, but
you find few orchards that could possibly take the Soci-
ety's premium. A large portion of the trees are along
the road side, by division walls, scattered here and there
about the fields, exposed to the full blast of every wiiKl,
in the way of mower, rake, tedder and plough ; while
many are past maturity or in premature decline from
neglect or bad culture. Such as they are, there are not
two trees to an inhabitant, and if the population increas-
es, and trees decline at present rates, we shall soon im-
port largely of winter apples, even in fruitful seasons.
You may talk about the markets, and the fact that a
large portion of our citizens would be obliged to migrate
or starve if limited to the present products of the Coun-
ty, excites no surprise, nor does it appear to create any
enthusiasm for raising more to sell. You notice many
farms for sale, and only now and then a purchaser, and
you seldom meet a young man Avho has an earnest de-
sire to become a farmer. Land, where there is no ex-
pectation of selling for houselots, independent of the in-
creased cost of buildings, does not sell for much more
than it was worth forty years ago. Perhaps no one
thing awakens more surprise, as you approach a large
city or town, than the amount of waste and poorly culti-
vated land in its immediate vicinity. Enter those cities

112

and you will find the inhabitants thereof depend on the
hills and valleys of Vermont, New Hampshire and the
Canadas, and the valley of the Mississippi, for their bread
and butter, beef and potatoes, poultry and eggs, and
provender for their horses.

But whatever may be the cause of the slow progress
of our agriculture, there certainly are favorable circum-
stances for success. Our resources are only partially
developed. The soil, if not inviting to a non-resident,
compares well with other parts of the State — hard to
work, to be sure, yet it seldom fails to repay well-direct-
ed labor, and a total failure of crops never occurs here
as sometimes happens in countries possessing a richer
soil and more genial clime. It comprises a large variety
so intermixed that often three or four kinds are found on
the same farm, and as varied a husbandry can be pursued
here as it is expedient for one man to follow. None of
our hills are so steep and rocky but that an Alpine herds-
man would rejoice over the harvest he could gather from
them. None of our wet lands are so wet but that a Hol-
lander would make them produce bountiful crops. There
is a mine of wealth in these runs, bogs, meadows and
marshes, and only the requisite courage and experience
are needed to develope their value. They can be made
to pay as high a percentage as the prairie land of the
West. One other advantage is our long line of seacoast,
from which we can obtain marine manures. Sixteen
towns are either directly upon or near by it. About
5-11 of the marsh mowing of the State is in this County,
and more than half the hay cut here comes from our
marshes and meadow^s and may be regarded as a free gift
of nature.

But the greatest advantage of all is found in her num-

113

evous home markets. Already she has four cities and a
fifth prospective which are situated along the borders,
while towns and villages are so interspersed that few
farmers are more than five miles from market. Every
town is crossed once and often twice by a railroad, and
were the local markets insufficient, the remotest farm is
no further from Boston than many men in Middlesex and
Worcester travel to market year after year. These mar-
kets afford opportunities for bringing back to the land the
waste of the products sold from it. The County may be
considered as in the position of a farm where all the
crops raised are consumed upon it, and much more is
bought and added to it ; if a judicious use is made of its
waste its fertility will be rapidly increased. The amount
which can thus be added to our land is surprising. Al-
lowing two bushels of wheat are bought for each inhab-
itant, it would require over 14,000 acres to produce it,
yielding 25 bushels per acre. 10,000 acres will not pro-
duce the corn brought in ; add to these what is required
to produce the oats and other grains, the peas, beans, po-
tatoes and meats we buy, hay, wood and other articles
and the net products of at least 50,000 acres are annu-
ally brought in and consumed within our limits. To the
waste of all these materials, add i\yi fertilizers that may
be obtained at paper and woollen mills, tanneries, soap
works and other establishments, what can be dug from
the bogs and gathered by the seashore, and who that at-
tempts to estimate its value, will say that we have not
the elements for rapidly improving our land ?

Lest it be said that I am inclined to underrate the la-
bors of the farmers of Essex, and that they are not do-
ing as well as those in other parts of the State, let us
make a few comparisons with the larger counties, the
16

114

smaller being omitted for obvious reasons. Essex has
22 per cent, of wood land. Six counties have the same
or a smaller percentage; Hampshire the least, 13, while
Bristol has 48, and Plymouth 68 per cent. Essex gives
in 41 acres of unimproved land for every one hundred
of improved ; Middlesex 69, Norfolk 53, Bristol 59.
Plymouth 65, Franklin 54, Hampden 53, Worcester 45,
and Hampshire the least, 37. Proportioning the apple
trees to the improved acres, Essex has one tree to every
.41 of an acre ; Middlesex one to every .39 ; Norfolk
one to every .53 ; Worcester one to every .93, while the
other large counties have not one tree to an acre of land.
Essex reports the highest average in rye, is exceeded by
three counties in corn, ranks the fourth in oats, seventh
in English hay, ninth in barley, while ten counties ex-
ceed her in the average yield of potatoes. She had 319
acres in wheat — but two counties returned more. Had
she cultivated six acres more of onions, she would have
had as many acres as the rest of the State. About one-
fourth of the land devoted to turnip culture was in Es-
sex, and the same may be said of carrots. Worcester,
where the dairy is made a specialty, does not keep as
many cows as Essex, according to the acres of improved
land. A comparison in the returns of 1855 would be
more favorable for Essex, for since, she has fallen off in
some crops in which other coimties have gained. I am
induceed to make a more extended comparison with
Middlesex and Norfolk, since the advantages and inter-
ests of these counties have been similar, and since it has
been claimed by Middlesex men that her agriculture was
superior to that of Essex.

ESSEX.

Percentage of woodland, .22

115

Number of Farms,

Average size of Farms,

Average value of land, including buildings,

Average number of persons employed per farm,

Number of Farms without oxen.

Number of Cows and Heifers per farm,

3.307

57.4

$64.18

1.6

1,039

3.9

MIDDLESEX.

Percentage of woodland,
. Number of Farms,
Average size of Farms,
Average value of land, including buildings,
Average number of persons employed per farm,
Number of Farms without oxen,
Number of Cows and Heifers per farm.

.21

6,456

63.9

$64.57

1.5

2,059

3.9

NORFOLK.

Percentage of woodland,

Number of Farms,

Average size of Farms,

Average value of land, including buildings.

Average number of persons employed per farm,

Number of Farms without exen.

Number of Cows and Heifers per farm.

.40

2,954

61.4

S103.00

1.5

2,337

4.5

Average nnmber of Sheep per farm,
Swine per farm,

Bushels of Corn per acre.
Bushels of Wheat per acre.
Bushels of Oats per acre,
Bushels of Rye per acre.
Bushels of Barley per acre.

1
2.2
30
19
23 1-2
16
17

MIDDLESEX.

Average number of Sheep per farm,

" " Swine per farm,

" *' Bushels of Corn per acre,

" " Bushels of Wheat per acre,

" " Bushels of Oats per acre,

" " Bushels of Rye per acre,

" Bushels of Barley per acre,

.41

1.5
31
13
21 1-7
11
15

116

NORFOLK.

Average number of Sheep per farm,
" " Swine per farm,

Bushels of Corn per acre,
Bushels of Wheat per acre,
Bushels of Oats per acre.
Bushels of Rye per acre.
Bushels of Barley per acre,

.49

2

28

9 6-7

20 6-7

15

16

Potatoes — Bushels per acre,
Pear trees cultivated for Fruit,
Acres in Market Gardens,
Acres in Carrots,
Acres in Turnips,
Acres in Onions,
Acres in Cabbages,

78
63,028
468
127
750
413
263

Middlesex:,

Potatoes — Bushels per acre,
Pear trees cultivated for Fruit,
Acres in Market Gardens,
Acres in Carrots,
Acres in Turnips,
Acres in Onions,
Acres in Cabbages,

82

106,401

2,340

109

430

76

297

NORJPOLK.

Potatoes — Bushels per acre, 80
Pear trees cultivated for Fruit, 65,866

Acres in Market Gardens, 255

Acres in Carrots, 79

Acres in Turnips, 187

Acres in Onions, 58

Acres in Cabbages, 156

Essex. — English Hay, fraction of a ton per acre, .97

Middlesex. — English Hay, fraction of a ton per acre, .94

Norfolk. — English Hay, fraction of a ton per acre, .98

Essex. — Meadow Hay, fraction of a ton per acre, .8$

Middlesex. — Meadow Hay, fraction of a ton per acre, .86

Norfolk. — Meadow Hay, fraction of a ton per acre, .72

117

The foregoing will, I trust, give some idea of the prog-
ress and present condition of our agriculture, and what
it is doing towards furnishing food for the population.
What can be done, depends entirely upon the rapidity
and ability that are manifested in developing our resour-
ces. The future is bright if its advantages are improved.
Nothing appears to be wanting to ensure success, but
courage, perseverance, patience, industry and knowledge.
A well organized Society, supported by efficient and
practical men, has labored for fifty years to encourage
this work. There are examples of individual success in
our midst to emulate. There are the near and ready
markets, continually needing more and more ; to stimu-
late. Only give our manufacturers quick sales, and
however narrow the margin for profit, the hum of their
machinery will be heard. Cannot our farmers do like-
wise? Defying competition from West, South and
North, let the hum of their machinery be heard, and the
cheering signs of progress be seen on every hill and in
every valley until every acre in the County shall produce
its full quota of sustenance for the rapidly increasing
population.

HOW TO MANAGE THE HENCOOR

BY GILBERT L. STREETER. OF SALEM,

It is the purpose of the following essay to furnish, in
a concise form, information concerning the details of
managing the hencoop and poultry yard. The books up-
on this subject are so burdened with useless, uninterest-
ing and unreliable matter, that their value is diminished
in about the same proportion that their bulk is increased.

Whether fowls are kept for pleasure or profit, it is
alike important that they be properly cared for. The
same conditions of health and vigor which cause fowls
to lay well, to breed successfully, and to grow fat, also
promote the symmetrical development of their bodies
and preserve the freshness and beauty of their plumage.
Probably fowls are usually kept for pleasure and profit
both, for show as well as for use. The care of the flock
is one of the little gratifications of the farmer's family,
and it is, perhaps, even a more agreeable task to the
"dusty citizen," longing for the pleasure of rural pur-
suits, who rears his choice breeds as a slight indulgence
of his taste for country life. The pleasure thus derived

119

is justly considered as one of the advantages of keeping-
fowls, to be added to the net gains of eggs and chickens.

But the chief motive of the poultry raiser is the pe-
cuniary profit to be derived from it, and without this
stimulant we may be pretty sure that the hen-house
w^ould be fiir less popular than the dove-cote, the bird-
cage, or the dog-kennel. But with care and attention
the raising of poultry may undoubtedly be made to pay
as well as most investments of this nature, and perhaps
better than most of the incidental pursuits of farming.
And without care and attention, neither this nor any oth-
er pursuit can be followed with success. There are no
very accurate statistics upon this subject, but a compari-
son of numerous statements which have been published
in agricultural reports and newspapers, warrants the es-
timate that a flock of hens, under economical manage-
ment, will yield an annual profit of from one to two dol-
lars each. Doubtless a few choice hens, properly kept
and carefully nursed, will yield a larger relative income
than a great flock kept indiflerently well. Of course
such gains cannot be made upon fowls bought at fancy
prices, such as prevail during "hen manias." Those
who, fifteen or twent}^ years ago or more, paid from $25
to 1 50 a pair for the enormous and ungainly birds then
imported from foreign stocks, did not look for remunera-
tion. Nor do those who to-day pay absurd prices for
Crevecoeurs or Houdans. In 1854, at an auction sale in
England, a single Spanish hen brought $55, and a lemon-
colored hen, $77, and a cock, weighing 13 lbs., brought
$215; but these foolish purchases were not made for
profit, but to gratify a whimsical excitement.

Quality of Stock. — Our American poultry has been

120

greatly improved within a few years by the general in-
troduction and extensive intermixture of the larger
Asiatic breeds. Not profitable in themselves, the Indian
and Chinese varieties, by crossing with our common
fowls, produce what experience has proved to be the best
stocks for our own country. The Shanghaes, and Chit-
tagongs, Cochin Chinas, and other gigantic and awkward
birds, have justly fallen into disrepute. They are mon-
strous eaters, and their flesh, besides costing more, is
coarse and strong in flavor. Although their eggs are
large, they are considered to be of inferior character.
The eggs of the large breeds have often pale yolks, and
it is contended that the highest colored yolks, which are
usually found in the smaller eggs, have the finest taste.
It is an admitted fact that the eggs of the Bantam hen.
the smallest of all, are of unequalled delicacy.

But the commingling of the strong foreign blood with
our domestic stocks has tended to hasten the maturity
of our fowls, to increase their size and weight at a given
age, and to increase the number and size of their eggs.
It is estimated that chickens derived from a crossing of
the Asiatic and American bloods, will, with proper care,
begin to lay in four and a half or five months, on an av-
erage, and that the cocks will, at that time, give a dress-
ed weight of from five to six pounds. The weight ol"
the Asiatic breeds, at maturit}'', is usually, of cocks, from
ten to thirteen pounds, and the hens, about two pounds
lighter.

Select Varieties. — When select varieties of fowls are
kept, it is a good plan to have at least two breeds, one
to lay and the other to sit, for those hens which lay
abundantly are not in general disposed to sit well. The

1^1

" everlasting layers " are not at all broody, and cannot
be relied upon either to hatch or rear chickens. On the
other hand, those that are much inclined to sit, and con-
sequently confine themselves closely to the eggs, and
prove good mothers, are not the most prolific layers.

For laying hens, there is no breed superior to the Black
Spanish. They lay abundantly, and produce a veryUarge
egg, while the fowl itself is of medium size and not a
great eater. Their eggs will weigh from two and a
half to three ounces each, and they will lay a greater
weight of eggs annually than any other fowl unless it
be the Leghorns. The White Faced Spanish is the pur-
est variety. It has a clear white face, a full breast, large
single serrated comb, long pendent wattles, (apt to freeze
in winter) and beautiful black plumage, and is an at-
tractive bird. Mr. Richardson, author of an English
work on "Domestic Poultry," says: "The Spanish is
one of the very best birds with which I am acquainted.
It possesses flesh of the best and whitest quality, and
acquires it with rapidity, which is a most important con-
sideration to the producer; and the hen lays a large

egg."

The Black Spanish is very popular in England, where
it is known as the " Gentleman's Fowl." It has acquired
an equal reputation in this country, as an early and ever-
lasting layer, early maturing, seldom or never desiring to
sit, and usually healthy. The objection to this fowl is
that its wandering and fly-away propensities render it
annoying in a neighborhood.

For sitting the common native fowl may be recom-
mended, or the Brahma Pootra. The latter is a very
broody bird and sits remarkably well, but, being clumsy,
must be looked after when the chickens hatch, lest she
16

122

crush them with her feet. The Brahma Pootra is also
popuhir as a good layer, producing a large egg about the
size of the Black Spanish, and of the yellowish hue com-
mon to eggs of the Asiatic breeds. The flesh of this
bird is good also. Although large, it is not gigantic in
size, nor is it awkward in appearance. It matures slow-
ly, and unless forced, the chickens will not lay in less
than eight or nine months. It is a great eater, but will
accept any kind of food. It does not incline to fly, nor
to wander abroad, nor to scratch much, and it is there-
fore a good breed to keep in enclosures in town. The
color of this fowl is white, Avith a mottled neck ; its
comb and wattles are small ; and it is hardy and able
bodied. This variety is at the present time more popu-
lar than any other, and, perhaps, deservedly so. One
great merit of the Brahmas is their peaceful disposi-
tion— an entire absence of pugnacity.

The DorJcings both lay well and sit well, and where
only a single kind is desired can be recommended. The
pure variety is speckled. Its name is derived from a
town in Surrey, in England, and in that country it is
considered the best of fowls. It is plump bodied, large,
white fleshed, matures early and lays large eggs abun-
dantly, although in this respect it is not equal to the
Spanish. And it may be here stated that the Dorldng
and the Spanish make a good cross.

The Bolton Grcjj has enjoyed some reputation as a
laying hen, although the eggs are small and they mature
slowly. But it has an odd habit of dying suddenly,
without any apparent cause, and for this reason it cannot
be recommended. "You go into the coop (says Mr. J.
J. II. Gregory) and find one of your finest fowls on the
nest for two or three days in succession with a comb

123

rather unusually red ; (now this redness of the comb is
a certificate presented by other fowls that their internal
egg-producing apparatus is in full working order) and
you tell John that, ' really that Bolton Grey hen does beat
all in the poultry line that was ever heard of, seen, or
read of; indeed, you more than half believe she is but a
mass of eggs slightly covered with feathers.' John, fill-
ed with respectful admiration, approaches the prodigy
with stealthy steps, looks closely, and — proclaims her
dead " ! This has been our own experience.

The Bantam, although the smallest of breeds, is pleas-
ant to keep on account of its smart, gay, and sprightly
habits. The best variety, Golden Sebright, is named af-
ter Sir John Sebright, an English foAvl fancier. The
Bantam will often weigh not over one pound. A six
months old Bantam hen Avas exhibited at the Essex Fair,
in 1860, which weighed only six ounces. These little
birds lay well and sit well. Their eggs are delicate, and
weigh from ten to fifteen to the pound. At a show in
London, in 1847, five Bantams sold for about $250, or
$50 each! The breed is of Asiatic origin.

The LegJiorn fowls, in their general characteristics, are
almost precisely like the Black Spanish, and some main-
tain that they are an accidental variety of that sort.
They are clear white, with beautiful pendent wattles,
large serrated comb, of spirited bearing and handsome
carriage, shy, wild, hardy. The}^ are unsurpassed layers ;
they do not incline to sit until the second or third year ;
they mature early, commencing to lay in four or five
months. Their young are hardy and advance with ra-
pidity. The flesh of the Leghorn is white and excellent,
but the bird is only of medium size and not profitable
to raise for market. The Leghorn requires pretty warm

124

quarters in winter to save its comb and wattles from
freezing, and causes trouble by its nervous restlessness.
Apart from these peculiarities we know of no better
fowl to keep.

Of the new French Fowls now so much sought after
by amateurs, without regard to cost, we have had no ex-
perience. It is said that La Fleche, Le Crevecoeur, and
the Houdan are wonderful layers, besides being in all
other respects excellent. How they may develope their
qualities in this country will soon be determined by ex-
periment. Meanwhile Ave have only noticed the leading-
varieties of established reputation in this vicinity.

The Coop or Henery. — The thing of first importance
to be attended to in the keeping of fowls is to have a
suitable house for their accommodation. However much
care may be taken in the rearing and feeding of fowls,
the results may be wholly unsatisfactory unless the coop
is convenient and comfortable. And the general condi-
tions of convenience and comfort can be complied with
in a common, cheap coop, nearly as well as in an expen-
sive henery.

In the first place the hen house should be dry. It
should be warm and dry in winter, and cool and dry in
summer. There should be no standing water or wet pla-
ces in the coop, or anything to occasion much moisture,
like sink drains or emptyings. It is very injurious to
fowls to get a wet chill. Even the cold of winter, when
dry, is less prejudicial to their health, than dampness in
warmer weather. They should not be exposed to long-
summer rains, but should have a ready shelter from such
exposures.

It is well to have an enclosure where the fowls can

125

scratch in the gravel, and a hen house (with a floor) con-
nected with it, which they can enter at night or in
stormy weather. This house should contain large win-
dows or glass sides to admit the sun in winter, and it
will be better if it can face the south, and be protected
on the cold side by some other building or warm structure.

But if this henery should be warm in winter, it also
should not be too warm in summer. It is therefore nec-
essary to have some simple means of ventilation, and
this should be at the top if possible. Drafts of air across
the hen-house should be avoided, as they are injurious
to the birds.

The hen-house should be kept clean always, and if
possible, sweet. All stinks are unwholesome to fowls,
and it is not good for them to roost over accumulations
of their own excrement. It is a good plan to place un-
der their roosts, say two feet down, a gutter made of two
boards, each six or seven inches wide, and nailed togeth-
er at the edges. The excrement will lodge here and
may be scraped out every day or two, dried in the sun,
and then put into a barrel for sale. If the dung is )put
in a barrel fresh it becomes offensive, and, in warm
weather, maggoty. The hen-house should be frequentl}'
and thoroughly whitewashed to keep off and destroy lice.
This is indispensable.

The roosts should be made rather large and somewhat
rough to help the grasp of the fowls. Poles covered
with the bark are good. The heavier and more clumsy
birds, like the Brahma Pootra variety, like to roost on a
board, say four inches wide, and not over eighteen inches
from the floor. The lighter and more active sorts will go
as high as they can get. But there should be small lad-
ders, or boards with cleats, for the fowls to walk up on,

126

as in flying higli they are apt to fall and break their
eggs or do other injury.

The nests should be low and approachable by similar
easy steps, and so constructed that the hens shall not
need to fly down roughly upon the eggs, with danger of
breaking them, but be able to step on easily. Common
square boxes serve very well as nests, and there should
be three or four to each half-dozen laying hens. The
surface of the hay in the nests should be as high as it
can be without danger of the eggs rolling out, and should
be concealed from view as much as possible. For setting
hens it is well to place dry earth in the bottom of the
nests below the hay. The earth serves to keep an equi-
table temperature, and the little moisture arising from it
seems to be favorable to the process of hatching.

Fowls should always have a place to scratch in, and
in absence of a better provision for this purpose, a box
of earth, fine sand, or wood ashes, may be placed in the
coop and frequently renewed.

For the convenience of access all parts of the coop
should be easily approachable so that it may not suffer
from the want of frequent and proper cleanings.

However large a henery may be, it is recommended
that the various apartments should be of moderate size,
and it is a good plan to provide separate quarters for
each variety of fowl. This wall preserve the purity of
the breeds, and, as small coops are thought to be favora-
ble to the hens' laying, it may be economical also. In
winter, a good many hens may be kept in a small place,
with the advantage of comfort caused by the animal heat
of their bodies, provided that the atmosphere be not con-
taminated by offensive accumulations of dung.

m

Food. — The appetite of fowls is so nearly omniverous,
and their usual food so well known, that not much de-
scription is necessary. In general, they are fond of all
sorts of grain, most of the wild and succulent vegetables,
insects and worms of nearly all kinds, and flesh, both
raw and cooked, not excepting the flesh of their own
kind.

Oats, corn, barley, buckwheatj rye, millet, rice, sun-
flower seeds, and many other varieties, are readily de-
voured, although with different degrees of fondness.
Careful experiments have shown that as to bulk or meas-
ure, there is not much difference in the daily consump-
tion of grains, and it is therefore best to provide those
sorts which are cheapest, taking care to furnish a suita-
ble variety. The kinds which the fowls may prefer, for
tastes differ among the biddies as well as among humans,
will be best determined by experiment. Good econo-
mists find that grain food goes further when boiled, ex-
cept oats, buckwheat, and rye, which are not much
swelled by cooking. Sunflower seeds are said to be par-
ticularly good for fattening. Corn is composed largely
of starch, which is a fat-producing element, and is defi-
cient in the nitrogenous substances of which eggs are
made. Hence hens fed too much on corn, lay on fat, but
do not yield eggs. Oats and animal food, on the other
hand, yield the egg-forming materials, and will promote
laying, but Avill not fatten. A laying hen, of course,
should not be fat.

Of green vegetable foods, the leaves of cabbage, let-
tuce, and spinage, are preferred, but in the season of
grass and chickweed, there is nothing belter than these.
Boiled potatoes, mashed, and giA^en warm, are an excel-
lent stimulant, and much used by the French poulterers

us

in fattening. Potatoes mixed with Indian meal we have
found to be good, and all the bits of bread, boiled vege-
tables, etc., from the kitchen, are acceptable.

Give Meat. — The avidity with which poultry devour
worms and insects, is a matter of common observation.
Mr. Reaumur, the distinguished French experimenter,
fed a hen entirely on worms for a fortnight, and she
seemed pleased with her fare, and grew fat. At first she
eat a pint a day, then increased to a quart, and then to
nearly three pints. In the winter, or when the fowls
are confined, and such food cannot be had, they should
be supplied with bits of meat, fish, or fat, to supply the
drain on their system of constant laying. They will eat
meat, either raw or cooked, without much preference.
Fresh fish scalded may be easily cut up for their use,
and will be eagerly eaten. They are fond of blood, and
when a companion is wounded, will peck at the wound
to procure the blood, and even when wounded them-
selves, will drink their own blood, if they can reach it.

All salted food should be carefully avoided, and also
the throwing of bits of salt from the table into the
coop, which may prove fatal, and is a frequent cause of
sickness.

Feed constantly. — The crop and stomach of poultry
are so formed that it will answer to feed tlieni once,
twice, or three times, a day, but it is better to keep food
before them ail the time. They should at all events have
a chance to fill their crops be/ore going to roost for the
night. If food, say a mixture of oats, barley and corn,
is kept before them all the time, in a feeder so contrived
that they cannot waste it, they will not eat much in the
early part of the day, but will fill their crops just at
night. Fowls are not such greedy eaters as might be

129

supposed by any one who should see them fed only occa-
sionally. An English writer estimates that a common-
sized fowl will eat a quarter of a pint of oats, or barley,
a day, and voracious fowls, of large size, a third of a pint
Laying. — To promote laying, in the winter season, an
abundance of warm, stimulating food should be furnish-
ed, in good variety. The fowls should have constant ac-
cess to gravel, to promote digestion ; to fine mnd, in
%vhich to cleanse themselves and remove lice ; and to old
mortar, lime, pulverized oyster or clam shells, ground
bone, or chalk, to furnish the material which aids in the
formation of egg shells. These things may be kept in
boxes if necessary.

Water should be always handy, for fowls frequently
suffer from the want of it. If it can be so manas^ed in
winter that the fowls shall not dip their gills in it, those
parts may be saved from freezing while wet. The lack
of clean and fresh water, in connection with too constant
feeding on grain, causes costiveness, and in such cases,
water, warm vegetables, and meat, may be given as
correctives.

To promote good laying there must be careful feeding,
amounting almost to nursing of the flock.

Hens lay a larger number of eggs during the first two
years than ever afterward, and from the second year
steadily decline. Cocks reach their greatest vigor in
their second year, and careful breeders change their male
birds every season, the time of moulting being chosen
to separate the old ones and introduce the new comer.

Soft Eggs. — When soft-shelled eggs are laid, it indi-
cates too high feeding, too much meat, and an insuffi-
ciency of lime, and as a remedy, the quantity of stimu-
lating food should be diminished, which will usually be
17

130

effectual. But if the trouble continues, a little clialk
may be mixed with their water, and some recommend a
little brick dust in their food. The want of materials
for the proper formation of shells, sometimes causes abor-
tion, and results in the death of the hen while laying.
The liability to this is increased by eating too much meat.
How Many Hens to Keep. — We know of no method
of determining the number of fowls that may be kept
with profit. This must depend upon the extent of your
accommodations, the range Avhich can be given them in
summer, and the amount of waste food which can be fur-
nished by the family or otherwise, without the cost of
buying.

The number of hens to be kept with one cock is a
matter of considerable difference of opinion. Some rec-
ommend as many as twenty or twenty-five, which is the
practice of poulterers in the warm climate of France.
But this is too large a number for this country.

H the purpose is to breed strong and healthy chick-
ens, a less number of hens should attend a single cock,
than when the production of eggs is the sole object, with-
out regard to breeding. Our experience would lead us
to recommend that for the rearing of strong chickens,
from four to five hens to a cock is enough, while for the
production of eggs, the number may be increased to ten
or twelve.

Hens will lay unattended by a cock, and unimpreg-
nated eggs have this advantage, that they will keep
fresh for a much longer time than those which contain a
a germ. But hens unattended will lay a less number of
eggs, and with irregularity and uncertainty.

Sitting. — The selection of eggs for sitting requires
much care if you wish to ensure the best results. The

131

freshest eggs should be preferred^ for it is much better
to keep the hen waiting for the eggs, than the eggs
Avaiting for her. Those from a pullet, from one to two
years old, matched with a cock of two or three years,
will be the surest to produce strong chickens. If tfie
eggs are too old, the chickens may not have strength
enough to get out of the shell, or if they do, will be
feeble, and likely to be trodden on and killed by the
hen. One test of eggs is, to put them in a bowl of tepid
water, and those that do not sink to the bottom should
be rejected.

In about five days after the hen commences her sit-
ting, it is well to examine the eggs in order to see
whether they are all good. By holding the egg between
the thumb and finger, and looking through it at a strong-
light, some wdll be seen to be semi-transparent. Such
eggs contain no germ, and will not produce a chicken.
They are not spoiled, however, for it is a curious fact
that these unimpregnated eggs resist corrupting influen-
ces for a much longer time than, those which are fertile.
They may therefore be taken out of the nest and used
in the family.

The Nest. — The nest for a sitting hen should be made
flat, like a plate, and not hollowing and deep, for there
is danger that she may step down upon the eggs and
break them, or may crush the chickens as they hatch.
It is well, as we have said, to put a little earth below
the hay, as it tends to preserve a regular temperature
and seems to exert a favorable influence upon the shell.

If an egg is accidentally broken it should be removed,
and if the others have been soiled they maybe carefully
washed in warm water, but this must be done with ex-
treme tenderness so as not to jar the egg.

132

Food and fresh water should always be kept near the
nest of a sitting jhen, lest she should stay away from the
eggs too long, when she comes off for food, or on the
other hand, should sit too long at a time for the want of
food where it will be handy. A box of earth for her to
scratch in should also be near by.

Brooding. — Some hens will sit so closely that it is
necessary to take them off by hand, which may usually
be done, in a quiet and cautious manner. We have found
no difficulty in handling hens in this manner, and it is a
practice which promotes their health and vigor.

It is impossible to have much success with the hatch-
ing of chickens unless some care is taken to have every
thing in and about the nest, and its patient occupant, in
proper condition. There must be more or less nursing,
especially when the chickens begin to come out.

With suitable treatment chickens may be successfully
raised from the first of March until August. Before this
period a nest of eggs and a brood of chickens causes too
much trouble and expense, and after July cool weather
comes too soon for the endurance of a brood raised at that
time.

Sex of Eggs. — Some writers have undertaken to de-
termine the sex of eggs, which would certainly be a
great gain to the fowl fancier, as he might then fix the
proportion of his laying hens before incubation. But all
indications are uncertain, and not to be relied upon. M.
Genin, in an address before a scientific society in Paris,
states, that eggs containing a male germ are of elongat-
ed form, with a partially raised or ringed surface around
the small end of the shell, while the female germ is
smooth and more equally of a size at both ends. As a

133

matter of curiosity it is well enough to test this rule by
experiments.

Hatching.— The chickens should hatch in due course
on the twenty-first day, and the nest should receive a
good deal of attention about that time. The state of
the weather often makes some difference in the time
when the chicks break out of the shell. The duration
of the process is also variable. Some chicks will disen-
cumber themselves of the shell in one hour, and others
in two or three hours, but it is generally a pretty good
half-day's work.

Ears accustomed to this operation readily detect the
approaching birth of the chicken l3y his " gently tap-
ping, tapping at the door" of his cell, to break the first
little hole. Sometimes the shell is too tough and the oc-
cupant needs to be helped out. If the chick stops its
efforts to get out for five or six hours, it is w^ell to libe-
rate it by breaking the shell. This must be done very
carefully, first, by making a small circular fracture, such
as the chick makes, and then replacing the egg under
the hen." If this does not answer, and the chick adheres
to the shell within, the shell must be delicately broken,
and, by the use of a linen rag, wet in warm water, the
chicken must be disengaged, or unglued, from the pieces
of shell to which its feathers are sticking, by dissolving
the glutinous substance which confines them.

The Chickens. — We have found it best, with some
hens, to remove the chickens as soon as they are hatch-
ed, and place them in wool, in a warm place, rather than
to risk their being crushed by the hen. They need no
food for several hours, say twenty-four. It is very neces-
sary to keep them dry and warm, and they may be buried
in wool for this purpose. It is well also to keep the hen

134

away from the earth for several days, until the chickens
gain strength enough to keep from under her feet when
she moves or scratches. They should be provided with
fresh water in pans so arranged that they shall not get
wet ; nor should they he exposed to the rain • nor per-
mitted to wander in wet grass, for it must be remember-
ed that nearly all the diseases of gallinaceous fowds arise
from cold and moisture.

The first food of the chicks may be bits of soft bread,
Indian meal and oatmeal mixed, hard boiled egg chop-
ped fine, soft boiled potatoes, and by-ancl-by cracked
corn. Too much watery food should be avoided. Some
poulterers think that Indian meal dough is too cold and
indigestible for young chicks.

When the hen goes to roost and weans her brood, they
will generally go with her. If they do not, they should
be put with chickens of their own size until they are old
enough to roost. But it may be noticed that when large
and small chickens are mixed the former are apt to crow^l
the latter away from their food and otherwise to abuse
them.

Diseases. — The diseases of fowls are obscure in their
character, and very little that is satisfactory can be said
upon this point. It is much easier to prevent disease in
fowls than to cure it. Most of their troubles seem to
originate in damp and cold exposures and improper diet.
Therefore to keep fowls in health they should be provid-
ed v\dtli clean and well ventilated houses, free from cold,
damp drafts ; they should be regularly fed with a variety
of things, and should be constantly supplied with water
and gravel. But in spite of all care they will sometimes
mope, sicken, and die. When a fowl shows signs of sick-
ness it should be immediately set apart by itself, to avoid

135

contagion, to save it from being picked by the well ones,
and to apply remedies. Oftentimes cures can be effected
by placing sick hens in the sun, or near a stove in the
house, for heat seems to be one of the sovereign reme-
dies in the gallinaceous kingdom. If more than this is
necessary, there is no other way than either to kill the
fowl forthwith, or to look for its S3'mptoms in some book
upon the subject, and apply the remedies there indicated.

136

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13'

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

FOU 1868-9,

PRESIDENT.

WILLIAM SUTTON, of Peabody.

VICE PRESIDENTS.
LEWIS ALLEN, of Peabody.
DAVID CHOATE, of Essex.
JOSIAH NEWHALL, of Lynnfield.
JOHN KEELEY, of Haverhill.

TREASURER.

EDWARD H. PAYSON, of Salem.

SECRETARY.

CHARLES P. PRESTON, of Danvers.

HONORARY TRUSTEES.

JAMES H. DUNCAN, of Haverhill.
JOHN W. PROCTOR, of Peabody.
ALLEN W. DODGE, of Haraikon.
JOSEPH HOW, of Methuen.
18

1.38

TRUSTEES,

John I. Baker, Beverly ;
Wm. B. Carleton, Haverhill ;
Thomas J. Clark, Salisbury ;
George Cogswell, Bradford ;
John Day, Boxford ;
Francis R. Edwards, Beverly
James Flint, Middleton ;
AVm. Foster, North Andover :
Alonzo B. Fellows, Ipswich ;

James P. King, Peabody;
Thomas K. Leach, Topsfi-ld ;
Edward H. Little, Newbury;
George B. Loring, Salem ;
Samuel A. Merrill, Danvers
Sherman Nelson, Georgetown .
Isaac Patch, Gloucester;
AVm. R. Putnam, Danvers ;
John Perkins, Lynnfield ;

J. J. H. Gregory, Marblehead ; Calvin Rogers, W. Newbury

Thos. P. Gentlee, Manchester ; Wm. A. Russell, Lawrence ;

Alfred E. Goodwin, Ameibury ; D. H. Stickney, Groveland ;

Jonas Holt, Andover ; Daniel J. Todd, Rowley ;

Joseph S. Howe, Methuen ; David Smith, Newburyport ;

E. G. Kelley, Newburyport; Benj. P. Ware, Marblehead.

NEW MEMBERS— 1867.

Benj. F. Butler, Gloucester;
Charles Butters, Haverhill ;
Alonzo B. Fellows, Ipswich ;
John B. Nichols, Haverhill ;

S. F. Appleton, N. Andover ;
Samuel M. Currier, Haverhill;
James B. Foster, Peabody ;
L. S. Ordway, Haverhill ;

Samuel K. Towle, Haverhill ; S. W. Wilder, Lawrence.

NEW MEMBERS— 1868.

Rufus Adams, Newburyport ; George F. Mason, Andover :

Daniel F. Appleton, Ipswich ;
T. K. Bartlett, Newburyport ;
Robert Callahan, Andover ;

Gorham Norwood, Rockport ;
Chas. H. Nichols, Amesbury ;
W. W. S. Oberton, Haverhill ;

139

Fred'k J. Coffin, Newburyport ;
James P. Cheever, Andover ;
Wm. M. Cheever, Manchester;
H. W. Cheever, Haverhill ;
George A. Dodge, Wenham ;
Andrew Dodge, Beverly ;
Francis R. Edwards, Wenham ;
Onin Foster, North Andover;
Tristram B. Fall, Ipswich ;
H. M. Goodrich, W. Newbury ;
Benj. V. Giles, Beverly ;
William HufF, Newburyport ;
Moses How, Haverhill ;
C. H. Ireland, Newburyport ;
AVilliam Lord^ Salem ;
William Maloon, Salem ;
C. E. Morse, Bradford ;
E, A, Mosely, Newburyport ;

William H. Patch, Rockport ;

D. A Pettingill, Topsfield ;
Amos Pratt, Danvers ;

L. K. Pemberton, Groveland ;
F. W. Putnam, Danvers ;
William B. Peart, Danvers ;
John L. Robinson, Wenham;

E. P. Robinson, Saugus ;
Isaiah A. Rogers, Ipswich ;
Jabez Rowe, Rockport ;
Geo. H. Sweetser, Saugus ;
T. C. Shattuck, N. Andover ;
L. N. Tappan, Manchester ;
Geo. H. Tilton, Wenham ;
D. M. Walker, Newburyport ;
Asa Wade, Ipsv/ich ;

J. O. Winkley, Newburyport ;
Alvah Whittier, Haverhill.

^^ Any citizen in the County may become a member by
paying the sum of thi'ee dollars to increase the permanent
funds of the Society, and he will receive a certificate of his
membership from the Secretary. No fines or assessments are
ever imposed. Members are entitled to the free use of the
Library and a copy of the Transactions each year. All or-
dained Ministers of the Gospel residing in the County, and
editors of newspapers, published therein, are entitled to the
privileges of the Library.

140

List of Premiums, &c

FAT CATTLE.

Charles Adams, Newbury, 1st premium, $10

J. S. Reynolds, No. Andover, 2d " 8

Charles Adams, Newbury, 3d " 5

JERSEY BULLS.

A. B. Fellows, Ipswich, 1st premium, 10

AYRSHIRE BULLS.

Moses Colman, Byfield, 1st premium, 10

Asa 'J'. Newhall, Newburyport, 2d " 5

SHORT HORN BULLS.

Ben. Perley Poore, West Newbury, 1st premium, 10

MILCH COWS.

Paul T, Winkley Newburyport, 3d premium, 5

HERD OF MILCH COWS.

Moses A. Plummer, Newburyport, premium, 15

HEIFERS THREE YEARS OLD.

F. Dane, Hamilton, 1st premium, 10

P. T. Winkley, Newburyport, 2d " 8

Eben Manson, " 3d '* 5

141

HEIFERS TWO YEAHS OLD.

Moses Colman, Newbury, 1st premium, $8

Daniel Plummer, Newburyport, 2d " 5

P. T. Winkley, «' 3d " 3

HEIFERS — ONE YEAR OLD.

Joseph Kittredge, North Andover, 1st premium, 5

Jeremiah Colman, Newburyport, 2d " o

CALVES.

Asa T. Newhall, Newburyport, 1st premium, 6

DRAFT OXEN.

Francis Dodge, Dan vers, 1st premium, 12

F. P. Putnam, '^ 2d " 10

Sam'l Moody, Jr., West Newbury, 3d " 8

K. S. Bray, Newbury, Gratuity. 6

DRAFT STEERS.

George A. Eandall, Newbury, 1st premium, 8

Silas Little, '« 2d " 6

Romulus Jaques, West Newbury, Gratuity, 3

TWO YEAR OLD STEERS.

Alfred Kimball, Bradford, 1st premium, 5

Romulus Jaques, West Newbury, 2d " 4

YEARLING STEERS.

Paul T. Winkley, Newburyport, 1st premium, 4

STALLIONS.

Ezra P. Dov/ning, Amesbury, 1st premium, 10

T. W. Quimby, " 2d " 8

142

BROOD MARES.

Francis Dane, Hamilton, 1st premium, $15

Wm. J. Dale, Jr., No. Andover, 2d " 10

A. C. Morse, Haverhill, od " 8

FAMILY HORSES.

Plummer & Balch, Newburyport, 1st premium, 10

EHphalet Griffin, " 2d " 8

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

Orrin Putnam, Danvers, 1st premium, 10

S. A. Merrill, '' 2d " 8

Samuel Foster, No. Andover, 3d '' 5

FOUR YEAR OLD COLTS.

Romulus Jaques, West Newbury, 1st premium, 10

Edward F. Knight, Newbury, 2d " 5

• THREE TEAR OLD COLTS.

D. F. Appleton, Ipswich, 1st premium, 6

John Swinerton, Danvers, 2d " 4

TWO YEAR OLD COLTS.

Asa T. Newhall, Newburyport, 1st premium, 5

Daniel O. Weed, Amesbury, 2d " 3

YEARLING COLTS,

Elbridge Battel!, Newburyport, 1st premium, 4

J. N. Rolfe, Newbury, , 2d " 3

SWINE.

Moses Colman, Newbury, best boar, 1st prem., 8

Joseph Longfellow, Newbury, 2d best boar, 2d " 5

Moses S. Little, Newburyport, best breeding sow, 1st " 8

Jere. Cashman, Newburyport, 2d '' " " 2d " 5

143

COTSWOLD EWES.

Romulus Jaques, West Newbury, 1st premium, $8

Jos. Kittredge, North Andover, 2d '* 5

LOT OF LAMBS.

Romulus Jaques, West Newbury, 1st premium, 3

SOUTH DOWN BUCKS.

Joseph Kittredge, North Andover, 1st premium, 6.

PLOUGHING — DOUBLE TEAMS.

R. T. Jaques and R. S. Bray, Newbury, 1st premium, 12

Joseph Goodridge, Newbury, 2d " 10

D. L. Goodridge, " 3d " 9
Edward S.^Little, " 4th •' 8

PLOUGHING — SINGLE TEAMS.

Richard T. Jaques, Newbury, 1st premium, 7

Thomas C. Ordway, West Newbury, 2d " 6

PLOUGHING WITH HORSES.

E. H. Little, Newbury, 1st premium, 10
Orrin Putnam, Danvers, 2d " 7
Samuel B. Hill, No. Andover, 3d '^ 4

SIDE 'HILL PLOUGHS.

Samuel Moody, Jr., West Newbury, 1st premium, 10

Kittredge & Foster, North Andover, 2d " 8

boys' PLOUGHING. — Special Premium.

Albert B. Ordway, AVest NeAvbury, 1st premium, 25

Charles Fish, Danvers, 2d " 15

Eben Dodge, « 3d " 10

George W. Bray, Newbury, gratuity, 8

144

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Charles P. Preston, Danvers, Wood's two-horse Mower,

premium, $5
Samuel A. Merrill, Danvers, American Hay Tedder, pre-
mium, 5
Whitmore & Belcher, best Hay Cutter, premium, 3
S. M. Ayers, Boxford, best Ox Yoke, " 3
Fitchburg Co., Bay State Horse Rake " 5
J. S. Preston, Danvers, Raymond's Horse Pitch Fork,

premium, 5
Parker, Gannett & Osgood, Boston, collection of Agricul-
tural Implements, premium, 5
Parker, Gannett & Osgood, Boston, best Churn, gratuity, 2
F. F. Holbrook & Small, Harrington's Seed Sower, grat'y, 2

CAKKIAGES.

George Adams, West Amesbury, Buggy, gratuity, 5

Dana Dodge & Son, Newburyport, Carriage, 3

Wm. B. Peart, Danvers, Express Wagon, " S

BUTTER AND CHEESE.

A. F. Hobbs, Wenham, butter, 1st premium, 12

Daniel G. Todd, Rowley, butter, 2d " 10

Mrs. J. Longfellow, Newbury, butter, 3d •' 8

R. S. Rogers, Peabody, butter, 4th " 5

N. W. Moody, Newbury, cheese, 1st premium, 8

Byfield Factory, " 2d " -5

FARMS.

Samuel A. Merrill, Danvers, gratuity, 20

IMPROVING PASTURE LANDS.

S. B. Locke, Andover, premium, 15

ESSAYS.

James R. Nichols, Haverhill, premium, 10

Gilbert L. Streeter^ Salem, gratuity, 8

145

REPORT OF COMMITTEES. — Special Premium.

Ben: Perley Poore, West Newbury, 1st premium, $15

A "-n W. Dodge, Hamilton, 2d " 10

Awarded by Committee on Poultry,

« " Vegetables,

" Fruit,

" Flowers,

" Counterpanes, Rugs etc.,

** Fancy Articles,

*' General Merchandise,

*' Bread and Honey,

$20.00
8250

162.50
26.00
35.00
47.00
20.00
20.00

$1,109.00

146
RECAPITULATION.

Amount awarded to Farms, $20.00

«' " Improving Pasture Lands, 15.00

" «' Ploughing, 149.00

« «< Farm Implements, 35.00

$219.00

FARM STOCK.

Amount awarded to Fat Cattle, $23.00

Bulls, 35.00

Milch Cows, 20.00

« *' Heifers, 47.00

« Calves, 6.00

" " Working Oxen and Steers, 52.00

" Steers, 13.00

" Stallions, 18.00

« " Breeding Mares, 33.00

" " Family Horses, 18.00

" " Farm and Draft Horses, 23.00

Colts, 40.00

Swine, 26.00

Sheep, .22.00

Poultry, 20.00

$396.00

FARM PRODUCE.

Amount

awarded to Vegetables,

82.50

Fruits,

162.50

Flowers,

26.00

Dairy

48.00

Bread, &c.,

20.00

All other objects,

155.00

Tc

)tal.

*f; |f) 1 00

$1,109.00

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Address by Dr. George B. Loring, 3

Report on Fat Cattle, 41

" Bulls 42

" Milch Cows, with statement of Paul T. Winkley, 43

" Herd of Milch Cows, with statement of Moses A. Plummer, , 45

" Heifers, 46

" Working Oxen and Steers, 47

" Steers 48

" Stallions 48

" Brood Mares 49

'• Family Horses 50

♦♦ Farm and Draft Horses, 50

" Colts, 50

" Swine, 51

" Poultry CI

" Sheep, Coarse Wooled, 62

" Ploughing, Double Teams, 62

" Ploughing, Single Teams 03

" Ploughing, with Horses, 03

Ploughing, with Side Hill Plough 64

" Ploughing, by Boys 64

'* Agricultural Implements, . » 67

148

Report on Carriages 07

" Dairy, with statements of A. F. Hobbs, Daniel G. Todd, Mrs.

J. Longfellow, R. S. Rogers and N. W. Moody 68

" Bread and Honey, 70

" Fears , 71

" Apples, 72

•' Peaches, Asssortcd Fruits and Grapes 76

" Flowers, . • . . 79

" Vegetables 80

" Vegetables, raised by Boys 86

" Counterpanes, Carpetings and Rugs, 86

" Fancy Articles, . 88

«* Manufactures and General Merchandize, 89

" Farms, with statement of S. A. Merrill 90

*' Improved Pasture and Waste Land, with statement of Samuel

B. Locke, 95

Essays and Reports of Committees, , ... 96

Essay on Special Manuies, by Dr. J. R. Nichols, 97

•* Agriculture of Essex County, by W. A. Durant 106

'• Management of the Her Coop, by Gilbert L. Strecter, . . .118

Treasurer's Report, 136

Officers of the Society 137

New Members , 13g

List of Premiums, 14q

Recapitulation 14(5

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

:iciA^^ i\ ^*i'

^q1 S

In MASSACHUSETTS,

FOK THE YEAR'

loo

WITH THE

A N N IT A I. ADDRESS

BENJAMIN P. WARE, Esq.

rUELISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.

P E A B O I) Y ,
PRINTED BY CHARLES D. HOWARD, SL'TTON BriLDlIsG.

18C9.

ADDRESS.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Society:

In addressing you to-day, I propose to notice briefly
some of the leading topics of interest connected with
the business of Farming. My remarks will be based
mainly upon personal observation, made during my ex-
perience as a practical farmer. Within my remembrance,
it was indeed a laborious task for a man to conduct the
business of the farm successfully. He was expected
to turn the double swath in the mowing field, to lead
the hired men as they were desired to follow, to pitch
on the hay, to hoe the hardest row — in short, to bear the
brunt of the work. Great physical strength, and en-
durance, as well as good judgment, were indispensable.
But now what a change ! To lead the labor of the farm
does not require great strength and power of muscle,
but brains are called into requisition, and skill in the
management of machinery.

The farmer while riding around his field on the mow-
ing machine, hay tedder, or horse rake, may overlook

and direct those less skilled than himsclfj and . at the
same time accomplish the labor of ten men, with no
more exertion than is pleasant for exercise. With Ray-
mond's Hay Elevator he may stow away his hay in his
barn with comparatively little labor and a great saving of
time ; but the farmer impatiently awaits the time when
he may for his money obtain an improved hay-loading
machine, so vainly sought by many of us.

The potato crop can now be grown entirely without
hand labor, True's Potato Planter cuts the potatoe,,
drops, furrows and covers, at one operation. With Hol-
brook & Chandler's Horse Hoes, the labor of hoeing is
wholly performed by horse power. By the use of the
side hill plough, the harrow and the drag that any far-
mer can make in two hours, costing not more than two
dollars for materials — than which no greater labor-sav-
ing implement has yet been invented for the firm — and
with Willis' Seed Sower, the Danvers Truckle Hoe, all
of the root crops can be grown with about one half the
labor formerly required.

The changing of an inferior variety of apples or pears
for a superior one, is now so simplified and' made easy
by the use of a liquid grafting-wax, applied with a
brush, that no one need be without the choicest kind of
such fruit, who has healthy vigorous trees of Avhatever
size they may be. Nor has improvement stopped here.
We need not leave Essex County to find that within a
few years there have been introduced by skill and care-
ful cultivation, the Hubbard Squash, the Stone Mason,
and Marblehead JMammoth Cabbages, Emery's Early
Cabbage, a superior early Tomato, and Lettuce, the Dan-
vers Onion, all better, in some respects, than before ex-
isted ; and to the list of fruits have been added Allen's.

two hybrid grapes, and those of Mr. Rogers, possessing
qualities superior to those of aii}^ others, while other
parts of the State have added Dana's Hovey and Clapp's
Favorite pears, the Concord Grape, and the President
Wilder Strawberry.

Other fruits and vegetables might well be mention-
ed. The neighboring State of Vermont has made such
vast strides in the improvement of the Potato as to
cause those who have lived through the morus multicau-
lus, Rohan Potato and hen fevers, to stand aghast, wait-
ing for the excitement to abate, to see if Bresee's No.
4 is really two hours earlier than the Early Rose. But
all may be assured that great improvement has really
been made in the potato. And yet there are persons
among that numerous class wdio, because they lived up-
on a farm until seventeen years of age — and so, forsooth,
■^^ know all about farming " — are asking what improve-
ment has been made in Agriculture ?

Who ever heard, until within a few years, of seventy-
four tons of mangel-wurzel being grown upon one acre
of land ; of thirty-six tons of carrots, or nine hundred
bushels of onions per acre ? Such crops as these are
facts that can be proved. Such crops have been grown
and can be grown again.

Several French and German chemists have estimated
the value of English hay in comparison with other kinds
of food for milch cows, and they make two hundred and
fifty pounds of beet roots equal to one hundred pounds
of hay. According to this estimate the above crop of
mangolds would equal in value nearly thirty tons of hay ;
or supposing the chemists' estimate to be only half right,
the root crop would then equal fifteen tons of hay per
acre. It has been ascertained by actual experiment

that breeding swine can be kept upon raw mangolds-
alone from October to May, in good thrifty condition.
Can any one doubt, with such foots, the great advantage
of growing this and other root crops ?

Various breeds of Foreign Cattle have also been thor-
oughly tested ; and in my opinion the Ayrshire stock
has proved the best adapted to our pastures, and for
milking qualities, heads the list. Doubtless there are
some specimens among our native stock as good as the
best of any foreign breed for milk, but the native breed
cannot be so generally relied upon ; therefore the thanks
of the farmers of Essex are due to the Massachusetts-
Society for the promotion of Agriculture, and to some
private individuals for the introduction of that superior
breed of cattle.

I think any close observer of the cattle pens at our
exhibitions for the last tAventy years will have noticed
this fact : that any breed, of whatever size, will, within
two or three generations become adapted in size and
form to the locality and pastures in which it is placed^,
although retaining more or less of its own peculiar
marks and qualities ; hence the economy of introducing^
such breeds as correspond prett}^ nearly in size with our
native cattle.

Although tAvo years in succession of severe drought.,
which occurred four or five years ago, so weakened the
fruit buds of the apple trees as nearly to destroy the
crop of fruit, and the canker worm, with other insects.
has since committed such ravages upon our orchards as
to make the cultivation of the apple rather discourag-
iiT^g — yet, let us take heart. By the use of printers' ink
and tarred paper, from November 1st to April 1st, at a,
cost of from five to eight cents per tree, our orchards can

be perfectly protected from the canker worm ; and by se-
curing the small birds from the depredation of their nat-
ural enemies, idle boys, cats and crows, and with good
cultivation, I feel sure that we may again be blessed
with abundant crops of that beautiful, delicious and
health-giving fruit. Thus we shall be enabled to return
the compliment of presenting to our modern Eve the no
longer forbidden fruit, and under such circumstances
and conditions that we may realize that the Paradise
once lost, is regained.

Who that has planted an apple tree, grafted, trained
and cultivated it, protected and cared for it from its
nursery growth to its orchard maturit}^, does not love
it with a paternal love ? With what pleasurable emo-
tions he recognizes the friendly greeting of its gentle
nod on a Whitsunday morning, as he beholds it, one
mass of rose and lily blossoms filling the sunny air with
fragrance, and listens to the soft murmur of delight is-
suing from its branches. As he stands thus, what man
can avoid thanking his God for being allowed to aid in
such a creation. And again in October, with what sat-
isfaction he approaches his tree, with basket and barrels,
to harvest those glorious pippins that hang so tempt-
ingly within his reach, affording ample means of profit,
health and luxury. Who that owns an acre of land can
afford to dispense with so much happiness as may be de-
rived from an aj^ple tree? Certainly no Essex County
farmer, ^ly own experience is that no part of my farm
yields greater income for the labor expended than the
orchard. If the crop is small, the X)rice is usually large.
Let us then continue to cultivate the apple as a source
of profit, of health to our fiimilies, and of growth to our
social natures.

Besides protecting our native songsters that do so
nmch to aid the orchardist, I most earnest]}^ recommend
the importation of English spar^o^ys, whose principal
occupation is to feed their numerous progeny with in-
sects. The experiment was tried in New York three
years ago, and, proving very successful, led to the intro-
duction of these birds last spring into Philadelphia. I
know of no way hy vvdiich a portion of the income of
this society can be so profitably expended as by the im-
portation of several thousands of these birds, to ])e dis-
tributed in different parts of the county.

It may be worth the notice of the curious observer,
that of the several varieties of apple and pear trees, each
grows with form and feature peculiar to itself, and varies
^ as much as do the diflbrent kinds of fruit. No one fa-
miliar w^ith them can mistake, for example, the Pickman
Pippin, Ribstone Pippin, or Killhamhill, among apple
trees, or the Winter Nelis, Louise Bonne de Jersey, or
Rostiezer, among pear trees. So marked are their pe-
culiarities, however different the stocks these varieties
are grafted into, that the quality of the fruit (other things
being equal) remains the same. It is also a well estab-
lished fact that in nursery rows of seedling apple trees,
budded at one year old, and taken up at four years of
age, each row being budded with a different kind of
fruit, the roots of the several varieties will be found to
have taken different habits of growth : one variety will
have numerous small fibrous roots, growing compactly
w^hile another row of a different variety will have a few
large and long roots, with few fibres, the varieties of
fruit giving distinct habits of root, although the stocks
may all differ from each other ; this proves conclusively
that the stock exerts no influence upon the variety of

fruit enoTaftecl int(3 it, but tiiat the o-raft does have an
influence in furming the habit of the roots of the stock.
The same observer may with propriety aslc, how is it
that when two scions are engrafted into a limb of an ap-
ple tree, one will produce fruit, ripe in August, of yel-
low color and sweet flavor, while the other will produce
fruit, ripe in January, of red color and acid flavor, both
kinds nourished by the same sap, supplied from the
same roots. Whence the difference ?

I think this question can be answered by saying that
the material of the fruit is supplied principally from the
soil, through the roots, while the quality of it is derived
from the atmosphere through the leaves. Hence, the
idea of improving the quality of fruit by double work-
ing must be a fallacy.

Let me say a word of the tendency of the sons of
farmers to leave the calling of their fithers. I knew a
farmer who took his son, a lad of fourteen, into the field
to assist him in setting out a young apple orchard.
That boy obeyed his father's directions to the letter.
If he told him to move a tree to the right or the
left, to set it deeper or not so deep, he obeyed ; no
more, no less ; but his heart was not in his work.
That father saw and keenly felt his son's apathy. He
said, " My son, I will listen to an}^ suggestions you may
offer with regard to the setting of these trees." From
that moment the boy was changed. What ! thought he,
does my father wish for suggestions from me ? And if
so, should they not be made after careful thought and
consideration, that they may be worthy of his attention?
*Ihus he argued with himself; thus his mind was turned
to the business of the fiirm; thus he learned to love it,
-and one boy was saved to the firm, whose mind was

10

already wandering off in search of some other business^
or profession.

Thirty years have since been added to that boy's life^
passed in the various labors and experiences of the farm^
and here, to-da}', he rejoices in his early choice, and is
proud of his vocation.

Fellow farmer, have not you a son that you wish should'
become a farmer ? Encourage him to bestow thought up-
on the business ; listen to his suggestions ; if good, show
him that you appreciate them ; if not practicable, convince-
him of it. Put him in responsible positions according to
his ability ; teach him to manage farm machinery, to ob-
serve the growth of plants ; give him an interest in the
poultry, in a vegetable garden or in the cultivation of
small^fruits ; a calf or a colt, to raise on his own account ;
and, above all, see to it that you teach him all that yovi
know yourself about farming, that he may begin where
you leave off; in this way, though he may have no
greater capacity than 3^ou, much progress will be made
in agriculture ; do this, and there will be less complaint
of young men leaving the farm for the counter.

Nor let the son's education stop here ; although much:
of practical agriculture may be learned upon the farm, as
well or better than elsewhere, yet there are some things
that cannot be so learned. To be a fjirmer in the highest
sense, he must have a good general education. I know
of no profession or position in life, that opens so wide a.
field for the application of a thorough general eduqation
as that of the farmer. He will become somewhat fa^J--
iar by his every-day business, with branches of geolog}^,
mineralogy, chemistry, botany, zoology, physiology, or-
nithology, entomology, meteorology, and other sciences,
and the more thorough his knowledge of them, the bet-

11

ter able he is to apply their principles to his business.
Let me ask, where can the 3^oimg farmer so well ol)tain
that education, as at the Massachusetts Agricultural Col-
lege, an institution no longer an experiment, but a well
established success, where modern literature and the sci-
ences as applied to agriculture are well taught, and at a
moderate expense.

The slow growth of agricultural knowledge has proved
the necessity of scientific research and a practical expe-
rience joining hands. Neither can do without the other,
but both united and working for the same end can make
much greater progress. It is time all jealousies should
cease. The scientific man may, from his profound learn-
ing, advance theories, but the practical man must work
them out, and prove their truth or error. I believe that
the agricultural college, with its noble farm, is especially
adapted to bring about this concert of action ; and no
where else can our young farmers so well become ac-
quainted with the results of science applied to farming.

Moreover, I know of no way by which the farmers can
be so well and economically protected from unscrupulous
manufacturers and venders of worthless fertilizers, as by
having them there honestly and carefully tested, and
their real value made known to the community without
fear or favor. But few farmers can afford the time and
expense for the necessary experiments, or have the abil-
ity to conduct them in a way to show fairly the com-
parative value of such materials. I trust that an espe-
cial effort in that direction will be made in that institu-
tion, established as it is by the bounty of the United
States and of Massachusetts. I think we have a right
to expect this work faithfully performed. It would do
much to insure continued confidence and future support,

for ilie only institution dedicated to the cause of agri-
culture in the State. Let us therefore give the Massa-
chusetts Agricultural College our encouragement, as I
believe great good to our business will grow out of it.

To be a good modern farmer one must have mechani-
cal skill, in order to manage well the various machines
now used on the farm, to enable him to detect and rem-
edy their faults and imperfections as they come from
the hands of the inventors and mechanics. It has re-
quired years of experience and close observation to bring
the plough, the mowing machine, and horse-rake to their
2:)resent state of perfection. Who but the intelligent
farmer that uses them, can so well suggest improve-
ments ? Scarcely an implement has been introduced,
^that has not thus been improved. The old couplet,

" He that by the plough would thrive
Himself must either hold or drive,"

may not be as literally true to-day as when Timothy
Pickering took the first premium, at the first plowing
match made by this Society, but it is necessary that he
ishould be able to regulate the guage of the plough, and
Mtch the team properly, for but very few of the hired
men of the present day can do it. If it is not necessary
for him to do all the work himself, it is necessary that
lie should know ho?r to do every part of it, that he may
properly direct others.

The farmer to be most successful, must also be a mer-
chant, and be well booked up in the prices current, and
the state and prospect of the market, in the relation of
the supply to the demand for his products, in order to
Imow where, when, and how, to sell them, and also to
buy his supplies to the best advantage. The firmer too?
mav, when master of his position, like the merchant and

manufacturer, employ hired capital in his business, and
increase his profits thereby.

Yet, after all, does farming in Essex County pay ? It
is useless to preach the ennobling influence of the farm
upon the human cliaracter, the independence of the
farmer, or to cite tlie examples of Cincinnatus. Wash-
ington, Jefferson, Webster, and others to stimulate our
young men, unless it can be shown that farming in this
county pays ; for no enterprising New England boy will
be contented in a business that does not pay.

I need only to refer to the returns of the income tax
to find instances where men by firming alone, have in
this county returned annual incomes amonnting to from
three to five thousand dollars, enough to buy a good
farm, with fair buildings. I could name an Essex Coun-
ty farm, of fifty acres, valued at ten thousand dollars,
the gross products of which were enough in one year to
pay for it. It was an unusual occurrence, but such was
the fact for that year. Drive in any direction through
the length or breadth of the county, and notice the
comfortable homes, the thrifty appearance of the farms,
and the contented looks of the occupants. Is the money
market tight ? they know it not ; is gold up or down ?
it affects them not at all. Do the banks refuse to dis-
count ? they care not, so long as they have one of their
own in the barn yard, or cellar, that never refuses. Do
men lie awake nights, tossing upon restless pillows, won-
dering wherewith the note, falling due on the morrow,,
shall be paid ? the farmer is not of them. While ninety-
six of every hundred who enter mercantile pursuits be-
come bankrupt, the farmer scarce ever does. I have
yet to learn of the second instance. It is true there are
many causes of discouragement to the farmer, some of

14

which are as yet, in the present stage of agricultural
knowledge, entirely beyond his control, while others, by
careful watchfulness, may be easily guarded against.

The canker worm, which has already been spoken of,
the borer and caterpillar are the worst enemies of the
orchard. The borer can easily be found by his chips,
and probed to death with a wire, or limber twig peeled
and pointed. The caterpillar's nests are readily seen
when the trees first put out their leaves ; the nests at
that time are small, and a whole colony can be destroyed
by a single pinch with the thumb and finger, provided
you call upon them at proper hours. Until eight o'clock
in the morning, and from twelve to two in the afternoon
they are all at home; other parts of every pleasant day
they are out foraging, and no man has any excuse for
allowing his trees to be eaten by them. The small black
fly is very destructive to young cabbage and cucumber
plants, frequently destroying the whole crop in a single
day. Air-slacked lime or ashes sifted on, are per-
fect remedies. The striped squash bug and a maggot
are very destructive to the squash crop : air-slacked lime
or ground plaster is easily applied, inexpensive, and an
entire protection against the bug. By planting five
seeds in a hill, there will usually be plants enough for
the maggot, and two or three plants, besides, to grow,
which are sufficient. To insure the seeds coming up
readily, they should be stuck in the prepared hill, one
inch deep, with the pointed end down ; this will save
them two days of severe labor in turning over to come
up ; a labor which in some cases is so difficult as to pre-
vent their coming up at all.

Then we have the onion maggot, an enemy more diffi-
cult to deal with, very destructive to the crop in most

15

•parts of the country ; whole fields are frequently swept
:away by this pest, and the farmer's hopes with them.
By closely watching their habits, it will be found that
the onion maggots are the offspring of a small brown fly,
that, when startled, will fly about six feet and alight.
This fly deposites, either upon the young onion or upon
-a small lump of earth, from six to twenty eggs, which,
within a few days hatch • the very small maggots then
appear and immediately go down the young plant to the
bottom where the roots branch off from its centre. Here
the w^orm makes an easy entrance to the very heart of
the onion, followed by others of different ages, until one
plant contains twenty or more. There they are com-
pletely screened from view and all harm, while they eat
out the life and substance of one onion, and then pass on
to the next. This is their usual habit ; sometimes they
-eat directly through the side of the plant, though not
often. They pass through two or three generations dur-
ing the summer, but the last in the fall, instead of turn-
ing to flies, remain in the pupa state during the winter
and all affected onions containing them should be de-
stroyed.

Having learned so much concerning their habits, the
-question arises, how can our crops be protected ? Gas
lime and other offensive smelling substances have been
tried in vain, for the mother fly seems to delight in them.
For many years my attention has been directed to this
subject, and I believe I have discovered a remedy. It
is the common practice to cover onion seed one inch
deep, and they will germinate better at that depth than
any other ; nearly all will germinate at two inches, while
none will grow if covered three inches deep. I have
found that by sowing the seed [an inch and a half or two

I()

inches deep, the young. maggots fail to reach the bottom.
of the onion, where they expect to make an entrance ;
and so few attempt it at the side of the plant, that the
crop is but little affected. I have tried this method for
several years with success; it is important, also, to sow
early, and to have the surface of the land highly manur-
ed, to give the crop an early and rapid growth in order
that the plants may the sooner be too large to be affected
by the few maggots that do succeed in making an en-
trance at the side.

The onion blight and smut, also the potato rot, are at
times very destructive to those crops, turning the most
promising fields, within a few days, to scenes of desola-
tion. All, in my opinion, are caused by parasite plants
of different varieties, grov;ing upon and consuming Ihe
vitality of the onion and potato plants, and in the latter
so poisoning the plant as to cause the tuber rapidh^ to
decay. The onion smut, which has more of the character
of a fungus plant, so impregnates the land with its spore,
as to render it unsafe to plant onions for several 3^ear^
on land thus affected. The parasite that produces the-
onion white blight does not reproduce itself by seeding
the land, but comes upon the crop at the period of its most
vigorous grovv'th, in a dry time, showing its effects per-
haps in ;i small spot at first, but in case the dry atmos-
phere continues, rapidly spreading over the whole field.
Two or three days give sufficient time to stop entirely
all future growth of the crop, unless a change in the
weather occurs unfavorable to the growth of this para-
site. There is another kind of parasite ecjually destruc-
tive, that causes the black blight on the onion crop, sim-
ilar to tliat which affects the potato, and requiring the
same state of the weather to produce it that is necessary.

17

to produce the potato rot. The parasite that causes the
potato rot delights in a Avarm, close, humid atmosphere
that frequently follows a rain. When a field of potatoes,
planted either early or late, is in its most vigorous
growth, just before the tubers begin to ripen, if such a
condition of the weather then occurs, this parasite will
be produced. The more dense the growth of vines the
more liable to an attack, and it will commence in that
part of the field where the growth is most vigorous, and
will rapidly spread over the whole, unless a change in
the weather takes place. Some varieties of potatoes
are more susceptible to it than others. If the tops are
cut close to the ground, when first attacked, the pota-
toes may be saved ; otherwise, in a few days, they be-
come more or less diseased, and decay rapidly follows, in
which case it is better to leave the potatoes in the
ground until those affected are entirely decayed. A
portion of the crop may thus be saved, for if dug be-
fore that time the whole will be lost.

It will be seen from what has been said, that if you
plant the rows wide apart, or alternate with some other
crop, in order to have the vines more open, they will be
less liable to an attack.

Many theories have been advanced, from time to time,
as to the cause and prevention of these serious hinder-
ances to the fiirmer's success ; but none as yet have
proved satisfactory. Every one, however, knows that
under certain conditions mould, which is a vegetable
growth, will certainly appear ; that|on a bank of earth
and stable manure, prepared in a certain way, under
suitable circumstances, mushrooms will surely grow. A
pot of earth placed in mid-winter under the drip of a
green house, will in a short time produce a very beauti-
2

18

fill variety of moss, and in a longer time a second vari-
ety will appear. Very many instances of like character
might be mentioned, all going to show that certain con-
ditions will produce certain vegetable growths.

I have endeavored to show that certain conditions of
the atmosphere, at a certain stage of the growth of the
onion, and the potato, will produce the parasites that
cause the blight and destruction of these crops. I be-
lieve that at such times, when the known conditions are
favorable for the production of these parasitic plants,
some application may be made that would ward off their
attacks, and save our crops. Here is a wide field for
investigation and experiment worthy the attention of
the scientific observer, and practical farmer. Let them
work together for effectual remedies of these great evils.

Drought and excessive wet, also, at times operate very
much against the farmer's success. The one may be
partially remedied by fi'equent cultivation and hoeing,
and the other by a judicious system of under-draining.

How is farming to be made most profitable ?

First, let every farmer consider the locality of his fjirm
with reference to the market for his produce ; then the
character of the soil, and size of the farm ; finally his
own taste should be carefully studied before deciding
upon the kind of farming he will pursue.

Man is capable of governing nations, of commanding
armies and navies, of the conception and construction of
the most minute and delicate machinery, as well as the
most ponderous steamship that ploughs the ocean. He
has united the continents, so that the heart-throbbings of
the one are felt throughout th^e length and breadth of the
other. He commands the very elements, and they obey,
. and do his work, but no one man has done all these

19

things or any two of them. Neither can an}^ one man
conduct successful!}" all kinds of farming; life is not
long enough to enable one to hecome an expert in all.

Darwin, the distinguished naturalist, declares that
" apparently, it transcends the power of the human intel-
lect to breed all kinds of fancy pigeons," How much
more difficult for one mind to grasp and manage suc-
cessfully all kinds of farming ?

The farmer having chosen a speciality in accordance
with the above principles, let him persevere in it, and he
will certainly succeed, take one year with another, pro-
vided he pursues a system of high culture. For I know
of no kind of good ftirming that does not pay well;
while no kind of poor farming will yield more than a
poor living. Nor should it. Of course, any man who is
a man, and cares for the comfort and happiness of his
family, whatever his specialty may be, will see to it that
abundance of vegetables, fruits, small and large, milk,
eggs and poultry are grown upon the farm, for family
use ; for these pay. He will see, also, that a suitable
piat be carefully prepared, and that the women and girls
of the family be amply provided with the means of stock-
ing it with at least a few choice bedding plants, annual
s^nd perennial flowers and shrubs ; for these pay.

Does he select the dairy or the raising of milk for the
market, let him be sure and test the quality of milk
from each cow, with a lactometer, and he will be sur-
prised to find how mean some of his animals are. I
"have recently tested the milk from each of my six cows.
and find that the milk of one yields only from one to
eight per cent, cream, different milkings varying in qual-
ity, while the milk of the others yields from ten to
twenty per cent, cream. I had every reason to suppose

20

the first to be a decent cow. But for the trial, I might
have kept her for years, without knowing what poor
milk she gave. Such milk is hardly fit to supply even
the Boston market I Test yours I doubt not many of
you have just such cows. The profit in raising m^ilk de-
pends upon the quantity of food a good cow can be
made to consume. A poor cow should not be kept, for
she affords no profit. Except in the season for pasture-
or soiling, hay, roots, shorts and Indian meal are fed to
advantage in producing milk ; meal should be given
sparingly to young cows, lest they be injured by it.
Old cows will bear a larger quantity. I once fed nine-
ty bushels of meal to one old cow in one year, at a
large profit. She gave twenty quarts per day the whole
time, and became very fat for beef A young cow would
have been spoiled by such poor feeding.

If the growing of roots and vegetables be his choice,
he should raise his own seed, unless he is sure of getting^
it of a reliable grower. For whatever may be his culti-
vation, a poor harvest will be the result of poor seed. The
choicest specimens should be carefully selected year af-
ter year, that the seed may be tJioroiigJi-hred. For the
laws of selection and reversion are just as applicable to
the growing of vegetables, as to the breeding of animals;
and, generally speaking, the laws that govern animal
and vegetable life will be found to be wonderfully alike.
Therefore, let every farmer be sure and use none but
thorough-bred seed, and that the centre of the top of all
vegetables selected for seed be uninjured, for the sprout
that issues from the centre is the only one that producej?
the best seed.

The seed from u turnip or a rutabaga that has had
the top cut close, causing thereby the sprouts to issue

21

from the sides, will not produce good roots, but generally
tops, with only a tap root of no value. But turnips de-
signed for late keeping should have the tops pared close
and the tap root cut off to prevent sprouting, which
causes a turnip to become corky. Cabbage seed should
never be grown from stumps, but from a sprout issuing
from the centre of a perfectly developed head. A me-
dium crop of vegetables, the result of three or four cords
■of manure per acre, may pay expenses ; but it is the
large crops, requiring from seven to twelve cords of well
rotted or composted manure per acre, with clean culture
that afford the profit. Green manure is wholly unfit for
the culture of vegetables.

To illustrate the importance of high culture and thor-
•ough-bred seed, I will mention an instance that has come
under my notice the present season. Mr. David Went-
zeli, of Salem, has two acres of onions, to which he ap-
plied fifteen cords of muscle mrtia?^ ^^^^ ^i"®^ quality, and
twenty-five cords of well rotted stable manure, measured
as thrown lightly into the cart without treading, and
probably equal to eighteen cords trodden. lie sowed
the very best qualit}^ of known thorough-bred seed, on
an acre and three quarters, then sowed seed grown by a
neighbor, of as good quality as the average used ; not
having quite enough, he bought more at a seed store to
finish the field. All came up equally well. On the part
sown with thorough-bred seed there is scarcely an imper-
fect onion, and the crop is the largest in the vicinity. On
the part sown with good seed, the onions are tea days
later, of inferior quality, and less quantity, and valued at
twenty-five per cent, less than the first. On the part
sown with seed from the store, (which probably was of
.about the qualit}^ usually in the market), the onions

were still later, of much worse (jiiality, and less quantityj.
and valued at fifty per cent, less than the first. Any
one walking across the field could tell at a glance, and
to a row, where the different qualities of seed w^ere sown..

Here, then, is an instance where a field of onions,
under very high cultivation, was treated, every part, ex-
actly alike, except in the quality of seed sown The
thorough-bred seed yielded the value of one hundred and
fifty bushels per acre, more than the average quality of
seed generally used by farmers who grow their own, and
three hundred bushels per acre more than the average
quality of seed sold in the market. This estimate i&
made while the crop is yet in the field, and six hundred
bushels of onions, of the first quality, is not an over esti-
mate of the product per acre from the thorough-bred'
seed.

I have no doubt "*^^ ' the careful selection for seed
year after year, is jul ' ' ^ mportant and profitable in all.
other vegetable and grain crops as it has been shown ta
be in the case of the onion crop just cited. The raising;
of seed may be made profitable, provided the grower
conscientiously offers none for sale that is not true to
description, and of the best thoroughbred quality, grown;
from selected stock years in succession. A few years of
such business would secure a reputation worth ai fortune
for such seed will always sell at very high prices.

The growing of small fruits may be made very profit-
able. The demand for choice fruit at high prices has
never been fully met, and it increases every year. As
many bushels of berries as of potatoes can be grown
upon an acre of land.

Many other branches of the business of farming of
equal importance might be treated ©4 did time permit.

that can be pursued with handsome profits, but whatever
kind is undertaken, let it be persevered in, for no man,
after adapting his land, buildings, stock and tools, to any
one kind, can change to another without great loss of
time and money.

T know an instance of an industrious and good farmer,
who hired a small farm, and made every exertion to pre-
pare - it for the onion crop. He grew onions two years
and was obliged to sell them from a dollar and a quarter
to two dollars per barrel, while early potatoes brought
high prices and paid large profits. The next two years
he planted early potatoes, excluding onions, but unfor-
tunately for him, potatoes rotted badly both years, and
onions w^ere sold from three to eight dollars per barrel.
If he had continued his onion crop, his returns would
have been large.

In another case, a neighbor cul'^^'vated onions, and for
three years his crojDS w^ere partial ±vdlures, causing him
to fall in debt five hundred dollars each year, but he
persisted in their cultivation, and the fourth year he was
enabled to pay off his debt of the previous three years,
and clear two thousand dollars besides, whereas, if he
had changed his system of farming, he might never have
paid his debt, and farming, in his case, would have been
been a failure, instead of the great success it has since
proved to be.

Havino- thus, Mr. President and o-entlemen of the So-
ciety, given you some of the results of my experience
and observation as a practical farmer, born and bred in
our good old county of Essex, and knowing, too, the
resources of her soil, if but wisely and thoroughly culti-
vated, let me, in conclusion, urge you to renewed efforts
in developing those resources by premiums, by shows?

24

by the publication of reports and essays, by using all
means to draw out truthful statements of experience, by
disseminating knowledge of high farming, and by living
up to the knowledge you possess, and practising what
you preach to others, until every farmer, belonging to this
society, makes his farming not only pay, but yield hand-
some returns for his industry.

THE EXHIBITION.

ADDRESSES, UESOLUTIONS, &C

The Forty-Ninth Annual Exhibition and Cattle Show
was held at Newhuiyport, Sept. 28th and 29th, 1869.

The Entries were as follows. Horses and Cattle, 146.
In addition to these were Working Oxen and Steers, 20
pairs ; Farm and Draft Horses, 5 ; Swine, 30 ; Sheep, 32 ;
Poultry, 20 entries; Ploughing, 18 teams; Agricultural
Implements, 8 entries; Carriages and Wagons, 10 do;
Pears, 116 entries, 351 plates; Apples, 110 entries, 232
plates; Grapes and Pearhes, 114 entries, 190 plates;
Flowers, 140 entries; Bread, 33 do; Honey and Bees, 4
do ; Preserves, 7 do ; Vegetables, 76 do ; Counterpanes,
Carpetings and Rugs, 72 do ; Manufactures and Gen-
eral Merchandise, 49 do; Fancy Articles, about 150 do ;
Butter and Cheese, 10 do; Articles Manufactured from
Leather, 8 do. 27 diplomas and over ^1000, in pre-
miums were awarded.

Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, delegate from the Massa-
chusetts Board of Agriculture, was present, and at the
dinner table addressed the Society, as follows:

26

REMARKS OF HON. MARSHALL P. WILDER.

Mr. Wilder, in response to the call of the President,
said that it was many years since he had the pleasure
of visiting the Essex Society, but was most happy to be
here again to meet old friends, and to participate in the
privileges of the occasion. He recognized Gen. Sutton,
the President, as a gentleman whose heart and purse
were open to every worthy object ; also Hon. Allen W.
Dodge, his good Christian friend, who, from the first in-
ception of the project, had stood by him, manfully, in
all the efforts for the establishment of the State Board
of Agriculture, the State Agricultural College, render-
ing thanks to a merciful Providence that they had been
permitted to live to see those institutions established on
a firm foundation. Nor would he forget his co-laborer,
Major Ben. Perley Poore, with whom he had for so many
years been associated in official duties, as his Secretary
in the United States Agricultural Society, according to
him distinguished ability for the various positions he
had occupied.

Mr. Wilder expressed the great satisfoction he had
experienced in the exhibition of this day. All the de-
partments were respectable, and several were worthy
of commendation, but of these he should speak in his
report as the delegate from the State Board. He spoke
of the Fruit Department, espe(dally its apples and
grapes, whi(;h were equal to those of the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society in Boston, at their late exhibition.
This led the speaker to allude to the influence of Agri-
cultural and Horticultural Societies, of which he charac-
terized the Essex as one of the great pioneers in the
way of progress.

He had lived io see great improvements in the art of
cultivation, and in these none were more remarkable
than that of fruit culture. He alluded to the example
of Gov. Endicott in planting his pear tree at Danvers,
now multiplied into thousands of orchards, and that, in-
stead of what was then considered an aristocratic tree
for the gardens of the opulent, it is now planted in or-
chards of five or more thousands of a single variety.
He also alluded to the same relative progress in other
fruits, stating that he had just returned from the great
meeting at Philadelphia of the American Pomological
Society, now in the twenty-first year of its existence,
where twenty-five States and thirty-four societies w^ere
represented, and Avhere from Kansas, California, and ter-
ritories which had not even a name when the national
society was established, were brought fruits, for size ana
beauty almost surpassing belief These, said he, are the
results of a wide-spread interest in fruit culture, ema-
nating more from the early examples in Massachusetts^
than from any other cause.

Mark the wonderful progress since the establishment
of the Mass. Horticultural Society forty years since,
when at its first exhibition, Robert Manning, your own,
our own great American pomologist, (thank God, his
honored son, bearing his own name, is here to-day), pre-
sented but two baskets of fruit, and who afterwards ex-
hibited some three hundred varieties of the pear alone
at one exhibition of this society.

Continuing his remarks on the influence of Societies,
he accorded to Old Essex County a foremost place as a.
pioneer not only in Agriculture but Fruit Culture ; in-
stanced the fact that Gov. Endicott, Timothy Pickering,
and Robert Manning, all had nurseries of trees. In re-

28

gard to such praiseworthy examples and the power oi
association, he gave as illustration the establishment
and influence of the early Agricultural and Horticultur-
al associations of our country. The first Agricultural
Society of our land was established at^^ Philadelphia in
1785, and of which your own Timoth}^ Pickering was
Secretary. His example, acting through his corres-
pondents and friends in Massachusetts, soon led to the
formation of the Massachusetts Society for^the Promo-
tion of Agriculture. Then the desire for Ornamental
Culture came as a natural sequence, and the Pennsylva-
nia Horticultural Societ}^ was formed in 1827, and as in
the former case the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
followed the example, and was established in 1829.
From these Societies went forth the first emanation
which culminated in the formation of similar societies
now spread over our country, and of which, as it appears
by the records of the Department of Agriculture at
Washington, there are now more than thirteen hundred
societies whose object is to promote the culture of the
soil.

Such is the power of association, in which your own
Essex Society has ever held a prominent standing. Ma}'
it go on, prospering and to prosper, rising higher and
higher in the scale of intelligence and usefulness, and
may its future be as glorious as its past has been hon-
orable.

REMARKS OF JOHN KEELEV, ESQ.,

And Resolutions of respect on the decease of Hon. James
H. Duncan, of Haverhill.

Mr. President: — Since this Society last met we
have sustained a great loss in the death of one of its

29

earliest members and efficient supporters — Hon. James
H. Duncan.

Mr. Duncan's whole life was distinguished by remark-
able activity. At the age of eighteen he completed a
college education ; studied law, and was admitted to the
Essex Bar before twenty-one, and immediately establish-
ed himself in his native town as a lawyer.

At this early age, his natural powers enlarged and
cultivated by education, with urbanity of manner, and
graceful eloquence rarely found, he was naturally thrown
into intimate relations with many of the leading men of
that time ; and those well qualified to judge marked oui
for him a speedy course to eminence in his profession.

But the intense activity of his nature was soon turnecT
into other channels, less gratifying to ambition, but per-
haps more useful to his fellow man. And when this So-
ciety was formed he was found among its earliest friends.
He quickly saw the influence Avhich it might be made to
exert upon the agricultural and manufacturing interests
of the County, and gave to it his support. His name
appears on its first printed records, and two years after--
wards he was in its Board of Trustees. Subsequently
he served as President for several successive years, and
continued to be one of its honorary trustees until his
death.

His interest in this Society never diminished ; and if
some have thought otherwise, let it be remembered that
up to only a few days before the close of his long life,
he was always burdened with an amount of business
cares, such as most men would refuse to bear. Few men
have entered so fully into the interests of religious, ed-
ucational, political and material improvement as did Col-

30

Duncan, and wherever lie concentrated his efibrts he was
.sure to excel.

For many years at these annual gatherings his eloquent
words of counsel and cheer have been considered almost
a necessary part of our entertainments. But, Mr. Pres-
ident we shall to-morrow sadly miss those clear melodi-
ous utterances of practical good sense.

Having served his day and generation, through a long
and eminently useful life, marked by inflexible integrity
in all his relations to men, and with piety towards God,
which makes his memory fragrant, he has yielded to the
great Harvester like a shock of corn fully ripe.

I will offer the following

RESOLUTIONS.

Resolved, That as it has pleased Almighty God to re-
move from this Society our late esteemed associate, Jas.
H. Duncan, we hereby express our sorrow for the great
loss we have sustained.

Resolved, That we shall ever retain a lively recollec-
tion of his many virtues, and active labors in the cause
of agriculture.

: Resolved, That we tender our heart-felt sympathies to
his bereaved family in their grief for his sudden death.

RESOLUTION

On the death of Jonas Holt, of Andover.
Hon. George Foster, of Andover, announced the death
oi Jonas Holt, of that town, and paid a fitting tribute

31

to his character as an esteemed citizen, intelligent man,
a kind neighbor and consistent christian. He had been
honored by his fellow citizens with positions of trust and
^esponsibilit3^ was well informed in regard to public af-
fairs, and took a deep interest in agricultural pursuits.

Whereupon the Society directed the following Reso-
lutions to be placed upon its records :

Resolved, That by the recent death of Jonas Holt of
Andover, one of our Board of Trustees, this Society has
lost a useful member, and an efficient and influential of-
ficer, whose practical knowledge and wise counsels for a
long period have contributed much to the prosperity of
our organization, and his many excellencies of character
<will ever be held by us in grateful remembrance.

33

EPORTS, &C.,

FAT CATTLE.

Four Entries. — Premiums awarded as follows:
Joshua L. Newhall, Newburyport, for off ox, 1st premium,
Diploma, and $10.

Joseph Longfellow, Newbury, for off ox, 2d premium, $8.
Joshua L. Newhall, for near ox, 3d premium, $5.
For the committee — William Foster.

BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls have attended to their duty, and
make the following report :

Ayrshires.

To J. L. Newhall, of Newburyport, for his four year old
bull, *'Logan," first premium, Diploma, and

34

To J. D. W. French, of North Andover, for his bull two
years old, "Mc Donald 3d," we award the Societies' second
premium of $5.

C. C. Adams, of Newbury, presents his Ayrshire bull "Sa-
chem."

S. N. Caldwell presents a young* Ayrshire bull which has
marks of good blood.

Jerseys.

The Society's first premium, diploma, and $10 awarded to
Joseph Longfellow, of Newbury, for his bull thirteen months
old.

The second premium of $5 to Eliphalet Griffin, of Newbury-
port, for his bull "Juno," fourteen months old.

J. T. Wood presents a good Jersey grade bull.

John Remick, of Newburyport, exhibits a grade bull seven-
teen months old, which is a large and well developed animal.

Your Committee also recommend that a gratuity of $5 each
be given

To W. B. Carlton, of Haverhill, for his four year old bull,
"Cleaveland," and

'Jo John K. Dodge, of j^Newburyport, for his two year old
bull, "Conqueror."

Both of which are among the best of their kind, but un-
fortunately are without satisfactory pedigrees.

Committee— ISIark F. Hill, P. T. Winkley, W. B. Morgan,
John Ellis.

MILCH COWS.

The Committee award the first premium to Moses A. Plum-
er, of Newburyport, $15 and diploma for his grade Ayrshire
and Jersey cow, "Lupin," six years old.

It will be seen by the statement of Mr. Plumer that his cow

35

was dry the first ten days of June, when the rules of the society
req^uire the milk to be measured, but the Committee thought
that he had complied with the spirit of the requirement, though
not strictly with the letter. In comparing the statements of
Mr. Plumer and Mr. French it will be seen that the former
measured his milk soon after she dropped her calf; the latter
two months later ; we would make proper allowance for this.
The one gave twenty-two quarts per day, for the first ten days
in July. In September, eighteen quarts ; decreasing but four
-quarts per day for two months. The other shrank eight quarts
per day in three months, giving nineteen quarts in June and
but eleven quarts in September. It is not easy to say from
the statements which of the cows was fed the best for the pro-
duction of milk. How many cabbage leaves it would require
to be equal to two quarts of meal and four of shorts, daily, we
have no means of knowing, but our impression is, that there is
nothing besides green grass that will produce a greater flow of
milk than cabbage leaves. It appears from Mr. Plumer's state-
ment that he sold daily from his cow about $1,20 worth of milk
for July and August.

They award the second premium of ^10 to J. D. W. French,
of North Andover, for his grade cow, six years old. This cow
would have appeared much better if she could have been put
in the pen without the excitement incident to a ride upon the
•cars.

They award the third premium of $5 to E. Donahoe, of New-
buryport, for his grade short-horn and Jersey cow, four years
old. This is a small cow to give so large a quantity of milk as
the following statement shows ; an average of nineteen and one
fifth quarts for the first ten days in June, and but a fraction
short of fourteen quarts per day in September,

Two Kerry Cows were exhibited by D. F. Appleton, of Ips-
wich.

The Committee are not acquainted with the merits of this
breed, but we have heard them called the poor mail's cow. How
many of them it would take to make a rich man poor we will

36

not say, but we never thought there was much income derived
from a cow's horn, which is the most prominent development
of this breed.

In behalf of the Society we desire to present our thanks to
Mr. Appleton for exhibiting these animals, which give us so in-
teresting and instructive a lesson upon the effects of food and
shelter upon our domestic animals. A few centuries ago these
were identical with those from which the improved Short-horns
of the present day came. High feed, good shelter, and careful
breeding, generation after generation, have produced the one,
while the other left exposed on the hills of Ireland, scantily
fed, year after year, have become diminutive in many respects,
with enlarged horns.

Committee — Wm. K. Putnam, Mark F. Hill, William B.
Carlton, Eldred S. Pai'ker, George W. Sanborn.

STATEMENT OF J. D. W. FRENCH.

CocHicHEwicK Farm, North Axdover,

Sept. 23, 1869.
Mr. C. p. Preston:

Sec, Essex Co. Agricultural Society,

I px'esent for the premium given for the best Milch Cow, my
cow, "Pride," six years old ; a grade animal of whose pedigree
I have been unable to gain any information. I think she has
both Ayrshire and Durham blood. She dropped her calf 1st
of April, 1869, and was served by my Ayrshire bull on the
20th of June. The first ten days in June she averaged nineteen
quarts of milk per day, which weighed at the rate of 8| lbs.
per gallon, or 42f lbs. for the days' milk. The first ten days
in September she gave eleven quarts per day. Her feed for
two months previous to calving was good hay. After calving,
until she was turned out to grass, May 23rd, four quarts of
shorts and one peck of roots per day besides her allowance of
hay. For the past two months the pasture feed has been sup-

pletnented with corn fodder and cabbage leaves. I would here
-state that all my stock have received like treatment during the
summer; but no grain. I sell my milk, so have not tested it
for butter.

I also present for premium my full-blood Ayrshire bull, "Mc.
Donald" 3d; (Ayrshire Herd Book, No. 263.) He was calved
February 18, 1867, so is two years seven months and ten days
old. Sire, Mc Donald 2nd, 262 ; dam, Bessie, 268.

I also present my full-blood Ayrshire heifer, "Enid," for
the premium given for the best yearling heifer. She was calved
July 22, 1868. Sire, John Alden, 218 ; dam. Frolic, 412,

I have on exhibition my Ayrshire cow, "Madge," (A. H.
Book,) 575. Calved Aug. 1860. Sire, Dandy 7th; dam,
Maarsrie.

STATEMENT OF MOSES A. PLUMER.

I offer for premium the cow "Lillian." She is grade Jersey
and native, and is now four years old.

The first ten days in June she averaged twenty quarts of
milk per day ; and the first ten days in September sixteen
■quarts per day. She dropped her calf the 18th of May, and
will calve again the 10th of April, 1870. She is fed on Indi-
an meal and shorts — eatingtwo quarts of the former, and four
of the latter per day. Her milk is sold from the house at six
cents per quart in summer, and seven cents in winter, and is of
excellent quality. She is pastured about a mile and one half
from the barn.

Newburyport, Sept., 27th, 1869.

STATEMENT OF E. DONAHOE.

I offer for premium the four-year-old grade Durham and
Jersey cow, "Fanny." She dropped her last calf April 22,
1869, and will calve again the last of April, 1870. She has
had a fair pasture, and one quart of meal and three quarts of

38

shorts per day. Her milk is of extra quality, and I present a
statement of the quantity she gave the first ten days of Jun&
and September.

JUNE. SEPTEMBER.

Morning.

Evening.

Morning.

Evening.

8 1-2 Qts.

10 1-4 Qts.

7 Qts.

8 1-2 Qts

9

10

6 1-2 "

8 1-2 "

9

10 1-2 "

6 1-2 "

7 "

8 1-2 "

10

5 3-4 "

7 1-2 "

9 1-2 "

10 1-2 "

5 3-4 "

7 1-2 "

8 1-4 "

10 1-2 "

6

8

8 1-2 "

10 1-2 "

6 1-4 "

7 1-2 •*

9

10 1-4 "

6

8 1-2 "

8 3-4 "

10

6

8

9

10 1-2 "

6

7 1-2 "

HEIFERS.

Your Committee on Heifers, viz. 3 years old, 2 years old,,
yearlings and calves, in attending to their duty (found it no
homoeopathic dose) submit the following report:

There were sixty-four animals presented.

Of 3 year olds there were none conforming to the require-
ments of this Society. — No premiums awarded.

2 years old :

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, first premium of $8.

To Joseph Longfellow, of Newbury, second premium of $5-.

To Hiram Young, of Newbury, third premium of $3.

Yearlings :

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, fii'st premium of $5

To Joshua L. Newhall, of Newburyport, second premium of

O

For the best lot of calves, (four in number) the premium of
$6, to S. M. Caldwell, of Newbury.

We would also state there were three fine calves presented

39

for inspection by B. P. Pool, Esq., of West Newbury; we
learned by a lady, a member of his family, that there were more
at home of the same sort, and in justice to the calves presented,
we think their owner remiss in duty ; a hint to the wise is suf-
ficient.

There was a fine heifer imported, together with three calves
from imported stock, presented by E. Griffin, of Newburyport,
to which no premium could be awarded.

There are several other animals well worthy of this society's
consideration, and our regret is that limited means prevented
doing them justice.

Committee — E. G. Berry, Geo. B. Dodge, G. A. Randall,
Sam'l Wallace.

WORKING OXEN AND STEERS.

Premiums awarded as follows :

To Edward H. Little, of Newbury, for oxen, first premium
and diploma, $12.

To Sam'l Moody, of West Newbury, for oxen, 2d premium,

no.

To Silas Little, of Newbury, for oxen, 3d premium, $8.
To Gideon R. Lucy, of Newbury, for steers, first premium
and diploma, $8.

To Joseph Horton, of Ipswich, for steers, 2d premium, $5.
Committee — R. S. Pray, Geo. H. Snow, John S. Preston.

STEERS.

The Committee on steers would report that there were seven
pairs of steers entered for premium :

40

Two pairs 3 years old, three pairs 2 years old and two pairs
of yearlings.

We have awarded premiums as follows :

For three years old, 1st, premium of $6 to Romulus Jaques,
of West Newbury.

2d premium of $2 to Daniel Moulton, of West New-
bury.

For two years old, 1st, premium of $5 to James D. White,
of Haverhill, and the 2d, premium of $4 to Paul T. Winkley,
of Newburyport.

For yearling Steers, first premium of $4 to Dr. Joseph
Kittredge of North Andover, and the second premium of $o
to Paul T. Winkley, of Newburyport.

The other pair of two year old Steers were entered by Na-
thaniel Stevens, of North Andover, a boy only twelve years
old, who showed good skill in the training of his Steers.
They would back, go forward, haw or gee, like well trained
oxen, and as an encouragement to the boy, for making so good
a show with his well trained Steers, the committee would re-
commend that a gratuity of $3 be allowed him.

Committee — Abel Stickney, Allen Smith, jr, Sylvanus B,
Swan, John Brown, R. T. Jaques.

STALLIONS.

Premiums awarded for Stallions^ four years old and up-
wards. Bartlett & Weeman, Danvers, " Danvers Boy, jr."
first premium, Diploma, and $15.

D. F. Morrill & Son, Amesbury, " Abdallah Chief," second
premium $10.

Stallion three years old, Chas. O. Putnam, Danvers, " Young
Danvers Boy," first premium, $8.

N. Little Newbury, for Stallion, second premium, $5.

41

The Committee on Stallions present the following report in
addition to their announcement of premiums already handed
to the Secretary. The committee regretted very much that
•there were only four animals for their inspection. They attri-
buted this to the small amount of premiums given to the dif-
ferent classes of horses, which are no larger, if as large as
those given in 1832, when the first premium ever given by
the society was $20 for the " Iron Gray Colt," so called, of
Mr. John O. W. Brown, of Newbury.

It was stated by a gentleman of experience in such matters
that the display of grapes of this year was one of the finest
he had ever seen. Is this not owing to the largeness of pre-
miums, as compared with those for horses ? On referring to
the awards of last year, we see that there were given in pre-
miums and gratuities for grapes $49, whilst for Stallions, in
the same year, only $18, and this year $46. The committee
unanimously suggest a premium for the best Stallion, four
years old and upwards, as high certainly, as $50, and other
premiums for horses in proportion. The committee also men-
tion the propriety of the adoption of a regulation by the society
that the pedigree of horses must be completely and accurately
given, on the dam's side as M'ell as the sire't-, and that this
should be insisted upon by our worthy Secretary before the
entry for each exhibition is made. The committee cannot see
the usefulness of the rule of the society preventing a Stallion
that takes the first premium one year, from taking the same
premium the following year, if deserving. A horse generally
grows in value and beauty each year, in many cases till 15 or
more years old, and the people desire to see him, and the emu-
lation to raisers of horses must be increased in our county if
this rule was not a prevailing one.

The committee were particularly pleased with " Young
Danvers Boy " presented by Mr. Charles O. Putnam, of Dan-
vers. This colt though only a three years old, had most ex-
cellent limbs, fine bone and muscle, a square strong step, a
good stride and a clean blood-like head and eye, and if handled.
^properly, will be of great value.

42

All the Stallions were of such an excellent class as to claim,
the attention of the farmers of Essex who wish good colts,,
and thereby improve the value of this class of stock, for we
are convinced, that, be they ever so old fashioned, the farraei
is as anxious as any one to breed a "Lady Thorn" or a.
** Goldsmith Maid," — mares worth their tens of thousands.

FRANK ALLEY, for the'Coramittee.

BREEDING MARES.

The Committee report five entries, premiums as follows: —

To Daniel G. Todd, of Rowley, the first premium, a diploms-.
and $15.

To Charles Kimball, of Bradford, the second premium.^
of $10.

To Benjamin F. Jenkins, of North Andover, the third pre-
mium of $8.

Committee — Eben King, F. R, Allen, John Swinerton.,
Wra. H. Patch.

FAMILY HORSES.

The Committee report four entries, with premiums as fol-
lows : —

To William Hervey, of Newburyport, the first premium, a
diploma and $15.

To Robert Bailey, of Newburyport, the second premium-
of $10.

To David Smith, of Newburyport, the third premiun of $&.

Committee — James P. King, L. H. Russell, G. R. Lucy.,
Andrew Lane, J. N. Kent.

43

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

Ther^ were four entries and premiums were awarded :

To E. H. Little, of Newbury, first premium, diploma and

0.

To James T, Carleton, of Bradford, 2d premium, $8.
To J. D. W. French, of No. Andover, 3d premium, $5.
For the Committee — James Flint.

COLTS.

The Committee award the following premiums :

Colts Four Years Old.

To Orrin Putnam, of Danvers, first premium, diploma and
). — Sire, Danvers Boy.
To Washington Burnham, of Essex, second premium, $5.
Sire, St. Lawrence.

Colts Three Years Old.

To Daniel Weed, of Amesbury, first premium, $6. Sire,
Taggart's Abdallah.

To David Foss, of Newburyport, second premium, $4.

Colts Two Years Old,

To Elbridge Batelle, of Newburyport, first premium, $'j.
Sire, Percheron Stallion, Conqueror.

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, second premium, $3. Sire,
Green's Hamiltonian.

Colts One Year Old.

To J. Otis Winkley, of Newburyport, first premium $4. —
Morgan Stock,

44

To A. F. Newhall, of Newburypoit, second premium,
Sire, Young Messenger.

Committee — D. G. Todd, J. D. W. French.

SWINE.

There were seven entries and premiums awarded as follows:

To H. P. Holt, of Andover, for boar, first premium, diploma
and $8.

To Joseph Longfellow, of Newbury, second premium, $5

Geo. B. Austin, of Boxford, for breeding sow, first premium,
diploma and $8.

To William Foster, of No. Andover, second premium, $5.
" To Joseph Longfellow, of Newbury, for weaned pigs, first
premium, $5.

William Foster, of No. Andover, second premium, $3.

Committee — Edward Little, Hanson Ordway, C. H. Ord-
way, Wm. J. Dale, Jr., Geo. Abbott.

POULTRY.

The Committee on poultry found entered upon their books
the names of eighteen exhibitors, and at their stand sixty-four
coups of fowls — one of the largest displays that has been seen
at our county show for a long time, and they w^ould award the
following premiums and gratuities :

To John S. Ives of Salem, for the best display of fowls, first
premium, $5.

To Paul T. Winkley, of Newburyport, for 2d do, second
premium, $2.

45

To Edward E. Bartlett, of Newburyport, 3d do, gratuity, $1.

To John Swinerton, of Danvers, for best coop of Brahmas,
first premium, $o.

To Joseph Horton, of Ipswich, for Bremen geese, gratuity $2.

To John Ives, of Salem, for Alesbury ducks, gratuity, $2.

To Thomas E. Bartlett, of Newburyport, for Alesbury ducks,
gratuity, $1.

To Mrs. G. L. Streeter, of Salem, for trio Ci-eve-Cojurs,
gratuity, $2.

To J. B. Smith, of Newburyport, for Rocky Mountain, gra-
tuity, $2.

Committee — Andrew Nichols, John I. Ladd, Amos Pratt.

SHEEP.

The Committee on sheep report:

They award to Francis Dane, of Hamilton, for his Cotswold
ewes, the first premium of $8 and diploma.

To Komulus Jaques, of West Newbury, for his grade ewes^
the second premium of $5.

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, for the best lot of lambs, $3.

To D. F. Appleton, of Ipswich, for his Cotswold buck, di-
ploma and $6.

Committee, — Moses H. Poore, Charles Corliss, A. P. Bate-
man.

PLOUGHING— DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Double Teams would ?e-
port as follows : —

46

That there were five entries, but only four teams appeared
upon the ground.^

The premiums were awarded as follows:

First premium of $12 and diploma to D. L. Goodrich, West
Newbury ; Plough, Whittemore & Belcher '•' Eagle," No. 20
Time, 21- minutes.

Second premium of $10 to E, T. Jaques and R. S. Bray of
Newbury; Plough, Ames' ''Eagle," No. 20. Time, 23
minutes.

Third premium of $9 to Jos. Horton, of Ipswich ; Plough,
liuggles & Nourse's "Eagle," No 2. Time 26 minutes.

Fourth premium of $S to E. H. Little, Newbury; Plough,
Prouty & Mears, 155. Time 32 minutes.

The ground on which the trial was had was rather light,
and free from stones ; consequently it did not so thoroughly
test the skill of the ploughmen or quality of the ploughs.

We suppose the principal object of the ploughing match is,
to furnish as near as may be, specimens of model ploughing to
less experienced ploughmen. It does not, like most parts of
the exhibition, exhibit the results of skill alone, but it shows
the manner in which the work is done. We can see, and com-
pare, the practice of our best ploughmen in holding the plough.
We can see how a good teamster manages his team, and often-
times how a team should not be driven. And we can compare
at the ploughing match the- relative merits of the different
forms of ploughs.

There were, at our ploughing match, some specimens of
holding the plough that would hardly be excelled, and some
beautifully managed teams, but your committee were unani-
mous in the opinion that there was too much huriy. Some of
the teams went at such a rate that the dirt flew from the mould
board, like grain from out a threshing machine ; and it will be
noticed that two of the competitors ploughed the prescribed
sixth of an acre in the Dexter-like time of twenty-four min-
utes. At this rate a team would plough four acres in ten
hours. Now we question, very much, the propriety of en-

47

couraging the driving of a team so much beyond its power of
-endurance. If we should go into the field and find our men
urging our ox-team at such a rate, while breaking up sod
ground, we should think the cattle were abused, and feel like
• abusing the driver. Should we then encourage, at a prize trial,
what we would not alloiv on our own farms ?

If it is understood that ploughing must be done at such an
extreme rate of speed in order to obtain a premium, very few
will be found to compete, because few cattle are quick enough
and at the same time sufficiently steady. We think it ought
to be xmderstood by competitors that excessive speed in plough-
ing is not an essential element of success, but that the premium
depends upon the quality of the work; and that, other things
being equal, a moderate team has an equal chance for the
prize.

Committee — Joseph S. Howe, A. H. Patch, Jas. B. Foster,
■J. B. Tewksbury, E. Harrington, J. Longfellow.

PLOUGHING— SINGLE TEAMS.

The Committee make the following awards : —

To William Jaques, Newbury, the first premium of $7, and
a diploma.

To Thomas G. Ordway, West Newbury, the second pre-
«nium, $6.

Committee — S. A. Merrill, E. K. Lee, John Day, A. M.
Bodwell, Luther Noyes.

PLOUGHING— WITH HORSES.

The Committee report four entries, and make the following
awards :

48

To Joshua L. Newhall, of Newburyport, the first premium',
of $10, and diploma.

To Edward H. Little, of Newbury, the second premium, $7.

To Wm. R. Putnam, Danvers, the third premium, $4.

Committee — R. Jaques, Wm. E. Kimball, Moses H. Poor,
Wm. Litlle.

PLOUGHING— SIDE HILL PLOUGH.

There were four entries, consisting of two single and two
double teams. The following awards were made : —

To Samuel Moody, .Tr., of West Newbury, the first pre-
mium of |10, and diploma.

To Wm. Poster, No. Audover, the second premium, $8.

Chairman of Committee — E. S. Parker.

PLOUGHING— BY BOYS.

The Committee on Ploughing by Boys submit the following
report : —

President Sutton ofiered another liberal premium to boys
not over eighteen years of age, for ploughing.

It was said by one of our good farmers on the ploughing
field, in the hearing of the writer, that he would pay five
hundred dollars if he could hold a plough as well as a certaia
person who was then ploughing on the field (calling him by
name,) and he further said, that a person rarely became an ex-
pert at driving oxen or holding a plough, unless he commenced
when young. It is not to be supposed that the person alluded
to was desirous of driving, or holding a plough personally, to

49

much extent, but that he might be becter qualified to direct
his men.

To be a successful farmer, a person should understand how
to perform all the different kinds of labor done on the farm,
and as much of the labor is performed by machinery, he should
also know how to adjust and keep it in order. It may there-
fore naturally be expected that a person who spends the early
part of his life on the farm, will be more successful (other
things being equal,) than those who commence farming later
in life.

There were but three competitors on the field, viz : George
W. Bray, Newbury, 17 years old ; Samuel O. Ordway, West
Newbury, IT years old; and Leonard N. Rogers, of Newbury,
18 years old. Bray used Frouty & Mears' plough, No. 55 ;
Ordway used conical plough, No. 5.^, Bartlett & Co., maker;
Rogers used Hussey plough, No. 16. They all performed
their work well, worthy of experienced ploughmen, and there
was but little difference in the quality of the ploughing. Ord-
way's land was not quite so favorable for ploughing as the
other lots, as it was hollowing in the middle of the land, con-
sequently the furrows had to be turned up hill.

The committee would recommend the following premiums :

First premium of $25 to George W. Bray, Newbury.

Second '•' $15 to Samuel O. Ordway, "West Newbury.

Third '•' $10 to Leonard N. Rogers, Newbury.

Chairman of the Committee — Joseph How.

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

The Committee on Agricultural Implements report that
there were about the usual number and variety exhibited.

Those of Parker &: Gannett, of Boston were the most
4

50

numerous, cmsisting of Hay ^'^tt-ers. Cider Mills, Ploughs,
&c,, making in all twenty-three articies.

Whittemore, Belcher & Co., of Boston exhibited Ploughs,
Harrows, Churns, &c. These two companies were the largest
contributors.

The Committee award to Parker & Gannett, of Boston
the premium of fifteen dollars and diploma for the best col-
lection.

There were two Farm and Hay Wagons ; both very well
made, and adapted for the cartage of hay. The Committee
found some difficulty in deciding which was the best, but con-
cluded to give the sum of $5 to Webster Smith, of Ipswich,
for the best Farm Wagon.

To Whittemore, Belcher & Co., Boston, they award to for
their Grant Hay Cutter,

To Amos Poor, of West Newbury, they award the sum of
$3 for his Peerless Churn, and to Whittemore, Belcher & Co.,
Boston, the same sum for their Smith's Churn. Both of these
churns appeared to the Committee as though they were well
adapted to the purpose for which they were designed, but no
one appeared to give any information in regard to them, and
there was no trial.

The Committee award to E. E. Lummus, of Boston, the sum
of $5 for his American Hay Tedder, This is a good machine,
but should be improved by making it of lighter draft.

The Committee also noticed a Seed Sower of a new pattern,
invented and made by Charles P. Sargent, of Newburyport.
It is made of metal, except the handles, and furrows and cov-
ers as well as any machine we are acquainted with.

The new invention consists in the manner of measuring the
seed, which is done by holes drilled in a wheel that passes
through the seed box, and such is the precision claimed, that
Mr. Sargent told the Committee if they ■wished to sow two
cabbage seeds a foot apart, he could do it. All kinds, and any
amount of seed can be sown. Persons who have used it, speak
very highly of it.

51

The Committee award $6 to Charles P. Sargent, for his
Monitor Seed Sower.

There were other Implements which were excluded by the
■rules of the Society.

For the Committee — Francis Dodare.

CARRIAGES.

The awards are as follows :

To Foster and Howe, Amesbury, for Carriage Wheels, a
diploma.

To T. B. Patten, West Amesbury, for Concord pattern
Wagon gratuity, $10.

Committee — T. R. Leach, L. W. Tyler, John Danforth.

DAIRY.

Report of the Committee on Dairy :

The Committee on the Daily report that nine lots of But-
ter were entered for premium, but three of the claimants hav-
iug failed to present a sample of not less than fifteen pounds,
your Committee, in awarding the following premiums, were
confined to the remaining six competitors.

The first premium of a diploma and $12 was unanimously
awarded to A. F. Hobbs, of Wenham ; the second premium
of $10, to Mrs. Longfellow, of Byfield; the third premium of
^8, to Mrs. A. Dane, of Hamilton ; the fourth premium of $5,
to Mrs. Ridgeway, of West Newbury.

Three samples of Cheese were presented for our inspection.

52

We award the first premium of $8, to DL. Gcodriclge,,
West Newbury ; the second premium of $5, to H. Moulton,
Byfield Cheese Manufactory.

It has occurred to your Committee, that the statements usu-
ally given, are remarkably similar. It is now well understootl
that nicely scalded utensils, and exact cleanliness in all the
process, is essential in producing excellent butter. Yoiir
Committee are glad to see that two of the successful claimants
have this yiar gone a little farther in their statements, aad
have stated that their cows are of the Jersey stock. Both of
these samples of butter were put up with remarkable neatness,
and were of excellent flavor If the butter, presented by Mrs.
Dane, had been of as rich a color as was that of Mrs. Hobbs,
your Committee might have been somewhat at a loss to have
decided between them. Perhaps the food of these animals
was not of the same kind or quality, and the difference in the
quality of the butter might be owing partly, to this circum-
stance. Or, if the difference is owing to the additional fact
stated by Mrs. Hobbs — scalding the milk — then that matter
should be established by further experiments.

Some butter, as soon as it is gathered in the churn, seems to
possess a quality, in consequence of which, as soon as it is
compressed together, the butter-milk is very easily removed,
either with, or without rinsing in cold water. And after je-
maining, a few hours well mixed, with but little salt, and then
slightly worked, the lumps will present that clear, waxy ap-
pearance, rich taste and sweet smell, which will ensure the first
premiums at our fairs, and the gilt edge price in the market.

Committee — John Keely, John A. Putnam, N. Lambert,
George E. Herrick, Geoige Fostei*.

STATEMENT OF A. F. HOBBS.

To the Committee on Dairy, Gentlemen :

This box of Butter contains 19 pounds, was made from high

53

grade Jersey Cows, by the following method : the milk was
first strained into tin pans to the depth of one and one-half
inches, after the lapse of twelve hours, each pan of milk was
placed on the stove and slowly scalded. It was then replaced
in the dairy-room to remain from 24 to 36 hours. Care was
taken to remove the cream before the milk was changed. The
cream was kept in a stone jar, salted and stirred daily until it
was churned, which was twice a week. After churning the
batter, the butter-milk was thoroughly extracted by hand,
weighed and salted. The amount of ealt used, was ♦ 5 ounce
per pound ; the whole mass was returned to the dairy cellar
to remain 24 hours, when it was again worked over into one
pound lumps, and formed by the use of butter clappers. By
experimental test, butter made by this process has retained its
sweetness in an open closet for ten months.

STATEMENT OF MRS. LONGFELLOW.

The box of Butter which I enter for premium, contains 15
pounds, and was made the present month. The following is
is the process of making : the milk is strained into tin pans to
the depth of two and one-half inches, and is allowed to re-
main from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, according to the
weather. Then the cream is taken off and put into a stone
jar with a little salt, stirred twice a day till churned, which is
done twice a week. When the butter is collected, the butter-
milk is drawn off, the butter taken from the churn, worked by
hand and salted to taste, which requires about one ounce of
Syracuse dairy salt, to the pound. After tv/enty-four hours it
is worked again and formed into lumps as presented.

STATEMENT OF MRS. DANE.

This box of September Butter, containing 20 pounds, was

54

made from the milk of Jersey Cows. It was allowed to stand
24 hours, then the cream was taken off and stirred twice a
day, until churned, which takes from eight to ten minutes. Then
the butter is taken from the churn and worked by hand and
salted, one ounce to the pound. After twelve hours, worked
again and formed into lumps as presented for premium.

STATEMENT OF MRS. RIDGWAY.

To the Committee on Dairy — Gentlemen :

I present for your examination, sixteen pounds of Septem-
ber Butter, made by the following rule : the milk was strained
into nicely scalded tin pans, and allowed to remain thirty-six
hours, then skimmed into tin pails and stirred morning and
evening for two or three days ; as soon as churned, the butter
Avas rinsed in cold water, salted to the taste with rock salt,,
worked twice, and made into balls as presented.

STATEMENT OF D. L. GOODRIDGE.

I present for examination, four new milk cheeses ; eaclv
cheese contains the milk of two days, — one of them is sage.
My manner of making is as follows : strain the evening's milk
in tin pans, which is warmed in the morning, and added to the
morning's milk, and rennet added to form a curd in thirty
minutes. Let it stand one hour, then break and drain
thoroughly, slice and salt in tin pans, and place in the celler.
Repeat the process M'ith the next night's and morning's m.ilk.
The curds are then mixed, scalded with water, chopped fine,
salted to taste and pressed twenty-four hours.

55

STATEMENT OF 'J HE BYFIELD CHEESE COMPANY.
Heat the milk to 86 degrees, then put in the rennet, let it
set two hours, then strike it across, then heat curd to 100
degrees, until it is cooked. Salt two seven-tenths to one thou-
sand pounds of milk ; keep in press 24 to 36 hours, dry forty
days. Butter them twice in the time, turn them every day,
then they are fit for use.

BREAD AND HONEY.

The Committee on Bread and Honey report the following
gratuities awarded by them :

Bread. — Mrs. C. A. Alley, $3 ; Mrs. Lucy A. Danforth,
$2.50; M. H. Seward, $1 ; Anna E. Titcomb, $1 ; Robert
Carter, $1 ; Mary E. Spalding, (12 years of age) $1 ; Martha
Fowler, Mrs. N. B. Lake, Grace G. Stacey, Mrs. D. M.
French, John H. Balch, Jennie J. Downs, Mrs. Phillips, W.
H. Delano, Alice G. George, 50 cents each.

Entries of Bread, 33.

BEES AND HONEY.

D. T. Batchelder, D. C. Batchelder, $2 each ; Alfred Green,
H. Alley, $1 each.

Entries of Bees and Honey, 4.

Committee — Edmund Smith, John J. Gould, Luther Allen,
Charles In2:alls.

PEARS.

The Committee on Pears have awarded the following pre-

56

miums for the best twelve specimens of the following named
varieties :

To Kobert Fowle, of Newburyport, Bartlett, $1 ; S. M.
Gale, do. Belle Lucrative, $1 ; S. A. Smith, do, Flemish Beauty,
$1 ; Samuel Brown, do, Beurre Superfine, $1 ; Eichard Plum-
mer, do, Beurre Eosc, $1 ; P. H. Blurapey, do, Swans Orange,
$1 ; H. Kimball, do, Seckel, $1 ; A. D. Ordway, West New-
bury, Winter Nelis, $1 : D. T. Batchelder, Newburyport,
BufFum, $1 ; J. S. Frothingham, do, St. Michael Archange,
$1 ; Thomas Capers, do. Vicar, $1 ; Henry Shoof, do, Law-
rence, $1 ; S. M. Gale, do, Glout Morceau, $1 ; R. S. Grif-
fith, do, Louise Bon d' Jersey, $1 ; Mrs. J. Greenleaf, Beurre
Clairgeau, $1 ; William Mason, do. Duchess, $1 ; Henry
Shoof, do, Urbaniste, $1 ; James Fogg, do, Beurre Diel, $1 ;
E. S. Tappan, do, Heathcote, $1 ; John M. Ives, Salem, Gol-
den Beurre $\ ; John V. Stevens, Peabody, Howell, $1 ;
John V. Stevens, do. Doyenne Bossouck, $1 ; John V. Stev-
ens, do, Beurre d'Anjou, $1 ; Hiram Pluramer, do, Maria
Louise, $1 ; J. V. Stevens, do, Soldat Laboureur, $1 ; D. T.
Bachelder, do, BufFum, $L

Premium for the best ten plates of Pears to Rufus S. Grif-
fith, of Newburyport, $3.

For the best plate of Pears, not less than twenty-four speci-
mens, diploma and $5, to John V. Stevens.

Gratuities of 50 cents each, were awarded for the following
named varieties of Pears :

To Samuel Brown, of Newburyport, Bartlett ; N. Morse,
do. Belle Lucrative ; Henry Cook, do, Flemish Beauty ; Jos-
eph Atkinson, do, Beurre Bosc ; John V. Stevens, Peabody,
Beurre Superfine ; Hiram Plummer, Swans Orange ; C. H.
Coffin, Newburyport, Seckel ; D. G. Batchelder, Lawrence ;
Henry Shoof, do, Glout Morceau ; C. H. Ireland, do, L. B.
d'Jersey; D. G. Batchelder, do, Beurre Clairgeau; John Preston,
Georgetown Vicar ; Charles P. Marshall, do. West Newbury,
Duchess ; Thomas L. Nelson, do, Urbaniste ; Henry Shoof,
Newburyport, Beurre Diel ; John Bailey, do, Beurre d'Anjou ,•

57

Isaac P. Noyes, do, Maria Louise ; Samuel Brown, do, Grey
Doyenne ; S. P. Tappan, do, Napoleon ; J. V. Stevens, Pea-
body, Figue d'Alencon ; T. K. Bartlett, Newburyport, Buf-
fum.

Committee — John Y. Stevens, Jabez Rowe, Thomas Hale,
J. B. Tewksbury.

APPLES.

The Committee on Apples report as follows :
Hiram Canney, Newb't, best 24 specimens, 1st prem. Di-
ploma and $5 ; W. F. Sargent, Amesbury, best 10 varieties,
prem. $3 ; Mrs. Coffin, Newb't, Golden Russett, 1 ; Asa Ad-
ams, jr., Newb't, Porter, 1 ; Geo. W. Bray, West Newbury,
Baldwin, 1 ; G. Pluramer, Newb't, Hubbardston, 1 ; Geo, H.
Lander, Newb't, D. W. Sweet, 1 ; E. G. Eaton, Groveland,
Gravenstein, 1 ; Parsons Ordway, West Newbury, Minister,
1 ; J. D. Pike, Newb't, R. Russet, 1 ; Joseph Longfellow,
Newbury, R. 1. Greenings, 1 ; D. H. Cutter, Newb't, Fall
Pippin, 1 ; George Tilton, Newb't, Baldwin, 1 ; J. A. Lunt,
"Newb't, Williams, 1 ; H. and J. M. Perry, Danvers, Fall
Harvey, 1 ; Daniel Plummer, Newbury, Bradford Nonesuch,
1 ; Stephen Green, Newb't, Merrimac Sweet, 1 ; B. W. Cole,
Nev/b't, Pride of the East, 1 ; G. Plummer, Newb't, Jersey
.Pippins, 1 ; Hiram Canney, Newb't, Giiliflowers, 1.

GRATUITIES.

Albert Tilton, Newb't, Hubbardston, 50 cts ; T. K. Leach,
Topsfield, Hubbardston, 50 cts; Miss C. Thurlow, Newb't,
Crab Apples, 50 cts ; C. H. Bevan, Newb't, Porter, 50 cts ;
B. Stevens, Salisbury, Spitsenburgh, 50 cts ; C. H. Ireland,
Newb't, Beefsteak, 50 cts ; J. I. Ladd, Groveland, Old Man
Apple, 50 cts ; Albert Keyes, Newb't Queen Ann, 50 cts ;

58

Asa Adams, ji-., Newb't, Rock Sweet, 50 cts ; T. K. BartletV
Newb't, Moody and Spice, SI ; Thomas C. Thurlow, IVeat
JSTewbury, Porter, 50 cts ; J. L. Newhall, Newb't, Natural,
50 cts.

Committee — G. C. Rogers, James Wilson, George E.
Adams.

GRAPES, PEACHES &C.

The Committee on Peaches, Assorted Fruit and Grapes re-
port

The show of Grapes was unusually fine. The largest and
best ever made by the Society, and the Committee regret ex-
ceedingly, not to be able to give even a gratuity to many wor-
thy contributors, but have endeavored to distribute the small
amount of funds at our disposal to the best of our judgment^,
and award

Premiums for Peaches to W. H. Noyes, Newburyport, T. R^
Bartlet, do, W. Wheelwright, do, $1 each; D. C. Batchelor^
do. Miss Georgia Bassett, do, Miss Addie Coffin, do, Rev. S. J.
Spaulding, do, gratuity, 50 cents each.

Grapes. — George W. Gage, Methuen, Concord Grapes -
George C. Rogers, West Newbury, Hartford ; Charles P.
Savary, Groveland, Isabella ; C. H. Ireland, Newburyport;^
Delaware ; C. P. Savary, Groveland, lona ; H. Knight, West
Newbury, Isabella ; C. li. Ireland, Newburyport, Adirondack ;
Charles H. Pinkham, Salem, Rogers, 15 ; George W. Gagex
Methuen, Rogers, 19 ; George W. Gage, do, Rogers 4 ; George
W. Gage, do, Rogers, 3, $2 each, premium ; George W. Kel-
ley, Newburyport, Cold Plouse Grapes, $3; George W. Gage,.
Methuen, best tea varieties, diploma and $5 ; VV^ H. Huse,
Newburyport, best Rebecca ; Warren Currier, do. Cold House-
Grapes ; Rufus S. Griffith, do, Diana ; Robert Rich, Sallsbur}-,.

59

Rogers, 43, $1 each ; Eobert Rich, do. Concord ; John V.
Stevens, Delaware; Henry L. Savary, Groveland, Delaware ^
C. P. Savary, do, Delaware ; C. P. Savary, do, Ch'nton ; H,

A. Lander, do. Grapes ; D. Granger, Newburyport, Concord ;

B. F. Huntington, Amesbury, Delaware ; Robert Bailey,
Newburyport^ Native Grapes ; Henry Shoof, do, Adirondack y
John D. Pike, do, Grapes ; Daniel Horton, do, Israella ; Mrs.
David W. Hopkinson, Groveland, superior Quince Wine ; M.
W. Bartlet, West Newbury, Delaware ; H. M. Bracket, do,.
Concord; Hiram Canney, Newburyport, Concord ; J. A. At-
kinson, do, Quince ; Samuel Brown, do, do., George C. Rog-
ers, West Newbury, Delaware Grape ; Mrs. I. A. Cooper, do,
Wine ; Mrs M. Haskell, do. Canned Pears, gratuities, 50
cents each.

For Committee — D. H. Stickney.

FLOWERS.

The Committee on Flowers report the following av»'ards and
gratuities :

Mrs. Robert Bay ley, Newburyport, best pair Hand Boquets,
$2 ; Mrs. Robert Bayley, do, best twelve varieties Verbenas,
$1 ; Thomas Capers, do, for best general display, Diploma and
$3 ; to the same, for Floral Design, $L50 ; best 12 varieties
Dahlias, $1 ; dish Cut Flowers, $2 ; Warren Currier, New-
buryport, Floral Cross and Baskets, ^L50 ; to the same for
general display of Flowers and Plants $3 ; Mrs. Isabella S.
Ladd, Groveland, Native Flowers, $1 ; John Higgins, New-
buryport, general display of Plants, ^2 ; T. C. Thurlow
West Newbury, 14 varieties of Evergreen and Boquets, $1 ;
Mrs. Mark Haskell, do, pair of Parlor Boquets, $1 ; Pillsbury
and Cutter, Kingston, N. H., display of Everlasting Flowers

60

and Carnation Pinks, $1 ; Mrs. Robert Bay ley, Newbury port^
Floral Design, $1.

Gratuities of 50 cents each were awarded to the following
persons for Boquets, Plants, Cut Flowers and Hanging Bas-
kets :

Neddie H. George, Mrs. Alden, M. M. Bartlett, Charles
Adams, W. A. Stringman, Mrs. W. S. Gerrish, Mrs. S. A.
Currier, G. A. Ordway, Martha E. Jackman, Mrs. W. D.
Wells, John Sumner, M. A. Colby, Mrs. Samuel March, Jr.,
Lucy Morse, Miss Mary E. Lunt, Miss A. Smith, Mary F.
Jarvin, Annie S. Spalding, Mrs. John Burrill, Mrs. Gowen
Dockani, (2 premiums) Mrs. A. S. Pettigrew, Mrs. J. L. New-
hall, Mrs. Stephen Green, John C. Smith, Alfred Hale, Annie
G. Hale, Mrs. Laroy Carrier, Mrs. Lucy Morse, the Misses
Brockway and Osgood, Mrs. L Crane, (Night Blooming Ce-
rius) Mi's. Amos Pearson, Mrs. Johnson.

The display of plants and flowers, this year, was very fine,
far exceeding that of previous years, and indicates a growing
interest in this department of culture.

The exhibition of plants, flowers and floral designs by
Messrs. Capers, Currier and Higgins, are worthy of special
note, embracing over one hundred and fifty varieties, many of
which are very rare.

Some rare plants, flowers and handsomely arranged boquels,
were offered by persons of advanced age, while others, equally
beautiful and attractive, were from the hands of quite young
children, of both sexes, indicating the almost universal inter-
est in the floral department of culture. The number of bo-
quets, floral designs, etc., not included in the contributions of
Messrs. Capers, Currier & Higgins, was 184.

The Committee found the sum placed in their hands for dis-
tribution in premiums and gratuities, quite inadequate to meet
the reasonable demand in offering encouragement to contribu-
tors, and have been obliged to slightly exceed the appropria-
tion in order to make a partial approach to justice, and a fair
ofl'er of friendly encouragement. They would recommend an

61

increased appropriation to this department for the coming year,
and also a special appropriation for premiums on the Gladiolis,
there being an evident growing interest in the cultivation of
this beautiful flower. This year, some very rare and elegant
specimens were exhibited by Miss Mary E. Lunt and Martha
E. Jackman, v/hich were richly deserving of a higher award
than they were able to give.

The display of Evergreens, by Mr. Thurlow of West New-
bury, embracing fourteen varieties ; also Native Flowers by
Mrs. Isabella S. Ladd of Groveland, and others, embracing
nearly one hundred varieties, call for special mention. The
committee cannot too warmly recommend to the society the
importance of giving increased aid to this prominent and in-
teresting department.

Committee — James F. West, George D. Glover, John Price^
John G. Whittier, Charles M. Bailey.

VEGETABLES.

Any thrifty housewife who was compelled by untoward cir-
cumstances to drop into the dinner pot an onion weighing one
pound, or a turnip beet weighing six pounds, would consider
herself unfortunate, and when "boiled dinner" came to the table
John would not be expected to go into raptures over the thick,
coarse sloughing layers of the onion; the stringy, flavorless beet.
Now an onion is grown for table use only, and as a rule turnip
beets are grown for table use only ; why then should a false
standard be encouraged on our exhibition tables by awarding
premiums to specimens of these two vegetables, whose size
would render them utterly worthless for the table, the only
use now made of them.

The carrot has a double use, being cultivated for the table,
and for stock ; for our tables we want the sweetest, the finest

62

grained, and the richest flavored of all the numerous varieties.
This we have in the Early Scarlet Horn^ the earliest of all.
This is a short carrot, growing about three inches Ioul' and
two in diameter, but it will bear planting in rich land
three inches deep. For feeding stock, the size is of primary
consideration ; this Ave find in the White Belgian and large
Orange varieties. The White Belgian will yield a quarter
more than any other variety, and growing partly out of the
ground, a large part of the crop can be pulled by hand. For
horses this is a good carrot, but for the butter and milk of
dairy stock, we want the rich color of the Orange varieties,
and the best of these is the short top, half long, otherwise
known as Improved Long Orange, and locally known as the
Oanvers Carrot. This carrot has a greater diameter near the
surfice than Long Orange planted at the same time, while be-
ing shorter, it is more easily pulled and less liable to break in
the ground than that variety.

The parsnip is at present, grown almost entirely lor the ta-
ble, and at tie best, we do not ordinarily, by October grow a
very large root, other conditions being equal; to the largest root,
I would award the highest premium. 1 think that the day is
not far distant when our Jersey Cows will be treated in winter
to the root on which they are almost reared in their native isl-
and, the parsni}). Shallow, dry, stony, or anything but the
iichest of soil is unpropitious for a good growth of the pars-
nip ; but peat meadows, to the reclaiming of v.'hich so much
attention is given ot late years, are most excellent for growing
the parsnip, and all other roots to the largest size ; and when
the best possible result is sought in our Jersey Cows, in the
condition of the stock, and the quality of butter and milk,
then the rich, sweet parsnip will have its day. For family
use, on deep soil, the improved varieties such as Abbott's and
the Student's which taper quickly from the top, are preferable,
while for shallow soil the little turnip rooter, of nearly the
shape of a flat turnip, is a gem.

I believe of beets, as of parsnips, that a day will come when

63

•the condition of quality will so far enter into our consideration
that we shall grow the turnip and long blood beet 'o feed to
«tock. By planting early in the season in rich soil and thin-
ing to a foot apart, a growth of from ten to tvvelve pounds can
he attained, and I have had isolated specimens weigh over
twenty pounds. While the Mangel Wurzel affords us but lit-
tle else than water, the common beet is a saccharine veg-
etable, and the sugar, besides, improving the quality of the
vnilk, adds fat to the animal. Let me here make a seedsman's
suggestion to my brother farmers, — when you see Sugar
Beets, or White Sugar Beets advertised in catalogues, remem-
ber it means a variety of Mangold Wurzel, used largely i^
■Europe for the manufacture of sugar — preferred to other
sorts because it has but little coloring matter in its composition,
and utterly worthless for table use.

As an early, short top, the Early Flat is desirable, while
for a handsome round beet, excellent for the family, or the
market, Deming's is an acquisition. Simon's Early is a favor-
ite with the Philadelphia marketmen. The half long varieties,
such as Henderson's, Pine Apple, Castelnandary and Crapan-
dine, are rather small in size, but of excellent equality.

In Mangold Wurzels, what we want, is size and quality,
though as ordinarily grown, have in view quantity only. If
the variety of Mangold Wurzel, alluded to above, had no
more sweetness in it as grown in Europe, that most of those
fed to our milch cows, " the bottoni would be knocked out" of
their sugar enterprise in a single season. Let the experiment
be tried of growing under the same condition, a piece of Man-
golds, one on high and one on low land When the crop is
gathered, those on the low land may be larger, but those on
the upland Avill be sweeter. If the farmer is only desirous of
increasing the quuntily of milk, he will feed Mangolds from
low land ; if he has regard also to the condition of his ani-
mals, he will feed mangolds grown on upland, and I will add
if he aims at producing butter, he will feed carrots rather than
mangolds. I know of no more common error in dairy mat-

64

ters, than in the time at which mangolds are fed to cows.
Most vegetables undergo a change in their nature, after they
are gathered and stored, — some potatoes undergo a ripening
process, so that the characteristics of October are not the char-
acteristics of March ; in a few months our turnips become
" corky" and the seed of our running squashes do not fully
mature until from one to four months have elapsed from the
time they wore gathered ; so of the entire beet family of
which mangolds are a class. In the sugar making countries of
Europe, it is found necessary to store the sugar beet awhile, un-
til certain changes shall have taken place in its nature, before
it is in a condition suitable for use. So in the mangold, it is
necessary that some important change should take place in its
nature before it can piofitably be fed to stock ; if fed liberally,
early in the season, it will scour the cows ; feed ruta-bagas,
carrots or cabbages early in the season, and feed the mangolds
towards spring.

If planted before the first of June, the Long Red Mangold
is apt to have a long, woody, hollow neck bv harvest time. I
would recommend the ovoid varieties as preferable in this re-
spect, besides being of more compact growth, and having fewer
lateral roots. The yellow Globe is an excellent sort for a sandy
soil. If our farmers would be brave enough to have their
rows thirtv inches, and thin their plants to fifteen inches apart
in the row, when young, they would find that they could do
about all their tillage with the cultivator and hoe, while they
would have just as much weight in the crop, and the pleasure of
handling mangolds as big as their thigh, instead of as big as
their arm.

As turnips are grown both for family use and for stock, we
need to encourage good specimens of all sizes at our annual
exhibitions. Of the Ruta-Baga or Sweede class, the best for
family use is the white variety, known as "Sweet German. "^
This excels in its sweetness, crispness and keeping qualities.
It is also an excellent turnip for stock. The demand for this
variety has increased wonderfully within a few years ; whereas

65

twenty years ago it was rare to see a barrel of the white Ruta-
Baga in Boston Market, almost all sold being of the yellow
sort, now ten of the white may be seen to one of the yellow.
Of the yellow varieties Skirvings has been exceedingly popu-
lar, but though it forms good bulbs, yet the long neck that
goes with them is an objection, and Laings, London and Sham-
rock Swedes are now preferred.

In testing about a score of flat turnips, American and for-
eign, I have found our white and purple strap leaf the earliest,
yet I think it is not generally known to our farmers that these
are the most subject to the attack of the worm, of the whole
class of flat turnips. Yellow Finland, Improved Yellow
Globe, andCowhorn are preferable in this respect.

Of onions, the standard for an excellent table article is
found among those that are not over three inches in their
greatest diameter, with a fine, close skin, thin, compact layers,
a small neck, with the whole bulb feeling about as hard when
handled as a stone. The Large Red Wethersfield onion is the
latest in maturing, and a large percentage makes but scullions,
even under the best of treatment, while the Early Bed Globe
grows to as large a size, crops equally well, and the onions are
among the most symmetrical, and in earliness are among the
earliest. For these reasons, as would be inferred, it is fast su-
perseding the Late Red where it has been introduced. The
Early '' Cracker " onion, when I first introduced it to the gen-
eral public, was remarkably early, but quite thin, and therefore
would not measure well when marketed ; for the past two or
three years while retaining its earliness, it has grown much
thicker, and now so closely resembles the old Flat or Stras-
burg onion, that the public would be decidedly a gainer if they
would throw overboard that late variety, and substitute in
its place the " Cracker," which matures fully two weeks ear-
lier, a characteristic of vast value in short seasons to the onion
farmers of the North. For general crop in Essex County the
Early Danvers rules the market, and we know of no variety
for a standard onion that deserves to replace it. The Potato

5

66

onion is the earliest of all varieties, and when used as early, i&
the sweetest and tenderest of all onions, but after summer has
past it soon becomes tough and unsuitable for the table. I
would advise all farmers to plant a quart or so of the potato
onion setts to be used in the family before those raised from
seed get sizable.

The largest cabbage of its kind is usually the best, and
among our greatest cabbage-eating class the largest cabbage of
the largest kinds always find a ready market. For these rea-
sons it is desirable that we should encourage at our exhibitions
the largest specimens of all varieties where such specimens
have hard and handsome heads. The largest cabbage of its
kind, other things equal, is the best, because to attain this
extra size it must have grown faster than its fellows, and hav-
ing grown faster it is therefore more tender, and being more
tender under these circumstances it is also the sweetest. The
Marblehead Mammoth is our standard large cabbage in Essex
County, and when the market is within a few miles it is a cap-
ital sort to raise for our Irish and German brethren ; but where
the market is more distant, or there is mostly a different class
of customers, then the Stone-Mason and Fottler become stand-
ard sorts. For family use the Savoy family are decidedly the
best, having that rich, marrow-like taste that belongs to no
other class of cabbages. The early Ulm Savoy is as early or
earlier than Early York, and with the Improved American
Savoy is as reliable for heading as any cabbage grown. I have
been experimenting with over sixty foreign and native varie-
ties this season, of which I may have more to say at some oth-
er time.

When the Autumnal Marrow, or Boston Marrow Squash,
as it is usually called, was first introduced, it was of small
size, weighing about five or six pounds; it cooked very dry,
was fine grained and of excellent quality. At the present
time it is usually watery, often coarse grained and poor in
quality; we have utterly lost its fine qualities for the table.
Within a few years the American Turban as a fall squash, and

67

the Hubbard for winter use, have to a large extent replaced
the Marrow upon our tables. In these two we find the chief
good characteristics of the Marrow, when in its palmiest days,
and in addition superior keeping properties which characterize
these two fine varieties. As a general rule the Turban and
Hubbard are too grainy in their texture to enter into the struc-
ture of that grand Yankee luxury a squash pie ; for this the
Marrow excels, and this, I hold, is now the proper sphere of
this squash — it is now a pie squash. Where dryness, sweet-
ness and quality for the table are sought for we find these, as
a rule, in squashes of medium size, those weighing from six to
ten pounds. This, therefore, I hold, should be the standard
encouraged for a table squash. If we select large specimens
for seed stock, we find in practice that there is more of sport
in the crop, that the Hubbard gradually loses its shell and
grows coarse in structure, while the Turban tends to develop
the cross of the French Turk's Cap that is in its blood, which
gives it size at the expense of quality. Because this is so, and
because the temptation among market-men is to raise weight
at the sacrifice of quality, I hold that our premiums should
point emphatically to the correct standard of weight in these
two prominent table squashes. Discussing the Marrow as a
pie squash (and I find that the most intelligent of the market-
gardeners around Boston agree with me), I hold that our pre-
miums consult the best welfare of both consumer and producer,
when they encourage the largest crop possible consistent with
a sufficient fineness of structure for pies. It is my opinion
that for this use the Marrow squash can safely be grown to av-
erage from twelve to fourteen pounds in weight. The idea en-
tertained by many good farmers, that special aim should be
made to grow the Marrow as small sized as formerly, when it
was so excellent a table squash, based on the idea that by so
doing we can get the old excellence back again, is a delusion,
as is proved by the fact that with all the efforts in this direction
the old excellence has not been recovered.

The annual exhibition of vegetables this season was hardly

68

up to the usual standard. We particularly missed the great
variety usually displayed by Mr. Merrill, who for so many
years has been the right hand of the society in this department.
As the exhibitors had no standard in common to guide them
while selecting their various kinds of vegetables for the An-
nual Fair, I hardly feel that the quality of the vegetables was
open to criticism. There was a large variety on the tables and
some fine specimens of the various standard kinds.

It would greatly improve our vegetable exhibiters if the
same plan was pursued as has been adopted in the fruit depart-
ment, that of offering special premiums for each standard veg-
etable, the number of specimens required of each kind to be
stated, and the standard of excellence to be briefly given.
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society has practised this in
part for the past few years, with marked improvement in its
annual exhibitions. In its printed programme the Society has
confined itself to specifying how many in number or how much
in measure of each vegetable was required to compete for the
premiums offered ; I propobe that our ancient society become
a pioneer in a still further improvement, and fix a standard of
excellence in the several vegetables so far as the characteris-
tics that present themselves to the eye. The experience and
good judgment of the vegetable committee of the Massachu-
setts Horticultural Society has usually assigned premiums to
the most deserving of their kind, yet in their exhibitions anom-
alies have been presented that would be impossible under the
more matured system that I propose ; such as prominent pre-
miums assigned to overgrown potatoes, overgrown squashes,
to Hubbard squashes that were but little more than half
matured, the color being of a deeper green when in that stage;
one year awarding premiums to the largest, coarsest onions —
the next, to the ripest. I fully believe that our Society would
promote the best interests of the community, and add much
to the educating value of its exhibitions, if it would define in
general terms what a premium onion, potato, squash, or other
vegetable, must be.

69

There can be no good vegetables without good seed ; and
the more hands seed passes through before reaching the end
of its journey — the seed drill of the farmer, the greater the
chances are of its being too old, impure, or wrongly named.
I hold, therefore, that the Essex Agricultural Society has done
a wise thing in directing its attention of late years to the mat-
ter, and offering special premiums for seed grown within the
limits of the county. It is very difficult for the farmer who
has had the misfortune to handle worthless seed, to fix the re-
sponsibility on any one ; it has passed through several hands,
and " he told me so," is the catch phrase of the entire series ;
but let the seed be grown in his own neighborhood and the di-
rect responsibility is a powerful stimulus to the utmost honesty
and highest care on the part of the grower, while it propor-
tionally increases the confidence and profits of the planter.
There are three positions taken by prominent societies in New
England in respect to the exhibition of vegetable seed : the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society not only does not offer
any premiums for vegetable seed, but goes farther than this,
and positively refuses to have any exhibited on its tables. As
several of the prominent men who are active members of that
society are seed dealers this action appears anomalous ; but a
knowledge of the fact that under the by-laws of that society
the exhibitor must have grown his own seed, naturally tones
down all surprise. The New England Society offers premiums
simply for garden seed, without any condition that it shall have
been grown in or out of New England, or that the exhibiter
shall have raised a grain of it. The obvious effect of such a
course is simply to encourage the production of seed as a com-
mercial article. Our own Society in offering premiums for a
home grown product, encourages a very important branch of
agriculture in our midst, annihilates the vast intervals that usu-
ally exist between the producer and the planter, and keeps a
wholesome responsibility within easy access of the purchaser.

Eor the Committee — James J, H. Gregory.

70

COUNTERPANES, CARPETINGS AND RUGS.

The Committee on Counterpanes, Carpetings and Rugs^
would respectfully report :

There were no Carpetings offered. For Rugs and Counter-
panes the following gratuities were awarded, viz :

To Mrs. Frederick Knight, for a rich silk Quilt, $2.

To Mrs. N. F. Mussey, for two silk Quilts, $1.

To Sarah Donnels, for white Quilt, 50 cents.

To Hannah B. Griffith, four years old, 50 cents.

To Mary E. Pulsifer, for Quilt, calico, 4290 pieces, 50 cents.

To Mary P. Merrill, woolen Quilt, 1572 squares, $1.

To Emma Josephine Hill, 9 years old, for Quilt, 50 cents.

To Mrs. Charles Ireland, for white knit Quilt, $1.

To Mary A. Cilley, for two braided Mats, $2.

To Mrs. George Stover, for braided Mat, $1.

To A. E. Clement, for one Rug, 50 cents.

To P. Jewett, 70 years old, for Mat, 50 cents.

To Mrs. Albeit Delano, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Mrs. Joseph Merrill, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Ellen M. Sawyer, for Rug, $1.

To Sarah L. Cumming, for Rug, $1.

To Mrs. Allen Brooks, for two Rugs, $1.

To Eliza A. Greenleaf, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Mrs. L. Crane, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Mrs. John T. Page, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Mrs. L. M. Hodges, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Mrs, H. M, Friend, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Mrs. E. F. Emery, for Rug, $1.

To Mrs. Parker Tilton, for Mat, $1.

To Mrs. Sarah A. W. Dodge, for two braided Mats, |1.

To Rachel Emerson, for Mat, 50 cents.

To Mrs. Charles Ireland, for two Rugs, $1.

To Mrs. Caroline C. Wigglesworth, for Rug, $1.

To Miss Frances Safford, for Rug, 50 cents.

To A. A. Jackman, for Rug, 50 cents.

To Mrs. Mary Titcomb, 81 years old, for two Rugs, $1.

Committee — E. S. Sweetser, Richard Plumer, B. E. Fifield,.

71

ARTICLES MANUFACTURED FROM LEATHER.

The Committee were disappointed in not finding a larger
display in this department, and did not feel justified in distrib-
uting the amount allotted them. After careful examination
we award the following gratuities :

To J. H. Walton, for Light Harness, $5.

To E. P. Dodge & Co., for Ladies', Misses' and Children's
Boots, $4.

To N. B. Dodge and Brother, for Ladies', Misses' and Chil-
dren's Boots, $3.

To Crockett & Lakey, for Belting, $2.

Committee — Henry Hobbs, Farnham Stiles, George French,
Aaron Sawyer.

FANCY WORK.

The Committee submit the following awards : —
Gratuities. — Amanda O. Pearson, Newburyport, picture
frame, $1 ; J. A. Allen, Newburyport, flowers, 50 cts.; Anna
J. Peabody, pictures, $1.; Charles A. Minerth, insects, $L50;
Karl Minerth, photographs, $2; J. E. Clifford, shell work, $1;
Lillie C. French, pictures, $lj Mrs. A. R. Jackman, edging,
75 cents ; Miss A, E. Currier, sofa pillow, $1 ; Miss Tilton,
pictures, $1 ; Mrs. Sarah Colby, knit shawl, 75 cents ; Mrs.
J. M. Spalding, wax flowers, 75 cents ; Mrs. Curtis French,
lace work, 75 cents ; Robt. Babson, engravings, &c., $3 ; J. G<.
Silloway, ottoman covers, $1.50; Mrs. Jacob Johnson, mason-
ic emblems, 75 cents ; Mrs. Thomas Cutter, carpet bag, 75
cents ; Eliza J. Trask, Peabody, ottoman cushion, $L50 ; Mrs.
P. H. Lunt, Newburyport, pictures, $2 ; Miss J. N. Balch,
pictures, &c., $1 ; Lillie French, painting, (strawberries,) $1 ;
Sarah F. Tilton, cross and wreath, (wax,) $2 ; Miss Kelley,
game birds, $1.50; Lizzie Ireland, cushion, premium, $2; and

72

50 cents each to the following persons : Miss E. Spalding, ot-
toman cover ; Nellie C. Clark, slippers, &c.; Anna L. Knapp,
tatting ; Mary J. Ingraham, pictures ; Frank N. French, in-
sects; George Osgood, case of bugs ; J. S. Gerrish, baskets;
Mrs. E,. Jaokman, insects ; Hattie C. Bartlett, ottoman ; Mrs.
Mary Merrill, 89 years old, stockings ; S. Carrie Nelson, tidy;
Mrs. John Burrill, flowers ; James Devereaux, picture ; Mrs.
J. Johnson, Jr., wreath and frame ; Mrs. E. Lunt, embroidery;
Miss H. Brown, watch case ; Augusta Cook, shell frame ; Mary
C. Currier, cushion ; Mary L. Dockham, frame and basket of
flowers ; M. J. Brookings, tidy ; Abbie E. Smith, sea mosses ;
Mrs. Tristam Rogers, 94 years old, stockings ; Nellie A. Pike,
cushion ; Mrs. R. J. Lamb, blanket ; Annie M. Little, husk
frame ; Carrie K. Lecraw, infant's bibs ; E. G. Cheever, shell
boxes; Mrs. J. Lunt, cushion; John A. Addie, inlaid work;
Lydia H. Ordway, 83 years old, stockings ; Anna L. Currier,
baby clothing ; S. Sawyer, -pictures ; Annie Rogers, lace col-
lars ; E. J. Roof, tidy ; Fannie E. Talbot, bead cushion.

Committee — H. G. Herrick, Geo. W. Chadwick, Sam'l A.
Smith, Richard Teuney.

FARMS.
The Committee on Farms would respectfully report: —

Notwithstanding the urgent calls of the committees, and
the liberal offers of the Society for the last iew years, the num-
ber of farms entered for premium is by no means increasing.
The general business of farming which prevailed until a recent
period, and which developed some of the finest specimens of
mixed farming in the Commonwealth, is now displaced to a
considerable degree, by a special attention to particular crops,
or by a tasteful improvement of valuable estates. The pro-
duction of garden vegetables for the market, both early and

iate, occupies the attention of most cultivators residing near
our large cities. And as the wealth of our county increases,
the number of elegant residences ornamented by landscape
gardening, and surrounded by fields subjected to expensive
culture increases also. Meanwhile the farms which were once
managed by husbandmen, who took pride in their working ox-
en, and dairy herd — in their ample fields of corn and grass
and potatoes — in their orchards bending beneath the weight of
fruit — and who sent beef, and hay, and pork, and butter and
cheese, and apples and cider to the market, are fewer than they
once were, and are not, in many instances, conducted with the
industry and skill of former times. While this change in the
condition of agriculture has been going on, agricultural emula-
tion and rivalry have declined, and the business of horticulture
has become more prominent.

The importance of encouraging this modern system of farm-
ing should not be lost sight of. The devotion of lands, in
small parcels, to special crops, is especially necessary, where a
large portion of the population is occupied in mechanical and
manufacturing operations — and own no land, raise no vegeta-
bles and fruit for their own consumption, and should find a
well-supplied market. Vegetables and small fruits are pro-
duced in such limited quantities that they are a luxury, beyond
the reach of many of the laboring classes. This state of things
should no longer exist. And we urge upon all owners of land
special attention to those crops which are required in the mar-
kets of our manufacturing and commercial towns. We trust,
moreover, that the competition among small farms devoted to
this object, will increase, and that committees will, hereafter,
be called upon to examine and report upon numerous entries
of this description.

The only farm entered for premium this year is the estate of
Dr. E. G. Kelley, of Newburyport. The careful management
and cultivation of this tract of land, (about sixteen acres,)
were a source of great gratification to the committee, as an il-
lustration of the ample reward which a skillful cultivator of

74

trees and fruits will receive, even in a few years, and of the
advantage to be derived from proper preparation of the soil,,
and from the destruction of weeds, and the appropriate use of-
fertilizers.

The following statement of Dr. Kelley gives a clear and ad--
mirable account of the processes to Avhich we have referred:

STATEMENT OF E. G. KELLEY.

In presenting a farm for premium the following are the.
printed conditions : — " For the best conducted and most im-
" proved farm, taking into view the entire management and.
" cultivation, including lands, buildings, fences, orchards, cropSj.
''stock, and all other appendages, with statements in detail,.
" relating thereto."

Our management and cultivation of lands has been to un-
derdrain about six acres with tiles, transported chiefly from.
Albany, N. Y., and laid more than three feet deep on an aver-
age : to surface drain five acres not admitting of tile draining:,
to subsoil two acres, twenty-two inches deep : to trench three
feet deep, four acres in all, at different times as labor could be.
spared from other work ; and for some years the trenching was
being done nearly all v/inter.

Hundreds of loads of clay have been moved to divers places, .
and thousands of loads of sand and yellov/ loam have been
carted on to, and mixed vrith, clayey soil, or used for top dress-
ing, or for levelling and grading. The land thus worked has
been so much improved as to produce almost anything in per-
fection adapted to the climate.

Cultivation on this place having been decidedly bad for more
than half a century, a change was of course made. Your
Committee well knov/ how a farm runs to waste and weeds,
when conducted by others than the owner. The previous pro-
prietor died in 1806, leaving the use of the estate for the
support and maintenance of a daughter,, who at length died in.

75

1852, when we purchased it. A more dilapidated, neglected,
and exhausted Sahara could not well be found.

To give minute details of every renovating process could
not have been intended by the requisitions. We will, there-
fore, only cite a few operations. Weeds were exterminateil
in time by not allowing any to mature. Grass was cut early
for the best hay, particularly if it contained " white weed^"
which being propagated by seed was thus yearly lessened.
"Dog grass," and other noxious perennials were completely
eradicated from arable portions by thorough digging up and
securins; their roots. All annual weeds were uniformly rak-
ed up, but were never saved for manure. AVe were conse-
quently soon troubled by succession, only from seeds wafted
from the premises of our otherwise good neighbors, or depos-
ited by the numerous birds. Moreover, we seldom used any
manure besides wood ashes — the best nutriment, by the way,
for all vegetation, and free from weed seeds.

Tilling the soil was early, frequent, superficial or deep, ac-
cording to circumstances. Trenched or drained and subsoiled
land can be worked quite early in the spring, and does not re-
quire to be often repeated during the season, and vice versa-
Continual growth and successful crops, notwithstanding drought,
are also sure and gratifying, as well as the annual saving of la-
bor. Properly prepared soil, planted, and free from weeds,
receives, therefore, but little subsequent stirring, and that
chiefly for hilling. We plant potatoes, corn, etc., in drill
rows, the former six or eight inches apart in the furrows, and
at the usual time of hoeing form the continuous hill row, and
turn back the same soil in the fall, with the plough, thus ob-
taining more produce with given land and labor.

Of the buildings — the house was not made by modern
hands, but in 1776 ; is fifty feet square, with white oak frame,
high studded, and filled in with bricks, and having been mod-
ernized inside and out, is now faultless. We built a barn
same size, the most economical form and most convenient for
interior arrangements. The ample cellar is a substitute for out-

76

houses, and we would build another barn, or even larger, if
necessary, to contain all carts, implements, etc., too often left
unhoused, or more or less exposed to the weather in sheds.

We removed at once all division fences, and have only the
boundary line fenced. Some 300 feet of this has stone posts
set five feet in the gravel ground. Another, 400 feet, has large
stones on the surface of clayey soil, ten feet apart, with one
and a half inch iron posts sulphured in to drilled holes ; and
these, together v/ith the rails and slats, rise and fall with the
freezing and thawing clay. This novel and useful fence, and
that of the stone posts, give great satisfaction. A live fence
of the honey locust is also being tried. Other fences are of
the usual varieties.

x\n old apple orchard has been rejuvenated by draining,
trimming and grafting. Several trees grafted with the Hub-
bardston Nonsuch bore so profusely as to destroy their vitality.
We have forty varieties, many of them on paradise stocks,
which gives a smaller tree, but larger fruit. Many pear trees
are also in this orchard.

The exclusive pear orchard is well drained and trenched,
with horn piths thrown in from one to three feet below the
surface, as a permanent phosphate manure. We have 75 va-
rieties of the fruit comprising the kinds we think most worthy
of cultivation. Each year, however, we think more of stan-
dards and less of dwarfs. The former, particularly of the
Lawrence, do as well in grass ground as the apple tree.

Crops have not as yet been raised to sell, vv'ith the excep-
tion of hay, which, on the prepared land, is fourfold compared
with former cuttings. Crops for domestic use are grown —
corn and carroLs for horses, turnips and beets for cows. All
are in abundance and indispensable.

Stock generally consists of a pair of horses and two cows.
The latter have been " soiled " during the summers for three
years, and the practice is quite satisfactory. They are con-
tented, thrifty, give more and better milk.

" Other appendages " with us must be trees, hedges, ponds

77

and glass houses. Of the former there is a supply, and ever-
greens predominating, they have naturally given the name to
the place. So numerous are they that they protect each other
and all about them. As screens to secure and perfect fruits?
they are of great service, unless the source of too much damp-
ness. It is incredible to an unobserver of the facts, how per-
ceptibly masses of trees affect temperature and moisture.
Where land is plenty and cheap it is singular that groves and
screens are not oftener planted.

Whei'e trees are trimmed to hedges, they become ornament-
al divisions, or borders, are easily cared for, and add much to
the value of any place. AVe have hedges of the Norvt^ay
spruce, hemlock, arbor vita;, holly, weigelia, honey locust, and
cornus sanguinea.

Artificial ponds, like hedges, on a place called a farm, may
be viewed by some as superfluities. To others they are a great
source of pleasure, and not unprofitable. We long since dis-
carded the dunghill fowl as too troublesome, and find water
fowls more remunerative in themselves, while they decoy val-
uable wild game instead of hawks. The question has also
been settled by cultivators of fish, that an acre of water sur-
face may be made to pay better than an acre of land merely.

Glass houses also compensate, except to the exclusively
utilitarian, whose income is only in dollars and cents. We
have been many years building three of these, thereby obviat-
ing much extra labor, and at the same time have some of the
most scientific and convenient structures in the country, un-
surpassed for the purposes intended. We thus have employ-
ment for self and family the year round, and with only one
man for help, quite enough of a good thing — care.

It might be deemed presumption to present a farm of six-
teen acres to the consideration of your Committee, had not
one of only fifteen been offered and accepted last year. It is,
however, on the idea of " ten acres enough," " a small farm
well tilled," and the like, that it is undoubtedly justified.

Our profit and excellence, if any, have not been in the

many acres carried on by numerous hired men, with a list of
merely profitable and perhaps forced crops, without annual
and permanent improvements. On the contrary, we have only
put in practice our theory advanced some twelve years ago, in
the annual address before the Society, on Home Improvement.

We have perfected a few acres, doing the right thing at
the right time, and added so much to their nominal and real
value for the comfort and tastes of life, that for the original
outlay and subsequent expense, a present market price might
show a profit not exceeded by any other land operations.

The Committee award to Dr. E. G. Kelley the first premi-
um of $30, and diploma.

Committee — Wm. Sutton, George B. Loring, Charles P.
Preston.

IMPROVED PASTURE LAND.

The Committee on Improved Pasture Land have attended
to their duty and report :

One entry only was made — that by Mr. Gilbert Conant of
Ipswich.

The pasture which Mr. Conant offers for a premiuni, con-
tains thirty acres, which from present appearance must have
been pretty nearly covered with bushes at the time he com-
menced his improvements. The Committee, three in number,
examined the pasture June 30th, and found there had been
quite an improvement effected by the course which Mr. Conant
has adopted, that of simply burning. We found quite a num-
ber of spots in the pasture where the bushes were wholly kill-
ed out, and in course of time Ave think he will overcome them
entirely.

We unanimously recommend the award of the first premium
of fifteen dollars to Mr. Conant.

For the Committee — H. L. Moody.

79

STATEMENT OF GILBERT CONANT.

I would hereby respectfully inform you of my intention to
■enter for premium about thirty acres of old pasture lands, up-
on which for the last five years I have been making improve-
ments in order to increase their value for pasturage. At the
time that I commenced improvements upon these lands, they
were mostly run over to bushes, and were of but little value
for pasturage. One piece of them containing about twenty
acres, previous to that date had been let for several years at
eight dollars per year. Now it will pasture five cows well.
My improvements upon the remainder of said lands have been
equally successful. My method of renovating these lands has
been by the process of burning. This I have continued from
the commencement of my experiment, every year when a fire
could be made to run. These lands are a part of my farm in
Ipswich, and are situated near my dwelling house. I will
hereafter give you a detailed statement of my experiment in
renovating them, the expense of which has not amounted to
five dollars a year.

MANURES.

The Committee on Manures have received but one invitation
from the farmers of Essex to examine the progress and results
of experiments with manures or commercial fertilizers. The
farm of Wm. R. Putnam, of Danvers, was visited by his re-
quest in September, and some crops upon which he had applied
various kinds of fertilizers were examined. Mr. Putnam has
lianded us a report of these experiments, which we herewith
transmit for publication. Mr, P. deserves commendation for
his zeal and painstaking in procuring and applying to his crops
some of the well known compounds, called fertilizers. In ex-
amining the crops to which they had been applied, but little

80

new information was obtained, and but few useful facts were-
deducible. In fact, what can be learned from the experiment
of seeking, in the market, a mixture called " Croasdale super-
phosphate," or " Baugh's raw bones," or any other "raw
bone" compounds, and applying them to a few rows in a corn
field or potato patch ? In the first place, who knows what the
raw bone mixtures, or " superphosphates," are made of? Cer-
tainly, the experimenter does not. It is apparent, then, that
the experiments must be empirical, inasmuch as the substances
experimented with are of unknown fertilizing value. The
" phosphates, " or bone mixtures usually possess no uniformity
in composition. One farmer may be lucky enough to secure a
barrel or two of the substances in which a considerable amount
of plant nutriment is found ; another may purchase packages
of the same brand, which are almost wholly destitute of the
phosphatic or nitrogeneous elements, and are therefore practical-
ly valueless. These, employed in the usual empirical way,, of
course give varying results, — results which are better calculat-
ed to confuse and perplex, than to instruct.

But if the fertilizers we employ are honest mixtures, and
have a fixed value, how much positive practical information
can we gain, from applying them in a small way, in our fields,
without taking into account some important considerations
which are usually overlooked ? It is true, if we thrust the
" raw bone " into the hills of one row of potatoes, and leave
the next one without the mixture, we can measure and weigh
at harvest time, and thus obtain results from M'hich to form
wise conclusions, or dogmatic opinions. These results, how-
ever, must be regarded as blind guides. Any experiments in
husbandry which do not extend over a period of time exceed-
ing one or two seasons, and which do not take into account vaj
riations in soils and meteorological conditions, are practically
worthless. It appears to your Committee, high time that the
intelligent farmers of Essex abandoned the " irregular," uncer-
tain, empirical methods of experimenting with fertilizers, and
adopted a form better calculated to advance true knowledge in

81

respect to the greatest interests of agriculture. In the first
place, the materials experimented with should be definitely un-
derstood. In phosphates, the exact percentage of soluble
phosphates of lime contained in the fertilizer should be known,
and also the amount of free ammonia, or ammonia forming
constituents. If substances containing potash or soda are em-
ployed, a knowledge of the exact percentage of these alkalies
also should be had. With the best and most appropriate ma-
terials in our hands, we do not obtain in one or two seasons,
even a proximate knowledge of how much actual value they
may be to our crops. A dry season may prove entirely unfa-
vorable for the appropriation by plants of any one element or
compound, or a wet season may produce like results. If a
farmer should judge of the influence of a phosphate upon his
corn in a dry season, he might be led to condemn one year a
material, which in the next, would prove his most efficient and
prompt friend. When we bury in our soils a fertilizing agent,
it is quite uncertain when we shall receive back the value, or
thrice the value in increase of crops. If we are sure we have
got the genuine agent there, and in an assimilable condition,
we need have but little solicitude concerning ultimate good re-
sults. Five years is short time enough to conduct experiments
with fertilizers to reach ends, or obtain results worth publish-
ing to the world. Much of the confusion existing among soil
cultivators regarding the value of fertilizing agents, arises from
the incomplete, unfair, unscientific "trials," or experiments
made. The public taste is so perverted, that all statements of
this nature given in the agricultural papers, are read with a
peculiar relish. If a farmer is anxious to see his name in print,
let him buy a peck of " raw bone phosphate," or " patent
guano," sprinkle it in a few hills of corn, or in the turnip
drills, and in the autumn send the "results" to the nearest
journal. The fame, although short lived, will be cheaply
bought. With the care, accuracy, and completeness of detail
demanded of experimenters in every branch of science, in this
age of the world, it is a pity that we should not improve our
6

methods in all departments of husbandry. Before scientific
agricalture can rise to a point worthy ro command confidence
and respect, this most be done.

In behalf of the Committee — James R. Nichols.

STATEMENT OF WAI. E. PriXA^L

It is with some reluctance that I make public my experi-
ments with manures. I regret that my crops were not seen bv
the Committee earlier in the season ; coming as you did, just
after the severe gale, you had not so good an opportunity to
judge of the effects of different kinds of manure as yoa would
hare had before the gale.

If I rightly understand the object of the Society, in offering
this premium, it is to collect and publish such information upon
the use and the effects of different kinds of manure, as will en-
able the farmers of the county to judge better what kinds of
manure to use. If ::i niy statements I can furnish a peg for
you to hang your report on, I shall be satisfied.

Early in April last, when planting peas, part of the piece
was manured with good manure made by the horses, cows and
sheep, applied at the rate of six cords to the acre ; to the re-
mainder I applied Croasdale's Superphosphate at the rate of
four hundred pounds to the acre, — this costs about three cents
per pound, and it is said that it is one third Peruvian Guano,
and the remainder mostly mineral phosphate from South Caro-
lina. The peas were as early and produced as well as those
that were planted upon the manure.

Some of the farmers in this vicinity have been using pine
sawdust from the saw mills for bedding for their stock. Does
it injure the manure ? is a question that I should like to see
settled by a course of well conducted experiments. Last Feb-
ruary I spread about ten bushels of sawdust that had been
partially dried, on the fioor of my sheep i)€n, then covered it
well with hav so that the manure would not mix with it, the

83

sheep were kept upon it till the last of April, when it was well
saturated with urine, this was mixed with some sawdust that
had been used in the stable and well wet with the urine firom
the horses. I planted peas upon it : they came up, but did
not grow much. Bv digging and examining them, I found
the rootlets avoided the sawdust, and got their nourishment
from the soil beyond it.

The first week in May I planted a field of potatoes ; part of
it being manured at the rate of six cords of manure to the
acre, which was a compost made by mixing three cords of bam
cellar manure with three cords of meadow muck. This was
put in the drills on part of the field, and by the side of it I
applied Croasdale's Superphosphate at the rate of four hundred
pounds per acre. The same kind of seed was used, (the sebec)
those on the manure yielding at the rate of ~56 bushels to the
acre, and the phosphate giving at the rate of one hundred and
twentv-two and one-half bushels per acre. Those on the
phosphate came up first, and were of a deep green color in
June, in July they rusted. Oa one acre of the same field I
spread six cords of manure, of the same kind as the other, and
harrowed it in. It was then marked out in drills, three feet
eicjht inches apart, and planted with Harrison potatoes. On
twentv-four rows 1 put one hundred pounds of Peruvian Guano,
costing five cents per pound ; two rows were left without addi-
tional fertilizers .: the next twenty-four rows had one hundred
and fiftv pounds of Crcasdaie phosphate costing three cents
per pound The acre yielded three hundred and fifty bushels.
In the first part of the season, where the gaano was applied,
the vines were much the largest, and I thought before I dog
them that the guano would increase the crop twenty -five per
cent, but when thev were harvested, I had as many bushels of
marketable potatoes in the two rows that were left without it,
as in the others. They were uniform in size, though not near
so maav in number. By measurement, I find that one hundred
pounds of guano gave me five bushels of small potatoes and a
great heap of vines, the phosph.ite gave three bashels of small

84

potatoes and about half as much increase of vines as the guano.

In the corn field which you saw, I applied different kinds of
manure, but it was so much injured by the wire worms in the
first part of the season, that I cannot give any acurate state-
ment. But the guano, and the phosphate gave only about half
as much corn as the stable manure. That on the fish guano,
where it was not injured by the worms, did well.

The manure on the field of ruta baga turnips, which you
saw, was prepared as follows : To three cords of meadow
muck, I added one cask of lime, twenty bushels of ashes and
four hundred pounds of ground bones. In the four first rows
we used the mixture at the rate of six cords to the acre. The
first row yielded twenty-two bushels, the next seventeen bush-
els. I account for this difference by the fact that the first got
some benefit from the manure upon the cucumbers that were
planted by the side. On the fifth row we put two-thirds of
the quantity of this mixture, and added twenty pounds of
Fales' fertilizer, costing three cents per pound. This produced
seventeen bushels. On part of the field, a compost made of
barn cellar manure and meadow muck was applied at the rate
of four cords per acre, and twenty pounds of Baugh's raw bone,
(this bone is prepared at Chicago) and costs three cents per
pound. Where this bone was added to the compost, the turn-
ips were the best in the field ; twenty pounds of this bone pro-
duced one hundred and fifty pounds of turnips. On ihis piece,
containing about two-thirds of an acre, we had three hundred
and thirty-seven bushels.

If I had not already made this statement too long, I might
speak of the effects of different kinds of manure upon the
squash crop and the cabbage.

MANUFACTURES AND GENERAL MERCHANDISE.

The Committee on Manufactures and General Merchandise

85

liave attended to their duties and submit the following report :
Chute & Parsons, Peabody, Refrigerator, Sanford's Patent,
gratuity, $3 ; Starrett, Newburyport, Meat Chopper, gratuity,
$1 ; Hale & Co., Newburyport, Clothes Wringer, and Egg
Beater, $2 ; C. R. Smith, do.. Washing Machine, $2 ; Mrs. S.
Richardson, do.. Bonnets and Millinery Goods, premium, $2 ;
D. H. French, do.. Stationary, gratuity, $2 ; Edward Donahoe,
do.. Horse Shoes, gratuity, $1 ; H. McGlue, do., do., $1 ;
Thomas G. McGlue, do., do., $1 ; Brown Manufacturing Co.,
do.. Fire Arms, gratuity, $1 ; Nathaniel Morse, do.. Posts &c.,
for Stair Work, gratuity, $3 ; H. W. Hurd, do.. Weather Strip
and Door Bells, $1 ; Jordan D. Frost, do.. Stoves, $2.

Signed by Committee — Warren Ordway, Charles G. Sa-
vory, Sidney C. Bancroft.

ROOT CROPS.

Your Committee, to whom were entrusted all the entries, in
t^is most important branch of the Agricultural interests, of
Essex County, would submit the following report. There were
thirteen entries of crops as follows, viz :

3 of Potatoes by Messrs. Phelps, of North Andover ; Per-
kins, and Longfellow, of Newbury.

2 of Rula Bagas by Messrs. Longfellow, of Newbury and
Newhall, of Newburyport.

2 of Onions by Messrs. Ilsley, of Newbury, and Gregory,
of Marblehead.

2 of Cabbages by Messrs. Newhall, of Newburyport, and
Gregory, of Marblehead.

2 of Squashes by Messrs. Newhall, of Newburyport, and
Gregory, of Marblehead.

1 of Mangle Wurzel by Mr. Newhall, of Newburyport.

1 of Carrots by Mr. Gregory, of Marblehead.

Representing the towns of North Andover, Marblehead,

86

Newbury and Newburyport, on the outskirts of the County,
and leaving the great central farming towns not represented.
The entries, though more numerous than for several years, are
still far below in number what we could have wished, and what
we have good reason to expect, when we take into account our
County's fame abroad as one of the largest onion, cabbage and
carrot growing counties in the United States.

Unlike many of our predecessors on this Committee, who
have been content to examine statements only, we have visited
and seen all the crops, with one exception, growing upon the
land ; and there were never less than four of the Committee
present, and can truly testify that the incidents and facts elicit-
ed, and the appearance of the crops well repaid us for our vis-
its, — especially when we take into account the great drought,
which prevailed throughout our County, during the most impor-
tant part of the growing season, materially lessening the amount
of most of our crops ; indeed, the only crop not so effected, was
the crop of Early Goodridge potatoes entered by the Masters
Phelps, which was planted early, and the most of them harvest-
ed by the first of August. Had this crop been planted later, it
would have felt the drought more than any of the others, as
it was planted upon a run-out piece of land, the most of which
being a gravelly knoll, ploughed very shallow the previous
autumn, — the last spot to have selected upon which to grow a
crop for premium.

The young men (who are under 18 years of age) should
have credit for the excellent appearance of the crop, they
having performed all the work done upon it ; and that for once
at least, there has been entered upon our records for premium, a
crop grown upon soil that so fairly represents in quality, a
large proportion of the farming lands in this County.

The potato crop of Mr. Perkins, of Oldtown, was visited on
the 29th of September, — this was upon soil almost directly
opposite of the preceding, at least in regard to its present con-
dition, if not naturally so, as it had been used for onions for
over thirty years ; the excellent care it had, and being planted

87

with the Harrison, a potato famous for its productiveness and
good looks, both of vine and seed, (though for what else your
committee are unable to state,) the yield was enormous, being at
the rate of 410 bushels to the acre ; and even this yield would
have been exceeded, had not the drought caused the formation
of small potatoes above ground, on at least one-sixteenth of the
vines ; thereby rendering unmarketable all the potatoes grow-
ing on the vines so effected, which was plainly visible to the
Committee as they passed over the ground.

The crop of Early Michigan potatoes, a new and valuable
variety, entered by Mr. H. F. Longfellow, of Byfield, was an
excellent crop ; it was grown on land in good condition, and
well suited for such a crop. Mr. L. supposed when he enter-
ed it that there was a half acre as required by the Society's
rules, but it was found after our visit to contain but 65 rods,
thus excluding it from a premium. As it is a new variety of
superior quality, as tested by your Committee, we feel that it
deserves a notice here at this time, while there is such a rage
for new potatoes. The piece was shaded on one side by six.
large apple trees, which would have been 14 trees to the acre?
which affected the quantity of the crop reported by him as at
the rate of 257 bushels to the acre.

RIJTA BAGAS.

Mr. Longfellow's crop of these roots, in an adjoining field
comprising three acres, was well worthy of entry, and of
which he entered one acre, that in his report yielded at the
rate of 56,580 pounds. The piece entered by Mr. Joshua L.
Newhall, and visited by us a fortnight earlier, did not then
promise so large a crop as the above, though its yield was
large, at the rate of 39,840 pounds to the acre.

ONIONS.

The acre entered by Mr. Paul M. Ilsley, of Oldtown, was
visited on the 29th of September ; the onions were then pulled
and spread over the ground, which was well covered and was
the largest yield for the uniform quality, that most of the
members of the Committee had ever seen, assuring us that

88

the crop returned by him, of 610 1-2 bushels to the acre, is a
true one.

CABBAGES.

Of these there were two entries, one by Mr. J. L. Newhall,
the other by Mr. Gregory, they were both excellent crops and
should not have been entered for the same premium, as they
both excelled in the purpose for which they were raised. Mr.
Newhall's for the market were as near together as they could
possibly be and do well. Mr. Gregory's, on the other hand
were grown at equal distances, with good space for them to
perfectly develop, which they had well improved and were as
handsome and uniform a crop as any one could have desired to
look upon, all of a kind, with no mixture or cross in the differ-
ent pieces, as there was some ten different pieces of as many
different kinds ; all to be put under ground for the winter,
from which to raise seed the next season.

CARROTS.

There were four different varieties of carrots growing on one
lot which was entered by Mr. Gregory, and was well worthy
of the premium.

SQUASHES.

The two crops entered were both of the Marrow variety.
Mr. Gregory's crop was seen at his squash house, and Mr.
Newhall's was viewed upon the vines the 16th of September,
a large and handsome crop and remarkably free from mixture.
He had a piece of Hubbard's at some distance off, which we
had not time to go and see.

MANGLE WURZELS.

The acre of mangle wurzels, entered by Mr. Newhall, was a
remarkably large crop, especially for this year. There must
have been great care taken in sowing and thinning out the
crop, as there was none of those blank or barren spaces so no-
ticeable in a patch of this kind of root, and we consider them
fully worthy of the Society's diploma and premium of eight
dollars.

Before completing our report, we cannot but add that we
liave been well paid in our migratory rambles about the County,
in viewing the various modes of cultivation and listening to the
remarks, suggestions and facts that we have heard at our various
meetings, and wish that more members of our Society could
liave been present, especially at our last meeting on the 6th of
October, at the farm, or rather farms of Mr. Gregory at Mar-
blehead, where all the crops are raised for seed, and all have
a chance to fully develop on those rich, strong lands where
the stable, factory and sea manure is used without stint, — as
any one would have been convinced at the sight of the heap of
150 cords of manure that Mr. Wilkins had already got togeth-
er on one of the lots of the Wyman farm.

The Committee would recommend that the Masters H. L.
and W. W. Phelps, of North Andover receive the diploma and
■first premium of $8, for their crop of Early Goodridge pota-
toes, 320 bushels to the acre, and that Mr. Charles L. Perkins,
^f Newbury (Oldtown) of $5 for his crop of Harrison potatoes
at the rate of 410 bushels to the acre.

To Mr. Joshua L. Newhall, of Newburyport, the diploma
and. $8 for his crop of marrow squashes.

To Mr. J. J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, the diploma and
ipremium of -$8 for his crop of cabbages.

To Mr. Paul M. Ilsley, of Newbury (Oldtown) the diploma
and $8 for his crop of onions.

To Mr. Gregory the premium of $8 and diploma for his
crop of carrots.

To Mr. Joshua L. Newhall, the diploma and $8 for his crop
of mansrle wurzels.

To Mr. H. F. Longfellow, of Byfield, the diploma and first
premium of $8 for his crop of ruta bagas, and to Mr. New-
hall, of Newburyport, a second premium of $4 for his crop of
the same.

Gorami-ttee — Andrew Nichols, AV. W. Perkins, James Flint,
.John Stone, Barnard Stanwood.

90

STATEMENTS OF H. L. AND W. W. PHELPS.

The acre of land entered by the undersigned for premium,,,
is situated on the south side of a hill. The soil is a gravelly
loam, with here and there a slight mixture of clay. Grass
has been the annual crop since 1856, and in 1867-8 was hard-
ly worth cutting, as no manure had been applied for several
years. It was ploughed once, about six inches deep, late in
the fall of last year ; cost $5. Harrowed early last spring ;
cost $1. As soon as harrowed, eighteen loads of well rotted
manure were hauled upon the ground, and piled ; estimated
value $35. The potatoes were planted April 16, !22nd. The
land was furrowed, making the furrows four feet apart and
eight inches deep ; the manure was spread evenly along the-
furrow, and the seed which had been cut, leaving but one eye
on a piece, was dropped upon it about nine inches apart, and
covered four inches deep. Five bushels of seed were used,,
four of Early Goodrich and one of Garnets Chili, costing $1
per bushel ; cost of planting $15. May 27th and 28th it was
cultivated with a horse hoe, and hoed, the potatoes at that
time being about six inches high. June 10th and 11th it was-
ploughed and hoed. This being the last hoeing, they were
hilled as much as possible ; cost of cultivation $12. July 21st,
and August 25th, dug 21,600 pounds of potatoes, of which
320 bushels were merchantable.

The above statements are correct, to the best of my knowl-
edge. W. J. Dale, Jr.
North Andover, November 9, 1869.

STATEMENT OF CHARLES L. PERKINS.

The land upon which the potatoes were grown, which I offer
for premium, is a dark, gravelly, loamy soil ; has been planted
with onions the last thirty years, with the exception of last
year when it was planted with Sweede's turnip. The piece oP

91

ground contains one hundred and eighteen rods, was manured
the first week in May with three cords of barn yard manure,
ploughed seven inches deep, harrowed with an iron tooth har-
row and brushed twice over with a brush harrow, drilled three
feet apart and planted with three barrels of Harrison potatoes.
The seed potatoes were cut, and two small pieces, or one large
piece put in a hill. The expense of cultivating, as near as I
can estimate, was :

For hauling and spreading manure, $3,00

Ploughing, harrowing and drilling, 4,00

Planting $1.50, cultivating and hoeing twice, $5, 6,50

Harvesting, 10,00

$23,50

From some cause, perhaps owing to the drought in July and
August, the tubers formed on the joints of the vines, thus re-
ducing the crop considerably. The hills, where the potatoes
formed on the vines, outside of the hills, did not yield more
than half as much as the hills where the potatoes formed in-
side. The potatoes weighed 18,172 pounds, at sixty pounds
to the bushel, there is three hundred and two bushels and fifty-
two pounds.

STATEMENT OF H. L. LONGFELLOW.

To the Committee on Root Crops :

Gentlemen : The lot of land on which I raised the potatoes,
offered for premium, falls short of the half acre required by
the rules of the Society, the whole lot measuring but sixty -five
rods. But since you have taken the trouble to view the crops
I feel in duty bound to give you the result of the experiment.

The land was broken up in June, 1868, and sowed with Ku-
ta Baga, manured with ten loads of compost, thirty bushels to
the load. For the present crop, fifteen loads, (thirty bushels
to the load) of barn yard manure spread broadcast and plough-
ed six inches deep, furrowed three feet apart and planted the

92

4th of June with '^ Early Michigan" potatoes, three feet apart
in the furrows, hoed the 2nd of July. Amount of crop on six-
ty-five rods 104 2-5 bushel ; 256 64-65 bushels to the acre.
The piece was shaded by six apple trees.

COST OF CROP.

Fifteen loads manure, $30,00

Ploughing and furrowing, 2.00

Planting, 1.50

Three bushels " Early Michigan" seed at $2, 6,00

Cultivating and hoeing, 3,00

Harvesting, 5,50

Interest on land, 3,00

$51,00
Cr. by 104 2-5 bushels potatoes a $1, $104,40

You will notice that I reckon my crop at $1 per bushel,
which is a very low figure. I think it will sell very readily
in the spring at $2 per bushel, as it is a very early variety,
requiring but two and one-half months from planting, to be fit
for the table, and are of a very superior quality.

STATEMENT OF J. L. NEWHALL.

Statement of a crop of squashes raised by J. L. Newhall, of
Newbury port, 1869. The crop of 1867 was grass, without
manure, the crop of 1868, one half grass without manure, the
remainder squashes and potatoes with manure at the rate of four
cords per acre, applied in the hill, the soil is a gravelly loam ;
the land was ploughed in the fall and again in the spring, about
five cords of manure was ploughed under at the last ploughing,
and two cords applied in the hill at planting. Value of manure
on the land, $56 ; cost of ploughing and planting, $6 ; cost of
cultivating and harvesting, $18.

Product of 140 1-3 rods, 9 tons 1,202 pounds.

STATEMENT OF JAMES J. H. GREGORY.

I enter one lot of premium Flat Dutch cabbage, grown in
Marblehead, on a piece of pasture land, drained by tile last

93

season, and broken up June 20, this year. The piece was ma-
nured liberally, with a compost of muck and night soil, barn
manure and fish waste, at the rate of ten cords to the acre.
Seed planted about June 20, with about a tablespoonful of
phosphate to each hill, well mixed with the soil. The crop
received two cultivatings, and three hoeings and were pulled
the second week in November. The yield of the piece in
merchantable heads was 2200. These heads were very large
and handsome. The area of land was 95 rods. Average
weight of heads about 9 pounds.

STATEMENT OF PAUL ILSLEY.

The crop of onions which I enter for consideration was
grown upon a soil of gravelly loam, the land sloping slightly
towards the southeast. The crop the year previous was onions.
I ploughed in the fall, turning under about seven cords of barn
yard manure, to the acre. Manure composed largely of salt
marsh muck. I sowed, about the 25th of April, in drills, thir-
teen or fourteen inches apart, about 3 1-2 pounds of seed to
the acre. In cultivating, used the wheel hoe, going over the
ground seven or eight times, and wed thoroughly four times.
The crop this year was pulled the middle of September, and
topped on the ground, and housed two or three weeks later.
The result was 610 1-2 bushels of ripe onions on an acre.
Value of manure, estimated, $75,00

Cost of preparing ground, 12,50

Cost of seed and sowing, 29,00

Cost of cultivating, 45,00

Cost of harvesting and topping, 36,00

$197,50

STATEMENT OF J. J. H. GREGORY.
The piece planted to carrots was tile drained a year ago last

94

spring and then planted to carrots. This spring it was liber-
ally manured with a compost of muck, night soil, sea manure
and barn manure, at about the rate of eight cords to the acre ;
it was ploughed about eight inches deep, and very thoroughly
worked. About the middle of June it was planted to the
Improved Long Orange carrot, the short top variety, in rows
fifteen inches apart, seed being dropped at the rate of one pound
to the acre. The season being unpropitious, the plants aver-
aged thinner than was desirable. After the carrots were three
or four inches high, they were thinned where too thick, to
three inches apart, with the exception of a small portion of the
bed, which was overlooked. All after cultivation, was by
finger weeding and the slide hoe. The yield was five hundred
and twenty-three bushels from ninety-five rods of land, or at
the rate of twenty-two tons to the acre.

STATEMENT OF J. L. NEWHALL.

Statement of a crop of Mangle Wurtzels raised by J. L.
Newhall, of Newburyport, 1869.

The crop of 186T was grass without manure, the crop of
1868 was grass without manure, on half the piece, the remain-
der was in cabbages with manure, at the rate of four cords per
acre, and a hand full of ashes to each hill. The land was
ploughed in the fall of 1868, and again in the spring of 1869.
At the last ploughing, about eight cords of manure was plough-
ed in ; the land was then harrowed and turned into ridges
three feet apart, with the plow, and the seed sowed on the top
of ridges, four pounds of seed required for this piece. Cost of
seed, $4,80 ; planting, $2 ; cost of ploughing, $5 ; other prep-
aration, $5 ; value of manure on the land, $64.

The piece was cultivated with a horse cultivator three times,
and the weeds pulled from the rows. Cost of cultivating and
weeding, $20. The crop was gathered about the middle of
October, the roots were stripped of leaves and thrown into

95

rows of four rows each, in the forenoon, and in the afternoon
carted to the cellar. Cost of harvesting crop, $15. Product
of 147 rods ; 29 tons, 140 pounds.

STATEMENT OF H. F. LONGFELLOW.

The land on which the turnips were raised that I entered
for premium, was broken up in 186T and planted with pota-
toes ; in 1868 a crop ofcorn was raised upon it. Each year it
received about 30 loads of manure to the acre. The piece
which 1 enter is part of my field of three acres, and was ma-
nured with 33 loads of barn yard manure, spread broadcast
and ploughed in to the depth of four inches, and then thrown
into ridges, 30 inches apart, wilh a double mould -board plow.
A heavy brush harrow was then passed length-ways over the
ridges, leaving them so smooth that the seed was easily sown
with a common brush seed sower, on the 24th of June. The
plants were thinned to the distance of about 9 inches. The
seed used, was Skirring's King of the Sweedes and Carter's Im-
proved, at the rate of 1 1-3 pounds to the acre. Both varie-
ties are good. After hoeing once, the weeds were palled by
hand. The three rods selected as an average, by a member of
your committee, Mr. Perkins, were harvested on the 2nd of
November, and the turnips, after being relieved of tops, dirt
and roots, weighed 1060 7-8 pounds — 56,580 pounds, or
943 bushels to the acre, which I think is the largest crop ever
offered for the Society's premium, and if it had not been for
the drouth of July and August, I think I should have raised
1200 bushels to the acre.

COST OF CROP.

Manure, hauling, and spreading, $60,00

Ploughing, ridging, and harrowing, 3,50

Seed, hoeing, weeding, thinning, and harvesting, 23,33

Interest on land, 6.00

$92,83
■Cr. by tops and small turnips, $12,83

$80,00

96

Making the cost per bushel, at previous estimate, 8 1-52
cents. The price of Euta Baga varies from $1 to $2.25 per
barrel.

STATEMENT OF J. L. NEWHALL,

Of a crop of Ruta Bagas raised by him in the year 1869^
The crop of 1867 was grass without manure ; the crop of 1868
the same as 1867. Ploughed in the fall of 1868 about eight
inches deep, again in the spring of 1869 six inches deep, and
just before sowing, about six cords of manure was ploughed in
to the depth of six inches, the ground harrowed and about
200 pounds of superphospate applied broadcast, the surface
was then thrown into ridges, and 1 1-2 pounds of seed, cost
$1.05, sown on the top of these ridges. Value of manure on
land, $54 ; cost of ploughing and planting, $12 ; the crop was
cultivated three times and weeded twice ; cost of weeding and
cultivating, $15 ; the crop was harvested the last of October,
the roots were pulled and topped and thrown into piles in the
morning, and carted to the cellar in the afternoon. Cost of
harvesting, $10, Product of 136 rods; 17 tons.

ESSAY ON HORNED CATTLE.

BY JOSEPH KITTRIDGE, OF NORTH ANDOVER.

A person who has attended our Fairs for forty years,
and carried in his mind individual animals of excellence,
that have been exhibited during that time, asks himself
not how much improvement has been made in the horn-
ed stock of the County, but whether the stock at this
time is equal to that exhibited twenty-five, thirty or
more years ago.

If we take our premium list in its order, "Fat Cattle"
come first. Looking back twenty-five years, we call to
mind the oxen exhibited by John Marland, of Andover,
and Mr. Meiriam, of Tewksbmy, and we must confess
they have not been excelled or equalled the past few
years, not even by the superior steers of Mr. Todd, of
Rowley. When we take the different breeds of Bulls
and compare the Ayrshircs, of Mr. Hurd of Ipswich and
William Marland of Andover ; the Durhams of Gorham
Parsons, of Byfield; Col. Newell of West Newbury;
Enoch Silsbee of Bradford, and Josiah Crosby of North
Andover, and the Jerseys of Mr. French of Andover,
and Mr. Fay, not to mention some of the extraordinary
grade bulls, we are obliged to confess that in no single
7

98

breed are the animals exhibited for the few past years,
equal to the best specimens of those twenty years ago.
Passing to the Milch Cows, the old Oake's cow stands
jet at the head of the list, and I think he would be a
bold man, who would say that the average of cows
is better than thirty years ago. Passing on to Work-
ing Oxen, and calling to mind the splendid teams of
Messrs. Perley Tapley of Danvers ; Pv^ogers of Salem ;
Porter of Bradford ; George French of Andover, and
many others, and comparing them with the j^remium ox-
en of the few years past, we find a greater falling oft'
than in the other classes. Passing again to Heifers and
Steers, we find the falling off in these classes, as mark-
ed as in the others.

If I am right in my opinion, that in scarcely an}'
Jbranch of stock has the County held its own, and that
in some classes there has been a decided falling oft", the
question arises, " why is it so f ' There is scarcely a vil-
lage in which pure bred animals of every breed have not
been introduced, and brought within the means of every
one, but the fact is patent that the stock has not im-
,proved. It has occurred to me we are working in a
wrong direction. We have abolished offering premiums
for the best bulls, and award them for the best of the
different breeds.

In the northern part of our County we have had
Ayrshire, Jersey and North Devon Bulls for thirty years,
and if there has been a single superior animal, either
cow or ox, that has ever resulted from the cross with
either of them, I have not been able to ftnd it. With
the Durham, it has been different. In Bradford, Enoch
Silsbee introduced Durhams forty years ago, and de-
•scendants of them remain to this day, kept on an adjoin-

99

ing farm without extra care ; and I have heard of more
•extra coavs that have been sokl from that stock withm
the last few years than from any other. In fact, I have
scarcely heard of the sale of a cow in that part of the
County, for $125 or $150, without learning that she was
raised by Mr. Silsbee, or from stock bought of him. Mr.
'Crosby, of North Andover, twenty years ago introduced
a Burham bull into that place from which were raised
oxen, weighing from 3,000 to 5,400 pounds a pair, ex-
cellent for work and grown without extra care, and cows
giving from 16 to 18 quarts each. I would also add the
testimony of Col. Moses Newell, of West Newbury, who
told me that the best oxen and cows he had ever known
in his neighborhood, descended from a pure Durham bull,
sent him by Henry Coleman. Within the past few
vears, Mr. Russell of Lawrence has introduced the Dutch
stock. His famous bull and some of his young stock
were exhibited at Haverhill ; and at Newburyport last
year, and attracted great attention. It has not been suf-
ficiently introduced, as yet, to judge of its adaptation to
to our county, but I have heard of a few half blood heif-
ers that have been extra milkers. I have also noticed,
the past two years, a few Black Kerry cattle, but I can-
not believe that such inferior looking animals can ever
engage attention enough to be worthy of notice, and can
only hope they will be of more benefit than their looks
would indicate. But whether any of the imported breeds
are to prove beneficial, I much doubt. Certainly, the
best looking bull exhibited at our fair the present year,
was labelled a Native, and was not induced to come by
a premium.

I know tlie al)ove will be read with surprise by many,
^nd pronounced '' old fogyish," by others ; but it does

100

seem as if the improvement ought to be slightly manifest
by this time. I know well the argument and theory, that
the Ayrshires have been bred with care for years in Scot-
land, on a soil similar to our own, and have been brought
to great perfection as milkers, and that it is a waste of
time to undertake to bring up our stock to their stand-
ard. But have they always proved as expected ? In fact,
have they averaged better than good natives ? A few
years since, a herd of Ayrshires was imported by the
Massachusetts Agricultural Society, and were kept on
our county farm one season. Mr. Brown, who had charge
of them, was of the opinion they were not superior to as
many heifers selected at random from an eastern drove.
These same heifers were afterwards removed to the Bus-
sey farm, near Boston. I have never seen a published
account of the disposition made of them by the Society,
but rumor says they were disposed of in a manner which
redounds more to the credit of the Society, than to the
Ayrshire breed of cattle, and these were selected by one
of the best judges in the State, regardless of expense.

Of Jerseys, a few j^ears since, a herd of eight pure
bloods was owned in the northern part of the county,
by J. P. Putnam. Their owner employed as foreman, a
man who had been used to native cows, who informed
me there was not a fair milker among them, and what
surprised me more, that the quality of their milk was
but little, if any, better than natives. At any rate,
they purchased a native of the " Wilmington Farmer,"
that Avas so much superior, that the Jerse}^ flock was
very soon disposed of

Of the North Devon it is perhaps unnecessary to
speak, as I do not remember of their being exhibited in
our County for several years past, and yet Mr. Coleman,

101

in his European Agriculture says, the two finest cows he
saw in Europe, were North Devons, and Mr. Buck minis-
ter, with all the influences of the Massachusetts Plough-
man, sounding their praise, publishing the statement year
after year, that from four quarts of their milk, a pound
of butter was made, and at his death, the stock sold for
less than the average price of natives in the same con-
dition.

I do not like to be obliged to write, as I have, in dis-
paragement of the popular breeds in our State, nor do I
believe that all Ayrshires and Jerseys are as poor milk-
ers, as some of those to which I have referred. But I
have written what I have to show that the mere fact of
an animal being a pure bred one, is not, of itself, proof
that he is superior to a native.

Of the real merits of pure blooded stock, it is extreme-
ly difficult to obtain correct information. With the ex-
ception of bulls, they hardly ever come up to compete
for premiums, but often for exhibition, only. They are
bred chiefly for sale, and of course we only hear what is
favorable. It would be much more pleasant to fall in
with the popular argument, which is nearly stereotyped
at all our discussions in Legislative Halls or Colleges,
which is, that the Durhams are a large breed of cattle, —
too large for our pastures, — good for beef, but are poor
milkers, while the Ayrshires are more hardy, better adapt-
ed to poor feed and give large quantities of milk, while
the gentleman who wishes pet animals and rich milk,
must have the Jerseys which are delicate and need ex-
tra care.

My experience is confined chiefly to a part of our
own county; in other parts of the State, the improvement
by pure bred animals, may have been more marked, but

102

I must say what I have before hinted, that the Durham
is the only blood which has been infused into the stock
<jf our County with manifest improvement.

How are we to improve our stock ?

1st. By improving our pastures, instead of feeding
them year after year and returning them nothing. Let
us keep down the bushes, and manure them in some way
and then it will not be necessary to keep inferior ani-
mals to accommodate our pastures.

2d. In awarding a premium for bulls, award it for the
best animal, whether native or thorough-bred and let his
offspring decide his merit. In other words, let every
competitor for a premium on bulls be obliged to exhibit,
with the animal, his stock; some calves of the present
season, also yearlings, two-years-old and older still, if pos-
sible. In this way only, can you judge whether crossing
with thorough-breds is an advantage, or otherwise.

3d. Be careful in selecting your committee. Select
men of good judgment, and who have no particular inter-
est to puff any breed.

Lastly. Pay higher premiums. I do not mean pay
more money than you now do, but put the amount; in
fewer premiums. For instance, instead of paying $10
for the best Durham and $10 for the best Jerse}^, &c.,
pay $oO for the best bull, without regard to breed, ,f 5
only for the second, and let there be no third, and if the
same bull is the best one the next year, give him the
first premium again. In this way I think you will make
people enthusiastic to get the best and keep it so, and I
shall be surprised if in less tlian two years, there is not
apparent improvement in the stock of our County.

AGRICULTURE IN MASSACHUSETTS.

BY WARREN A. DURANT, OF LAWRENCE.

When we consider the number of societies that have
been formed in this Commonwealth by the tillers of the
soil for mutual encouragement and improvement, the va-
riety and large circulation of periodicals devoted to their
interests, the machines and implements which the inven-
tive genius of the day is j^roducing to lighten their la-
bors, the superiority of modern farm buildings, the new
fruits and vegetables which are yearly offered to the
public, and improvement in all kinds of stock, it is nat-
ural to infer that our agriculture is progressing rapidly,
for are not all these things sure indications of a deeper
interest, more careful study, and a higher success ?

It is true there has been a great advance in the w^ays
and means in farm management, that never before did
farmers manifest so strong a desire for thorough, accu-
rate knowledge, and never were so many educated men
devoting their time and talents to its elevation; but
amid these cheering signs of progress are others of a
different character, which give another view to the sub-
ject. Ride about any county, traverse the length and
breadth of the State, and the traveller may go a long

104

distance without seeing a single work of permanent im-
provement in progress. Occasionally he will find a man
subduing meadow land, or breaking up a rough pasture,
but not in a strong-handed, energetic way, as if he were
positive of the utility and profitableness of his labor.
Here and there he will see new buildings. The fact that
the old ones are tumbling down is as often the cause of
their erection as the pressing necessity of enlarged ac-
commodations. If he examines every farm carefully,
he will be surprised at the number where the pastures
are growing up to bushes, briars and brambles, where
mowing fields need to be renovated, where the crops suf-
fer for want of thorough under draining, where a majori-
ty of the fruit trees are upon the decline from old age or
neglect, where walls and fences require re-building, and
the buildings are behind the times and rapidly going to
decay from lack of timely repairs. A large portion of
the farms are owned by people who have passed the me-
ridian of life; their children are grown up and gone;
under increasing years and increasing infirmities, what
was once to them a pleasure has become a burden. Short
of reliable and efiicient help, they adopt that course of
management which involves the least care and labor.
These men can tell you of the larger crops this farm
has produced, or the greater number of stock which that
one kept, and freely admit the backward tendency of
their own homesteads. The simple fact that none of the
children can be induced to assist in carrying on the
farm, causes scores in every county to be thrown upon
the market for sale. Everywhere can be seen field after
field that does not pay interest, taxes, and cost of main-
taining fences. Scarcely a beginning has been made in
thorough drainage, and yet the wet lands, which consti-

105

tute no small portion of the area of the State, can be ren-
<iered the most profitable of any according to the labor.
Thousands of acres of hillside, and rough, rocky lands,
which have been stripped of their natural product, the
4;rees, and are now kept for a sort of pasturage, would
return a higher percentage if they were at once convert-
■^d into vigorous young forests. It will be seen, taking
the State as a whole, that the number of farms which
show a steady increase in productions is not large, and
all that can strictly be called progressive in her agricul-
ture lies in improvement in quality ; that notwithstand-
ing the numerous appliances for saving labor, the qiianit-
ty of products has not been increased during the last
twenty-five years.

If any one wishes further evidence on this conclusion,
he can turn to the statistical record, and there he will
find that the State had in 1845, 52,541 more cattle than
"the returns show for 1865 ; there were 185,509 more of
sheep — the falling off being principally in the Merino
Mood; there has been a decrease of 41,519 in swine.
The horses, however, are more numerous, there being a
gain of 25,101. This gain may be attributed to farmers
substituting horses for oxen, and to the larger numbers
required in cities. The corn crop in 1845 was nearly as
large as that of 1865, the difference being only 1,470
bushels ; the increase in barley is 16,664. The hay
'Crop shows an increase of 19,189 tons, while during the
same period wheat fell off 7,206 ; in rye the decrease is
176,512 bushels; in oats, 572,162; in potatoes, 940,575
Ijushels. In 1845 there was made 3,410,045 pounds of
cheese more than in 1865. The butter sold from our
farms at the latter date was 3,892,766 pounds, which is
nearly four million pounds less than the product in

106

1845. Some decrease might be expected in the dairy.,
since selling milk is taking precedence of butter and'
cheese making, but neither the increasing demand for
milk, nor the high price of butter and cheese have pre-
vented the number of cows from diminishing, for the re-
turns at the last decade show a loss for the State of t),-
624, and of this the share of the leading dairy county^
Worcester, was 3,890.

It may be suggested that this diminution in stock antl
staple products may partly be accounted for by the in-
creasing attention given to Horticulture, the raising of
raw material for our manufactures, and by the absorption*
of some of our best land into house lots and suburban
residences. In answer to this — it may be stated that
the market gardens are mostly confined to the three
counties encircling Boston, and flax, broom corn and
tobacco are the only articles raised that are not strictly
edible, and that the whole area devoted to these three
articles, and also to market gardens, is only 9,891 acres^
which would not account for the deficiency in the oat
crop alone, allowing a yield of forty bushels to the acre.
The question may here well be asked, why, while our
commerce and manufactures have achieved unparalleled
success, our agriculture has not likewise prospered ? Is;
it owing to a lack of enterprise ? The past twenty-five
years have in some respects l)een trying times to our
farmers. It has been a period of changes, and to keep
up with the advance of the day has required a succes-
sion of radical changes — in the kinds of crops — in
modes of cropping and cultivation — in the introduction!
of labor-saving implements — in the system of market-
ing and means of transportation ; and while striving to-
keep up with these they liave been contending in sharp

107

competition with the first fruits of the richer soil of our
younger States. Moreover, a spirit of discontent has
prevailed ; said some, the lot of our Pilgrim Fathers did
not fall in a goodly place ; the promised land of this
Western world lies beyond in the great valley; why
delve we here amid these many hills, rocky fields and
sterile plains ? let us go and possess it ! Others said,
money can be made easier and quicker in the factory,
the work-shop, or counting-room, and we will go hither!
Our business men have spoken contemptuously of till-
ing such a soil as this ; Eastern capitalists largely inter-
ested in Western railroads and in the sale of lands, have
urged on emigration from our rural districts ; every man
thus withdrawn from the farm is a material loss to our
agriculture. When the ranks of our farmers have been
continually thinned by the removal of the young and ro-
bust, what could our old men do ? Where was the en-
couragement for them to remodel their buildings, buy la-
bor-saving machines, smooth down their rough fields, un-
derdrain and adopt all the new improvements of the
day? Where would our manufactures be were it not
for the young men crowding into every department
ready and willing to rise early and bear the heavier bur-
dens, and who have the courage and spirit to try the
new projects ? If under such circumstances our farms
have held their OAvn, they have done well ; if they show
a decrease it is not surprising.

It is well known that the production of food in our
State is not equal to the consumption, and from the fore-
going it will be seen we are less and loss able to meet
the demands of the yearly increasing population. Our
markets are so regularly supplied at all seasons of the •
year that it is difficult to tell how much comes from

108

^vithin and how much from without the State. A simple
enumeration of the sum total, either in pounds, bushels,
acres, or their value in dollars, does not always give a
full idea of the quantity our farmers have to sell, or the
real productiveness of the soil. A few equalizations and
comparisons, however, may help in attaining an approx-
imate idea. The wheat crop for I860 gives but a trifle
over one quart to each inhabitant, and if to the wheat,
the rye, barley and buckwheat be added, it would give
11.4 quarts to each person ; still add to this the whole
corn crop, and there would be 1.9 bushels of grain
whereof each inhabitant could make his bread. The po-
tato crop divided equally gives three bushels to each,
but of the whole crop so small a portion comes to mar-
ket that our cities must obtain a part of their supply
from other States. There is only one cow to every nine
people to supply dairy products ; the cheese made gives
a fraction over three pounds to each. Boston with its
present population would find in all the butter sold from
the farm about 10 pounds to each person. It has been
argued by some that fruit culture would be overdone,
and that even now apples do not pay ; yet within the
last few years we have imported largely of all varieties,
and if the amount of what has been brought into the
8tate, both fresh and preserved, foreign and domestic,
could be ascertained, without doubt it would exceed all
which has l)ecn sold from it even in our most fruitful
years.

An average of the hay crop gives each farm 13.2
tons ; the oat crop 14.2 bushels ; corn 42.3 ; potatoes
about 81 bushels ; the wheat less than one. The English
hay divided among the horses, cattle, and one fifth of
the sheep is 1.3 tons to each animal; add to the English

109

the meadow, both salt and fresh, and they Avould make
1.7 tons. The oats and corn fed to the horses alone in
daily rations of six quarts would last 156 days. If the
horses were divided among the farmers they would have
1.9 each ; an equal division of the sheep gives 3.4 ; of
swine, 1.3; cows and heifers, 3.7 ; of all the cattle,
4.7. Or to proportion the stock to the population, there
was in 1865 5.6 people to each head of cattle; 7.4 peo-
ple to each sheep, and 20 to each swine.

In 1860 the United States had 1.5 people to each
sheep ; 1.1 to each head of cattle, and less than one to
each swine. There are obvious reasons why Massachu-
setts does not keep up with some of the younger States
in stock raising, but is there any reason why she should
fall so far below the average. Our State is not so well
stocked as many foreign countries where a great deal is
said about land monopoly, excess of population, slow
progress, etc. In Great Britain there were 3.5 people to
each head of cattle ; France, 2.6 ; Holland, 2.7 ; Swe-
den, 2 ; Hussia, 2.9. France had 1-1 population to each
head of sheep ; Prussia, 1 ; Spain, less than a unit.
Spain had 3.6 people to each head of swine ; Great
Britain, 7,6 ; France, 7.1 ; Austria, 4.4.

Although the excess of the consumption of food over
the production is large, no one acquainted with success-
ful farming will doubt that the present, and even a lar-
ger population could be furnished with food from our
soil, when its real productiveness has not yet been devel-
oped; thousands of acres of our best land lie waste,
or yielding at most a stunted growth of wood, or a little
coarse hay and sour grass. Our farmers returned nearly
an acre of unimproved land for every acre of improved.
Now if one-twentieth of the unimproved land were

no

|)l;inted in corn, it would give, at thirty bushels per acre,
a gain nearly equal to the present crop ; if another
twentieth were sowed to rye, at twenty bushels per acre,
the crop would be about four times the present one ; a
twentieth in barley, at twenty-five bushels per acre,
would give more than eight times the present crop ; one-
twentieth in w^heat, at fifteen bushels per acre, would be
773,130 bushels, or about sixteen times the amount now
raised ; one-tenth in oats, yielding twenty-five bushels
per acre, a crop four times the present; two-fifths in
hay, at one and one-fourth tons per acre, and the hay
crop would be doubled ; if the remaining five-twentieths
w^ere brought into good i)asturage, and two acres made
to support a cow, more than 125,000 of this valuable
and profitable part of our stock could be added to our
present number. Large as the products would then ap-
pear, who will say the maximum point would be attain-
ed, for the average yield of the acres now termed im-
proved could be easily raised twenty-five per cent., and
still be below what it produces under the management
of our best cultivators. That greater progress in our
agriculture can and ought to be made, none will ques-
tion ; but are the tillers of the soil, under present cir-
cumstances, able to bring it up to the desired standard ?
If all the means within their reach are persistently and
fluthfully used, the prospects are encouraging. The
transition state through which they are passing will soon
be over, and things settle down to a more permanent ba-
sis. The Avork they have to do and the best manner of
doing it will be better understood, and it is to be hoped
that ere long the migration from the farm will be check-
ed. It was an important step towards progress when an
ijistitution was provided for educating our young farmers

Ill

for the work they are to assume. Hitherto the existing
-means for acquiring that education were inadequate to
•the exigencies of the case, and all plans proposed to
'meet the deficiency failed to receive the hearty appro-
val of those who were to be benefited thereby. Teach-
ing the agricultural sciences in the public schools would
-only give a smattering of the rudiments, and judging
from the past, little direct, practical aid could be expect-
-ed from the classical colleges. The canker worm and
caterpillar may devastate the very trees that shade their
.g-rounds, the curculio and mildew destroy their fruit,
rust, blight or rot their potatoes and other vegetables,
yet they pause not, swerve not from their routine to dis-
jcover, if possible, practical and effectual remedies against
•these and kindred pests that continually harass the far-
mer. Digging out Greek roots, discussing knotty points
in metaphysics or ancient history, or discoursing upon
heathen mythology, are more congenial occupations.
The effect of the training of our classical schools seems
jto be adverse to fitting a young man for following the
-quiet, laborious life of the farmer. Were it not so, why
mIo so few graduates immediately choose this as their fu-
'ture and only avocation ? Were an attempt to be made
to teach agriculture in our scientific schools, the other
industrial pursuits having a stronger hold upon the sym-
pathies of our citizens, it would be crowded into the
back ground and would not receive the attention its im-
^lortance demands.

Therefore all honor to the men who decided to estab-
lish a distinct, separate and independent college for far-
mers, and who located it in a purely farming district ;
there it can stand upon its own merits, and work out in
its own way the agricultural problems of the day. It

112

was a bold movement — few States have had the courage-
to do likewise. But the exigencies of our farmers re-
quired it, and their sons can fill it to overflowing, and it
can be made an institution of incalculable benefit to the^
whole State.

In the great work before them farmers need the aid or
the Legislature, and the hearty co-operation of the pub-
lic. To this some manufacturers may object, and say^
we create new and better markets — if agriculture does^
not thrive under the stimulation of these, let it decline^
Other men may claim that any special grants, privileges,
or aid from the public will be construed as favoritism and
may form a dangerous precedent, for agriculture is only
one of our many employments — merely a specialty..
But have not our manuflictures and commerce been con-
stantly under the patronage of government, and are they
either more than a specialty ? Our manufacturers saw
from the beginning that protection was necessary for
their very existence ; they sought it, claimed it, and ob-
tained it ; and even now, their great prosperity is due in
large measure to the fostering care of government. A
few merchants finding that Boston would be benefitted
b}" a larger traffic with the West, at different times de-
termined to open new thoroughfares across the State^
and they asked for aid ; it has been freely grantee?.
Most faithfully and zealously has the State watched and
guarded the mercantile and manufjicturing interests.
So f-AY has legislation sometimes been carried to advance
these interests, that the riirhts of farmers have been ic^
nored. It would not be an act of generosity if the help>-
ing hand of the State were now extended and an effort
made to raise agriciilture to the position it should occu-
py; it would be simply justice, or the recognition of

113

rights, for farmers have rights — by the virtue of the
property they own, taxes they pay, and votes they cast.
When we consider how cheerfully they have submitted
to — nay, often cordially supported jneasures for the ad-
vancement of our varied industry, it is surprising thej''
have not asked more for themselves ; and when they see
how^ these have advanced with rapid strides, while they
have been stationary or retrograde, what shall be said ?
Were the 46,904 owners of farms and their 68,636 em-
j)loyees united upon any plan, their requests would cer-
tainly be heeded.

But the desired end may be secured without one class
of citizens arraying themselves against another, the in-
terests of all classes are in the main identical ; every
man, w^oman and child in the commonwealth, has an in-
terest in any project which will improve the quality and
increase the quantity of food. Our manufacturers, from
■their peculiar location, will think more of this subject
in future, foi- they soon will meet witli sharp competition
from the rising establishments at the West and South,
and they w^ill fmd it quite enough to transport coal and
raw material to this corner of the Union, and carry their
goods or wares to distant markets, without sending a
thousand miles or more for provision for their workmen.
They must have some material advantages in order to
continue to make their profits ; one of these should be
cheap labor ; cheap labor depends upon cheap food, and
where shall they obtain the cheap food ? Shall it be from
our own fields, or from the West ? If from the West,
Western manufacturers will have it still cheaper. It has
been a pet theory with many of our leading men, that it
is cheaper to bring provisions from the West, than to
raise them from our own soil, and an enormous expense
8

114

lias been incurred in opening various lines of coinmuni-
€ation with more fertile lands ; still, the price of staple
products has steadily advanced and the markets in and
around Boston, are the dearest in the Union, for purchas-
ing food, if we except the mining districts ; this will
continue to be the case so long as the acres within our
own limits and within full view of our workshops, are
neglected and we depend upon localities far away. Bush-
els are bushels, barrels are barrels and tons are tons, and
it will require as much force to move them thirty years
hence as now, and the older, richer and more influential
railroad companies grow, the less disposed are they to
carry for low rates. The true working of this plan will
ere long be apparent, and it will be seen that if some of
the states' money that has been furnished for the con-
struction of railroads to carry it into execution, had been
expended in the promotion of our agriculture, it would
prove a better investment. After all that may l)e said,
our manufacturers, in reality, are sensibly affected by the
prosperity of the farmer ; they desire our markets to be
cheaply supplied with provisions in abundance. If our
farmers will now develop their resources, show the capac-
ity of the soil, and their ability to furnish the markets,
every plan for the promotion of agriculture will be
promptly seconded and supported. Were there no high-
er motive, a State pride should prompt every citizen to
speak a good word for the advancement of this impor-
tant branch of industry, for will it not be gratifying as
we travel from town to town, county to county, through
the length and breadth of the State to see the rough
fields made smooth, the waste places productive, all the
steep, bleak hillsides again clothed with trees, valleys
full of waving grain and well-kept flocks and herds, and

115

every acre producing its full quota, to see around the
liome of every farmer unmistakable evidence of con-
tentment, happiness and prosperity.

ESSAYS AND REPORTS.

There were but three Essays submitted to your Committee
for examination, neither of which seemed to merit the fiist
premium of the Society. The essay on Horned Cattle, in the
opinion of your Committee seemed to open up a subject in which
every farmer has a personal interest, and on which there is a
.great diversity of opinion, and although your Committee were
not clear whether the writer intended to give his own experi-
ence from a practical knowledge of the whole question, or
whether it embodied his own theory from observation, still this
«ssay may awaken a new interest in this important question.
They therefore award the second premium to Joseph Kittridge,
of North Andover.

The Essay on the Agriculture of Massachusetts, shows ex-
tensive research, and that its author had a desire to present this
q^uestion to the consideration of his readers, in a manner some-
times the most effective, through the medium of the pocket.
The result of his examination is summed up in a series of sta-
tistics in a concise form which will be useful for future refer-
ence. If the author had presented his views in a more direct
manner, reducing it very much in length, we think it would
have presented all that is really valuable, and it would be more
likely to receive the careful attention of those for whose bene-
fit it was prepared. We av/ard the third premium to W. A.
Durant, of Lawrence.

116

VEGETABLES.

The Committee would invite the personal attention of the
members of the Society, to the Eeport on Vegetables. The
subject is one in which the community has a personal interest,
and one that we trust will tell in the future, by an endeavor to
consider the quality of our farm products worthy the careful
attention of every farmer, rather than the desire to be chroni-
cled as the producer of some mammoth monstrosity unfit to be
eaten by man or beast. We award the first premium of diplo-
ma and $10 to J. J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead.

MANURES.

The report on Manures is one in which every farmer has a
personal interest. There is but little doubt that we suffer from
the want of a sufficient quantity of fertilizers for the breadth
of land under cultivation. He that will enable the fanner to
make a wise choice out of the many preperations that are offer-
ed to his notice may be considered a public benefactor. IVe
think the experiments of the author of this report, and his
ability to speak from his own experience worthy of the careful
thought of every agriculturalist. We award the second pre-
mium of eight dollars to James R. Nichols, of Haverhill.

ROOT CROPS.

This report seemed to your Committee of much importance,
and one in which every member of the Society has an interest.
" Like labor, will produce like results." The author has giv-
en his personal attention to the department assigned him, and
we think that the result of his labor will stimulate others to
try and improve upon the results furnished in this report. W«
recommend the third premium of $6 to Andrew Nichols, of
Danvers.

Your Committee, in submitting their views on the matters
assigned them, do so with a sense of their inability to speak

117

with that confidence which will give weight to their opinions.
We are obliged to depend upon theory, rather than practice,
which dependence we would not recommend to farmers. We
trust that the next Committee will be better versed in the sub-
jects assigned them.

For tbe Committee — James Kimball, Chairman.

118

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a" I,

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY

FOR 1869-70.

PRESIDENT.

WILLIAM SUTTON, of Peabody.

VICE PRESIDENTS,

GEOFGE B. LORING, of Salem.
E. G. KELLEY, of Newburyport.
JOHN KEELEY, of Haverhill.
BENJAMIN P. WARE, of Marblehead.

TREASURER.

EDWARD H. PAYSON, of Salem.

SECRErARY.

CHARLES P. PRESTON, of Danvers.

HONORARY TRUSTEES.

JOHN W. PROCTOR, of Peabody
ALLEN W. DODGE, of Hamilton.
JOSEPH HOW, of Methuen.

121

TRUSTEES.
George A. Abbott, Andover ; Thomas K. Leach, Topsfield ;
David Choate, Essex ; Samuel A. Merrill, Danvers ;

Thomas J. Clark, Salisbury ; William B. Morgan, Wenham ;
John Day, Boxford ; J. L. Newhall, Newburyport;

Aaron Dodge, Beverly ; vSherman Nelson, Georgetown ;

Levi Emery, Lawrence ; James R. Nichols, Haverhill ;

James Flint, Middleton ; Warren Ordway, Bradford ;

William Foster, N. Andover ; John Perkins, Lynnfield ;
Alonzo B. Fellows, Ipswich ; Isaac Patch, Gloucester ;
Thos. P. Gentlee, Manchester; Charles Rogers, W. Newbury ;
J. J. H. Gregory, Marblehead ; George H. Sweetser, Saugus ;
Joseph S. Howe, Methuen ; D. H. Stickney, Groveland ;
John S. Ives, Salem ; John L. Shorey, Lynn ;

James P. King, Peabody ; Aaron Sawyer, Amesbury ;

Edward H. Little, Newbury ; Daniel G. Todd, Rowley.

NEW MEMBERS— 1869.

Charles Adams, Newbury ; C. H. Ireland, Newburyport ;
Henry Alley, Wenham ; Milon B. Jenkins, N. Andover ;

Francis H. Appleton, Peabody ; William Jones, Gloucester ;
Geo. E. Adams, Georgetown ; Israel K. Jewett, Ipswich ;
D.E.Batchelder, Newburyport; Wm. H. Kinsman, Ipswich ;
John Brown, Ipswich ; Andrew Lackey, Marblehead ;

John J. Babson, Gloucester; Andrew Lane, Gloucester ;
J. A. Bartlett, Danvers ; David W. Lowe, Gloucester ;

Osgood Brown, W. Newbury; George Lowe, Gloucester;
Dudley Bradstreet, Topsfield ; Sidney Low, Essex ;
Gus. Babson, Jr., Gloucester ; Chas. M. Lunt, Newbury ;
S. N. Baker, Jr., Ipswich; John Manning, N. Andover ;
James W. Bond, Ipswich ; A. C. Morse, Haverhill ;

Warren Currier,Newburyport ; Ernest S. Merrill, Danvers ;
J. S. Cressey, Rowley ; Luther S. Morgan, Hamilton ;

John Clark, Gloucester ; Joseph S. Needham, Peabody ;

122

Thos. Capers, Newburyport ;
Luther Caldwell, Ipswich ;
Eben Dale, Jr., Gloucester ;
N. N. Dummer, Kowley ;
George Denning, Gloucester ;
Geo. E. F. Dane, Hamilton ;

Asa T. Newhall, Newb'yport ;
Chas. J. Peabody, Topsfield ;
Orrin Putnam, Danvers ;
J. Pillsbury, Georgetown ;
M. A. Pluramer, Newburyport ;,
Asa T. Potter, Ipswich ;

Ephraira A. Edwards, Beverly ; John S. Rogers, Gloucester ;
J. D. W. French, N. Andover ; Edwin Robinson, Haverhill ;
William Fitts, Manchester ; G. A. Randall, Newbury :
Curtis French, Newburyport ; Thomas Saunders, Salem ;
Thomas Flint, Peabody ; Beman C. Smith, Rockport ;

Horace P. Flint, Peabody ; David Smith, Rockport ;
George H. Green, Ipswich ; Allen Smith, Rockport ;
W. W. Gannett, Boston ; Aaron Sawyer, Amesbury ;

Samuel B. Hill, N. Andover ; Webster Smith, Ipswich ;
A. F. Hobbs, Wenham ; M. G. Tenney, Georgetown ;

William Hadley, Gloucester ; William Thurlow, Newbury ;
Gardner E.Herrick,Glouc'st'r; G. D. Tenney, Georgetown ;
Thos. O. W.Houghton, Saugus; O. B. Tenney, Georgetown ;
T. G. Hurd, Ipswich ; James Wilson, Topsfield ;

Samuel Hunt, Ipswich ; W. S. Wheeler, Georgetown y.

Henry C. Harnden, Andover ; Isaac Wilson, Georgetown ;

N. T. Harris, Lynn ;
Joseph Horton, Ipswich;

J. Longfellow, Newbury ;
H. F. Longfellow, Newbury.

^):;3?= Any citizen in the County may become a member by
paying the sum of three dollars to increase the permanent
funds of the Society, and he will receive a certificate of his
tnembership from the Secretary. No fines or assessments are
ever imposed. Members are entitled to the free use of the
Library, and a copy of the Transactious each year All or-
dained Ministers of the Gospel residing in the County, and
editors of newspapers, published therein, are entitled to the •
privileges of the Library.

123

List of Premiums, &c.

FAT CATTLE.

J. L. Newhall, Newb't, 1st premium and diploma, $10

Joseph Longfellow, Newbury, 2d " 8

Joshua L. Newhall, Newb't, 3d " 5

BULLS.

J. L. Newhall, Newb't, Ayrshires, 1st premium, diplo-
ma and $10
J. D. W. French, No. Andover, do, 2d " 5
J. Longfellow, Newbury, Jerseys, Ist " diploma

and 10

Ellphalet GrifSn, Newb't, " 2d " S

Wm. B. Carleton, Haverhill, for bull, gratuity, 5

John K. Dodge, Newb't, " " 5

MILCH COWS.

Moses A. Plummer, Newb't, 1st premium, diploma

and $1^^

J. D. W. French, No. Andover, 2d '•' IC'5

Edward Donahoe, Newb't, 3d " 5

HEIFERS.

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for two-year-old, 1st premium, $8

Jos. Longfellow, Newbury, "

Hiram Young, Newbury, "

Francis Dane, Hamilton, yearlings,

J. L. Newhall, Newb't,

S. M. Caldwell, Newbury, calves, premium,

^d

((

0

3d

(<

3

1st

((

5

^d

(t

3

134

WORKING OXEN.

Edward H. Little, Newbury, 1st premium, diploma

and $12

Sam'l Moody, jr., West Newbury, 2d " 10

Silas Little, Newbury, 3d " 8

WORKING STEERS.

Gideon Lucy, Newbury, 1st premium, diploma and $8

Jos. Horton, Ipswich 2d " 5

STEERS.

E. Jaques, W. Newbury, for 3 yr. old, 1st premium, $6
Daniel Moulton, W. Newbury, " 2d " 5
Jas. D. White, Haverhill, 2 yr. old, 1st " 5
Paul T. Winkley, Newb't, " 2d " 4
Joseph Kittredge, No. Andover, year-
lings, 1st " 4
Paul T. Winkley, Newb't, do, 2d " 3
Nath'l Stevens, No. Andover, do, gratuity, 3

STALLIONS.

Bartlett & Weeman, Danvers, for 4 yrs. old, 1st premium,

diploma and $15

D. F. Morrill & Sou, Amesbury, '« 2d " 10

Chas. O. Putnam, Danvers, 3 " 1st " 5

N. Little, Newbury, " 2d *' 5

BROOD MARES.

Daniel G. Todd, Rowley, 1st premium, diploma and $15

Charles Kimball, Bradford 2d " 10

B. F. Jenkins, No. Andover, 3d " 8

FAMILY HORSES.

William Hervey, Newb't, 1st premium diploma and $15

Kob't Bailey, Newb't, 2d " 10

David Smith, Newb't, 3d " , 8

$10

2d

5

1st

6

2d

4

1st

5

2d

3

1st

4

2d

3

125

FARM AND DEAFT HOESES.

Edw'd H. Little, Newbury, 1st premium, diploma and $10
Jas. T. Carlton, Bradford, 2d " 8

J. D. W. French, No. Andover, Sd " 6

COLTS.

Orrin Putnam, Danvers, for 4 yrs old, 1st premium di-
ploma and
Washington Burnham, Essex, "
Daniel O. Weed, Amesbury, 3 yrs old, 1st
David Foss, Newb't, "

Elbridge Battelle, Newb't 2 "
Francis Dane, Hamilton,
J. O, Winkley, Newb't, yearling,
A, T. Newhall, Newb't, "

SWINE.

H. p. Holt, Andover, for boar, 1st premium, diploma

and $8

Jos. Longfellow, Newbury, do, 2nd " 5

Geo. B. Austin, Boxford, breeding sow, 1st diploma and 8

Wm. Foster, No. Andover, " 2d '* 5

Jos. Longfellow, Newbury, weaned pigs, 1st " 5

Wm. Foster, No. Andover " 2d " 3

SHEEJ>.

Francis Dane, Hamilton, Cots wold ewes, 1st premium,

diploma and $8
Romulus Jaques, W. Newbury, grade, 2d '* 5
Francis Dane, Hamilton, lambs, 1st ** 3
D. F. Appleton, Ipswich, Cotswold buck 1st " dip-
loma and 6

PLOUGHING DOUBLE TEAMS.

D. L. Goodrich, W. Newbury, 1st premium, diploma

and $12

Jaques & Bray, Newbury, 2d '' 10

Jos. Horton, Ipswich, 3d " 9

Edw'd H. Little, Newbury, 4th " 8

126

SINGLE TEAMS.

Wm. Jaques, Newbury, 1st premium, diploma and $7

Thos.G.Ordway, W.Newbury, 2d " 6

PLOUGHING WITH HORSES.

Joshua L. Newhall, Newb't, 1st premium, diploma and $10

Edw'd H. Little, Newbury, 2d •* T

Wm. R. Putnam, Danvers, od " 4

SIDE HILL PLOUGHS.

Saml Moody, Jr., W. Newbury, 1st premium, diploma

and $10

Wm. Foster, North Andover, 2d " 8

boys' PLOUGHING.

George W. Bray, Newbury, 1st premium, $25

Sam'l O. Ordway, W. Newbury, 2d " 15

Leonard N. Rogers, Newbury, 3d " 10

AGKICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Parker & Gannett, Boston, best collection, diploma and $15
Whittemore Belcher & Co., Boston, Grant Hay Cutter,

gratuity, 3

Whittemore Belcher & Co , Boston, Smith's Churn, do, 3

Amos Poor, W. Newbury, Peerless Churn, do, 3

E. E. Lummus, Boston, American Haytedder, do, 5

C. R. Sargent, Newb't, Monitor Seed Sower, do, 6

Webster Smith, Ipswich, Farm Wegon, do, ' 5

CAKRIAGES.

Foster & Howe, Amesbury, Carnage Wheels, diploma.

J. B. Patten, W. Newbury, Covered Wagon, gratuity, $10

DAIRY BUTTER.

A. F. Hobbs, Wenham, 1st premium, diploma and $12

Mrs. J. Longfellow, Newbury, 2d " 10

Mrs. A. Dane, Hamilton, 3d " 8

Mrs. Ridgway, W. Newbury, 4th " 5

127

CHEESE.

D. L. Goodridge, W. Newbury, 1st premium, $8
N. Moulton, Newbury, factory, 2d " 5

FARMS.

E. G. Kelley, Newb't, 1st premium, diploma and $30

IMPROVING PASTURE LANDS.

Gilbert Conant, Ipswich, 1st premium, diploma and $15

HOOT CROPS.

X J. H. Gregory, Marblehead, Carrots, 1st premium,

diploma, and 8

H. F. Longfellow, Newbury, Ruta Bagas, '* "

diploma and 8

J. L. Newhall, Newb't, " " 2d " 4

" " " Mangolds, 1st " dip-

loma and 8

Paul M. Illsley, Newbury, onions, 1st '• dip-

loma and 8

H, L. & W. W. Phelps, No. Andover, pota-
toes, 1st " dip-
loma and

Chas. L. Perkins, Newbury potatoes 2d

J. J. H. Gregory, Marblehead, cabbages, 1st
ma and

I. L. Newhall, Newb't, squashes, 1st

ma and

Joseph Kittredge, No. Andover, 2d premium,
W. A. Durant, Lawrence 3d "

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

J. J. H. Gregory, Marblehead, 1st premium, diploma and $10
las, R. Nichols, Haverhill, 2d " 8

Andrew Nichols, Danvers, 3d " Q

8

a

5

'■' diplo

-

8

" diplo

-

8

$10

8

128

Awarded by Committee on Poultry,

" " Vegetables,

l20.oa'

60.50

Fruit, 126.00

Flowers, 38.50

Counterpanes, Rugs etc., 25.00
Fancy Articles, 47.50

General Merchandise, 22.00

Bread and Honey, 20.00

Articles manufactured from
Leather, 14.00

$1,183.50

129

RECAPITULATION.

FARMS.

Amou^it awarded to I arms, $30.00

*' " Improving Pasture Lands, 15.00

Ploughing, 141.00

■" " Farm Implements and

Carriages, 40.00

FARM STOCK.

Amount

awai

ded to Fat Cattle,

23 00

ii

Bulls,

40.00

((

Milch Cows,

30.00

C(

Heifers,

24.00

iX

Calves,

6 00

[<

Working Oxen,

43.00

<

Steers,

30.00

<

Stallions,

38.00

it

Breeding Mares,

33.00

C(

Family Horses,

33.00

(

Farm and Draft Horses,

23.00

(

Colts,

40.00

(

Sheep,

22.00

(

Swine,

34.00

ti

Poultry,

FARM PRODUCE

20.00

Amount

awar

ded to Vegetables,

$60.00

(<

Fruits,

126.00

(<

Flowers,

38.50

((

Dairy,

48.00

i(

Bread &c.,

19.50

(

All other objects,

226.50

$226.00

$439.00

$518.50

Total,

$1,183.50

CONSTITUTION

OF THE-

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Article t. There shall be a President, four Vice Presidents, a
Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall be Trustees, ex-qfficio : in ad-
dition to these, thirty (originally twelve) other Trustees, shall be
chosen from the members at large, all of whom shall continue in
office until others are elected in their stead.

Art. II. There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Society, at
isuch time as the Trustees shall determine ; at which all officers
shall be elected. Twenty members at least shall be necessary to
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Aet. III. If at any meeting of the Society, or the Trustees, the
President and Vice Presidents shall be absent, the members pres-
ent may appoint one from among them to preside at such meeting.

Art. IV. The President, or, in case of his absence, either of

the Vice Presidents, with the advice of the Trustees, may call a

special meeting of the Society ; or whenever a written application,

-with the reasons assigned therefor, shall be made by any twelve

131

■members of the -Society, to the President and Trustees, they shall
call such meeting.

Art. v. The meetings of the Trustees shall be held at such
time and place as they shall from time to time agree upon ; seven
of whom with the presiding officer shall make a quorum.

Art. VI. The Trustees shall regulate all the concerns of the
Society, during the intervals of its meetings ; propose such objects
of improvement to the attention of the public, publish such com-
munications, and offer premiums in such form and value as they
think proper, (provided the premiums offered do not exceed the
funds of the Society :) and shall lay before the Society at each of its
meetings, a statement of their proceedings and of the communica-
tions made to them.

Art. tii. The Secretary shall take minutes of all the votes and
proceedings of the Society and of the Trustees, and enter them in
separate books ; and shall record all such communications as the
Trustees shall direct. He shall write and answer all letters relating
to the business of the Society.

V

Art. yiii. The Treasurer shall receive all moneys due or paya-
ble to the Society, and all donations that may be made to it ; for
which he shall give duplicate receipts, one of which shall be lodged
with the Secretary, who shall make a fair record thereof. The
Treasurer shall from time to time pay out such moneys as he shall
have orders for from the Trustees ; and shall annually, and Avhen-
ever thereto required, render a fair account of all his receipts and
•payments to the Society or a committee thereof. He shall give
bonds for the faithful discharge of his duty, in such sum as the
Trustees shall direct, and with such sureties.

Art. ix. A committee shall be appointed annually by the Trus-
tees to audit the Treasurer's accounts, who shall report to the Soci-
■8ty ; and the same being accepted shall be entered by the Secretary
dn his books.

Art. X. In case of the death, resignation, incapacity, or remov-
al out of the county of the Secretary or of the Treasurer, the Trus-
•^ees shall take charge of the official books, papers, and other effects.

132

belonging to the office that may be vacated, and give receipts for
the same ; which books, papers, etc., they may deliver to some per-
son whom they may appoint to fill the office until the next meeting
of the Society, at which time there shall be a new choice.

Akt. XI. Any citizen of the county may become a member of
the Society, by paying the sum of three dollars to increase the
permanent fund of the institution.

Art. XII. A Committee shall be raised from time to time to
solicit and receive subscriptions for raising a fund for encouraging
the noblest of pursuits, the Agriculture of our country. The same
to be sacredly appropriated to that purpose.

xVrt, XIII. All ordained ministers of the Gospel who reside
within the county, shall be admitted honorary members of the So-
ciety.

Art. XIV. In addition to the usual number of Trustees annual-
ly elected, the past Presidents of the Society shall be honorai-y
members of the Board of Trustees.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.

ADOPTED SEPT. 29th, 1863, *

Article i. The officers of the Society shall consist of a Presi-
dent, four Vice Presidents, a Treasurer, Secretary, and thirty Trus-
tees.

Art. II. A Committee of one from each city and town in the
county, represented in the Society, shall be appointed at each an-
nual meeting, by nomination from the floor, to report a list of offi-
cers, (with the exception of Treasurer,) at the next succeeding an-
nual meeting, which report shall be acted on, and the officers elect-
ed at said meeting by the ballots of the members present.

133

Aet, III. The Treasurer shall be elected annually by the Trus-
tees, at their meeting in November.

Art. IV. The Committee on nomination shall hold its meeting
prior to the first day of July each year ; and its report shall be im-
mediately placed in the hands of the Secretary, for the examination
of any member of the Society ; and the Secretary shall cause bal-
lots to be prepared in conformity with said report, for the use of
the members, and presented at the annual meeting.

Art. t. The first election under these amendments to be had
at the annual meeting in 1864, and they shall only apply to the
Trustees so fast as they go out of office under the present tenure of
election.

AMENDMENT ADOPTED SEPT. 24th, 1867.

Trustees of the Society shall not be eligible to act upon the nom-
inating committee ; and members of the nominating committee shall
not be eligible as candidates for Trustees.

AMENDMENT ADOPTED SEPT. 29th, 1868.

Each member of the Committee for the nomination of officers
shall be empowered to appoint a substitute in case he declines serv-
ing.

LIBRARY.

The LiBKARY is established at the Plummer Hall, Essex Street.^
Salem, where Members can obtain Books under the following

REGULATIONS :

1. Each member shall be entitled to take from the Library two
VOLUMES, on signing a receipt for the same, and agreeing to be ac-
countable therefor.

2. No member shall keep any book more than two weeks, after
being notified (by the Librarian) that the same is wanted by anoth-
er member.

3. All books belonging to the Library shall be returned on or
before the 1 5th of November, in each year ; that the same may be
examined and the condition of the Library reported to the Trustees.

4. Any member who shall neglect or refuse to conform to these
Regulations, shall thereby forfeit the privilege of takingl booki?-
from the Library.

LIST OF MEMBERS

—OF THE-

st^ |^gritMItltral ^Dtietg,

FROM ITS ORGANIZATION IN 1818.

AMESBURY.

"'Allen, Jonathan
-■'Bagley, Valentine

Bailey, Thomas

Binney, William C.
*Challis, Hezekiah
*Challis, Thomas
•"Collins, Winthrop
•■'Davis, "William

Eaton, Thomas

Evans, John
-"French, Jonathan

Goodwin, A. E.

Gunnison, William

Haskell, William H.
••'Hoyt, Thomas
■^Mohnson, William 2cl

Jones, Philip
'"•'Long, Nathan
-•'Lowell, David

*Nichols, William
^•'Patten, Jacob B.
••'Patten, Robert
*Patten, Thomas
••'Patten, Willis

Quimby, Thomas W.
••'Rowell, Jacob
^'Sargent, Ichabod
"^'Sargent, Josiah

Sargent, J. B.

Sargent, Orlando

Sargent, Patten
^Sargent, Stephen, Jr,

Sargent, Willis
*Sawyer, Aaron

Sawyer, Aaron

Sawyer, Thomas C.
''•'Sweet, William

Tukesbury, D. M.

136

fMoore, Appleton
^'Morrill, Nathaniel

Morse, John S.

Nichols, Charles H.
^•'Nichols, Hezekiah
*Nichols, Stephen

Nichols, Stephen, Jr.

-'•■Webster, Enoch
■"Weed, Amos
■'•'Weed, Daniel
*Weed, Thomas
-•^Winkley, J. F.
*Worthen, Ezra

ANDOVER.

•'■'Abbott, Amos
*Abbott, Asa

Abbott, Asa A.
••'Abbott, Ezra
'^'Abbott, George

Abbott, George A.
■'•'Abbott, Hermon
""•'Abbott, James
f Abbott, Jonathan
■^•Abbott, Job

Abbott, Moody B.
"'•'Abbott, Nehemiah
••'Abbott, Stephen

Abbott, Stephen D.

Abbott, Sylvester
"'•'Adams, Isaac

Ballard, Joshua
"^'Barnard, Gilbert

Blunt, Charles C.
*Blunt, Isaac, Jr.
fBlunt, Milton J.
*Blunt, Samuel P.

Bardwell, Simeon
fBodwell, Henry A.
fBond, William
■^'Burt, Seth

Callahan, Robert

Carruth, Isaac

'^•Trye, Samuel
*Frye, Timothy
"'•'Gould, A. J.

Gray, David

Harnden, Henry C.

Hazen, Nathan W.
"'Herrick, Elijah L.

Hidden, David I. C.
•^Holt, David

Holt, Dean
■''''Holt, Henry
fHolt, Herman
*Holt, Isaac, Jr.
'"'Holt, Jonas
■^'Holt, Joseph
*Holt, Joseph, Jr.
*Holt, Solomon

Holt, E. F.
^Ingalls, Ezra
"Jenkins, Benjamin, Jr.

Jenkins, John B.

Jenkins, Kendall,

Kimball, Walter H.
'^'Kneeland, John
'"'Locke, James
■^•'Low, Joseph L.
^'Manning, John H.
"^•'Marland, Abraham

137

Chickering, William
fChamberlain, Nathaniel, Jr.
*Ghandler, Ralph H.
fChandler, Joseph
*Chase, John
fChipman, Degrass

Cheever, James

Clark, Hob art

Cummings, C. 0.
'^'Cummings, Daniel
*Dole, David
fFarnham, John C.
'^Tarrar, Samuel
*Flagg, Timothy
fFlagg, Wilson
''Flint, John

Flint, John
"'Foster, John S.

Foster, Thomas C.

Foster, George

Foster, Moses, Jr.
"'Foster, Timothy
jFrench, Charles
fFrench, George H.
^French, Peter
*Frye, Enoch

*Marland, William S.
"^'Marland, John

Mason, George F.
*Merrill, Jonathan
*Merrill, Samuel

Merrill, William

Morton, Marcus, Jr.
fNeedham, Samuel
"^'Newman, Mark
'"Osgood, Jacob
"'Parker, John
'^'Pearson, Abiel
"'Pearson, Eliphalet
fPierce, William
fPettingill, Merrill

Phelps, Hermon

Pillsbury, Paul P.
"'Punchard, Benjamin H.

Rogers, Benjamin

Rogers, Fitzwilliam
*Sanborn, Eastman

Smith, Peter
*Townsend, Nathan

Upton, Edward C.
■^■'West, Edward

Whittier, Nathaniel

BEVERLY.

"'Abbot, Abiel
Appleton, Isaac
Baker, John I.
Baker, Stephens

*Bancroft, Thomas P.

*Batchelder, John

*Brown, George

^BroAvn, Moses

*Leach, William
Lord, Abraham

Lord, Cyrus W.
"'Loring, Charles G.

Lovett, Francis
■'•'Lovett, Josiah 2d

Marshall, Timothy

Mason, Lyman

138

Chase, Samuel

Cole, Zachariah

Cressy, Joseph
*Cole, Alfred
*Davis, Charles

Dodge, Aaron
*Dodge, Zzra
*Dodge, Levi

Dodge, William E.

Edwards Ephraim A.

Edwards, Israel 0.
^Fisher, Joshua
^Foster, Benjamin

Friend, Seth
*Friend, William

Foster, Henry

Giles, Benj. V.
jGreen, John A.

Haven, Franklin

Herrick, Joseph H.
'"Hildreth, Daniel
■^'Kittredge, Ingalls
'^'Killam, Charles A.

Larcom, David

Lummus E. E.

Mason, Alphonzo

Meacom, John

Paine, Charles C.
*Pindar, John

Porter, John
■''"Porter, Nathaniel
fPorter, Robert
*Rantoul, Robert
fRaymond, John W.

Rodgers, William
fSafford, Nathaniel T.
*Sheldon, Amos
•'Sheldon, Levi D.

Stevens, Augustus

Sheldon, Jesse

Standley, Samuel D. G.
^Stevens, Thomas
fStone, Edwin M.
*"Trow, James

Walker, Lawson

Waters, Richard P.

Waters, William C.
^Webber, John P.
"^'Woodbury, Isaac Jr.

BOXFORD.

*Adams, Israel

Andrew, Isaac W.
■*Andrew, Jonathan
"^'Barnes, Phineas

Barnes, B. S.
*Bryant, E. D. L.

Cleveland, Wm. N.

Cole, John K,
*Cole, William R.
*Cummings, Sylvester

"^'Low, Solomon
*Peabody, Charles
*'Pearl, Simeon
*Perley, Aaron
*Perley, Abraham
■'Perley, Amos
■^•Terley, Artemas W»
•^Perley, Charles
Perley, Charles
■^'Perley, Jesse

139

Curtis, Francis

Chadwick, Geo. W.
*Day, John

Day, John

Day, Joshua T.
fGould, Jacob

Hale, Isaac

Hale, John

Harriman, Daniel F.

Herrick, Israel

Killam, Oliver P.
*Kimball, Amos Jr.

Kimball, Samuel

*Perley, Thomas
■^'Perley, Nathaniel
■^Symonds, Joseph
*Spofford, Stephen
'^'SpofFord, Parker
"'Spofford, Frederick
■^^'Spofford, Mighill
Sawyer, Thomas
*Tyler, William
-Weston, Fitch
Wood, Enoch
Wood, John T.

BRADFORD.

^Abbott, Warren
^Carlton, George, Jr.

Carlton, Nathaniel

Carlton, James T.

Chadwick, Henry M.
■^Chadwick, Joseph

Cogswell, George

Cogswell, AVilliam
••'Day, Gage

Day, Albert J.

Day, Royal

Day, Lafayette

Day, Hiram

Elliott, William

Ellis, John A.

Emerson, Chas. B.

Gage, Edmund
*Greenleaf, Benjamin
^'Griffin, John
*Hasselton, John
■^Heath, Samuel

Hopkinson, Samuel W.

Kimball, David

Kimball, Silvester
••'Kimball, Daniel
""Kimball, Edmund
'•'Kimball, James
'"•'Kimball, Jesse
*Kimball, Jonathan

Kimball, Leverett

Kimball, Seth

Kimball, William B.

Kimball, William Eustace
-''Kimball, William N.
*Libby, Ira

Little, Mrs. M. P.

Locke, Oliver

Merrill, John F.

Morse, C. E.
[Nichols, Albert

Ordway, Alfred

Ordway, Enoch F.
fOrdway, Geo. W.

Ordway, Warren

140

H;iseltine, Thomas

Haseltine, William
"* Jenkins, Samuel

Johnson, Laburton
"*Johnson, Leonard

Johnson, A. P.

Johnson, Charles G.

Kimball, Albert
♦Kimball, Alfred

Kimball, A. Laburton

Kimball, Henry G.

Peabody, Frank

Peabody, Daniel
*Pemberton, William

Perley, John
fPorter, William F.

Sawyer, Samuel C.
"'-■Tenney, William

Tewksbury, John B.
fTitcomb, Charles W.
•■'Woodman. Richard

DANVERS.

■* Adams, Israel

t Adams, Marshall C.

■*Batchelder, Ezra

Berry, Allen A.
'*Berry, Ebenezer

Berry, Eben G.
•*Black, Moses
^Black, Moses, Jr.

Black, William

Boardman, I. P.
■*Bradstreet, Dudley

Brown, Amos

Brown, Charles W.

Butler, J. C.
*Cheever, Thomas
fCieaveland, H. W. S.
*Collins, Benjamin
^Creelman, George
"*Cummins, Samuel
.fDevereaux, George F.

Demsey, L. P.

Dodge, Elnathan

Dodge, Francis

3^odge, William Jr.

■^'Pope, Elijah

Pope, Ira P.
•"Porter, Benjamin

Porter, Benjamin F.
■^'Porter, John
"^•'Porter, Joseph

Preston, Charles P.

Preston, John

Preston, Samuel

Preston, John S.

Peart, William B.

Pratt, Amos

Putnum, Orrin

Putnam, Otis F.

Putnam, F. W.
■"Putnam, Ahira
"'"•'Putnam, Daniel

Putnam, Eben
"'•'Putnam, Elcazer
"'■'Putnam, Eli as

Putnam, Edwin F.

Putnam, Francis P.

Putnam, Israel H.

Putnam, J. A.

141

""Driver, Stephen
*Endicott, Israel
**Endicott, John

Fellows, Alfred
■^Fowler, Samuel

Fowler, Samuel P.

Fowler, Augustus

French, George W.
"'^Goodale. Ebenezer
*Gould, Andrew

Gould, Charles H.

Grosvenor, David A.
*Gustin, John
fHolden, Seth

Hyde, Elisha G.
'^Kent, Benjamin
*Kettle, John
^Kettle, Porter
^^Kimball, Edward D.

Lander, William A.

La'he, Benjamin T.

Langley, J. R.

Legro, Edmund

Learoyd, A. P.

Martin, George B.

Massey, S. D.

Merrill, Samuel A.

Merrill, Levi

Merrill, Ernest S.

Moody, H. L.

Mudge, Edwin
*Nichols, Abel

Nichols, Andrew
*Noyes, Francis
*Oakes, Caleb
^Osgood, George
*Page, John

Page, Nathan, Jr.

Parley, A. P.

*Putnam, James A.
*Putnam, Jeremiah
^Putnam, Jesse

Putnam, Joel
^Putnam, John
^Putnam, Mary
•■'Putnam, Moses
"•'"Putnam, Nathaniel
"^'Putnam, Samuel

Putnam, Rufus
*Putnam, Thomas

Putnam, William R.
"^'Reed, Briggs R.
^Richardson, Stephea

Richards, Daniel

Sears, John A.

Silvester, Joshua
•^Sleeper, James
*Sprague, Joseph

Spaulding, Samuel W.
""•'Swan, Charles B.

Swan, Sylvanus B.

Swinerton, John
^Symonds, Thomas
"^'Tapley, Asa
"*Tapley, Asa, Jr.

Tapley, Gilbert

Tapley, Gilbert A.

Tapley, Nathan
^■Tapley, Perley
*Trask, William
*Tyler, John

Waite, Peter

Wallis, Samuel

Walcott, William H.

Warren, Aaron W.

Warren, Jonas
■^Webster, Caleb

Weston, Wm. L,

142

Perley, Frederick
Perry, James M.
*Pope, Amos A.

^'Whipple, Stephen
Wilkins, Joel
White. Amos A.

ESSEX.

Andrews, Elihu
Andrews, Joseph
Andrews, Miles S.
*Andrews, William
*Burnham, Jacob, Jr,
*Boyd, Adam
Choate, David
*Choate, George
*Choate, John
♦Choate, John P.
*Choate, Joseph
*Choate, Thomas
♦Cogswell, Aaron
Coirswell, Chas. B.

Dodge, Grover
Haskell, George
Knowlton, Aaron
Lee, Edward K.
Low, Aaron K.
Low, Sidney

*Low, Daniel

*Low, John
Low, Josiah

*Low, Winthrop
Mears, Wm. H.
Story, Ephraim

*Story, Jacob

GEORGETOWN.

Adams, George E.
*Adams, Abraham
*Adams, Benjanjin
*A.dams, Samuel

Bateman, A. P.

Boynton, George W.

Boynton, Charles
-^Bradstreet, Asa
*Brocklebank, John
*j-Brocklebank, Samuel
*Chaplin, Eliphalel
*Couch, 11. M.
*Dole, Amos G.

Dole, Richmond
■*ITorner, Andrew

Jewett, Jacob Y .

Nelson, Charles
Nelson, Solomon

Kelson, Sherman
*Perley, John

Pettingell, Henry
*Pillsbury, J.
*Platt, Colman

Preston, John

Sanborn, George W.
*Savary, Benjamin
*Spofrord, Harrison B.
*Spoflbrd, Mighill

Spoftbrd, Sumner P.
*Spoflbrd, Moody
*Spofford, Peabody
*Spoflbrd, William, Jr

143

Jewett. Robert

Lambert, Nathaniel
*Little, Benjamin

Little, Samuel
*McKenney, John
*Mighill, David

Moulton, Daniel E.
*Xelson, Asa

Tenney, George J.
Tenney, Richard
Tenney, Moses
Tenney, Milton G.
Tenney, Orlando B.
Tenney, Gorham D.
Wheeler, William S.
Wilson, Isaac

GLOUCESTER.

Babson, John J.

Babson, Gustavus, Jr.
*Brown, Jonathan

Butler, Benjamin F.
*Brown, Jonathan

Clark, John

Dale, Eben, Jr.

Dennin, George

Garland, Joseph
*Gilbert, Samuel

Hadley, William
*Haskell, Abraham
*Haskell, Daniel
*Haskell, Isaac
*Haskell Stephen

Herrick, Gardner E.
*Hough, Benjamin K.

Jones, William

Kittredge, John
*Low, David W.

Low, George
*Lufkin, Thomas
*Mansfleld, James

*Mason, John
*Nash, Lonson

Parsons, William 2d

Patch, Isaac
*Pearce, William
*Pearce, William, Jr.

Pearce, Edward H.
*Prindall, Eliakim
*Proctor, William, Jr.

Ricker, Richard W.
*Roberts, Charles L.

Rogers, John S.
*Saville, William
*Sawyer, Charles
*Stacey, Benjamin
*Stacey, Samuel
*Stanvpood, Zebulon

Stan wood, Barnard

Stevens, Zachariah
*Tappan, James
*A'^ancey, Josiah
*Webber, Benjamin

Wonson, George M.

Atwood, Moses P.
Atvvood Daniel
Balch, Thomas H.

GROVELAND.

*Parker, Peter
Parker, Eldred S.
*Parker, William

144

JJurbank, John

Clark, Elijah
*Balch, William

Balch, William H.
*Greenough, William
*Hardy, Phineas
*Harriman, Charles

Hardy, Ira

Harrington, Edward
*Hopkinson, Silas

Hopkinson, Walter H.

Ladd, John I.

Ordway, Leverett S.

Parker, Benjamin
*Parker, Moses

Pemberton, Luther K.
*Perry, Gardner B.

Savary, Charles G.

Savary, Chas. P.
*Savary, Thomas

Spoftbrd, Jeremiah:

Stickney, Daniel H.

Stickney Abel

fStickney, Xiles T.

Stickney, Charles

Wardwell, Z. C.

Wales, Herbert E.

Woodman, Ira S-

Walker, George S.

LAWRENCE.

Ambrose, Nathaniel
fAndrews, M. C.
*Benson, George W.
*Bigelow. Charles H.

Bodwell, Asa M.
tBryant, Oliver

Cabot, George D.

Chapin, William C.
tClark, Bracket H.
fClark, Joseph F.
*Cook, Homer A.
tColby, Charles A.
*Cros8, Robert

Currier, Eben B.
*Dana, Jason H.
fDecker, J. M.

Durant. Adolphus

Emery, Levi

French, A. J.

Gile, W. F.
fHayes, J. F. C.

Harmon, Nathan W.

Herrick, James D,

Herrick, H. G.

Hood, Gilbert E.

Hills, GeorgeJW.
*How, Harrison G.
fKimball, William M.
fKimball, Josinh

Lamb, William D.

Merrill, George S.

Page, E. F.

Page, Edward

Rollins, John R.

Russell, W. A.

Stevens, William

Saunders, Daniel Jr.

Warren, Albert
*White, Nathaniel

Wilder, G. W.

Wheeler, H. T.

Wright, W. H. P.

Webster, Charles

145

Allen Jacob A.
*Alley, John 3d
•■■Baker, Daniel C.

Baker, Ezra

Black, James D.

Breed, Andrews
*Breed, Daniel

Breed, Henry A.

Breed, Xehemiah, Jr.
*Breed, Thomas A.
*Breed, William B.
*Brirablecom, Samuel
*Brown, Ebenezer

Brown, Ira P.
*Brown, Isaac
*Burrill, Micajah
*Chase, Hezekiah

Chase, jSTathan D.
*Chase, Jacob
*Childs, Amariah
tCoggeshall, J. II.
tCollins, Ezra

Davis, Edward S.

Emery, George E.
*Fay, Richard S.

Fay, William P.
"*Fuller, James
*Gardner, James

Graves, Samuel

Harris, N. T.

Healy, Mark
*IIood, George

Hovey, Rufus P.
*Ingalls, Jacob, Jr.

LYNN.

*Ingalls, John 3d
* Johnson, John L.

Iveene, Geo. W.

■*King, Otis

Merritt, Charles
*Mudge, John
*Newhall, Charles
*Xewhall, Henry B.

Newhall, Hiram L.
*Kewhall, John
*KewhalI, Josiah
'•^^N'ewhall, Samuel

Norris, George Jr.

Nye, James M.
*01iver, Benjamin

Oliver, John E.

Osborn, William
tOsborn, William H.

Potter, Edward P.
*Pratt, James
*Phillips, Jonathan, Jr
*Rice, Jesse
*Silsbee, Henry

Shorey, John L.

Spinney, William N.
*Stanley, Thomas

Sanderson, Joseph X.
*Story, Isaac
*Sweetser, Ephraim
*Tebbetts, Ezra R.
*Trevett, Robert W.
*Wardwell, Henry,
fWyman, Isaac

*Aborn, Samuel
"^Bancroft, Thomas
*Bryant, John

10

LYNNFIELD.

*!Needham, Daniel

*Newhall, Asa T.

jS'ewhall, Josiah

146

Danfortb, John

Emerson, Hubbard
"Emerson, Oliver
f Emerson, D. P.

Hawkes, George L.

Herrick, George E.
*Hewes, Elijah
*Manstieltl, Andrew
*Mansfield, Andrew

*Perkins, John
■j-Perkins, John H.

Perkins, Jolin
t Kichardson, Charles
f Smith, Joseph
*Smith, William

Smith, Henry E.
*Upton, Edward
*Viles, Bowman

'Allen, John
*Allen, John W.

Allen, Luther
^Burgess, Abiel

Burnham, Frederick

Chase, Joseph S.
*Colby, David

Cheever, William N.
^Grafts, David

Pitts, William
*Foster, Benjamin
^Foster, Israel
'^Foster, Samuel

Friend, Daniel W.

Gentlee, Thomas P.

Hildreth, John D.
^Hooper, John

MANCHESTER.

Knight, Henry
Knight, John, Jr.

*Lee, John
Lee, John

*Parsons, Tyler
Price, John
Smith, A. W.

*Smith, Bailey

*Stone, Abraham

*Story, Henry
Tappan, Lewis W.
Tappan, Benjamin

*Tappan, Ebenezer
Tappan, Ebenezer
Tappan, Israel F.

*Williams, Samuel N".

Alley, Franklin
*Alley, James

Appleton, Thomas
*Brown, Ephraim
*Brown, Increase H.
fCary, James

Child, Caleb

Cloutman, Henry

MARBLEHEAD.

fMillett, Joseph

Nutting, John

Paine, Thomas Thompson
*Prince, John
*Reed, Benjamin T.
*Reed, William

Robinson, Frederick
*Smith, George G.

*rieldiDg, John
Gregory, J. J. H.

*Hathaway, Jeremiah

*Hathaway, John G.
Hathaway, Joseph B.
Hathaw^ay, Seth W.

fHill, Moses

*Hooper, John

*"Hooiper, Nathaniel

*Hayes, George

*Johnsou, John

*Mason, Joseph

*Annis, George W.
*AtkiDSon, Moses L.

Barker, J. B. "

Barker, Stephen
*Bodwell, Hazen
t Bod well, Joseph B..

Bradley, Leverett

Butters, George W.
*Carlton, Joseph W.

Currier, Daniel

Davis, John

Dow, Lorenzo

Emerson, Jacob, Jr.

Frederic, John W.
*Frye, Jeremiah
*Frye, William H.

Gage. George W.

Goss, Charles E.
*Grosvenor, John M.

Ilicok, S. S.

How, Christopher

How, Joseph

How, Joseph S.
i-H ubhard, J. G.

147

Smith, Andrew
*Trail, John

Ware, Benjamin P.
*Ware, Erastus

Ware, Horace

Warren, David
*Wilson, George
Winslow, George W.
fWyraan, Israel
fWyman, Luke
*Wyman, Seth

METHUEN.

Ingalls, Charles

Ingalls, Joseph F.
*Jackman, E. G.
*Jones, Jewett
*Kimball, Frederick

Low, John
*Merril], Daniel 2d
*Merrill, Jonathan

Morrison, D. T.

Morse, Jonathan

Nevins, David
'*Osgood, Benjamin

Patterson, D. H.

Phippen, G. S.

Rollins, Amos C

Russ, John

Sargent, S. G.
*Shed, Charles

Sleeper, William
*Tenney, John

Tozier, C. L.
*Tyler, Varnum

t Welch, John
* Wilson, Simeon L.

*Averill, Benjamin
Berry, Jonathan

MIDDLETON.

*Peabody, David, Jr.
*Peabody, Joseph 2d

148

Berry, William

Currier, George A.

Flint, James
*Flint, Jesse
*Fuller, Daniel
*Fuller, Dean
*Fuller, Ephraim

Hutchinson, J. A.
*Merriam, Andrew
*Peabody, David

*Peabody, Nathaniel
Phelps, William A.
Stiles, David
Stiles, Farnham
Stiles, Hiram A.
Wellman, John K.
•*Wilkins, Elias
*Wilkin8, Samuel
*Wilkins, Solomon

KEWBURY.

Adams, Charles
*Adams, Charles

Adams, Charles W.
'*Adams, Daniel
*Adams, Geoi'ge W.
*Adams, Gibbins

Adams, John J.

Adams, John C.
*Adams, Eichard

Bray, Eichard S.
*Burleigh, Edward M.

Caldwell, David S.
*Carter, Thomas
*Coffln, Joshua
*Davis, Charles M.
*Dodge, Eobert
*Dole, David
*Dole, Moses

Goodrich, William F.
*Hale, Daniel
*Hale, Thomas
*Jaques, Eichard

Jaques, Richard T.

Kent, John N.
*Kent, Paul

Kent, Joshua X.

Langley, William
*LeBreton, Peter
*Lees, John

*Little, Silas

Little, Stephen W,

Little, William

Little, Tristram

Longfellow, J.

Lunt, Joseph

Lunt, J. Austin

Lunt, Charles M.
*Moody, Silas
*Moody, William

Moody, N. W.
"^Nelson, Jeremiah
*Newman, John
^Newman, Samuel
*Northend John
*Koyes, Daniel

Koyes, Luther

Noyes, James

Ordway, Moody
"-'•Perkins, Joseph
*Pike, Eichard

Plummer, Greenleaf

Plummer, Daniel, Jr.

Poole, Mrs. B. P.

Eandall, G. A.

Eolfe, Joseph N.
t Sargent, G. P.
*Sargent, William
*Tenney, Daniel S.

149

*Little, Amos

*Little, David
Little, Edward H.

*Little, Henry
Little, Joseph
Little, Nathaniel

*Titcomb, Enoch
*Titcomb, Josiab
*Toppan, Enoch
*Torrey, John
*Whitmore, Amos
Young, Hiram

WEST NEWBURY.

*Bailey, Daniel
*^ailey, Samuel
*Bailey, Samuel X.

Bailey, Uriah

Brown, Hayden

Brown, Osgood

Brown, Robert L.

Carr, George W.

Carr, Moses

Carr, James

Carr, Samuel

Chase, Samuel S.
*Chase, Thomas
*Emery, Daniel
*Emery, Eliphalet
*Emery, George
*Emery, Moses
*Follansbee, Amos M.

Follansbee, B. A.
*Follaasbee, John
t Griffin, B. F. S.

Goodridge, David L.

Good ridge, Horace M.

Goodridge, Joseph

Gowen, Ezekiel

Gordon, Joseph Z.
*Grieve, William T.
*Heath, Richard
*Hills, Edmund
*Hills, Edward
*Hills, Thomas

Hosam, George
-Jaqucs, Romulus

*Newell, Moses

Nichols, Daniel P.

Noyes, Anson W.

Noyes, William, jr.

Noyes, Stephen E.
*Noyes, Moses

Ordway, Cyrus K.

Ordway, Hanson
*Ordway, Perley

Ordway, Thomas G.
*Osgood, John
*Pearson, Nathaniel
*Pillsbury, Daniel

Pillsbury, Daniel
*Pillsbury, Oliver

Poor, Amos
*Poore, Benjamin

Poore, Ben: Perley
*Poore, Calvin E.

Poore, George H.
*Poor, Daniel N.

Poor, Moses II.

Ridgeway, Joseph N.

Ridgeway, Moses M.

Ridgway, Sarah L.
*Robinson, Dean

Rogers, Calvin

Rogers, Charles

Rogers, George C.

Rogers, Hiram
*Rogers, Samuel
*Sawyer, David
*Silloway, Daniel

150

Little, Edinund, jr.
■'Little, Moses
Little, Otis
Merrill, William
Merrill, Elbridge
Moody, Samuel jr.
Moore, Alfred L.
Moulton, Daniel
Mosely, Charles C.
Nelson, Daniel P.
*Newell, Joseph
fXewell, Joseph

Smith, Amos

Smith, David

Smith, James

Smith, Moses
*Stanwood, Joseph
*Tenney, Samuel

Thurlow, George

Thurlow, Stephen C.

Thurlow, Thomas C
*Thurlow, William

Tozer, Hiram

Wildes, Green

NEWBURYPORT.

'•'Adams, Isaac

Adams, J. Quincy

Adams, Rufus

Akerman, John

Akerman, Joseph
'"•'Allen, Ephraim W.

Ashby, "William
*Bailey, Ebenezer

Balcli, John H.

Ballou, C. N.
"'^Bannister, W^illiam B.
"'•'Bartlett, Edmund
'•'Bartlett, Jonathan
*Bartlett, Richard
■'Bartlett, William
^^Bartlett, William, Jr.

Bartlett, T. K.

Batchelder, Daniel C.

Battell, Elbridge

Boardman, Isaac H.

Brewster, William H.

Bricher, William

Brown, David F.
'■'Brown, Moses

•"Little, Josiah

Little, Moses S.

Little, John G.

Lucy, Gideon R.

Lunt, Micajah

Lunt, Charles
I Lyford, George H.

Marston, Stephen W.

Merrill, Enoch
••'Merrill, John

Merrill, Samuel, Jr.

Morse, Daniel L.

Morse, James M.

Morss, Joseph B.
'"Mosely, Ebenezer

Mosely, Edward S.

Moulton, Joseph

Mosely, Edward A.

Moulton, Henry W'.

Newhall, Joshua L.
■•'Newhall, Preston
'•'Newhall, Joshua L., Jr,

Newhall, Asa T.

Noyes, William, Jr.

151

'"Caldwell, Alexander

^Carter, George

^Carter, Joshua
Carey, James

"^'Choate, George A.

•^Clark, Thomas N.

*Coffln, Hector
Coffin, Frederick, J.
Colby, George J. L
Cole, Augustus K.
Colman, James C.
Colman, Daniel T.

'•'Colman, Jeremiah

Colman, Moses

Colman, William T.
*Coombs, Philip
*Cross, William

Currier, Warren

Gushing, Caleb

Cutter, Eben P.

Davis, Benjamin

Delano, Otis
t Dodge, John S.

Dyer, J. R.
•■^Emery, David
'■'Emery, Moses
fFernald, Henry B.

French, Curtis
■''Frothingham, Henry
■"Gage, Jonathan

Gale, Stephen M.

George, George

Goodwin, Thomas C.
^^Creenleaf, John
'■^Greenleaf, Joshua
■"Hale, Benjamin

Hale, Joshua

Hale, Josiah L.

Hale, Isaac, Jr.

•'•'Pardy, Aaron
Page, John T.
fPayson, Samuel T.
^Peabody, Charles

Pearson, J. P.
■"Pearson, John
Perley, R. M.
"^•'Pettingell, John

Pettingell, Moses
f Phillips, Samuel
■^'Pike, Joseph S.
Plummer, Moses A.
Pray, Rufus
■Prince, James
■^Prince, William H.
■"Rand, Edward
■^''Rand, Edward S.
Remick, John E.
"^^Roberts, Joseph
t Robinson, J. D.
Shoof, Henry
Smith, David
Smith, Edmund
•^'Smith, J. M.

Smith, Robert A.
t Stearns, Edwin
■"Stedman, Ebenezer
^•'Stickney, David
*Stone, Isaac
Stone, Jacob
t Sumner, John
'^Tenney, Richard
Tilton, Enoch
Titcomb, Paul
^'Thompson, Samuel W.
Tappan, Samuel B.
Toppan, Amos
■"Toppan, Edward
Toppan, Edward S.

152

^'Hamblet, Horace

Hamlet, Daniel

Hart, James S.
■"•'Howard, Stephen
t Hudson, Charles H.

HufF, William

Huse, William H.

Ireland, Charles H.

Jackman, George W.
■""'■Jenkins, George
* Johnson, Eleazer
"^'Johnson, Nicholas

Johnson, William P.

Kelley, E. G.
*Kinsman, Henry W.

^•'Toppan, Joshua
*Toppan, Thomas P.
f Walker, Dexter M.
* Wheeler, Moses B.
^'Whipple, Charles
'^Wildes, Asa W.
*Williams, Enoch S.
t Williams, Robert
nvills, Charles

Winkley, Paul T.

Winkley, J. Otis
*Wood, Abner

Wood, David
*Wood, John

NORTH ANDOVER.

^•'Abbott, Abiel
'^•'Abbott, Gardner
*'Adams, John
•"•'Adams, Joseph H.
'•'Ayer, Samuel

Appleton, S. F.

Bailey, Charles P,
■'•'Bailey, Otis
■^•'Barker, Jedediah H.
■"■'Barker, Samuel F.
"^•'Barker, Stephen
"'•'Batchelder, William

Berry, Jacob
-•'Berry, Nathaniel

Blake, J. P.
""•'Bridges, Moody

Butterfield, Charles A.

Carlton, Daniel

Crosby, Josiah

Dale, William J.

Hubbard, Leavitt
*Ingalls, Francis
*'Ingalls, Jonathan

Jaquith, Christopher P.
* Jenkins, Samuel

Jenkins, Benjamin F.

Jenkins, Milon B.

Johnson, Theron
*•' Johnson, William, jr.
••'Kittredge, Thomas
"'Kittredge, Joseph

Kittredge, Joseph
*Loring, I. Osgood

Manning, John

Montgomery, James A.

Nason, James
■"•'Osgood, Gayton P.
-•'Osgood, Henry
^Osgood, Isaac
"^'Osgood, Isaac Jr.

J

153

Dale, William J. jr,

Davis, George L.

Dole, Francis F.
*Farnliam, Benjamin

Farnham, J. L.

Farnham, Jacob
'•'Farnliam, Jedediah
*Farrington, Philip
••'Foster, Charles
^Foster, John

Foster, John P.
fFoster, J. Prescott

Foster, William

Foster, Samuel

Foster, Orrin

French, George

French, J. D. W.

Fuller, Abijah P.

Gage, John C.
"'Goodhue, John

Goodhue. Hiram P.

Green, Arthur M.

Hill, Samuel B.
'"Hodges, George
-■'Hopkins, John F.

''•Tarker, Moses
Peters, Nathaniel
Peters, William

* Phillips, John

fPoor, Henry-
Poor, James

*Poor, John, jr.

fPoor, Mathew

*Poor, Nathaniel

*Poor, Timothy

*Prescott, James M.
Reynolds, James H.

fRaymond, Samuel

fSlade, Jarvis

fSpaulding, Amos
SpofFord, Farnham

^Stevens, James
Stevens, Moses T.

'■'Stevens, Nathaniel
Shattuck, Thomas C.
Sutton, Eben
Symonds, Frederick

fWardwell, Orin
Weed, Dan
Wilson. Abiel

Abbott, Alfred A.

Allen, Lewis

Ayer, Hazen

Bancroft, Sidney C.

Barrett, E. P.

Basford, P. R.

Blaney, Stephen

Bodge, Horatio
■^•'Brown, Dennison W.
••'Brown, James

PEABODY.

Marsh, Philip
^Merrill, Samuel

Merrill, Wingate
*Moreland, Thomas
*Munroe, Andrew
*Nesmith, Adam

Needham, Joseph S.
*Ney, Ebenezer
^Nichols, Andrew

Osborn, Abraham C.

154

Brown, Joseph
''•'Brown, William
■"Buxton, Daniel

Buxton, Daniel jr.,

Buxton, Joshua

Buxton, Robert G.
"•'Cary, Joseph W,
''"Choate, Rufus

Clement, Jonn B.

Cook, Henry

Colcord, J. L.
*Crowninshield, Richard

Curtis, Andrew
fDavis, Mark
•••Daniels, Robert S.
^^Dodge, Daniel
■^^Dole, Moses
^''Elliot, Isaac

Fairfield, Joseph
'"Felton, Nathan
••Telton, Nathaniel
'■^Felton, Nathaniel

Felton, William H.
•^Flint, Elijah
*Flint, Hezekiah

Flint, Thomas

Flint, Horace

Foster, James B.
^Foster, Gideon
"'•'Frost, Caleb L.
'"Gardner, George

Goodale, Byron

Goodale, J. P.
*Gould, Henry L.
jGunnison, Elisha

Hardy, Isaac

Hills, Benjamin M.
fHoyt. Joseph

Hutchinson, Samuel

Osborn, David
•^Osborn, Joshua

Osborn, Kendall

Osgood, Joseph
fPage, Adino

Potter, William

Poor, Henry
■^•'Pearson, Nathan

Peirson, A. L.
'•'Phelps, Francis

Phillips, Alonzo P.
-•Toole, Fitch

Poole, Fitch
'•'Poole, Ward
••'Poole, Ward

Poor, Eben S.
*Poor, Enoch, Jr.
*'Poor, Nathan
^Preston, Levi
■•''Preston, Moses

Preston, Moses
••'Proctor, Aaron C.

Proctor, Abel
••'Proctor, Israel P.

Proctor, John W.
"Proctor, Johnson
''•'Proctor, Sylvester

Proctor, Thorndike

Richardson, Wyman B.

Saltonstall, Henry

Sanger, Abner
••'Saunders, Oliver

Sawyer, Asa
t Scott, Benjamin .
"*Shaw, Joseph
*Shed, Joseph
■^'Shove, Jonathan
■^'Shove, Squires
•^Southwick, Edward'

Hubbard, John L.

Huntington, Benjamin
••"Jacobs, Benjamin

Jacobs, Edward W.
■STacobs, Warren M.

King, Amos

King, Eben
•"King, Ebenezer
'•'King, Daniel P.

King, Henry A.

King, James P.

King, Jonathan

King, Perley
'"Lander, Charles B.
■•'Little, Joshua B.

Little, William H.
*Little, William W.
i Low, Caleb

Marsh, James

Marsh, John

155

•nSouthwick, Edward, Jc

Southwick, Sumner
'^'^Spaulding, Joseph
^Stanley, Miles O.

Stevens, John V.
"'•'Sutton, William

Sutton, William

Sweet, Samuel
*Symonds, Nathaniel P,
■"Symonds, Samuel
■^'•'Taylor, David
"'•'Tufts, Joseph

Upton, Eben S.
*Upton, Elisha C.
•''Upton, John
•''Upton, Jonathan

Upton, Stephen

Walcot, John G.
""''Wallis, Dennison

Wheeler, Benjamin

Wheeler, Benjamin S.

ROCKPORT.

Estes, Alden C.

■''Gott, John
Lane, Andrew
Manning, James

'•'Manning, John

•'Norwood, Caleb
Norwood, Gorham
Patch, William H.

•'Pool, Caleb

■''Pool, Ebenezer
Pool, Ebenezer
Row, Ebenezer
Howe, Jabez
Smith, Allen
Smith, Beman C.
Smith David

•''Tarr, Epps

Cressy, J. S.
Dummer, N. N.

ROWLEY.

^lorrison, Daniel
•'Payson, Thomas

156

Toss, Joshua
Hale, Daniel J.
Hale, Thomas
Mighill, Charles O.

fPayson, Thomas E.
Pike, John
Proctor, George
Todd, Daniel G.

SALEM.

*Adams, Joseph
"*Andrew, Charles A.

* Andrews, Joseph
■* Andrews, Joseph

Andrews, Randal

Andrews, Samuel P.
^Ashton, Jacob
"*Barstow, Gideon

Barton, Gardner

Barton, William C.
"'*Bowditch, Nathaniel

Bowdoin, Willard L.

Brookhouse, Robert, Jr.
"*Browne, J. V.
"*Burnham, Ebenezer
■*Carlyle, Thomas

Chamberlain, James

Chase, Stephen A.

Chase, William

Collins, William
■*Colman, Henry

Cressy, Josiah P.

Cross, John D.
'•♦Crowninshield, Benj. W.
■*Cummins, David

Daland, John

* Dodge, Pickering
*Dustin, Jonathan
■^Eames, Theodore

-Endicott, William P.

Northend, William D.
*Northey, Abijah

Noyes, E. K.

Oliver, H. 3v.

Oliver, Samuel C.
•■'Peabody, Francis
*Peabody, Josepli

Peabody, John P.
*Peirce, Caleb

Peirson, Edward B.

Perkins, J. C.
••'Phillips, Stephen
••'Phillips, Stephen C.

Phillips, Willard P.

Phippen, George D.
■'•'Pickering, Henry
-■'Pickering, John

Pickering, John
••'Pickering, Timothy
•^Pickman, Benjamin
'"Pickman, William

Potter, Daniel
I Proctor, William
*Pulsifer, David, Jr.

Pulsifer, Joseph
■'"•'Putnam, Charles F.
*Reed, George F.
^Richardson, William P.

Roberts, William
t Robinson, J. A.

157

Endicott, William C.

Felt, John

Fiske, Joseph E.

Foote, Caleb
■^'Forrester, John
"'Forrester, Thomas H.

Foster, Joseph C.

Foster, William H.

Foster, William J.

Goodhue, William P.

Hathaway, John
*Howes, Frederick

Huntington, Asahel

Ives, John M.

Ives, John S.

Ives, William

Jones, Samuel G.
'"Kimball, Eliphalet
'•'Kimball, Edward D,

Kimball, James
*King, James C.
*KiDg, John G.

Kinsman, John

Lee, John C.
■•■Lord, Nathaniel J.

Lord, William

Loring, George B.
*Mack, Elisha

]\Iack, William

Maloon, William
*Manning, Robert

Manning, Robert
*Merrill, Benjamin

Merritt, David

Messervy, William S.

Metcalf, Benjamin G.

Milton, T. Payson
*Newhall, Isaac

Newcomb, Caleb

•••Robinson, Nathan

Rogers, A. D.

Rogers, Richard S.
••'Russell, John

Russell, John L.
■"Saltonstall, Leverett
""•'Saunders, Jonathan P.

Saunders, Thomas

Saunders, William
^Seccomb, Ebenezer
•^Silsbee, Nathaniel
'"Sibley, John S.

Smith, Caleb
■'Sprague, Joseph
"^'Sprague, Joseph E.
••'Sprague, Joseph G.
f Standley, Samuel S.

Stimpson, James C.

Story, Augustus
""Story, Joseph

Streeter, Gilbert L.
■^'Thorndike, Larkin
'•'Tucker, Gideon
-"Tucker, Ichabod
'■•'Tucker, Samuel
*Upton, Paul
*Ward, Joshua H.

Ware, Horace

Ware, Horace C.
•^Webb, Michael
fWebb, Michael, Jr.

Wentzell, David
*West, Nathaniel

Wheatland, Henry
"^^ White, Daniel A.
"'White, Stephen
*Whipple, Henry
"Winchester, Jacob B.

Winkley, Enoch

♦Nichols, Benjamin 11.
t Nichols, George, Jr.
*Nichols, Ichabod

15S

Woodis, Alden B.
f Wyman, Rufus

SALISBURY.

fAyer, Jumes H. B.
-^Ball, Ebenezer W.
+Barnard, Edmund
*Bro\vn, Henry M.
♦Brown, Jacob

Clark, Thomas J.
♦Currier, David

Currier, Jacob
♦Currier, Moses
♦Dole, Belcher
f Evans, Benjamin

Evans, Benjamin

*French, Moses
Gale, Josiah B.
*rollansbee, tJoshua
*March, Samuel
-Merrill, Ezra
^Morrill, Bradbury
■-■Morrison, Abraham
*Xayson, David
*Nye, Samuel
*Osgood, Timothy
*Payson, David
*FiOwell. Philip.

♦Cheevcr, Abijah
♦Brown, Timothy II.
♦Eustes, Jacob
Kaughton, Thomas O. W.

SAUGUS.

*Mansfleld, Thomas
Robinson, E. P.
Svveetser, George H.

Mudge, E. R.
►^Phillips, John
Fhillips, J. B.

SWAMPSCOTT.

Pitnam, Samuel C
Stetson, Charles A.
Washburn. John

Adams, B. P.
♦Andrews, Moody

TOPSFIELD.

Lake, Charles II.
i^Lake, Eleazer

159

*Averill, Joseph

*Batchelder, Joseph

Batchelder, Ezra

Balch, Abraham
*Balch, Daniel T.
*Balch, Thomas
*Balch, William H.

*Boyden, Dwight
*Boyden, Frederick

Bradstreet, Dudley
*Bradstreet, Moses

Cleaveland, John
*Cleaveland, Nahemiali
t Cleaveland, Nehemiah
*Cummings, David
*Cummings, Cyrus

Elliott, Israel D.
*Emerson, Billy
*Emerson, Joseph,
t Emerson, Thomas P.
*Gould, Allen

Gould, Ariel H.
*Gould, John
*Gould, Jonathan P.
*Gould, Josiah

Ilerrick, Charles
*Hobbs, Abraham
*IIood, Edward
*Hood, Elisha
*Hood, John
*nood, Samuel

Hood, S. D.

Hubbard, William

*Lake, Joel

Leach, Thomas K.
*Lamson, John

Manning, James
fMerriam, Arthur M.
*Merriam, Frederick J.
*Merriam, Frederick J,
*Merriam, Royal A.
*Munday, T. P.

Munday, William

Peabody, Charles J.
*Peabody, Ebenezer
*Peabody, Joel Pi.
*Peabody, John
*Perkins, David
*Perkins, Ephraim
*Perkins, Ezra
*Perkins, Thomas
*Perley, Nathaniel

Pettengill, David A.

Pierce, T. W.

Poole, Benjamin
*Rea, Isaac
fRea, John jr,
*Towne, Jacob jr,
*Towne, Joshua
*Wildes, Dudley jr,
*Wildes, Ephraim
*Wildes, Moses

Wildes, Moses
*Wilde8, Solomon

Wilson. James

WENHAM.

Alley, Henry

Batchelder, Joseph
*Brown, Nehemiah
*Dodge, Abraham

Dodge, Andrew

Dodge, Ezra

Fowler, W. W.
Gould, Amos"
Morgan, William B.
Hadley, Franklin
Hobbs, A. F.
Hobbs Henry.

\

160

Dodge, George A.

Dodge, George F.
*Dodge, Isaac
*Dodge, John T.
*Dodge, Nicholas

Dodge, Rufus A.
*Dodgc, William
*Dodge, William 2d
*Edwards, Benjamin

Edwards, Francis E.

*Kimball, Edmund

Patch, Henry
*Peabody, Warren
*Porter, John
*Porter, Jonathan
*Porter, Paul

Porter, William

Pingree, William G.

Robinson, John L.

Tilton. Georjje H.

HAMILTON.

Allen, Francis R.
*Appleton, Oliver
*Bro\vn, Azor

Brown, Jacob

Brown William A.
tBurnham, Choate
*Cutler, Temple

Dane, George

Dane Samuel

Dane, Francis

Dane, George E. F,
*Dodge, Allen

Dodge, Allen W.
*Dodge, Anlipas
*Dodge, David

Dodge, Emerson P.

Dodge, George B.

*Dodge, Henry

*Dodge, Isaac

*Dodge, John B.

*Dodge, Robert
Knowlton, Isaac
Knowlton, Isaac F.
Knowlton, Joseph
Lamson, Jarvis
Morgan, Luther S.

fNorris, George

*Patch, Joseph
Patch, Asaiiel H.
Porter, Oliver
Safford, Daniel E.

*Smith, Ammi

*Smith, Asa
Smith, John

*Tuttle, John

*Whittredge, John
Whiltredge, John
*Woodbury. Andrew

*Ames, James E.
*Ayer, James
*Batchelder, William
*Bartlett, Bailey

HAVERHILL.

*Ilowe, Isaac R.
Howe, Nathaniel S.
Iloyt, George II.
Iloyt, Humphrey

161

Bartlett, James A.
*Bartlett, Thomas

Barry, J. M.

Bodwoll, Stephen
*BradIey, Daniel
*BradIey, Enoch
*Bradley, Enoch L.

Brlckett, Barnard

Brickett, Daniel

Brlckett, Daniel H.

Brickett, Franklin

Butters, Charles

Butters, II. A.

Caldwell, William
*Carlton, Aaron, Jr.

Carlton, John

Carlton, Samuel

Carlton William B.

Chase, Abel W.

Chase, C. W.
*Chase, John
*Chase, Tappan

Chase, William D. S.
*Chase, Woodman

Cobui'n, A. M.

Coffin, George
♦Coffin, Joseph

C<>rliH8, Charles
*Corliss, Ephraim

Currirr, Samuel M.

Currier, William A.

Cushman, R. P.

Cummings, Henry

Cook, Justice T.

Clark, William P.

Cheever, H. W.

Dewhurst, James

Davis. Phineas E.

Davis, GtMn'jre W.
*Day, Jamt-s

Duni)ar, Charles H.
*Duiican, James 11.
*Daticaii, James II. jr.

Eaton. Harrison

Ingalls, E. T.

Jeffers, William
♦Johnson, Daniel

Keely, John

Kittredge, Alfred
fLee, George W.
t Little, Edmund B.
t Little, J, G S.

Longfellow, Samuel
*Marsh, David

Marsh, John J.

Merrill, William

Mitchell, E.

Mitchell, Seth K

Morse, John

Morse, A. C.

Nichols, James R.

Nichols, John P..
t Nichols, John A.

Noyes, James

Noyes, Johnson

Ordway, Moody

Oberton, W. W. S.

Patch. Paul D.
*Pecker, Samuel
♦Pecker, William
fPlummer, Hiram

Porter, Ebenezer
♦Porter, Eleazer A.

Porter, Dudley

Pu*nam, Moses W.

Randall, John P.

Richards, William B.

Richardson, John B.
Roberts, Stephen

R(jbinson, Edwin

Savar}', Robert
♦Sawins, E. J.

Shaltuck, L. P., Jr.

Slocum, Rufus

SIeei)er, Sherburne C.

Smith. Jesse

Smiley, James V.
♦Spofford, Leander

162

♦Elliott, Ephraim

Elliott, Samuel H.

Elliott, Samuel

Emerson, Albert
*Emersoii, Nehemiah

Euiery, Benjamin E.

Einery, Moses G. J.

Farnswortli, J. H.

Farrar, Joseph E.

Fellows, Samuel

Fitts,D. F.

Flanders, Daniel D.

Fletcher, Edmund

Frothinghau), Edward G.

Gale, James

Gale, James E.

Gardner, John

George, M. D.

Glle, James F.

Gilman, John P.

Goodrich, T. J.

Grieves, J.

Hale, E. J. M.

Hale, Samuel
*narding, Jesse

Harding, Thomas

Harmon, David P.

Hatch, Charles W.
f Hazleline, Hazen

Hull, Charles

Hooke, Daniel
*How, David

How, Moses

Spiller, J. B.
Stewart, John

*Stcwart, Richard
Swett, Jackson B.
Taylor, Martin
Taylor, Oliver
Taylor, Levi
Tilcoinh Benaiah
Tompkins, Christ'r
Towle, Samuel K.
Turner, James

*Varnum, Joiin
Wadleigh. Levi C.
Webster, David
Webster, Ehenezer
Webster, Nathan
Webster, Richard
Webster, E. F.

t Welch, Ezra B.
West, TliDuias
West, H. K.
West, JamesF.
Winchell, Jauies H.
Wingale, Moses
Wheeler, Allison
White, James D.
Whiltier, Leonard

*Wiiillier, Warner
Whitlier, Warner R,
Wiiillier, Alvah

*Whitlon, G. W. G.

*Woiidman, John

IPSWICH.

♦Andrews, Asa
Andrews, Daniel
Andrews, David
Andrews, Theodore
Appleton, Daniel F.

*Baker, Charles

*Green, Samuel H.

Green, George H.
*Hammatt, Abraham
*Heard, John

Hobbs, John
*Hodgkins, Joseph

163

Baker, S. N., Jr.

Bond, James W.

Bray, Frederick

Brown, Aaron F.
*Jiro\vn, Ephraiin
*Brown, Jacob

Brown, Manasseh
*Brown, Michael
*Brown, Tristram

Brown, William G.

Brown, John

Caldwell, Abraham

Caldwell, Luther
*Choate, John
*Cofj.svvell, Daniel

Cogswell, William

Conant, Gilbert
*Day, Abner
*DunneIls, John H.
t Farley, Alfred M.

Farley, Joseph
t Farley, Robert, Jr.
*Farley, Jabez
*Farley, Joseph
*Farley, Michael

Fall, Tristram B.

Fellows, Alonzo B.
*Fosler, John
*Foster, Thomas
*Giddin<:8, Jnshna
*Gould, A mos

(iould, John J.

Hunt, Samuel

Hurd, Y. G.

Jewett, Israel K.

Kimball. Charles

Kimball, Daniel

Kinsman, WilliamH.
t Locke, Calvin
*Lord, Ebenezer, Jr.
*Lord, Moses
*Lord, Nathaniel, Jr.

Low, Thomas

Marshall. Joseph
t Merrill, Ezekiel O.

Mitchell, Frederick
*Oakes, William
*Patch, John
*Pearson, Stephen
*Perley, Jacob

Potter, Asa T.

llogers, Isaiah A.
*Ross, Daniel

Ross, Joseph

Smith, Webster
*Wade, Nathaniel
*Wade, Thomas
fWade, William F.

Waite, Abraham D.
*Waite, Luther
*Wallis, Aaron

Worcester, Ira

Wade, Asa

BOSTON.

Flint, Charles L. Parker, James M.

Gannett, W. W. Poyson, Thomas E.

Kimball, Jonathan Putnam, Benjamin C.

King, U. Webster . Snow, Jesse W.

Maynard, Lambert Whitteraore, Charles A.
Northend, E. T.

Note.- Members deceased are marked with an * ; those removed out of
the countv v/ith a t •

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Address by Benj. P. "Ware, 3

Keport on the exhibition, addresses, resolutions etc 25

" Fiit Cattle, 33

Bulls 33

" Milch Cows, with statements, 34

•• Heifers 38

" AVorking Oxen and Steers 39

" Steers, 39

" Stallions 40

" Breeding Mares, 42

" Family Horses, 42

•' Farm and DrJift Horses, 43

Colts, 43

«♦ Swine 44

•' Poultry, . , . . • 44

" Sheep 45

" Ploughing, Double Teams 45

" Ploughing. Single 'I'eams 47

" Ploughing, with Horses, 47

» Ploughing, with Side Hill Plough, 48

»' Ploughing, hy Boys, 48

" Agricultural Implements, 49

" Carriages, 61

" Dairy, with statements, 51

" Bread and Honey, 55

•' Pears, ' . 55

" Apples, 57

" Peaches, Assorted Fruits and Grapes, 58

*' Flowers 59

•I Vegetables 61

" Counterpanes, Carpetings and Bugs, 70

Fancy Work 71

" Farms, -vviih statement of E. G. Kelley, 72

*' Improved Pasture Land, with statement of Gilbert Conant, . 7*^

" Manures, with statement of William R. Putnam 79

" Manufacturers and General Merchandize, 84

" Hoot Crops, with statements, 85

Essay on Hoin;d Cattle, ly Joseph Kittredge of North Andover, . . 97
" Agriculture in Mass. by Warren A. Durant of Lawrence, . 103

" and llepoits of Committee's, 115

Trfasurcr's Report, , 118

Officers of the Society 120

New Members, 121

List of Premiums. 123

Recapitulation 129

Constitution of the Society, 130

Library,^ 134

List ol Members,. ISa

TEANSACTIONS

OF THE

Essex Agricultural Society

IN MASSACHUSETTS,

FOR THE YEAR

isro

WITH THE

ANNUAL ADDRESS

BY

HON. BENJ. F. BUTLER.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.

PEABODY :

PRINTED AT " THE PEABODY PRESS OFFICE," WARREN BANK BUILDING.

1870.

ADDRESS.

"Nothing is more certain than that, were the practical
'Operations of Agriculture to be discussed at the present
hour, he who speaks to you should be a silent pupil,
.'learning from the ripe experience of those sitting around
him, who, through a long life, have taught the earth to
•yield of her plenty to the strong hand and ready arts
.-of husbandry. The pupil, then, is warned that he should
'not venture, here and now, to ' speak, even, in the pres-
ence of the masters of the science of field culture, which
rthey love so well, and in which they have been so long-
Averse d.

But there are studies connected with the tillage of the
earth which well become the philosophical statesman;
'by which he may learn how laAvs may be best framed
for dividing the land among the citizens, so that the
greatest good to the greatest number may be secured
without unnecessary restraint upon the individual, which
lis the sole object of government.

Our fathers came from a land-loving, land-hoarding
race ; whether the blood which flows in our veins is
drawn from the tenant-farmer of England or tlie lord of
the soil. From the first, our ancestors knew, by bitter
experience, the want of land, the grinding oppression of
rent-paying — had felt the power which possession of it
gives — the place Avhich the lord of the soil held amongst,
princes and kings ; aye, and had felt what was the fate:
of the landless, and how little he could withstand the
oppression of the landlord. If, as may be, we reckoni
back our blood from some noble house of England, it
came through the veins of the cadet, the younger son of
that house, whom the law of primogeniture had made as
landless as the tenant. He had seen all of it swept
away by the elder brother, while he was left to seek his
fortune and his livelihood in the wilds of a new world.
Or, if our ancestry was of the down-trodden sons of,"
Ireland, they had learned through tyranny, wrong and
starvation, that without land man was nothing ; that to
be landless was to be helpless.

Thus we come naturally, and by inheritance, to be
imbued, almost with a mania for soil-getting ; and our
fathers strove to possess themselves of as much land as
possible ; to encompass with their fences, and to assure
its title in themselves by the most carefully guarded
records. Whoever looks over the farms of New England,
even, will see that quantity of land in the hands of the
individual was all that was sought for, while in the far
West, where land was practically illimitable and to be ■
had almost without price, w^e hear of farmers counting
their acres by thousands upon thousands. And in New
York, in the earlier days, the manors of, the patroons .

equalled in extent and exceeded in richness of soil many
■a German principality. Singularly enough, the laws of
primogeniture and entail, in their principles and effects,
although not in force, take strong hold upon our people,
so that the father, in fact, gave the bulk of his land
substantially to one of his sons. Both these laws made
strong battle to maintain themselves as a part of our
■systems of government in the conventions wdiich formed
the earlier constitutions in most of the states, and not by
strong votes in numbers were they cast out. But while
the law, through its enactments, divided the estates
among the children equally, yet in practice, almost as a
rule, the farm went to one. Whoever in New England
thought, or whoever now thinks of dividing his land
•among his daughters ? How rarely is the land divided
by will among the sons ! The practice wdiich has ob-
tained, is, as we all know, for some one of the sons to
remain with the father with the expectation of being
given the firm, either by paying small legacies to his
sisters and larger ones to his brothers, or when the estate
is inconsiderable in value, or, as a very common practice,
by being the assured recipient of the farm by giving a
bond for the maintenance of his parents during their
lives.

Thus has it come to pass that the agricultural land of
New England — and it is equally true of Massachusetts —
has remained substantially undivided. The boundaries
of many farms are the same that they were in the time
of the Revolution, save where house lots may have been
sold from them, if bordering on a village. Some have
been increased in their boundaries : and is it not to-day
a boast amon^ some of the farmers who sit before me.

that the boundaries of their fjirms are the same as those-
of their fathers, their grandfathers, back even to the
third and fourth generation.

In the settlement of the country there were reasons
for this aggregation of land which do not now obtain-
New England men depended upon the forest for their
fuel and for their timber ; so that large portions of land
might well have been held to supply the fence, the firej.
and the building material. Still, it will be seen that in
most of the farms, even, that reason did not obtain, for a
most eager desire was manifested for clearing the land —
avarice, apparently, prompting the owner to burn the
Avood and skim the cream from the virgin soil. It is
evident that a wish to preserve woodland for fuel, in the'
absence of coal and peat wdiich now supply so largely
the fuel of Massachusetts, did not deter our fathers fromi
cutting away the forest. Indeed, the early New England
farmer seemed to have two controlling ideas in the selec-
tion and management of his farm : first, to set his house
on the top of a hill so as to render access to it as difficult
as possible ; and, second, to cut off' all the wood upon
his land so as to render it as dismal and bare as possible..
These results obtained, he became comfortable and thor-
oughly respectable. Statistics show that to-day there
are more acres of growing woodland in tlie Common-
wealth, although not as valuable, than there were in tho'
days of the Revolution.

This aggregation of large quantities of land in one
hand has resulted in so poor tillage and so little produc-
tiveness— because of the inabilit}'' to till so much in a
proper manner — and has made farming so unprofitable,
that — taking the waste and barren pastures, the unim-

proved woodland where the shrub-oak and the stunted?
pine have filled the place of the maple, the beech, the
birch, the ash, and the oak — if all the agricultural land
of Massachusetts were put at sale to-day at the price
which is asked for it, the proceeds would not be sufficient
to dig the stones and rebuild the stonewalls which fence
them.

Again, we see that farming presents so few attractions
as a business, that all our young men are flocking to the
cities or engaging in commerce upon the seas, or seeking
adventures abroad, or homes in the Western uncultivated
lands. Anything rather than here pursue the occupation
of a farmer. If they farm at all, they go to the West,
to make themselves new homes there. And if you ask
the reason of this, you are told, '' who would spend his
time upon the sterile broken lands of Massachusetts
when he can have the rich prairies of Illinois and Kan-
sas, Avithout a stone, or a stump, or a hill, on which to
make his farm ! " Probably there was never a greater
fallacy than that farming can be made more profitable-
in the West than in New England. What crop will you
plant there of which you cannot raise more here than
there to the acre ? Is it corn ? Compare Massachusetts
in 1867, with Ohio and Texas, to see why our sons
should go either West or South to raise corn. In 1867,
corn here averaged 35 bushels to the acre ; in Ohio 28
bushels to the acre ; Texas 28 bushels to the acre. So
that, in fact, the average worth of an acre of corn in
Massachusetts was from $50 to $54; in Ohio, $20 to
$23, and in Texas, |17 to $22. Is it wheat? The
average yield of wheat in Massachusetts was 16 bushels
to the acre ; in Ohio, 15 ; in Texas, 9. While the wheat

8

of Massachusetts was worth $2.75 a bushel, or $44 to
the acre, the wheat of Ohio was worth $2.40 per bushel,
or $27 to $30 to the acre ; and of Texas, 90 cents a
bushel, or $17 to $18 to the acre. Do you wish to raise
oats ? Then the average yield of Massachusetts was 28
bushels to the acre; of Ohio, 30; of Texas, 28. The
oats of Massachusetts average 75 cents a Ijushel, year in
and year out, while in Texas and Ohio they are 40 cents
a bushel. Is it tobacco ? The yield of Massachusetts is
1100 pounds to the acre ; of Ohio, 700, and Virginia,
700 pounds to the acre ; and the cash value of an acre
of tobacco in Massachusetts is quite treble in value that
of an acre in the great tobacco State of Virginia ? Is it
hay ? Then we averaged one ton of hay in Massachu-
setts to one ton and a half in Ohio and a ton and two-
thirds in Texas. But for years, when harvested, the hay
of Massachusetts w^as worth $25 a ton ; the hay of Ohio
from ^12 to $15 ; and of Texas from $16 to $18. In
no State in the Union are the productions of the soil,
acre for acre, as tilled, taking the different kinds, so
great in quantit}^ as in Massachusetts, and no State where
the product of the soil, when harvested, is so valuable-
California and Minnesota exceed us in wheat, acre per
acre, but fall behind us in other products. The state-
ments I have made are so accurate that they are literally
borne out by statistics to be procured at any time from
the Bureau of Agriculture at Washington.

It may be answered, "All that you say is very true,
but it costs so much to till an acre of ground in Massa-
chusetts, in comparison with what 3^ou get out of it, that
our brother-farmers of the West have the great advan-
tage of us." Let us meet that argument, and compare

9

.again the same States; and it will appear, taking the
average of the whole amount cultivated and of the prices
of the crops, by the actual results, that the produce of
Massachusetts, of cultivated land, on an average of the
whole amount, is $28 to the acre; of Ohio it is |18 to
the acre ; of Texas $21 to the acre ; and of California,
which boasts of her richness in agriculture, overtopping
«ven her mines, gives but $21 to the acre.

Both farmer and statesman will be led to inquire what
is the cause of the languishment of agriculture as a
business in the United States, because we have seen that
it is more remunerative in New England than anywhere
-else in proportion to the amount of land under cultiva-
tion. True, we hear of the immense crops and immense
farms of the West ; but there, it is a question of quan-
tity and extent of farms, and not of the value of the
crops. It is also true, that for a few years, when the
^adventurous settler takes the virgin soil, he gets crops
far, far surpassing these which I have brought into com-
parison ; but then, that is but for a few years, and he
tjuits the land which he has cleared and reduced to culti-
vation, and which he declares worn out, for " fresh fields
and pastures new ;" and for a while, (yet a moment in
the nation's life,) this may be repeated ; but, the second
and the third generation certainly will find a necessity
to retill the land that their fiithers have exhausted.
There can be no more striking illustration of this than
that which has occurred within the memory of men here.
All can remember when the Genesee Valley in New
York supplied not only its own inhabitants, but all New
England with the finer brands of flour. The Genesee
'brand of flour was the only one called for in its- day, and

10. •

we older men can remember tlie glowing accounts we'
read of the productiveness of the New York lands in
wheat and their richness in breadstuffs. Next we hear
of St. Louis flour ; then we read of Minnesota flour. But
the fact which most vividly portrays the rapid exhaus-
tion of land in this country is, that wheat from California
was brought in ships fifteen thousand miles, in 1868^
around Cape Horn, carried by railroad and canal to t^e
Genesee Valley, and in the Rochester mills ground to
supply the wants of its inhabitants, sons of those fathers
who supplied all New England, within a generation, with
their surplus flour.

In searching for a remedy for this exhaustion of the
soil, to find the means by which farming can become one-
of the profitable occupations, to bring back our boys tO'
the homestead and the cultivation of the land, — the
natural occupation of men, because men of all profes-
sions, men in trade, men in every pursuit of life, the
shipmaster on the sea, and the lawyer in the forum,
all are looking forward to that time in their old age
when, having accumulated a fortune more or less exten-
sive, they can come back to Mother Earth and finish life-
tilling the land at last ; — we will see that the remedy
cannot be found by any comparison we can make o-f the
different sections of our own country. For we see the
same causes producing the same effects, the same im-
poverishment of the soil, after a few years of skimming;
it, the same aggregations of land which cannot be tilled,
the same unwillingness in the sons to follow the business
of their fathers in tilling the earth, and everywhere even

•

greater want of productiveness than in New England.
Therefore it is that we must go to other sources of com-

11

parison to find by analogy what shall be the remedy.
In this search we must turn aside from England, for
there, cheap capital and tenant-farming on long leases
and non-proprietorship of the land, make a state of things
which gives no room for comparison with America.
Tenant-farming hero is almost wholly unknown, and
wherever the farmer is a tenant, it has become proverbi-
ally unprofitable.

Let us direct our attention, therefore, for the purpose
of this comparison, to a land where all eyes are now
turned for a wholly other and different reason. Let us
examine the agriculture of France, and compare its pro-
ductions with our own, and compare the habits of its
people, as farmers, with ours, and see, if we can, what is
it that tends to show differences in their favor. Here
we may find facts which will teach the statesman and
farmer, both, lessons in agriculture, and quite possibly,
facts which will arouse the attention, as surprising in
themselves and containing not a little of rebuke to our
general self-gratulation. One of our vices as Americans
is self-gratulation, a little vain-gloriousness, a little boast.
We speak of our teeming West. We speak flippantly
of our capability of supplying all the world with bread-
stuffs. True, \\e have the capability so to do ; but it is
equally lamentably true that we do not do it. The
boastful western man upon his prairies, or the Califor-
nian upon his ranche will, not a little astonished, learn
the fact that the Empire of France, with not so much
area as the State of Texas, raises more wheat, in quan-
tity, than the United States of America all told, reckon-
ing from Alaska to Florida and from Texas to Maine ;
the area of France being only 207,480 square miles, or

12

132 million acres, while Texas contains 237,321 square
miles, or 154 million acres. And yet the product of
-wheat in France, in the year 1868, was 350 million
'bushels, the total product of wheat in the United States
for the same year was only about 240 million.

So far from our supplying the markets of the world
with wheat, in the year 1867, Ave sent to England only
four million hundred weight of wheat, or about nine
■million of dollars in value, while France exported to
l^ngland eleven million dollars worth of butter alone, to
spread on the bread made from our wheat, or, to speak
less lightly, France sent more value in butter to Eng-
land than we did all kinds of breadstuffs.

Again, to go 1)ack to the year 1860, Avhere only we
flcan get accurate statistics of the products of the United
States and the products of France, let me call your at-
tention to the following remarkable but reliable statistics
of French agriculture. France then produced 230 mil-
lion bushels of oats against our 170 milllion ; 70 million
bushels of rye against our 20 million ; 60 million bush-
els of barley against our 12 million ; and 32 million
bushels of buckwheat against our 12 million. Nor was
islie without the products of grazing and pasture land,
which are supposed to be the necessity requiring our
extended farms. She had 4 million horses and mules
against our 4 million and a quarter; 12 million of neat
cattle against our 13 million; 30 million of sheep against
our 24 million, and 6 million of swine against our 16
million.

As an exami)le of what may be the profits of the
smaller industries of farming, which, by the farmers of
h e United States, are reckoned almost valueless, it is an

astonishing fact that in the year 1866 France exported
as much in value of eggs to England alone as Ave export-
ed of bacon and hams, one of our chief exports of pro-
visions in 1868, to all the world; that is to say, in round
numbers, rising of five million of dollars, while we ex-
ported eggs last year to the paltry number of 412 dozen.

No man who has not had these figures brought to his
consideration and who has not examined the agricultural
productions of France, both in variety and amount, cart
believe that the 38 million of her inhabitants on a terri-
tory so small as to give only three and a half acres to
an inhabitant, could vie, in agricultural productions, of
all that goes to make up the necessaries of living and
national wealth, save cotton and tobacco, with a nation
like ours of about the same number of inhabitants,
whose territory gives more than 50 acres to each inhabi-
tant, or nearly seventeen times as much land for cultiva-
tion, and from this estimate we exclude Alaska, of which
none know the extent save the walrus and Polar bears.
Ot course, a very large portion of our lands, say three-
fourths, are substantially uninhabited ; but these are
always reckoned when we make up our national re-
sources.

Nor is the common idea a true one that the people of
France are poor, or that our people are drawn away from
• farming into other and more profitable occupation, so
that France does not more than equal us in the value
and amount of her industries — all her industries as com-
pared with ours ; for in the year 1868 her imports
amounted to 679 million, and her exports to 581 million,
while in the same period the imports of the United
States were only 381 million, and the exports w^ere 441

14

million, of which exportation 72 million were gold and
silver and 163 million of unmanufactured cotton, neither
of which, to any extent, was exported by France, leav-
ing only 206 million as the product of our agricultural
nnd manufjicturing industry for export, after what is
consumed by our people, against 581 million, which is
the surplus of her agricultural and manufacturing indus-
try exported after maintaining her own people. And
although we boast of our cotton and tobacco as- sources
of wealth, yet she has her wines, brandies and sugars, of
which latter France exported in 1868 six million dollars,,
and w^e imported sixty millions.

The common idea in this country that wealth is not
diffused in France as with us, l)ut is only in the hands
of a few rich nobles, is another mistake quite as illusory
as any of the misunderstandings of the agricultural and
industrial condition of our ancient ally. While the na-
tional debt of France at the beginning of the present
year was almost precisely the same as ours — being 2700
million ; yet, instead of being as ours is, 1500 million
owed to foreigners, to say nothing of State and County
debts which are things unheard of in the departments of
France, it is divided among and held l)y more than dcvcii
hundred thousand Frenchmen, giving a share of a])out
2500 dollars to each. The actual diffusion of wealth
among the middling and industrial classes is evident,
because when a loan of 90 million of dollars was offered
by the Emperor to the people, an actual suljscription ol
3152 million, or more than 35 times the sum asked for,
was made by 781 thousand different persons (all French
men, and generally in small sums) because the pro^i-
dence of their government, differing from ours, gives to

15

flie man who desires to invest ten dollars in the national
fund the preference over him who desires to invest ten
million, the small subscription being first received, and
fii-st filled.

It may be interesting, although not exactly in conso-
nance wdth the purpose we have in this analysis, to com-
p«ire the division of the del)t of France among the peo-
ple, showing the diffusion of wealth in the middling
classes, with the national debt of Great Britain. Iler
•debt amounts to 3800 million which is held by 126 thou-
.sand persons only, giving an average share of 30 thou-
sand dollars to each individual as against less than one-
tenth as much to each holder of the French debt.

Nor are the French people Inirdened with taxation
more than Ave are. They have nothing of the taxation
"known with us as State taxes, but their entire taxation
is a national one, and amounted witli the revenues, wdiich
are another form of taxation in the aggregate, in the
year 1868, to 403 million of dollars, while our taxation
iind revenues for the same year, paid to the national gov-
ernment alone, was 405 millions. But it will be observed
that this taxation, while nominally about the same as
ours, yet, being with us based on a much less product of
trade and industry than in France — almost 50 per cent,
less in fact — is really a taxation nearly 50 per cent,
greater on the industry of this country than is imposed
upon the industries of the French people.

But another and more certain test of the distribution
of wealth in France is seen in this : the population being
divided into 9 'millions of families, allowing four to the
iamily, which is nearly the ratio, one million of those
families, or four million of people, are in easy circum-

16

staiicesj tluit is, able to li^'e without work or Ijusiiie.ss^
Of the reiiiaiuiiig 8 million, which may he said to be
composed of tlie industrial and working- classes, 3 million
only are inhabitants of the towns. That is, of the wholes
population, two-fifths of the people in France, live in the
cities, and three-fifths live in the country. This gives a
very surprising result as compared with England, where
four-fifths of the whole people live in town and one-fifth
only in the country. We have }'et no data with which
I am acquainted, to make a like comparison with this
country.

All property is then very equally distributed among
the liulk of the })Opulation. There are six million of
houses in France, the greater part of them cottages with
small plots of land. Nearh" the whole of this number
are small freeholds belonging to their occupants. In
other words, more than two-thirds of the entire po})ula-
tion own their own houses.

After liearing these statistics, the question, I ha^e no
doubt, arises to the lips of each one of my auditors, as
it came to me, — how are these very great results possi-
ble ? What is the secret ? This may be told in a word.
It is the thorough cultivation of the soil. Of her 132
million of acres, 64 million are arable ; 12 millions only
are in meadows, or, as we say, fields and grass • 5 million
in vineyards; 11 millions in orchards and gardens; 2|
million in miscellaneous crops ; 20 million in wood and
forest ; a half million in ponds ; 20 million only may be
called heath or waste lands, the remainder being for
roads, public squares, canals and pleasure grounds —
al)out 7 millions of acres. Thus it will appear that two-
thirds of the entire area of France is under actual culti-
vation every year.

But the (juestiou still recurs — how can this be possi-
]»le ? The answer is, it becomes possible because of the
minute subdivision of the land, the small freeholds into
which all France is divided. Before the revolution of
1792 the lands were holden largely by the nobles and'
])y the clergy, large portions being covered with forest.
These lands, of course, were cultivated by a tenantry,
and us the nobleman was exempted from the most op-
pressive portion of the taxation, all exactions fell upon
the land and upon labor. But the French revolution
changed all that. All the lands of the Church and of
the nobles were declared public domain, and being made
the basis of the currency, were sold out in small parcels^
Much of the forests were cut off, the land put into form
for tillage, and, in jealousy lest the nobles should again
accumulate land in large quantities through laws of entail
and primogeniture, the people made it a portion of the
fundamental law that all patrimonies should be equally
divided among children, leaving 1)ut one-third to be dis^-
posed of by the parent if he had two children, and one-
([uarter only if he had three. This provision of law has
withstood the several changes of government, and an
attempt to modify it by Charles X was, perhaps, the
primary cause of the revolution of 1830. The effect of
this salutary law has been the sul^division of landed
estates and other property in France until the result has
been attained which we have seen. The farms averao-e
less than fifteen acres and there are over three million of
farms containing; ten acres or less. The farms in Massa-

'&

chusetts average 100 acres each. Do we wonder now
at the difference in cultivation ?

May we not deduce, therefore, fairly from this analy-
2

18

sis and coniparisuii of the agricultural industry of France
the proposition that the great fault of our farming is too
great extent of land in each farm and too little cultiva-
tion? Is it not the duty of the Statesman to inquire
whether legislation should not ])e fitted to subdivide the
land for the l)enefit of the whole people ? — and is it not
■equally the duty of the farmer to inquire whether less
land and more cultivation would not produce greater
crops ?

I have given vou the facts and figures and have stu-
diously avoided giving any opinions of my own which
would not he valuahle. But I have endeavored to im-
press these very valuable and vital statistics upon you
in order to bring the questions I have last indicated, to
your consideration. It will be observed in this that I
have not taken into account the advantages w^e are sup-
posed to derive from the political liberty which we enjoy
compared with France bearing the Ijurdens of an empire,
which we have seen, in fact, are no greater than the un-
holy and unnecessary war through which we have passed,
have imposed upon us. Nor would it have been just if I
had undertaken to make any allowance in our fa^or for
this, because, to the statesman and statician it is evident
that for the last twenty years the agricultural portion of
the people of France have enjoyed the best government
possible for them. After a democracy, a pure despotism
is the best government. The wrongs, sins, crimes if you
please, of one man are infinitessimal in their bearing upon
thirty-eight million of people. The citizens of no coun-
try have enjoyed greater protection of life, liberty and
property, than has the French nation for nearly twenty
years past. A man there need only to conduct himself

19

as not to injure liis neighbor and let politics alone, and
for him the government was nearly perfect. I know w^e
are accustomed to decry Napoleon, and some men do so
all the more now that he is deposed and powerless. But
it is not to be denied, in justice, that he has given to ag-
ricultural France the very best government she ever had,
whatever may have been the action of his government
upon the people of Paris, or whatever the theoretical ob-
jections to him as a usurper or personal ruler.

This is evident from two perfectly cogent series of
facts : First, that since 1851 the production of grain
in France has been raised from 912 million of bushels
to 1006 million in 1868 ; the production of wine from
739 million gallons in 1851 to 1661 million in 1868 ;
that the exports and imports of France have been raised
from 522 million in 1851 to 1625 million in 1868 ; that
the inland trade has been brought up from 248 million
to 1312 million ; and the value of the personal property
from 1152 million to 3733 million, and the commercial
marine from 5 million of tons to 12 million tons. And
in Paris, too, the A'aluation of the houses is raised, under
Napoleon, from 511 million to 1191 million.

Can a government that works such results have been
oppressive to the people ? Have the mass of the French
people been satisfied with the government ? Of this
there were two very conclusive proofs. It is commonly
said that the votes in the several elections in favor of
the Empire have been controlled by the army. But in
the rural districts where the army was not stationed, the
vote in favor of the Empire has been almost unanimous,
and the entire vote against it has been in the larger
towns and in the city of Paris where soldiers were
.stationed.

20

liiit there is a still better ami more coiicrusive ansAver..
When people are misgoverned and dissatisfied Avith their
irovernment. thev emiirraie. Ireland has heen pourinc;
her population into this c<uintry for many years, nnti
from a population of less than six million, avo have natu-
ralized citizens of Irish birth, 1011 thousand ; fFom Eng-
land, which boasts of beino- the freest and best o-overned
countr}- in Europe, with a population of 20 million, "we
have half a million of naturalized citizens ; from Scot-
land, with a population of 3 million, 100 thousand : from
Switzerland, the free Republic of Euroi:>e. with a popu-
lation of 2^ million, we have 54 thousand ; from Norway,
with a population of a million and a half, we have 43
thousand ; from the Netherlands, with a population of 3
million. 28 thousand : from Germany — free, enlightened
(Termany — whose King proclaimed "her march the
march of civilization.'' we have a million and a half of
naturalized citizens out of a population of 37 million,
while from Erance, with a population of 38 million, we
have but one hundred thousand, or about the same num-
ber that we have from Scotland with one-twelth of the
population. Beside, it will be remembered that Great
Britain has laro-e colonies all over the world — makinc; a
large drain upon her surplus population.

AVith this exhibit of favored industry under an em-
pire, the inquiry presses home at once, in what produc-
tion have we in the republic of America any superiority
over a despotism ? Why should we prefer the one foim
of government rather than the other ? The answer is an
an obvious one. T/ic republic excels in the produciion of
men. For while the population of France, not depleted
hv emiaTation. as we have seen, increased from 1820 to

21

18G0 only 7 million from 31 million, tlie population of
the United States increased from 9 million in 1820 to
31 million in 1860; and although greatly swelled by
■emigration yet the increase from that source during that
period was only 5 million, while the actual increase was
.22 million. Or, to state facts in other words, the per
centage of increase in France was, for the whole period
of forty years, about 22 per cent., or one half of one per
•cent, per annum, while the increase in the United States
was for the same period 244 per cent., or six per cent,
per annum, being twelve times greater increase in the
United States than in France ; and this too affected by
less than one-fourth by immigration, leaA^ing the actual
increase, without immigration, nine times greater in this
country than in France. Here we see the work of a
republic.

If by bringing to your attention these figures and
the results— claiming no other merit than that I have
undertaken in your behalf the labor of preparing and
arrano'ing them — I have succeeded in directino- attention
to the effects of better cultivation of the soil, caused by
its proper and greater subdivision, so that you shall be
satisfied that changes in this rei!;ard mar be made effec-
tual and useful to the country, and that we should look
abroad to compare the situation of other nations with
our own, and learn how best we can take advantage of
the great blessings of civil and religious liberty we enjoy,
I have done far more than I had thought to do when I
began ; and it now only remains to me to thank you for
your patient and courteous attention.

THE EXHIBITION.
ADDRESSES, EESOLUTIONS, &c.

The Fiftieth Annual Exhibition and Cattle Show was held'
at Ipswich, Sept. 27th and 28th, 1870.

The Entries of Horses, Oxen and other farm stock, were
127. Animals, about 300. Entries of Poultry, 11 ; Varie-
ties, 25. Entries for Plougliing, 13 ; of Agricultural Imple-
ments, 12; Carriages, 5; Pears, 400 plates; Apples, 360
plates ; Peaches and Grapes, 143 plates ; Flowers, 44 entries,
Bread, 10 entries ; Butter, 14 entries ; Cheese, 4 entries ;
Honey, 2 entries; Vegetables, 54 entries; Counteqaanes, 33
entries ; Manufactures, 10 ; Fancy Articles, 128 entries ;
Articles Manufactured from Leather, 4. 28 Diplomas and
premiums amounting to $989.50, were awarded.

At a meeting of the Society held after the Dinner on the
second day of the Exhibition, Gen. AVilliam Sutton, the Pres-
ident presided, and remarked that the Society had funds se-
curely invested, amounting to about fifteen thousand dollars,
a farm Avorth seven thousand dollars, and fixtures consisting of
a tent and a large number of pens for the accommodation of
stock — and beside, a valualjle library. He introduced Hon.
Allen W. Dodge, wlm sjjokc as follows :

24

REMAKKS OF HON. ALLEN W. DODGE.

Mr. Dodge said that lie knew no reason wliy he should he
called upon to be first to address the society, except that ha^•-
ing served it so long as Secretary and President in years gone
by, he might seem to be a connecting link between the past
and the present. He esteemed it a privilege to have aided to
the best of his ability in promoting the prosperity of a society
comprising so many of the farmers of Old Essex. This an-
nual festival — this old-fashioned Cattle-Show — was the only
holiday they could find time to participate in. Others had
their long summer vacations, when the preacher left his })ulpit,
the judge his bench, the lawyer his brief, the teacher, and his
scholars, too, their books, and went hunting, and fishing, and
rusticating, to lay in a stock of health to carry them through
the year. But the farmers had to toil on year in and year out,
to make both ends of it meet. And to-day his great joy in
coming here is, to meet other farmers, to inspect their choice
specimens of the products of the field, the stall and the dairy,
to witness the plowing and the drawing match, and to compare
notes, so as to raise his own standard of good husbandry, and
incite others — especially the young men — to aim at the best
results. It was only high farming — a liberal and judicious
outlay of capital in stock, tools, fertilizers and labor — that
would pay. But over and above all other motives to exertion,
was the noble ambition that should fire the breast of every
young farmer, to leave the paternal acres better than he found
them, remembering that he who makes two blades of grass
grow where Init one grew before, is a benefactor of his race.

Mr. Dodge congratulated the officers and members of the
Society, on the success of the Exhibition, and urged them to
2,0 on io make each succeedino- exhibition better and better, so
as to meet the demands of a progressive agriculture and of a
conununity that they had helped educate in all that pertains to
-the u'arden and tlie farm.

25

REMARKS OF JOSEPH HOW.

We congratulate the society, and particularly the citizens of
.this place, for this successful show. In some respects it is not
the most favorable place in the county to hold a fair. Not-
withstanding the inconvenience, it is a success. It shows
more strongly, the efforts that have been made. The question
lias often been asked, where is the show to be? In Ipswich
was tlie reply. What, down there in that extreme part of the
■icounty ? Xow we wish those persons were here to see what
we have seen. The blooded stock, the horses, the farming
.utensels, the dairy, the vegetables and luscious fruit, and above
.all, this great concourse of peo[)le. It all shows your zeal in
the cause.

We from the west part of the county could not have come
here and got up such a show without your assistance. , You
have done it, and will do it again if the Fair is held here next
J-ear.

We think we can comprehend your feelings. We well re-
member what our feelings were Avhen the Fair was at Law-
rence. We ^'sere desirous of doing as Avell or Ijctter than oth-
ers had done. We had a good field to work in. We labored
liard and Avere successfid ; had a good show. ^^Q next went
to Haverhill. There they labored with earnestness and zeal,
nnd were successful. Thence to Xewburvport ; thence to Ips-
wich ; Avith renewed energy in eacli place.

We like this rotary motion, going from place to place a-
round the County. We never go where we are not invited.
Liberal contributions are usually made in the place where the
Fair is held, to pay part of the expenses of the Society. —
Large accessions of members are usually made to the Society-
wliich tend to increase the interest and add to its funds.

Some of oar good people are for iKuing a permanent loca-
tion on the Society's farm in Topsfield, or in some other })lace.
Should that l)e done we think it would be detrimental to the
interest of the Societv, as we think there would be far less in-

terest than is now manifested in going to a ne>w.placei every.-
second year.

xlbout the time tlie Xew Enghmd Agricultural Society was -
formed, we had the following conversation with, a gentleman
who was then President of a sister Society. He remarked that
the County Societies have had their day ; have, done all the
good they can do, and now some other course must be'
pursued. What is the trouble, I asked. He re}^)lied, the So-
cieties are in debt ; they have to Avork to got money to pay
their debts. We said to him, the Essex County Society have-
a fund of ten thousand dollars. What other trouble, said I. .
They have horse-racing, he replied. Wo said to him, we
have none in Essex County. What other trouble, we asked».
Pie replied, they have their shows located in some central
place, and new Societies spring up around, which are detri-
mental to the parent Society. We replied, we are not trou-
bled in Essex County in that respect, as the place for holding
our shows is changed from one place to another around the •
County, and we are not troubled with new Societies. He re-
plied, it is said you have the best Society in tlic State, and I.
believe it.

Now if this gentleman's opinion is correct, and we think we •
have no reason to doubt it, wliy not continue to pursue the
course practised for fifty years, and which has been so suc-
cessful ?

REMARKS OF HON. RICHARD GOODMAN.

Mji. PuESiDEXT, Ladies axd Gentlemen :

I am rejoiced to meet with you on this auspicious occasion^
and cannot refrain from congratulations upon the success of
your annual fair, evinced Ijy the crowds of people wlio have
visited your grounds, your horticultural hall and the i^tlougliing
match, and who have listened to the address of tlio distinguish-
ed orator, and are now crowding this edifice. But as I inn.

27

sent here from the State Board of Agricidturc to spy out the
land, and make a full and fair report of your short as well as
full comings, it can do no harm to inform you in advance oF
the impressions some of the scenes and incidents have made
upon ine. The fact that an AgTicultural Society could flourish,
Avithout a horse trot, was of course an agreeable surprise-
almost equal to that occasioned by a vicAV of the " purple
Leghorns," a new species of poultry unknoAvn heretofore in
the history of the gallinaceous tribe, and if not dyed in the
wool for the occasion , they Avill be a valuable addition if onlj
for their gay plumage. Another surprise was a sight of veri-
table ^Vyrshire Cattle l^elonging to your eloquent representa-
tive on the State Board. On the principle that the men who-
write the best works on law, medicine and theology, are not
apt to be those engaged in active practice in those pursuits, we
have in our rejjion of the State — the extreme Western — ai5-
sumed that so eloquent a theorist must draw upon his neigh-
bors' fancy stock for illustrations and study, but I can now
happily report that Dr. Loring has not only real cows and
horses, but bi j; pigs and beets, and his farming is not a m}i:h,
l)ut honest and good. I was not surprised by your excellent
show of stock, including horses, and of your fruits and flowers,
as I heard of them, but as so much has been said of the depo}>-
ulation of this county, I thought it possible you might draw
upon the neighboring cities for many of your young men and
Avomen, but I am informed that that staple is homebred and
it does credit to your bringing up. I have not been- able
until this vcar to visit the airricultural shows outside mv oayjI)
county, excepting one instance, at Fitchburg, but the morc T
see of these Institutions, the greater appears their influence as
educators. They bring together the best of everything, in-
cluding intelligent opinion, and promote competition, and lead
the mind to reflect and improve upon AA'hat has been opened^
They are essentially a modern inventifHi. A great deal is said
about the lost arts, and that antiquarian researches in tkp

S8

history, of old chilizations, especially those of the Egyptian
and Chinese, bring to light many cnstoms supposed to be
modern. But though the great empires of the past, encourag-
ed agriculture by festivities and processions, we read of no
shows or fairs at all comparable to those now permeating our
land, and certainly no process next to attendance in youth at
agricultural schools and colleges could do so much for the ris-
ing generation of farmers. I am glad to learn that you as a
society so fully appreciate the necessity of education for oiu-
young men in rural life as to support two scholarships
in tlie agricultural college at Amherst. It is too late in
the day to adduce any new arguments in fa^or of that
institution. Its merits are being brought to the notice of
the farmers throughout the land, and when they fvdly un-
derstand its meaning and ol>jects, they will imite as one man
in its support. I trust also that the condition of the young
women in agricultural and horticultiu'al piu'suits is not to be
overlooked. A l)oy at school in your neighl)oring town of
Danvers, being asked >\'liy he ncAcr \\-ould Aote for women for
office M'hen he got to be a man, replied, "because they were
afraid of caterpillars/' I cannot Aouch for the correctness of
this assertion, but we know they are too deficient in the knoAvl-
eda'C of out door thiniis which woidd not onlv afford them
much })leasure, ))ut giAC them opportunities of assisting their
parents and husbands in the vocations they pursue. ^Nlost of
the virgins, and their name is legion, who adorn our State,
seeking whom they may devour in the way of Itashands, are
probably better instructed than tlie daughter of the contra-
band, who, being re(piestt>(l to indicate what kin<l of accom-
plishments she was desirous of lining her hopeful daughter
pursue, said, '' I)e gal nmss be lamed de piano and painting
any how ; and mel)be arter a while, readin and Avritin I " Our
■ o-als ' would be a great deal hap})ier and much more useful if
in addition to these accomplishments they could in the absence
of parent or brother or husband — Avhen obtained — give intcl-

29

ligent directions about carrying on the farm, and be able to
cultivate the garden, and raise fruits and Howers. But the
good time is coming, and we shall soon see them runnino- a
strong strife a\ ith their brethren in the schools and colleges for
a thorouo'h ao-ricultural education.

o o

My friends I have liad a 2)leasant time witli you, and some-
thing a great deal worse could befall me than again to meet at
yoiu' annual gathering and enjoy a feast of reason and flow of
soul akin to those vouchsafed liere to-day, and the h(»:-;i>!tality
of vour President and Secretarv.

KEMAKKS OF CHAELES L. FLlX^r, ESQ.

Mr. Pke.sidext, Ladies axd Gextle-aiex :

It gives me pleasure to visit once more my natiA e eoiuity
of Essex, and to A\'itness a genuine, old-fashioned Cattle Show.
Your Society has been prosperous. The Exhibition to-day is
in tlie hiiihest deoree creditable to the officers, the members and
to the County, whose industry and enterprise it so truly repre-
sents. It is seldom that a simple ploughing uKitcli attracts so
large, so intelligent and so interested a crowd of spectators.
It shoAvs that a strictly agricultural show, designed to illustrate
and to encourage the farming industry of the County, and con.,
ducted simplv and chiefly as a means of instruction, without
the advantages of located grounds and tlie adventitious allure-
ments of a track, can still be made a success within this C^om-
mon wealth.

The show in the hall of fruits and vegetables is equal, and,
in many respects, vastly superior to any that I have witnessed
at any county show this year, while the stock would do
credit to any society in the State. All departments of the
Fair seem to be complete, and to justify the policy which the
Society has so steadily pursued during tlie long course of its
history.

It is true vou have to forego some of the ii:rcat and manifest

30

^vantages of fixed and located grounds and halls for the ex-
Mbition of articles and for the annual dinner, but these advan-
taoes are small, verv small indeed, and of little account com-
pared Avith the more complete attainment of the real objects
and purposes of the Society, the development of the agricul-
ture, the liorticnlture, and the mechanic arts in all parts of the
Countv. Had half the Societies of the State adopted tlie mi-
gratory system they would have been more prosperous and
more useful to-day, and v^diat is more they Avould have kept up
a live and active interest in the more reuKjte parts of their field
•of operations, where their influence is rarely if ever felt.
When a Society locates and settles down, its influence soon be-
comes circumscribed withhi narrow limits, being confined to
the little circle of towns around its place of exhibition. An
examination of the official returns will prove this most con-
clusively and show that by far the larger portion of its bounty
is distributed in its immediate neighborhood, the more distant
parts of its territory scarcely heeding its existence. I know
of no exception to this. The influence of sucli a Society soon
becomes localized and narrowed down to comparati\'ely small
limits. The Fair gets to be an old story. So far as my ob-
iiervation has gone for the last eighteen or twenty years, it has
been dceidedlv in fa^or of the system which you ha^-e adopted,
and I ha^e often had occasion to refer with pride and satisfac-
tion to your example as worthy of imitation.

You mav know that many Societies have been brouglit up
Jliis vear ar«)und a rather sharp turn. The last Legislature
|>assed an ^ict bv which no Society can draw in any one year
an amount of bounty greater than it actually awarded and paid
out diu-ing the year previous. Some of the Societies wliich
ihave been drawing $000 a year from the State, will this year
receive less than $200. It shows that the time has come when
the Societies are expected to do more in return for the bomity
they receive, than they have hitherto done. The State expects,
and it has a right to jcxpect, that tlie Societies will render an

31

' equivalent for the money they receive from the State Treasury.
Now the time has come, it seems to me, Avhen the Societies
should consider whether there are not other and new wavs of ac-
complishing something for the public good, whether some im-

[provement may not be made in the old stereotj^ied premium
list, by which a new interest may be awakened in the public
mind.

Suppose, for instance, a Society should offer lil)eral prizes
to any town that shall present the greatest improvement in its

^public roads, and appoint an intelligent committee, consisting,
in part at least, of competent road engineers, to visit, exam-
ine, and report upon such roads as might be entered for com-
petition. What is more important to a community than good
roads ! They arc the true criterion by which to judge of the
progi'ess of civilization. Go where you Avill through the most
Mghly civilized countries of Europe and you Avill everywhere

ifed good roads, not turnpike roads, exacting a toll of every

•traveller, but free to all.

I recollect in travelling down through the little canton of
Uri in Switzerland, that what surprized me most was not the
grand old mountains, rearing their ice-capped peaks in majesty
to heaven, but the beauitiful roads, the Avork of man's hand,
built by the people of a little canton, not half so wealthy as

'the County of Essex, over mountain passes, involving the
hio-hest , engineering skill, spanning torrents with the most
graceful of arches, with a road bed perfect as a floor. Are
we not as able to have as good roads as the mountaineers of
Switzerland ?

Now I merely suggest this as one of the ways in which a
Society might make its influence practically felt for the benefit
of the Avhole community. But there are many other ways in
which good might be accomplished. Suppose the Society to
ofler liberal prizes for the best methods of shoeing a horse ;
that the operation were to be performed on the grounds at the
(time of the Fair, and in presence of the people in attendance.

32

the operator tJtating the reasons for his method, and explammg-
so far as he eould, the wonderful and delicate structure of the
horse's foot. AVould it not awaken a new interest in this im-
portant art?

What animal is tliere, more important to civilized man
than the horse I ^Vnd how many horses arc injured, often,
[)ermanently, by improper shoeing ! Xow I don't pretend to
]cno\v anything 2)ractically, about shoeing a horse, ajid what is
more, I don't believe that one blacksmith in a hundred, thor-
oughly imderstands liis business ; l)ut there are those that do^
and it is such men that I sliould like to see at Avork in the
presence of just such an intelligent crowd as we saw at yonder
Ploughing match. It ^vould do good, set people to thinking,
about, and studying, the structure of tlie liorse's foot, and lead
to better work hereafter.

^Vnd tlicn wliat a grand work lies open to the societies in
instituting and encouraging more accurate, more minute and
careful experiments. We liave more or less experiments tried
HOW, but few of them are wliat they ought to be, liecause they
are wanting in some of the elements of accuracy, or attention
to details which constitute their whole value. Experiments
properly made and accurately and honestly rc{)orted, are tho-
chief means of adding to our present stock of knowledge in
agriculture. They cost money and time, and hence the im-
portance of aiding them l>y all the influence of a ])owerful
society.

Many of you have heard of the admirable and extensivo-
experiments of Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert in England. They
constitute perhaps, the most important contribution which
science has made to practical agriculture during the whole'
course of the nineteenth century. I have been so much in-
terested in them that I took great pains at the time of my last:
visit to England, to visit Rothamstead to examine their Labo-
ratory, their experimental fields, and their collections. Mr^,.
Lawes, a man of large means, and of a large and liberal heart,.

I

33

associated with liini Dr. Gilbert, a niau of great scientific at-
tainment and of nnbonnded perseverance, and they have done
a trnly noble work for agriculture, and ha-se built a monument
for themselves more durable than brass.

Now it is just such experiments, careful, accurate, question-
iiig nature to ascertain her laws, that every society should en-
courage. Every effort of the kind ought to be imderstood and
appreciated as it deserves, and any man who is willing to
spend the time and apply the laljor to conduct such experi-
ments, deserves well of the community and of the whole body
of intelligent and progressive farmers everywhere.

Well, now, I merely throw out these suggestions as hints
that may l:)e worth considering, and to show that there may be
other wavs than those ii'enerallv adonted, of creatinir an inter-
est in our shows. Every society that is alive to its own inter-
ests, and to the interests of the conimunity, Avill study new
methods of doing c-ood, and guard against falling into a dull
routine and into the ruts of custom.

Let me, in conclusion, urge you to renewed effort, taking
the grand success of your Fair to-day as a starting point, and
entering upon a new era of usefulness and labor, so that here-
after, if there should ])e any cavil in the Legislature or in the
conimunity, about the good of tlie societies, you can point
proudly to your record, till no one shall care to go beyond the
year 1870, to establish your claims to the bounty of the Com-
monwealth.

REPORTS, HcC.

BULLS.

The Committee on Ikills having attended to the dnties as-
signed them, beg leave to submit the following report :

They award to D. F. Applcton, of Ipswich, for " Kerry"
bull, first premium, diploma and $10.

To E. S. Rogers, of Peabody, for '' Jersey" bull, first pre-
mium, diploma and $10.

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, for '* Jersey" bull, second
premium of $5.

To I). S. Caldwell, of WestXewbury, for "Ayrshire " bull,
first premium, diploma and $10.

To C. C. Adams, of Xewbury, for ''Ayrshire" Indl, second
premium of $5.

Committee — J. Longfellow, flarvis Lamson, C^iarles Patch,

Daniel (1. Chapin.

MILCH COAVS.

The Committee award the first premium to Henry G . Kim-
ball, of Bradford, for his <;rade Dutch cow, diploma and $1').

35

No other cows exhibited had the required statements which
•would entitle them to a j)remium.

Wc would make honorable mention of the Kerry cows ex-
hibited by D. F. Appleton, of Ipswich.

Chairman of Committee — AVm. K. Putnam.

HEED OF MILCH COWS.

The Committee report tliat but one entry under this head
was made, that by Francis Dane, of Hamilton. This entry
•consisted of five pure Jerseys, whose average yield through
the season had been twelve quarts each per day, and through
June and July fourteen quarts. Their milk is stated to be
-sery rich and peculiarly adapted to the making of butter ; their
feed, grass, corn fodder, meal and sliorts, two to three quarts
of the latter per day when the pastures were sJiort. The
Committee regret that there were not other entries of herds of
milch cows, considering it of more importance that a large
number of cows on a large farm should be good milkers, than
that here and there a single cow should be found of extra
milking properties. It is only by the greatest care that the
standard can be kept up in a large herd, but where it is done
and the purity of a particular breed maintained, it will assur-
edly pay in the increased demand and price of the progeny of
such breed. Mr. Dane's young Jerseys already commend
themselves to purchasers, and we see no reason why the de-
mand for this stock, for years to come, Avill not be kept up at
least to its present mark.

We award to Mr. Dane the first premiiun of $1').

For the Committee — Allen W. Dodoe.

HEIFERS.

Your Committee on Heifers, namelv, three vears old, two

36

years old, yearlings, and calves, ha\e attended to tlieir duty,
and submit the following report :

Sixteen entries were made, representing fifty-three animals.

For three years old, they award to Henry G. Kimball,.
Bradford, the first premium, a diploma and $10.

To Francis Dane, Hamilton, second premium for Daisy 2d,.
$8 ; do. third, for Nellie 2d, $5.

'J'ano Ykaus (Jld,

To Francis Dane, Hamilton, first premium for Jessie
3d, $8.

To S. K. Bartlett, Xewburvport, second premium, $').

To Francis Dane, Han)ilton, third premium for Kate 3d, $o.

YEAlJLfXGS.

To Francis Dane, Hamilton, first })remiinn for ^'enus
2d, $5.

To 8. T. Xewman, Newbury, second premium, $3.

For the best lot of calves (four in number), the premium,
|G, was awarded to Francis Dane, Hamilton.

This was the only lot of calves entered.

The animals presented Averc full bloods of the .Ayrshire and
Jersey breeds, 'and grades from each breed; a small herd of
Kerrys from D. F. A]:)pleton, Ipswich ; and a grade Dutch
heifer from Henry (1. Kimball, Bradford.

The Conunittee would suggest that to reach the object de-
sired, namely, the improvement of dairy cows, it would be
well to classify each lireed, and offer premiums for the best of
each. Under the present arrangement it is Acry diflScult to
make just awards. Fach breed has its friends. It is very
hard for a breeder who thinks the . Jersey the only stock worth
raising, to see anything to approve in an Ayrshire when
brought into direct com})etition with his favorites ; and so with
all the other breeds.

37

Let, then, cacli breed be classed by itself, and the grades of
'each breed bv themselves ; the natives and their stock to make
:anothcr. Then offer only one premium for the best of each
class, justice could thus be done to each class, and all liave a
fair chance in the awards.

A fine herd of Ayrshires -were offered by Dr. Loring, for
cxldhitlon only. Would they not have been offered for pre-
miums had each l)reed been allowed to compete with those of
its kind?

A native cow, however superior, has no chance when
])rought into competition with the graceful Ayrshire, or the
favrn-like Jersey.

The full bloods, so long as they command such large prices,
are not the stock for a farmer who wishes only milk or butter.
In view of the many casualties that are constantly occurring in
his herd, he cannot afford to Visk so much money in keeping
them.

What the farmer needs is a small-sized animal, that will
thrive well in our northern pastures, that, with fair feeding,
^\\\\ give a larg-e flow of milk, and that shall not cost more

or? ^

than $75 or $100 wlieu at the best.

A full blooded bull, either Ayrshire or Jersey, crossed M'itli
our best native cows, will' give the animal needed. If quan-
tity of milk is the object, cross with the Ayrshire ; if richness,
with the Jersey. From this cross select the best. If you find
a calf that has a small, long head, dark and lively eye, a long
and slender neck, fore quarters light, but hind quarters large
and well developed, hair soft and glossy, raise her. A calf
with these points, or most of them, Avill almost invariably
make a cow that will pay the owner to raise. But, with all
these points, unless proper care is taken to develop them by a
constant growth, from birth to maturity, your labor will be lost,
and you will be doomed to disappointment in the result.

The Committee would again suggest that, as the breeding of
profitable cows is oue of the most important interests of our

38

Essex County farmers, that more and larger premiums be
offered ; tliat each breed, and grade, as well as natives, be
classed separately and premiums offered for each ; that no pre-
mium shall be given any animal unless bred by the owner, and
unless a written statement accompany the entry, giving the
particulars in regard to breeding, and feeding.

Signed by the Committee.

Committee — John L. Shorey, Lynn ; James Flint, Middle-
ton ; Grover Dodge, Essex; Xathaniel Carlton, Bradford;
Israel F. Tappan, Manchester.

WORKING OXEN.

The Committee on Working Oxen report : That there were
twelve entries, and eleven pairs of cattle contested for tlie pre-
miums, and they award the first premium of $12 and diploma
to N. Little, Jr., of Newbury. The second of $10 to John
S. Preston, of Dan vers, and the third premium of $8 to Mica-
jah Treadwell, of Ipswich.

This number of working oxen entered for premium in Essex
County, which is not a stock-raising region, would seem to
show that all of the farmers of Essex County are not disposetii
to use horses in preference to oxen for farm and road work^
even in these fast times. Yet we are aware that many entirely
ignore an ox team, especially on tlie road. Not so the Wil-
mington farmer, A. G. Sheldon. Starting in June, 1812, he-
commenced carting hops from Wilmington to New York with
horses, but after two or three journeys he used oxen and con-
tinued the business to the end of the war. In a long journey
like this, if anywhere, the horse should have shown his superi-
(U'ity ; l)nt Mr. Slieldon, after trial, preferred the ox, and
further says that CAcry ox came back as ready to work as when
he started.

The question after all is Avliich will do the most work at the

39

same expense, and it is a question Avliich will not be decided
till farmers become more methodical and careful in their ac-
counts. Yet in a rough way we can shoAv differences which it
will be Avell to weigh before the ox is given up for the horse.

In the first place, the liability to accident and wear and nat-
ural depreciation will use up the horse in about seven years or
service.

Take the ox in comparison, with the same kind of food,
allowing good care in both cases. Four pairs of oxen should
have been bought and sold with an increase in each case. A
broken-leo'sied ox is worth about as much for beef as a sound
one ; but beef must be higher, and our people's prejudice re-
moved before as much can be said of the horse.

Then in regard to the harness. A simple yoke for the ox
costs new, all ready for work, eight dollars, and lasts, Avithout
repairs, for years. AVill some of the friends of the horse tell
us how much it costs for a new harness for a pair of horses
and the repairs for five years ?

For the Committee — Francis Dodjre.

STEERS.

The Committee on Steers award to William Foster, of
North Andover, for three-year-olds, second premium, $5.

To Hiram Young, of iS^ewbury, for yearlings, first pre-
mium, $4.

Committee — Benjamin P. Ware, Benjamin E. Emcrv, A.
P. Fuller, M. S. Jenkins.

STALLIONS.

The Committee on Stallions, four years old and upwards,
present the following report :

40

For the best stallion four years old and upwards, first pre-
mium, diploma and $15, John Gardner, Haverhill.

Second premium, $10, Charles O. Putnam, Danvers.

Third premium, $8, X. Little, Jr., Xewbury.

For the best stallion three years old, first })remium, |<S,
Francis Dane, Hamilton.

Second premium, $5, George B. ]\lartin, Dan vers.

The Committee desire to particularly notice as worthy of
premiums, were there more at their disposal, the colts of E.
Battelle, Newburyport ; A. II. Patch, Hamilton ; C. INI. Lunt,
Newbury.

For the Committee — Sanniel C. Oliver, Chairman.

BREEDING MARES.

The Committee award to Francis Dane, of Hamilton, the
first premium, diploma and $15.

To S. C. Morse, of Haverhill, second premium, $10.

To E. G. Elliott, of Georgetown, third premium, $8.

Committee — Charles C. Blunt, Seth Kimball. Isaac F.
Knowlton, (\ M. Lunt.

FAMILY HORSES.

Your Committee had considerable hesitation in deciding
upon the claims of the unusual number of fine family horses
presented for premium, and were particularly gratified in the
exhibibition of their various qualities. Many of them appeared
admirably cpialified for the many uses Avhieh a })ractical man
or farmer needs in a family horse.

It is rare to meet wdth a horse fully suited to the many re-
quirements of the family or tlie \ ariouf^ uses of the farmer ;

41

•greater induccineiits are offered for the production of sj:eed
than the simple but more useful qualities of a g-ood family
horse. And your Committee were unanimous in the .expres-
sion of their hope that our enterprising young agriculturists
would be encouraged to present for exhibition a greater num-
ber of animals of superior excellence for such purposes.

Your Committee award the first premium, diploma and $15,
to R. S. Rogers, of Salem ; the second premium of $10 to
Orin Putnam, of Danvers ; and the third, of $8, to John
Swinerton, of Danvers.

Horses presented :

One chestnut horse, D years old, weight 1150 lbs., I. Pluck-
ias, Ipswich.

One grey horse, 12 years old, weight 1150 lbs., R. 8. Rog-
ere, Salem.

One sorrel horse, 12 years old, weight 1000 lbs., B. F.
•Jenkins, Xorth Andover.

One dark bay horse, 5 years old, weight 1050 lbs., Oriu
-Putnam, Danvers.

One bay horse, 5 years old, weight 940 lbs., Jo\\\\ Swiner-
ton, Danvers.

One black mare, 7 years old, weight 950 lbs., E. C. Brown,
IpsAvich.

One grey mare, 7 years old, weight 1210 lbs,, Francis Dane,
Hamilton.

One bay horse, 8 years old, weight 105T) lbs., AA^illiam D.
Chamberlain, Lynn.

Committee — George AV. Keenc, of Lynn; AVilliam 0.
Brown, of Ipswich; E. 11. Little, of Newbury; AA'illiam J.
.'Dale, of Xorth Andover.

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.
The Committee u]ion Farm and Draft Horses award a

42

diploma and first premium, of $12, to Edwin C. Little, of
Newbury.

Second premium, of $10, to B. H. Farnham, of NortU An^
dover.

Third premium, of |8, to A. Knowlton, of Essex.

Fourth premium, of |5, to William J. Cheever, of North
Andover.

Francis Dane, of Hamilton, entered his nice imported niarci-
Empress, weighing 1550 lbs. ; the Committee considered her
too heavy for common farm purposes.

Committee — Richard S. Bray, Samuel A. Merrill, Charles
Perley, W. J. Dale, Jr.

COLTS.

The Committee award the following premiums :
Colts Four Yeaks Old.

To Richard S. Rogers, of Salem, first premium, diploma
and $10.

To Bennett Griffin, of Gloucester, second premium, |5..

Colts Three Years Old.

To Iliram T. Balch, of Groveland, first premium, $G.
To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, for his " Empress, 2d.,''
second premium, $4. Sire, imported " Orleans.*'

Colts Two Years Old.

To George B. Martin, of Danvers, for his colt, " Lady-
Linn," first premium, $5. Sire, " Danvers Boy."

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, for his colt, " Young Mor-
rill. Jr.," second premium, |3. Sire, " Young Morrill."

Colts Oxe Year Old.
To John Gardner, of Haverhill, first premium, $4.

43

To George B. Martin, of Danvers, for his colt, " Lady
Jennette," second premium, $3. Sire, " Danvers Boy."

The Committee report that it is rare to see so many fine coltsp
together as have been entered this season, but the amount of
money to be divided is so small that only a few premiums can
be awarded, Avhile honorable mention must suffice for others of
conspicuous merit, but such distinction might appear disparag-
in«r to the rest.

Committee — Thomas Appleton, C. H. Gould, Sherman
Nelson, Francis H. Appleton.

SWINE.

The Committee on Swine award to Henry Saltonstall, of
Peabody, for the best boar, first jiremium, diploma and $8.

To George Ober, of Beverly, second premium, |5.

To Williaiii Foster, of North Andover, for breeding sow^
first premium, diploma and $8.

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, second premium, $5.

To Francis Dane, of Hamilton, for weaned pigs, first pre-
mium, 15.

Chairman of Conunittee — Joseph Ivittredge.

SHEEP.

The Committee on Sheep respectfully report that there were
three entries of sheep, — two flocks of Cofs wolds and one of
grade South Down.

The Cots wolds were exhibited by Francis Dane, of Hamil-
ton, and Daniel F. Appleton, of Ipswich, and both flocks
consisted of large and well formed animals, in fine condition.
The grade South Downs were exhibited by Benjamin D. Apple-
ton, of Ipswich. They looked small and inferior by the side of

44

tlic Cotswokls, but tliey were compact and ^luootli in their
form, well wooled, and in good condition ; and would })robabl}'
be as profitable in the usual course of husbandry as the larg'cr
i&nd more fashionable sheep.

Mr. Dane and Mr. B. J). .Vp[»leton were the only exhibi-
tors of ten or more ewes ; and we award the first premium for
such a flock to Francis Dane, of Hamilton, and the seccmd tt>
IJcnjamin D. Appleton, of Ipswich.

The yearling Cotswold buck, ISO. 47, exhibited by Mr. Dan-
iel F. Appleton, of Ipswich, was adjudged the best exhibited
(except the older ram of j\Ir. ^V., Avhich received the first pre-
rnium of this Society in 18G1), and was therefore excluded
from competition), and to him we award the premium for the
best buck.

Mr. Dane and Mr. D. F. Appleton were the only exhibitors
of lambs for premium ; and we award the premium for the best
lot of lambs, not less than four in number, to Daniel F. Ap-
pleton, of Ipswich.

On inquiry the Connnittee ascertained that both flocks of
•Cotswolds had been fed with grain for some time, and their
merits as profitable animals could not therefore be ascertained
by a comparison with a flock, like the grade South Down, that
bad had nothing but grass during the summer.

The owners of the Cots wolds l)oth take much interest antl a
commendable pride in their fine stock, and keep them, as a
matter of taste as well as to raise breeding animals for sale ;
Antl do not judge of the profit of an animal, as most farmers
arc compelled to do, by the l)est return of wool and meat for
tlic food consumed.

In entering u})on the duty assigned them, tlie Committee
^were embarrassed by the ambiguity of the terms in a\ Inch the
j»remiums were offered, and which were construed differently
by the contributors. One exhibitor, for instance, offered his
best ten animals, part rams and part ewes, selected from a
1aro-e flock : and another offered his entire Hock of twentv or more

45

ewes. Under siu-h a pi-actiee tlie selected tcu a\ ould probably
always average better than an entii'e flock, and vet the latter
might eontain ten better animals.

The Committee would therefore suggest, if it A\<iidd not be
better hereafter to make the offer more precise : to exclude
rams from competition with ewes in tln^ flocks, and to offer the-
premiums for jioclxs, either for the best ten ciccs, or for the best
entire jJvclc of the exhil)itor of not less than ten CAves, which-
ever the Trustees may think it best to require.

Exhibitors would all then understand that thev were to briaor
either their entire flock, or their best ten ewes ; and the Com-
mittee Mould not be perplexed by comparing entire flocks of
more than Iqw, with ten selected animals. To test the quali-
ties of a breed and the successful managemciit of the shepherd,
it is evident that competing animals ought to fare alike in the
kind of feed ; that they should have been kept on grain alone
during the summer, or that a written statement of tlie food
given them should be furnished. Without some such rule it is
impossible for connnittees to form a correct opinion as to the
superioi'ity, in real valve, of a breed or flock.

For the (*ommittee — (Jeoi-ge Haskell.

POULTRY.

The Committee on Poultry re})ort the following awards :

DIPLOMA.

For best collection of Fowls, to IMrs. G. L. Streeter, of
tSalem.

PKEMIUMS.

Best trio Dark Brama Pootras, to ]Mrs. G. L. Streeter, of
Salem, $2.

Best trio Light Brama ]*ootras, to S. L. Knight, of Dan-
vers, 12.

Best trio Black Spanish, to E. R. Perldns, of Salem, $2,

46

Best trio AA'iiite Legliorn, to Paul T. Winkley, of New-
buryport, $2.

Best trio Creve Ca?ur, to Mrs. G. L. Streeter, of Salem, $2.

Best trio Houdans, to Edward Brown, of Ipswich, $2.

Best trio Games, to John Swinerton, of Danvers, $2.
, Best trio White Dorkings, to Benj. Millctt, of Danvers, |2.

Best trio Hamburghs, to E. 11. Perkins, of Salem, $2.

Best trio Black Polish, to ]Mrs. G. L. Streeter, of Salem.

Best trio Bantams, to Paul T. Winkley, of Newburvport, $2.

GRATUITIES.

Paul T. Winkley, Newburyport, trio Plymouth Rock, |1 ;
S. E. Knight, Danvers, trio Java, $1 ; E. B. Perkins, Sa-
lem, coop of Patridge Cochins, $1 ; Mrs. G. E. Streeter, Sa-
lem, Buff-Cochins, $1 ; John Swinerton, Danvers, trio Dom-
inique, |1 ; Mrs. C. X. Cogswell, Essex, three Geese, |2 ;
E. E. Perkins, Salem, Plymouth Eock, $1 ; J. P. Blacking-
ton, Eowley, coop of Ducks, $1 ; Paul T. Winkley, New-
•buryport. Ducks, |1.

The foregoing Eeport was rendered on the 27th of Septem-
l)er, but by a vote of the Society was referred back to the
Committee, for further consideration. We have taken tlie re-
port into careful consideration, but justice to all parties com-
pels us to abide by our first decision.

We would respectfully recommend taking from the premium
iist tlic lilack Spanish and Game, and giving premiums to
Dominique or Plymouth Eock, so called, which your (\)nnnit-
tee consider among the best birds in the (V)unty.

For the C/ommittee — »I. I. Ladd.

PLOUGHING— DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing Avith Double Teams have at-
i^cnded to tlw duty assigned them, and report the following :

47

To Jaques & Bray, Newbuiy, first premium of $12 and
'diploma ; Plough, bourse's Eagle, No. 20.

To Joseph Horton, Ipswich, second premium of $10 ;
Plough, J. bourse's Eagle, No. 20.

To Nathaniel Little, Jr., Newbury, third premium of $9;
Plough, Improved Eagle, No. 20.

To Treadwell & Hodgdon, Ipswich, the fourth premium of
$8; Plough, Hussey, No. 16.

Committee — James P. King, A. B. Fellows, Thos. G.
Oixlwav, Wm. B. Morgan, S. A. Merrill.

PLOUGHING WITH SINGLE TEAMS.

TIic Committee award to P. T. Jaques, of N"ewbury, the
.first premium of $7 and diploma.

Committee — T. K. Leach, J. L. Newhall, B. Bradstreet,
Geo. A. Lane.

PLOUGHING WITH IIOKSES.

The Committee report the following awards :

To Moody S. Dole, of Georgetown, first premium of $10

•and diploma; Plough, Doe, No. E 3.

Committee — William Foster, Aaron Knowlton, Geo. B.

Dotljjc.

PLOUGHING— SWIVEL PLOUGH.

There were but two competitors in the field, William Fos-
ter, of North Andover, and John S. Preston, of Dan vers.
Foster used Nourse's iron plough, and Preston used Whit-

48

tcmorc, Belcher & C'<).".s plough. They both performed the
work Avell, and in about the same length of time. Preston
performed the work with two less furrows than Foster, and in
the opinion of the Committee, had Preston taken less furrow-
slice and made more furrows the work Avould have been more
perfect.

The Committee would recommend the first premium of
diploma and $12 to AVilliam Foster, of North Andover.

To John S. Preston, of Danvers, second premium of $10.

Great improvement has been made in side hill ploughs, so
that with some of our good farmers they have almost wholi}-
taken the place of other ploughs, as they save the dead fur-
row (so called) and leave the ground in a more even state.

For the C'Ommittee — Joseph How.

PLOUGHING— BY JX)Y8 .

The Committee on Ploughing by Boys, report :
Tlie Pi-esident of our Society this year offered another liber-
al premium for "ploughing by boys not ovc 18 years ox age.
There was 1)ut one entry made, that by Charles Fish, of Dan-
vers, 18 years of age. The team used hy him was OAvneJ ]>y
Francis P. Putnam, of l^anvers, and the plough lie used was
the Due Plow, No. 3, sold by Whittemore, Belclier c*«c Co.,.
Boston. The Committee were of the opinion that tlie teans
was driven as well, and that the holding of the plough and j>er-
formance of the work was equal to any on the ground. Prob-
ably the work done coidd not be excelled, by either man or
boy, in Essex County. The Committee have cheerfully awan!-
ed him the first premium, $25.

For the Committee — Thomas P. Gentlce.

49

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

The Committee report :

There was a large assortment of ^V^gricidtural Implements
presented, which appeared to be of excellent quality. Whit-
temore. Belcher & Co., of Boston, and Ames Plow Co., each
presented several plows and other articles, which appeared to
be of superior quality. There was some difterence of opinion
among the Committee, in regard to which of the competitors
Avas entitled to the premium. It was, however, concluded to
recommend tlie })remium of diploma and fifteen dollars to
Whittemore, Belcher & (Jo., of Boston, for their collection of
implements and macliines.

To E. A. Archibald, of Methuen, for the best Farm Wag-
on for one or two horses, the premium of $5.

To .Vmos Haseltine, of Haverhill, for his (VMitrifugal Saw-
ing ]\Iachine, a gratuitv of $1.

.Vlso for his Threshing Machine, a irratuitv of $3.

For his Cider ]\fill, a gratuity of $1.

To E. K. Lee, of Essex, for his Stump Puller :m(l Rock
Lifter, a gratuity of $3.

To Aaron Dodge, of Beverly, for his Pulverizing Harrow,
a gratuity of $o.

There were various other implements and machines, Mliicli
were not entitled to ])remium or gratuity, a^ they liad no trial
in the field.

Wood's Improved Mower, presented by John S. Preston, of
DanverS, has been extensively iised and is known to be a good
mower.

The Clipper ]M(n\'er, presented by Horace F. Longfellow, of
Xewbury, claimed some advantages o^er others, and is no
doubt a good article.

The Advance ^Nlo^ver, presented by -Varon Dodge, of Bev-
erly, is highly recommended and is known to be a good article.

The Eureka Mower, presented by W. J. Prescott, of Hamp-
ton Falls, is in some respects different from other mowers, as
4

50

it directly follows the horses. Advantages are claimed for this
mower over others.

The Sprague Mower, from E. I. Co., is anew article, has
been but little used, is said to be of easy draft, and makes good
Avork.

Perry Mower, presented by Ames Plow Co., looks Avell and
is presumed to be a good mower. It received the premium at
the Paris Exposition in 18G7, and also has received premiums
from the New England Agricultural Society.

Bullard's Improved Hay Tedder, and Whittemore's Lock
Joint Wheel Rake, were presented by John S. Preston, of
Danvers ; also the American Tedder, and Burt's Horse Rake,
presented by Ames Plow Co., all appeared to be good articles,
but as to their comparative value the Committee give no opin-
ion, as they were not tried in their presence.

The Seed Sower presented by C. R. Sargent, of Xewbury-
port, simple in its construction, is thought to be a good article.
The Horse Cart presented by John W. Dodge, of Salem,
lias a small wheel under tlie forward end of the cart. It at-
tracted the attention of the Committee, Avho Avould call it to
the notice of those Avho wish to purchase, so that they can
judge for themselves.

Drain Tile were presented l)y Lawrence & Bodge, of Ikn-
erly, an improved article.

The Revolving Harrow by Asa A\^ade, of Ipswich, A\'as not
used, therefore the Committee arc not prepared to gi\e an
opinion on its Aalue.

Several Steel Plows were presented wliich appeared well,
but their superiority OAcr other plows is to be tested by their use.
The Pulverizing Harrow, al)OAe alluded to, was used on the
ploAving field with good success. It is claimed to stir the
ground deeper than harrow or cultivator, and the Committee
would recommend it to the attention of the farmers, and they
can judge for themselves as to its merits.

We well remember the first trial of mowers in the County,
July IGth, 1855, on Dr. Loring's farm in Salem, and on the

51

17th, on Col. XewelFs farm in West Xewbuiy. A large num-
ber of farmers were present, and probably many of them then
«aw a mower for the first time. They m ere imperfect, and the
question was, will they come into common use I Since that
■time a great change has taken place. The mowers then used
have given place to more perfect ones, and now but little grass
is cut with the scythe. There is a great variety of mowers
noAv in use, greatly improved from former ones. But Yankee
ingenuity is not satisfied. New mowers are being made, Avhich
.•are claimed to be less complicated, with lighter draft, and to
make better work. Therefore it is well for every farmer to
look to the merits of the mower before he purchases. The
horse rake and horse tedder have also been greatly improved.
The tedder is of more recent origin, and not fiu- behind the
mower in saving labor, as turning hay by hand is a slow pro-
cess, and must be done in the heat of the da}-, when other
-work is pressing.

As the profits of the fai-mer are small when compared with
the price of labor, it is necessary that all the advantage should
be taken possible of every labor saving machine. But as ev-
■ery improvement is not what it purports to be, therefore the
utmost caution should be used against being imposed upon, as
£;ome of our good farmers have been.

The rpiestion often arises with those Avho have small forms,
liow far strict economy will justify them in purchasing improv-
ed implements, as a person may in some cases purchase more
than strict economy will justifx'. Therefore every farmer
should carefully count the cost and govern himself accordingly.

Another recent impro^■ement which we think of great value
rshould not pass unnoticed — the manufacture of iron hub team
wheels by E. A. Archibald, of ]Methuen. It is well known
that the iron hub for team wheels is coming into common use
in Boston and many other places. Mr. Archibald's principal
improvement is in pressing them together with great forces
making them more perfect than they can otherwise be made.
For further description T i-ecommend the publication of JNTr.

'52

.Vrchibald's .statement publislied in the Scientific American,
Marcli ."), 1870. Since December last, the commencement of
Mr. Arcliibald's business in liis new factorv, lie has mannfac-
tured for J. C lloadley & Co., the well known ])ortable en-
gine manufacturers of Lawrence, eighty sets of wheels, Avith
carriages for the conveyance of their engines. Those engines
and wheels have been sent not only to different parts of our
own country, but to foreign countries. They are also being
introihiced to the great wheat fields of the AYest for propelling
threshing machines. In reuard to the success of the Avheels, I
([uote from Mr. lloadley 's letter which I have before me :

"My observation of the practical use of ]\Ir. .Vrchibald's
wagon wheels has been rather limited, but sufficient to demon-
strate their excellence and to confirm the opinion I had formed
of them from theoretical considerations. Those Avhich I ob-
served had been exposed for several Aveeks to a temperature
of about 2.')()" Fahrenheit at the distance of about fifteen in-
ches, and connected to the boiler by an iron axle, so that they
received heat both from conduction and radiation. They were
also exposed to the heat during a xQvy dry time. The spokes
were not loosened from each other by this heat. Their elas-
ticity recoiling from the compression they had received from
the ^Vrchibald invaluable })res:5 exceeding in amount the shrink-
age of the wood in that direction.

" I have no doubt whatever that wheels made in this man-
ner will retain their strength and firmness in any climate.
Xothing can be more trving than the test of a threshini!: (>n-
gine, and they bore this test perfectly."

Thus we have Mr, Hoadley's experience, his o])servation,
and opinion, which seem to l)e conclusive evidence as to the
value of the wheels. IMr. Hoadley's observation spoken of
was on the wheat fields of the AVest.

Every person who has used Avheels to much extent, knows
the inconveni^ice and expense attendant in keeping them in
[)lace in a dry season like the past, as the spokes shrink, grow
loose in the hubs, and consefpiently they must go to the Idack-

'ililii I II If II I II II iiir iiiiiipii III mil II ii|iiii[iii|r]i' p^iiimi

f

Improvecl IVTacliine

FOR IHE

Manufacture of Spoked Wheels.

This machine is designed to facilitate aud improve the
manufacture of that clasi of spoked wheels u.-Ld upon
heavy vehicles, in which the nave ends of wooden spokes
are secured between flat nave plates of metal, one of
which has a hub in which the axle hearing is made, and
between which the nave ends of the spokes formed, as
shown at A in the engraving, are firmly clamped by
screw bolts.

The machine acts to force into close contact the flat
surf-ices of the spokes at their inner ends, and thus com-
pictthem,so that their faces form true circular planes
upon which the inner faces of the flanges rest.

It will be seen that the machine occupies space upon
two consecutive floors. A strong circular plate of cast
inn, about seven feet diameter, having its upper surtiwe
faced otf true, is placed horizontally level with the floor
of the shop Arranged at equal distances around its out-
er edge are a number of levers, B, equal to tlie number of
sjiokes to be set in the wheel— sixteen in this case— h.iv-
iug their tulcrums securely bolted to the plate, 'j he long
arms of the levers r idiate from the plate, about thrte feet
all around ; the short arms are formed into cams, or roll-
ing inclines, or curved wedges, acting upon sliding pins
of cast iron, which move freely in a radial direction, in
gui les formed in the fulcrum blocks. \\ hen the long
arms of the levers are raised, the sliding pins may be eas-
ily pressed outwards until they bear upou tlie cam-shaped
short arms of the levers at the point nearest the fulcrum
or center of motion of the lever. When the long arms of
the levers are lowered, their sliding pins are forced in-
wards by the cams, and unite in pressing inward the
wheel properly placed in their embrace. The levers are
all actuated with rapidity, uniformity and certainty, by
means of wrought iron rods, 0, extending downwards
from the ends of the levers, converging to a verdcal col-
umn, D, under tiie center of the plate much as the bra-
ces of an umbrella extend downwards from the ribs to the
stick. A screw is cut upon the central column, and a nut,
E, answering to the slide upon an umbrella stick, raises
or lowers all the levers at once, with great facility, and
with any required power. Motion is given to the nut by
means of beveled gears and a belt with fast and loo.se pul-
leys, so arranged, that, at the upward aud downward lim-
its the belt is thrown automatically upon the loose puUev
and the motion of the nut and levers slopped. Any le-
quired motion, either up or down, within tue range of the
screw, can be obtained wit.i great delicacy and conveni-
ence by a shipper, h', actuated by a shippiu}; rod, G The
fellies and spokes, of seasoned second-growth oak, having
been perfectly shaped and completely tiuished by machine'-
ry, are first put together by driving two .-pokes into a fel-
ly, one at a time, the felly being held firmly in a vise, U,
specially constructed to prevent splitting of the felly or
twisting of the spoke, so that a very good fit is obtained
at this important poiut Eight fellies, with their sixteen
spokes, are then placed in the press, when the perfection
of the fitting is shewn by the perfecC joint made by the
spokes when they meet in the circle to be curved and em-
braced by the cast-iron hub : and by the concidence of the
half-holes in the eontiguous sides of the spokes. A, which
tc^'ethnr form the holes for the eight bolts that are finally
to hold the hub plates together.

Temporary hub plates, I— one above and one below—
with a powerful .screw in their cent r, hold the ends of all
the spokes truly in t'\e platie tf t.ie circular plate while
undergoing the pressure of the lever.-. The extent of this

pressure is ascertained by marking carefully with a sharp
pencil around the ci cumference of the upper temporary
hub plate after the spokes have been brought to a close
firm joint ; and then the pre.'sure is put on till the joint
ot the lelhes close up. Another similar mark being n'lade
upon the removal of the temporary hub pla'e it is foi nd
that a space of a quarter of an inch is made between the
two pencil mark.s— a reduction in diameter o half an inch
jSow as r.he ditference in circumference corresiicDding to a
diHerence.in diameter of half an inch, is 1..5708 inches
this, divided by Iti (the number of .«pokes,) gives 0 098 of
an inch, or substantially one tenth of an inch, as the lat-
eral compies.-ion of each spoke This is bv no means the
limit, but is probabh sufficient to secure the spokes against
being loosened bv shrinkage in any climate. '

The hubs are firmly liolted together while the whrel is
in the press, and hold the spoke- .securely The fellie.s
spring apart a little, but only a little ; and "the tire easily
makes that all firm again.

So great is the fttcility with which this machine is oper-
ated, that one man with an assistant easily puts together
six sets — twelve fore wheels and twelve hind wheels— in
six h'lurs and forty minutes, including the time of adjust-
ing machinery for the difl'erence in diameter of the wheels.
It is thouc-ht that the .same machine would so compress
wood as to mak" most admirable car wheels.

The great point in a whet-l made in this manner is the
thorough compactness of the hub-end of the spoke The
other end of the spoke receives scarcely less benefit. Jiy
ob.<erviug an old wheel it will be seen that the spoke is
bedded Into the felly This is ilone by degr. cs, and is un-
avoidable in wheels made in the usual way. The only
way to keep the wheel together is to reset the tire so as to
take up the looseness caused by this slow crushing pro-
cess liy putting on a pressure of more than ten times
the amount the »heel will ever be called upon to sustain
in actual u.se, it is claimed that the spoke and felly are so
compacted that if the tire is properly set, it will remain
tight until worn out The wheels are made by this iiM'tli-
od perfectly rouml and true 'I'he pressure di>tribiitcd
about the rim can be varied from nothing to one hundred
tons, if required.

There are rea-ons why iron-hubbed wheels made in this
manner should be far superior to wheels with wooden
hubs The spokes cannot crush into the bub, as they will
do into woo.Jen hubs, whether driven full .size into a very
large hub, as was the practice fifty years since, or as at
present, into a smaller huh, ihe spoke.s having tenons and
shoulders With wooden hubs the spokes are weakened
just where they need the greatest strength, while in the
iron-hubbed wheel the spokes are more than twice as large
at the hub as a wooden hub wheel of corresponding size.
It is al.so claimed that a wheel made on this plan will not
shrink, and that as the bases of the spokes are as firmly
conipres'^ed against each other as it is possible for wood to
be, and held by niotallic flanges firmly bolted together, it
is the most mechanical and iieitVct method of constructing
wagon wheels for heavy work yet devi.-ed.

Iron-hubbed wheels are becoming verv popni ir in many
localities, even when constructed in the'comparativelv im-
perfect manner eniplo.\ed before the application of this in-
ventimi ; and there is no doubt the improvement resulting
from the method described will tend to make them more
generally iioi)iilar than hitherto.

Patented. Dec. 28. lKli9, by E. A. ARfllTBALD, of
Methuen, M&ss.—Scientijic Ainakan, March btU.

53

Tsmitli and lunc the tires reset ; and any one who has passed a
bhieksniith's shop during the late dry weather has noticed an
ahnost constant l)iisiness of resetting tires. The value of an
improvement is in proportion to the amount the article is used.
Wheels are used to an almost unlimited extent. Hence a small
Improvement would l)e of great value. If the im[)rovement is
as great as ]Mr. .Vrchibald thinks it is — and ]Mr. Iloadley's
•o[)inion seems to corroborate it — it is of immense value, and is
<nie of the greatest improvements of the day. ^Vnd our obser-
\'ation in the manufacture of the Mdieels confirms the above
statement. AVe would recommend to any one wishing to pur-
chase wheels, to A'isit ]Mr. Archibald's factory, witness the
manner of making them, and the mechanical genius there ex-
liil)ited. We feel confident that he will not only purchase the
wheels, but feel more than repaid for time and trouble. We
have alluded to Mr. Hoadley's observation on the Western
wheat fields. He had sold several engines to be used there,
instead of horse power, for propelling threshing machines. He
went there last summer to see their operation, Avhicli was a per-
fect success, both engine and wheels. They use the straw for
fuel, which is very convenient, while it is worthless for other
purposes. Thus we see the mechanical genius of Essex Coun-
ty is aiding the laborers of the far West in preparing their
wheat for our own consiunption.
For the C'Ommittee — Joseph How.

("ARRIAGESV

The C^^mmittee award to G. W. Symonds, of Lvnnfield,
for best Express Wagon, the first premium, $5.

To William Xoyes, of Xewburyport, the second premium,
'$'> •

To Erastus Clark, Jr., of Ipswich, for best Horse Cart, $2.

To E. A. Archibald, of ]\Iethuen, for best Iron Hub
Wheels, a diploma.

For the Committee— -Webster Smith,

54

DAIRY.

The Committee report the award of the following premiums
for Butter :

To Amos F. Hobbs of Wenham, 1st premium, diploma
and $10.

To Mrs. W. A. Dane, Hamilton, 2d premium, $8.

To Mrs. Oliver Patch of Hamilton, 3d premium, $G.

To Mr. Asa Wade of Ipswich, 4th premium, $4.

For best specimen of New Milk Cheese, 1st premium, to M
Joseph Goodridge of West Newbury, $8 ; 2d premium to Jo- "

seph Marshall of Ipswich, $5.

Committee — J. A. Putnam, Alonzo Smith, James Cham-
berlain, I. K. Jewett, Xath'l Lambert.

BEEAD xVND HONEY.

There Avere two entries of Honey and ten of Bread. After
careful examination gratuities were awarded as folloAvs :

To H. Alley, of Wenham, for Hive of Bees and Honey, |5.
To John J. Gould, of Ipswich, for Honey, $2.

BREAD.

To Mrs. U.K. Parker, of Groveland, $2.
To Mrs. H. B. Estis, of Peabody, |2.
To Mrs. L. D. Whipple, i)f Ipswich, $2.
To Mrs. C. A. Alley, of Wenham, $2.
To Mrs. Sarah Kennedy, of Ipswich, $1,
To Miss Ellen Manning, of Topsfield, |1.
To Mrs. J. Manning, of Topsfield, $1.
For the Committee — Tristram B. Fall.

PEARS.

The Connnittcc on Pears report the collection as being very
fine — there being seventy-nine entries, besides a large number

55

of contributions not entered for premium. Many of the vari-
eties were so fine and so nearly equal in quality, that they
found it quite difficult in awarding the premiums. Great
credit is due to each and all that contributed to the exhibition.
The Committee award the following premiums and gratuities :

One dollar each to F. Willcomb, Ipswich, Bartlett ; N.
Morse, Newburyport, Belle Lucrative ; Mrs. T. Mosely, Ips-
wich, Flemish Beauty; Theo. F, Cogswell, Ipswich, Beurre
Bosc ; X. Morse, Newburyport, Beurre Superfine ; J. V.
Stevens, Peabody, Onondaga; F. S. Peck, Salem, Seckel ;
Charles G. Savary, Groveland, • Winter Nelis ; N. Morse,
Newburyport, Vicar of Winkfield; Willard F. Kinsman, Ips-
wich, BufFum ; John V. Stevens, Peabody, Lawrence ; Wil-
liam Willcomb, Ipswich, Louise Bon de Jersey ; S. South-
wick, Peabody, Beurre Clairgeau ; A. D. Wait, Ipswich,
Golden Beurre of Bilboa ; F. Willcomb, Ipswich, Howell ;
George Pettingill, St. Michael Archange ; Charles H. Lake
& Bros., Topsfield, Marie Louise; Lewis Choate, Ipswich,
Beurre Hardy ; A. Hodgkins, Ipswich, Duchess d'Angou-
leme ; I. A. Rogers, Ipswich, Paradise d' Autumn ; A. B.
Fellows, Ipswich, St. Michael ; X. Morse, Newburyport, Ur
baniste ; Geo. A. Hodgdon, Ipswich, Beurre Diel ; N. Morse,
Newburyport, Sheldon ; John V. Stevens, Peabody, Doyenne
Bossock ; Charles H. Lake & Bros., Topsfield, Black Pear of
Worcester ; N. Morse, Newburyport, Beurre d'Anjou.

For the best collection of twenty varieties, N. Morse, of
Newburyport, $5 and diploma.

For the best collection of ten varieties, Iv. Jordan, of Ips-
wich, $3.

For the best plate of Pears, not less than twenty-four speci-
mens, II. Daniels, of Ipswich, $5 and diploma.

GRATUITIES. — $o to Pctcr Wait, Danvers, 1)asket of fruit ;
$2 to ]\Irs. N. R. AVait, basket of fruit. $1 each to the fol-
lowing for fine specimens : George Pettengill, Salem ; J. Ross,
Charles Howe, Mrs, Eben Caldwell, Mrs. E. A. Downie,

56

Daniel H. Fellowis, John Birch, Ira Worcester, Ipswich; 1).
G. Todd, liowley ; S. South wick, Peabody.
For tlie Committee — Saml. C. Pitman.

APPLES.

The Connnittee on Apples are pleased to report an unusual
display in this department, consisting of over three hundred
[)lates, and would award the following premiums and gratuities :

Best collection of twenty' varieties, to I). P. Ware, of Mar-
blehead, diploma and $5.

Best collection of ten varieties, to W. P. Phillips, of Xorth
Andover, $o.

Best twenty-four specimens, to T. K. Leach, of Topsfield,
diploma and $5.

Best (lolden Russet, to S. L. Knight, of Danvcrs, |L

Best Fameuse and Porter, to C H. Lake c"<c Co., Topsfield,
one dollar each, $2.

Best Pickman Pippin, to B. 1*. A\'arc, of Marblehead, $1.

Best Baldwin, to Amos Brown, of Dan vers, |1.

Best Hubbardston, to William Stone, of Ipswich, $L

Best Himt's Russet, to Amos Brown, of D^nvers, $L

Best Dan vers AVinter Sweet, to Mrs. T. Alosely, of Jps-
wich, $L

Best Seaver's Sweet, to B. P. Ware, of ^Nlarblehead, |1.

Best Gravenstein, to Chas. P. Savory, of (froveland, $L

Best Minister, to James A\^ilson, of Topsfield, $L

Best Sweet Baldwin, to B. 1\ AVare, of iNIarblehead, $1.

Best Ramsdcll Red Sweet, to Geo. Haskell, Ipswich, $L

Best Roxbury Russet, to Aaron Low, of Essex, $1.

Best Rhode Island (ircening, to Grceuleaf ]^lunuHcr, of
Xe wburyport , , f L

Best brap d'Or, to B. P. ^^'are, of Marblehcad, |1.

Best Lyscom, to Asa Burnham, of Ipswdch, $1.

57

Best Ladies' Sweeting, to George Haskell, of Ipswich, |!l .

Best Swaar, to Peter Wait, of Danvers, $1.

Best Xorthern Spy, to E. Vose, of Ipswich, |1,

Best Haskell Sweet, to B. P. Ware, of Marblehead, $1.

GRATUITIES.

To Samuel Adams, of Topsfield ; A. Titcomb, Ilowley ; A.
T. Potter, Ipswich; Daniel S. Todd, Rowley; II. Jordan,
Ipswich ; Greenleaf Plnmmer, Xewbury ; F. W. Cook, Sa-
lem ; David Clark, Topsfield ; Aaron Low, Essex ; one dollar
each.

To James Wilson, of Topsfield, 2 dollars.

To Reynold's^ Farm, Boxford ; E. G. Hyde, Danvers ; S.
N. Baker, Ipswich ; Moses Clark, do ; James Gwinn, Ham-
ilton ; Mrs. Daniel Hopkinson, Groveland — 50 cents each.

Committee— D. H. Stickney, J. M. Ives, T. C^ Thiirlow,
William Chickerin"'.

PEACHES, GRAPES AXD ASSORTED FRUIT.

The Committee on Peaches, Grapes and Assorted Emits
report the following awards :

Peaches. — Mrs. Samuel Adams, Topsfield, AMiite Free-
stone ; Thomas Capers, Xewburyport, Yellow Flesh ; J. M.
Ives, Salem, Essex County Seedling; first premium of .fl
^acli. Luther Burnham, Essex, gratuity of |1. B. A. Gray,
Salem ; D. R. Ruthford, E. C. Greenwood, John Perkins,
Ipswich ; gratuities of 50 cents each.

AssoiiTED Fruit. — Peter Wait, Danvers, first i^remium,
$3 ; R. Jordon, 2d, premium, $2 ; X. R. Wait, Ipswich ; X.
Morse, Xewburyport ; gratuities of |1 each.

GRArES. — John Perkins, Ipswich, Concord ; D. H. Stick-
ney, Groveland, Hartford Prolific ; G. W. Gage, Methuen.
Isabella ; R. Daniels, Ip>!wich, Delaware ; D. H. Stickney,

58

Groveland, lona ; R. Jordan, Ipswich, Israella ; D. H. Sticks
ney, Groveland, Adirondack ; D. H. Stickney, Groveland,.
Rogers No. 4 ; G. W. Gage, Metluien, Allen's Hybrid ;
Thomas Capers, NcAvburyport, Diana; G. P. Savory, Grove-
land, Crevelling ; first premtum of $2 for each variety.

Aaron Low, Essex, best assortment of cold house Grapes,.
first premium, $3. D. H. Stickney, Groveland, best collection:
of ten varieties, first premium, $5.

GRATUITIES.

Franklin Upton, Dangers, assortment of Grapes on stand;
G. W. Gage, assortment of Grapes ; $2 each; John Perkins,
IpsAvich, display of Grapes ; Peter Wait, Danvers, display of
({rapes ; Mrs. L. Mallard, Methuen, Xew Seedling (Lady
Mallard) ; Robert Bailey, Xewburyport, cold house Grapes;.
R. Jordan, Ipswich, assortment of Grapes ; George Haskell,
Ipswich, cold house Grapes; Mrs. Eben Caldwell, Ipswich;
$1 each. Franklin Upton, Danvers, Rebecca ; G. W. Gage,
Methuen, Salem Grape; N. R. Wait, Ipswich, Diana; D..
R. Rutherford, Ipswich, Grapes, Aaroh Low, Essex, Grapes;
.Vbram Lord, Ipswich, Grapes ; S. Southwick, Grapes ;.
George Pettengill, Grapes, 50 cents each.

For the Committee — James R. Xichols.

FLOWERS,

The Committee on Flowers make the following awards ;

PREMIUMS.

Best pair of Parlor Bouquets, Thomas Capers, of Ncw-
Imryport, $3.

Best pair of Hand Bouquets, Robert Bailey, of Xewbury-
port, |2.

Best dish of Cut Flowers, Tliomas Capers, of Xewbury-
port, $2.

59

Best 12 Dahlias, Mrs. M. A. Hill, of Peabody, $1.

Best 12 Verbenas, Robert Bailey, of Newbmyport, $1.

Best Collection of Xative Flowers, ]Mrs. W. 8. Horner, of
Georgetown, $1.

Largest and best display from one individual, Mrs. Robert
Jordan, of Ipswich, diploma and premium of $3.

The premium of $8 for the best pair of Floral Designs, the
Committee have divided between Mrs. J. V. Stevens, of Pea-
body, $1.50 ; and Miss Mary T. Caldwell, of Ipswich, $1.50.

GRATUITIES.

Display of Liliputian or Bouquet Dahlias, Bosson and
(Hover, of Salem, $1.

Autumnal Leaves and Xative Ferns, ]Mrs. AV. S. Horner,,
of Georgetown, $1.

Dish Bouquets, Sarah Baker, of Ipswich, 50 cents.

Mary E. Peatfield, of Ipswich, 50 cents..
Lizzie Farley, of Ipswich, 50 cents.
Arthur S. Kimball, of Ipswich, 50 cents.

Wreath of '\Vild Flowers, 50 varieties, Mrs. N. E. LaddV
of Groveland, $1.

A Design of Xative ]Mosses and Lichens, by Master Xeddie
George, 12 years old, of Groveland, $1.

Bouquets, by Emma AVellington, of Ipswich, |1.

Dish of Petunias, by S. J. Fellows, of Ipswich, 50 cents.

Collection of Wild Flowers, by Clara A. Hale, of Rowfey,
50 cents.

Committee — Thomas Morong, B. D. Hill, John Price, John.
Perkins.

VEGETABLES.

The Committee on Vegetables report fifty-four entries, and
have awarded the following premiums :

For 12 best specimens each of early T. Blood Beet and
early long smooth dark Blood Beet, §4 to S. A. Merrily
of Danvers ;

60

For 12 best specinions intermediate Carrot, $2, S. A. Mer-
rill, Danvers :

For 12 best specimens early liorn Carrot, $2, M. F. Batcli-
ckler, Peabody ;

F(*r 12 best specimens late sweet Corn, $2, S. A. Merrill,
Danvers ;

For 3 best Savoy Cabbage, |2, M. F. Batchelder, Peabody ;
o best Drumhead, 12, Franklin Alley, Marblehead ; .'5 best
large Drumhead, $2, Albert Titcomb, Ivowley ;

For 12 best large Dutch Parsnip, $2, Albert Titcomb, Kow-
ley ;

For 12 best round flat Tomato, $2, W. P. Phillips, North
Andover ; 12 best spherical Tomato, $2, S. A. Merrill, Dan-
*crs ; best dish Tomatoes, $2, John Clark, Gloucester ;

FoT (5 largest Mangold AVurtzel, |2, B. P. AVare, Marljle-
liead ;

For 12 best purple strap leaf Turnip, $2, H. A Stiles,
Middleton ;

For 3 best Autumnal Marrow Squash, $2, S.A.Merrill,
Danvers ; 3 best American Turban, $2, Franklin Alley, Mar-
blehead ; o best Hubbard, $2, G. B. Loring, Salem :

Best peck Danvers Onions, $2, Franklin Alley, Marl)le-
head; peck yellow flat Onions, $2, i<. A. Merrill, Danvers:
])eck red Onions, $2, Franklin Alley, Marblehead ;

Best peck early rose Potato, $2, Daniel Foster, Beverly ;
j.eck Goodrich, $2, VT. P. Phillips, North Andover: peck
Orono, $2, M. F. Batchelder, Peabody.

Your Committee luuc also made the following awards as
gratuities :

For Cauliflower, $2, to John Heard, Ipswich ; Mountain
iSprout Melon, $1, W. P. Phillips, North Andover: Yegcta-
blc Egg, $1, Ivobert Bailey, Newburyport ; mannnoth Sijuash,
:$1, John IVrley, Newbury; varieties of Melons, $1,M. F.
ilatchcldcr, IVabody ; Sweet Potatoes, $1, Sitlney Low, AVest
(Jlouct'sler ; King of Karlics, $1, ^Varon Low,^Ivowley ; Peer-

61

less Potato, $1, I). G. Todd, KoavIcv ; Celery, M) cents, M.
F. Batclielder, Peabody ; box of Herbs, $1, do., do., do. ;
string of field Corn, $1 each to M. F. Hill, Newburv, and G.
B. Loring, Salem ; box of Cranberries, $1, H. A. Stiles, Mid-
dleton ; Nova Scotia Oats, $1, G. B. Loring, Salem; crook-
neck Squashes, $1, Albert Titcoml>, Eowley ; Canada crook-
neck, oO cents, S. A. Merrill, Danvers ; red drumhead Cab-
bage, $1, Albert Titcomb, liowley ; Carter's improved hybriti
Turnip, 50 cents, A. B. Fellows, Ipswich ; best collection of
Garden Seed, $8, Aaron Low, Essex.

Your Committee are pleased to be able to report that the
display in the vegetable department of the annual exhil^itioii
of this season, was in some respects an improvement on that
of last year. The new requirements were resj^onded to in sev-
eral products, and we trust that as they become more and
more known they will recommend themselves to the intelli-
gence of the farmers of Essex, and the result will l)c to gather
to our annual fairs higher standards of excellence in the vege-
table department. This change cannot be brought about im-
mediately, but where such good farmers as Alley of ]Marble-
head, and Merrill of Danvers, lead, others in time will be sure
to follow. I would recommend that hereafter the premiums-
for Hul)bard Squashes be limited to those Aveighing from eight
to twelve pounds. Our exhibition of this season gave us some
fine specimens, with the exceptian that the size of many of
them was too great. We all know liovv' destructive to both
quality and purity is the tendency to select the largest speci-
mens in the scpiash family, for stock seed. With tlic Hub-
bard it Avill result in the loss of the shell, a coarseness of fibre,
and will ultimately destroy those characteristics which give it
the greatest value for table use. We have lost the ancient ex-
cellencies of the Marrow, in all probability by this unhealthy
course of sacrificing everything most desirable to mere size ;
let us fight a good fight for the Hubbard in its best estate, in
this its home from which it first Avcnt out to be a hoon to ev-
ery table in the land.

62

In my report of last year I presented some of the best kinds
•of several varieties of vegetables. To " know Beans " is pro-
verbiallv a measure of wisdom ; vet the knowled<>-e of the aji-
rieultural public of this vegetable, which demands its place in
every garden, is not always exhaustive.

In addition to the old classification into l)ush and pole, we
liave the intermediate varieties. These are more productive
than the common bush, require about three feet between the
TOWS, where they will develop well at two and a half feet
sipart, and yet are not of so running a habit as to need poles.
The Intermediate Horticultural is one of the best of the inter-
mediates for family use. Grown on poor soil they almost lose
^heir half running liabit, l)ut when grown side by side on rich
land witli the common bush, their distinctive })eculiaritics are
always developed.

The great improvement in beans for use in a green state as
'"^ snap " beans has been made l)y the introduction of the wax
varieties. .V wax bean may be defined as a variety in Avhicli
the inner membrane is absent. It is this inner membrane that
anakes the pod stringy and so worthless to the housewife as a
a^nap Ijcan as it advances towards maturity, and when mature
it is this same membrane that gives the dry })od a definite
.shape. Of the pole varieties of the Avax bean, the Indian
vCliief, (sometimes erroneously called Butter Bean,) is the
foldest and best known — the bean is lilack ; the Giant wax has
:a longer and broader pod and the bean is of a bright red color ;
the Black .Vlgerian has the longest and broadest pod of all,
"which is of a somewhat })vu'})le color ; tlie l)ean is black. The
]j)ods of both the Indian Chief and Giant wax are of the usual
•gTcen color when they first develop, but turn of a very light
^waxv color and Ijccome translucent as they grow older, these
:and the Black Algerian remaining gx)od snap beans until the
ipods begin to dry. There are three varieties of dwarf wax
beans, only one of which is as yet to any extent known ; this
is the Black Dwarf. The bean of a new sort that lias recently
i)cen brought to my notice, resembles very mucli the Early

63

'China in color, and has the good characteristic of being thus
far very pure. The Black Dwarf is much mixed up Avith the
common bean, and I find that all of the wax family require to
be cultivated with exceeding care with special reference to iso-
lation to keep them pure. There is a whited warf wax that
promises to be quite an acquisition, the pods being equally ten-
der with the pole varieties, the other bush sorts being some-
what inferior in this respect.

Of the common bush beans I have found none equal either
:an earliness or hardiness to the Fegee, which I Avould recom-
mend as a string bean, the pods not filling out as Avell as most
kinds. For a bean that combines earliness with good qual-
ities, both as a snap and shell bean I know none superior
to the Dun Cranberry. The Early Valentine is a very round
j)odded pulpy bean, excellent as a string bean, but Ijctter
Icnown in the ^Middle States than in the North.

The past season has been remarkal)ly favorable for the ma-
ituringof the large Lima, which with its fellow, the small Lima
or Sieva, and known in some sections as Frost bean, is tlie
■bean for cookiuix : shelled in a "recn state. In ordinary seasons
the Sieva can be successfully raised in Avarm locations as far
JVoi-th as latitude 43 or 44.

These and all beans that are somewhat tender in their habits
take better to strings than to poles, and where poles are used
let them be of as small diameter as can be consistent with the
aiecessary strength. Of the early pole varieties among the
most desirable, we have the London Horticultural, the Con-
'conl, one or two varieties of the pole Cranl^erry, and the
Mottled Cranberry which surpasses the common sorts in pro-
•ductiveness.

The climate of England does not supply the intense heat
necessary for the development of our beans, hence they are
hartlly known to English housewives. The beans of England
'differ remarkably from ours, are very much alike, diffe ring-
mostly in size of the bean and the color of blossom. They
juake a tall, stift", straight stalk with few or no laterals.

64

AVliile our beans are very sensitive to cold and crave the warm-
est locations, those of our English cousins will stand slio;ht
frosts with impunity and thrive in the coldest locations. For
this reason they rarely do well in this countr}^, and if they are
planted it should be as soon as the frost is out of tlie ground,
and in a cool location. In England the bean is raised by the
acre to feed to stock, whence comes the name ' ' Horse l)ean "
for one of the varieties, and when fully grown with their thick
skin and rank fia\(»r they are no delicacy, but I have eaten
them gatht>red when yomig, before the large eye is at all prom-
inent, when they were as delicate and rich as the finest Lima.

Our English cousins know nothing of tliat delicious delicacy
Avhich is found (tn c\ery table Avhen corn is in the milk. One
of their number who chanced to be travelling in this country
(hiring the season of green corn, returned to his coinitrymen
in raptures over the new found dish, and planning a siu'prisc
for his epicurean friends, he ordered sundry dozen of green
ears from America l)y steamer. On their arrival they Avere
set before his friends at a great Ijanquet as tlic dish of the oc-
casion. Ilis extras agant praise had raised a fever of expecta-
tion, and how it was satisfied in corn in the milk that had been
i)icked a fortnight ))ofore it Avas cooked and meanwhile enjoyed
an ocean vovage, any Yankee can guess. It is said tliat as
Avry faces Avent the i-ounds of the table witli the first bite,
the host declared on his honor that green corn cooked in ^Vmcr-
ica tasted vastly different from AA'hat it Avas Avhen cooked in En-
gland. Some of our city friends know of green coi-n as a lux-
ury only as a reminiscence of their childhood.

Of the early varieties of SAveet corn the Extra Early Dwarf
is as early as any knoAvn to nie. The ears are small, Avhicli is
true of most of the earliest vegetal:>les of their kind. The
stalks are also small, so that tlie drills can be planted from tAvo
to two and a half feet apart. The Earl Narragansett is Avith-
in a fcAv (lavs as early, and has tlie merit of making larger
ears, Avliile the kernels are i-emarkably large. Tlie Forty
(lavs corn is a AA'hite fluit variety, l)ut earlier tliau aii\ of tln"

65

sweet sorts, Avliile it is tender and sweet the few days it re-
mains in the milk. Its extreme earliness gives it rakic as a
iield corn in Northern hititndes. The small early varieties of
field corn are not sufficiently appreciated. If their habits of
gi'owth are fully studied so that the proper distance apart and
between the drills is learned, it will he found that most of
them Avill give as great a crop by the acre as the most prolific
large sorts, while the great merit of earliness is all on their
side. I have known one of these small varieties yield one
hundred bushels of shelled corn to the acre ; yet if planted at
the same distance as the ordinar}^ sorts, probably the yield
would have been little over half that quantity. In a country
having so great a variety of soil and climate as ours, the early
small sorts of field corn are not fully appreciated. In seasons
when the cold, wet Springs bring planting into June, they are
safe, and in seasons or sections Avliere frosts close vegetable
growth by the middle of September, they are safe from harm.

The drill system is the system for high cultivation and large
crops, not only with corn, but with potatoes. By no other
mode of cultivation can each stalk have its equal proportion of
the soil. There are two difficulties in the way of carrying out
the drill system ; I am unable to find in any of the agricultu-
ral stores of Boston any machine that will drop corn in the
drill ; the small seed drills Avorked by hand are of no value ex-
cept on ground exceptionally light and well pulverized. On
ground to any degree heavy too much strength is required to
get the requisite depth, and when this is attained, the earth
being somewhat coarse, is pushed forAvard by the covering ap-
paratus. Another practical difficulty is that of having the
stalks thinned out to the right distance. In one sense this
tiould easily be done, but I find that in actual practice it is apt
to be delayed so late that injury is done to the crop, and at
times overlooked altogether.

Some years ago I cultivated a variety of corn procured from
the Sioux Indians, that surpassed all other kinds in earliness.
It Avas of the starch class, the ears Avere very small and thick ;

5

66

it must \\ii\c been grown in a high Northern L-ititude, probably
at tlie extreme limit of the corn crop. When our most North-
ern sections are tilled, this variety Avill have a commercial val-
ue. Of the varieties of sweet corn following the extreme early
sorts, Crosby's Early, originated by that sterling market gar-
dener, Josiah Crosby, of Arlington, gives good satisfaction.
It is from 10 to 14 rowed, the ears of good size and filled out
on the end with remarkable imiformity ; in quality it is sw^eet
and tender. Crosby's corn has largely replaced that old stand-
ard eight-rowed sort. Darling's Early, which always had the
demerit of not being reliable for filling out on the end. Of
the later varieties Stowell's Evergreen is the inost extensively
cultivated ; this has some excellent characteristics ; the ears
are of a very large size, very well filled ovit, and the kernels
are of the horse-tooth shape, giving them great length ; in
quality it is very sweet, while it remains a long while in the
milk. The color of this variety when gathered just past the
milk and dried for seed purposes, is of a remarkably rich tint.
The Marblehead Mammoth Sweet is an improvement in size
-on Burr's Sweet, being in this respect at the head of the Sweet
Corn group. It is late in maturing and of excellent quality.
I have had siuijle ears o'recn in the husk that weiijhed three
pounds. As this variety grows very stout, and succeeds re-
markably, it is of great value for green fodder. Olcott's and
Trimble's Sweet corn with me are rather poor croppers, and
the ears are of small size ; the quality of seed of these is very
good, but I cannot rank them with Mexican Sweet which I
have raised for a dozen years or more, and prefer to all others
in sweetness and tenderness. The Mexican is medium early,
■ears of medium size, growing quite near the ground, usually
two on a stalk. The color is dark purple when dried, but
nearly white M'hen in the milk.

Our "Southern friends, and many in the West, prefer the
field varieties when in the milk, to our sweet corn, and I have
reason to believe that their field corn when in the milk is some-
-what sweeter than ours while in the same condition. There

67

•are several varieties of what are called Joint-corn, being intro-
duced, kinds made by crossing standard sorts on the Egyptian,
in which several ears grow on each stalk. As far as I have
tried and examined them they hold out some promise, but the
ears are of rather a smaller size than the same kinds growing
■naturally.

For the Committee — James J. H. Gregory.

COUNTERPANES, &c.

The Committee on Counterpanes, Carpetings and Hugs,
have attended to the duties assigned them, and respectfully
submit the following report :

There were no Carpetings offered. For Counterpanes and
Eugs the following premiums and gratuities Avere awarded :
Mrs. Wm. Babson, Gloucester, 2 Silk Quilts, 1st pr. $4.00
Mrs. Lucy Smith, Ipswich, 2 Silk Quilts, 2d prem. 2.00
Mrs. Martha Kimball, Salem, Quilt, gratuity, 1.50

Mrs. Lucy Munvoe, Newburyport, Quilt, gratuity, .50

Mrs. S. H. Potter, Ipswich, Quilt, gratuity, .75

Mrs. S. E. Robinson, Topsfield, Quilt, gratuity. 1.50

Mrs. C. L. Webber, Ipswich, Quilt, gratuity, 1.50

Mrs. Laura AVatts, Ipswich, Quilt, gratuity, .50

Miss Bessie Palmer, Salem, 8 yrs. old. Quilt, gratuity, .50
Miss Caroline L. Cogswell, Essex, Quilt, gratuity, 1.00
Miss Susie E. Tozer, Ipswich, Quilt, gratuity, .75

Miss Nancy S. Russell, Ipswich, Quilt, gratuity, .50

Mrs. Sarah A. Wheeler, Rockport, Rug, 1st prem., 3.00
Mrs. Nathan F. Hanson, N. Beverly, Rug, 2d pr., 2.00
Mrs. Enoch Plumer, Newbury, Rug, gratuity, 1.00

Mrs. R. S. Weymouth, Ipswich, Rug, gratuity, .75

Mrs. Thos. E. Gould, Ipswich, Rug, gratuity, .50

Mrs. Nancy S. Russell, Ipswich, Rug, gratuity, .75

Mrs. Amos. F. Hobbs, Wenham, Rug, gratuity, 1.50

68

]Mrs. Mary A. Kimball, Rockport, 5 Kugs, gratuity, 1.00
Mrs. Mary Peatfiekl, Ipswich, 1 Rug, gratuity, 1.00

Mrs. C. J. Buxton, Salem, 3 Rugs, gratuity, 1.00

Mrs. Mary J. Hardy, Salem, 2 Rugs, gratuity, .50

Mrs. Carrie W. Lake, Topsfield, 2 Rugs, gratuity, 1.00
Mrs. B. F. Wheeler, Rockport, Rug, gratuity, 1.00

Mrs. Edwin L. Shattuck, Ipswich, Rug, gratuity, 1.00

Mrs. Nellie Walker, Salem; Abbie King, Ipswich; E.

Smith, Manchester; Susan M. Trow, Ipswich; Mary N.

Withington, Newburyport, Rugs, a gratuity of 50 cents each.
Conmiittce — Charles G. Savary, B. P. Adams, Zenas Cush-

ing, Charles iST. Ballon.

ARTICLES MANUFACTURED FROM LEATHER.

The Connnittee award to SafFord, Noyes & Co. of George-
town, for Kip Boots, a gratuity of $3.

To Noyes, Carleton & Co. of Georgetown, for Miner's
Boots, a gratuity of $3.

To B. B. Prescott of Haverhill, for Spanish Bridle, a gra-
tuity of $1.

Committee — A. A. White, E. W. Jacobs.

MANUFACTURES AND GENERAL MERCHANDISE.

The Committee on Manufactures and General Merchandise
respectfully report, that according to the rules of the Society,
no articles entered are entitled to its premiums, but they award
gratuities as follows, viz. :

Ipswich Woolen Mills, Socks, Gloves and Yarn, $3.

John W. Bailey, Ipswich, Blackball, $2.

William Mayhew, Peabody, Fruit and Vegetable Slicer, $2.

Nath'l Morse, Newburyport, Stair Posts & Balusters, 1.50.

69

Mark Newman, Andover, C^roqiiet Set, $1.
Geo. A. Keene, Xewburyport, Carriage Tread for Step, $1.
M. C. Goodhue, Ipswich, Horse Shoes, 50 cents.
M. Xohm, Ipswich, Horse Shoes, 50 cents.
Committee — Warren Ordway, H. G. Herrick, S. W. Ho})-
kinson, Samuel Hunt.

ADDITIOXAL EEPOKT OX MANUFACTURES AND
GENERAL MERCHAXDISE.

In addition to the re})ort made on the day of the Exhibition,
I would say :

The premiums offered by the Society, under the head of
^'Manufactures and General Merchandise," were very limited,
as follows — for Hats, Bonnets, and Combs — and as neither of
these articles were exhibited, tliere were no })remiums to award,
and many of the articles named upon the books of this depart-
ment, were not entitled to any gratuity, as they were manu-
factured out of the C\junty, and were j>ut in simply for exhibi-
tion and advertisement.

I would suggest, that in futiu'C, domestic manufactures
should be divided, and premiums offered in reference somewhat
to the locality where the Exhibition is to be liolden. If in
Lawrence, offer premiums for those articles which arc special-
ties of manufactures there and in that immediate vicinity, such
as shawls, blankets, flannels, braids, prints, paper, etc. If in
Haverhill or Lynn, on articles such as shoes, leather, lasts^
etc., and would appoint Committees particularly qualified to
vjudge of these articles.

I Avould still keep tlie division of " (^ounter})anes, C^arpct-
ing and Rugs," also " Fancy Articles," and would include in
the last all articles made exclusively by ladies (except those
coming under the head of Counterpanes, Carpeting and Rugs),
such as bonnets, laces, etc., and would appoint a majority of
the committees ladici'. Then under the head of "General
]\Iaiiufactures," I woidd place all articles not specialties of

TO

manufacture in the vicinity of the place of exhibition. AntT
all articles not entitled to any premiums or gratuities, I woukT
place under the head of " General Merchandise," and appoint
a C^ommittee Avhose duty it should be to examine them and re-
port upon their merits.

For the Committee — S. W. Hopkinson.

FANCY WORK.

One hundred and seven articles, mostly showing great taste
and skill in the use of the needle, were examined by the Com-
mittee, of which the undersigned is chairman. As will be
seen from the following aAvards there Avere exhibited, besides
needlework and kindred products, some ingenious fabrics of
wood and some works of art.

In the absence of evidence to the contrary, the Committee
assumed that all these were produced Avithin the county of Es-
sex during the last year, and the following awards are condi-
tioned upon the correctness of this assumjition.

Xo articles Avere entered as the Avork of children under
twelve years of age. Hence no premiums are aAvarded. Fifty
dollars Avere given us to aAvard in gratuities, not exceeding $3'
in any one gratuity for articles of special merit. The six
members of the Committee Avho Avere present haAC awarded
these as folloAvs :

' Fancy Work — Mrs. L. E. F. Hammett, Ipswich, $2: Af-
u-han — Mrs. E. W. Boynton, GeorgetOAvn, ^3 ; Oil Paint-
ings— Mrs. E. G. Berry, Danvcrs, $3 ; Fairy Cart — Augus-
tine H. Spiller, IpsAvich, $2; Worsted Work — L. L. S.
Brown, do, $2 ; Pictures — Mrs. John Lord, do, $2 ; Rustic
FloAver Stands — Wm. Osborn, Lynn, $1 ; Pressed Sea Moss-
es— Mrs. P. Greenwood, IpsAvich, $1 ; Lace Bobbin — Mrs.
Sally Low, do, $1 ; Tidy Tatting — Agnes A. LoAvell, Salis-
bury, $1 ; Embroidery — Abby C. Giddings, Ipswich, $1 ;
Bead Work — Lucy S. Lord, do, $1 ; Shirt — Lucy Munroe,,

71

(aged 83), Newburyport, $1; Lace Work — Susan H. Spil-
ler, Ipswich, $1 ; Pressed Geraniums — Miss S. I. Fellows,
do, $1 ; Afghan — Mrs. Ellen M. Burnhara, do, $1 ; Thread
Edging — Mrs. Eben Stan wood, do, $1 ; Sofa Pillow — Rose
O'Connor, do, $1 ; Wax Work— E. P. Brown, do, $1 ; Gold
Wrought Slippers — M. K. Henderson, do, $1 ; Lace Pillow —
Mrs. Wm. Hurd, do, $1 ; Tidy and Cushion — Annie Eussell,
do, $1 ; Worsted Work — Alice C. Merrill, Newburyport, $1 ;
Wax Wreath — A. C. Knowlton, Essex, $1 ; Doll's Quilt —
Miss Bessie Poland, Ipswich, $1 ; Shawl — Jane 11. Baker,
do, 50c ; Tidy and Picture — L. Lakeman, do, 50c ; Toilet
Cushion — Mrs. N. E. Ladd, Groveland, 50c; Tidy — Laura
Woodbury, Hamikon, 50c; Wax Fruit — Miss Alice S.
George, Groveland, 50c ; Children's Silk Wristers — William
Johnson, Ipswich, 50c ; Lace and Worsted Work — Miss E.
F. Blood, do, 50c ; View on the Hudson — Emily G. Patch,
do, 50c; Tidy— Mrs. J. W. C. Downes, do, 50c; Wax
Cross— Miss L. A. Tyler, do, 5()c ; Pin Holder— Mrs. Eev.
D. T. Kimball, do, 50c ; Worsted Screen — Miss M. I. Mann,,
do, 50c ; Wax Leaves- Mrs. H. B. Farley, do, 50c ; Teel
Feathers, arranged — Miss Pauline T. Greenwood, do, 50c ;
Carriage Blanket — Susan Payson, Rowley, 50c ; Tidies —
Kate Carlton, do, 50c; Stockings — Mary Morrill, (aged 93),
Amesbury, 50c ; Water Lillies, &c., in Wax — H. N. Ban-
croft, Ipswich, 50c; Tidies— Mary E. Millett, do, 50c; Af-
ghan— Miss Augusta Hodgkins, do, 50c; Bead Work — C. C.
Bancroft, do, 50c ; Wax Flowers — Miss Pauline T. Green-
wood, do, 50c; Tidy — Mary A. Lord, do, 50c; Flowers in
Hair Work — S.E.Robinson, Topsfield, 50c; Tidy — Lucre-
tia S. Lord, Ipswich, 50c.

The Connnittee also mention a Meat Chopper, from the
..Vthol Machine Co., and a set of Wooden Toys, without paint,,
as worthy of honorable notice.

For the Committee — Robert S. Rantoul.

72
GRAIN CROPS.

The Committee on Grain Crops have attended to the duties
assigned them, and report :

They have but two entries this season, one from Messrs. J.
C. & Romuhis Jaques of AVest Newbury, and one from Mr.
Thomas Low of Ipswich.

The Committee examined Messrs. Jaques' corn Sept. 17tli,
and found it an extra crop and well cultivated. It Avas on a
fiat, moist piece of land, favorable for the dry season.

Mr. Thomas Low's corn was examined Sept. 28tli, and in
the estimation of the Committee it was a very promising crop,
and thought it com[)ared ^cry faAorably with Messrs. Jaques.

Mr. Low's statement says that lie had 122 bushels of shell-
ed corn to the. acre. He shelled one half bushel that weio-hed
?)3 pounds ; he then allows 56 pounds to ^he bushel, which
makes 122 bushels per acre. As he" gave us no account of
the labor, and did not conform to the rules of the Society in
weighing and measuring the corn, he could not be awarded
the premium.

The Conunittee award the diploma and $10 premium to
Messrs. J. C. & Romulus Jaques of West Newbury.

Committee — C. K. Ordway, Abel Stickney, Joseph Hor-
ton, D. G. Todd.

STATEMENT OF J. C. & R. JAQUES.

The crop of Indian Corn which we have entered for premi-
um grew upon one acre of land. The soil is a light loam and
was ploughed for this crop the first time for seven years. It
was ploughed in the fall, and again in the spring, about eight
inches in depth. Nine cords of manure were used, fi\e of
which Avere plowed in and four harrowed in ; the land was
marked off in rows, three and one half feet each Avay, and
[)1 anted on the tenth day of May ; cultivated with a common
cultivator each Avay twice and hoed twice.- The top stalks
were cut August 27th, and on Sept. 27th Ave commenced to

73

cut lip and harvest, finishing- tlie 1st of Oct. The amount of
t'orn raised was one lunidred bushels, eiglity poimds to the
buslicl and eight pounds over ; top stalks, two tons ; butt
stalks, five tons.

It should be remarked that upon eight rows, one hundred
hills in length, fifty pounds of Bradley's Superphosphate were
aised in the hill ; the same number of rows and hills Avere left
without any special manure, and ashes were used upon six
rows, one hundred hills in length. The crop upon the eight
rows Avhere the superphosphate was used yielded one hundred
and eighty pounds more than the eight rows where no special
jjianure was used. Upon the six rows where Avood ashes was
used, tlie yield Avas one hundred pounds more than upon the
:same number of hills Avliere no extra manure Avas used. One
half pint of ashes Avas used in the hill. The land upon
•fcThick this experiment Avas made Avas selected Avith special
<care, that it should be as nearly alike in character and situa-
tion as possible.

The corn Avas quite dry, so that it shelled from the cob in
Iiarvesting and husking. One bushel of 80 pounds Avas shell-
ed and ground the 17th of October; the shelled corn Aveighcd
i>4 lbs. ; and the miller avIio ground it — a man of mature judg-
ment— Avas of the opinion that it Avould not shrink more than
two pounds, so that the value of the crop is actually more
vthan ffiven in the account.

EXPEXSE or CRor.
Cost of ploAving,
Value of manure on the ground.
Cost of seed and planting.
Cost of cultivation.
Cost of harvesting and storing.
Cost of superphosphate and ashes.

$i) 00

80 00

3 50

8 00

12 00

2 60

$115 1()

74

VALUE OF CHOP.

100 bushels of corn,

2 tons top stalks,

5 tons butt stalks.

Manure in land for future crops,

Deduct expense.

Net income, $96 17

1110 00

;]0 00

30 00

41 33

$211 33

115 1(>

From actual measurement I hereby certify that the above
ci'op covered one acre of land and no more.

Michael W. Bahtlett, Surveyor .j)-"

UNDER-DRAINING LAND.

The undersigned, members of the Connnittce on Under-
Draining, make the following report :

One lot of under-drained land was entered by D. F. Ap-
pleton, of Ipswich, for premium. Due notice of the time ap-
pointed for an examination of the premises Avas given, but
only the chairman and one other member of the Committee
were present, and consequently we found ourselves in rather
an embarrassing situation, but we thouo;ht avc woidd my on
and make such a report as we might be able.

It has been said tliat he who makes two l)lades of grass
grow where but one grew before should be considered a i)ub-
lic benefactor. Perhaps this assertion should be received with
some degree of qualification. Such an one may be so consid-
sidered if he did it at an outlay that will make it a paying op-
eration. If it is not such an examjile as would be safe for tlie

75

ordinary farmer to follow witli a limited income derived from
his farm alone, then we think it would partake too much of
the character of much of the o:ilt-edo:ed farmino; which we
sometimes see — beautiful to look upon, with the nice faced
walls, the fancy breeds of cows, horses, pigs, and poultry, the
nicely shaven lawns, etc. We once heard of one Avho upon
inviting his friends to take some refreshments, set on the side-
board some high cost brandy, and milk of Jersey cows, and in-
vited them to help themselves to that which they liked, as the
cost in both cases was the same. But Mr. Appleton's case
stands on no such foundation. Here is really an example
worthy of imitation by the men of small means, to say noth-
ing of the improvement in the appearance of his place, lying
as the under-drained land did in front of his residence.

The foundation of all the improvement in this, as well as of
another larger tract of meadow upon which Mr. Appleton has
commenced operations, is a large open ditch passing near this
lot and into Avhich the main drain has its outlet, and emptying
into Ipswich lliver, some half mile distant. But as this ditch
existed before, we did not think it worth while to make any
account of its expense in the drainage of the lot.

We think Mr. Appleton is singularly fortunate in having
for his farmer a practical engineer, who not only laid out the
work and made the plan of the lot, but also adjusted all the
tile in the drains. This lot was not a muck bed, but a basin
kept wet bv springs, which had their origin at some low level,
as no less than eight Avere cut through in making the drain.
The lot, as will be seen by the plan presented, is a long and
narrow one, being 1815 feet in length, and requiring the main
drain to be 2000 feet in length to get an outlet.

The lot contains thirteen acres, one rood and eleven rods.
About one acre is taken up hj a road way, leaving twelve
acres to be operated upon. The soil was a sand}^ loam on one
side, a pretty hard gravel on the other, with some slight ele-
vations marked " Hills'' in the plan, with some decomposing

76

granite cropping- out, and a kind of plastic clay in the middle.
There were no trees or bushes of any consequence on it, and
it >yas wholly worthless for cultiyation.

Operations were commenced in this lot on the 14th of Ap-
ril, 18 GO, and finished in xVugust of the same year, and it was
sufficiently drained to commence planting on the 8th of May,
of the ijresent year. The drains beino; all duu' to the rio'ht
grade, the descent being uniform, any places that might be too
soft for the tile to remain in }»lacc were filled with gravel be-
fore tlie work of laying the tile began. The main drain was
commenced witli 11-2 inch tile — the lot being narrow where
it Avas begun — and larger ones were introduced as tlie work
progressed, and it was finished with six inch tile. The fall to
the main is on an average fiye and thirteen one hundredth in-
ches to the Imndred feet, the greatest licing thirteen, and the
least three and forty-five one hundredths to a hundred feet,
whieli is thought to be as small a fall as is prudent to lay a
<lrain. Tlie minor drains Avere laid with 1 1-4, 1 1-2 and 2
inch pipe, as the nature of the work seemed to require. The
xnain drains wore laid some four inches lower than the minor
ones, so as to have a slight fall to the water as it entered it,
and care was also taken that none of the minors should
enter the niiiin drain opposite each other. The drains were
generally placed thirty-three feet apart, sometimes a little
imore, and sometimes a little less, as there was more or less
water to be taken away. The tile used were the round stone,
in sections of about two feet in length, the ends when laid be-
ing butted together, and a collar of the same, in the form of a
ring, placed around' every joint. This form of tile the engi-
neer claims is superior to the sole tile, as the water enters it
hv filtration. ^Vc are not prepared to express an opinion a^
to the superiority of one OA'er the other.

The value of under-draining depends in a great measure u})-
on the way in which the work is done, because if there should
be a slight defect in the work it may spoil the whole operation.

77

In the case under consideration, the end of every section Avas
placed in exact juxtaposition to its fellow ; any one not mak-
ing a good fit, the ends were cut aAvay with a cold chisel," Af-
ter "the tiles Avere placed, the collar was put over the joint ; a
sod from the surface was inverted OAcr it, and then the surface
soil Avas carefully packed around and over the tile to the depth
of some six inches, and then the ditch Avas filled Avith AvhatcAxr
came handy, extreme care being taken not to displace the tile ;
but Ave should think, in order to insure the permanency of the
work, some leather shavings should have been placed OAcr the
tile, after the surface soil had been placed on them to prevent
the silt from Avorking through, though it is claimed t.liat is not
necessary, as the surface soil Avill ansAver all purposes.

So much for tlie Avork and the Avay it Avas done — noAv for
the expense :

By data exhibited to us Ave find that tlie cost of
tile Avas . $476 1:^

Cost of labor, 834 00

Making tlie aaIioIc expense, $1310 12

The cost of cultivation of the crop is set doAvn by the tann-
er as folloAvs : PloAving : part done Avith one yoke of oxen and

a horse, and part Avith tAvo yoke of oxen, 140 OO

HarroAving, 24 OO

Planting the various crops, 120 00

Hoeing, 80 00

Value of manure, 84 cords, 420 00

Add cost of drainage, 1,310 12

Balance against the lot, $2,094 12

Your Committee very much regret that this report could not
have been deferred till the crops Avere harvested, so as to have
had the exact amount of the different crops instead of esti-
mates ; but as it could not, Ave were obliged to content our-

selves with what we could get, as we do not understand the
Society to require it ; or a written statement from the claimant.
The crops were as follows :

Nine acres of Corn, 50 bushels to the acre,
■(this we think a reasonable estimate,) at one dol-
lar a bushel, $450 00

One and one quarter acres' of Rutabaga, eleven
hundred bush., (which we think is large both in
price and quantity,) 550 00

Four hundred bush, merchantable Potatoes, meas'd, 400 00

Three thousand Cabbages, at six cents a-piece, 180 00

$1,580 00

The corn fodder and one hundred bush, of small potatoes
are supposed to cover the cost of harvesting.

The manure used was a compost of meadow nuick and barn-
yard manure — two parts of the former to one of the latter.

The corn was planted four feet apart each way, on account
of the sod in some part of the land being so tough that it was
(difficult to obtain soil enough to work the crop.

\Yc arrive at the following results : Cost of drainage, culti-
vation and manure ; nothing being allowed for the
seed used, $2,094 12

Estimated value of crops, 1,580 00

Balance against the lot this year, $514 12

We think that the increased value of the land should be
considered a fair offset for this amount.

Should the Society publish the })lan here presented, it will
give a much better idea of the whole operation than we can
give in this imperfect report.

In view then of all the facts, if ]Mr. Appleton has come up
to the rules of the Society, we shoidd recommend that he be
awarded the first premium, or, as has been suggested, the case

79

":inight remain open for another year. The chairman liopes
that his ill health will be a snfficient excuse to all parties inter-
ested for the very imperfect manner in which he has performed
4iis duty in the making of this report.

The first premium of diploma and $15 was awarded Mr.
.Appleton.

Committee — J. L. Hubbard, Calvin Rogers.

Note. — We should have stated that in addition to the ma-
'nure used as above stated, some guano, super-phosphate, and
/gypsum were used, but the amount has escaped our memory.

TarM Entrance,

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.2

OUT -LET

ROOT C^ROPS.

The Committee on Root Crops would report :
The number of entries has been encouraofino- and indicate
an increasing interest in the cultivation of every variety of
roots, as valuable and important to the farmer. In one in-
-stancc the entry was made so late as to render it impossible to
examine the crop ; and many of the statements were made to
the Committee in a Aery imperfect manner. The papers which
liave been laid before them are herewith submitted, and the
premiums are awarded on such crops as have been regularly
iind seasonably brought to their attention. They would urge
upon those making the entries, in future, moi-e promptness and
accuracy.

STATEMENTS OF WILLIAM R. PUTNAM.

Statement of a crop of CiiV>bage raised l)y William R. Put-
nam, of Danvers, 1<S7() :

The land had been pastured for several years previous to
1809; it was ploughed in June, of 1869, and part planted
Avitli corn, for fodder, and part sown with ruta haga turnips ;
manured with a compost of muck and bones.

In May, 1870, X\\q land Avas ploughed and harroAved ; the
7th of June, part of the piece Avas marked out in roAvs, 3 1-2
feet apart ; mamu-ed Avith a compost of barn-cellar manure
mixed Avith nuick — 1 1-2 cords of clear manure mixed Avith
2 1-2 cords of muck. The four cords Avere put on the upper
half-acre ; this Avas put in the drills and covered Avith the
plough ; the ridges were leveled and the seed dropped about
2 1-2 feet apart ; the upper nine roAvs Avere planted Avith the
Savoys, using the American improved seed, from J. J. H.
Gregory ; seven roAvs Avith the Mason Drumhead.

I notice that the rules of the Society require the ' ' Aalue of
the manure upon the ground." I estimate my clear manure at
$15 per cord. My barn-cellar bottom is tight, so that all the
6

urine is in the manure. Tlie muck I estimate at $4 per cord,
after it is dried, making $22.5(>

Muck, 10. 0«)

$32.50
Ploughing and harrowing, 2.00

Carting on the manure, 3.00

Seed, 2 ounces, 75 cts. each, 1.50

Planting, 4.00

Cultivating and hoeing tlu-ee times, 8.00

$51.00
There were one thousand six hundred ca))bages upon tlie halt-
acre, fifteen hundred marketable ones, the Savoys averaging-
six lbs. per head and the others nine lbs. each. They liaAc
been sold at the average price of 13 cents each, $195.00

Cost, " 51.00

Profit, $144.00

I estimate the leaves worth, for feeding milch cows, enougli
to pay for harvesting and marketing.

It was remarked by one of the Committee, A^•l^en viewing
the cabbage, that if I had planted nearer, I should probably
have got a larger crop. My aim is to get the largest return for
mv manure and labor, and prepare the land for a hay croj) :
and I think Avhen my cro])s are planted a large distance apart
and well cultivated, tliat they are not so mucli injured b}' the
dry Aveather. If I was nearer tlie cities, where land is more
valualjle, it might be an (object to try and get the largest return
per acre.

The other half-acre Avas cultivated the same as tlic above,
except the manure, which was half ton of Vassor bone, mixed
Avith tAYO cords of muck; cost, 'A cts. per lb. — 1000 lbs. at
3 cents, $30.00

Muck 8.00

$38.00

83

Part of this piece was set with plants, started in the hot-bed.

In the early part of the season this part of the field made
the most vigorous growth, but was more injured by the dry
weather in September. As they were earlier, my sales from
this part were more than from the other.

The whole field is naturally a cold, wet, strong, rocky soil :
it has been underdraincd.

Statement of a crop of rule haga Turnip?;, raised by Wm.
K. Putnam, of Danvers :

The land had been in grass for five years ; was mowed the
last of June and ploughed the first of July ; A^'as sown the
loth of July, in rows o 1-2 feet apart : the manure was put in
drills and covered A^itli a horse-hoe.

The manure was made in the barn-cellar, h\ carting in two
cords of muck ; and this was saturated with urine from the
cows, mixed with tlic manure, making o cords ; estimated
value, ' $23.00

Cost of ploughing and liarrowing, 3.00

Half pound of seed, • , 75

Carting on manure, 4.00

Sowing, thinning and cultixatiug, 10.00

Ilarvestino-, 7.00

$47.7;)
Yield 1()S bushels, (!() lbs. per bushel, making (15 barrels
suitable for market, which sell for |2 per b])l. in market, or
%\.:)() at the barn— $;>7.:>0.

STATEMENT OF THOMAS SANDERS.

Statement concerning a crop of Ruta Bagas raised on a half
acre by Thomas Sanders, in the town of Hamilton, 1870 :

The crop of 1868 and 1869 was grass. No manure used.
Soil lio;ht and "ravellv. Ploughed once in November, 1869,
two inches deep ; this spring, cross-ploughed four inches :
again ploughed, (same as at first) eight inches deep.

84

Cost of three ploiighings, $3.50
Cost of liarrowing and removing Avitcli-grass, Avitli

wliich the field abounded, 2.00
.Vpplied in drills, six loads of manure, one-third barn-
yard manure and two-thirds muck, 7.00
One-half pound of seed, cost, 45
Sowing with seed-sower, cost, 75
Cultivated once, cost, 40
Cost of weeding twice, tln-ee days' work, a $2 per day, G.OO
(Vist of carting into cellar, 3.50
Cost of topping, 2.00

Total cost of culti\ating and liarvesting crop on

one lialf.acre, $25.60

Amount of crop 303 1-3 Imshels, at GO lbs. per bushel.

IIamiltox, Oct. 2<Sth, 1870.

This is to certify tliat I measured off half an acre of land
on the field of turni2:)S which Mr. Thomas Sanders has entered
for premium. Wm. A. Browxe, Surveyor.

To the Committee on Koot Crops.

STATEMENT OF JOSEPH ILSLEY.

Statement concerning a crop of Onions raised l)y Josepli
Ilsley, in the town of Newbury :

The crop of 1868 Avas j^art corn and part beans, manured
Avith five cords of barn-yard manure per acre. Croj) of 1869
onions, manured Avith six cords of barn-yard manure per
acre. Soil dark sandy loam. PloAved in the fall seven inclics
deep ; harroAvcd tAvice, brushed and raked, and soAved Avith
seed-soAver a])out the 25th of April Avith Dan vers yelloAV onion
seed, at the rate of five pounds per acre. The ground Avas
hoed eight times and wed four times. The onions on the half
acre entered for premium Avere pulled on the 23d of September
and the ground hoed and raked by two men in one day ; tlie
topping required six days' labor ; the manure was plowed in at

85

the time of plowing in the fall ; I also spread on about eight
or ten bushels of ashes (on a })art of the ground) just before
the seed was sown, but could see no diffei'ence in the crop on
that account.

Previous to 18()(! this piece of land Avas too wet for profita-
ble cultivation. In the fall of that year I underdrained it Avith
tiles, and it has since Avell repaid the cost.

Value of manure on half acre, estimated, $30.00

Cost of plowing, t^c, G.OO

Cost of seed and planting, 11.00

Cost of cukivation, 23.00

Cost of harvesting, 20,00

ifeDO.OO
The crop on the half-acre measured eight cart loads and 11
measured bushels, one load of which weighed (l)y J. A. Lunt,
at his scales, in Xewbury,) 2373 lbs., making the whole
amount to 37(5 bushels, or at the rate of 752 Imshels per acre.
I witnessed the measurement of J . Ilslcy's onions ; there
were eight carts full of equal size and eleven measured bushels.

George P. (tOodwix.

In September, 1870, I measured for J. Ilsley half acre of
onion ground, the crop to be entered for premium.

Paul M. Ilsley.

STATEMENT OF FRANCIS LITTLE.

Statement concerning a crop of Carrots raised by Mr. Fran-
cis Little, in the town of Xewbury, in 1870 :

The ground on which this crop was raised was planted the
two previous years with Indian corn, yielding not over forty
bushels shelled corn to the acre. Applied about thirty loads
common barn-yard manure. The soil is a coarse, dark, sandv'
loam, with sandy sub-soil. It was plowed about the 20th of
May ten inches deep, after having spread on about fifteen loads
manure. Harrowed with brusli harrow and smoothed off witli
hand rake.

86

Cost of plowing and prc[)aring, $5,00

Value of manure, 30.00

The ground was sowed about the 26th of May Avith long
orange carrot, in rows sixteen inches apart.
Cost of seed, lialf pound, 50

Sowing, $1.00

It was hoed three times Avith a wheel hoe ; after each hoeing
it was Aveeded out by hand.

Cost of cultiA^ating, including AA^eeding and thinning, $16.00
Finished liarA'Csting NoA^ 8 ; cost of harvesting, 12.00

In ascertaining the Aveight of crop, the first load Avas draAA^n
to the hay-scales and AAcighed ; the rest were filled in tlie same
Avay Avithout weighing.

Amount of crop on the eighty rods, tAAch^e tons, four hun-
dred and twenty lbs. On ten rods of the ])iece I dug tAvo tons.

This is to certify that I Avas in the employ of Francis Little
and did Avitncss tlie aforesaid crop of carrots harvested. I de-
clare tlie above statement to be a true one.

Thomas Xoye.s.

The groinul on Avhicli the aljove-mentioned crop Avas raised
Avas measured l)y me and contained half an acre and no more.

Joseph Ilsley.

The Connnittec aAvard the following premiums :

To William II. Putnam, Danvers, Cabbages, first premium,

diploma and $8 ; to Joseph Ilsley, NcAA-bury, Onions, first

premium, diploma and $8; to Thomas Sanders, Hamilton,

'vUta Bagas, first premium, diploma and $8.

Committee — Geo. B. Loring, J. I). AV. French, Jacob J^.

Farnham, F. P. Putnam. E. II. Little. Alljcrt Kogers, J. B.

Foster.

87

CANKER WORM.

The Committee ou tlie Destruction of the Canker Worm,
respectfully report, that there has been but one entry for the
Society's premium of $100 offered for a new, cheap, and ef-
fectual protection against the ravages of that destroyer of the
orchardist's hopes. It is presumed that the Society expects a
better, cheaper, and more effectual method of protection, than
is now known, in order to entitle the claimant to the award.

That now offered by Mr. A. P. Noyes, of Middleton, is an
arrangement of prepared hair cloth, invented by Mr. Charles
P. Johnson.

Mr. Noyes applied this invention to some trees of one of the
Committee, at an average cost of fifty cents per tree, in order
to test its value as a protection against the grub of the canker
worm. By putting a strip of tarred paper, with printers' ink
upon it, above the hair cloth, it has been found that they pass-
ed through or over it and were caught by the ink, thereby
proving the worthlessnsss of that invention.

The canker Avorm, that has been so destructive to the apple
Hirchards in New England, has been closely observed, and its
habits have been studied by your Committee, and others, in
order to protect themselves from its ravages. It has been no-
ticed, that the grub commences breaking forth from its chrys-
alis form, after the first freeze, usually about the first of No-
vember. The females, which are wingless, proceed directly
from the ground to the trunk of the tree, and commence their
-ascent. They continue coming from the ground, as the frost
will permit, until April ; generally in greater numbers in the
Spring than in the Autumn, The males, which have wings,
are more tardy in making their appearance ; and the proportion
of males (never so numerous as the females), is much greater
in the Spring. The female, having broken ground, ascends
the tree more or less rapidly, according as the weather is mild :
being benumbed [and [motionless in cold nights and days, but
ready for a fresh start ujiward in a a\ arm day. The males arc

88

more active in the darkctst night even, than in the t?unnief>t and
warmest days, to flutter about the trunks and branches of the
trees in search of the females, that are ready for pairing, liav-
ing accomphshed Avliich, tliey pass on in search of others.
The female very soon after impregnation deposits her eggs up-
on the branches of the tree in clusters of from twenty to a hun-
dred or more, and then having obeyed the nniversal law of na-
ture (equally applicable to animal and vegetable life) of })ro-
viding for its reproduction, innncdiately dies. The egy^^ hatch
just as the buds open, and the tender leaves i)ut forth ; and the
minute ^vorms, scarcely visible, })rocced at once to feed upon
them, making but little show on the foliage until about the first
of June, when having attained half their growth, they become
very voracious until from the 15th to the 21st of June. Ha^-
ing attained their full size and stripped our apple and elm trees
of every green leaf, they descend either by their webs or the
trunks of the trees, and bury themselves in the grcnmd froin
two to four inches deep, where they become transformed into
chrysalids, there to remain until the coming frosts of Novem-
ber shall break their })rison doors, ^vhen tlicy a[)})car in a new
form as described above.

The object of the Society in oliering the liberal })i'emiuni of
one hundred dollars, was doubtless to develop the most efl'ect-
ual, the most economical and simple protector to our orchards.
From time to time many cumbersome and costly ap])liances
(some patented and others not) have been offered to the pub-
lic as certain remedies ; and large sums of money have been
ex])cnded in their purchase, ending only in the disappointment
and disgust of their purchasers. It is believed by your Com-
mittee, that no ])lan of ])rotection tliat has Ix'cn devised, is so
good as that practised more than half a century ago, of tarring
the trees ; the great difficulty attending which was the neces-
j^ity of applying it so often.

A great improvement has been found in substituting print-
ers' ink, which does not dry so readily. The best method of
applying the ink, is to take a strip of tarred paper six or eight

89

inches wide, (a year old is best) and taek it around the body
of the tree, after scraping off the roughest of the loose bark,
and filling up any irregularities of the tree with cotton batting
or tow. The paper should be put Avithin one or two feet of
the ground, to prevent cattle from rubbing off the ink and
smearing themselves (as they Avill if they have the opportun-
ity), and also to keep the female grubs as low down as possi-
ble ; for they will often when finding the obstruction of the
ink, back down, and after a time deposit their eggs below,
even without impregnation. Instinct teaches the males to seek
their mates higher up tlie tree in order to ha-\e the eggs depos-
ited near where the young will find tlieir food. The best qual-
ity of ink should be used, as it remains sticky longer than the
cheaper preparations offered for that purpose, some of Avhich
iire worthless .

The ink should bo applied A\-itli a l)rush, near the to}) of tlic
pa})er, so that it may not nm down u})on the l)ark of the tree,
which causes injurv to it ])y attracting an mmatural amount of
licat from the sun. In some instances Avhere the ink has been
used Avithout any paper, the tree has been killed. The pa})cr
should be removed from the tree after the season is oAcr, as it
it makes a harbor for Aarious other kinds of insects during the
summer months.

It is contended by many tliat the Qggfi deposited in the au-
tumn never hatch, and therefore it is useless to apply the ink
imtil spring; but it is known that many, if not all, such do
liatch, and therefore, in order to have it effectual, it is neccs-
sar\' to commence in the fall and apply the ink as often as it
dries upon the surface, varying according to the Aveather from
three to ten days. It should also l)e applied just as the eggf^
hatch for the purpose of catching any Avorms that may have
hatched beloAv the paper, although it is doul)tful if the young
worms Avould live so lonji' Avithout food as it Avould take them
to ascend as far as the branches.

It has been found that if from any neglect of using the ink
there are Avorms upon the trees al)out the first of June, by a

90

sudden jar of the branches they will spin down, and immedi--
ately start for the trunk to ascend. A fresh application of the*
ink will then catch them.

Where an accurate account has been kept of the material i
used and labor performed, it has been found that the cost of"
protecting an orchard by this method is not over ten cents per.-
tree, which is so small an expense that no one can make it an,
excuse for allowing his orchard to be destroyed, or even a sin-
gle crop of apples.

Fall ploughing has been practiced as a protection againstr
the canker worm by some of the Committee for several years
with perfect success. Discovered accidentally by noticing that
a part of an orchard, which was ploughed in the fall, entirely
escaped the effects of the Avorm, while the portion of it not
})loughed was eaten bare. All Avill admit the importance of
])loughing and carefully cultivating an orchard, and if by do-
ing it in the autumn the orchard will be protected from the
canker worm, a double incentive is offered for this system of
cultivation.

The Committee feel warranted from their own experience
and obserAation in recommending as an effectual, clieap and:
simple })rotcction against the caidvcr Avorm, fall })loughing
Avhere })racticable, and the use of tarred paper and ])rinters'
ink Avherc ploughing is not admissible.

For the Committee — Benj. P. ^^'arc. .

TliEADWELL FARM.

The Committee o]i the TrcadAvell Farm respectfully rep()rt
that at a meetmg called m April there Avere but tAvo members
[)resent, avIio looked over the Farm, and Avcie ])lease<l Avitii the
general appearance of it.

The system pursued by the tenant, ]\fr. .V. (Jould, has been
to ploAv up a portion each year, to manure lieaAily, ))lant and

91

carefully cultivate two years, and then to lay down to grass*
In this manner he has gone over nearly the whole of the til-
lage land on the farm, which is now all in grass, and the gen-
erally well set sward showed a marked change from its appear-
ance when ]Mr. Gould commenced improving the farm. Then
a large portion of it, which is plain land, presented a ban-en
appearance with no sward : then the farm yielded but five tons
of English hay, and this year it has produced thirty-five tons,
besides five acres of oats, of good quality.

It is believed by the Committee that Mr. Gould has moi-e
than complied with the condition of his lease in regard to the
application of fifty cords of good mamire per year to the farm ;
l)ut he has not met the requirement of applying two Imndre*!
loads of meadoAV mud annually, on account of a division ot
opinion of the Committee as to the expediency of digging mud
from a meadow Avhere cranberries grew. A part of the Com-
mittee is disappointed in not having the experiment of the ef-
fects of meadow mud upon the plain land, (avIucIi constitutes
a large portion of the arable land of the farm), fully teste<l ;
in view of th::t the members Avho were present, requested Mr.
Gould to makc» a thorough trial of it, upon a portion of the
plain land, tluit he has not yet plowed, which he agreed to dj.

For the (^)mmittee — Benj. P. Ware.

ESSAYS AXD REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

The Committee on Essays and Reports of r\mimittccs re-
port as follows :

There Avere presented for tlicir consideratiijn one Essay aiul
tlu-ee Reports, and they aAvard the premiums as follows, viz :

To J. D. W. French of Xorth Andover for Essay on tin?
Oakes Cow, the tliird premium of $8.

92

To J. J. II. (h'cgory of ^lurblchcad, for Iveport on A'ege-
tablos, the first premium of |10 and Diploma.

To Joseph How of Methuen, for Report on Agricultural
implements, the second premiiun of $8.

To -7. L. Hubbard of Peabody, for IJeport on I7nder-
(h'aining, the third premium of |(i.

It will thus appear that the Committee have been able to
gi^e everybody a premium, and that there are two left for
which there are no competitors. This certainly does not indi-
cate a Acry sharp competition among our farmers and others
interested in agricultural subjects for the rewards offered by
the Societv. Mv are rather surprised at this, as there has
ne^er been more need of intelligent discussion by men of
practical experience of tlie subjects that arc connected with
the business of farming. In many of oiu' farming communi-
ties the question, whether under the present condition of ex-
iiausted soils and expensive lal)or, the business can be made a
remunerative one, 1)ecomes more [)ressing with each year, so
that it is very desirable to get all the light Ave can from prac-
tical men as to tlie best modes of conducting this important
business.

The re})nrts presented to us were ;dl interesting and valu-
able. What varieties of the different vegetables are most de-
sirable, and what are the best methods for their cultivation
iu'e inquiries of immediate concern, not only to the farmer but
to every one having a garden ; this subject is treated in a most
interesting manner in the report of ]Mr. Gregory.

The lvej)ort of the Committee on Agricultural Implements
<leals Avith a matter of A'ital importance to the farmer. Had
it not been for the great ])rogrcss there has been made Avithin
n fcAv years in the introduction of labor-saving implements it
Avould have been impossible, Avithout ruinous expense, to have
completed much of the necessary farm Avork, particularly in
securing the hay crop. Tliis need and demand for machines,
to supply the .scarcity of manual lal>or, has very naturally

93

stimulated the manufacture and sale of many that wei"e worth-
less, so that the Committee, who pass judgment on the com-
parative merits of these implements, have a most responsible
and delicate duty to perform.

The report of ]\Ir. Hubbard on Mr. Appleton's experiment
in underdraining is instructive as far as it goes, but it would
lie of far more positive value in answering the question, Avhich
lie rightlv considers as the important one, that is, how such an
experiment pays — if he had been able to give us a statement
of actual profits instead of an estimate. This, however, could
not be done this year ; therefore it seems to us that a report on
the success of an experiment in underdraining cannot properly
be made until some time after the first year.

The Essav on the Oakes C^ow gives us some interesting sta-
tistics, but it did not seem to the Committee to be of great
practical value. The records of the achievements of cows of
exceptional excellence would be exceedingly valuable if they
would stimulate other cows to go and do likewise ; but Ave fear
that even the success of the Oakes Cow in gaining a posthu-
mous fame, so much exceeding that of most of her human con-
temporaries, will have little effect on the production of milk.
Such rare excellence we presume is accidental, and not the re-
sult of care in breeding, or in the management and treatment
of the animals ; and their history is curious rather than instruc-
tive. DAXL. E. SAFFORD,

Dec, 1870. For the Committee.

94
THE CAKES COW

BY J. I). W. FRENCH, OF NORTil ANDOVEK.

In the fourtli Report of the Agriculture of Mai?sachusetts,
hx Henry Cohnan, published in 1841, may be found an ae-
ctmnt of this famous coav. This cow was owned in Danvers,
and produced in 1813, 180 lbs. of butter ; in 1814, 800 lbs. ;
in 1815, over 400 lbs. ; in 181 G, 484 1-4 lbs. During this
time, one quart of milk was reserved for family use, and
s<lie suckled four calves for four Aveeks each, in the course
of those years. She produced in one week IJ) 1-4 lbs. of
f nutter, and an average of more than IG lbs. a Aveek for three
months in succession. The largest amount of milk given in
one day, A\as 44 1-2 lbs. She Avas allowed 30 to 3;") bushels
Indian meal per year, all her OAvn skimmed milk, and most of
her buttermilk. At one time the OAvncr gave her potatoes,
which increased the milk, but not the butter. In tlic autumn.
he gave her about G bushels of carrots.

After reading this, Ave umst admit that she Avas an extraor-
dinary coAv : but at the same time Ave must admit that she had
extraordinary feed. Cnn it be possible tliat more than fifty
years liaAC gone by, and Avith all our l)oasted im|n-o\ements Ave
liaA'e nothing equal to her? I for one do not believe it possible.

In the Country Gentleman of Dec. 30, 18Gi*, may he
found an account of a cow, named Sybil, owned by Ilemw
Saltonstall. of Peabody. This coav Avas 7-8ths Jersey and
l-8th Ayrslm-e : Aveighed H.jO lbs. She calved April 7, 18G.S,
and gave from that time until A})ril 7, 18GI>, 13,0G5 lbs., or
more than G 1-2 tons of milk. In July, on poor and dry pas-
ture alone, this milk made 12 1-2 ll)s. butter a Aveek, or 1 lb.
for 12 quarts of milk. Her food Avas poor iqiland pasture,
helped out for six weeks with green corn fodder, about a bushel
t»f grain in all, between grass and roots, and in Avinter, dry hay
and one })eek of roots a day. She gave in the rest ot^ —

95

April, 1869, 23 days, 23 lbs a day.
May, 1869, 31 '' 19 1-2 lbs. a day.
June " 30 " 17 " "

Thus in 14 months of continuous milking, she gave 14,700
lbs., or about 7,000 quarts of milk. Average for the year,
35 3-4 lbs. 25er day. Her greatest yield was 60 lbs., or nearly
30 quarts a day. Sybil certainly surpasses the Oakes cow in
her yield of milk. Which was the most profitable cow? I
shall put Sybil's product in milk for the year, about 6,000 qts.,
Jigains^t the Oakes cow's product in butter, 484 1-4 lbs., her
greatest yield. The milk of Sybil at 5 cents per quart, would
Ix; worth $300 ; the butter of the Oakes cow, at 50 cents j)er
lb., $242,12 1-2. Besides this, we must make allowance for
the suckling of a calf four weeks, and the quart of milk used
in iliQ family. Even this allowance Avould not make her as
profitable an animal as Sybil, who was kept at afar less cost.
Allowing 12 quarts of milk for 1 \h, of butter, vSybil woid<l
have yielded 500 lbs of butter during the year.

In the fifteenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Mas-
sachusetts Board of Agriculture, is a statement of J. C. CVm-
verse, of Arlington, in regard to his Jersey cow Lady Milton.
She Avas kept in pasture in June and July, and in August
-and September received green fodder corn at night in addition.
Her aggregate yield in butter in July was 79 lbs. From June
1st to October 7th, on green fodder without grain, 293 1-2
li>s, or an average of 15 92-100 lbs. per week for 18 3-7
weeks. The first week in July her milk made 18 lbs. of but-
ter. ]Mr. C. says that the above mentioned product per week
for 18 3-7 weeks was not an exception to the general product,
and that her feed in winter was good hay, steamed roots and
com fodder, mixed with a small quantity of shorts. The
Oakes Cow averaoed more than 16 lbs. of butter for three
months ; but Ladv Milton averasred nearly 16 lbs. for more
than 4 1-2 months, on green feed without grain or milk food.

96

Her yield of butter for the year Avcnild undoubtedly (if any ac-
count had been kept) have gone up to 500 lbs.

I shall mention only one more of our modern cows. Jean
Armour, an Ayrshire cow imported by ]\Ir. Peters, of South-
l)oro', o-ave from June 1st to Sejit. 23d, r),G12 1-2 lbs., or an
average of 41 o-l(> lbs. of milk per day. Allowing 20 lbs. of
milk for 1 lb. of butter, this would have made a trifle over 280
ll3S. of butter for a period of not quite four months. During
the second 10 days in June slie gav e 521 1-2 lbs. of milk, or
r)2 lbs a day. During the second 10 days in September shc^
gave 4G2 lbs. of milk, or 4(') lbs. per day. Her weight was
!M)7 II )s. She was in good pasture after June 12th, and had
three pints of corn-cob meal, and o pints bran, and late in the
season green corn stalks once a day. I think Ave may safely
(;stimate that Jean Armour's yield in butter Avould have been
at least 500 lbs. for the year. During the period that the ac-
count of their yield was kept. Lady ]Milton was the e(pial it'
not the superior of the Oakcs cow in butter. Sybil and Joan
Armour were her superior as milkers, and all three were more
[)rofitable animals to keep.

SCIIOLAESHIP.

At a meetin<r of the Trustees of the Socictv, Xov. 15tli:
Voted, To continue the offer of Fifty Dollars for a Scholar-
ship in the ^Massachusetts Agricultural College, open to any
voung man in Essex county who can ])ass the require*] examin-
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OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

FOR 1870-71.

I'KEyiDEXT.

WILLIA:\I SITTTOX, of Peabody.

VICE PRESIDENTS.

GEORGE B. LORIXG, of Salem.
E. G. KELLEY, of Newbmyport,
JOHN KEELEY, of Haverhill,
BENJA:\HN P ware, of :Marbleheaa,

TllEASUREIt.

EDWARD H. PAYSON, of Salem.

SECRETARY.

CHARLES p. PRESTOX, of Danvcis.

HONORARY TRUSTEES.

JOHN W. PROCTOR, of Peabody.
ALLEN AY. DODGE, of Hamiltoiu
JOSEPH HOW, of Methuen.

101

TRUSTEES.

John. J. Babson, Gloucester; John S. Ives, Salem;
llicliard S. Bray, Newbury ; James P. King, Peabody ;
W. H. B. Carrier, Salisbury ; Thomas K. Leach, Topsfield :
William Chickering, Andover ; E. K. Lee, Essex ;
Aaron Dodge, Beverly ; William B. Morgan, Wenham :

FraiK^ifi Dane, Hamilton ; James R. Nichols, Haverhill;

Levi Emery, Lawrence ; Sherman Nelson, Georgetown

Alonzo B. Fellows, Ipswich ; Warren Ordway, Bradford ;
J. L. Farnham, N. Andover; Asahel H. Patch, Hamilton;
James Flint, Middleton ; D. H. Stickney, Groveland ;

J. J. H. Gregory, Marblehead ;John Swinerton, Danvers ;
Thos. P. Gentlee, Manchester ;John L. Shorey, Lynn ;
Elipli. Griffin, Newburyport ; Aaron Sawyer, Amesbury ;
Israel Herrick, Boxford ; Albert Titcomb. Rowley ;

Joseph S. Howe^ JNIethuen ; T. C. Thurlow, W. Newbury.

NEW MEMBERS— 1870.

W. Burnham, Ipswich ; Vi\ A. Durant, Lawrence :

John Batchelder, Lynn ; Alden C. Estes, Rockport ;

Jos. Carlton, N. Andover ; B. H. Farnham, N. Andover ;
Hiram Canney, Newburyport ; J. Frank Foster, N. Andover ;
David Clark, Topsfield ; Alfred R. Fiske, Wenham ;

Ebenezer Cogswell, Ipswich ; Bennett Griffin, Gloucester ;
SamlP. Cummings, Danvers ; Benjamin A. Gray, Salem ;
Stephen Conelly, Beverly ; George Haskell, Ipswich ;
W. H. B. Currier, Salisbury t Daniel Horton, Newburyport ;
Jona. Chapman, Georgetown ; Alonzo F. Harvey, Gloucester :
Edwin T. Curtis, Groveland; Anthony Hatch, Saugus ;
Wm. I). Chamberlain, Lynn ; Nathan M. Hawkes, Lynn ;
Wm. P. Davis, Gloucester ; Joseph Hale, Rowley ;
Richard T. Dodge, Ipswich ; Paul M. Illsley, Newbmy ;
jSIoody S. Dole, Georgetown ; W. T. Jaques, W. Newbury :

102

(leorge James, Gloucester ; H. L. Phelps, N. Andover ;
Charles Kmiball, Bradford; T. B. Patten, Amesbury ;
Joseph F. Kinsman, Ipswich ; Charles L. Perkins, Newbury ;
Rufus Kimball, Lynn ; Chas. L. Palmer, Bradford ;

S. Leverett Knight, Dan vers ; C^harles O. Putnam, Dan vers :;.
Silas Little, Newbury ; Jasper Ray, Andover ;

William Lowe, Roclq)ort ; William P. Rust, Gloucester ;

J. Arthur Lamson, Topsfield ; Chas. P. Savory, Groveland ;
Herbert E. Newhall, Saugus ; Robert J. Saunders, Salem ;
A. P. Noyes, Middleton ; Alvin Smith, Hamilton ;

William Nelson, Georgetown ; Alden Story, Ipswich ;
Parsons Ord way, Newbury port ;Volney C. Stow, Salem ;
Stephen Osgood, Georgetown ; George Tapley, Dan vers ;
T. T. Payne, Marblehead ; Roland G. Usher, Lynn ;
Wm. W. Phelps, N. Andover J Bowman Viles, Peabody ;
G. H. Plummer, Newbury; Maynard Whittier, Ipswich;
Amos Prince, Dan vers ; Richard Ward, Topsfield ;

Moses Pay son, Rowley ; C. W. Woods, Newbury ;

John P. Palmer, Swampscott ;David B. Wallace, Peabody ;
.Vdoniram Porter, Beverly ; J. R. Whittemore,Chicopee.

I^j^ Any citizen in tlic County may become a member by
paying the sum of three dollars to increase the permanent
funds of the Society, and he will receive a certificate of his
membership from the Secretary. No fines or assessments are
ever imposed. ^Members are entitled to tlie free use of the
Library, antl a copy of the Transactions each year. -Vll or-
dained ^Ministers of the Gospel residing in the County, and
editors of newspapers, published tlierein, are entitled to the-
pi'ivi leges of the Libra)y.

103

LIBRARY.

The Library is established at the Phimmer Hall, Essex
street, Salem, where Members can obtain books under the fol-
lowing

REGULATIONS :

1 . Each member shall be entitled to take from the Library
-TWO VOLUMES, on signing a receipt for the same, and agree-
ing to be accountable therefor.

2. Xo member shall keep any book more than two weeks,
after being notified (by the Librarian) that the same is wanted
by another member.

3. All books belonging to the Library shall be returned
on or before the 15th of November in each year; that the
same may be examined and the condition of the Library re-
])orted to the Trustees.

4. Any member who shall neglect or refuse to conform to
these Regulations, shall thereby forfeit the privilege of taking
books from the Library.

104

List of Premiums, &c.

BULLS.

D. F. Appleton, Ipswich, for Kerry bull, 1st premium.

diploma and $10 (K)^

II. 8. llogers, Salem, for Jersey bull, 1st premium, di-
ploma and 10 00

Francis Dane, Hamilton, " " 2d " 5 00

D. S. Caldwell, Xewbury, for Ayshire bull, 1st premi-
um, diploma and 10 00

C. C. Adams, Newbury, for " " 2d " 5 00

MILCH COW.S.

Henry G. Kimball, Bradford, for Grade Dutcli cow,

1st premium, diploma and 15 00

HERD or MILCH C0W8.

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for herd of cows, 1st premi-

lun, diploma and 15 00

HEIFEHS.

II. G. Kimball, Bradford, for three years old heifer,

1st premium, diploma and 10 00

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for three years old heifer, 2d

premium, 8 00

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for three years old heifer, od

premium, 5 OfV

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for 2 years old heifer, 1st

premium, <^ 00

105

T. K. Bartlett, Newburvport, for 2 years old heifer, 2d

premium, 5 (Kl

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for 2 years old heifer, 3d pre-
mium, 3 00

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for yearling heifer, 1st prem. 5 00

Sidney F. Xewman, Xewbury, for yearling heifer, 2d

premium 3 00

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for calves, 1st premium (! 00

AVORKING OXEX AXD STEERS.

X. Little, jr., Xewbury, for working oxen, 1st premi-
um, diploma, and 12 00
John S. Preston, Dan vers, for working oxen, 2d prem. 10 00
George Hodgdon, Ipswich, for Avorking oxen, 3d prem. 8 OO

STEERS.

William Foster, Xorth AndoA-er, for three years old

steers, 2d premium 5 00-

Hiram Young, Xewbury, for yearling steers, 1st prem. S (){t

STALLIONS.

John Gardner, HaAcrhill, for 4 years old stallion, 1st

premium, diploma and 1.') 00

'Charles O. Putnam, Danvers, for 4 years old stallion,

2d premium, 10 00

X. Little, jr., XcAvbury, for 4 years old stallion, 3d

premium, 8 00

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for 3 years old stallion, 1st

premium, 8 00

George B. Martin, Danvers, for 3 years old stallion,

2d premium, 5 00

BREEDING MARES.

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for breeding mare, 1st pre-
mium, diploma and l'"> <><*
S. C. Morse, Haverhill, for breeding mare, 2d prem. 10 00
Fl. G. Elliott, Georgetown, for breeding mare, 3d '' S 00

106

FAMILY HORSES.

R. S. Rogers, Salem, for family horse, 1st premium,

diploma and 15 00

Orin Putnam, Danvers, for family horse, 2d premium, 10 00

John Swinerton, Danvers, for family horse, 3d " 8 00

FARM AND DRAFT HORSES.

Edwin C Little, Newbury, farm and draft horse, 1st

premium, diploma and 12 00

B. H. Earnham, Noilh Andover, for farm and draft

horse, 2d premium, 10 00^

David Knowlton, Essex, for farm and draft ho.se, 3d

premium, 8 00

Wm. J. Cheever, North Andover, for farm and draft

horse, 4th premium, 5 00

COLTS.

Richard 8. Rogers, Salem, for 4 years old colt, 1st

premium, diploma and 10 00

Bennett Griffin, Gloucester, for 4 years old colt, 2d

premium, 5 00

Hiram T. Balch, Groveland, for 3 years old colt, 1st

premium, (J 0<>

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for 3 years old colt, 2dprem. 4 OO'
George B, Martin, Danvers, for 2 years old colt, 1st

premium, 5 00

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for 2 years old colt, 2d

premium, o 00

John Gardner, Haverhill, for yearling colt, 1st prem. 4 00
Geo. B. ^Martin, Danvers, for yearling colt, 2d " 3 00

SAVINE.

Henry Saltonstall, IVabody, for boar, 1st premium,

diploma and S 00

George Obcr, Beverly for boar, 2d j)remium, 5 00

William Foster, North ^Vndover, for breeding sow, 1st

premium, diploma and 8 (X)

107

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for breeding sow, 2(1 jjrem. 5 00
Francis Dane, Hamilton, for weaned pigs, 1st " 5 00

SHEEP.

Francis Dane, Hamilton, for flock of Cots wold, 1st

premium, diploma and 8 00

Benjamin D. Appleton, Ipswich, for flock of Grade

South Down, 2d premium, 5 00

D. F. Appleton, Ipswich, for Cots wold ram, 1st pre-
mium, diploma and (> 00

D. F. Appleton, Ipswich, for ram lambs, 1st premium 3 00

PLOUGHING DOUBLE TEAMS.

Jaques & Bray, Newbury, with Eagle 20 plough, 1st

premium, diploma and 12 00

Joseph Horton, Ipswich, with Eag. 20 plough, 2d prem. 10 00

Xathaniel Little, jr., Newbury, with Eagle 20 plough,

3d premium, 9 00

Treadwell & Hodgdon, Ipswich, with Hussey plough,

4th premium, 8 00

PLOUGHING SINGLE TEAMS.

K. T. Jaques, Xewbury, 1st premium, diploma and 7 00

PLOUGHING WITH HORSES.

Moody S. Dole, Georgetown, Avith Doe plough, 1st

premium, diploma and 10 00

PLOUGHING WITH SWIVEL PLOUGH.

AVilliam Foster, North Andover, Ilolbrook plough, 1st

premium, diploma and 10 00

John S. Preston, Dan vers, Whittemorc plough, 2d

premium, 10 00

PLOUGHING BV BOYS.

Charles Fish, Danvers, aged 18, Avitli Doc ])lough, 1st

premium, 25 00

108

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Whitteniore, Belcher & Co., Boston, best collection

ot' implements, 1st premium, diploma 1;") 00

E. A. Archibald, Methuen, farm Avagon, 1st premium, 5 00
Amos Hazeltine, Haverhill, centrifugal power, sawing

machine, gratuity, 1 00
Amos Hazeltine, Haverhill, c power threshing ma-
chine, gratuity, 3 00
Amos Hazeltine, Haverhill, c power cider mill, gratuity 1 00
E. K. Lee, Essex, stum})^puller and rock lifter, " 3 00
Aaron Dodge, BeAcrly, jjulverising harrow, " 3 00

CARRIAGES.

G. AV. Symonds, Lynnfield, express wagon, 1st prem. 5 00
AVm. Xoyes, Newburyport, express wagon, 2d " 3 00

Erastus Clark, jr., Ipswich, horse cart, 1st " 2 00

E. A. Archibald, Methuen, iron hub wheels, 1st pre-
mium, diploma.

BUTTER .

Amos F. Hobbs, Wenham, butter, 1st premium, diplo-
ma and
Mrs. W. A. Dane, Hamilton, do. 2d premium,
Mrs. Oliver Patch, " do, 3d " '

Asa Wade, Ipswich, do. 4th "

CHEESE.

Lot No. .'), 1st premium,
Lot No. 2, 2d premium,

GRAIN CROPS.

J. C. t'c Iv. Jaques, W. Newbury, corn crop, 1st pre-
mium, diploma and 10 00

ROOT CROPS.

Joseph Illsley, Newbury, onions, 1st premium, diplo-
ma and <S 0( >

10 00

8 00

(5 00

4 00

8 00

r) 00

109

Thomas Sanders, Salem, ruta ))agas, 1st premium, di-
ploma and 8 00

Wm. R. Putnam, Danvers, cabbages, 1st premium, di-

})loma, and 8 00

UXDERDKAINIXG LAXD.

D. F. Appleton, Ipswich, iinderdraining land, 1st pre-
mium, diploma and 15 00

E8SAY8.
J. I). AV. French, North Andover, 3d premiimi,

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

J. J. H. Gregory, Marblehead, 1st premium, diploma,

and
Joseph How, of ]Metlmen, 2d preminm,
J. L. Hnbbard, Peabodv, 3d premium,

8 00

10 00
8 00
<] 00

Awarded by Committee on Poultry, $32 00

" " " " Vegetables and Gar. Seeds, 71 50

" Fruit, 158 00

" " " " Flowers, 24 00

" " " " Counterpanes, Rugs, etc., 29 00

" " " " Fancy Articles, 43 50

" " "• " General Merchandise, 11 50

" " " " Bread and Honey, 18 00

" " "' " Articles maufactured from

Leather, 7 00

$1,062 50

110

RECAPITULATION

FARMS.

Amount awarded to Underdraining Lands, $15 00
Ploughing, 103 00

** " Farm Implements and

Carriages, 41 00

FARM STOCK.

Amount awarded to Bulls,

40 00

«(

' Milch Cows,

30 00

a

' Heifers,

53 00

a

' Working Oxen,

30 00

< i i

' Steers,

9 00

i I

' Stallions,

4(5 00

■ii

' Breeding Mares,

33 00

i i i

' Family Horses,

33 00

ii

' Farm and Draft Hor

3es,35 00

i( i

Colts,

40 00

ii i

' Sheep,

22 00

i i i

' Swine,

31 00

a i

' Poultry,

FARM PRODUCE.

32 00

Amount awai

•dcd to Vegetables,

71 50

a

" Fruits,

158 00

ii

" Flowers,

24 00

i •

" Dairy,

41 00

a

' Bread, etc..

18 00

i i.

' Grain crops.

10 00

< i

' Root Crops,

24 00

a

' All other objects,

123 {){)

$159 00

434 00

$409 50

Total,

$1,062 50

Ill

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

AMress by Benj. F. Butler, - 3

Beport on the Exhibition, .,------23

Remarks of Allen W. Dodge, - 24

"■ " Joseph How, 25

« " Richard Goodman, 2G

" Charles L. Flint, 29

Repwt on Bulls, 34

«^ " Milch Cows, 34

"■ " Herd of Milch Cows, 35

"■ " Heifers, 35

u. u "Working Oxen, 38

«■ '• Steers, 39

« Stallions, 39

«■ " Breeding Mares, .,------40

«• " Family Horses, ..-.-.. 40

-« " Farm and Draft Horses, 41

•• " Colts, - - 42

•» " Swine, - - - - . - - - - - 43

«• " Sheep, .--.----- 43

«■ " Poultry, - . - 45

**■ " Ploughing — Double Teams, . . . - - 4(>

« " " Single " 47

* " " with Horses, 47

•**- " " Swivel Plough, - - - - - 47

"■ " " by Boys, 48

" " Agricultural Implements, - - » - - - 49

*^ '• Carriages, ...-.--- 53

'* " Dairy, - 54.

112

lleport on Bread and Honey, --_-... 54

" " Pears, ...54

'• " Apples, .-.---... 5(j

" " Peaches, Grapes and Assorted Fruit, - - - - .57

•' Flowers, ----._.-- .53

•' " Vegetables, - - - - - -- - -59

" *' Counterpanes, &c., ------- 07

'' " Articles Manufactured from Leather, - - - - (jg

" Manufactures and General Merchandize, - - - G8

•• Additional Eeport on Manufoctures and General Mdze., 09

■' " Fancy Work, -------- 70

" Grain Crops, -------,72

" •' Under-Draining I^and, ------ 74

■' " Root Crops, --------81

•' " Canker Worms, ------- 87

'• Treadwell Farm, ------ - . 90

" Essays and Reports of Committees, - - - - 91

Essay on the Oakes Cow, ^ - - - - - - -92

Treasurer's Report, _------_ !)8

Officers of the Society, .-.-_... iO(>

New Members, - - - - - - - - - 1")1

The Library, ---------- 103

List of Premiums, _-_-_--- 104

Recapitulation, - - - HO'

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