34 SAGADAHOC COUNTY SOCIETY. 



stock was to be seen, aud one full-blooded Ayrshire heifer, which 

 I had not the pleasure of examining, was presented by S. S. Wing 

 of Brunswick, who also had a fine Ayrshire bull. 



The number of horses and colts was not large, but as good or 

 better than usual. The raising of horses in this Society is rather 

 limited, as it is thought that other stock pays better. 



The number of sheep was much larger and the quality much 

 improved. Our farmers are trying, and with success, to improve 

 their sheep by the introduction of full-blood bucks, and in some 

 few cases, full-blood ewes, of the Southdown, Oxford Down and 

 Spanish Merino breeds ; and their statements show that they are 

 on the road to prosperity. Wool growing is now considered a 

 very profitable business of the farmer, more especially in these days 

 of high prices ; but should the price of wool fall fifty per cent, 

 to-day, my impression is that the farmers would keep their usual 

 number of sheep. 



In crops we have made a decided advance since the organization 

 of the Society, both in quantity and quality of the articles raised, 

 and by the statements given are enabled to compare notes, although 

 many of the statements fall very far below the requirement of the 

 statute, still we are thankful for the little information we are ena- 

 bled to gather from them. Many of the statements, I trust, will be 

 found full, faithful, and instructive, and now that competitors begin 

 to understand what they are required to do in filling up blanks fur- 

 nished for that purpose an improvement may be looked for. We 

 had on exhibition good samples of corn, mostly of the Button varie- 

 ty. The crops of corn in this section were good, it will be ob- 

 served by the statements some were very extra, say from seventy- 

 five to a hundred bushels per acre. Grain was rather below the 

 average as to yield and quality, owing to the extremes of wet 

 and heat. Root crops were good. The show of vegetables was 

 not as large as we have sometimes had on exhibition, but the spec- 

 imens wore fine. This part of the Exhibition is generally left to 

 those living near the Fair, on account of the heavy transportation ; 

 but it would be very gratifying if a few in every town in the Soci- 

 ety would make an effort to add something from their gardens ; 

 that the large room devoted to vegetables might be full — for our 

 farmers are famous in raising good vegetables. 



In the center of the apple hall might be seen a very good show 

 of fruit, mostly apples, but some good pears and fine grapes, a 



