38 SOMEKSET CENTRAL SOCIETY. 



The exliibition of horses, especially breeding animals and colts, 

 was very good : and notwithstanding the continual depleting of 

 the horse stock for the army, there seems to be a plenty more 

 left. The prominent qualification for a horse to possess in this 

 locality, and among what are called horsemen, is speed, and pos- 

 sessing this, whatever else he may be deficient in, he belongs to 

 the horse aristocracy ; much attention is given here, as well as in 

 other parts of the State, to the breeding of fast horses, and many 

 are annually taken from the farm, and trained upon the trotting 

 course, until they can show commendable speed, and then find a 

 market amongst turfmen without the State. Thus from the sale of 

 speed horses to sportsmen and cavalry, and draft horses to govern- 

 ment, we have received a very respectable income from this class of 

 farm stock which can so well be spared. 



The exhibition of sheep was larger than last year, though we do 

 not notice any particular improvement in the appearance of flocks. 

 There were individual animals on exhibition, that perhaps excel 

 anything of the kind ever exhibited in this Society ; if not excel- 

 ling, certainly not excelled. Much attention is now given to sheep 

 husbandry, and with good success. Flocks, either large or small, 

 of good sheep , are to be found on almost every farm, and in most 

 flocks the heavy fine fleece of the Spanish merino is visible. No 

 full-blooded native sheep are to be found in this Society. 



But few swine come up to our annual feasts, although our shows 

 are always graced with a few first class hogs of larger and smaller 

 growth. The high price of grain for the last year has sent many 

 lean hogs to the shambles. The number of hogs for the slaughter 

 has greatly diminished during the last year, but the weight of pork 

 has not diminished in the same ratio, from the fact that the few are 

 better fattened than the many. 



The butter and cheese on exhibition, though not large in amount 

 was of good quality. We think there is a perceptible improvement 

 in the quality of butter made in this i*egion, and we hail with joy 

 any indications of improvement in this direction. The amount of 

 butter made this year, is less than usual, from the fact that the 

 number of cows, as well as horses and other stock, has been dimin- 

 ished to give place to larger flocks of sheep. Our butter is finding 

 a better market in other states, than ever before, which fact we 

 hope will stimulate our farmers to more eflScicnt efforts to bring up 

 the products of the dairy to that standard of excellence that will 



