REPORTS OP DELEGATES. 363 



Stock raising seems to be one of the chief employments, 

 and few towns in the State excel its farmers in this line. 



This county is emphatically the home of the Devon in 

 Connecticut. The Messrs. S. & L. Hurlbut, of Winchester, 

 commenced breeding the Devon in 1819, and the excellence 

 and high esteem in which tlieir stock was held is attested by 

 the fact that some of the best representatives of this breed 

 in New England are traced directly to them. Later, others 

 took it up, and not the least worthy of these breeders of the 

 Devon is that veteran farmer, Jacob N. Blakesley, of Water- 

 town, now more than four score years of age, who has many 

 animals finely bred and of rare beauty and value. 



There is little stir and enterprise manifest in Litchfield, but 

 much satisfaction and content. It has but little water power, 

 but, by the recent opening of the Shepaug Valley and Connect- 

 icut Western Railroads, its facilities for market, and easy com- 

 munications with other parts of the country have been greatly 

 increased. 



The Exhibition of the Litchfield County Agricultural Soci- 

 ety commenced on the 4th day of October, and it was one of 

 those loveliest days in autumn when the rugged hills and val- 

 leys were decked in their varied and beautiful colors. 



I arrived upon the grounds a little after one o'clock, and 

 too' late to witness some of the most interesting features of 

 the exhibition. 



My attention was first called to the working oxen, of which 

 there was a large and very fine show, mostly Devons and their 

 grades. Here we saw teams of from five to eight or ten pairs, 

 with the mature pair of six years old in the rear, and younger 

 ones, of all ages to the yearling, on the lead. Most of them 

 were raised by the exhibitor, a feature of great merit and 

 commendable at an Agricultural Fair. 



The oxen and steers were well broken, ready to do their 

 masters' bidding, which was unattended by the shouting and 

 whipping so useless and censurable at any time. A number 

 of pairs of them were as valuable as the best I have seen at 

 our New England Fairs. 



In herds of cattle, the exhibition was excellent and the com- 



