EEPORTS OF DELEGATES. 365 



The Thomaston Brass Band escorted His Excellency to the 

 fair grounds, and were in attendance during the Show ; " and 

 all the time sonorous metal blowing martial sounds" dis- 

 coursed sweet music. 



The annual address by T. S. Gold, Secretary of the Con- 

 necticut Board of Agriculture, was thoroughly practical, full 

 of instruction, and was well received. His Excellency made 

 a few well-timed remarks, and thus closed an Exhibition prof- 

 itable and pleasant to all. 



It was one of the best managed Fairs that it has been my 

 privilege to attend, and the officers of the Society and citizens 

 gave me a hearty welcome to their hospitalities, and treated 

 me with unaffected politeness. 



The Cattle Show and Fair at Falls Village, Canaan, took 

 place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the 12th, 13th, 

 and 14th of September. 



Their enclosure is in a valley of unsurpassed beauty, and 

 peculiar to this part of the state, and is bounded on one side 

 by the Housatonic river. 



The first day was pleasant, and there was a good attendance 

 of interested spectators, and the stock of cattle fully equal in 

 numbers and quality with former shows. The exhibition of 

 working oxen was q\iite good. T. S. Gold, of Cornwall, had 

 four pairs of strong, well-matched oxen, all raised by himself.. 

 There were a number of others of excellent merit. There 

 seemed to be a lack of premiums offered for their general ex- 

 hibition, so that your Delegate could not judge so correctly 

 of their merits as lie would have wished to. The only test I 

 saw was at a heavily loaded stone-boat, where three yoke of 

 them showed wonderful physical power, and attracted much 

 attention. The test was too severe, and much more than was 

 necessary to have formed a right opinion of their training and 

 value. The whipping and shouting was unnecessary, and 

 should be discontinued in future. 



The bows in the yoke were nicely fitted to the neck of the 

 ox, with staples beside each bow, to which a breeching was 

 attached to assist in holding loads down the steep hill-sides. 



