STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 543 



horses in the Union have been introduced, and have been so libe- 

 rally sustained that their representatives are to be found in great 

 numbers in all parts of the county. The effect of this introduc- 

 tion and encouragement of the best breeds has been such that 

 Orange county now possesses a stock of horses of which she boasts 

 and of which she may justly be proud, and with which she will 

 lose nothing by comparison with any of her sister counties in the 

 State. 



Cattle. — The show of cattle was generally regarded as being 

 fully equal to previous exhibitions. The present and previous 

 exhibitions, however, do not seem to indicate that there is any- 

 thing extraordinary, in the way of progress and improvement, 

 taking place in our breeds of cattle. This is emphatically a 

 dairy county. Most of the cattle are milch cows, and although 

 grades of the improved breeds may be found in many dairies, still 

 the overwhelming conclusion forced upon every observer is, that 

 the so-called " Natives " are predominant in this county, and that 

 for dairy purposes they are considered by many dairymen fully 

 equal to any other breed. For working oxen, the Devon, and for 

 fattening, the Dui-ham, are generally prefered by farmers and 

 graziers. 



Sheep. — The few sheep exhibited were principally long and 

 middle wooled, and were of superior excellence. Orange is by 

 no means a wool producing county. The number of sheep, already 

 small, is constantly and rapidly diminishing. Most of the sheep 

 "kept are brought from the west in autumn, sold in small lots to 

 farmers, fed during the winter, and in the ensuing spring and 

 autumn sent to market. Little attention is generally paid tu im- 

 proved breeds. A few select flocks comprise nearly all the good 

 sheep in the county. 



Swwe. — The exhibition of swine was highly creditable — tho 

 I]erkshire and Suffolk prcdoiuinatiiig. Among the former were 

 some animals owned by E. C. Thayer, Esq., of lIaiiii)tonburgh, 

 that Would be hard to beat. 



There is considerable pork fattened in the county, most of 

 which is termed " li^ht pork." Hitherto most of c»ur farmers 

 have been very indiffrrent in selecting their stock of swine — 

 everything that had bristles being consiiU-red a i»ig, and among 

 them no distinction was known — the laud-shark was a pig and 



