CUMBERLAND COUNTY SOCIETY. 



CUMBERLAND COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Thirty- Seventh Annual Cattle Show and Fair of this Society 

 was held at Bridgton, Tuesday and Wednesday, October 1st and 

 2d, 1872. Bridgton being one of the extreme northern towns in 

 the County, the Exhibition was necessarily largely made up by 

 the towns in that section. Great credit is due the citizens of 

 Bridgton and adjoining towns, for the energy and interest mani- 

 fested in arranging and carrying through, to a successful issue, all 

 matters connected with this County Show and Fair ; and when we 

 say that we consider it a model Agricultural Exhibition, without 

 any of the modern accessories of horse-trotting, its usual accom- 

 paniment, we think we award the due praise. 



The number of entries, in all departments connected with the 

 grounds and hall was four hundred and twenty-five. 



One addition, we think, might be made to our Agricultural 

 Shows, which, in our opinion, would greatly increase the interest 

 in such matters, induce a more general attendance of all inter- 

 ested in the advancement of agricultural affairs, and larger entries 

 for the Exhibition, especially in the department of live stock ; and 

 that is, make these places for shows, places for sale ; have it un- 

 derstood that the seller of stock would here meet the buyer ; and, 

 without question we should soon see a change for the better. 



In addition to the usual premiums offered by the Executive Com- 

 mittee of this Society, they, this year, in accordance with the re- 

 quirement of the State Board of Agriculture, have offered three 

 premiums of one hundred, seventy-five, and fifty dollars, for the 

 first, second, and third best experiments in the renovation of grass 

 lands ; the experiment to continue through three seasons, and 

 premiums to be awarded in 1874. 



In regard to the conducting of agricultural interests in this 

 county, judging by this and the two preceding seasons, it would 

 seem as though the farmer depended too much on the season for 

 his crop. If a dry season, then a short crop ; if wet, a large one ; 

 hay being the staple pi-oduct of the larger part of the County. 

 Perhaps it would be almost impossible to guard wholly against the 

 effects of drought; yet if the farmer should sow more seed, and 

 not reduce his lands by taking so much more from them than he 



