SECRETARY'S REPORT. 125 



farmer an increased price for his labor in peddling the article 

 from door to door. But let the farmer be sure of his market, 

 and that in a cheap and expeditious manner, and he is incited 

 to a more extended culture. The great drawback to many 

 farmers consists in this : that they fear to raise more roots and 

 vegetables than their own stock can consume, on account of 

 the uncertainty and expense of marketing — not that there is 

 not demand for more than can be raised in Massachusetts, but 

 solely because there is no farmers' exchange for their disposal. 

 But it may be readily seen that if the results which we have 

 indicated would follow the institution of markets, the demand 

 among the producers themselves would be vastly increased. 

 For if one would raise more cattle if he could get the roots, 

 the other would raise more roots. And if one would fat more 

 cattle, if he could buy the stock for the stall, and could save 

 his land which he now grasses, he would raise more grain and 

 roots, and buy more cattle. 



If we have thus been enabled to convince the doubting of 

 the advantages of markets, permit us to turn their attention 

 for a moment to some practical suggestions with regard to 

 them. And in the first place we would urge that it is not a 

 holiday that we would institute, nor holiday sports. We do 

 not recommend " fairs " in the sense in which the term is 

 generally understood in this country, but purely business days. 

 Owing in part to their novelty the markets which have been 

 held, during the year, have attracted a crowd who were neither 

 buyers nor sellers, but who came to be pleased ; and the 

 grotesque number of monstrosities, monkey shows,. fandangoes, 

 and noisy soap and razor strop auctioneers which have 

 appeared, seemed to understand the taste of the masses ; and 

 they bid fair to drown the bellowing of the oxen, and the 

 meeker moanings of the dairy stock. All this we would 

 discourage, and if the institution of markets should meet the 

 approbation of the legislature, some legislation upon this 

 subject, vesting greater and special powers in the town officers, 

 or in the clerk of the market, may become necessary. 



We would recommend to farmers who are disposed to favor 

 the institution of markets ^to refuse, as a general rule, to sell 

 from their farms those articles which are the subject of market 

 sales. By so doing all the butter and cheese, poultry and eggs, 



