APPENDIX. xlv 



WORCESTER SOUTH-EAST. 



By assignment I was to have visited and reported the Worcester 

 North-West Agricultural Society at Athol, but through arrange- 

 ments made between Messrs. Knowlton, Fay and Leavitt, at the 

 request of Mr. Knowlton, I visited the Worcester South-East at 

 Milford, September 24th and 25th, 1872. Arriving at Upton, the 

 home of Mr. Knowlton, the afternoon of the 23d, some time was 

 taken in showing his farm improvements, which a large proportion 

 of the farmers of Massachusetts could accomplish, had they the will, 

 in the reclaiming of swamps and making the rough places smooth. 



Mr. Knowlton has here worked with good present-paying profits, 

 which in the futm-e will continue to pay large dividends, and to any 

 who wish to learn relative to reclaiming land, I say visit Upton 

 and view the many acres Mr. Knowlton owns ; and the valuable 

 information on this subject he can give would be more than could 

 be comprehended by reading weeks the many treatises on this sub- 

 ject. For mj'self I feel under great obligations to him for the very 

 valuable points of information he gave me ; but it is not for me to 

 speak in this report of affairs in Upton, but of the thirteenth annual 

 exhibition of the Worcester South-East Agricultural Society. 

 ^ The morning of Tuesday, the 24th of September, dawned under the 

 most favorable of circumstances for a farmer's holiday, being neither 

 too warm or too cold, — in short, a perfect day. As I entered the 

 spacious grounds of the society, formerly the " Park of the Charles 

 River Riding Association," I found the usual activity and stir in 

 the organization of the exhibition. Punctual to the hour of com- 

 mencement of exercises, the Hopkinton band arrived, to furnish 

 music for the occasion. The stock calling my attention, I found the 

 many pens were well filled with cows, heifers, bulls, fat cattle, &c., 

 &c., among which were seen man}^ thoroughbred animals. 



The show of bulls was very fine, ten in number — two Ayrshires, 

 three Devons, and five Jerseys. Prominent among the herds was 

 the Ap'shire and Jersey herd of our friend Knowlton, and the Devon 

 herd of Harvey Dodge, of Sutton, — the last for exhibition but not 

 for premium ; in this herd I was shown one cow that had received over 

 five hundred dollars in premiums. To make the fii'st day attractive 

 to all, some classes of the horses were brought out. The stallions, 

 seven in number, were of the best stock in the country (Hamble- 

 tonian, Morgan and Ethan Allen). 



The carriage-horses, breeding-mares, and colts, were of the very 

 best. The "Ladies' Driving" class subscription purse, was a nov- 

 elty to me, as I think to many, but gave a" chance to witness one 



