REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. 127 



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then the exercises in the great hall. These consisted of excel- 

 lent music by the Longmeadow band, and an address by the 

 Hon. Julius Rockwell, president of the society. It is a com- 

 mon law in the society, that the president shall continue to act 

 as such two years, and on the retiring year shall deliver the 

 address, and an excellent law it is. He took for his subject, 

 the thovg'his of the young' farmer^ and showed, first, that the 

 lessons and habits of early life are never forgotten. Tlien he 

 spoke of his initiatory steps into the art and mystery of farming, 

 such as yoking and breaking the steers, and other incidents 

 illustrative of the whole ; — and of his choice of occupation a 

 little later. He said a thorough training on the farm was capi- 

 tal to the young farmer, as education is capital to the doctor, 

 lawyer or clergyman. He spoke of the professions, gave a 

 budget of good reasons for not going West, painted the autum- 

 nal scenery of New England in glowing colors, spoke of the 

 resources of the county, recited the bounties of the Common- 

 wealth, then most felicitously married the young farmer to one 

 of the handsome, healthy, well-educated, and intelligent daugh- 

 ters of the New England hills, and closed his address. A brief 

 address by your delegate, and another by Dr. H. D. Childs, 

 formerly Lieutenant-Governor of the Commonwealth, followed, 

 and then the beautiful silver plate, amounting in value to 

 hundreds of dollars, was distributed to the individuals to 

 whom it had been awarded by the various committees. After- 

 wards there was trotting on the course, and the fair closed, by 

 a grand ball, in the evening, in the. great hall on the society's 

 grounds. 



The exhibition of fruits and vegetables was meagre ; that of 

 butter and cheese was large, and of the finest quality ; of 

 domestic manufactures there was a considerable display of 

 carpets, rugs, hosiery and embroidered work, such as collars, 

 skirts, &c. A few loaves of bread only were seen, and that of 

 quite an ordinary appearance. 



The exhibition, on the whole, was one of great merit and 

 interest, though, in some respects, deficient. There was an evi- 

 dent want of taste and arrangement in the articles shown in 

 the hall, and of punctuality in the time of commencing the 

 several exercises of the day ; while the choice of location, the 



