iv APPENDIX. 



oxen are worked. They were in a thriving condition, and well 

 adapted for ever}' kind of service. 



On AVedncsday there was a grand ploiighing-match, at the 

 ground, with thirteen competitors and a well arranged order of 

 exercises. The soil was laid over in a skilful manner, to the sat- 

 isfaction of competent judges and a large and enthusiastic attend- 

 ance of spectators. The exhibition was held in the City Hall, 

 and was of the highest order. The display of fruits, vegetables, 

 flowers, and other plants, was worthy of the fullest commendation. 

 Contributions of the mechanic arts and manufactures were supe- 

 rior to any other exhibitions at our county fairs. The manufac- 

 tured fabrics were from the renowned mills of the city, and were 

 unsurpassed for the richness and beauty of their texture and the 

 magnificence of their displa}-, being in elaborately carved cases, 

 resembling the centennial exhibition. The total cash value of 

 these fabrics was estimated at a hundred and fifty thousand dol- 

 lars. 



The address was delivered by Rev. O. S. Butler of George- 

 town. His subject, " The Characteristics of the Successful Farm- 

 er," was ably and happily treated, showing that the want of 

 success arose from the same general cause which produced similar 

 results in all the pursuits of life ; viz., the want of adaptability, — 

 the wrong man in the wrong place. It was an eloquent and prac- 

 tical discourse. 



The annual dinner, in a large tent on the Common, where were 

 seated over seven hundred, was served up in good taste. At the 

 close, the president of the societ}-, Mr. Benjamin P. Ware, ex- 

 tended his congratulations on the favorable auspices under which 

 this exhibition had been held, and the character and variety of 

 farm products, fruits, and the unsurpassed manufactured produc- 

 tions, all of which had proved sufficient to attract attention without 

 the introduction of horse-trots and base-ball matches. Excellent 

 addresses followed from Dr. William Coggswell of Bradford, 

 councillor from Essex ; ex-President Joseph Howe of Methuen ; 

 Hon. James J. H. Gregorj' of Marblehead ; and Dr. George B. 

 Loring, M.C. His Excellencj' Gov. Alexander H. Rice addi-essed 

 the meeting in an eloquent and practical speech, congratulating 

 the societ}' on the enterprise of the farmers of the old Bay State, 

 and saj-ing that all the pursuits of our nation were bound in uni- 

 son with agriculture, and that God had given us the means to 

 make us the greatest nation since the dawning of creation. His 

 remarks were received with rapturous applause. 



This society has a large revenue from means invested, and is 

 free from debt. Great credit is due to the president and other 



