64 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



animal of which Massachusetts cannot produce a specimen 

 equal, if not superior, to any in the most cultivated regions 

 of Europe ; but the general state of the breeds of our ani- 

 mals is far inferior to those of some countries. Our whole 

 State cannot produce as many fine cattle as are exhibited 

 in one week, at Smithfield market, on ordinary days. Yet, 

 in instances, we have the best. The milch cow of Mr. 

 Oakes, which took the premium last year is probably, in 

 point of productiveness, superior to any animal in the 

 world. The oxen offered this year from Springfield, and 

 the heifer from Westbrook, it is believed, are superior to 

 any animals of the like description existing anywhere. 



With reference to the ploughing match the same report 

 says : 



We have before us accounts of five celebrated ploughing 

 matches in England, the showing of which is that the labor 

 was performed by every one, even the slowest, of our 

 ploughs in nearly one half the time taken to perform the 

 same work in England. There was another circumstance 

 in the ploughing match which gave us pleasure, as evincing 

 a strong desire for improvement. There were no two 

 ploughs out of the twelve alike. They were all of them 

 uncommon, and had some peculiarity of modern invention. 



This dissimilarity, and individualism in improvement, was 

 not destined to continue long, for the reason, that will 

 occur to the reader, that in the spring of the year 1819, 

 Mr, Quincy was to drive his team afield with a New York 

 plough attached, and, in the autumn, to announce, whether, 

 consciously or not, the beginning of a new era in plough- 

 ing. 



The year 1818 was entered upon by the trustees with 

 hope and confidence. They could but mentally assent to 

 the newspaper's panegyric upon their recent fair, as splen- 

 did and gratifying ; and this gratification arose in part 

 only from the thought that their endeavors had been sus- 

 tained by the farmer contributors, and had proved popular- 

 ly acceptable. Its other source was in the perception that 

 they now had a new instrumentality, through which to reach, 

 and incite to better things, the conservative and somewhat 

 incredulous tillers of the soil. For them, henceforth, to 



