FOR PROMOTING AGRICULTURE 83 



greens." Some hint that modern times, in the day of 

 agricultural tools, were approaching, will appear to 

 many readers, in the statement, that among the 

 articles shown in Agricultural Hall, were ploughs of 

 iron, from David Prouty, of Hanover, and from 

 Nourse & Co., of Sherburne. There was no diminu- 

 tion of interest in the ploughing match, either as 

 respects the competitors or the spectators. For the 

 match with two yoke of oxen, eleven competitors 

 entered, a larger number than on any previous occa- 

 sion. In fact more desired to enter, there being 

 thirteen teams present. Only eleven lots had been 

 measured off and two teams had to be set aside. In 

 regard to both the single and double-team matches, 

 the committee of awards report that they gave express 

 instructions to the ploughmen, that the teams should 

 not be hurried, and that shortness of time was no 

 object in comparison with good work. In the earliest 

 ploughing matches time had been an important ele- 

 ment in the decision. 



A departure from this standard was announced in 

 the programme for the show of 1825, and now, in 

 1830, the new standard appears to have been rigidly 

 insisted upon. This change of standard is doubtless 

 traceable to the performance of a team and plough- 

 man in the ploughing match of the year 1819. The 

 plough was entered for the competition by Josiah 

 Quincy, and no doubt the ploughman followed his 

 instructions. On that occasion the single-yoke and 

 double-yoke teams competed together. Mr. Quincy's 

 team was a single yoke. There were six teams. The 

 three double-yoke teams did the work in 38, 42 and 

 43% minutes, respectively. The two single-yoke 

 teams did it in 55 and 55% minutes, respectively. Mr. 

 Quincy's team did it in 1 hour and 49 minutes. All 



