THE FARMERS' MONTHLY VISITOR. 



ed for him, which strongly indicates that a spirit of 

 improvement has got into the county of Merrimack. 

 And yonr committee award to Mr.NicIiolas Durrell 

 of Bradford, the Society's first premium of tiiree 

 dollars. 



Your committee examined a fine young Mare 

 presented by Mr. John Peverly of Canterbury, who 

 appears to be a thorough breeder, as this mare is a 

 descendant and an improvement on a mare that on 

 a former occasion drew the Society's first premium. 

 And your committee award to Mr. Joiin Peverly of 

 Canterbury, the Society's second premium of two 

 dollars. 



Tlie Mare presented by Mr. Samuel Chadwick 

 of Uoscawen, is a fine animal, and is very well 

 thou^t of by the committee. 



There were six Colts presented, and all deserv- 

 ing of premiums; but there being but two v/ithin the 

 gift of your comniittee, they liave concluded to a- 

 ward to Mr. Samuel Johnson ofHopkinton, the 

 first premiu;n of two dollars, and to Mr. Timothy 

 Colby of Hopkinton, the second pscmium of one 

 dollar. 



JOS. C. THOMPSON, for the committee. 



Report On Bulls. 



The committee on Bulls submit the following re- 

 port : 



It has been said, I believe, by a foreigner, that 

 the hog is the only gentleman in this country ; but 

 I think his observation was limited, and perhaps he 

 had never seen a Bull ; for had he, and been ac- 

 quainted with his manners and temper, he must 

 have excepted him. Bulls sometimes work ; and 

 he should have known also that tliere are working 

 swine. 'Who that has seen the Bull walking the 

 streets as though conscious of his superiority over 

 the vulgar herd, will deny his being a gentleman .' 

 and if an unlucky wight of an ox should give him 

 an unmannerly look, or interfere too much by his at- 

 tention to the cows, the blood of this gentleman 

 boils, and a challenge straight to mortal combat is 

 the first salutation. Then the earth shakes be- 

 neath his ponderous feet; his eyes flash lightning, 

 and his voice like thunder reverberates from hiil to 

 hill, and if the luckless ox accepts the challenge, 

 'tis certain death : if he declines, he must forever 

 after receive the kicks and cufts of this gentleman 

 without a look even of resentment. But mark ye 

 his demeanour among the females of his kind ! the 

 very personification of meekness and gentleness. 

 His step on the carpeted sward scarce disturbs the 

 grasshopper — his eye beams peace and love to all 

 around — and if his voice is heard at all, *'he'll roar 

 ye, aye, as gently as the sucking dove." Who, un- 

 der this view of the subject, will deny him the title 

 of a gentleman .-^ Moreover, from time immemo- 

 rial he has been esteemed a gentleman. "We read 

 in Patriarciial times of heifers being yoked, but not 

 of bulls. Theref ire he has a long line of ancestry 

 to boast of as living in idleness and dissipation, as 

 well as his own nice feelings of honor. Butasev- 1 

 ery generation grows wiser, and as we profess re- 

 publicanism, we who are working men ought to a- 

 bolish this aristocratic feature in our stock, and put 

 him to work. He may be made to earn more than 

 his living in the yoke, and be no less valuable in 

 his peculiar province ; and constant labor would 

 have a tendency, as in man, to correct his mistaken 

 sense of honor and render him a less dangerous and 

 much more useful ai\imnl. There is sometimes 

 difficulty in working two in the same yoke, on ac- 

 count of their crossness to each other; but one 

 sturdy bull, habitnated to a single yoke, is a good 

 team for a dray, or leader fur other cattle. 



The wild bull is a most terrific animal when ir- 

 ritated, and the hunting him was among the bold- 

 est sports of the chivalry of England some few 

 centuries ago. The race exists pure, I believe, but 

 in one park in the United Kingtlom, and now when 

 one is taken he is shot down with a rifle by the park 

 keeper ; and bull hunting is wlroUy gone into dis- 

 use. Bull fighting was formerly a favorite amuse- 

 ment in Europe; but that has vanished before the 

 light of refinement and civilization generally ; tho' 

 I have lately seen an account that it has been re- 

 cently revived, 1 believe, in Portugal, for the spe- 

 cial amusement of the rqyal family ; and the same 

 account adds tliat the queen almost went into ee- 

 gtaeies of delight on witnessing the performance ; 

 and, what is worst of all, the Sabbath is desecrated 

 to this inhuman purpose. Surely we may fear the 

 darkness of past ages is enveloping that kingdom, 

 and with thankfulness contrast it with the light 

 which beams on us. 



The stock growing interest in this county will 

 probably ever be a prominent business, ov/ing not 

 only to the adaptation of our soil, but the increas- 

 ing demand the flourishing manufacturing places 

 will make for the produce of the stall and dairy : 



and our object should be to so improve our cattle 

 that the feed may yield the greatest profit. The 

 stock of Great Britain originally were the wild cat- 

 tle of her islands, and have been brought to their 

 present perfection by a proper cultivation ; and what 

 we call our native stock is of the same race. In the 

 first settlement of our country there were many 

 difficulties to contend with, which left no time for 

 special attention to stock. Stock was then scarce, 

 and it was with difiiculty its increase could be made 

 to meet the demand of the increasing poprulation. 

 While the settlements were chiefly near the coast, 

 salt hay might have a tendency to deteriorate rath- 

 er than im])rove the stock. We need not be at any 

 great expense to import stock to compete with old 

 England, cither for the shambles or the dairy, if 

 our stock-growers will but make use of the means 

 within their reach for the improvement of their 

 stock. The Patriarch Jacob, though a plain man, 

 was possessed of more than Yankee shrewdness in 

 making the kind of which were his hire not only 

 more numerous, but more strong and healthy ; and 

 every grazier should read his history for the infor- 

 mation relative to his business contained in it, if he 

 has no better motive. Judicious selections and 

 crosses from our own herds will soon show a per- 

 ceptible improvement. A few farmers associated 

 for this purpose may sometimes act with greater 

 efficiency than to act individually. An effort was 

 made in this town about twenty-five years ago ; and 

 an agent was sent toConnecticut river, wlio purchas- 

 ed five bulls, and so distributed them over town, 

 as that all who were disposed might have access to 

 them ; and the efi^ects of that cflbrt are now visible 

 in the stocks of cattle in this town. Shortly after 

 this, many of our farmers turned their attention to 

 sheep, so that now we are a wool-growing rather 

 than a stock-growing community. But had we giv- 

 en our undivided attention to stock till this time, 

 our improvements would have been more visible. 

 Great care should be taken in the selection of a 

 bull, to have his size respectable, his proportions 

 good, and temper docile — and thos'.' who value col- 

 or should pay strict attention to that. PVom a bull 

 with white on his belly you may despair of uni- 

 formly red calves. We cannot new discuss the 

 proper shape and dimensions of what your com- 

 mittee would deem a proper bull; but will take some 

 notice of those exhibited on this occasion ; and 

 particularly of a fine calf four month.s old ; and 

 though no premium is oifored for an animal of his 

 age, yet he is worthy of praise. 



There were some of the Durham short horns ex- 

 hibited, which were animals r,f fair propAtrtionsand 

 good size, and well v/orthy of an introduction and 

 more extensive circulation throughout the county. 

 The committee regret that no more premiums are 

 at their disposal, as several well deserve something 

 more than wordy notice — and as there are butthree 

 premiums and several competitors, the committee 

 aorrCG to award the first premium of three dollars to 

 Abraham Burbank,and the second premium of two 

 dollars to John Taylor, and the third premium of 

 one dollar to Henry L. Dodge. 



S. B. LITTLE, for the committee. 



Kei^ort on Butter. 



The committee, to whom the inspection of the 

 most important article of the dairy has been confided 

 are gratified not only with the honor of the trust, 

 but also with the result of their examination. In 

 a land flowing with milk as well as with honey. 

 Butter will be one of the staple articles of the coun- 

 try, and as such, demands very particular attention 

 and care in the process of making it, for the quali- 

 ty of butter, may be as various as the diversity of 

 men ; there may be good, bad, and indifferent in 

 both cases. This attention and care, custom and 

 propriety have assigned to the other sex, because 

 neatness is an important requisite ; and propriety 

 would .tIso have justified the associating some of 

 that sc.x vvnth the committee in this examination, 

 because they excel in taste. 



That good Butter was in high repute in the ear- 

 ly ages is well known to tiie farmers of New 

 Hampshire, for all of them we trust are readers of 

 the Bible. They will remember that Sarah had 

 Butter of so e;icellent a quality, that Abraham en- 

 tertained celestial guests with it ; and that the wife 

 of Heber presented Butter in a lordly dish to the 

 captain of the hosts of Jabin. That this Butter was 

 of the first quality cannot be doubted, because it 

 was a voluntary offering intended to conciliate fa- 

 vor. Tliat there has in later days been a sad fal- 

 ling off in the purity of this article, the committee 

 arc reluctantly compelled to acknowledge, for they 

 have themselves sometimes been presented with 

 such as they would not should melt in their mouth, 

 even though some beautiful Sirah had presented it. 



Some of our common sayings at thi» day, also go 



to establish the high reputation of this article. — 

 When we would describe a shrewd man, we say h 

 knows on which side his bread is buttered ; and 

 wlien we speak of a fortunate man, we say that his 

 bread always comes buttered side up. So the in- 

 junction sometimes laid upon young people to 

 "carry their dish very upright,'' doubtless origina- 

 ted from the dish of butter which was so handsome- 

 ly and acceptably presented by the wife of Heber 

 to the great captain of old, for the term "lordly" 

 unquestionably referred to the manner of its pre- 

 sentation. 



As the manufacture of this article is assigned to 

 the better part of creation, there was great propri- 

 ety in the selection of this committee (if all mustba 

 males) because not one of them has failed to demon- 

 strate his attachment to the other sex by voluntari- 

 ly becoming one with them, s.nd therefore better 

 qualified to appreciate their merit. Not so appro- 

 priate was the appointment of our friend the chair 

 man of the committee on the breeding and quality 

 of the females of another species. His own good 

 breeding is apparent to all of us ; but we know that 

 bachelors are never "at home" with females: 

 they sometimes talk of their duties, but, like sin- 

 ners of another class, they delay the peiforraance 

 until the door is shut. 



There was wisdom in the remark of a young far- 

 mer who was looking for a companion of the other 

 sex. "I must have a foretaste of the wife, in the 

 taste of her butter — her dairij must be sweet, as 

 well as her temper." We call the female of the 

 canine species by a name that to us implies a want 

 of neatness without disparagement to the animal ; 

 but who, about to purchase a box of butter, should 

 on opening it perceive slut impressed on tho 

 contents, would not be induced to throw it to tho 

 dogs .' 



This is an age of improvement, and in the article 

 we are considering, as there was much to be done, 

 so much has been accomplished. The change is 

 very apparent in our houses of public entertain- 

 ment, which the great increase of travel has tend- 

 ed to produce. 'Time was when more than ono 

 sense was on duty at the table : the nose pronounc- 

 ed sentence, before the inoath could have a voice 

 in the m.attcr. But a better day has dawned upon 

 us. If tho school master is abroad in the art of 

 good husbandry, the school mistress is not deficient 

 in her department of good housewifery. He must 

 be ungallant, as well as unjust, who shall deny to 

 women their clai^m to equality with men in beneii- 

 cial improvement ; and when we are smacking our 

 lips on tasting their good things, it smacks ill na- 

 ture not to allow their excellence. 



The committee will not presume to instruct in 

 the process of making butter those who much bet- 

 ter know tlie many requisites necessary to have it 

 good : that however pure the heart, there must be 

 clcaji hands : that butter, as v/cU as oxen, should be 

 v:orhcd : that thougk the maiden may be flight}', her 

 butter should hiv;- solidity : and, that .as with wit, 

 all useless matter should be excluded from it, re- 

 membering that salt is es.^ential in giving a relish 

 to both. 



The subject of Butter very naturally leads to a 

 consideration of the useful animals which furnish 

 the material from whicli it is produced ; hut this 

 has been assigned to a committee competent to do 

 it ample justice. 



Judicious farmers with well cultivated land, aim 

 also at improvement in their stock of cattle — and 

 where shall we look for stronger and better, than 

 where we aje now assembled— this land oi Bashan? 



Tl^e committee close their remarks with off'ering 

 at this festival the following sentiment for the con- 

 sideration of young farmers : 



The Farmer's Goods : — Good land; good stock ; 

 and a gpod wife. And these will produce a good 

 many other goods, unless the husbandman begood 

 for nothing. 



Although the specimens of butter exhibited were 

 fewer in number than on some former occasions, 

 yet the most of those examined were of an excel- 

 lent quality. 



The oor-nmittee award the following premiums ; 



John Kilburn, Boscawen, the 1st premium $3 00 



Laban Morrill, Canterbury, 2d do 2 50 



Albert Ames, da 3d do 2 00 



Siamuel Chadwick, Boscawen, 4tli do 1 50 



Benjamin Whipple, Dunbarton, 5th, do 1 00 

 WM. A. KENT, for the Committee. 



Report ou Cheese. 



The committee on Cheese report : — 

 That the discharge of the duties devolving upon 

 them has been very much in accordance with their 

 own taste. The specimens exhibited have been 

 such as not only to gratify the palate, but furm'gli 

 additional evidence of the skili, neatness and good 



