THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



181 



laud was well prepaied and manured by tlio 

 application of twouty-eiglit loads to tlic acre. 



Tlie Society will uiore readily vote sonieiliing 

 to tlie growers ot' potatoes, wiieu tliey learn that 

 we difl not find onr wheat crops this year worthy 

 of the designed and customary awards. 



The Committee examined the kitchen gardens 

 of Rkubem Johnson, Jeremiah Kimball, Enoch 

 CoFtiN, of Boscawen, and Thomas Ames, Esq. 

 of Canterhuiy. Sonic of the vegetables in each 

 of these gardens had bren injuriously afiectcd by 

 the severe drought, but they were all generally 

 in good care, producing most of the substantial 

 necessaries and luxuries of the season. To Reu- 

 ben Johnson we award the first Premium on 

 garden's, viz: .§3,00. To Thomas Ames, second 

 do. .f 3,00. To Enoch Coflin, third do. $1,50. To 

 Jeremiah Kimball, fourth do. $1,00. 



The garden of \V. Webster. Esq. with its rich 

 vines and idum trees, apple trees, and pomegran- 

 ates; its arbors and beds well lined with herbs 

 and flowers; with its walks and shrubbery, its 

 plants and roots, all combined, woidd have com- 

 manded the Society's bounty this year had noi our 

 reports told ns it was last year No. 1, and tbere- 

 foie we were prohibitsd from placing it on our 

 list this year. 



We have thus briefly stated the result of our 

 observations and opinions upon the several farms, 

 crojis and gardens exhibited to us for our exam- 

 ination. And we would here congratulate our 

 Society and the farmers generally in this region 

 upon the satisfactory evidence exhibited to us ol 

 the general improvement of our lands, and slock, 

 of the daily increasing inquiry. Zeal and infor- 

 mation among them, pro\ing incoutestibly th:,t 

 the great science of Agriculture is on the ad- 

 vance and will not be suffered to retrograde. — 

 Our books and journals are already rendering the 

 ingenuity and successfully well directed energies 

 of others the comnjon property of all. Theie is 

 HOW no occasion :hr llie lanner to lose by rasi 

 e,\perimeius. The true road to profit in this sci- 

 ence has been well proved liy othej-.s. Watch 

 their eftbrts ; study your own resources; be sure 

 you are right, and then go ahead. Judge Buel 

 bought saiuly plain for seven dollars per acre, 

 hauled blue clay a mile or more, put it on lo tbi> 

 sandy land, and mamn-ed his land too in tiie com- 

 mon waj', and m.ade this sandy plain soon worth 

 to him .$100 per acre. Now we have tried this 

 experiment to a limited extent, on our own riv- 

 er soil, and we can say witli good success. We 

 thus reform our soil, mrikingit more compact and 

 solid, better calculated to retain the moisture, to 

 feed the roots of the vegetable, and to resist 

 drought. We say to all, owning sandy or light 

 soils, try the experiment, you will not regret it if 

 you can command the materials. And for obvi- 

 ous reasons sandy or light soils can be success- 

 fully combined with our cold clayey lands to open 

 the pores and let in the heat, keeping up a salu- 

 tary circulation throughout the Ufiper suriiice of 

 the land where there v,as none l)eibre. 



Report on Articles of Special Improvement. 



Your Committee on articles of Special Im- 

 provement, found nine articles enteretl for a pre- 

 njium. 



In the article entered. No. ] specimen of Pen- 

 manship, with the name of C. C. Hodgdon, they 

 r.ward a premium of one dollar. It was well ex'- 

 ecuted: in the frontispiece, headed by the eagle, 

 the shades were beiuuifully figured. 



Article No. 3, a pair of silk gloves by Mrs. 

 Wood, widow of the late Rev. DiX Wood of Bos- 

 cawen, in her 84th year, manufactured and knit 

 by her own hand ; a beautiful specimen : the silk 

 very fine, thread very equal, and the article well 

 jnoporiioned. These gloves were manidacturcd 

 from the first iMnlberry trees reared in our coun- 

 ty, and it will be long remembered that Dr. Wood 

 was the ])ii!neer in the manufacture of silk in 

 our county. The Committee award 50 cents. 



Article No 3, a Shawl by Mrs. A. N. Caldwell, 

 a large and good article. They award the sum 

 of fjiiy cento. One Highland Sliawl, entei-ed by 

 Reuben Johnson, a very tine article ; the -.voo! 

 e\-cel!e:it, colors tasteful and well proportioned, 

 the ial)ric firm. The manufacture of the two 

 s lawls demonstrate the fact that ne are not am! 

 iic'cd not be dependent on foreign importation fbi 

 sucii fabrics, but tl'.e fair hands in Merrimack 

 Conntv are rendv (n <lo onr rood work. To 



shawl No. 5, your Committee award a premium 

 of sevent3'-five cents. 



Article No. 4, a neatly wrought bead bag by 

 Miss Phebu Corser : they award a preraiuin of 

 twenty-five cents. 



Article No. 6, A Se!f-tendr,iij: Saw jMill, enter- 

 ed by Morrill and Moody of Andover. Believing 

 this to be a valuable improvement in sawing lum- 

 ber, your Conmiitt«e would recomniciid this im- 

 provement to mill builders. It cannot be expect- 

 ed a detailed statement can begiv.'u in this report. 

 They-witnessed the operation of the mill. It is 

 so constructed that it will cut any number of 

 boards that it is set for, and set off of itselfj and 

 when done will shut the gate anu stop. To this 

 report ■accompanies the .statements of Levi <Sc 

 Moses Frazier, who have tested the advantages 

 of the Self-tending Saw Mill. Your Committee 

 award tlie sum of three dollars to Morrill & 

 Aloody. 



'■To whom it may concern: This may certify 

 that I have used a i>art of Moody & SToriill's Pa- 

 tent Saw Mill, the part called the Euiacipater or 

 running back, and that it more than equals our 

 expectations, and we think it possesses many ad- 

 vantages over the old fashioned mills, such as do- 

 ing more work with less labor, and not freezing 

 lip in winter. LEVI FRAZIER, 



MOSES FRAZIER." 

 Article No. 7, A Bible, entered by Rufus Mer- 

 rill of Concord. It is believed that'this is tlie first 

 article of the kind ever ofiercd liir a premium in 

 our county. Your Committee, so far as an op- 

 portunity afforded, did not ascertain any improve- 

 ments in the contents of the book, aiid did not 

 suppose that to be the object of presenting it, but 

 in the e.xccntion of the work they were highly 

 gratified. The e.xcellency of the contents in their 

 opinion do require that the word be dressed in 

 all that neatness and delicacy of workmanshi[) 

 we Ibund it to possess: the binding in goat, the 

 cuts, paper, and type all bcautif idly proportioned, 

 yet modestly neat. Your Committee award to 

 Rtiliis Merrill a premium of one dollar. 



Article No. 8, one dozen silver table and two 

 dozen silver tea spoons, entered by Seth Eastman 

 of Concord, very well manufactured. Your 

 Commiilee award fifty cents. 



Articles Numbered" 10 & 11, two pair of gloves 

 supposed to be made of rabbit's fin- ; very well 

 made. Your Committee award twenty-five cents 

 to Miss Polly Thurston. 



In closing their rejiort, your Committee were 

 of unanimous opinion thai every article of siie- 

 cia! improvement merited a reward, but regretted 

 e.xceedingly that they had only the sum of eight 

 dollars at tlieir disposal. The Bible, Saw Mill iind 

 Shawls, deserved more reward than was iu their 

 power to besto^v ; and in fact most of the articles 

 merited more tlian the small pittance in our hands. 

 Bui it is hoped that the small premium at the con- 

 ticl of tlie Society v.ill not deter art and genius 

 in our flourishing county of Merrimack fi-om pre- 

 senting in future more articles of special im- 

 provement than heretofore, or the present year. 

 Respectfully submitted, 



ENOS HOyT, 

 For and in behalf of the Committee. 



Eejjort on Cutter. 



The Committee on Butter have attended with 

 pleasure to the duty assigned them and eubmit 

 the following report: 



There were twelve lots of butter exhibited for 

 premiums, all which v.t.s of good quality, and 

 your committee found it very difiicuit to decide 

 which was entitled to the first premium, as there 

 was not any which Vviould not liave been worthy 

 of the iir.st if there had not been so much com- 

 pititioii. 



There is i!ot one article of domestic produce 

 so much complained of as poor butter, and 

 that shows the want of skill and care in ma- 

 king. Many people think (if we may judge from 

 what they offer for sale) that any thing which has 

 the appearanoe of butter will do to cany to the 

 stores to sell. And there is nothing more dis- 

 gusting and which shows the true index of >v!iat 

 we may expect to find if we should visit their dai- 

 ry rooms and kitchens; and that shows the true 

 character of iJic v.oman offering such butter ibr 

 sale. And of the reverse v.diatis there more pleas- 

 ing in the eye and taste both to the butterand La- 

 dy, then to see the buttermilk all worked out and 

 put in;-o clfni! boxc'v' or luhs : and the Lndv of 



course will be in the .same style as the butter, for 

 they will both always have the same appearance, 

 and the inquiry will he, have you any more of 

 tliat good butter to .>-ell.' It is worth and will 

 bring the highest juice and the thanks of the 

 purcliaseis. 



Your committee have finally concluded to 

 award the First premium of .f3,00 to lot No. 7, 

 ])resented by Benj. Whipjile, Dunbartoii ; second 

 do .'*'2,50, lot No. 6, incseiited by Hazen Kimball, 

 Mopkinton ; Third do $'2,00, No. 8, presented by 

 John Kilburu, Bosca\\en ; Fourth do 1,50, No. a 

 Albert Ames, Canterbury; Fifth do 1,00, No. 10, 

 &. II, Georac W Nesmith, Franklin. 



JAMES WILSON, for the Committee. 



Report on Mares and Colts. 



The Committee on Breeding Mares and Colts, 

 submit the Ibllowing report: — 



That "like produces like" is an axiom estab- 

 lished by universal observation throughout the 

 animal and vegetable kingdoms, and the laws are 

 so definitely fixed that the product of animals of 

 different species are unilbrmly barren ; and this 

 is no doubt wisely ordered that we may certain- 

 ly know how far aiUulgamation may be practi- 

 ced without violating those laws. But notwith- 

 standing every species stands thus distinct, there 

 are diflerences iu every species, which niaj' be 

 important, though perhaps unaccountable : these 

 may be improved by care, and the valuable 

 traits made more prominent, while the vicious 

 and unworthy pans may be eradicated in the 

 course of a few generations. The offspring of 

 any animal is aflijcted by both parents, and fre- 

 quently the properties of the male are most 

 prominent, but usually we maj calculate that the 

 ftmale parent has the greatest influence over the 

 jirogeny both with regard to external form and 

 the qualities of the mind, (if mind may be appli- 

 ed to brutes.) In the human family it is deemed 

 all important, in order to rear good citizens that 

 the mothers should be properly fbrmed ; their 

 natural powers of mind strong, and that their 

 minds be properly disciplined and cultivated ; 

 that they may not only impart to the rising gen- 

 eration a well proportioned muscular frame and 

 good imdei standing, but that they may so mould 

 the morals and guide the understanding, that the 

 youlh shall despise meanness, and aspire to all 

 that is worthy and honorable. All men of ob- 

 servation have noticed in others some peculiar 

 trait of character taken liom the mother where 

 they have been intimately acquainted with tv>o 

 orthree generations. Every schoolmaster judges 

 of the mother of his pu|iils b}' their daily devel- 

 opements, not only of the manner and amount of 

 authority she may exercise over them, which he 

 may do with accuracy, but of her intellectual 

 powers, her moral feelings, and her delicacy of 

 thought ; no doubt but the influence of mothers 

 of the hiiinan race is far greater over their cflT- 

 spriiig, than of the bi ute creation, because they 

 have them longer under their care, and instruct 

 them for good or for evil by example and pre- 

 cept, which beasts lu[ve not the power of doing 

 in the short period ihey are usually together. 



But I have noticed vicious trpits iu the charac- 

 ter of cows for five or six successive genera- 

 tions not all alike in every generation, probably 

 varied by the male, yet the same stamina of char- 

 acter is there. I have cows now of a very docile 

 character which I can di.-tinctly recollect Ibr five 

 generations without a ii-actious one in the line, 

 and one of the opjiosite character, which ha.s 

 more or less developed itself through the whole 

 race fbr thirty years. It is the same with horses. 

 I have been credibly informed of a mare that had 

 tl:e vicious property of letting down rails with 

 her teeth, which trait discovered itself in all her 

 colts fbr succeeding generations; and it could 

 hardly have been learned by example of the an- 

 cestor, as her owner -ivas careful to keep his bars 

 securely pinned. 



If these premises are correct, which I believe 

 every observant man will concede, it is a crcat 

 motive to induce stork growers of all kind^■, to 

 be cautious in selecting their breeders. There 

 are certain desirable "properties which every 

 horse should possess ; a comely Ibrm, nuiscnlar 

 striMigth, agility, and a good docile dis]iosUion. 

 These are desirable ibr any business. Diflerent 

 kinds of business require difierent sized hor.-es; 

 and those who breed horses should aim to adapt 

 tlicir horses to some particular purpose. If colts 



