REPORTS OF DELEGATES. 



(O 



was followed by the reading of reports of committees, inter- 

 spersed with brief addresses from several gentlemen. 



In conclusion, I wish to commend the promptness and energy 

 of the officers of this society, every part of tiie programme 

 being carried out in full, and at the appointed time. 



P. Stedman. 



MIDDLESEX. 



In the capacity of a delegate from the Board of Agriculture, I 

 attended the seventieth exhibition of the Middlesex Agricultural 

 Society, held in the town of Concord, on the eighteenth day of 

 •September last. This being nearly or quite the oldest society 

 in the State, and in a very favorable locality for the operations 

 of an organization of the kind, I was naturally led to look for a 

 great degree of success. On the other hand, owing to the 

 absence of a large portion of the enterprising young men who 

 had gone forth to do battle in defence of our country, I antici- 

 pated a falling otf in the attendance, and to some extent in the 

 number of entries. In each of these expectations I was not 

 especially disappointed. The exhibition in many respects was 

 superior, though somewhat meagre in the number of entries. 

 This was especially observable in the stock department, not one 

 half of the accommodations furnished by the society being called 

 into use. The display of stock on the ground was a very fine 

 one, but as I have elsewhere observed, did not appear to gain 

 the attention to which it would seem to be entitled. This may 

 arise from the fact that to the people of that section, nothing 

 new was -presented. The show of fruits was, as everywhere 

 else this season, unusually good. In apples particularly, it 

 stood, in my limited experience, unrivalled. The ploughing 

 match was to all intents and purposes a repetition of previous 

 ones, and a type of those generally occurring elsewhere, not very 

 prolific of results, except to the more fortunate contestants. 



The attendance of visitors under all tlie circumstances was 

 very fair, but I failed to observe that enthusiasm which is apt 

 to display itself in the exhibitions of some of the more youtliful 

 societies. This is a subject that has several times forced itself 



