SECRETARY'S REPORT. 405 



A commodious building, two stories in hciglit, is centrally 

 located upon an elevated plat overlooking the entire park. The 

 lower hall is devoted to the display of fruits, vegetables, fancy 

 and domestic articles. The upper one is used as a dining hall ; 

 and at the close of the exhibition more than four hundred ladies 

 and gentlemen were here seated to partake of a bountiful colla- 

 tion, and spend an hour in mutual interchange of thought and 

 sentiment. 



Being present only on the second day, I was unable to obtain 

 names, and particulars of entry to any great extent. 



The large hall was well filled with the choicest productions 

 of the farm, the fireside, and the workshop. 



The show of animals was not large. Of sheep, I noticed 

 Leicesters, and grade South Downs, which were very good- 

 Some of the carriage horses possessed superior merit. A class 

 of horses raised in the county was, perhaps, the most marked 

 feature in this part of the exhibition. 



Of neat stock, the Alderney was the only pure breed repre- 

 sented, and that by a few good animals. Aside from these, 

 most of the stock present showed little indication of the presence 

 of improved blood. 



One of the practices of this society appears to me not calcu- 

 lated to promote improvement in stock growing; and it is 

 worthy of serious consideration whether societies receiving the 

 State bounty should be allowed to offer premiums for grade and 

 mongrel bulls. Yet this society does offer its highest premium 

 for bulls of this sort. A glaring example of the inconsistency 

 of this course was made public, as the premium animals vrere 

 led upon the track in front of the judges' stand to receive their 

 awards. The only thoroughbred bull upon the grounds, and 

 he a very fine specimen of Alderney, was awarded six dollars ; 

 while a grade bull, every way inferior to the former, was 

 awarded ten dollars. And this is not the fault of the awarding 

 committee. This premium is offered for a bull of any other 

 than pure blood. 



The practice of so many of our agricultural societies resem- 

 bles so nearly that of the Plymouth,'' that I trust these remarks 

 will not be thought to bear too severely upon that society, but 

 as applicable to all which offer premiums for this kind of bulls. 



