REPORTS OF DELEGATES. 301 



assembled in the town hall and listened to the very able 

 remarks of their president and a number of other gentlemen, 

 which were of much interest to the practical farmers. I shall 

 long remember the hospitality extended to me by their presi- 

 dent and secretary. 



James Thompson. 



MIDDLESEX NORTH. 



The annual exhibition of the Middlesex North Agricultural 

 Society was held at Lowell on the 24th of September, 1863, 

 which I attended by request of Hon. E. W. Bull, the regu- 

 larly appointed delegate, who was confined to his house by 

 sickness. 



On arriving at tlie grounds of the society, every opportunity 

 was afforded which I desired by the president and secretary, to 

 facilitate the duties devolving upon me. I commenced my 

 examination, beginning with the horses, of which there were 

 the usual number of stallions, breeding mares and colts on 

 exhibition, the quality of which was more ordinary than I 

 expected to find at an exhibition of this society. The colts 

 were of small size for their age, evidently showing that they 

 had not had the good feeding required to make a good-sized 

 horse, and which it is very poor economy to withhold from 

 them, particularly the first two years of their lives. And 

 among all the animals of the horse kind on exhibition, entered 

 for premium, I did not see one extra animal, at which I was 

 much surprised, knowing, as I do, that there are many fine 

 horses and colts in Lowell and its vicinity. 



In the cattle pens, I found some fine, large, good-shaped, fat 

 oxen, such as would do credit to any exhibition in this part of 

 the State. Quite a number of fine-appearing milch cows of 

 native breed and one very fine Jersey cow, owned by Ransom 

 Reed, Esq., of Lowell. There were some other cows of pure 

 blood, and quite a number of grade cows. There were only 

 two or three pure-bred bulls, and they were not such animals 

 as would command a high price among breeders of cattle, and 

 a number of grade bulls, to which at least it is of doubtful 



