314 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



In the afternoon, at three o'clock, a large audience collected 

 in the upper hall of the society's building, to hear Judge 

 Thomas Russell, of Boston, the orator of the occasion, and for 

 more than an hour he held them in rapt attention by a very 

 able and eloquent address upon the advantages of farming. 



Returning to the lower hall, we found a very choice display 

 of fruits, vegetables, flowers, fancy articles and articles of prac- 

 tical utility; products of the dairy ; raw silk from China, and 

 the same manufactured in American shops ; bread that might 

 tempt the daintiest epicure, preserves, jellies, and domestic 

 wines. There were some specimens of excellent cheese, both 

 old and new. The display of butter was large, and of fair 

 quality. The Hadley Farmers' Club contributed a large and 

 choice collection of apples and pears, and several varieties of 

 grapes. There were also good collections shown by other 

 parties. The orchards of Ellwanger and Barry, of Rochester, 

 New York, were represented by some thirty varieties of apples, 

 seventy-five varieties of pears, and ten varieties of grapes. 

 The large display of vegetables was what might be expected 

 from the farms and gardens of the Connecticut Valley — the 

 very best of their kind. 



The ladies had done their full share in contributing to the 

 useful and ornamental department of the show. The elegant 

 knit counterpanes and the serviceable rag-carpets, the very nice 

 homespun woollen yarn, the richly embossed needle-work, with 

 all the other varieties of the department, were a sufficient 

 guarantee that the useful and the beautiful were well appre- 

 ciated by the matrons and maidens of this society. 



The second day was devoted entirely to the horse. From 

 the more general use of the horse for farm work, and the 

 increased demand of the Federal government for this useful 

 animal, it has become a necessity more than formerly to 

 encourage the raising of good horses. While the fast young 

 men have been sobered down by the exigencies of the times, 

 I think we shall need good horses of all work more than horses 

 of the fancy stock. I think it would be well to rear and culti- 

 vate a national breed, specially adapted to artillery and cavalry 

 purposes. There was a great number of horses of all kinds on 

 exhibition, which made the number of choice animals less in 

 proportion. 



