PLOUGHING. 123 



gold, therefore it is useless for us to bestow upon them our 

 gifts of praise. 



Your committee of last year, being duly convinced of the 

 glorious results which would emanate from the introduction of 

 the horse in competition with the ox, suggested the idea of 

 placing them on a par in competition for the premiums. And 

 highly gratified were your present committee in seeing that the 

 society have encouraged the farmer to train his horse for the 

 culture of the soil by oifering a liberal premium. We were 

 also pleased to see that some of our farmers availed them- 

 selves in the contest for the " Golden Apple." Two horse 

 teams were entered, and the agility, conciseness, and every 

 way perfect manner with which they discharged their labor cre- 

 ated a feeling of surprise in our minds, notwithstanding the 

 fixed certainty which we entertained. 



Now that we have broached the subject of horse-training, we 

 would offer another suggestion, which we candidly trust will 

 meet with your favorable consideration — that is, that the society 

 should offer favorable inducements for equestrian displays. 

 Perhaps some of the more eccentric portion of the community 

 may view this suggestion as one of too ancient a nature, or 

 even a vindication of woman's rights, as one which should not 

 receive your approbation, inasmuch as its tendency does not 

 directly accord with agricultural improvements. We would 

 say to this class, bear in mind that our aim is not chiefly to 

 improve the soil, but to leave undone nothing which tends to 

 elevate and ennoble the brute race. We have had a brilliant 

 example set us by our sister States, who can most proudly 

 boast of the eminent results of this novel but praisewor- 

 thy experiment. Should your honorable board of trustees 

 concede this new trial of competition a place beside those 

 which have graced our shows in years gone past, we have no 

 hesitation in saying, that so exciting would be the spirit of 

 rivalry that many of our fair daughters of Worcester County 

 would appear before us at our next annual exhibition, and by 

 their skilfulness in training the mounted steed, they would gain 

 the applause of all, and would add more to the interest of the 

 exhibition than aught else could do. 



The character of this exhibition has been of that glorious 



