132 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



his neck to upheave the tufted sod ; — and so little about the 

 one thing necessary to agricultural success — good ploughing. 

 Your committee, with all due respect for former practical cus- 

 toms and opinions, have excused themselves from following 

 round and round in the furrows of their predecessors, and 

 would only say of the wind on the morning of the ploughing 

 match, that all present must recollect whether it blew "hot or 

 cold." Your committee were greatly embarrassed in the dis- 

 charge of their duties. As the ploughing progressed, we applied 

 the rules prescribed by the society, to the depth and width of 

 the furrow, and found that there was a great deficiency. The 

 ploughmen were informed of their errors, but still they went 

 on, caring for nothing but to make good time and get the 

 premium. It is sometimes said that " good beginning makes 

 bad ending ;" we are of the opinion that the work done at the 

 setting in of the plough was not good enough to affect the poor 

 work done at the turning out of the plough, or, in other words, 

 the ploughing was not what the regulations of the county re- 

 quired it should be ; neither was it what it should have been 

 with a perfect Worcester plough, drawn by a Berkshire team, 

 and guided by the strength and skill of a Berkshire farmer. 

 The embarrassments of your committee were not at all removed 

 when the last ploughman cried " whoa" ; for there were awards 

 to be made which were offered on certain conditions, and these 

 conditions had not been complied with. Your committee were 

 unanimous in their opinions as to what ought to be done. They 

 also agreed that, under all the circumstances, it would not 

 answer to withhold all the premiums, consequently they have 

 made some awards : and call the attention of tlie society to the 

 importance of having the rules of the society strictly complied 

 with, or banish the rules on ploughing, and let every man plough 

 according to the dictates of his owu understanding, then let the 

 committee award the premiums where the merit lies. 



Marshal Sears, Chairman. 



