NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



527 



BARNSTABLE CO. CATTLE SHOW. 



We had the pleasure of passing a day or two 

 with the Cape Ooddera, last week, and of attending 

 their Cattle Show at Sandwich. On Tuesday 

 evening the hotels were more than full, and many 

 were accommodated by the hospitality of private 

 citizens. There were indications of rain early on 

 the morning of Wednesday, which undoubtedly 

 kept many at home in the early part of the day ; 

 but when the clouds had dropt a few pearly tears, 

 they relented of the evil they had done, and sailed 

 away majestically over the hills, letting in the 

 bright influences of King Sol and whole cavalcades 

 of men and maidens, children, and horses and ve- 

 hicles of every sort. 



Looking in at the Hall more particularly appro- 

 priated to the handiwork of the ladies, we saw 

 some things strongly contrasting with their delicate 

 performances. Grimly enclosing the "beauty and 

 fashion" of the town stood a black iron fence, 

 strong and substantial, three feet high, with orna- 

 mented posts four feet high, and manufactured by 

 the Manomet Iron Company. This fence is sold 

 at $1,25 a foot, the pests at $4 each — cheaper 

 than a good and handsome fence can be made of 

 wood. Then there was a sugar refiner, by the 

 same company, the patent of Smith Gardner, of 

 N. Y., about four feet high, and two and a half in 

 diameter, tilled with strainers, and so arranged as 

 to bring a pressure of ten pounds to the square 

 inch, pressing out the molasses and leaving the 

 sugar dry ; thus saving all the filthy processes in 

 sugar refining by blood. A case of dental tools, 

 by N. C. Fowler, Yarmouth-port, was very fine. 

 The huge bowls, beautiful decanters, tumblers, 

 finger-bowls, glasses, &c, from the Glass Works 

 at Sandwich, cannot probably be excelled any 

 where. The ladies were busy among the products 

 of their skill, (themselves the fairest flowers,) the 

 gentlemen were attentive, and altogether the Hall 

 presented a pretty and lively appearance. 



The entries at the pens of horses, cattle, sheep, 

 swine and poultry were not large or unusually ex- 

 cellent, but the pens themselves were patterns for 

 any county in the State. Neither was the show 

 of fruit and vegetables large, but excellent speci- 

 mens of many varieties were presented. In quinces 

 and cranberries Cape Cod will beat the world. 



Eight teams plowed, being all that were entered 

 for competition, we supposed, as but eight lands 

 were struck out. The ground was unfavorable, a 

 portion of it being on the hill-side. Men and 

 teams showed skill, but the plows were of an an- 

 cient date. 



The dinner was at Pope's Hotel, and was better 

 than any of which we have partaken on similar oc- 

 casions. But the chief charm was lacking — there 

 was no intellectual feast — no toasts or speeches. 

 The dinner over, a procession was formed and 

 marched to the Town Hall, where a forty-minutes 



address was delivered by Simon Brown, of Con- 

 cord. 



Reports of committees were then read and pre- 

 miums awarded, and the business meeting of the 

 Society having been held in the morning, at which 

 the officers were elected — the show was over. 



Upon the whole, the CapeCoddera did not do on 

 this occasion as well as they might have done ; 

 but nearly as well as ought to be expected vrhstQ 

 the society is an itinerating one. We understand 

 that the meetings are hereafter to be holden at 

 Barnstable, that the change is organic, the consti- 

 tution having been so amended as to require the 

 meetings to be holden at that place annually. We 

 had a pleasant time, and would here express our 

 obligations to C. B. H. Fessenden, Esq., President 

 of the Society, and to other gentlemen, for polite 

 attentions. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SEED POTATOES. 



Mr. Editor : — I have a few words to say about 

 seed potatoes. Though it may seem a little out of 

 season — yet perhaps it may not be so much so as 

 it seems. I think that farmers should look out for 

 their seed now, and wilUshow my reasons as soon 

 as possible. 



There has been much discussion whether it is 

 important or not to save large seed for planting. 

 I think that the size of the potato as a whole is not 

 to be looked at, as much as the condition of the 

 eye — which is of course the germ of the plant ; if 

 you wish thrifty potatoes you should attend to this; 

 cut potatoes with sound germs are better fur se id 

 than whole ones with what I call weak eyes. Let 

 us look however at the office performed by the body 

 or bulb of the potato. In the first place, it is the 

 organ by which ip the growth of the plant the 

 germ is established, and the first stage in its ex- 

 istence completed ; in the next place, it is a mag- 

 azine of nourishment to supply material to support 

 the growth of that germ when it starts on its sec- 

 ond stage. 



Whenever a potato is placed in a warm, damp 

 place, the juices contained within it undergo a 

 change. Electricity is developed, which starts the 

 germ into action, the sprouts of the potato shoot 

 out, and the nourishment contained in these fer- 

 menting juices in its body are taken up by the 

 growing sprout and form its composition. As long 

 as the potato is kept in a favorable situation for 

 this change in its juices to continue, the sprout 

 grows until it at length takes up all the capital it 

 had to start with, all its fund supplied by nature ; 

 now, unless it is placed in the ground it can pro- 

 gress no further, for it has emptied the bank. It 

 is evident that if we plant potatoes early, before 

 the ground is in a condition to supply a constant 

 source of nourishment, it is best to plant large po- 

 tatoes, and not to skin off the seed end too closely. 

 And then' again, it is a good plan to plant sound 

 potatoes, not wilted ones that have sprouted and 

 had the sprouts broken off several times; why? 

 Because every time that a sprout puts forth, it ex- 

 hausts the electric power in the bulb and also takes 

 up of its nourishment ; large potatoes therefore 

 that have sprouted several times, are no better to 

 plant than small ones whose bulbs or bodies have 



