572 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



country must have an important influence in regu- 

 lating the nomenclature of fruits, and in deciding 

 on their various merits. The work contains many 

 valuable pages from which we may hereafter draw 

 for our columns. The next meeting of the Socie- 

 ty is to be holden at Boston in 1854. 



HAMPSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We compile from the Amherst Express the fol- 

 lowing account of the annual Exhibition of this 

 Society, on Wednesday, October 27. 



Wednesday opened most auspiciously, the at- 

 mosphere was cool and bracing, and the weather 

 delightful as could be expected in these drear au- 

 tumnal days, when the heats of summer are cool- 

 ing down before the frosts of approaching winter. 

 The Cattle Show of the Hampshire Agricultural 

 Society, taken as a whole, surpassed anything 

 heretofore exhibited in this town. Although some 

 departments may have been less full than on pre- 

 vious occasions, yet in others the display was of a 

 quality more than sufficient to make up any defi- 

 ciency. The Show of Cattle, although not as large 

 as it has heretofore been, was still far above that 

 of any other Society, in the State, we have yet 

 noticed. Eastern Hampshire always turns out, in 

 full, in this sterling element of Cattle Show, and 

 this year she still maintains her superiority, not- 

 withstanding the circumstances which have com- 

 bined to greatly reduce the number of cattle on 

 our farms. 



Stock on the Common. — The whole number of 

 neat Cattle on the ground was 400. There were 

 four strings of Working Oxen, many of them fine 

 animals, yet they would have shown to better ad- 

 vantage if some of the smaller yokes had been mi- 

 nus. Leverett turned out G8 pair, drawing a car 

 containing a band of music, Hadley and Granby 

 were each represented by 35 yokes, the latter 

 drawing a car upon which was an American flag, 

 dressed in mourning, in honor of Mr. Webster. 

 From Pelham there were 10 yokes present. 



Fat Cattle were not numerous, but those pre- 

 sented were of superior quality. Of Bulls, Cows, 

 Calves, Sheep, Swine, &c, there was a good dis- 

 play, pork, in particular, being well represented, 

 the grunters and squealers attracting their full 

 share of attention. 



Horses. — Many fine animals were exhibited, al- 

 though the entries were less numerous than on 

 former occasions. 



Plowing Match. — There were sixteen competi- 

 tors, and the nicety of the work, depth of furrow, 

 and rapidity of execution, together with the differ- 

 ent instruments used, attracted the attention of a 

 large concourse. 



Sweetser's Hall. — Here was the finest display 

 of fruit we remember ever to have seen. Although 

 rather late in the season for many specimens of 

 summer fruit, yet, in the article of apples, there 

 was a splendid display. Four long tables, extend- 

 ing the length of the Hall, and one across the end, 

 contained 058 plates of fruit, and few, if any, of 

 our older cotemporaries can present a better dis- 

 play. 



T'iienix Hall. — Here were displayed vegetables, 

 grains, mechanic arts, butter, cheese, bread, &c. 

 The first point of attraction on entering the hall 

 was the splendid array of butter. It seemed as if 



the ladies vied with each other in bringing in the 

 largest and best specimens from their dairies. 



Vegetables seem to have been growing this year 

 on purpose to see which would get to be the big- 

 gest by Cattle Show time. The display of mon- 

 strous vegetables was much larger than usual. 

 Although it may be gratifying to behold these 

 monstrosities, yet they are not, as a general thing, 

 of equal utility with smaller and more medium 

 growths. 



The Address from W. C. Goldthwait, A.M., 

 Principal of Westfield Academy, was a capital 

 thing, just suited to the occasion, plain, practical, 

 comprehensive, within the uuderstanding of all, 

 and full of useful information. 



Mr. Goldthwait commenced by alluding in a 

 very felicitous manner to the wealth of farming, 

 in which he gave statistics showing it to be far 

 the most profitable of any employment. His sub- 

 ject was "Agriculture as susceptible of Improve- 

 ment." This was obvious from the great improve- 

 ment witnessed within the last fifty years, as can 

 be seen in our larger crops, better stock, and im- 

 proved lands. In other parts of the world there 

 had been still greater advances. While Massachu- 

 setts supports a population of 87 to the square 

 mile, England subsists over 200. He then enu- 

 merated the particular points in which our farm- 

 ing was capable of improvement. Draining was 

 yet in its infancy among us. In manures we were 

 far behind other countries. He illustrated these 

 by allusions to what had been done in other parts 

 of the world, where on single estates there were 

 700 miles of drains, and manures, reduced to a 

 liquid state were showered, by means of machine- 

 ry upon the fields. Another matter where im- 

 provement could be made was in the cultivation of 

 less land, which could be better treated. In 

 France, where the landed property is divided be- 

 tween each generation, the average size of farms 

 was 15 acres, and there were 1,500,000 farms 

 averaging only 5 acres, and yet this country had 

 been greatly growing in wealth . The soil must be 

 better prepared for the seed. Plowing is the most 

 important operation on the farm. It is necessary 

 that the ground should be properly pulverized, 

 and in this connection he spoke of subsoil plowing ; 

 of the necessity of stirring the soil to a sufficient 

 depth, for the roots of plants, so that the strength 

 of the plant need not be exhausted in boring a pas- 

 sage for its roots through the plow floor. The 

 roots of corn descend six feet ; clover two ; grain 

 from two to three. Subsoil plowing has doubled 

 crops without additional manure. 



In some parts of Europe they have spade hus- 

 bandry, which consists in throwing up the soil with 

 a fork, having tines 14 inches long. In France 

 40,000 acres are cultivated in this way. In this 

 connection he again alluded to draining, and spoke 

 also of manures. He then went on to show how 

 farmers could improve their agriculture by improv- 

 ing themselves. They ought each to have a work- 

 shop and know how to use it. They should be 

 coopers enough to put a new hoop on the vinegar 

 barrel, and dentists enough to insert a new tooth 

 in the rake head. Learn how to do every tiling. 

 Chemistry is important to the farmer and he should 

 not forget books. Cultivate the soil and the mind. 

 He then enumerated some of the advantages of 

 the farmers life, and closed with a beautiful tri- 

 bute to the ladies, farmer's wives and daughters. 



