8a 



minds of our most industrious and thrifty farmers, that tliey 

 are somewhat " beliind the times" in their aOTieultural manajje- 

 ment, wliile many of them must also be aware that they would 

 exhibit to critical visitors a lamentable lack of system, oi'der 

 and neatness. So they content themselves with taking to the 

 annual cattle show some of their best animals, fruits or vege- 

 tables, leaving behind them at their homes the evidences of 

 their unprogressive or slovenly management, and permitting 

 the " Fancy Farmers" of the county to carry off tlie premi- 

 ums which should reward well managed industry — premiums 

 which they might secure, if they would but temper their praise- 

 worthy toil and their commendal)le thrift with more system and 

 ■with some attempt at neatness. 



But the " Fancy Farmers" wlio are thus permitted to " walk 

 i)\er the course," and to ^xm the high honors offered by the so- 

 ciety to all competitors, do something for the advancement of 

 agriculture beyond demonstrating how commendable it is to 

 have fences clear from weeds, to have buildings neatly kept, 

 and to have " a place for everything, and everything in its 

 place." It has been asserted, that while the working farmers 

 of Xew England are not inferior in natural intelligence to any 

 other class of the community, they possess as a l)ody less of 

 that acquired knowledge which specially relates to tlie art by 

 which they live, than those occupied in manufacturing or com- 

 mercial pursuits. In Essex county, how^ever, our yeomen 

 have, during the past fifty years, been able to profit, when 

 they so desired, by the visible teachings of their neighboring 

 "Fancy Farmers," who, with no small outlay of money (and 

 often for their oavu amusement rather than from any desire to 

 educate othez's), have diffused Aaluable knoAvlcdge by experi- 

 ments, generally profitless in a pecuniary point of view to 

 themselves. As a general tiling, a thrifty, industrious, work- 

 ing farmer, pays little heed to tlie theoretical harangues of any 

 soft-handed man of leisure, but if he can Avitness, year by 

 year, the results of a practical operation of these same theories, 

 either good or bad, his storlin<x Yankee o-ood sense leads him to 



