lOt> 



N E W ENGLAND FAR ME R , 



NOV. 18, tS40. 



Togethei-, IBJjGJl passengers. £5,0()'i 



It is thus very clear tliat more tlian fcfiir fifths of 



the revenue from passengers coiiies from those who 



pay 1 1-2 cent per mile. 



LOW FARES IN PUBLIC CONVEYANCES ; 1st class, 17,i»31 passengers at 1 l-2d., equal 



AND A 1' TAVERNS. j to 3 cents per mile, £895 



We have received from a friend the subjoined j 2d class, ](JG,690 pn.ssen'-ers, at 3-4d., equal 

 statement on the effect of making the fares on rail to 1 1-2 cent, per iriile, 4,1G7 



roads and public convoyanc. s as low as may con- 

 veniently be done. This is only one among innu- 

 merable examples in respect to public conveyances 

 where the same result has followed; and the chea- 

 per the fare the greater has been the profit. There 

 is a point, to be sure, beiow which one would not 

 think of going : but the great mass of every com- 

 munity, embracing about seven eighths of them, 

 are obliged to calculate very closely as to what 

 they caif afford ; and will be induced to travel 

 when fares are very light, when they would never 

 think of doing it while tares are high, or consider- 

 ed high. This applies especially to short distan- 

 ces, 'we have no doubt whatever that if, for eight 

 months in the year, the fare from Boston to Salem 

 was twenlyfive instead of fifty cents, from Boston 

 to Lowell fifty cents instead of a dollar, from Bos- 

 ton to VVorcesler one dollar instead of one dollar 

 and fifty cents, and from Boston to Providence one 

 dollar, the travel on every one of these routes 

 would be quadrupled. We saw a proposition a few 

 days since, from a gentleman whose authority is 

 entitled to great respect, to raise the fare from 

 Boston to New York to, and to fix it permanently 

 at, six dollars instead of five. For those who 

 travel, undoubtedly the fewer passengers the more 

 comfiirt ; but for the profit of the companies, no 

 measure could be more ill-judged. We have no 

 doubt, for SIX months in a year, if they would car- 

 ry passengers from Boston to New York for three 

 dollars instead of si.x, and this might be easily and 

 safety done in boats which should make the whole 

 passage by daylight, the receipts of the company 

 ■would be double what they would be at six dollars. 

 The same remark applies likewise to public houses. 

 If at the stage dinner houses, for example, the din- 

 ner was charged at twontyfive cents, and this in 

 most places can be well afforded, scarcely a pas- 

 senger would fail to dine. Now the price being 

 fifty cents, not one passenger in six takes any din- 

 ner. This may be seen on rail roads. In travel- 

 ling from Boston to Springfield, at I'Vamingham, at 

 Worcester and at Warren, there i.s an almost uni- 

 versal rush to the table.*, even with passengers whc 



WORCESTER AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ALDERNEY COWS. 



From a highly respected friend in Providence, 

 we have received some inquiries respecting this 

 breed of cows, and whether they are best suited 

 for beef or milk. We have seen several of them. 

 They are small in size and generally inferior in 

 shape and appearance, and seldom exhibit much 

 thrift. They are not to be chosen for beef. They 

 are not remarkable for giving great quantities of 

 milk, but they are remarkable for giving milk of 

 extraordinary richness ; and persons in England 

 and this country keep them for the sake of the rich 

 cream for their tables. They are in general of a 

 light red or a grey dun or fawn color, with small 

 and crooked horns. Reuben Haines, of German- 

 town, Penn., in 1823, says — "I have now a little 

 full bred Alderncy cow, reared on my farm, which 

 will be onlv four years old next harvest. She had 

 her third calf on the first of last month ; and on the 

 nineteenth we had rather more than ten pounds of 

 delicious butter from twelve quarts of her cream, 

 obtained from fourteen niilkings ; that is, in one 

 week. Her only food through the winter has been 

 good hay and brewers' grains — the latter article 

 well known to be useful in promoting the secretion 

 of milk, but not increasing the quantity or improv- 

 ing the quality of the butter. One remarkable 

 property of the cream of the Alderney cow is, the 

 readiness with which it is converted into butter." 



John Lawrence says, that " an Alderney cow 

 that had strayed on the premises of a friend of his, 

 and remained there three weeks, made nineteen 

 pounds of butter each week, and the fact was held 

 so extraordinary, as to be thought worthy of a 

 memorandum in the parish books." (Farmers' Se- 

 ries.) 



They are originally from Normandy, in France ; 

 have breakfasted in Boston, to get a luncii or re- | and are said, when dried off, to fatten with great 

 freshments, which they do, often times, at great ease. They are cmstantly imported into England, 

 personal inconvenience, for 12 i-2 or 25 cents. If being ad.nired for the properties to which we have 

 the breakfast or dinner were half a dollar, though above referred ; but some disappointment has occa- 

 it mifht be even much better than it is, not one in ! sionally occurred, for the true reason that the pas- 

 ten would tlnnk of tukii.g it. So it is in stage j tnrage in England is not so good as in their native 

 coaches, as every man "ho travels much, may soon i land. 

 discover, if he will but make careful ob.«ervation 

 of the case. A few weeks since, where we were 



travelling- in a stage coach with six passengers, 

 two only took br.'akfast at the stopping place; the 

 other four remaining in the stage, simply because 

 they would not pay fifty cents for a breakfast, which 

 they knew in that place was about four times its 

 actual cost, or beciiuse they could not afford it. 

 They avowed the charge for the meal to be the 

 reason why they would n it partake of it ; and if 

 you could come at the truth in other cases, in a 

 g-rcat majority of them this would be found to be 

 the true cause of tiieir abstinence. H. C. 



Ui.siKR Railway — (8 miles.) 

 (From, the Fifth Riport to the. Jlrilish Parliament on 

 Iiui.lwaijS — /). A'la.) 

 Receipts for passengers, from lyth August, 1839, 

 to 31st January, 1840 : 



Like all other animals from whom v;e are 

 to look for any thing valuable, they r''quire liberal 

 feeding and the best care. We must not expect 

 impossibilities. We remember very well a friend's 

 having purchased a cow from a town abounding in 

 the richest pasturage ; and upon taking her to his 

 own inferior pastures she fell very much shoit of 

 the yield which he had been informed she had been 

 accustomed to give. He complained to the seller 

 of the cow that she had not fulfilled his recommen- 

 dation. " Why," said the farmer, " I sold yon the 

 cow, but I did not sell you my pastures too." 



H. C. 



IJoerhaave, says Dr. Johnson, was never soured 

 by calumny and detraction, nor ever thought it ne- 

 cessary to confute them; "For," said he, "they 

 are sparks, which if you do not blow them, will go 

 out of themselves." 



Report on Fat Cattle ami Milch Cams. 

 The Committee having attended to the dutie^ 

 assigned them, beg leave to offer the following 

 Report : 



The number of fat cattle offered for pemiums 

 were ten, viz : 



By Gardner Wilson, of Leicester, one Fjt Ox.] 

 weighing 2J85 lbs., six years old. i 



By Luke Baker, of Rutland, two F.at Oxen 

 weighing, one 2215 lbs., the other 2285 lbs., sever 

 yvars old. 



By Jedediali Estabrook, of Rutland, two fat oxen 

 v/eiuhing, one 2195 lbs., the other 2125 lbs., scvei 

 years old. 



By L. & E. L. fjarnard, of Worcester, three fa 

 O.xen, one weighing 2580 lbs., one 2260 lbs., an( 

 one 1980; two of them eight years old, one sevei 

 years old. 



By Silas Dudley, of Mendon, two fat Oxen, on* 

 weighing 2350 lbs., the other 2100 lbs. 



Also, one lat Cow was offered for exhibition, bj 

 John Boyd, of Shrewsbury, weighing 1790 lbs 

 No premium is oftered by the Society for fat cowt , 

 The cow exhibited by Mr. Boyd was a very fin 

 animal, and he is entitled to the thanks of the com 

 niittee for his public spirit in offering so good a 

 animal, without the prospect of pecuniary reward. 1 

 The Committee were highly gratified with th | 

 exhibition of Fat Cattle, believing they will con j 

 pare well with all previous exhibitions, and grea' 

 ly surpass many. They have awarded the fin 

 premium of $20, to Jedcdiah Estabrook, of Rutlani 

 for his Yellow Ox. 



'i'he second premium, of $1.5, to Luke Baker, • 

 Rutland, for his Yellow Ox. 



And the third premium of $10 to Silas Dudle 

 of Mendon, an ox fattened under the care of M 

 Oliver B. Everett, well known in that section ■ I 

 the country for his skill and fidelity in this impo 

 tant branch of the farming interest. i 



The number of Milch Cows offered for pr i 

 miums were seven, and one for exhibition only. 1 

 One by Matthew Coiinel, of Leicester, six years ol } 

 " " Geo. .Ainsworth, Worcester, three last sprin ) 

 " " Joseph Slayton, Brnokfield, seven years ol 

 " " W. Blanchard, Charlton, seven years old. 

 " " T. B. Eaton, Worcester, four years (dd. 

 " " Daniel H. Fitch, Leicester. 

 " " James Leach, Southboro'. 

 The Cow oftered for exhibition, was owned 1 

 J. P. Cushing, of Watertown, imported from l.ii 

 land in 183G, of the Ayreshire breed, called tl 

 Venus, and deservedly so, as she was a beautil 

 specimen of that fine breed of cattle ; and tl ^ 

 Committee and Society are highly gratified at tl 

 interest taken in our Shows, by distinguished agi 

 culturists, in other sections of the State, and n 

 particularly obligated to Mr. Cushing, who li 

 made the Society a splendid donation of a Bull, 

 the Ayreshire breed. 



The first premium of $15, was awarded to W 

 Blanchard of Charlton, for the best iMilchi 'i 

 From the 17th to the 27th of June, she gave tn li 

 quarts of i.iilk per day, and made 171bs. during tl 

 period. From the lOLh to the 20th of Septei;ii 

 she gave 15 quarts of milk per day, and ma 

 11 1-2 lbs. of butter. The cow calred on tlie'-'t 

 of April, and the calf was slaughtered the i'tli ' 

 June, — the calf weighed 110 lbs. — the skin, ' 

 1-2 lbs. 



The second premium of $10, was awarded > 



