1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



503 



ranged in good taste, and were properly attended. 

 The crowd of ladies was too great about the capes, 

 collars, skirts, embroidery, and "dimity" generally, 

 for us to attempt anything lilie a thorough look at 

 them. We saw enough, however, over the shoul- 

 ders of the fair throng, to satisfy us that there were 

 many articles of rare merit among them. A piece 

 of embroidery hanging at the end of the hall, was 

 of pre-eminent excellence. In a room underneath, 

 •were the vegetables, but there was nothing remark- 

 able among them, excepting a few fine pumpkins, 

 and some very large marrow squashes. 



Few implements of any kind, or carriages, or har- 

 nesses, were j /resented. 



The stock department was well sustained. There 

 were tine specimens of milch cows, of various blood, 

 and also of heifers, calves and steers. Among the 

 working oxen, numbering some seventy or eighty 

 pairs, there might be seen several that would be a 

 credit to any county. Dr. Field, of Leominster, 

 had a bull and cow of the pure Alderney blood ; 

 the bull was the finest we have seen this autumn. 

 The trial of the working oxen was witnessed by a 

 large number of people, with much satisfaction. 

 The plowing match had some fifteen contestants, 

 and the work, we understood, was well done. 



The show of swine was good, but not large in 

 number. There were a few sheeji, mostly cossets, 

 and a variety of poultry, and among the latter, a 

 coop of very beautiful white turkeys. 



The butter and cheese all looked well, and so far 

 as we tasted, the butter could not easily be ex- 

 celled. 



Altogether, these bounties of the soil, and pro- 

 duets of skill, must have made a strong impression 

 upon the mind of every attentive beholder, and 

 serve to convince him that the earth will always 

 yield a proper reward to him who cultivates it with 

 industry and intelligence. 



"These are thy blessings, Industry ! rough power ! 

 Whom labor still attends, and sweat, and pain ; 

 Yet the kind source of every gentle art. 

 And all the soft civility of life : 

 Raiser of human kind !" 



We would suggest to our friends, as a crowning 

 excellence to their festival, that they adopt some 

 mode to Jill the house ivith people to hear the ad- 

 dress, and keep all noise away from it, and so ar- 

 range matters as to have two hours, at least, at the 

 dinner table. Our thanks are due the officers of 

 the Society, some old friends, and especially to 

 Gen. Wood, for kind attentions during the day. 



Steam Plowing.— Since 1850, no less than 

 thirty-five patents have been taken out, in England, 

 for the application of steam to plowing. In a late 

 'lumber of the Prairie Fanner, v;e notice that Mr, 

 John Percy offers to sell himself "a slave for life," 

 in«case of his failure to equip a machine that shall 



"turn over, sow and harrow eleven acres per hour, 

 or one hundred and eleven acres in ten hours," 

 provided any person will furnish him with $5000 ! 

 Whether the "Calliope" is to be attached, we are 

 not informed ; but certain it is, that the "good time 

 coming" cannot be far distant, if Mr. Percy can 

 perform all he promises to do with five thousand 

 dollars. 



For the New England Fanner. 



THE FARMER'S HARVEST HYMN. 



We thank Thee ! Oh God of the seasons, 



Thy power is around us alway ; 



Thou givest us rest in the night time, 



Thou givest us labor by day. 



We scatter our seed in the spring time, 



Trusting strongly thy promise of old ; 



We gather our harvest in autumn, • 



The bright corn-ears glistening like gold ; 



We go forth rejoicing in summer, 



The grass- field waves bright in the sun ; 



With our scythes sharpened brightly and keenly. 



We cut it ere noontime comes on. 



In autumn the leaves falling around us, 



Reveal the ripe fruit on the trees ; 



Our hives are filled up with fresh honey, 



By the labor of our busy bees. 



In winter, the poor and the needy 



Require a kind word or kind deed , 



Thus passes the life of the farmer, — 



What more can man wish for, or need.' 



True, we labor, but labor's a blessing, 



'Twas no curse of our God when he said, 



"In the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat it" — 



We are willing to work for our bread, 



And we're happiest thus to be fed. 



Mr. Brown — Dear Sir: — 1 promised you, some 

 time since, conditionally, to give you an article oc- 

 casionally for the Farmer. I have tried to do so, 

 but with G or 8 hands to find in work through hay- 

 time, and such a haytime as we have had this year, 

 it has been impossible. I am bound to have no 

 idle help on my farm. One of my men was a true 

 Yankee, and could turn his hand to almost any- 

 thing. One was a shoemaker, and these two I had 

 no difficulty to keep employed through the weeks, 

 when we have had four days out of six rainy ; but 

 with the others it was a more difficult matter, re- 

 quiring a good deal of calculation and mental la- 

 bor, and leaving me but little time for anything 

 else. 



I therefore send you the above little song of 

 mine. It expresses my idea of a farmer's life, la- 

 bors' and enjoyment completely. I hope it will be 

 responded to, should you think it worth a corner of 

 your paper, by many of my brother farmers. 



Westford, Sept. 1, 1856. L. H. Hildreth. 



To Correspondents. — The article on "Swallows," 

 signed "Sixteen," is well written, but contains no 

 new facts on the subject. We feel obliged to our 

 young friend for his attention. The one on "Sho- 

 ing Hens" will be seasonable in April, and will be 

 preserved. Several other articles, of too great 

 length, or where the subject has already been fully 

 treated, and some for want of adaptation, are inad- 

 missible. 



