132 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOV. I, 1-'"T. 



WORCESTER CATTLK SHOW. 



THE REPORT 0,\ SWINE. 



Committee: William Linc-oln, (if Worcestei- ; 

 William M. Benedict, of [Millsliiiiy ; Thomas W. 

 Ward, nf Slirewsluiry ; Riif"s Hastings, of Ster- 

 ling ; Luther Bnrnet, .Tr., of Worcester. 



The Committee o.i Swine, with humility, suh- 

 mit their Anmial Report. It has been more than 

 ".rlory enoiigli," for thein to serve in the elevated 

 station they have occupied. Earthly arnhilion 

 may well he contented, when cheered in the dis- 

 charge of high trusts, hy a voice, more impressive 

 than" that of the people, the still, small voice of 

 th'3 pig. Received by their four-footed associates 

 with aVectionate regard, the Board of Swine have 

 nothing further to desire for theiuselves. But in- 

 justice would be doue to the feelings of the Trus- 

 tees, and the obligations of gratilude to seveuly- 

 two inmates of the pens neglerted, if they failed, 

 in speaking of themselves, or of the race prede- 

 cessor of man's existence, to claim, and to bestow 

 those titles of distinction, which the universal cus- 

 tom of New England prefixes or appends to all 

 other names. They do, therefore, state, that the 

 Honorable Committee most resfiectfully waited on 

 the Mlsitrs Pigs, the Boars Estjuires, the Honora- 

 ble Sows, and their Honors the Hogs. 



A vast concourse convened this morning, of all 

 ages and sizes, from the phuiip child-pig, just 

 Si'-'oed from tlce cra<lle of ififancy, to the exten- 

 siie'creature entering on the gravity of swinehood. 



Never before, has ibe festival of the Society been 

 so hon red. Whether the enlarged attendance 

 was a token of approbation of the bright blue sky 

 of the (. • ,or a tribute ot Iriendsliip tu the judges, 

 it becomes not them to determine. Aoiid the 

 great assembly, there were ii f"W individuals, who, 

 with disturbed breathing and abstracted looks, ap- 

 j.eared as if they had not paid their tax. s, or had 

 not specie to discharge post-office bills, or had vis- 

 ited a bank-director to solicit extension of notes 

 over-due, or liad been to law, or were coming 

 back auain,or were proprietors of eastern or west- 

 ern domains, or were about to draw up a report, 

 or were candidates for office •, or had been afflic- 

 ted with some other of the epidemic evils, which 

 have scourged the community. But, generally, 

 there was an air of pi icid repose, as if, notwiih- 

 standiiig the excitement, calamities, and i)ressnre 

 of the times, their bodies were at rest, their minds 

 at ease, and themselves enjoying the expensive 

 luxury of a tranquil conscience. 



Lord Bacon divicb'S bunisj) knowledge into 

 memory, reason ami imagination. Close analogy 

 siigirests the classification of tliii magnificent dis- 

 play of pork, under the heads of Ixiars, lirceding 

 sows, anil weaned pigs. 



Boars e,<lst every where : they used the pens 

 of the Society frei.dy. For the on(! jiidgi-d to be 

 the most perfect ofrered for premium, five d(d- 

 lars were awarded to Mr George Jones, of Wor- 

 cester ; fm- the other vry worthy pig of Mr Joth- 

 am Barllett, of Northborongh, three didlars were 

 assigned. 



In one of the departments, tliere was an anima- 

 ted and busy scene. Twenty-two utiweaned pigs, 

 from eight to twelve w(;idis old, exiunplifi.Ml the 

 ])Ower of suction, by drawing, with nnwearieil dil- 

 igence, through convenient apparatus of hose, the 

 fluid of milk from the copious reservoirs of three 

 ROWS of Mr William C. Clark, Laiiillord of the 

 United Slates Motel. The ability to increase (lop- 

 illatiou was so approved, that the Committee uiinn- 



i,„oMsly bestowed on the fruitful mothers of the 

 three infant families of industrious laborers, the 

 first i)remiuin of five dollars. 



Before entering on the consideratio.i of the re- 

 wards proposed for wea.,e-l pigs, it has become 

 the mournful duty of the Counniltee to commu- 

 nicate information of a most afflicting event.— 

 Stephen Salisbury, Esc, , of Worcester, last even- 

 in.r entered on the records, the names of 4 most 

 inrercs.ing animals. One, in the full vigor ol 

 youth just entering on the morning of life, and 

 'ofthe'day with brilliant prospects of future use- 

 fulness, exhausted !)y over-exertion to reach the 



fell a victim to zeal and lie^t, and was 



«,v,tche<l away by an untimely death. While the 

 Committee condole with the owner of the deceas- 

 ed pork, on the nnhaipy tate of this martyr of 

 patriotic devotion for the cause of agriculture, 

 thev trust he will find consolation under the sad- 

 ness of the bereavement, in the virtues of the sur- 

 vivors and in the eulogy pronounced by the chair- 

 man of the Committee of Manufactures. Had our 

 de'iarte<l friend been present, the fir-t premium of 

 six dollars would have belonged to Mr Salisbury. 

 But the statutes of the Society require that pigs 

 should be not less than four in number. The laws 

 are sacred ; they cannot be dissolved by any cor- 

 rodin" acid of construction. It is therefore rec- 

 ommended, that instead of a premium, a gratuity 

 of equal amountbe tendered to Mr Salisbury, with 

 the assurances of our sincere sympathy ; and that 

 •my member of the Society who may be invited 

 by that gentleman, do attend the funeral obsequies 



of his pork. 



Misfortune seldom falls single ; that bitter fruit 

 is borne like the grape, in ousters. 'I he gloom 

 thrown 'over ihe day, was deepened by another 

 melancholy incident. An amiable pig of Mr G. 

 Jones, ;u-rived on the common in good health and 

 spirits'; but finding every pen filled, retired to pri- 

 vate lif'e and dieil on his return home, as is sup- 

 |,„sed, broken-hearted, with grief and mortification 

 at being exclude.l fro.n a place. 



Capt. John Barnard of Wm-cester, deseived the 

 second premium of ,f 4 : it is given to him accor- 

 diiif, to tlo deserts of his pigs. 



While the Comniiltee have finished the discus- 

 sion of thu claims of ilie competitors tbr the sums 

 stated in the printed bills, they have scarcely com- 

 menced the examination <f the merits of the no- 

 blest company of swine that ever graced the an- 

 nals of (uir history. 



Mr George H. White, of Worcester, exhihite<l 

 a prodigious white sow, of the Bedford lineage, 

 Itroking^'like two single creatures rolled into one. 

 This female was elegant : all females are. Un- 

 like the fair daughters of our race, she had no 

 slenderness, but a boundless circumference of 

 waist. Est'imated by the modern standard of po- 

 litical economy, this aninu;l was a monster, an ac- 

 ciimtilalor of fat, a monopolist of lean, an unweil- 

 dy corporation, a deposite hank of pork. The com- 

 mittee might have doubted of the constitutionality 

 of sucli an animal ; they took a wiser course.— 

 Accustomed to resort to those gentlemen of the 

 cabbage tribe, who in imitation of the pbilosnphei's 

 of La'imta, take observations of pei>onal dimen- 

 sions with a kind of quadrant to fit coats and long 

 tailed bills, lor information of external proportion, 

 they procu'red men and measures fnun a shop of 

 a friend of the tailor's craft. It resulted from the 

 survey of Mr William Brown, that the length was 

 five feet eleven inches, the breadth one foot ten 



inches, the circumference five feet eight inches, 

 and the dea<l weight, while alive, about half a 

 thousand pounds. This gentlemen gave his pro- 

 fssional opinion, that ten yards of Lowell prints 

 would be required fir a fashionable gown to 

 clothe the lady, exclusive of an equal allowance 

 for sleeves. 



From the State Lunatic Hospital came sixteen 

 sober hogs, of great dignity of manners. The 

 evil spirits exorcised from the walls of that noble 

 asylum of mislortune, by the powerful spells of 

 the kinil treatment and rare medical skill of Dr 

 Woodward, have not been sutT'ered to enter into 

 the swine. They were the best conditioned and 

 best behaved of the whole convention. One of 

 them hail permitted his body to grow over his- 

 head, so nuich as almosL to obliterate the chief 

 end, to quite create resemblance to a baH, and en 

 tirely to confer the capacity of motion in tmy direc 

 tion. The committee would willingly give arewan 

 to the Commonwealth for her fine swine; but ,ai 

 Massachusetts requires no encouragement in gooi 

 works they recommend a gratuity of two dollars 

 to be paid to Mr Ellis, the careful attendant, on 

 of the reserved profits derived from an unclaimec 

 premium still in the treasury. 



The pig of the S( cretary, Edwin Conant, Esqi 

 stood, but not alone. The excellent recordin 

 officer furnished an entertaining biography of th 

 talent of pork committed to his care. 1 he sub 

 ject of Ihe memoir he fiirnished, was born ii 

 Worcester, on the 10th day of March, A.D. 183' 

 Sumptuary laws, his owner stated, had been s 

 rrL'idly applied to him, that, of meal, he had ha 

 but tliree meals in his life. Since the middle c 

 Septend)er, he had obtained the occasional, bt 

 unfrequent luxury of a boiled dish of very sma. 

 potatoes anil declining pumpkins. Duiing h 

 life he had refused to eat above half a bushel < 

 corn, iiossibly because it was not offered for h 

 acceptance. His decease may be expected aboi 

 Thanksgiving time. Peace to his spareribs. 



George W. Richardson, Esq., of Worceste 

 exhibited a pig of such exquisite proportions, th 

 it afforded unalloyed satisiaCtimi to coutempla 

 the prospects of the judicial profession, and 

 pork. 



Mr F^dmund P. Dixie presented an animal. Ion 

 deep, broad and thick. He claimed no premiuii 

 Ihe best one which could be given will be her 

 after found in the rich treasures of his barrel, ai 

 the luxuries spread on his table. 



Mr George H. W bite placed in the pens a boi 

 which was considered by the committee one 

 the best of the show. As the owner could n 

 conveniently keep him according to the rule 

 the Society, the committee can only award to h; 

 a large premium of praise. 



There are said to be persons in the world 

 unconscious of the fitness of things, and the hi 

 monies of creation, as to be insensible to the bet 

 ties and perfection of a hog. The square rour 

 ness of figure, the compact thickness of the for 

 the bright intelligence of the eye, the Grec 

 straightness or Rinnan curve of the nose, irres 

 tably command admiration. If any person woi 

 cultivate a refined and delicate taste, let him V 

 the styes of Mr White, Mr Dixie, Mr Richards 

 and the recording secretary, and delight bis B> 

 ses with living models of excellence. 



A boar, entered by Mr Samuel Hilliard, fr 

 the farm of the Hon. John W. Lincoln, did 

 make his appearance until the committee had m" 



