No. 3. 



The Agricultural Display in Delaware. 



91 



Each was permitted to first run out his land, 

 as it had been staked. The ploughs entered 

 — teams, ploughs, ploughmen, and all ap- 

 pointments seemed complete — and ten bet- 

 ter looking, well-made yeomen, could not, 

 perhaps, have been found in the county. 

 The chairman of the committee, Mr. John 

 C. Clark, standing out in front of the line, 

 called out — "Ploughmen! are you ready? 

 One, two, three — go." At the word " go," 

 every team went down to its work, and they 

 moved down the plain in a solid column, up- 

 turning and inverting the green sod in the 

 most perfect manner — but soon the line was 

 broken by some advancing at a more rapid 

 gait beyond the rest. The efforts now of 

 the ploughman, as with a quick eye and 

 steady arm, he sought to direct his plough 

 with his utmost skill — the interest and anx- 

 iety of friends, as on the completion of every 

 furrow, some expression of admiration or 

 hope, or fear, would escape them — the group- 

 ing on the back ground, here a weather 

 beaten countenance wrinkled by age; there 

 the hardy yeoman, with his bronzed and 

 honest features; here the rustic beauty, and 

 there the city belle; the rich green land- 

 scape, which tended to add so nmch to the 

 picturesque of the scene; the lofly eminence 

 that commanded the beautiful Delaware, 

 lying 100 feet below it; the beauty of the 

 autumnal day — all tended to render the 

 scene and the occasion one of the most 

 interesting rural sights ever beheld. 



The successful competitor was Mr. James 

 N. Cleland, an enterprising young farmer, 

 living in the neighbourhood, who owns in 

 fee simple the broad acres he cultivates, and 

 the civic wreath fairly belongs to him, for it 

 was no ordinary skill that enabled him to 

 succeed against such able competitors. There 

 were three other premiums delivered, one of 

 which went to a young Mr. Sawdon, another 

 to Mr. Carter, and I do not recollect the 

 name of the fourth. 



Now followed the second match, being 

 entries for boys under 16 years of age; eiglrt 

 of whom entered. Their performance was 

 indeed surprising. The first premium was 

 won by a lad by the name of Janvier, the 

 son, as I understood, of a poor widow wo- 

 man ; and when asked whether he would 

 have a }1iece of plate or its value in money, 

 replied he would take the money, "he wanted 

 it for his mother." The second was won by 

 master George Jackson, a hoy ten years old! 

 (a son of Mr. Bryan Jackson, a large farmer,) 

 and thought small of his age. The clearing 

 up furrow of this lad exceeded any effort I 

 ever saw of the kind by a boy. In addition 

 to the second premium, Mr. Pedder present- 

 ed to him, through a member of the com- 



mittee, as coming from the Messrs. Prouty, 

 whose plough he held, a beautiful little 

 watch, with chain, key, &c., and the pos- 

 session of it seemed to gratify the little 

 fellow much; nor was it scarcely less grati- 

 fying, apparently, to the numerous specta- 

 tors, who all voted him the General Tom 

 Thumb of the ploughing ground. 



Two o'clock had been appointed for the 

 delivery of a second Address by Doctor 

 Mouse, and we got in town just in time to 

 listen to a very able and scientific discourse 

 from this gentleman, an eminent agricultu- 

 rist and a man of science, from the eastern 

 shore of Maryland. 



At three o'clock, a large party of about 

 one hundred, sat down to a good dinner at 

 Hall's Hotel, Doctor Thomson, tiie president 

 of the Society, presiding, and James Canby, 

 Esq., acting as vice-president. The worthy 

 president managed with his usual tact to 

 mingle business with pleasure — now reports 

 of committees — now a speech or sentiment 

 from some invited guest, called out by a 

 brief and happy allusion by the president to 

 the agriculture of the State from which the 

 guest came, or to his individual efforts in 

 the cause. Mr. Roberts, of Pennsylvania, 

 Doctor Meuse, Mr. Tilghman, Hornsly and 

 Jackson, of Maryland, Mr. D. Wheeler, of 

 Kent county, Hon. John Wales, Secretary 

 of State, and others, were successively called 

 out in this way. The Governor of the State 

 was present as a member of the Society. 

 Among tlie invited guests were a large 

 number from New Jersey and Pennsylva- 

 nia, among them Doctor Keasby, Col. Sin- 

 nickson, Hon. Mr. Yorke, Doctor Tufl, Mr. 

 Smith and Mr. Hanna, who were compelled 

 on account of the hour fixed for the starting 

 of the boat, to leave early. Messrs. Clem- 

 ent and Blythe, of our city, lefl from the 

 same cause, nor could our friend Doctor Em- 

 erson, be prevailed on to stay longer than 

 the first day, anxious as our Delaware friends 

 seemed to honour a native of Delaware, 

 and the editor and in good part author of 

 one of the best agricultural books, the Farm- 

 er's Encyclopedia, that has been published. 

 But worse than this, letters from several of 

 our fellow citizens, including the venerable 

 Doctor Mease and other members of our 

 Agricultural Society, and from at least two 

 gentlemen of the press, announced that 

 other engagements, &c., prevented their at- 

 tendance altogether. But as some recom- 

 pense, one of^ them sent with a handsome 

 letter a very pretty sentiment: 



"Our Land and its Tillers — Nature and 

 her Noblemen." 



Yours, &c., 

 P, 



