102 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCTOBER 9, 1S33. 



HORTICULTURAL. 



EXHIBITION OF FLOWERS AT THE MASS. 

 HORT, SOC. ROOMS. 



Saturday October 5, 1833. 



E. Putnam, Salem, Dahlias— French white, 

 Prsecellentissima, Kentish Hero, Pulen, Clustered 

 purple, Very double iron red globe, Crimson globe, 

 Royal lilac, Stardf Brunswick, Superb straw, Lord 

 Lyndhurst, Queen of Yellows, Coquette, Inwood'fi 

 Donna Maria, Young's Pauline, MissHester, Prince's 

 transeendant, Large pink anemone, Brown do., 

 Neat crimson globe, Antonio, Queen of Naples, 

 Nuttalii, Douglass' Augusta, Cree's purpurea vari- 

 egated, Queen of August, Iinperiosa, Young's Ve- 

 nus beau, Early blood red anemone, Romulus, 

 Black Prince, Small crimson anemone (but un- 

 doubtedly marked wrong as it is a large variety), 

 Scarlet anemone, Lady Grantham, Leonard's Prize, 

 Preciosa, Royal Augustus, Countess Plater, Young's 

 Rose, Theodore, Strawand purple, American dwarf, 

 Double buff, Profuse lake, Dwarf lilac, New blush, 

 Small double white, Great flowering lilac, Tenui- 

 folia, Excellent, Royal sceptre, Panoply, Young's 

 aurora, Morning star, Pizarro, Barrall's Susannah, 

 Dennissii, Grantchester nonpareil, Aurantia spe- 

 ciosa, Painted lady, Douglass' coronation, Constan- 

 tia rosea, Countess of Liverpool, Purple prince, 

 American giant, Craft's maroon, Henrietta, Goliah, 

 Seedlings raised this year, Putnam's Princess of 

 Naples, do. Beauty of Salem, and 10 others — 80 

 varieties. 



Win. Carter, Botanic Garden, Cambridge, — 

 Dahlias: Sans viscen, King of the Whites, Iinperi- 

 osa, Romulus, Squibb's pure yellow, &c. &c. Lo- 

 belias splendens and caslcstina, Erythrina crista 

 galla, with many other varieties of new produc- 

 tions. 



William Kenrick, Newton, — Dahlias, Altheas, 

 Chorchorus, Snowberries, China Roses, &c. &c. 



Thomas Mason, Charlestown Vineyard, varie- 

 ties of Dahlias. 



S. Walker, Roxbury, Dahlias, &c. 



Messrs. Winship, Dahlias and other flowers. 



The Show of Flowers, more particularly of 

 Dahlias, this day, was more splendid, than ever 

 before exhibited at the Society's rooms, or proba- 

 bly in the Country; among them the Beauty of Sd- 

 lem is unrivalled. By order of the Committee. 

 Joxa. Winsiiip, Chairman. 

 ITFor Proceedings, Freits exhibited, &c, see p. 90. 



BRISTOL C O. AGRICULTURA L SOCIETY. 



The Annual Exhibition of this Society was 

 holden in Taunton, on Wednesday last. The 

 number and variety of articles presented, is said 

 to be less than usual, owing, probably, to the in- 

 clemency of the weather. More than $250 were 

 awarded in premiums. A premium of $4 was 

 awarded to Messrs. N. & J. C. Dodge, for the best 

 piece of Sheeting. There were sixteen yoke of 

 Oxen and one yoke of Steers offered for exhibi- 

 tion. The ploughing match possessed unusual in- 

 terest — twelve teams appeared as competitors on 

 the ground. 



The following is a list of officers chosen for the 

 ensuing year: 



President. — Marcus Morton. 



Vice Presidents. — Roland Green, Horatio Leon- 

 ard, James Starkweather, Peter Thatcher. 



Recording Secretary. — Sidney Williams. 



Corresponding Secretary. — James L. Hodges. 



Treasurer — William A. F. Sproat. 



Committee of Publication. — James L. Hodges, 

 Jacob Chapin, Horatio Pratt. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCT. '.'. 1833. 



CATTLE SHOW AT BRIGHTON, IMPROVE- 

 MENTS IN AGRICULTURE, <fcc. 



There is nothing more thoroughly established 

 by the infallible test of experience than the fact 

 that agricultural societies and exhibitions are pro- 

 ductive of great benefit to the public, as well as to 

 the individuals, who are concerned, or take an in- 

 terest in their proceedings and displays. Indeed, 

 it would seem to those who have attended to this 

 subject, almost as unnecessary to attempt showing 

 that improvements in every branch of husbandry 

 have been the results, of these exhibitions, as to 

 make elaborate essays ami efforts to convince 

 mankind that the sun is the source of daylight. 

 Yet, we apprehend that many, who have some 

 vague and indistinct ideas of good resulting from 

 Cattle Shows, are not aware bow deeply mankind 

 are indebted to these and other means of improv- 

 ing the art and science of cultivating the earth. 

 We will, therefore, adduce one or two instances, 

 which may serve as samples of the benefits de- 

 rived from the abovementioned and other similar 

 sources. 



In an English work called " The Picture of 

 London," published in 1822, it is stated that 

 " about the year 1700, the average weight of oxen, 

 killed for the London market, was 370 pounds : 

 of calves, 50 pounds ; of sheep, 28 pounds ; and 

 of lambs, 18 pounds. The average weight at pre- 

 sent is — of oxen 800 pounds, calves 140 pounds, 

 sheep SO pounds, and lambs 50 pounds." This 

 addition to the average size of domestic animals 

 has been accompanied with corresponding im- 

 provements in the quantity and quality of the crops 

 necessary for feeding and fattening them for mar- 

 ket. These are among the beneficial effects of 

 associations similar to that, which will hold its 

 annual exhibition at Brighton on the 16th inst. 



Through the instrumentality, and under the pa- 

 tronage of the Board of Agriculture, in Great Bri- 

 tain, and a great number of' other societies, togeth- 

 er with many able and well supported agricultural 

 publications, the progress of the art of arts, during 

 the latter part of the last, and since the commence- 

 ment of the present century, has been more rapid 

 than during the whole of several centuries im- 

 mediately previous to that period. The first men 

 of Great Rritain, whether we have reference to 

 to rank, influence, wealth or intellect, devoted 

 their time, talents, means and money, to further 

 the high behests of an art, without which man 

 would be a savage and the world would be a wil- 

 derness. 



Among the great and good men, who towards 

 the close of the last century, distinguished them- 

 selves in Great Britain in the promotion of agri- 

 culture, may be named the Rev. Adam Dickson, 

 Lord Kairnes, Dr. Anderson, Dr. Hunter, an asso- 

 ciation of gentlemen who published the Complete 

 Fanner, Brown, Bannister, Arthur Young, Sir 

 John Sinclair, founder of the British Board of 

 Agriculture, and many others, whose names and 

 good deeds will never be forgotten " while grass 

 grows and water flows." Their mantles have 

 fallen on worthy successors, too numerous to be 

 named in this sketch, but whose merits are legible 

 on the fair and fruitful surface of a country con- 



verted by their instrumentality into a garden al- 

 most coextensive with its surface. 



In the Uniled States, Agricultural Societies have 

 been very efficient in producing improved hus- 

 bandry, with its consequent blessings pervading 

 every grade and department of the community. 

 " The honor of introducing into the State those 

 important engines of Agricultural improvement, 

 Cattle Shows, and a high honor it is, belongs to 

 the County of Berkshire, where the first Cattle 

 Show was held in the year 1814. The first Cattle 

 Show held at Brighton was in October, 181G. At 

 present there is not a County in the State without 

 its Agricultural Society, and its Cattle Show, with 

 the exception of the County of Norfolk, and the 

 four Counties of Suffolk, Barnstable, Dukes and 

 Nantucket, which consist principally or wholly of 

 maritime towns." 



To recapitulate all the improvements, which 

 have been derived directly, or indirectly from these 

 societies, would require volumes. Able sketches 

 of these improvements have been given by the 

 gentleman, from whose Address the above was 

 quoted, as well as by other gentlemen who have 

 from time to time addressed the same Society. 

 We cannot, however, forbear adverting to one or 

 two other items of improvements, abstracted from 

 Mr. Gray's Address. It appears that the profit, 

 resulting from improved breeds of swine, several 

 years previous to 1830, was estimated by tlie most 

 competent judges at not less than one hundred 

 thousand dollars per annum. That a million of 

 dollars has been added in a few years to the an- 

 nual revenue of New England by improvements in 

 the breeds of sheep. Other statements of Mr. 

 Gray, relating to improved breeds of cattle, might 

 be here introduced, but it is not necessary to en- 

 large on points relative to which no dispute can 

 exist. 



Agricultural exhibitions present the most power- 

 ful excitements to industry, and improvements in 

 husbandry, which any community can bestow on 

 individuals for having deserved well of their coun- 

 try. The fruits and effects of skill and diligence, 

 by the means which these shows present, entitle 

 the exhibiter and producer to the double reward 

 of fame and money; two great objects of human 

 pursuit, and the most powerful incentives to hu- 

 man exertion. The Premiums given by the Mas- 

 sachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, are, 

 we believe, considerably larger than are afforded 

 by any other similar society in the Union. The 

 reputation to be acquired in this field of competi- 

 tion will also be greater, or at least more widely 

 extended than could be hoped for in similar efforts, 

 under the auspices of agricultural associations of 

 more limited resources. The motives for excel- 

 lency in the many branches of culture for which 

 this Society offer its rewards are stronger, and it 

 is hoped will prove more efficient than can else- 

 where be found on this side the Atlantic. 



It may not, perhaps, be known, or not occur to 

 the minds of some, whose influence and example 

 might increase the interest of agricultural exhibi- 

 tions, and add to the utility of agricultural socie- 

 ties, that Gen. Washington was not only an excel- 

 lent scientific and practical farmer, but an advo- 

 cate for Agricultural Societies. His observations 

 on this subject are as follows: 



" It will not be doubted, that with reference 

 either to individual or national welfare, agriculture 

 is of primary importance. In proportion as na- 

 tions advance in population and other circum- 



