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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



MIDDLESEX CATTLE-SHOW. 



This festival came off at Concord, on Wednesday 

 of last -week. The day was fine, but rather forbid- 

 ding in its appearance in the morning, which doubt- 

 less kept some persons at home. The number in 

 attendance was tolerably large. The finest part of 

 the show was the ploughing match, which was well 

 contested, on a piece of low land with a heavy soil, 

 uneven surface, and tough sward, which required 

 great strength and good discipline in the team, and 

 skill in the ploughman, to do good work ; yet the 

 ploughing was done remarkably well, which, under 

 such unfavorable circumstances, was highly credit- 

 able. 



Hon. George Boutwell, of Groton, delivered an 

 able address. The subject was the character and 

 influence of agriculture and the mechanic arts. 



The show of fruits was very good indeed, but not 

 extensive. There were a few fine specimens of vege- 

 tables. There were also but a few articles of do- 

 mestic manufactures, and they were generally very 

 good. The large fairs take up many of the best pro- 

 ductions in this branch. 



The show of stock was pretty fair, but not large. 

 There were not so many cattle on the grounds as 

 were exhibited last year. Some of them were fine. 

 The native cattle in this county are mostly of mod- 

 erate or small size, and generally marked as good 

 milkers. 



Only a few swine were shown, but the most of 

 them were fine models for form and symmetry. For 

 some years past, this society has shown some of the 

 finest pigs that we have seen. Only one lot of fowls. 

 No horses. 



As wc did not attend the dinner, wc cannot report 

 the witty speeches and toasts that are usually heard 

 at the festive board on such occasions at old Con- 

 cord. 



The Independent Horse-rake was exhibited by 

 Charles Gill, Esq., of Exeter, N. H,, and put in 

 practical operation. It attracted much attention, 

 particularly from the committee on implements, who 

 gave it a complimentary notice, and awarded to Mr. 

 GiU a gratuity of $5. 



CATTLE-SHOW AT WORCESTER. 



This farmers' holiday took place last week, on- 

 Thursday. The day was fine, and the concourse of 

 people that attended was immense, probably not less 

 than ten or twelve thousand people. The large ex- 

 hibition at Worcester attracted great attention ; and 

 its central situation, with railroads diverging in every 

 direction, afl'ord great facilities for travelling to that 

 point. 



The ploughing match did not excite much inter- 

 est ; and although this county has a larger number 

 of working oxen than any other in the state, and 

 probably as fine or finer ones, there were on the field 

 only twelve single teams ; and the land was so very 

 light and easy to plough, that one horse, or a yoke of 



steers, with a boy, was sufficient team to do good 

 work. With fine teams, skilful ploughmen, and 

 good implements, the work was, of course, very well 

 done. 



The show of cattle was very large, and of almost 

 every description known in this country, and of 

 almost every class. There were calves, heifers, 

 steers, bulls, cows, working oxen, and fat cattle. 

 Of breeds, there were the native, the Durham, Ayr- 

 shire, Devon, Creampot, and some others, though 

 thej' might not bo named ; and these were mixed 

 and compounded in almost every way, forming all 

 kinds of crosses, so that we should deem it almost 

 impossible to describe some of the varieties, a few 

 generations hence, on a common card. Generally the 

 cattle are large, and well adapted to labor and beef; 

 and some animals were fine models for milkers. But 

 the cattle of this county, generally, do not indicate 

 that milk is the leading object, and perhaps it is not 

 well that it should be. It is a very desirable object, 

 but unattainable, to combine, in the same race, good 

 working, milking, and beef properties. Animals well 

 made for milk will not generally fatten readily ; and 

 the animal that is well made for strength, and 

 abounds in muscle, is not well made to secrete milk, 

 and change food into the liquid element. 



The show of swine was rather small ; less in ex- 

 tent, and not so fine in appearance, as at former 

 shows. Yet some specimens were very good. Only 

 a few sheep. No horses. Why not ? There was a 

 good show of fowls, much better than we usually 

 see at cattle-shows. 



The butter and cheese were of fine appearance ; 

 but, for so large an agricultural county, the quantity 

 was rather small. 



On the whole, the show was very good, and satis- 

 factory and instructive to the large number of spec- 

 tators ; and it gave ample testiraonj^ that the heart of 

 the commonwealth is gradually improving in agri- 

 culture and its kindred arts. 



Rev. Mr. Tracy, of Sutton, delivered the addre.S3 

 at the dinner table, which we did not attend, as w« 

 wished to spend a few hours in the horticultural 

 rooms. The address was commended as brief, sen- 

 sible, and instructive. Ex-Governor Lincoln, the 

 president of the society, presided at the table in 

 his usual style of courtesy, pleasantry, and wit. 



MAKING STONE FENCE. 



With us the motto would be, whenever stones were 

 removed from the field. Put them into a wall. If 

 ten rods cannot be made, make five, and the next 

 time the field is ploughed, and more loose stones 

 appear, make five rods more, but do not throw them 

 into the corners of the fence, nor into the street. As 

 to the kind of wall, we should like to see posts with 

 two wires connected with a wall. If boards arc put 

 upon the posts, the wind frequently moves the posts 

 and injures the wall. We feel confident that a wall 

 with wired posts may be made one half a foot thin- 

 ner than when boards are used, and yet be more 

 durable. The posts might be smaller, and the cost, 

 on the whole, much less. — Culturist and Gazette. 



