510 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



Lews, Framingham, of the Alderney blood, is a 

 superior animal. A full blood Devon, owned by J. 

 Burnett, Southboro', attracted much attention. A 

 Jersey bull, full blood, in the same pen, and owned 

 by the same individual, is a fine animal. There 

 were many other bulls within the pens, but our lim- 

 its forbid a further notice. 



The show of working oxen was also good, some 

 forty or fifty yoke being on the ground. 



The exhibition of horses was confined almost 

 wholly to breeding horses and colts. We noticed 

 many good animals, but none worthy of particular 

 note. 



We saw but two pens of sheep, and those not re- 

 markable for fineness of wool or as inviting to the 

 butcher. 



The swine department was well represented, fif- 

 teen pens being set apart for the porcine stock. The 

 Suffolk breed had more representatiA-es upon the 

 ground than any other, and some of them, from 

 their fine size and good pro})ortions and cleanly ap- 

 pearance, must have disarmed a Jew even of his 

 prejudice against an animal not eatable according to 

 the laws of his fothers. 



The poultry de})artment was also well represented. 

 We noticed some twenty-five coops of chickens, 

 ducks, geese and turkeys. 



EXHIBITIOX IN THE TENT. 



The display in the tent was verj' fine. The bread 

 and butter department was excellent. We noticed 

 twelve samples of butter, besides bread sufficient in 

 quantit}- to supply the Avants of a large portion of 

 the hungry crowd. In connection also we noticed 

 a quantity of pickles, preserves and honey. 



The display of vegetables from the kitchen gar- 

 den was equal, if not superior, to that in the Horti- 

 cultural Exhibition at the Music Hall, Boston, and 

 the fruit department would also bear a fair compar- 

 ison. It was in every respect a most excellent dis- 

 pla}'. Time and space Avould fail us to note the 

 many fine squashes, pumpkins, varieties of potatoes, 

 cabbages, and other vegetables, and the pears, ap- 

 ples, peaches, plums, grapes and cranberries upon 

 the tables. Pomona has many admirers in the South 

 Middlesex Society, and they all come full handed to 

 spread out sjiecimens of her bounty, to the admir 

 ing gaze of the thousands who congregated at the 

 Fair. 



The exhibition in the miscellaneous department 

 was not very kirge. We noticed a variety of stoves 

 washing machines, and other articles, which we can- 

 not notice in detail. 



NEEDLE WORK AND F.INCY ARTICLES. 



One long table, extending the entire Avidth of the 

 tent, was devoted to this de})artment. We noticed 

 a large quantit)- of hosiery, crochet work, counter- 

 panes, wrought ottoman covers, slippers, artificial 

 flowers and paintings. 



PLOWING MATCH. 



The first business of the day was to attend to th„ 

 plowing match, which Avas held on a field belonging 

 to W. G. Lewis, Esq., on the "Lawn Farm" — truly 

 a beautiful farm, situated half a mile west of the de- 

 pot. The stars and stripes floated gracefully in the 

 morning breeze al)ove the ground lotted ott""for the 

 plowing. The soil was a sandy loam, free from 

 stones, with consideral)le sward. Six single ox 

 teams, besides several double ox teams, contested 



for the prizes. The teams performed their work in 

 a very satisfactorj' manner. 



After the jjlowing match, the working oxen were 

 exercised upon a heaAdly loaded cart. 



THE BANQUET. 



At one o'clock six hundred ladies and gentlemen 

 sat doATO to a splendid banquet, prepared by the well 

 knoAvn caterer, J. B. Sniith. It was served in one- 

 half of the spacious pavihon, which had been divided 

 for that purpose. After the company was seated, 

 the divine blessing AAas invoked by Rev. Mr. Childs, 

 after which, the company regaled themselves upon 

 the bountiful repast. After the eatables were cUs- 

 posed of, Professor Huntington, of Harvard Univer- 

 sity, was introduced as the orator of the da)', and an- 

 nounced as his subject, "The Culture of the Cultiva- 

 tor, or Human Husbandry." To get the right kind 

 of forming, he said, we must get the right kind of a 

 former. 



With this for a tojjic, the orator, in an eloquent 

 manner, proceeded to portray the course of educa- 

 tion necessary to make a good farmer ; that it was 

 necessary to enthrone the mind over matter. We 

 have no room to give even an abstract of the ora- 

 tor's remarks. They were listened to with profound 

 attention, interrupted occasionally by applause. 



The President, Mr. Buckminster, then addressed 

 the Society briefly. 



Hon. Simon Brown, Lieut. Governor, C. L. Flint, 

 Esq., Secretary of the Board of Agriculture, Col. 

 Newell, of the Board of Agriculture, Mr. Greely, of 

 Boston, and Mr. Dodge, of Sutton, w'ere severally 

 introduced by C. R. Train, the Marshal of the day, 

 each of whom made brief speeches, much to the sat- 

 isfaction of the audience. 



Dr. Hobart, of Southboro', then made a brief and 

 hmiiorous extemjjoraneous report upon swine, which 

 brought forth rounds of applause from the audience. 

 The company dispersed after the prizes had been an- 

 nounced. 



The attendance of people, notwithstanding the at- 

 tractions at Worcester, was very large, and the fair 

 was in all resj^ects highly successful. 



How TO Cut Hedges. — Almost all the thorn 

 hedges one sees clipped square, i. e., the top is made 

 flat and the sides perpendicular, the object apparent- 

 ly being to make them as like a wall as possible. 

 An observation I heard made lately seems to have a 

 great deal of truth in it, viz., that this system has 

 a great tendency to make the hedge grow thin below, 

 and that it is a much better way to keep it widest 

 at the base and let it gradually taper to a point at 

 the top. I have certainh' seen hedges managed in 

 this way present a beautiful close surfoce, which I 

 attribute to the plan of allowing a much greater 

 number of shoots to reach the outside. Hedges 

 kept square are very apt, when old, to get "blanky," 

 and grow bare near the ground, even though the top 

 may be quite thick and flourishing. In this case 

 there is no remedy but cutting down, always a dis- 

 agreeable necessity, for then all shelter is gone at 

 once, whereas this would very seldom be necessary 

 if the hedge was kept in a pyramidal shape, for then 

 there Avould always be plenty of shoots close to the 

 ground equally young and growing as those at the 

 to]x — A JVorthern. [This is excellent adAice, but 

 we are concerned to hear that our north-country 

 friends stand in need of it. — Eng. Paper. 



