524 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



As before stated, horses take cold very easily. 

 On this account they should never be turned from a 

 varni stall, where they have perspired for an hour, 

 directly into a wet damp pastui'e. A horse should 

 never be compelled to lie down over night in a wet, 

 unsheltered pasture. Let them always have a dry 

 plot, or what is better, a shed or stable to retire to 

 when they have completed theu' evening graidng, 

 especially if there be heavy dews, fogs or rain. A 

 horse will never lie in an open field when a shel- 

 tered spot is accessible. Every one must have ob- 

 served that they always seek the driest spot to be 

 found, and generally lie near a fence, shed or tree. 

 — Or^inge Judd, in JV. Y. Times. 



FARMERS' FESTIVAL AT AMHERST. 



The Hampsliu'e County Agricultural Society held 

 its Annual Show at Amherst, on Wednesday and 

 Thursday, October 10th and 11th. The weather 

 was pleasant, and great numbers from all parts of 

 the county attended, and what was especially grati- 

 fying, the wives and daughters, not only of the 

 farmers, but of the mechanics, merchants, lawyers, 

 physicians, clergymen and Uterary men, were there, 

 and enjoying the festivities of the occasion with as 

 much reUsh as those who had the fat oxen and no- 

 ble horses, or those who made the butter and cheese. 

 Like most of the western Societies, in some re- 

 spects their exliibition was better than we can show 

 here. In the exhibition of fruits, they are far be- 

 hmd Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk and Worcester 

 counties, but in the articles of butter and cheese, 

 they entirely outstrip all these counties, with the 

 exception, perhaps, of Worcester. 



There can be no comparison between their fat, or 

 working cattle, and ours, as they raise their own, 

 often selling the best to be taken away, while most 

 of ours are selected from the finest which can be 

 fomid in the western part of this State, and from 

 New Hampshire and Vermont. So it is in a con- 

 siderable degree with the horses, — though in the 

 latter they are able, at any time, to make a fine dis- 

 play of young animals. There were some very fine 

 cattle presented by Messrs. Alfred Baker, of Am- 

 herst, Horace Russell, of North Hadley, Frary 

 Field, of Leverett, H. N. Rust, of South Deerfield, 

 Luke Sweetser, of Amherst, H. Hunt, of New Sa- 

 lem, A. J. Cadwell, Hubbard Graves and Austin 

 Russell, of Sunderland, O. Richardson, of Granby, 

 and others whose names we did not obtain. The 

 town of Leverett sent in a string of working oxen 

 numbering 53 yoke, and Hadley, 24 yoke, which 

 were a credit to their to\\'ns, and these made quite 

 an attractive feature of the show. Pigs and Poul- 

 try were not numerous, or in any way remarkable, 

 but the show of Sheej) was fine, and included choice 

 varieties. 



The exhibition of fruits was creditable, there be- 

 ing fine specimens of most of the common varieties. 

 But fruit-raising in that part of the State has not 

 beau entered into much as a matter of business, so 



that if our friends wish to see a display of fine fruits, 

 and in great variety, they must ^isit some of our 

 exhibitions nearer the sea-board, where interest, as 

 well as taste, has prompted the cultivator to reach 

 the highest perfection in the art. 



The Butter and Cheese presented were in quite 

 large quantity and of the best quality ; we have seen 

 nothing to equal it, except at the Berkshire Show 

 at Pittsfield. 



The address was by Charles L. Flint, Esq., 

 Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, was 

 an excellent one, and we are happy to present the 

 opinion of it given by the editor of the Jimherst 

 Express : 



The orator began with an allusion to the objects 

 and advantages of such a gathering, regarduig the 

 day as eminently a social occasion, a day of relaxa- 

 tion-as well as improvement, and any subject of an 

 abstruse or scientrfic character requiring a close and 

 wearisome attention as out of place. He gave a 

 brief sketch of the progress of farming in ancient 

 and modern times, drawing a picture of a Greek 

 farm house twenty-five centuries ago, inclucUng the 

 aj^pearance of the farm, the stock and the tools, 

 making a few extracts from the maxims of the 

 Greek and Roman agricultural writers, and then 

 stated briefly the progress which had been made in 

 England and other countries. The troubles and 

 trials of the early farmers of Massachusetts were 

 then alluded to, and many curious facts stated with 

 regard to the farming of the Indians. After the 

 revolution, the necessity of associated effort began 

 to be felt, and the Massachusetts society was estab- 

 lished in 1792. The prejucUces which the county 

 societies met were very great. The Berkshire so- 

 ciety, during the second year of its existence, being 

 greatly embarrassed for want of funds, wrote to 

 the State society for aid, and received from its pres- 

 ident, John Adams, this significant reply : 



"quinaj,Sept. 16, 1812. 

 "You will get no aid from Boston. Commerce, 

 Hterature, theology, are all against you ; nay, med- 

 icine, history, and university and imiversal politics 

 might be added. I cannot,' I will not be more ex- 

 phcit." 



These prejudices had gradually worn away and 

 the societies had accomplished a good work. But 

 some other organization was needed to meet the 

 wants of the inquiring and thinking minds which 

 now form so large a part of the community. 



The importance of a Farmers' Club in every 

 town and every village of the State was dwelt upon 

 at considerable length, showing their tendency to 

 promote the best social feehngs, and increase the 

 intercourse among farmers, too often isolated from 

 each other or separated by prejudices, as much as if 

 an ocean rolled between them. It would bring mind 

 and thought to bear on the development of our 

 true home policy. The moment we bring mind to 

 bear on the toils of the land, that moment M'e dig- 

 nify and ennoble them. Mind is the only thing 

 that distinguishes the toils of man from the toils of 

 the brute, and those occupations which neither re- 

 quire nor admit of the exercise of mind and thought 

 descend to the level of mere brute force. _ 



The management of such a club was illustrated 

 by a supposed discussion on the adaptation and profit 



