1868. 



XEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



311 



"Red Leg," Col. E. S. Stowell's well-known 

 buck. 



Through the politeness of L. S. Drew, Presi- 

 dent of the as.sociation, and H. L. Newell, 

 Secretary, our travelling agent, Mr. E. P. 

 Wentworth, was furnished with beautiful 

 specimens of fine wool from the &heep exhibit- 

 ed at this shearing, which he has forwarded to 

 this office, where they may be seen by those 

 intere.-ted in the improvement of our Ameri- 

 can wool. They vary from 2^ to nearly 3t 

 inches in length, and are fine and beautiful. 

 We have also a sample of South American, or 

 Mestiza, fine wool, about 2i inches long, 

 from the celebrated "Altoy Flock," exhibited 

 by Mr. H. W. Smith, of the Burlington Mill 

 Company, who said it makes the best of cloth. 



The Committee on Shearing,' consisting of 

 Geo. Barstow and Dr. Knox, made the follow- 

 ing report : — 



The following premiums were awarded for 

 greatest amount of iWool according to time of 

 growth ; J. L. Barstow and J. M. Knox, com- 

 mittee : — 



Ham of any Age — 1st premium, Henry Thorp, 2d 



premium. Thorp and Newell. 

 Ram Lamb — Ist and 2d, L. S. Drew. 

 Ewe of any Age— 1st, H. N. Newell, 2d, L. S. 



Drew. 

 Ewe Lamb — 1st and 2d, B. F. Van Vliet. 



The Committee on Fleece, T. D. Chapman, 

 Henry Giddings, E. S. Stowell, reported as 

 follows : — 



Rams, (full fleece)— best, Henry Thorp, 2d, Thorp 



and Newell. 

 Ram Tegs, (fleece)— best, Henry N. Newell, 2d, 



Lemuel S Drew. 

 Ewes, (full fleece)— best, Henry N. Newell, 2d,, 



Lemuel S. Drew, 



Ewe Tegs, (fleece)- best, Lemuel S. Drew, 2d, 

 Henry Thorp. 



On Shearing, the first, second and third 

 premiums to A. Washburn, Milton; D. St. 

 Peters, Charlotte, and Samuel Millham. 



Among those present at the festival were 

 Hon. John Gregory, of Northfield, President 

 of the State Agricultural Society ; Henry 

 Hammond, of Middlebury ; E. A. Smith of St. 

 Albans, Col. Stowell of Cornwall, and other 

 noted sheep fanciers. 



CO-OPERATIVE FARMING. 

 A few years since Protective Union Stores 

 were quite popular in New England. The 

 same principle has been adopted to some ex- 

 tent in manufacturing, but we have no knowl- 

 edge of its ever having been applied to farm 

 management, except by such communities as 

 the Shakers. We learn by a letter written to 

 the New York Farmers' Club, by Mr. L. 

 Smith, of Easton, Mass., that a "Planting 

 Company" has been formed in that town. He 

 says : — 



We hire land and teams, buy manure, and em- 

 ploy faithful men to work the crops. The rent 

 and outlays for each acrcof land arc divided into 

 flfty sluires at $1 or more per share. Each sub- 

 scriber takes a sufficient number of shares to make 

 up his family supplies of corn, small grain, and 

 vegetables fur one year. When the several crops 

 have matured, the merchantable productions are 

 divided into fiftj' parts and delivered to the stock- 

 holders ; all straw and unsound productions are 

 sold for cash, which are also divided. This simple 

 method of doing business gives every one the 

 Ijrivilege of becoming his own farmer to the 

 amount of his investment, and the widow with her 

 scanty income can ol>tam her supplies at cost. 

 Our market is made before the crops are planted. 

 Til is plan gives employment to many that would 

 pthcrwise be lounging about or getting into mis- 

 chief. It will tend to reduce our over stock of 

 store-keepers and speculators, and will open the 

 way to other co-operative movements in producing 

 milk, butter, cheese, meat, sugar, wool, flax, and 

 eventually all other productions that make up the 

 wants of human life. 



As "great trees from little acorns grow," 

 who is wise enough to say that the above 

 movement may not possibly grow into a great 

 agricultural revolution. Machinery has al- 

 ready turned the farm into a shop, the agricul- 

 tural college and the agricultural press is 

 transforming it into a laboratory and a read- 

 ing room, and now our good Easton friends 

 are going to make a factory of it, with 

 "shares" and "dividends," and "surpluses," 

 and "stockholders" and "managers," and 

 "operatives," but without "storekeepers or 

 speculators." 



