JNEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



I'Uiii.isiir.i) liv ino.MAs w. yiiErAKi\ uogers' buildings, c()N(;iit:ss .stkei:t, (rouHTu uouiwliwrbTl-iT strk kt.) 



II. 



BOSTON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1823. 



No. ];5. 



PORTS of the Committees of the Massacliu-\ rior exertions, and to encourage tliose who 

 •»i .Igricullural Society, as to the preiniums\ have come a little sliort of the prize, this jear, 

 n-arded at the Cattle Shoxv and exhibillon of\ to make their utmost eft'orts to excel in anolli- 

 lanufncliires,hcld at lirighfon, on Wednesday \cr. It cannot ho too often repeated, tliat tiie 

 nd Thursday, the ^btli and 16ih of Oc<o- task of juds^ing is i\s 'delicate, as it is lahorioiis 

 ;r, 1823. i and unthaniil'ul. It is unthankful, because tiie 



■irst Committee, on Fat Oxen. Bulls, and bnl! , '''"'■'rpoioied much outnumber the suceestfnl can- 



hdates. It is also uiitlianldul, because tlie com- 



mittees may occasionally (though not often) 

 difier from thejniLUc opinion — yet an intelligent 

 and impartial [lubiic, and a fair and generous 



es. The Presiilent, assisted by Hezeidah 

 js, Esq. of Marlborough, and Perry, 



5 Chairman of tlie Committee on certain de- .,,,•, 



tions of Live Stock, I am about to report '^°"'l'«"'°'' "'" f*^'"'' "'« ''^'•'°"* difficuiti 

 decisions of that Committee, and to award '"/'"= "'":' ^'1'^. 'M?, 

 remiums to the successful competitors. 

 fore doing it, however, I hope I may be 

 ged with some prefatory remarks. They 

 be as short as 1 can make them, because 1 

 the impatience of those who hope to tind 

 they are among \he' fortunate, and I hav 

 he vanity to believe, that 1 have the pow 

 ther to instruct or entertain 30U — what 

 11 sa\ , will be directed solely to the object 

 conciling those who may be disappointed, 

 nly in the awards of this Committee, iijt 

 )se of all my brethren, and tlieir assistant 



vould not do to compare this exhibition to 

 :m/, for that woidd implv the absence ol 

 ill, and judgment, and anxiety to do right ; 

 in this case, every expedient has been 

 2d to secure competent skill, to exercise 

 undcst judgment, and with the deepest r!->. 

 > give a just and inipiirlial deciifion. We 

 the most experienced judges ofanimals — 

 above temptation, or bias. They under- 

 his laborious and unthankful ofRce, uith- 

 e hope, or the wish, of any other reward, 

 he promotion of the public good. We 

 '. the best farmers as judges of working 

 and ploughing. We seek out the abiesi 

 lost fkili'ul mechanicians, (need 1 name 

 len as Mr. Moody, of Wallham, aud Mr. 

 of South Boston ?) to judge of new in- 

 ns — we invite experienced importers or 

 ■3 of manufactured goods, to examine the 

 s aud constantly increasing articles, which 

 genuity and taste of a country, prcemi- 

 distinguished for its inventive powers in 

 of science and taste, the country of I"ul- 

 d of a greater name, of Perkins, are con- 

 addmg to the common stock. 

 Duld seem, then, that we have done eve- 

 in our power to secure intelligent and 

 ;al awards — yet it must be seen and felt 

 ry one, that in one respect, and in one re- 

 nly, a cattle show resembles a lottery — 

 int of resemblance is, that as in a lottery, 

 lese exhibitions, there are many blanks, 

 ■ fezu prizes — and would anj' fair man, 

 nterested friend to agriculture and man- 

 es wish it to be otherwise? Would it be 

 e, that cdl should draw [irizes ? There 

 je an end at once to all competition — 

 yould be no reward to those, who by pa- 

 ire, and cultivated ingenuity, had rcar- 

 rior animals, or produced a fabric of su- 

 leaiity and durability. The very intent of 

 iovis is lo discriminate and reward snjie- 



t is scarcely possible, thai, 

 ill men will think alike as to the beauty of an 

 animal, any more than they agree in the rela- 

 tive beauty of their wives and children, — nci- 

 iher wiil they be more likely to agree in Ibe 

 other qualities of the animals, their aptitude 

 for labor, their disposition to fatten — and still 

 less, can unilbrmity of opinion be expected in 

 the varied and ever changing forms, so arbitra- 

 ry as infancy articles of manufacture. - 



Having made these general femarks, applica- 

 ble to all my friends and associates, — I will add 

 one or two peculiarly adapted to my own branch 

 of inquiry and decision. 



As to fat cattle, there can be little diflerencc 

 of opinion. The animal has then run through 

 his course — has performed his destined, and 

 tailhl"ul and invaluable labors, to man, and by a 

 hard, but inevitable i'-Mc, he is to be submitted to 

 the knife, and the sinews and muscles which 

 turned the sod, are to be converted into the sus- 

 tenance of man. He is, -li'heii so fatted, in his 

 most perfect state, and skilful men (such as 1 

 have had the pleasure to be associated with, can 

 then decide, which animal is, ou the txholc, the 

 best. They can do this with so much accuracy, 

 that they can lay the ox (as the phrase is) with- 

 in a score of pounds of his actual weight, and 

 they can even decide in most cases the quantiiy 

 of I'al, or tallow, which will be Ibuud in parts 

 concealed from the eye. 



Not so as to the bull. In judging of a bull, 

 manji properties, or qualities, are (o betaken in- 

 to the estimate — his carriage, whether erect or 

 groveling — bis temper, whether ferocious or 

 tractable — his eye, whether full or sunken — his 

 oeck and head, whether thin and delicate, or 

 thick and lleshy — his coat, whether coarse, like 

 that of a bufialo, or tine like that of a full 

 blooded racer — his limbs, whether stubbed and 

 iliick, like those of an elephant, or delicate, de- 

 noting- activity and power, like those of an an- 

 telopo — his forehead and chest, whether deep 

 and powerful, indicating that he will )>roduce a 

 progeny calculated to tear up the slilVest soil, 

 and to remove the heaviest rocks — and a hind 

 quarter, fitted with muscles, which, when prop- 

 erly loaded with fat, will furnish an abundance 

 of delicious food. There are many minor 

 properties, such as the straitness, and breadth 

 of the back, and the elevated insertion of the 

 tail, known to good judges, which I forbear to 

 notice. 



But my enumeration will satisfy any reasona- 

 ble mind, that it is not size (done which can de- 

 termine the preference, and that it is no light 

 or trilling task to decide upon the properties 



of that noble animal, the bull — the parent, and 

 the most important parent, of our mt si valuable 

 domestic animal. I woiihl not be mi.^vnderslovd 

 when I call him the most iw[)ov\:\ui parent, I 

 mean it simply in this sense — \vliile 0, e cow- 

 can only transmit either her good or bad 

 qualities to eight or fen individuals, a good or 

 bad bull, may convey his good or bad proper- 

 ties, to some hundreds. 



The remarks I have made as to bulls, are 

 equally applicable to bull cnlvcs, with one ex- 

 ception, which I beg every Intelligent farmer 

 to weigh. Lull calves arc imperfect animals in 

 a slate of growth, often prelernalural growth — 

 as in man, we tind children, often disproportion- 

 ed, when growing, and at mature age of the 

 most perfect proportions; so bull calves of lit- 

 tle promise, often become perfect specimens of 

 Iheirspecies, and the most perfect calves, when 

 young, not tinfreqnently prove distorted, or 

 coarse or ordinary, when arrived at maturity. 

 1 entreat your patience for these details, which 

 seemed to me, however, necessary. 

 We award tlie first premium for a fat ox, to Asa 

 Pond, of i\tci-sliara— weiglit 2597 pounds, $30 



The second prLiiiium for a lat ox, to Samuel Eo-w- 



en, of Adams, in Eerksliire, 25 



The third premium for a fat ox, to Amos Davis, of 



Groton— weight 2200, ' 35 



The first premium for bulls, to Col. Jaqnes, of 

 Charlestown, for his rf d bull, called Middlesex, 

 out of Coelebs, owned ly liiin, 30 



The second premium to S-'amuel Keir, of CharUon, 

 for his tall out of Hiddnncss, owned by fior- 

 bam Par^rns, Ftq. oi' fcriglifr.n, u<^A nn.r-i, vi. 

 proved in th.-it part of Worcester, 20 



The third prcaiium to Col. Jaques, ofChavlestov^n, 



for his bull out of Calebs, called " Yatiltee," 10 

 Tlie first premium for bull calvts, -we a-\iard to 

 Jacob L-awyer, of Westminster, ibr a native bull 

 ca//of a breed that has often gained our premi- 

 ums, weighing at 7 months old, 725 pounds, 15 

 The second premium for bull calves is awarded (o 

 .lohn lirown, of Uudh y, for a bull calf of the 

 Holderness breed, 10 

 The third premium for bull calves is awarded to 

 .Silas Stoae, of Sherburne, Middlesex, for a calf 

 out of Fill-pail's progeny, owned by Mr. Abner 

 Wheeler — Note, Fill-pail was presented to the 

 Society by Col. Thnrndike, and imported from 

 the iSeiher'ands. Ilis progeny in the third de- 

 gree inherit fully his qualities, 5 



There were several ofher fine bull calves, 

 among which I am requested by the committee 

 fo notice that of Nathan Nichols, of Maiden, 

 out of Ccelebs ; that of William Dodge, and 

 Ihat of Daniel Ste];hens, of Marlborough. 



Among many excellent bidls not included in 

 the premiums, were a bull from Denton, by the 

 Hon. Mr. Welles ; Jnpiler, a white bull, of Col. 

 Jaques — The bull of Henry Rice, Esq. of the 

 same breed, and a native bull, exhibited by Da- 

 vid Perham 



It will be seen by this enumeration, Ihat even 

 the second and third crosses, from the imported 

 bulls, have carried the premiums, and yet it 

 was not in any degree owing to anj' influence 

 which I, as a trustee, exerted over two very re- 

 spectable citizers from the interior — I am only 

 the organ to communicate their opinion, care- 

 fully formed, and cautiouslv expressed. It will, 

 however, be seen, that some native bull calves, 

 of a superior stock, carried the two first premi- 



