520 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



Concord, Gilliflowcr potatoes of tremendous size ; 

 N. Barrett, blood beet ; A. B. Heywood, onions* 

 Eliza Emerson, seedling, a twin pumpkin, a 

 great curiosity : W. D. Brown, corn, raised from 

 seed found with an Egyptian mummy ; Thomas 

 Page, Waltham, hot-house grapes of exti'aordinary 

 6ize ; and John B. Moore, Concord, a very ex- 

 tensive and well-arranged variety of the rich 

 products of his excellent form. 



The handsome carpets suspended over head, 

 from the Carpet Hall of Wm. P. Tenny, Boston, 

 made a fine appearance. There was near them a 

 praiseworthy specimen of domestic manufacture, 

 by Mrs. G. M. Barrett, Concord. 



We expressed our belief last year, that increas- 

 ing attention is being paid in this State to the 

 rearing of liorses. The exhibition of colts this 

 day gave abundant evidence that our belief is 

 well-founded. There was a large number of fine 

 colts on exhibition, among which we will venture 

 to notice one by Josiali Bigelow, Groton, one by 

 J. B. Farmer, Concord, one by S. C. Wheeler, 

 Groton, and a fine black four-year old by a man 

 whose name we did not learn. There were other 

 fine ones mostly yearlings. 



The exhibition of stock, we think, surpassed 

 what we have seen on any former occasion. Mr. 

 Buckminstee's Devons occupied several pens, and 

 included some fine .specimens. There were many 

 other fine animals of this breed on the ground. 

 S. C. Wheeler, Groton, had three fine Herefords, 

 the only ones which we saw on the ground. 

 There were several fine Alderneys, pure and half- 

 bloods. Of Durhams and native, there were many 

 fine samples. The dairy cows of G. M. Barrett, 

 John B. Moore, S. G. Wheeler and others, it 

 would not be easy to boat in Massachusetts or 

 out of it. The number of working oxen was small 

 compared with many exhibitions in the interior, 

 but there were several yokes containing more or 

 less Devon blood, that were equal in beauty, 

 and all the important points of the working ox, 

 to any that we have ever seen in any part of the 

 country. 



The Middlesex farmers have learned that it 

 takes a very fine pig to get a premium in this 

 county, and they exhibit no others. Mr. Iliiven of 

 Framingham, sustains his position as one of the 

 most successful swine raisers in the State. Mr. 

 Sheldon of Wilmington, had his usual variety on 

 exhibition ; Mr. C. B. Clark, of Concord, had a 

 pair of promising Essex pigs, of the black variety. 

 John Raynokls had a good boar, and Josiah Big- 

 elow of Groton, had the best Suffolk boar, we 

 think, we have ever seen. He has been for many 

 years endeavoring to improve the breed, and has 

 succeeded in rearing an animal much superior in 

 the essential points to most of the imported speci- 

 mens. 



The samples of butter were few but fine. The 



piles of loaves, white and light, exhibited by the 

 girls, shewed to a demonstration that good house- 

 wives may yet be found in old Middlesex. No 

 young man need fear to unite his fortunes with 

 the girl who can keep a good district school, and 

 take the first premium for the best loaf of bread. 



On Wednesday morning, the clouds were 

 threatening, but the rain held off until after the 

 Plowing Match was over. The ground selected 

 was a mile from the village ; most of it was 

 meadow, a meadow abounding in cranberry 

 vines and hassock grass. Bat the twenty teams 

 started promptly at 9 o'clock, under the direction 

 of G. W. SoMERBY, Esq., Chief Marshal, and went 

 into it with a will that showed that no ordinary 

 obstacles would turn them out of their course. 

 There were single teams and double teams, ox 

 teams and horse teams, single plows and double 

 plows ; we noticed that on the cranberry land, 

 the double plows clogged badly. Some who start- 

 ed with the double, exchanged it for the single 

 plow. The work was all handsomely done. We 

 noticed especially a single team with a double 

 plow, driven by Horace Heard of Wayland, and 

 another single team with a double plow., by a son 

 of G. M. Barrett, Concord, that did their work 

 with great ease, and left the land in fine condi- 

 tion for tillage. We noticed two or three double 

 swivel plows, which made very good work ; but 

 where all did so well it is diiScult to discriminate. 

 The teams all made good time, and everything 

 went off in good order. The Drawing and Spad- 

 ing we did not see, but refer to the list of premi- 

 ums for the result. 



At 12 o'clock punctually, the procession start- 

 ed for the church, where a neat and interesting 

 discourse was delivered by Rev. G. E. Ellis, of 

 Charlestown ; after a pleasant introduction in 

 which he acknowledged his ignorance of both the 

 theory and practice of agriculture, he proceeded 

 to consider agriculture, 



1st. As a necessity. 



2d. With respect to its profits. 



3d. With respect to its enjoyments and im- 

 provements. 



The discourse was highly creditable to the good 

 taste of its author. We should prefer that our 

 orators, on such occasions, should be either practi- 

 cal farmers, or thoroughly scientific men. If we 

 must have speakers who are neither the one nor 

 other, we like to hear them discuss those collater- 

 al subjects, which they as fully understand and 

 appreciate as farmers themselves. Reading up a 

 little science for the occasion, and attempting to 

 instruct a company of prtictical men, does little 

 more than expose the ignorance of the speaker, 

 and weary the patience of the hearer. All this 

 was avoided on the present occasion, and the ad- 

 dress was well received by an intelligent and grat- 

 ified audience. The singing, too, went off well ; 



