1S54. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



523 



Rev. Dr. Ide said but two* professions were spoken 

 of (at first,) in the Bible : that of the priest and 

 tlie gardener. He had no doubt all others were 

 the result of sin ! He would not say that they 

 were sinful. 



The speaking was followed by the reading of 

 the premiums. 



The display of fruit, vegetables, &c., was in 

 Hampden Hall. There was a great variety of fair 

 potatoes, grown on land evidently ;;re/;are</ for the 

 dry season. I noticed the Mercer, the Carter, 

 the Peach Blow, and the "Jenny Lind." Be- 

 hind the vegetables was a " section " of a large 

 mirror, about which visitors seemed merry. A 

 friend gave us the story : A flock of sheep were 

 passing down Main Street, and when against 

 Bailey & Bowers' jewelry store, the back wall of 

 which is covered with mirrors, they looked in, and, 

 sure enough, saw another flock headed the same 

 icay ! The sudden attempt to join them was at 

 tended with a bill for their owner for broken mir- 

 rors to the tune of something less than $25, which 

 he, probably, found not an illusion ! 



I was interested in the atmospheric light, which 

 was burning with great brilliancy. Mr. A. M. 

 Mace described the process of manufacture to all. 

 He had a small glass vessel filled with the neces- 

 sary articles for its production, where all could 

 see the thing done on a small scale. In the bot- 

 tom of the vessel was water ; above this, spirits 

 of turpentine, and at the top, benzole or liquid 

 carbon. By a tin tube, air was introduced at the 

 bottom, and rising through the water, became 

 humid or vapory. It then absorbed hydrogen from 

 the turpentine and carbon from the benzole, and 

 escaping, was combustible and brilliant. A light 

 equal to a coal gas-burner that consumes four feet 

 an hour, can be afi'orded for three-fourths of a cent 

 an hour. The discovery promises something in 

 these days of miserable oil. 



From this light affair I passed on to the not 

 light afiair of examining the apples, pears, peaches 

 and grapes. Hampden County produces credita- 

 ble specimens of fruit, even in dry seasons. I 

 thought such a display would stir up a good many 

 to plant and graft trees another spring, and set 

 out a grape in that good sunny place by the 

 kitchen door. 



The number of loaves of bread was not great, 

 but the previous action of the committee ought 

 to be remembered in connection. There Avas 

 good cheese and butter and honey, hard by. A 

 plate of figs, grown in Springfield, as Avell as fine 

 looking oranges, attracted attention. Bennett 

 Allen's telescope was looked at, if not through. 

 A multitude of deserving objects room prevents 

 noticing. The Hall was handsomely filled, and 

 much satisfaction seemed felt by all. 



I close this imperfect sketch of the day, with 

 thanks to the Secretary of the Society, Mr. A. A. 

 Allen, for polite attentions. W. D. Brown. 



Concord, Mass., Sept. 29, 1854. 



Mammoth Water-Melon.— Mr. P. D. Coburn 

 will please accept our thanks for the finest speci- 

 men of water-melons which we have seen this 

 year. The melon was very large, weighing 36 

 pounds, and of course was enough to feast all 

 hands. 



$25 00 

 12 00 



$12 00 

 8 00 



$12 00 



10 00 



600 



$10 00 

 700 



6 00 



5 00 



$lu 00 



7 00 



6 10 

 6 OU 



MIDDLESEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



List of Premiums awarded at Concord, Oct. 



4, 1854. 



FARMS. 



Josiah Bigelow, Groton, 



Mr. Miu-ray, for Miss Green, Waltham, 



BOG MEADOWS. 



Joshua Webster, Maiden, 

 John B. Moore, Concord, 



APPLE ORCHARD. 

 J. W. Brown, Framingham, 

 Hiram Woodis, South Reading, 

 Willi»m Buckminster, Framingham, 



PLOWING— DOUBLE TEAMS. 

 John W. Rice, Sudbury, 

 R. M. & G. W. Moore, do. 

 Charles Wheeler, Acton, 

 Henry Brooks, " 



SINGLE TEAMS. 

 Horace Heard, Wayland, 

 H. A. Sheldon, 'WilmLngton, 

 John W. Rice, Sudbury, 

 James A. Barrett, Concord, 



HORSE TEAMS. 

 Gardner Wheeler, Concord, 

 Samuel M. Thomas, Wayland, 

 John Eaton, Sudbury, 

 William Hastings, Framingham, 



WORKING OXEN. 



Daniel L. Giles, Lincoln, 



John Lawrence, Concord, 



H. A. & S. A. Coburn, Lowell, 



FAT CATTLE. 

 H. A. & S. A. Coburn, LoweU, 

 Calvin Fiske, 'Waltham, 



SPADING. 



H. C. Watts, Concord, 

 John O'Brien, " 

 Henry MuUett, " 

 Michael O'Brien, " 

 John W. Garfield, " 



MILCH COWS. 

 Asa G. Sheldon, Wilmington, best native cow, 

 Joshua W. Brown, Concord, next best, 

 George M. Barrett, " " " 



" " " best Ayrshire cow, 

 E. J. Leppelmann, Concord, next best, 

 William G. Barrett, " best Devon cow, 

 JosephlDerby, " next best, 



BULLS. 

 J. Porter, Lowell, best native, 4 years old, 

 Daniel L. Giles, Lincoln, next best, 

 George M. Barrett, Concord, best AjTshire, 

 Horace Heard, Wayland, next best, 

 Joseph Derby, Concord, best Devon, 

 George Chandler, Shirley, best Alderney calf, 

 Artemas Longley, Groton, next best, 



5. C. Wheeler, " Hereford cow and bull, 



STEERS. 

 William Buckminster, Framingham, three years old 

 Nathan Pratt, Sudbury, " " u ' 



HEIFERS. 



George M. Barrett, Concord, best milch heifer, 

 Leonard Hoar, Lincoln, best two years old, 

 William Spencer, Lowell, best yearling, 

 Jos. Harwood, Littleton, best heifer calf, 



HORSES. 

 Best breeding mare and colt, J. Derby, Jr., Concord 

 Best four or five years old colt, broken to harness, ' 



T. H. Sweetser, Reading, 

 Best two year old, G. C. Durkee, Littleton, 

 Best yearling, Elijah Wood, Jr., Concord, 



SWINE. 

 Best boar, Josiah Bigelow, Groton, 

 Best sow, A. G. Sheldon, Wilmington, 

 Best pigs, Abner Haven, Framingham, two 



premiums, 



POULTRY. 

 Albert L. Giles, Lincoln, turkies, 

 William Wheeler, Concord, best coop of fowls, 

 George M. Barrett, Concord, next best, 



BREAD — BY MARllIED WOMSN. 



Mrs. S. F. Kelscy, 



George Clark, 

 C. W. Goodnow, 



DiVMAnniED. 



Miss Caroline Mslvin, 



E. J. Fales, 



Rebecca Wheeler, 



HOUSEHOLD MANUFACTURES. 

 Mrs. Paribo, on 1 wrought dress, Concord, 



E. J. Bigelow, 1 Gothic chair, " 



$10 00 

 700 

 6 00 

 500 



$8 00 

 700 

 5 00 



$8 00 

 600 



$3 00 



4 00 

 300 

 200 

 100 



$S00 

 600 

 400 

 800 

 500 

 8 00 

 500 



$8 00 

 500 

 800 



5 00 



8 00 

 400 

 2 00 

 8 00 



$6 00 

 300 



$6 00 

 5 00 

 400 

 4 00 



$5 00 



500 

 500 

 500 



$6 09 

 600 



2 and 5 00 



$2 00 

 300 

 200 



$4 00 

 2 00 

 100 



$4 00 

 2 00 

 100 



50 

 100 



