94 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



SEPT. a 1, 1642. 



AND HORTICULTURAL RKGISTER. 



BosTOK, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 1842. 



HORTlCULTUR.\L EXHIBITION. 



The e.xhibition ot Fruiis, Flower.s and Vegetables at 

 the rooms of the Massachusetts Horiicultur^il Sucieiy 

 last week, was gladdening lo the lovers of good fruit and 

 fine flowers. The rooms nero tastefully decorated with 

 evergreens and the rich auiumnal flowers, and the ta- 

 bles were completely covered with liie fruits of the sea- 

 son. Our friends in the country catj have but fainl con- 

 ceptions ol the variety and richness of pears, peaches 

 and apples to be found in lite vicinity of this city, unless 

 they occasionally call at these rooms. 



The show of fruits this season v/as better, in point of 

 variety, than in past years. The season having been 

 wet and cold, the Iruits were less ripe than last year : 

 the late pears were not in the best condition for exhibi- 

 tion. But the fruits and flowers generally were fine 

 specimens of their kind, and the show was superb The 

 weather was very unfavorable, and consequently the 

 visitors were legs numerous thiin usual. We regret this, 

 because a full attendance is gratilying and encouraging 

 to the contributors, and also because the indiviiluals who 

 see the rooms enjoy a rich treat. We hope soon to get 

 the reports of the committees, and as we shall publish 

 those in full, we shall not pieoccupy the ground by our 

 individual opinion of the beauties and richness of con- 

 tributions from the several cultivators. 



FESTIVAL OF THE MASS. HOR'ftlCULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 

 On Friday evening, after the Society's exhibition was 

 over, a charming festival was held at Concert Hall. The 

 tables were beautifully ornamented with flowers and 

 richly loailcd with the finest fruits of the season. They 

 were surrounded also by beauties fairer than Flora ever 

 gave to earth. The presence of the ladies gave a purer 

 and happier spirit to the meeting than was ever genera- 

 ted by the gifts of Bacchus All seemed delighted with 

 the exchange, ond all sneak in raptures of the enjoy- 

 ments ol the evening. The speeches from the Prostdent 

 of the Society, from the Mayor of the city, from invited 

 guests, and others, were appropriate and hnppy. Next 

 vpeek we hope to give them to our readers in better form 

 than this week will allow u- to put them into.. 



Keep your pails and pans and churns, and all your 

 dishes clean and sweet. Keep your cellars cool and 

 well ventdated ; — use none but the best salt — rock salt — 

 and not too much of that ; and work out all the butler, 

 milk. And when ynu have done all this, not more than 

 half of you will make decent butter. On some farms 

 the cows, too many oi' them, will furnish white and poor 

 cream : the mow every where is far from sweet : some of 

 the cellars are unavoidably warm and poor : and some 

 of you have hands too «arm to put to the butter 



So much we will whisper in the ears of the citizens in 

 yourdcfence — and will say lo them also, that the weath- 

 er for the last two months has been of the worst fir your 

 business. But when we have said all this, we shall not 

 be able to satisfy either the good people of Boston or 

 ourself, that ynu are all entirely blameless in this matter. 

 Ifyou do not reform — (the guilty only we are speaking 

 to) — then we shall be under the dire necessity soon of 

 uttering the fearful wish that you may yourselves be 

 obliged lo eat the stufl^, when a week old, which you 

 sell in the market fur butter. 



connected with coarseness, and is so often a mere acci' 

 dent, that we are not ready to look upon it as very im- 

 portant, or as possessing any peculiar claims to reward. 

 Tke best, not always the largest, deserve favor. 



BUTTER. 



What shall wc write about.' — (said we, in tlie way of 



chat, to a friend who knows nothing about farnjing) I 



What shall we write about this week ? " Write," said ! 

 he, " 10 the farmers' wives, and tell them how to make | 

 good butter." No wonder, tliought we, that you are so ' 

 ready to give that answer ; for we have not Ijad the. good 

 fortune to find any good butter at any one of the many I 

 tables in and around the city at which we have eat for ' 

 the last lour or five weeks. Were we to put our ques- ■ 

 tion into the mouth of the city crier, and direct him to 

 ask in the streets— What shall the editor of the Farmer 

 write about.'— we should expect an unanimous and in- 

 stant response from side-walks, from behinrl counters 

 and desks, from parlor and fr.-.m kitchen — BatUr! But- 

 ter ! Butter! Write about ;'00(/ 6M««r. — Yes, yi' farmers' 

 wives and daughters, if ye knew the li:ilf that is s.ijd, or 

 the fourth that ia thought of the buttered salt, and plas- 

 tered up buttermilk., that is sold and used for butter, ynu 

 would blush, and vve;ir as in my colors on your cheeks 

 Oi the knife discloses when it severs your pound lump. 



ARTICLES FOR EXHIBITION AT CATTLE 

 SHOWS. 



The Fairs of the many Agricultural Societies benefit 

 the cause of husbandry by bringing together, where 

 thousands can see them, the good productions of the 

 stall, the field and the garden. No farmer can attend 

 such an exhibition without seeing or hearing something 

 that will be instructive or that will enkindle his zeal. 

 Though one cannot hay his finger upon this animal or 

 that ; though he cannot name this farm or that, and say 

 that its peculiar excellencies are the eflects of an Agricul- 

 tural Society's exhibitions or premiums; yet it is not 

 probable that the eflects can be other than great and good. 

 Hundreds and thousands are annually stimulated by 

 them to make efforts to excel. Those who succeed, 

 make known the result; others have tried — have learned 

 something — and have become more interested in their 

 pursuit,, though they say nothing of their design to have 

 been coiiijietitors for premium, had their animals or crops 

 trrown better. The stimulating leaven works more gen- 

 erally than iV supposed by those whoso opportunities for 

 observation are limited. The influeiices of the sliows 

 are great and gOL^d. 



But we have oft.'^n thought that many men's opinions 

 as to what kind of ar 'ides are most suitable lor exhibi- 

 lion and most dcserviii^'! o' premiums, are not correct. 

 If one has a very /«ri./-e ca'"". because of the itze alone the 

 calf will be entered f)r pre,'"'""!- If there grows in the 

 garden a huge hybrid squash, /'"'* "lust he exhiuited; a 

 few overgrown sugar beets, too' coarse to be good for 

 any thinu;, are bronghi to the hall i'or show. There is 

 ho harm in exhibiting ihese monslefs.; but the articles 

 most deserving of the Society's rewards are, huch ani- 

 mals as are usually preferred for proi"l— being of fair 

 size, good form, good eye, good skin, iSLc. ;and such 

 vegetables as are a tair sample of the whole gvowth upon 

 « field that has been cultivated with care and t"!Conomy. 

 No valuable lesson can tie learned from a squash or beet 

 that happens to be very largt, nobody knows w?iy or 

 how The fairest and best articles of fair size, are more 

 useful than the cciarse though very large ones. In the 

 rase of animals and vegetables, premiums should not be 

 awarded lor euriMsitUs, merely as such, but for etcellence 

 attained by pcrs everance in >vellrdirecled efl"ort. Com- 

 mittees in awaj ding premiums and bestowing gratuities, 

 are in danger of letting size influence their decisions 

 more than the y would if purchasing animals or vegeta- 

 bles fir their own ustt. We have often thought that 

 size was cons idered the greatest eicellence ; but very 

 ejtrjpxdjflary size iniUnirTWls and vegetable? is so often 



Where no oten are, the crib is clean. — Solomon. 



You may have the barn clean when you keep no cat- 

 tle in it. The house may be clean when uninhabited. 

 Every tool on a farm may not only have its place, but 

 may ba kept in its place if but little work is done. But 

 the text implies that where work goes on briskly and 

 successfully, there will be clutter and dirt. This is true ; 

 and if we could say a word teaching that over nicety and 

 order are unfriendly to the dispatch of business — if we 

 could say it without giving encouragement to slovenly 

 and unorderly habits, we would speak. 



More farmers are in fault lor neglecting order and 

 neatness, than are lor excessive regard to these. Yet 

 we now and then see a place where so much attenlion is 

 given to appearances, to neatness and to order, as to be 

 satisfied that labor cannot be prosecuted vigorously and 

 profitably there. The crib is clean — but there being no 

 oxen at it, it yields no income. The tools are in place, 

 but this being because they are seldom taken out for use^ 

 they give but little profit. The yards, and fences, and 

 avenues are neat, because the work of the fields is post- 

 poned till they are attended to. Neatness and order in 

 their £3:<:es5, may be pardoned in the affluent, but will 

 not do for those who are to earn a living from the soilj 



But do n't think we are advising you to neglect them : 

 they both are proper and profitable to a considerable ex- 

 tent — to a greater extent than most farmers in the coun- 

 try p-actice them. 



CATTLE SHOWS, FAIRS, &c. 



New York State Agricultural Society, at Albany, Sept. 

 28 and 29. 



American Institute, at New York, Oct. 12, 19 and 20. 



The Rhode Island Agricultural Society have postponed 

 their Cattle Show for the present year. The election of 

 officers will take place at the Society's Hall, in Pawtuxet, 

 on Wednesday, 28th inst., at 2 o'clock, P. M. 



Berkshire O. Society, at Fittsfield, Oct. 5 and 6. 



Essex Co. Society, at South Andover, Sept. 28. 



Hampshire Society, at Northampton, October 12 and' 

 Vi. 



Worcester Co. Society, at Worcester, October 12. 



Plymouth Co. Society, at Bridgewater, October 12. 



Middlesex Co. Society, at Concord, October 5. 



Bristol Co. Society, at Taunton, October 13. 



To be satisfied with the acquittal of the world, thought 

 accompanied with the secret condemnation of conscience, 

 is the mark of a little mind ; but it requires a soul of no 

 common stamp, to be satisfied with his own acquittal, I 

 and to despise the condemnation of the world — Lacon 



Some reputed sointe that have been canonized, ought 

 to have been cannonaded ; and some reputed sinners 

 that have been cannonaded, ought to have been canon- 

 ized — Ibid. 



The earth, indeed, is doubly grateful— inasmuch as 

 she not only repays forty fold to the cultivator, but reci- 

 procally improves its improver, rewarding him with 

 health, strength and vigor. — Ibid. 



Avarice has ruined more men than prodigality, and 

 the blindest thoughtlessness of expenditure has not de- 

 stroyed BO many fortunes, as the insatiable lust of aceor 

 Xiial&Uon.^-Ibid. 



