i48 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Deo. 1, IfJii. 



WORCESTER ACniCULTUiOIL SOCIETY. 



KEPORT ON WORKING OXr.N. 



CIS any pair upon the ground ; and for wliicli you"^ I ON ECONOMICS AS A SCIENCE. 



Committee award to tlieir public spirited owner, Tliat logic, ethics, physic, and nietaphysi< 

 the thanks of the Society. In awarding the first should claim the dignity ot libera.1 arts or scienc« 



excites no surprise ; but that the art of manag-iiij 



The Comrnittee on Working Oxen, l,aving at- i„„,^ Comn>iltee hesitated for some time, 



tended to the duties of their appointment, report : ; ^^ ^uhoucrh the cattle of Silas Dudley, that vet- 



Tliat the trial and show of Working Oxen upon : ^^^„ -^^ the° training of Oxen, backed more readi- 

 this, as on every former festival, have tended to :, ,,j ^^,^.^ somewhat better trained than Mr 

 strengthen and confirm the high op.niou,entertain- . M^^ble's ; yet it was thought, that, viewed with 

 ed by the fanners of AVorcester County, of the , ^ ^^ y^^^ ^f ,„,t,^^ strength, form, and 



value of the 0.x It has been and long may it con- ^. ^^^ Marble's ioke were superior. Your Com- 

 tinue to be,the boast of tn.s County to have exhib- | ^.^^^^ ,^^^.^ there.bre awarded 

 ited teams of Oxen, as well trained, and as judi- i^g j. , x. Marble, of Sutton, for his yoke 4 

 ciously selected and matched, as any section that , ^^^^ ^, , j,^^ ^^^^ p.emium of 



our country can produce. Our annual Shows have | ^^^ yj,^^ 'j^'^^^^^.^ ^f Northbridge, for his yoke 



$15 



ay with the praises, and too often ; Hathavvay, of Graf.on, and the two yokes of Mo 

 of his owner; while the toilsome ; ^^^ Adarns, of Sutton, w 



had no small influence in producing this effect ; 

 before they were instituted, there was no occasion, 

 when the training and strength of the Ox were 

 publicly exhibited, to incite competition and com- 

 pari30ii,and to suggest or exemplify improvements 

 in the selection and education of this laborious an- 

 imal for the yoke. 

 The Morse has ever been a favourite, displayed 



and curvetted on ail occasions of show and narade; ^- ■ 



J , •.,.,• .. noticin 



and has run away 



with the purse 



and unassuming Ox has been suffered to plod on 

 the rugged tenor of his way, neglected and un- 

 honored. The Ox is a modest beast, without van- 

 ity or ambition ; but, at length, he has slowly and 

 patiently worked his way into favor and esteem ; 

 and we trust, the day is far distant, when he shall 

 cease to be highly appreciated by our farmers. — 

 The rough soil of New England could never have 

 been subdued, nor successfully cultivated, but for 

 the patient endurance,thc sturdy frame, and docile 

 disposition of this useful animal, wlio, while he 

 . • lightens the labors of tlie husbandman, is che.iply 

 U;te»k<^pt, and handily managed. Indeed, foiv animals 

 ^ombine, in an equal degree, strength with docili- 



While it is hopeless to expect ever to supplant 

 the Ox in the peculiar field of his labors, by the 



of 4 years old, the second premium of 

 To Tyler Putnam, of Sutton, for liis yoke of 4 



years old, the third premium of 10 



To Rejoice Newton, of Worcester, for his yoke 



of (i years old, the fourth premium of 5 



Your Committee regret that it was not in their 



power to award a premium to Stpplicn Marsh, jr. 



of Sutton, and cannot close their report without 



the stout and valuable cattle of Salmon 



!■ 



hich, if they had been 

 trained with a little more care, especially in back- 

 ing, would have severely contested the right of 

 their more fortunate competitors to the premiums. 



Mr John Temple, of West Boylston, exhibited a 

 fine team of nine yokes of stout and well matched 

 Oxen, all owned and worked hy him on his farm — 

 probably the largest team of Working Oxen that 

 is owned by any single individual in the County. 



Your Committee cannot too much commend the 

 spirit of the farmers of a neighboring town, as ex- 

 hibited on this occasion in the great Sutton Team, 

 consisting of sixty-nine yokes of stout and liand- 

 somo cattle, all disciplined and educated in that 

 best«chool for the Ox, the town of Sutton. Tliis 

 long and stately procession of the sturdy conquer- 

 ors of many a well ploughed field, made a truly 

 triumphal entry upon this festival of the farmer. 



substitution of any other animal, or to supersode.tol^,^;/^^;^^^^ skiU, which were required to rear. 



any great extent, the necessity of his assistance 

 by any labor-saving machinery, too much encour- 

 agement cannot be bestowed on the exercise of 

 care and skill, or the selectiou,matching, and train- 

 ing of our native breed of Oxen ; for it cannot now 

 be doubted, that to this breed, we must continue 



elect, and train so m: ny valuable Working Oxen 

 in one town, cannot fail to receive other and 

 greater rewards than the piemiums which have 

 been so frequently and deservedly awarded to 

 Sutton Oxen. 

 To the great Sutton Team your Committee 



to resort for tho supply and improvement of the: j ., • r *.i- » i i .u k.- ■ . 



, , . y • ,. , , , T , , award the premium of sUi, voted by the hociety 



muscle and sinew ot agricultural labor. Indeed, ' r , r . c wr , ■ n, c . i 



^, , ,, u '7- ■ . , 1 , ,'ifor tho best team of \\ orkiag Oxen of not less 



the valuable results, which have already attended u, • , , »- » i in 

 ,,.,.. ,„ . , . , ,. •'J: . Ithan sixty votes, trom one town, and one dollar 

 the ludicious ellorts, made in sehdms Oxen tor ■, i \ \ 

 ^ • per mile tor travel. 



the yoke, exhibit in a clear light, how much may 

 bo accomplished for the improvement of our native 

 stock, generally, by suitable attention to this im- 

 portant duty. 



The Working Oxen subjected to the examina- 

 tion of your Committee, h 



By order of the Comniitt-te, 



Wm. S. HASTINGS. 



It is stated in the Newport Republican,tliiat Be.n- 

 JAMIN Hazard Esq. " has been elected t-htrty-six 

 not been surpassed, ^ times in succession, a Representative from New- 

 exceptm number, by those exhibited at any form- I port, without one opposing vote,"— a good cvi- 

 er Show. Their strength and docility were so- , dcoo that his talents and services are justly ap- 



preciated by his fellow townsmen. 



verely tested ; and nearly every yoke drew, and 

 were driven and backed, readily and with great 

 ease. Your Committee were required, by the 

 rules of the Society, to regard the strength equali- 

 ty of match, and docility of the cattle, as well as 

 their size and appearance, and they found no lit- 

 tle ditficulty in determining to whom the premi- 

 ums of right belonged. The whole number,exam- Seven brigs, averaging 209 tons burthen, all 

 ined by your Committee, was eleven yokes. Of copper-fastened, and of tlie best materials, have 

 these, was a yoke offered for exhibition, only, by been built and launched at the ship yards in Ken- 

 the President of the Society, which if not as stout, nebunk, the present season. Three brigs, a schoo- 

 werc as docile, and as vv'cU trained and governed, , ner, and a sloop have been built at Wells. 



Sir John Sinclair calculates the produce of the 

 soil and agriculture of Great Britain at £21.5,000,- 

 000, and, including Ireland and the colonies, at 

 X317,000,000. 



ItaK 



a house and tamily should be placed on a lev( 

 with them, appears rather wonderful. Yet it 

 certain that economics \«ere taught as a schola 

 tic science by the ancient philosophers ; and thri f 

 still remains a very curious book, in which Xen 

 phou has recorded the doctrines of Socrates 

 the subject of «conomy. At the first sight one 

 apt to imagine that philosophy liad departed fri 

 her province when she enters on domestic ma 

 agement ; and that it would be ridiculous to se: 

 a house-keeper or a husbandman to Socrates f 

 the improvement of good house-wifery or agric 

 ture ; yet it must be confessed, tiiat there is in t 

 work of Xenophon nothing of -impertinence, bu) 

 great deal of good sense most elegantly exprei 

 ed. 



Notwithstanding the air of superiority which 

 assumed by logic, physics, and metaphysics, yi 

 considering the influence on human happiness, tj 

 greatest value should be placed on economics ; i 

 the others, as they are treated in the schools, a 

 little more than speculations, and have but a vi 

 limited influence either on the regulation or 

 enjoyment oi life. 



But the true palfrfaniilias, or master of a fa: 

 ly, is one of the most respectable characters in 

 ciety and the science which directs his condui 

 or reforms his misiakes, is entitled to peculiar 

 teem. Such is that of economics : and though* 

 be true that the wisdom obtained by experience 

 the least fallible, yet it often costs so dearly, tli 

 the intrinsic value scarcely compensates the pri( 

 Whatever science is able to anticipate it, certai! 

 ly deserves attention ; and there is nothing 

 which human industry and happiness are great! 

 conversant, v/hich may not be improved by thoi 

 who consider it with the dispassionate attention 

 sound philosophy 



Much of the misery which prevails at present 

 the world, is justly imputed to the want of ecoi 

 my. But the word, economy, is usually misund- 

 stood. It is confined in its meaning to parsimo 

 though it undoubtedly comprehends every tbii 

 which relates to the conduct of a family. Frugi 

 ity is indeed a very considerable part of it ; h 

 not the whole. It is the judicious government 

 a little community inhabiting one house, and usi 

 ally allied by all the soft bands of alBnity and coi 

 sanguinity. The person who executes sucii a goVf 

 ernment should be eminently furnished witli prtii 

 dence.and benevolence. i 



The rage for fashionable levities which has pefj 

 va,ded even the lower ranks, is singularly adven 

 to the knowledge and the virtues which doraestai 

 life demands. Dress occupies the greater part 

 both of the time and attention of many ; and th« 

 consequence is too often ruin in polite life, banki 

 ruptcy in the commercial, and misery and disgrr.ci 

 in all. 



It might be attended with great advantage 

 the community, and to the happiness of particulj^J 

 persons, if some part of the time and attention he* 

 stowed on the ornamental parts of education, werf 

 transferred to those arts which teacii tlie prudeflt 

 management of domestic concerns. The conduct 

 of children in the age of infancy requires consid- 

 erable skill, as well as tenderness; and how siioul* 

 she know how to enter upon it whose whole time 

 has been spent in learning the polite accomplish'^ 



