446 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



handsome oxen, with their horns tastefully dressed 

 ia blue and yellow streamers of ribbon, were at- 

 tached to a car, mounted upon four wheels, and 

 containing twenty-seven young ladies of Hamp- 

 ton Falls. The car was roofed over with green 

 corn leaves, for a screen from the sun, and carpet- 

 ed and cushioned like a church. The outside was 

 beautifully decorated with evergreens and bou- 

 quets of flowers. Indeed, no part of the wood ev- 

 en of the wheels could be seen, but it was an ele- 

 gant combination of the brillant colors of Autumn 

 flowers, with the fresh green of the forest trees 

 and vines. Upon the sides, curiously formed in 

 large letters, witWegetables of all kinds, was an 

 inscription of the name of the town. Snugly seat- 

 ed among the fair occupants of the car, were seen 

 the President of the Society, and Orator of the 

 day, who had gone out topay their early respects. 

 On the square, teams from other towns were ad- 

 ded to the procession, to the number, in all, of 

 soaae seventy yoke of oxen, and at nine, by the 

 music of the band, and with occasional songs by 

 the ladies, amid shouts and cheers of the multi- 

 tude already assembled, the procession moved on 

 to the cattle grounds by the depot. Coaches 

 were then furnished by the Society to the la- 

 dies, who were driven about the grounds to view 

 the animals, and then escorted by the marshals 

 to the exhibition hall. All honor to the ladies of 

 Hampton-Falls, who have set an example to their 

 sisters through the county, of incalculable value 

 to this new Agricultural Society. 



THE CATTLE PENS.* 



Time and space cannot now be spared to give 

 details. About one hundred and twenty yoke of 

 oxen were upon the field, and the pens contained, 

 of horned cattle, about one hundred head. Gen- 

 tlemen from our own State familiar with such 

 scenes declared that so fine a display of working 

 oxen they had rarely witnessed. 



After organizing the various committees, the 

 word was given to proceed to witness the 



PLOWING MATCH. 



But seven teams were entered for plowing. Al- 

 though the knowing ones could well enough see, 

 that no great affair could be made of this part of 

 the show, yet nothing could exceed the interest 

 manifested by the spectators, to most of whom the 

 spectacle was new. The plowing was tolerably 

 well done, but many such trials are wanting, to 

 bring the farmers of old Rockingham up to their 

 proper mark in this department. 



THE PROCESSION AND ADDRESS. 



At the close of the plowing match, a procession 

 was formed, of tTie officers and members of the so- 

 ciety, and invited guests, in Pine Street, and 

 marched to the church. The Hampton Falls car 

 with its twenty yoke of oxen bringing up the rear. 



The wall pews of the house were filled with la- 

 dies, and the members of the society filled the 

 rest, standing in the aisles in crowds, after the 

 seats were all taken. 



A voluntary was played by the band, a beauti- 

 ful selection of scripture was read by the Rev. 

 Mr. Mann, who in language appropriate and elo- 

 quent, also made a prayer, and a hymn was sung 

 by the choir. The address, falling from our own 

 lips, forbids our saying anything more about it than 

 that it was attentively listened to. 



THE EXHIBITION HALL. 



The ancient and dusty old Town Hall was ele- 

 gantly decorated, with evergreen and oak leaves, 

 by the young ladies of Exeter, whose presence at 

 the tables, added not a little to the attractions of 

 the scene. Tables more than two hundred feet in 

 length, in all, were arranged through the room, 

 completely covered with fruit and flowers, and ar- 

 ticles of needlework, and embodiments of a thous- 

 and curious fancies, while the benches were loaded 

 with mammoth vegetables, and the walls adorned 

 with pictures and embroidery. The show of fruit 

 was a surprise to all. Baskets of peaches and 

 pears were as fine as can any where be produced. 



To give some idea of the number of persons pres- 

 ent on the occasion, we have more reliable data, 

 than mere real estimates, which ranged all the 

 way, from five to ten thousand. We heard an old 

 gentleman say, that he had lived in Exeter sixty 

 years, and that never before had he seen so many 

 people in the town at one time. The exhibition at 

 the Hall was free to members of the Society, 

 more than four hundred, in number, and to all 

 members of their families, and all who claimed to 

 be such, yet more than 2,000 persons paid an ad- 

 mission fee at the door ! The Committee of man- 

 agers at the Hall estimated that more than one- 

 half entered without payment. 



THE AWARD OF PREIIICMS. 



At four o'clock, the music called together in 

 front of tha Squamscot House a crowd, such as is 

 seldom anywhere witnessed. 



The President, Mr. French, from one of the 

 porticos, read the reports of the various commit- 

 tees while " a sea of upturned faces " anxiously 

 awaited the decisions. 



He also introduced to the meeting, several gen- 

 tlemen from abroad, who made short addresses. 

 Col. Newell, President of the Essex Society, a vet- 

 eran in the cause of Agriculture, was among them. 

 He complimented, in the highest terms, the exhi- 

 bitions of cattle and of fruit, pronouncing them 

 equal to any he had ever seen. Remarks were 

 also made by Mr. Farnum, of Boston. 



A spectacle was here presented, such as we 

 have never witnessed at any show before. The 

 President, with several invited guests, stood upon 

 the balcony of the porch, while the multitude be- 



