NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Not 



of oxen and one horse each ; 1 four horse team, 

 and 7 two horse teams. 



The match embraced many fine cattle and hors- 

 es, and was warmly contested. We believe Middle- 

 sex county has the honor of getting up the most ex- 

 tensive plowing matches of any society in the east- 

 ern part of the Stat^ if not in the whole State. At 

 any rate; her farmers go into the matter with a 

 will, and it hardly need be said that they do their 

 work well. The teams on this occasion were skil- 

 fully managed, and the whole thing was carried 

 through without "noise or confusion." 



Next came the Spading Match, a new and very 

 interesting feature in agricultural exhibitions. This 

 took place in the Society's enclosure, and excited 

 much attention. There were twelve stahvart com- 

 petitors for the palm of victory, who handled their 

 spades with much energy and skill. But two of 

 them were Yankees, the rest being Irishmen. The 

 lots to be dug up were 5 feet by 12, and the 

 match lasted about half an hour, the contestants 

 being cheered in their labors by the inspiring strains 

 of the Sudbury Brass band, who were stationed on 

 the ground. The quickest spading was done in 

 nine minutes and a half, but speed was not the 

 only test of merit. 



Directly after the Spading Match, a trial of 

 Working Oxen took place on the Society's grounds. 



There were IG teams entered, and the task was 

 the drawing of a load of rising 5000 lbs., up a hill 

 and backing it. Some excellent muscle on the 

 part of the cattle was exhibited, as well as good 

 training, and their drivers displayed good skill in 

 their management. 



At 12 o'clock a procession was formed at the 

 exhibition hall, under the direction of G. A.Som- 

 erby, of Waltham, and accompanied by the Sud- 

 bury Brass Band, proceeded to the Unitapan 

 Church, to listen to an address from Hon. Lorenzo 

 Sabine, of Framingham. The exercises were opened 

 by a voluntary by the band, after which prayer 

 was offered by Rev. Mr. Ellis, of Charlestown. 

 The hymn commencing 



" God of the year ! •with songs of praise," 



was then sung, after which the President of the 

 society. Judge Hoar, of Concord, introduced the 

 orator of the day. Mr. Sabine then proceeded to 

 address the audience. 



Although the address was not peculiarly appro- 

 priate to an Agricultural Festival, it contained 

 many good thoughts and manifested much careful 

 observation of men and things, and a thorough 

 knowledge of human nature. It was addressed to 

 fathers and mothers, and its leading thought was 

 the importance of studying the talents, the tastes 

 and the inclinations of their children, and direct- 

 ing them into those pursuits for life which are 

 congenial to the natural bent of their minds, and 

 to their physical organizations. It was written in 



a very neat and chaste style. A large audience, 

 including many ladies, was present, and the ad- 

 dress was listened to with close attention. 



The visit to the church was enlivened by good 

 music under the direction of Mr. James IL Bil- 

 lings, who is entitled to the thanks of the lovers 

 of music for his efforts to meet the occasion. 



The exercises were concluded by singing the fa- 

 vorite " Harvest Hymn." 



The procession was again formed and proceeded 

 to the Town Hall, where an excellent dinner, pre- 

 pared by J. B. Smith, of Boston, was spread for 

 about four hundred persons. Here a new and 

 pleasing feature in the arrangements of the society 

 presented itself, — the presence of many ladies — 

 this being the first time they have honored the 

 annual dinner of the society with their presence. 

 Romance aside, the attendance of the wives and 

 daughters of the farmers on such an occasion adds 

 greatly to the cheerfulness and gaiety of the hour 

 spent over the social board. It is a most pleasing 

 custom, and should be adopted by all agricultural 

 societies who wish to flourish and keep up with 

 the times. 



After the company had got seated at the tables, 

 the Divine Blessing was invoked by Rev. Mr. Ellis, 

 of Charlestown. Mr. Hoar then invited attention 

 to the feast, which was promptly attended to. 



After the keen appetites of the company had 

 been fully sated, Mr. Hoar rose, and in a happy 

 and appropriate speech congratulated the members 

 of the society on the success which had attended 

 the exhibition, and also upon the increased facili- 

 ties secured for the purposes of the society. He 

 also congratulated them on the appearance of a 

 new set of features (the ladies) at the dinner of 

 the society. He appealed eloquently to the mem- 

 bers of the society to take a pride in rendering the 

 cultivation of the county second to that of no 

 other, and an honor to the State. 



Mr. Hoar, then, in a spirit of happy banter, 

 called upon various gentlemen for speeches. The 

 first was the orator of the day, Mr. Sabine, who 

 responded with a sentiment. 



The next was Hon. Mr. Wright, Secretary of 

 the Commonwealth, in response to a toast in hon- 

 or of Massachusetts. He reviewed the high po- 

 sition which Massachusetts holds among her sister 

 States, and compared the exhibition of the day, 

 with its representatives from every branch of so- 

 ciety, to a miniature State — a miniature empire. 

 He referred the cause of the eminence of Massa- 

 chusetts to the thinking labor of her sons. 



Mr. Loud, the Treasurer of the State, was next 

 called up, and responded in a pleasing strain of 

 remark. 



Mr. Dix, of Littleton, one of the original foun- 

 ders of the society, and upwards of 80 years of 

 tige, followed with a few pertinent remarks and a 

 sentiment. 



