APPENDIX. xxiii 



the trial of farm horses at 5^ o'clock, P. M. Tliese trials took place 

 precisely at the time, and this punctuality was kept up through the 

 exliibition ; which is the first principle in all transactions. The driving 

 of carriage horses was rather promiscuous than otherwise, they having 

 no special track. Some fine horses were there. The trial of draft 

 horses was very respectable. Having arrived the previous evening, I 

 stopped at the well-kept house o^ Wm. H. Staples. The first day went 

 with Mr. Carpenter and saw some three hundred pear trees, in success- 

 ful bearing. Called at Mr. Putnam's, who had a large amount of 

 squashes and a great variety, some of which he exhibited, together 

 witli many other vegetables, most of which were hard to be 1)eaten. 

 The show in the hall, in its sevei-al departments, was good ; that of 

 apples, very extensive ; but the lustre made on them by rubbing, is not 

 in good taste with me. The ladies exhibited some fine specimens of 

 their skill, among which was an artificial flower tree, that discovered 

 great ingenuity in its formation. 



Second Day. — The ploughing took place at 8i^ o'clock, A. M. I 

 think there were twelve entries, two of liorses, The famous cattle 

 that took the first premium at the New England Fair were there. 

 Without particularizing, the work was as well done, if not the best, 

 that I have ever seen, and was viewed by more than two thousand peo- 

 ple. • The show at the park of draft oxen and teams was respectable ; 

 sheep and swine pretty fair, but not large in number. The various 

 kinds of fowls were well represented. 



An extra dinner came off at half-past twelve o'clock, got up by Mr. 

 Staples; at 1^ o'clock marched to the church, to the music of the Mil- 

 ford brass band ; here were feared by the flow of soul and science, by 

 F. D. Huntington, D. D., of Boston, whose subject was, " The Odds 

 and Ends of Farming." 



I would here say that Milford, in 1830, contained sixteen hundred 

 inhabitants ; it now claims ten thousand. 



The first day of the fair, Mr. Mayhew — who, by the way, I think 

 very much of a gentleman — invited the Secretary of the Board of 

 Agriculture, with myself, to his fine residence, and feasted us on pears 

 and otherwise refreshed us. 



I was under the necessity of leaving for the cars before the reading 

 of premiums, and not having any report of them, I stop here, by giv- 

 ing n^ good wishes for their success, and thanks for the gentlemanly 

 treatment by the officers and others whose acquaintance was made. 



Alured Homer. 



