ESSEX SOCIETY. 9 



bring forward twenty or more pairs of working oxen ? Suppose 

 tliis to be done by each town, and a brigade of four hundred 

 pair of cattle to be paraded on the day of the exhibition, each 

 town having its own section, under its own guides, selected 

 and arranged under the impulse of that ambition that would 

 not fail to be excited ! This would be a "Cattle Show" in-^ 

 deed. Shows like this have been made in other counties; 

 why may they not be made in Essex ? Our own eyes have 

 witnessed the present year, a team of one hundred yoke of 

 cattle from a single town on the banks of the Connecticut, 

 accompanied by twice this number of the farmers of the town ; 

 and we do not remember to have seen, at any time, a more 

 pleasing sight. Let a feeling of generous ambition be awak- 

 ened in the several towns, to bring forward the best grown, best 

 fed, and best disciplined of their cattle ; and without question, 

 they would find ample reward for their exertions, consequent 

 upon the improved condition of their cattle, that would neces- 

 sarily result from the competition. 



In most, if not all the other branches of our exhibition, 

 there is equal room for improvement. Take, for instance, the 

 cultivation of vegetables, a pursuit that engrosses much atten- 

 tion in every town in the county ; how little has been shown, 

 in comparison with what has been done ? How interesting 

 would be the spectacle, of a table spread by each town, with 

 the best specimens of the products of their soil ! Let it be 

 understood that such tables will be prepared, and let there be 

 committees from each town to see that their own town is fairly 

 represented, and there would be such a display of products of 

 the garden and the field, as the eye has not before seen. The 

 rocks of Marblehead and the sands of Methuen, would nobly 

 contend with each other in their exhibition of squashes: and 

 the plains of Dan vers would bring forth onions not a few, to 

 savor the entertainment. A spirit of emulation, of this kind, 

 needs to be awakened, before we can fully appreciate what can 

 be accomplished. 



It was particularly gratifying to the farmers of Essex, on 

 the day of their exhibition, to be favored with the presence of 

 the governor of the Commonwealth, and to hear from him the 

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