1858.] SENATE- No. 4. 261 



The examination of stock took place about one mile from the 

 village, upon the trotting park, on Petty's Plain. And the exhi- 

 bition of fruit, vegetables, bread, butter, cheese, maple sugar, 

 and other articles for use and ornament were tastefully arranged 

 under a committee composed partly of ladies, at Washington 

 Hall, in the village. 



After an introduction to the president, Mr. Fogg, and other 

 gentlemen, by my friends Mr. Field and the secretary, Mr. Gren- 

 nell, we proceeded to the park, where the animals were on exhi- 

 bition. After passing around hastily among the swine, sheep, 

 poultry, young cattle of various grades, working oxen, and 

 steers three years old and younger ; two town teams from Shel- 

 burne and Deerfield, the only ones noticed by me, though it 

 was said, by some misunderstanding, the Greenfield town team 

 was not seasonably collected and brought upon the ground, 

 my attention was called to a pair of oxen of Mr. Parmenter, of 

 Greenfield ; if those were a fair sample of the oxen in Green- 

 field, as to size and quality, it would be hard for even Shelburne 

 to beat them. 



At two o'clock, Ave proceeded to the grounds assigned for the 

 ploughing match. And here I must say, for the first time since 

 I commenced an examination, I was disappointed. After view- 

 ing such noble oxen and steers three and four years old, large 

 enough for a single pair, to break up any common sward land, 

 only two double teams of oxen and three pair of horses con- 

 tended for the premiums. 



If the only object of a ploughing match is to show hurried 

 work, perhaps as many were there as could be profitably 

 employed ; but if the true object of a contest in ploughing is 

 carried out, — such as an exhibition of the most perfect skill in 

 workmanship, by running straight and even furrows of the 

 required depth, a proper training of the team employed, together 

 with the opportunity offered for a display of all the various 

 models of ploughs now in the market, which the farmers of the 

 county can avail themselves of at an exhibition like this more 

 readily than in any other way, by comparison not only of the 

 appearance and workmanship of the plough, but also ot its 

 actual working in the soil, a selection of an article adapted to 

 their particular farms can be judiciously made. The teams 

 upon the ground were first rate and the work well done. 



