viii REPORTS OF DELEGATES. 



men associated with him, but no man said a better word than Mr. 

 Cummings uttered when he urged the value of the best intelligence 

 in farming, and said, "it is to no one so important as to the practi- 

 cal farmer to know the laws that govern the vegetable kingdom. 

 The blight upon his crops is no longer a curse sent from God to 

 punish him, but some parasite fungi, caused, it may be, by his own 

 neglect." 



It is evident that the theory and practice of the Middlesex Society 

 make a valuable contribution to our agricultural literature. 



Geo. B. Loeing. 



MIDDLESEX NORTH. 



As delegate from this Board, I visited Lowell, September 30th, 

 under mistaken ideas that this was the first day of the " Fifteenth 

 Annual Exhibition of the Middlesex North Agricultural Society," 

 but to my regret I found the Exhibition was the 29th and 30th, 

 instead of the 30th and 1st October. Arriving as I did at a trifle 

 past meridian, a hurried view was necessarily taken of the show 

 and surroundings. I found the attendance almost wholly farmers 

 and their fiiends, and I might say these are the life and sinew of 

 our agricultural societies, and where they lend a hearty cooperation, 

 a healthy and prosperous future is sure. I think it my duty to here 

 say there was caiise for a non-attendance of the citizens in general, 

 viz., the fire companies of the city making this their holiday or 

 muster. The weather was all that could be asked for, — clear, bright, 

 and a genial sun. One of the first persons I met on entering the 

 grounds, was the active and stirring jiresident, our honored brother 

 Clement, who in giving the right hand of welcome, directed me first 

 to the new and commodious stock sheds. These I thuak a great 

 addition to the grounds, and although there might be better plans 

 for permanent buildings, I would not withhold saying that the 

 Middlesex North has made a good investment here of capital that 

 will be appreciated in future years. 



A portion of the stock had been removed, but the best I found 

 still at their posts. In the line of oxen, I would claim the jDrivilege 

 of making mention of those shown by Messrs. N. Pierce of Lowell, 

 D. B. Jones of Dracut, and H. A. and S. A. Coburn of Lowell ; 

 and as I looked on them, the thought entered my mind that the 

 societies of Western Massachusetts, with their boasts of excelsior 

 cattle, would be proud to class such in their exhibitions. Of cows 

 there was a good display, the Jerseys or their grades predominat- 



