MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 109 



John Gordon, Brighton ; Solon Dike, Stoneham ; 

 Charles Heard, Brighton ; Peter Lawson Dracut, 

 each, a gratuity of . . . . . $2 00 



Butter. 



Your committee, in pursuance of their duty, have attended 

 to its requirements, and have the honor to make the following 

 report. 



The number of entries for premium were nineteen, present- 

 ing specimens of butter worthy of all praise, and which re- 

 quired extremely nice tasting to enable the committee to de- 

 cide which was entitled, more than another, to the premiums 

 at their disposal. 



In no former instance have the samples, (with one or two 

 exceptions,) come more nearly to be entitled to " the first 

 premium " than at the present exhibition, giving proof of a 

 certain and positive improvement in the production of the im- 

 portant and desirable addition to our tables, of good, sweet, 

 pure butter. Particular attention has been devoted to the ex- 

 amination of the certificates in connection with the samples, 

 and we find very little, if any, particular variation in the course 

 pursued by all the makers ; and we have come to the conclu- 

 sion that all know how to make good butter, and nothing but 

 proper care is required that it should be well made, to render 

 it perfect. 



It is a source of regret that seven of the nineteen samples 

 were not accompanied by the proper certificates required by the 

 positive rules of the society, and two had not the proper quan- 

 tity required, by which omission they were excluded from being 

 entitled to premium. It is sincerely hoped that this may be 

 better understood in future, for some of the samples embraced 

 in this category, were most temptingly sweet and delicious, 

 and would have satisfied the taste of the most fastidious 

 epicure. 



Many of the samples presented were so nearly equal to any 

 offered, that the committee found it very difficult to decide, and 

 would gladly have awarded more premiums, had they had 



