BERKSHIRE SOCIETY. 343 



the increase, as must be evident to all who have an eye to see 

 or an ear to hear. The committee were called upon to exam- 

 ine crops from the extreme north to the south line of the 

 county, a section of country not surpassed by any of equal 

 extent in New England, for enterprise, production, health and 

 fine scenery. It was evident to the committee, as we passed 

 along the valleys of the Ilousatonic and Hoosic rivers, that a 

 commendable spirit of improvement is abroad in our county, 

 extending from the slope of the mountain top across the wide- 

 spread plain below; all of which were dotted with fine fields 

 of grain, with but occasionally a partial failure, caused by the 

 early drought. 



The hay crop this year is not equal in quantity to that of 

 last, but as nearly as we can ascertain, about one-third defi- 

 cient, but the quality is far better, which will help the deficiency 

 very much. 



Of corn, about fifty pieces were entered. Seven were com- 

 petitors on three acres, the remainder for one. Here the farm- 

 ers contended nobly, each one meaning to have the best crop 

 in the county, which is as it should be. The crop may be con- 

 sidered a fair one ; some parts, however, were aflectcd by the 

 drought, but in our opinion, there will be no want of grain for 

 the consumption of man and beast, in Berkshire county, this 

 year. 



The field of corn entered by the president, Justus Tower, of 

 Lanesborough, was a good one. It was evident to the com- 

 mittee that it had been managed by a skilful cultivator of the 

 soil, the crop bearing testimony to the fact. Upon this field 

 an experiment had been made with several kinds of manure 

 of "compost variety," differing materially from each other, and 

 as a statement respecting the treatment of the crop will soon 

 be published, your committee deemed it unnecessary to enter 

 it at full length in their report. 



The oat crop, of which thirty pieces were entered for pre- 

 mium, were not of as great growth of straw as last year, but 

 were well headed and will yield a fair crop in the north part 

 of the county. It was evident that the south part of the 

 county had suffered more by the early drought, which affect- 

 ed the crop materially. 



Ten fields of meslins were entered, some of them first 



