REPORTS OF DELEGATES. 229 



The ploughing-match took place on the afternoon of the first 

 day. Eleven teams entered the field, two with the Michigan 

 plough, and one with a plough made in the last century, and 

 drawn with a pair of horses whose united ages were sixty-three. 



Some trials of the speed of horses closed the operations of the 

 first day. 



Immediately after the arrival of your delegate at Springfield, 

 he repaired to the exhibition of the society in Hampden Hall. 

 Tiie show here was interesting and creditable, although said 

 not to be as extensive as usual. 



The display of fruit, considering the very unpropitious char- 

 acter of the season, was better than anticipated, and here and 

 there might be seen a dish of pears and apples of extra quality. 

 Among the former was a dish of Winter Nelis pears, seldom if 

 ever excelled in this State. The strong point of this department, 

 however, was the collection of grapes. Splendid dishes of the 

 Isabella, Concord, Hartford Prolific, Diana, Rebecca, Union 

 Village, and Delaware grapes w^ere shown, and of the latter it 

 seemed to your delegate that no better could be produced than 

 those contributed by the Rev. Dr. Ide and Mr. John B. Steb- 

 bins. And here it may be remarked, that although all of the 

 above named grapes are considered hardy in this State, yet the 

 revulsions which occasionally occur, like the extremes of the 

 last winter, have taught us the lesson that in future the best 

 policy will be to lay our vines upon the ground during the 

 ■winter season. The only covering they need is a few inches of 

 soil thrown over them, and in most instances when laid on the 

 ground even without any covering, they will come out bright 

 in the spring. There were also excellent collections of foreign 

 grapes, from the graperies of Mr. Birnie, and also from Mr. 

 Chapin, of the Massasoit House. 



There were a few baskets of capital good apples, and among 

 them a handsome one by Roger S. Moore, of Springfield, 

 from a tree that produced this year twelve bushels, a striking 

 evidence of the superior hardiness and capability of some 

 varieties to withstand the greatest exigencies of our climate. 



Cranberries here, as in other counties, are becoming an article 

 of attention, and good specimens were exhibited. 



Of vegetables the show was fair. Large collections were 

 presented by Messrs. Atwater and other gentlemen. Among 



