280 BOARD OF ACxRICULTURE. 



MIDDLESEX SOUTH. 



Agreeably to appointment, I attended the annual fair of tlic 

 Middlesex South Agricultural Society, held on the 18th and 

 19th of September. The "weather was fine on both days. I 

 was very much disappointed in not seeing any of their fine cattle 

 on the ground, as I profess to be somewhat of a cattle-man, 

 having been brought up from my earliest recollections to raising 

 cattle and sheep. Of the former there were none on exhibition, 

 on account of the prevalence of the cattle disease in some por- 

 tions of the State, which, notwithstanding my disappointment, 

 I consider the wise course. To account for the absence of the 

 latter is not so easy a matter, for from my observation of the 

 country, I should think it was excellent for the raising of 

 sheep, especially the mutton varieties, witli profit, being easily 

 accessible to market. I suppose the raising of sheep for wool 

 might not be so profitable on account of the high price of land. 

 There was, however, one yoke of lambs hitched to a wagon, 

 driven by a little boy, which attracted about as much attention 

 as any thing on the ground. 



I was in a measure consoled for the disappointment of not seeing 

 cattle on the exhibition grounds, by the pleasure I had in examin- 

 ing the fine herd of Ayrshircs on the farm of Mr. H. 11. Peters, 

 of Southborough, with whom I staid during the fair, and with 

 the manner in which he conducted his farming operations, 

 wliich is worthy of imitation, as also by the privilege of view- 

 ing the Devon stock of Mr. Buckminstcr, of Framingham. 



Of horses, there were foi'ty on exhibition, including colts, 

 and some very fine ones ; but not being a connoisseur in horse 

 flesh, I will not enlarge on the subject; but would say, 

 though not a fast horseman, that I think they need a track of 

 some kind to show their horses on, as it seems to me, to show 

 the good qualities of a horse, especially roadsters, on grass 

 ground, and that somewhat uneven, is not quite the thing. 



Of swine, there were twenty-one entries, and all good speci- 

 mens. I have rarely seen them excelled. Tiiey were most of 

 them very fine in bone, and some of them of lai-gc size, which 

 is not common with the finest varieties. Joseph Burnett, of 

 Southborough, exhibited several, which for size and fine pro- 

 portions, are not easily beaten. 



