ON I'LOUGHING DOUBLE TEAMS. 45 



The premiums offered by this society are Hbera!, and your 

 committee know no sufficient cause, when there is plenty of 

 good cider made in this county, why it has not been brought 

 forward. 



It would seem to your committee, that as the apple was the 

 forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, that a curse had followed 

 the expression of half of its juice ever since, by turning it into 

 vinegar ; yet even that article well pays for its expression. 



In all the Shaker villages in our country, where the members 

 publicly profess, neither "to marry nor be given in marriage," 

 and therefore, under such perverse disobedience to one of the 

 first and most important divine commands, to " increase, multi- 

 ply and replenish the earth," deserve none of its bounties, yet 

 they have this luxury of" good cider" in great perfection. Let 

 it be distinctly understood, however, that your committee, as 

 much as they are lovers of " good cider," do not ask, or even 

 wish for It, under the pains, penalties, and privations, conse- 

 quent on such direful disobedience. They would only endeavor 

 to impress deeply on the minds of their brother farmers, who do 

 obey this sacred and heavenly command, and who have, of 

 course, all the smiles and blessings of heaven following obedi- 

 ence to its decrees, that if they exercise the virtues of discrimi- 

 nation, cleanliness, patience, and vigilance, used by these nests 

 of disobedient celibates in making their cider, they would have 

 liquor equal to the nectar of the heathen mythology, and as 

 tempting to the taste as the original fruit was to our first parents 

 in the garden of Eden^ when presented by the odious serpent. 

 HECTOR COFFIN, Chairman. 



No. VI. ON PLOUGHING— DOUBLE TEAMS. 



The Committee on Ploughing with Double Teams, consist- 

 ing of Jonathan Ingalls, of Andover, Nathaniel Felton, Jr., of 

 Danvers, Joseph Goodridge, of Newbury, Jedediah H. Barker, 



