42 MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 



peach orchards. In examining the apple orchards, it was found 

 that the apple tree borers had almost disappeared ; whereas, in 

 former years, they were very numerous. This we account for, 

 by the practice of keeping the land where the trees stand almost 

 in constant cultivation. In examining the pear trees, especially 

 those where a premium was asked, we found but two orchards 

 that could possibly be entitled to a premium under our rules, and 

 in these cases some of the trees were not so thrifty as was desira- 

 ble. A cause for this stunted appearance we could not discover. 

 The committee believe that it was the intention of the trus- 

 tees, when they instituted premiums on farms, to grant a pre- 

 mium to the person who should produce satisfactory evidence 

 of having made the greatest improvements on his or her farm, 

 within a given number of years, and not to the person who 

 might happen to be in possession of the best cultivated farm at 

 the time of the examination, unless it were made so by the 

 present applicant within the last ten, fifteen, or twenty years. 

 This has uniformly been the principle adopted by the commit- 

 tee. Acting upon this principle, we have found it very difficult, 

 in many cases, to determine who has in reality done the most to 

 improve his farm. This is the grand question, and involves 

 two or three others, viz., how has he done it 1 when did he do 

 it 1 what were his means ) Here is a farm that was made 

 beautiful by the Creator ; here is another so completely the re- 

 verse, that a stranger, on passing the two, would be inclined to 

 say, these represent the two extremes. This year, the commit- 

 tee have had both these farms to examine for a premium. The 

 occupant of Paradise in miniature had done well. His fruit 

 trees were not to be despised, and his buildings were princely. 

 He was a working man himself, and he taught his boys to work 

 also. How could a committee of common farmers, after hav- 

 ing fared sumptuously at the rich man's table, have gone away 

 without having it in their hearts to give him a premium. But 

 wait a moment. Let us again look at that hilly, rocky, grav- 

 elly, muddy concern in yonder town. They do look and exam- 

 ine closely. They ask many questions, such as these : — what was 

 the condition of this place when you came upon it twenty years 

 ago? how were the fields, fences, buildings, &c., at that time? 



