30 THE HISTORY OF THE 



bought at a seed store. "On the part sown with thorough- 

 bred seed there is scarcely an imperfect onion and the 

 crop is the largest in the vicinity. On the part sown with 

 good seed the onions are ten days later, of inferior qual- 

 ity and less quantity and valued at twenty-five per cent 

 less than the first." The product of the third kind 

 of seed was estimated as fifty per cent less in value than 

 the first. 



But one suggestion of this wise counselor would fail of 

 approval to-day. "Besides protecting our native song- 

 sters that do so much to aid the orchardist, I must ear- 

 nestly recommend the importation of English sparrows, 

 whose principal occupation is to feed their numerous 

 progeny with insects. ... I know of no way by 

 which a portion of the income of this Society can be so 

 profitably expended as by the importation of several 

 thousand of these birds, to be distributed in different 

 parts of the country." 



1870—1880. 



Noticeable improvements in farm wagons were made 

 in this decade. In 1870 a horse-cart with small wheels 

 forward was exhibited, which soon supplanted the old 

 two-wheeled tip-cart, and with the later addition of a 

 pole and the use of two horses, greatly facilitated the 

 transportation of heavy loads. Webster Smith, the Ips- 

 wich blacksmith, exhibited an ox-wagon for hay in 1871, 

 regarding which the comment was made: "Probably in 

 no other part of the country can such large, evenly laid, 

 handsome loads of hay be seen as are hauled to Boston 

 from Essex County upon these Ipswich hay wagons." 

 In 1873 Frank H. Burnham exhibited his covered seat, 

 and with this equipment the Ipswich hay teamers, in 

 their great horse-drawn wagons, scoured the whole coun- 

 try side as far as Hampton and Greenland for hay for 

 the Boston market. The manure spreader appeared in 

 1879. 



