ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 13 



the Commissioner, Henry Colman. She produced in 1813, 

 180 lbs. of butter; in 1814, 300 lbs.; in 1815, over 400, 

 and in 1816, 4841/2 lbs. During this time one quart of 

 milk was reserved for family use and she suckled four 

 calves for four weeks each in the course of these years. 

 She produced in one week I914 lbs. of butter and an 

 average of more than 16 lbs. The largest amount of 

 milk given in one day was 441/2 lbs. The preeminence 

 of this remarkable cow was never seriously questioned 

 for fifty years. 



A circular was published by the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural Society in 1824 advertising the bull, Admiral, of 

 the best improved Short Horn breed, recently imported 

 from England, the gift of Sir Isaac Coffin for the pur- 

 pose of improving the breed of cattle in his native State. 

 This famous bull had been placed on the farm of E. 

 Hersey Derby Esq. of Salem for twelve months. Another 

 circular, signed by T. Pickering, addressed to the farmers 

 of Essex County, called their attention to this offer. 



In 1826 the Nourse cow, owned originally by Nathaniel 

 Nourse of Salem, then owned by Col. Pickering, took the 

 first premium at the Cattle Show. From her milk in 

 April, May and June, 154 lbs. of butter had been made. 



Col. Jesse Putnam of Danvers reported the result of 

 his scientific experiments with potatoes in 1829. Care- 

 ful observations had been made with five kinds of seed, 

 the Long Red or River La Plate variety, the Speckled 

 Blues, a variety well approved by many farmers, the 

 Richardson Whites, and a White potato raised from the 

 seed of the green balls, after several successive plantings, 

 a line of experiment much in vogue. Each kind was 

 planted in several ways, with whole potatoes and cut 

 potatoes, large and middle sized. The results were care- 

 fully noted. 



There were interesting statements of the crops raised 

 on some Essex County farms in these days of hand labor 

 with the ox for draught. Jonathan Morse 2nd, tenant on 



