12 THE HISTORY OF THE 



on Indian Corn and Potatoes, on Manures, and on the 

 Dairy. Premiums were awarded to Tristram Little of 

 Newbury, for raising IO31/2 bushels of corn on an acre, 

 and to John Dwinell of Salem for 398V2 bushels of pota- 

 toes on an acre. Interesting statements of experiments 

 with corn and potatoes and manures were made. But 

 the most notable feature was the ploughing match. 



The Committee agreed to award the first premium to 

 the Hon. Timothy Pickering on account of the superior 

 performance and superior utility of his plough. They 

 think also that great credit is due to Gorham Parsons 

 Esq. for the performance by his plough from his Byfield 

 Farm and award to him the second premium. 



Years afterwards the venerable Dr. Nehemiah Cleave- 

 land of Topsfield, in his address in 1865, remarked, "I 

 well remember the tall and venerable form of our first 

 President as I saw him holding his own plough on that 

 occasion." 



For the Cattle Show in 1821 premiums were offered 

 on The Management of a Farm, Crops for Cows, Cider, 

 and on Sumac, "to any person who can prove on not less 

 than half an acre that either species of sumac, exten- 

 sively used in morocco leather, can be profitably cul- 

 tivated." A prize was also offered for the best planta- 

 tion of white oak trees, not less than an acre, nor fewer 

 than a thousand trees per acre, to be raised from the 

 acorn, which should be in the most thriving state by 

 Sept. 1, 1823. Prizes were offered for similar planta- 

 tions of locust, larch and hickory. This was in accord- 

 ance with the Act of Legislature, Feb. 20, 1818, providing 

 premiums "to increase and perpetuate an adequate supply 

 of ship timber." 



In these early years the dairy received deserved atten- 

 tion. The Oakes cow, already mentioned, was constantly 

 in evidence. Her record was published in the Fourth 

 Report of the Agriculture of Massachusetts in 1841, by 



