ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 47 



with exhibitions of skilled horsemanship and offers spe- 

 cial prizes for the best draft teams and the best farm 

 or utility colts. There are special premiums for the best 

 ears of Indian corn. 



The isolation of farm life has been offset largely by 

 the telephone and the daily rural mail delivery. The 

 automobile has made the farm near neighbor to the town, 

 and made carriage of products easy. The transportation 

 of children at public expense has facilitated education. 

 The gasoline engine has relieved the hard work of wood 

 sawing and ensilage cutting. The Grange has promoted 

 the social relations. And now the Essex Agricultural 

 Society, by its Fairs, its many premiums, and its good 

 fellowship is making large contribution to the pleasure, 

 the attractiveness to children and youth, and the profit 

 of life on the farm, and the stimulation of agricultural 

 pursuits. The Inspector of the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture concluded his observations on the Topsfield Fair in 

 1916 with the complimentary remark: "It seems to me 

 that with more fairs upon these same lines agriculture 

 in New England is bound to return." 



