knows of a viilftge in Connecticut which was put in the hands of a landscape gar- 

 dener, who had all the fences removed, the roads curbed, and the village gener- 

 ally beautified ; and now the value of property in that place is several fold great- 

 er than formerly. 



Mr. S. M. Wright of New Marlborough also spoke of the benefits to be de- 

 rived from social meetings. He next called attention to the great influence which 

 one person can exert in bringing about improvements in his own neighborhood. 

 When he was a boy, a very energetic man settled in the village where he lived, 

 and began to make improvements on his premises. His neighbors were stimula- 

 ted by his example, and began to make improvements on their premises also. As 

 a result the attractiveness of the place was soon greatly increased. Each man can 

 occasionally spend a day or two days in planting trees in front of his house, in 

 putting up a board that has fallen down from a fence, or in doing other needful 

 repairs. There is a great difference in the handiness with which men do these 

 things. Some are orderly, and can find their tools in the dark, others always 

 spend much time in hunting for what they want. If we wish our boys to be ef- 

 ficient, we must school them early in the right habits. They must be trained 

 to put up the bars and shut the gate. 



The next and last subject discussed was "The best Managed Farms," Mr. 

 George Kellogg, of Sheffield, who, as a member of the committee on fall crops 

 and farms, has had exceptional opportunities to become posted concerning the 

 condition of the farms of the county, said that most farmers don't top dress their 

 land enough, and also that many farmers do not give enough attention to their 

 buildings. Good management in regard to buildings is as necessary as good man- 

 agement of the land. 



Mr. Rowley thought there were a large number of important considerations 

 that ought to be weighed in deciding where to award premiums for the best 

 managed farms. It is not always the man who makes the most money from his 

 farm for several years who is the best manager. He may, in the meantime, be 

 skinning the land, or be guilty of neglect in some other respects. Fine looking 

 buildings on the farm are good If they can be afforded, but everything done on 

 the farm which promotes utility is of more consequence. The average farmer, 

 who has no other income than that derived from the sale of farm produce, must 

 make his least needed improvements gradually. If a farmer of small means keeps 

 his land rich and well cultivated, the committee should not deny him a premium 

 because his buildings are unpretentious. These awards should be made from a 

 sensible, well-considered standpoint. 



William H. Day, of Great Harrington, thought that premiums should be 

 awarded largely on the basis of general improvements on the farm, which tend to 

 keep it in good condition and make it look well in its entirety. 



Mr. J. Milton Mackie of this town gave an interesting account of his recent 

 visit to a fair at St. John's, New Brunswick. He saw at this fair a large number 

 of very fine cattle, including Short Horns, Ayrshires and Jerseys. He learned one 

 very interesting fact. The Canadians raise their best stock on their finest lands, 

 and don't improve their stock by feeding out more hay. The finest cattle ex- 

 hibited at the fair came from Prince Edward's Island where there is a rich alluvial 

 soil. The Canadians beheve in doing all they can to keep their best lands in as 

 good condition as possible. It is as profitable, Mr. Mackie concluded, to spend 

 money in enriching the soil of the farm as to put it in the bank. 



Mr. Richard Goodman, Jr., made a sensible suggestion concerning premiums 

 given by the Housatonic Society. He referred to what Mr. Rowley said in the 

 morning about the advisability of awarding premiums in some other form than 

 cash, and remarked that he would go further and give premiums in the form of 

 only of an inexpensive diploma or certificate, which would confer upon the re- 

 ceiver as much honor as a more expensive present. The money saved by this 

 change he would have the Society expend in some needed improvement, say the 

 buil(fing of cattle sheds, with projecting roofs, underneath whtch should extend 

 a board walk, on which persons could stand, should the day of the exhibition be 

 rainy, and inspect the cattle without being exposed to the weather. 



Mr. Merritt I Wheeler of this village thought that farmers should first make 

 their fertile fields as profitable as they can be made, and then do what they can 



