WORKING OXEN. 33 



contributions, (which it will bo seen is not the case this year, there being 

 but eight ctitries to five premiums,) there exists a remedy in requiring 

 competitors to deposit a small sum, as a sort of entrance fee, to be 

 forfeited only in case of failure to come up to a standard approximating 

 to tliat of the lowest premium. 



The above remarks touch a very unsatisfactory condition of things, 

 upon which it becomes our duty now to comment. We recall instances 

 where a spectator, after witnessing some inferior performance of working 

 cattle at our shows, has suddenly turned on his heel, ejaculating, with an 

 air of the utmost contempt, — " Pshaw I I could heat that all hollow 

 with my Buck and Star," N"ovv, while not doubting the assertion of 

 such persons, we always feel inclined to ask, "Why, in the name of all 

 that is public spirited and progressive, don't you bring ' Buck and Star' 

 forward V" We will not be persuaded that there are not good and well 

 trained working cattle in those towns co-mprised within the limits of the 

 Worcester North Society, which still suffer themselves to be unrepre- 

 sented in this class of stock Glancing at the last census, we see 

 that Ashburnhain, for instance, is credited with lo9 yoke of working 

 oxen ; yet she contributes none to our Fair. Leominster had 205 

 pairs ; yet not one of them all is put in competition — are there no good 

 working cattle in Leominster? Shirley, again, vv'liieh is supposed to own 

 90 pairs, sends none ; while Fitchburg, out of 184 pairs sends only 

 two; and Lunenburg out of 179 sends only one. Princeton, on the 

 contrary, sends almost one half the number of pairs entered. Are the 

 enterprising farmers of Worcester North wdling to see themselve.^ 

 excelled, in this respect, by u)embers of younger and smaller Societies? 

 At one of the ToLvn fairs in this county there were entered sixteen 

 pairs of working oxen, and twenty-three yoke of steers. 



lleilccting upon the foregoing facts, and all which those facts sug- 

 gest — considering the prominent and indispensable part which working 

 cattle sustain in agriculture and kindred pursuits, the popular indiffer- 

 ence or ignorance vvhicli prevails with regard to a high standard of ox- 

 training, must strike a close observer as strange and almost inexplicable. 

 The census, to which we are indebted for previously quoted figures, 

 informs us that Massachusetts boasts about 38,000 pairs of working 

 oxen. Of these we should not dare to say that above one-ten ih 

 deserved to be called well-trained. Now. vsetting aside all other con- 

 siderations, have our stock irien considered how inadequate is this pro- 

 jjortion to the demand for finely matched and trained cattle? To shrewd 

 •stock raisers it is pretty clear that breeding and growing superior work- 

 ers is the most lui;rative branch of the business. If a thoroughly broke 

 and finished pair of cattle will command three Inndml dollars, readily, 

 while a pair of the same weight and build, but indifferently trained, 

 will conntiand but two hundi-ed, can any one refuse to admit the above 

 assertion ? YoX facts justifying this view come within our knowledge 

 continually. Hence the time and attention necessary to bioak young 



