141 



1250. In closing he advised all to beware of the jockeys, 

 and do your own breaking and training, then you know 

 all about your horse. 



Mr. Winslow answered manyquestions, among others he 

 thought the mare had more influence on the disposition, 

 and the sire more upon the gait of the colt. 



Mr. Butler of Georgetown, said he found that thebreed- 

 ing of horses depended full as much on conditions of lo- 

 cality as upon quality of stock; he believed in Essex 

 County where you could buy horses very reasonable, he 

 doubted if colts could be at a profit with hay and grain at 

 the prices common to this locality. Other remarks were 

 made by several gentlemen after which the meeting ad- 

 journed for dinner, prepared by the Ladies Aid Society, in 

 the basement of the Congregational church 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



There was a larger attendance in the afternoon when 

 President Appleton introduced Hon. Aaron Low of Es- 

 sex, who had a carefully prepared essay on "Originating, 

 Crossing and Improvement of Vegetable Seeds, and Vari- 

 eties best adapted to General Culture." 



Mr. Low spoke from his own experience and practice as 

 a grower of seeds for thirty years; he alluded to the im- 

 portant principle in nature of reproduction, especiall}'- as 

 shown in the varieties of plants and vegetables. There is 

 no crop on which the common farmer depends so much as 

 on the potato, which was introduced into Europe sometime 

 during the latter part of the fifteenth century, but it was 

 a long time before the people used it as a common food. 

 There is no more difficult vegetable to produce new kinds 

 from than the potato. It is propagated by divisions or 

 slips of the tubers, the kinds now cultivated seldom pro- 

 duce any seed balls, it is then very difiicult to procure seed 

 intentionally crossed with choice varieties from which to 

 produce new ones. 



Mr. Low advised the early planting of potatoes to escape 



