51 



ready mentioned, the Committee award to James S. Wiggin of 

 Wrentham the Society's premium of $15.00. 



The Committee beg leave to express the earnest wish that 

 others would follow the example of Mr. Bradford and Mr. Wig- 

 gin, and offer their farms for examination and premium. There 

 are, doubtless, in our county many farms which would do honor to 

 their proprietors, and the knowledge of which would be beneficial 

 to the community. One of the important advantages resulting 

 from associations like ours is, to have the knowledge possessed by 

 individiiah, communicated to the ^public, and thus become the 

 comynon property of all. Our county is highly favored in having 

 within its limits not a few distinguished agriculturists and horticul- 

 turists who have spared no pains nor expense to add interest to 

 our public exhibitions, and to promote the advancement of the 

 great cause in which we are engaged. 



Respectfully submitted, 



RALPH SANGER, Chairman. 



Dover^ November, 1856. 



STATEMENT OF S. D. BRADFORD OF WEST ROXBURY. 



The farm, which once belonged to my father, and which I in- 

 herited at his decease in 1825, was purchased by him in 1789, 

 and consisted of thirty acres, a part of which was wood land, and 

 all in a very rough and uncultivated condition. A great part of 

 it was so covered by stones, and even by large rocks, that had 

 any one made the attempt to sow seed upon it, very little would 

 have fallen upon the soil or produced any return. In 1795 an 

 addition was made to the farm by the purchase of twenty acres 

 more, called " Abbott's pasture," which remains to-day in nearly 

 the same state as when it was bought, sLxty-one years ago, and 

 is used for the pasturing of cattle. 



In 1854, I purchased another farm adjoining my paternal 

 estate, and containing about 100 acres, of which about 30 acres 

 consist of wood laud and what is called swamp, containing large 



