52 



PLOWING— OX TEAMS. 



The committee upon plowing with ox teams have attended to the duty 

 assinged them, and report as follows: There were but three competitors 

 presented themselves, and the plowing by all was excellent, and the com- 

 mittee award as follows: 



Rest plowing, Horatio Tattle of Sheffield, £S 00 



2d do., E. M. Joyner of Sheffield, 7 00 



3d do , H. Luddington of Great Barrington, 6 00 



Respectfully submitted. 



L. M. Pixley, ) 



0. Wolcott, [- Committee. 



T. I). Thatcher, i 



ORCHARDS. 



The committee on orchards received invitations to examine the apple or- 

 chards of Mr. Harvey Roys of Sheffield; Mr. Alfred II. Alexander of 

 New Marlboro', and Mr. William Royce of Lanesboro', all of which they 

 visited in 1866, and in 1868. Mr. Roys' orchard was set the spring of 

 '66, consisting of fifty trees, thirty feet apart one way, and twenty the 

 other. Should w r e change the distance, we would sny thirty feet, at least, 

 both ways, would be better; yes, even forty feet is better on good soil. 

 Mr. Roys has made a good selection of trees, very good varieties, and for 

 care is worthy of much credit. Mr. Alexander's trees numbering over one 

 hundred well selected trees, well set, good soil, but no care after setting, and 

 as we compare Mr. Roys' with Mr. Alexander's it shows that it is not 

 enough merely to set a tree but it must be cared for. For "just as the twig 

 is bent the tree is inclined." 



We think Mr. Royce of Lanesboro' made ;i mistake in the selection of 

 his ground, and as he has a beautiful location for the number of trees that 

 he has set — being a little over fifty — the commitee would recommend the 

 re-setting of his orchard, and refer him to the associated editor of the 

 Gleaner for council, for we think him to be a model man, especially in the 

 cultivation of fruit trees. Mr. Roys' orchard was set on the modern 

 quincunx plan, just thirty feet from tree to tree, forming rows in every di- 

 rection. Thinking so much of the plan on which these trees were set, we 

 almost lost sight of the growth of the tree. 



In consideration of which we award: 



First premium, Harvey Roys of Sheffield, $8 00 



8d do., William Royce of Lanesboro', 4 00 



All of which is respectfully submitted. 



Zacheus Canoe, ) 



S. M. Cooper, [- Committee. 



Habry Rhoades, ) 



