386 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



colors, and many of them were doubtless mixed with 

 other breeds. Dr. Wight's imported Dorkings were 

 much admired. 



BoUon Grays were shown by Nathan G. Hodson, 

 Stoughton ; James Houghton, Dorchester ; Joseph 

 A. Stinger, Kingston ; John Giles ; and W. W. 

 Hague, Roxbury. 



Bucks County fowls were exhibited by A. "White, 

 East Randolph ; and George S. Pierce and Stei^hen 

 Osborne, Danvers. 



Poland Top-Knots were shown by A. White, East 

 Randolph ; J. M. Rowell, Manchester, N. H. ; G. S. 

 Pierce and S. Osborne, Danvers ; D. Holmes, Mai- 

 den ; A. H. Hale, Rockport ; Theodore Drew, Plym- 

 outh; and Joseph A. Sampson, Duxburj-. 



G uclderlaiids were exhibited by H. L. Devereux, 

 Boston ; and S. B. Morse, East Boston. 



Java fowls were shown by John Giles, Providence ; 

 and John Chamberlain, Jr., Danvers. 



En.fjUsh Grays were exhibited by Linus Mantry, 

 Easton; J. C. Floyd, Dorchester ; and T.A.Stan- 

 Icy, Attleborough. 



Creoles were shown by D. M. Robertson, Man- 

 chester ; and John W. Hunt, North Bridgewater. 



Dominique fowls were exhibited by G. S. Pierce and 

 S. Osborne, and John Chamberlain, Jr., Danvers. 



Frizzled, or Friesland, by G. S. Pierce, and S. Os- 

 borne. 



Shanghae fowls, by S. and G. Hyde, Newton ; A. 

 Pike, Watertown ; W. J. Buckminster, Framing- 

 ham ; J. S. Houghton, North Chelsea ; C. B. Marsh, 

 West Roxbury ; John Giles ; B. Lancaster, Rox- 

 bury ; E. B. Little, Haverhill; G. W. George, Ha- 

 verhill; B. W. Balch, Dedham; J. W. Spooner, 

 Plymouth ; Thomas Thorpe, West Cambridge. Many 

 others exhibited the Shanghae fowls, and crosses of 

 this breed, with various others. In several cases, 

 this breed and crosses of it were marked Cochin China, 

 and China; but there are no Cochin China fowls in 

 this country, in the opinion of the most competent 

 judges. It is said that there are none in England 

 excepting a few owned by the queen. 



There were many varieties of fowls formed bj' 

 crosses, some of which were of fine appearance, and 

 will doubtless rank high in point of iitility. S. M. 

 Stanley and P. M. George, of Attleborough, showed 

 very iine fowls, produced by a cross some twenty 

 years ago. The finest looking hen in the whole ex- 

 hibition, in our opinion, was a large fowl shown by 

 Howard B. Coffin, which was from a cross of the 

 Dorking with what was called the China breed. 

 That old hen will be very diligent if she lays eggs 

 enough in one season to fill the numerous orders for 

 her eggs. 



Several lots of hens were marked Pheasants ; but 

 there were no pheasants shown, excepting a pair by 

 Colonel Ja'^ucs. The hens called pheasants might 

 be one fourth or sixth of the pheasant blood. They 

 probably descended from a cross of the golden pheas- 

 ant -with the Poland fowl. 



There were but very few fowls marked Game 

 breed, and the most of them were a mixture. 



Plymouth Rock. — This is a new variety, recently 



formed at Plymouth, and which has gained an early, 

 and, we think, a short-lived fame, unless their in- 

 trinsic properties excel their appearance. But few 

 of this race were shown, and some of them were 

 very good in appearance. 



Turkeys. — John Giles exhibited a pair of wild 

 turkeys. 



Geese. — Daniel Webster, Marshfield, showed a 

 fine lot of wild geese ; one pair of old ones and 

 young ones. Colonel Samuel Jaques, Somerville, 

 exhibited Bremen geese, remarkably large. By 

 John Giles, one pair of Barnacle geese, and one 

 Poland gander. 



Ducks. — John Giles showed imported Aylesbury 

 ducks, and Muscovy ducks ; Rufus Bates, Hanover, 

 imported Poland ducks ; Isaac Ellis, Waluole, ducks ; 

 E. S. Rand, Dedham, one Wood duck, very beautiful. 



Guinea fowls were exhibited by John Giles ; and 

 J. R. Bartlott, Newbury. 



Pea fowls were shown by H. L. Devereux. 



Swans. — Noble and beautiful white swans were 

 shown by John Giles. 



We have endeavored to show to our readers who 

 had not the pleasure of visiting this exhibition, its 

 variety and extent, and show by whom the different 

 breeds were exhibited, as a matter of information to 

 purchasers ; but where there was so great a variety, 

 and changes made by bringing new lots, and carry- 

 ing away others, and in short days with crowds con- 

 stantly around the coops, and other duties- to attend 

 to, it is difficult doing justice to the novel subject. 



We hope that the committee will publish a report, 

 in which they will discriminate as to the purity of 

 breeds, and the peculiar properties of each breed, 

 showing its excellences and defects, if it has any. 

 The public are looking for information from the ex- 

 perienced and intelligent committee, to whom great 

 credit is due for their arrangement and management 

 of this aff'air, as well as to Dr. Bennet, of Plymouth, 

 for suggesting it. The beginning has been excel- 

 lent, and remarkably proniising, and it has created 

 an excitement that, like that for raising fruit, will 

 have a happy effect on the community. We sup- 

 pose that arrangements have been made for future 

 shows, and that they will far exceed the recent ex- 

 hibition. Many sales of barndoor fowls w-erc made 

 at the fair, at from five to ten or fifteen dollars per 

 pair. Since the exhibition, blood stock in fowls has 

 risen from fiftj' to one hundred per cent. 



Much credit is due to S. B. Morse, East Boston, 

 the very intelligent secretary of the convention, for 

 the efficient and accurate manner in which ho dis- 

 charged the perplexing duties of his office, and hia 

 aencral ciuro and oversight of the exhibition; 



FLOWERS. 



Flowers are divided into anniials, which flower 

 and die the year they are sown ; biennial.^, which 

 flower the second year, and then die ; and pcren 

 nials, which do not, generally, flower the fir.st year, 

 but die down to the ground annually, and spring 

 up again every succeeding spring for a number ot 

 years. 



