156 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



A:lhougli we beiiuve the lollowiiij Has .iictcittd l)y 

 honorable feeling;?, and that the writer in originatirij 

 th; production was merely solicitous that honor should 

 be given where honor is due, wc cannot think that 

 there was any inlention in the gentlem'.ii wlio made 

 and drank the toast, which it seems has given offence, 

 to wound any person's feelings, or to overlook the me- 

 rits of the Berkshire Agricultural Society. In a mo- 

 ment of conviviality, it cannot be expected that the 

 scale of justice will always be held with a sltaiiij hand, 

 and if merit should happen to kick the beam it should 

 be overlooked as an occurrence, which if not justified, 

 is perhaps palliated by circuraslances. We do not 

 perceive that the Hon. Mr. VVelles's reply, and the 

 loast he gave in answer to that of the 'Worcester gen- 

 tlemen can in any degree implicate liim. Common 

 civility required a reply, and it would hardly have 

 been proper for iMr. Welles to have said that the com- 

 pliment contained in the toast was misapplied. Still, 

 as we said before, we appreciate the motives of our 

 respected correspondent, and, perhaps ourviews of the 

 subject are incorrect — besides 7ion est nobis tantas cum- 

 ponere lilts. It does not belong to us to settle the dis- 

 pute — but we ivish it settled. 



TO THE F.OITOR OF THE SEW F.XOLAVn FARMER. 



We have taken pleasure in reaciinsr the de- 

 tails of the proceedings of Agricultural Societies 

 the past season in your valuable paper. The 

 proceedings of tlie Worcester County Agricul- 

 tural .Society have attr.tcted our attention. Wc 

 rejoice at the successful efforts and displays of 

 this Society, and we admire their zeal in this 

 greatest and best of all causes. We are not 

 disposed to abridge them of the pleasure of 

 jfener.d admiration, nor debar them of courting 

 the ap|)robation of other Societies, if not done 

 at the expence of truth and justice. We how- 

 ever cannot greatly profess ourselves to admire 

 or approve of the following toast, given on that 

 occasion, and echoed by a member of the Ma«- 

 .sachijsetls Society. 



" The Massachusetts V?i''cultural Society — The soul 

 which animat d "the Heart," and which is infusing 

 life into the extremilits of the Commonwealth." 



If we were to remain silent on this occasion, 

 It would be construed into an high degree of 

 inspTisiliility and want of attention to the well 

 founded fame of another Society in this State, 

 to which the sentiment of the toast could apply 

 with truth and without cause of offence. That 

 the Worcester Society should have courted a 

 compliment, at this very recent stale of its ex- 

 istence, is no subject of wonder, but that the 

 Hon. Mr. Welles, who became the organ of the 

 compliment, and was a Trustee of the Massa- 

 chusetts Society, should have forgotten the hon- 

 orable distinction heretofore awarded to the 

 Beritshire Association, and placed on their an- 

 nals, is indeed a wonder. 



It is not our object to provoke any collision 

 or inauspicious rivalries among citizens and 

 societies devoted to the .same great and useful 

 pursuit^^ — nor are we in the least dis|)Osed to 

 detract from the distinguished merits and valua- 

 ble elfort" which characterize the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural Society. But we are disposed to 

 think, that exact and equal justice to men in all 

 their relations to society is the most honorable 

 and useful course, and the least liable to pro- 

 duce dissatisfaction and opposition. The truth 

 is, much caution and delicacy is re(|uisite to 

 conciliate good feelings among Societies which 

 are much excited, and by whom great ardor is 



displayed in the pursuit. On this subject we 

 quote the sage and timely counsels of the ven- 

 erable President Adams, formerly President of 

 the Massachusetts Society, in a letter of August 

 11, 1812, to a friend in Berkshire. "• You may 

 depend upon it, your Berkshire Agricultural 

 Society, and our M;issachusetts Society for Pro- 

 moting Agriculture will assuredly quarrel and 

 go to war unless both are managed with great 

 prudence, delicacy, caution and circumspection. 

 Sat verbum. How is it, that agriculture and 

 commerce are rivals in France, England, Hol- 

 land ? and what tremendous consequences have 

 resulted from those rivalries, the history of 

 mankind will shew." Whenever the Massa- 

 chusetts Society, or any other Society for her, 

 shall assume the tnerit of being " the soul 

 which animates, the lieart which is infusing 

 life into the extremities of the state," — the 

 Berkshire Society will interpose her veto to 

 that assumption, founded on the following facts. 

 What was the state of the Massachusetts Socie- 

 ty previous to 1811, when the Berkshire Asso- 

 ciation commenced its successful career ? Had 

 that Society infused any life or animation in the 

 promotion of agriculture in its immediate sphere 

 of action, much less to the distant extremities 

 of the Stale, sufficient to divest themselves of 

 the proffered annual premiums? Previous to the 

 existence of ihe Berkshire Association, was the 

 Massachusetts Society nf any practical utility ? 

 .And what were the fruits of a band of Patriots, 

 who from the best of motives sustained their 

 measures, previous to 1816, when they held 

 their first exhibition at Brighton, fotlo-jL'ivg the 

 t'uotsteps nf the Berkshire Society, other than the 

 production of an annual volume on affricultiire. 

 which was little known and le.ss regarded ? — 

 That this question may be settled forever, and 

 we charitably hope satisfactorily, wc will ap- 

 |)cal to the best authority, that of the Massa- 

 chusetts Society. What the effects of the ex- 

 ample and efforts of the Berkshire Society sub- 

 sequent to 1815, not only on this State, but tiie 

 Nation, were, we do appeal triumphantly to the 

 iollowing extract from the address of the Hort. 

 John Lowell, at the first exliibition at Brighton, 

 m 1816: — "The Berkshire Society, though 

 comparatively in its infancy, and restricted in 

 lis means, had with a vigor and intelligence 

 which did it the highest credit, taken the lead 

 in establishing exhibitions of this nature, whicli 

 has been productive of great emulation, of ini- 

 provomenls in agriculture." " It is our pr.de 

 to acknowledge that we follow the footsteps of 

 a younger Society, thus evincing that we are 

 ready freely to acknowledge merit, wherever 

 it may be found." 



Upon this evidence we rest the decision, 

 whether the reverse of the toast is not the 

 truth — that the Berkshire Association was tkc 

 soul zvftich animated, and the lieart which inj'uscd 

 life not only into the Massachusetts Society, but 

 the State and JVation. Anxious to be usel'ul, to 

 be the channel for diffusing the richest Messiijg 

 to our country, the Berkshire Society pursue 

 their objects with unabated diligence, and only 

 desire that New England, nor the United States 

 will ever permit themselves to forget the origin 

 of a system, which has produced to general and 

 increasing good. To our friends in Worcester, 

 and every where, we would say, that the high 

 spirit and conscious dignity of Berkshire, will 

 never suffer to pass unnoticed any attempts to 



detract from their just and well sustained clain ** 

 at originality and usefulness in their agricultUM*'' 

 system. 



A Member of the Berkshire A;riculturat Societ; 



FACTS AND OBSERVATIOKS RELAT1.\G TO 



AGRICULTURE &l DOME STIC ECONOiM^ 



^ I. 



FOR THE NEW E.NGL.AXD FARMER. 



SAGACIOUS BBEED OF CATTLE. 



In the Hottentot districts of the Cape of Goo 

 IIoj)e the natives not only use their bison-oxet 

 which are of good size, for the saddle aD>i 

 draught, but train them to war. These cattl*' 

 being assembled in troops, with a Hottentot ai ' 

 my, on a given signal, rush upon the enem. • 

 with great fury, goring with their horns, trampi'' 

 ling with their feet, and overturning everv ob i' 

 starle which opposes them. Individuals of then, • 

 are also set to watch the flocks and herds, in thi -' 

 manner of shepherd's dogs, which they faithfal 

 ly perform like the dog, distinguishing friend 

 from enemies, caressing the former, and attack 

 ing the latter with the utmost rage. 



A RACE-OX ; AND Nn.4T CATTLE FOR THE SADDLE. 



Some years ago a Sussex [English] ox rai 

 four miles over Lewis' Course, for a hundrei ' 

 guineas, which he performed after the rate o •■ 



lil'teen miles per hour. In India, travellini 



nxiii are curried, clothed, and attended with a ' 

 rn\ic!i solicitude, and much greater kindnes 

 llirin we bestow on our best horses. The In 

 dian cattle are extremely docile, and quick o )' 

 pprcoption, patient and kind; like the horse !' 

 Ilieir chief travelling gait is a trot, and it is san 

 tlioy often perform journeys of sixty successivi 

 days, at the rate of thirty to forlj-five miles : 

 da v. 



LMPROVEMENT IN THE BREED OF CATTLE. 



The formation of an entire new breed, in tht 

 establishment of a permanent variety is a mat 

 ler requiring the most diHgent altenton, througl 

 a long course. For that reason it is commoni} 

 the shortest and safest method to part entirely 

 with an inferior stock, or such as requires mr.cb 

 amendment, and to replace with a species the 

 nearest to perfection even at a high price. 



The following remarks on the subject are 

 from Messrs. Wells &, Lilly's edition of Deaue's 

 New England Farmer, under the article " Buix." 



" It was formerly believed that a frequent 

 change of animals, from one country, or one 

 section of a country, to another, was indispen- 

 sable to the preservation of a pure and excellent 

 breed of cattle, but this idea is almost exploded. 

 Bakewell, Princeps, and other noted graziers 

 and raisers of stock in England have proved, 

 that it is by careful selection of individuals of 

 good forms and properties, that a race o( cattle 

 can be best improved. The system of " breed- 

 ing in and in," which contines the improved 

 races or animals to their own families, is now 

 much more in fashion, and the success of the 

 British graziers, and the best experience of our 

 own country seem to justify the opinion. Im- 

 portations of the best animals of Great Britain 

 have been made, it is true, and they have essen- 

 tially and manifestly improved our stock. But 

 this does not disprove the utility of '' breeding 

 ill and in," because these excellent imported ani- 

 mals were prodi'CJd, and brought to their pres- 

 ent perfection by the principle of selection from 



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