^ Ol,. XVII 1V.». 16. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



123 



The reports of the committees will give the details j 

 in this department. I 



The Hall of domestic raamifactures was also a 

 place of great resort ; and presented an interesting 

 variety of the results of domestic and manufactur- 

 ing industry. The afternoon of the day was dp- 

 liglitfuUy pleasant. The whole scene was one of 

 exceeding interest, to all who have the interest 

 and honor of old Berkshire at heart The vast 

 concourse of our fellow citizens, all seemingly grat- 

 ified with this opportunity of exchanging their con- 

 gratulations, comparing the results of tlieir agricul- 

 tural experience, exhibiting their stock, viewing 

 the stock of others, buying, selling, and exchanging, 

 could not but be regarded with pleasure and patri- 

 otic feelings. Although this is the oldest agricul- 

 tural society in the United States — although this 

 is its twentyeighth anniversary, yet the interest of 

 our community in its annual Fairs, so far from flag- 

 ging, is constantly and steadily increasing. It is 

 our best; almost our only holiday; and the citizens 

 of Berkshire will long continue to cherish it. — 

 Lenox Ensle. 



What is book farming? — The editor of the 

 Quarterly Journal answers the question as follows: 



" Book farming, we know, is not in favor with 

 farmers, otherwise we should find admittance into 

 every farmer's library, and every farmer [in Scot- 

 land] has a library. But although we know, and 

 therefore admit, that no man can be made a farmer 

 bv book, we cannot admit that the best farmer can- 

 not, may not, at times, find useful hints in a book. 

 The best farmer cannot know every article of prac- 

 tice which is followed in every part of the country ; 

 and as most practices are discovered by what is 

 called chance or accident, it is clear that the dis- 

 covery cannot generally be made known until it is 

 disseminated abroad. A fanner who travels, ap- 

 preciates the information which he receives in con- 

 versation with farmers, and by observation of field 

 labor. Such a farmer possesses advantages over 

 him who always remains at home, that is, within 

 the circle of his markets. Now the object of an 

 agricultural book, and particularly of an agricultu- 

 ral periodical work, is, at stated times, to carry 

 hints, suggestions or discoveries, important or un- 

 important, to the home of the farmer, that he who 

 loves to stay at home may possess the advantages 

 of him who at limes travels abroad, and that he 

 who travels abroad may compare what he has seen 

 with what he reads, and decide which practice is 

 best suited to his particular purpose ; or perhaps 

 when comparing the hints of others, he may him- 

 self discover a practice superior to them all. In 

 this manner a good agricultural work is the means 

 of disseminating through the country practices 

 which would be confined to the district which gave 

 them birth. Its principal aim should be to be a 

 good work, that is, replete with suggestions of good 

 sense, and with confirmations of experience. The 

 collection and presentation of these desiderata, is 

 attended with much trouble and expense, and un- 

 less the labor is appreciated and encouraged, it is 

 impossible to use the means to collect the most 

 valuable kind of information for presentation." 



resorting to it. If so, or if the season for feeding 

 should be much prolonged, \\luch looks probable, 

 economy and good management will become neces- 

 sary, otherwise much suft'ering will result. In or- 

 der as much as possible to avert this state of things, 

 let every farmer cut tlie hay, straw, and corn fodder 

 given to his stock, and wet or moisten it before it 

 is fed. Much will be saved by this simple process, 

 as will soon be discovered by making trial of it. 

 An excellent farmer has been doing it for some 

 weeks past with manifest advantage. Let all the 

 grain fed to your stock be first hoited or steamed. 

 It is much better for having the heat applied grad- 

 ually, and for a long time ; eight or ten hours is 

 better than a shorter time; it will double the bulk 

 of the grain, and from experiment, it is believed 

 that one bushel of the cooked grain, goes as far as 

 a bushel of the raw ; if so, one half is saved by 

 the process, abating labor and expense. If your 

 boys should demur at the labor, or shiw by their 

 looks or their mutterings, that they are too lazy to 

 save a penny, hire a hand at once to attend to it 

 properly, and turn them out to hunt pasture for 

 themselves, and let them try the experiment of get- 

 ting a living by growling and complaining, and 

 despising industrious, economical habits. They 

 may do for steam doctors, but they are not the stulT 

 of which thriving farmers can be made. — Farmer^s 

 Cabinet. 



Remedy for Short Crops. —The excessive 

 drought has so diminished the pasturage in some 

 neighborhoods, as to render it necessary to resort 

 to feeding stock with fodder, and if it should con- 

 tinue, many more will be under the necessity of 



Massachusetts Ilorticnltnral Society. 



Exhibition OF Fruits. 



Saturday, Oct. 1.3, 1838. 



Pears. — Specimens of the following fine vari- 

 eties were exliibited by Mr Downer. Belle et 

 Bonne, a noble autumn fruit of large size and fine 

 quality, appears identical with the Belle de Brii- 

 xelles ; Cumberland, a native fruit, pear shaped, 

 of good size and handsome, of fine flavor ; Bezi 

 Vaet. 



From Mr Pond, Burnet Pear, and Beurre Dicl. 



From Mr Manning, Pound Pear. 



Prom Mr James Eustis of South Reading, a 

 beautiful fruit, rather large and truncated in form, 

 of a fine straw color, rather astiingent, an ordinary 

 fruit for the table, but must prove fine for baking. 



^•ipples. — From Mr James Eustis of South Read- 

 ing, Ben Apple, a large round fruit, covered with 

 pale scarlet on a yellow ground ; flavor first rate, 

 and equal to the Bald^yin. A winter variety, said 

 to be a good bearer and evidently highly deserving 

 of cultivation. t 



From Mr Manning, Sweet russet ; also Murphy, 

 a noble fruit and a native, of large size, striped 

 with dark crimson, and covered on the tree with a 

 profuse blue bloom ; flavor fine relieved by a due 

 proportion of acid ; tree a good bearer. This fruit 

 much resembles in appearance the Blue Pearinain. 



By Mr Downer, Gravenstein, and Lyscom. 



By Mr Luther Little, a red apple of medium 

 size and good quality, from a tree in Marshfield 

 over 200 years old, which was planted by Peregrine 

 White, the first native white man of Massachusetts, 

 and born on board the Mayfower. 



Grapes. — Black Hamburg from Mr Thomas Ma- 

 son of the Charlestown Vineyard. 



From Mr J. L. L. F. Warren, Black Hamburg, 

 of good quality, from out of door culture. 



From Mr B. Weld of Roxbury, Catawba. 

 From Mr Pond, Isabella. 



For the Committee, 



WILLIAM KENRICK, Chairman. 



Saturday, Oct. 20, 18138. 

 The Annual Meeting for the choice of officers 

 was held at their room agreeably to notice given. 



The committee appointed to collect, sort and 

 count the votes, reported the following gentlemen 

 as chosen : 



President. 

 Elijah Vose, Dorchester. 

 J'ice Presidents — Enoch Bartlett, Roxbury, Jon- 

 athan Winship, Brighton, M. P. Wilder, Boston, 

 John Prince, Roxbury. 



Treasurer — :Samuel Walker, Roxbury. 

 Corresponding Sccl'y — Robert Treat Paine, Boston. 

 Recording Secretary — Ezra Weston, Jr., Boston. 

 Counsellors — T. Lyman, Jr. Boston, Augustus 

 Aspinwall, Brookline, Thomas Brewer, Roxbury, 

 Henry A. Breed, Lynn, George W. Brimmer, Bos- 

 ton, Joseph S. Cabot, Salem, E. Hersey Derby, 

 Salem, N. Morton Davis, Plymouth, David Hagger- 

 ston, Watertown, Joseph G. Joy, Boston, William 

 Kenrick, Newton, John Lemist, Roxbury, William 

 Lincoln, Worcester, Thomas Lee, Brookline, 

 Charles Lawrence, Salem, Benjamin Rodman, New 

 Bedford, M. P. Sawyer, Boston, Charles Tappan, 

 Boston, Aaron D. Williams, Roxbury, Jonathan 

 Winship, Brighton, William Worthington, Dorches- 

 ter, Thomas Whitmarsh, Northampton. 

 Professor of Botany and Vegetable Physiology — 

 Rev. John L. Russell. 

 Professor of Entomology— T. W. Harris, M. D. 

 Professor of Horticultural Chemistry — J. W. Web- 

 ster, M; D. 



STANDING COMMITTEES. 



Committee on Fruits. 

 Wm. Kenrick, Chairman, Robert Manning, Sam'l 

 Downer, Benjamin V. French, E. M. Richards, 

 John A. Kenrick, John M. Ives, Salem, P. B. 

 Ilovey, Jr^ L. P. Grosvenor, J. L. L. F. Warren, 

 Samuel Pond, W. H. Cowen. 



Committee on the Products of Kitchen Garden. 

 J. L. L. F. Warren, Samuel Pond, Aaron D. 

 Williams, Rufus Howe, Ebenezer Crafts. 

 Committee on Flowers, Shrubs, etc. 

 S. Walker, Chairman, C. M. Hovey, J. Breck, S. 

 Sweetser, D. Haggerston, S. R. Johnson, W. Car- 

 ter, John Towne. 



Committee on the Library. 

 E. Vose, Chairman, R. T. Paine, W. Kenrick, 

 E. Weston, Jr., C. M. Hovey, ^1. P. Wilder, Tho- 

 mas Lee. 



Committee on Synonyms of Fruit. 

 J. Lowell, Chairman, R. Manning, W. Kenrick, 

 S. Downer. 



Executive Committee. 

 E. Vose, Chairman, C. Newall, B. V. French, E. 

 M. Richards, E. Bartlett. 



Committee on Finance. 

 E. Vose, Chairman, B. V. French, L. P. Grosve- 

 nor. 



Col. Wilder proposed the Abbe Berlese, of 

 Paris, as Honorary Member — and M. J. Rudz, Jr. 

 of Frankfort on Main, Germany, as corresponding 

 member. Then adjourned two weeks. 



E. WESTON, Jr. Rec. Sec. 



Sampson Washburn of East Bridgwater, Mass. 

 raised this season from one pumpkin seed, (spon- 

 taneous growth,) 37 pumpkins-— all fair. Whole 

 weight 743 lbs. One weighed 30 lbs. Five grew 

 so near together as to touch. 



