140 



NEW ENGLi\ND FARMER, 



KOI EMBER 7, 183S. 



WORCESTER AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



REPORT ON SWI.NE. 



William Lincoln i)f Worcester ; Samuel Mixtor 

 of New Braintree ; Joseph Davis of Northboroiigh ; 

 Rufus liullock of Royalston ; James Draper of 

 Spencer. 



The past, present, and possibly (?) future mem- 

 bers of the senate, liouse of representatives, judi- 

 ciary, and militia of Massachusetts, enjoying the 

 distin^iished, but uumeritcd honor of being ap- 

 pointed " Judges of Swine,'' came, this inorniiii:, 

 fresli from the people, to form a Supreme Court of 

 Hogs. Deprived of the countenance of tlie coun- 

 sellor of the commonwealtli, first of their body, their 

 records must be entered up, as the term was kept, 

 without his advice and consent. The vacancy oc- 

 casioned by his absence was too great to be sup- 

 plied. Lamenting the want of counsel, they pub- 

 lish the reports of all the cases adjudged and de- 

 cided by tliem, with the journal of their doings. 



The commission issued under the great hand and 

 seal of the society, conferring their lienors, (which 

 ehoulikbe annexed hereunto, and marked a. ko. i) 

 commanded the judges to take their seats on the 

 bench at the room of the selectmen of Worcester, 

 at eight o'clock precisely. Good men are so rare 

 on earth, that it may bo presumed the place of their 

 meeting was made thus select, from regard to their 

 joint and several legislative, legal, aftd military ca- 

 pacity. It was not only select, but exclusive : al- 

 though "no arf»!('W((«fe" was not inscribed on the 

 entrance, a closed and bolted door conveyed a gen- 

 tle hint to that effect, and prevented the enjoyment 

 of the room or company of the chosen municipal 

 officers. Compelled to adjourn, they emigrated 

 eastward. Decent respect tor th'j opinions of men, 

 induced them to imitate the example of other tri- 

 bunals of the United States, by doubting of some- 

 thing. Having convened in the nintk instead of 

 the eighth part of the day, it was easy to find occa- 

 sion for debate on the soundness of their own con- 

 stitution. Eight o'clock had waived itself, and 

 there was satisfactory evidence of a general custom 

 of the country to postpone all engagements for an 

 hour at least ; wherefore it was considered that the 

 course of time must be overruled. Out of the fry- 

 ing pan of one difficulty, the way was clear into 

 the fire of another. Standing in the area, beneath 

 the sky, and between tlie pens, unsheltered by the 

 roof of tlie hall of local jurisdiction, precedents 

 were abundant where courts of inferior dignity 

 had held that one place was another, and it was 

 determined, the absent justice not concurring, that 

 the judges would be out of place nowhere. No 

 officer appeared to bear the sword of justice, with- 

 out her scales before them, and no jierson was 

 ready to cry for them, Unattended and in proces- 

 sion, they cast tliemselves, like pearls before tlie 

 swine. 



The hogs had been in a meeting too, and one 

 more numerous and respectable has rarely gathered 

 in this age of meetings. The cold clouds of au- 

 tumn looked' darkly down on eightyseven of the 

 best swine of the county, assembled in their regu- 

 lar, annual convention; and eightyseven swine 

 looked brightly up at the heavens ready to burst 

 into tearF, making an exchange of cheerful for 

 chilling glances, without discount. 



Massachusetts is a glorious Commonwealth. Her 

 renown heretofore has been wreathed with the valor 

 of her warriors, the wisdom of her statesmen, and 

 tiie worth of her citizens. If, hereafter, in the 



vicissitudes of human affairs, patriotism shall grow 

 faint, and public and private virtue beoonie impaired, 

 the fame of our own beloved State may rest secure 

 on the greatness of her pigs ; and the lustre of her 

 people, if unhappily it grow dim, be rekindled by 

 the solid excellence of the inmates of the pens. 



The town of Worcester has always been unri- 

 valled for boars. They were now, as heretofore, 

 more intense than in any other part of the ample 

 territory of a county extending between indepen- 

 dent States. 



The boar of Messrs J. G. & D. II. Perry, speck- 

 led, but not striped, had proportions as exquisite as 

 those of a fifteen gallon jug, in which no evil spirit 

 had ever enteied. " Born and distinguished" at 

 home, to him was awarded the first premium of five 

 dollars. The second premium of three dollars, 

 was awarded to Mr Israel Whitney of Worcester, 

 for an animal that was entire, and was finely form- 

 ed as if his frame had been raised by the rule and 

 square in days' works, and not constructed by con- 

 tract. Mr Edward Curtis of Worcester, exhibited 

 a pig, whose sire was a native of New York, and 

 who traced his lineage back almost to Kinderhook. 

 He trod so closely in the paths of his illustrious 

 competitors as to be considered worthy of the re- 

 commendation that a gratuity of two dollars should 

 be bestowed, the testimonial of affectionate regard. 

 The' jiig of Mr Aaron Howe, unlike the western 

 citizen, who was not raised but grew up, was raised 

 by hand, and had grown into a fine specimen of 

 domestic industry and skill in pork manufacture. 

 The individual owned by Mr Samuel Harrington of 

 Worcester, of tender years, and less robust figure 

 than his neighbors, gave evidence of a genius for 

 future usefulness, which if cultivated and developed, 

 may make him the head of large families of hope- 

 fnl offspring through coming generations. 



In approaching the pleasant society of females, 

 the loveliness of form and feature sometimes leads 

 admiration away fi'om the handsomeness of doings 

 to the grace e^ beings. The incorruptibleness of 

 the court permibed no such seduction. The sow 

 of Messrs. J. G. & D. H. Perry appeared before 

 them with ten " sweet pledges" of maternal affec- 

 tion, frolicking merrily, and taking the young re- 

 sponsibility of feeding plentifully. The venerable 

 matron, iitother of the decimal family of suckers, 

 who played over and around her, of the greatest 

 boar of the festival, and of another troop of chubby, 

 white haired children, was thrice blessed in being 

 worthy of the first premium of five dollars. The 

 second premium was awarded to Mr Aaron Howe 

 of Worcester, for a sow, beginuing life by acquir- 

 ing the rudiments of good breeding in Holden, and 

 subsequently gaining settlement in Worcester. 



The " weaned pigs, not less than four in num- 

 ber," prescribed by the laws of the society, counted 

 twentyone. All of tlieui were very nearly best. 

 Six presented by Mr Nathaniel Dodge of Sutton, 

 round, plump, and white, of the Whiting breed, 

 were worthiest among the worthy of the premium 

 of six dollars. Close behind them came those of 

 Mr Aaron Goodale of West fjoylston, deserving 

 the premium of four dollars. In the long proces- 

 sion of the virtues of the pigs,.half a dozen of those 

 of Mr Nathaniel B. Flagg of Shre^^•sbury, weighed 

 in the balance with their competitors, were found 

 so abounding that it is recommended to bestow on 

 the proprietor a gratuity of two dollars. As the 

 mother of the nursery of J. G. & D. H. Perry had 

 received a premium for proficiency in the multipli- 

 cation table, and her son had received equal favor 



for declining to study or adopt the principles ol 

 Maltlius and Miss Martineau, against population, it 

 was concluded that the swine of these gentlemen 

 deserved a reward in better currency tlian gold, 

 silver, or irredeemable paper — in the circulating 

 medium of praise. 



Artemas Ward, Esq., who keeps the faithful his- 

 tory of the titles of our farms, permitted the name 

 of an animal to be entered on the secretary's day 

 hook, and suffered judgment to be rendered for de- 

 fault of appearance. Among all the good deeds 

 of the excellent register of the county, there is 

 but this one instance, standing solitary and alor.e, 

 where he ever did injustice to any living being. 

 Depriving his pig of an opportunity to present him- 

 self on such occasions, and to show his merits, is 

 an omission which even repentance cannot now 

 supply. 



The excellence of the State Lunatic Hospital is 

 known wherever the name of the best charity of 

 our government has been heard. Its works in pork 

 were exhibited in three splendid editions ; an octavo 

 set which had been kept five months ; four thick 

 quartos, six months and ten days old, and a series 

 of gigantic folio volumes of fat. The swine be- 

 longing to the institution appeared to be perfectly 

 rational, and of sound sense, and clear memory. 

 Eight of them, in <'ne vast brood, gave examples o) 

 the results of good treatment, a ton and a half ir 

 weight They resembled independent sub-treasurj 

 depositaries. When they stood, they lied ; foi 

 they could not stand ; they could scarcely sit ; il 

 they endeavored to place themselves upright in on£ 

 direction, by an easy transition, they revolved intc 

 another equally perpendicular. There were nc 

 objects bearing comparison with their huge dimen- 

 sions, except the vegetables transplanted from 

 Wethersfield, celebrated in Morse's Geography, as 

 the paradise of beauty and of onions, by Dr Wood- 

 ward, whose unrivalled skill not only restores tc 

 the disordered and enfeebled mind its healthful 

 action and vigor, but gives to the earth he culti- 

 vates, new powers of production. While the 

 mouths of one committee have watered at the pros- 

 pect of the living barrels of food in the pens, the 

 eyes of another have doubtless been moistened in 

 contemplating the odoriferous roots which have 

 graced the hall. 



It is gratifying to know the patriotic spirit which 

 animated the vast delegation of swine from the hos- 

 pital. With a promptitude worthy of all approba. 

 tion, they took measures to reach their appointed 

 place the day before the fair. How the journey 

 was performed is not known ; to have rolled over 

 the distance would have been the easiest mode ol 

 locomotion for shapes as deep as broad, and broad 

 as long. Loosening the green earth around, OB 

 their arrival, they stretched themselves on its fea^ 

 thery pillow to rest. The chairman, moved with 

 deep anxiety for their repose, viewed them by ft 

 lantern at midnight, when diey slept in the silvM 

 beams of the moon, like small mountains covered 

 with snow. The music of their dreams floated as 

 softly on the air astiie melodies of Mr Frank John- 

 son's celebrated band, which has poured its sweet 

 notes of hand on the ears of Queen Victoria. 

 Nothing could alloy such happiness except the sad 

 deprivation of the privilege of becoming members 

 of the Society and participating in its agreeable 

 exercises. It has always been difficult to conceive 

 how one pig could look anotlier in the face without 

 laughing from reflected enjoyment. These creat- 

 ures had no faces to look at — tlie chief extremity. 



