S!r©i>^ssr2© is^^mis^i^ms 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO. 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Aghicultuhal Waeehouse.) 



vol.. XVII.] 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 14, 1838. 



[NO. 19. 



AGRICULTURAL 



BERKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



CATTLE SHOW AND FAIR. 



(Cotilinued.) 



ON THE PLOUGHING MATCH. 



The committee on the Ploughing Match, having 

 discharged the duties assigned them, respectfully 

 report : 



That they have had the pleasure of witnessing 

 the perfect work of well formed instruments in 

 skilful hands — all that good ploughs, held by adroit 

 ploughmen, could be expected to perform. The 

 plough is the most ancient and useful of the im- 

 plements of agriculture. Good ploughing is the 

 basis of good husbandry. Two thousand years 

 ago, Cato, who wrote upon agriculture, said, that 

 the best culture of land was good ploughing — the 

 second best — ploughing in the ordinary way. Ma- 

 nuring is set down as of less importance. Before 

 the time of the Grecian king Augeas, — the propri- 

 etor of the far-famed Augean Stables, and who, as 

 Pliny says, was the inventor of manure — ploughing 

 was regarded as the capital operation on the farm, 

 and the tallest and most athletic youth were select- 

 ed and trained for ploughmen. Less attention, 

 however, was anciently given to the construction 

 of the plough, than the important purposes of its 

 application would seem to require. The plough of 

 the ancient Egyptians, as sculptured upon the im- 

 age of Osiris, who first taught them agriculture, 

 was a simple pick like tool, an implement, wliich 

 might answer its purposes very well upon the light 

 alluvial of the Nile. It is quite uncertain whether 

 any part of it was iron. It is clear however, that 

 the Israelites, who were taught agriculture in Egypt, 

 used iron shares, for in the reign of Saul, it is said, 

 " there was no smith found throughout all the land 

 of Israel, but all the Israelites went to the Philis- 

 tines, to sharpen every man his share and his coul- 

 ter." In the time of the Romans the plough had 

 been much improved. They had several kinds 

 with coulters and with and without mould boards. 

 Varro mentions one with two mould boards, used 

 in ridging — and Virgil describes one with a mould 

 board, used both for ridging and covering seed. 

 It is probable, therefore, that the ploughs used by 

 that people in the time of the Republic were of 

 convenient structure. The fashion of the common 

 plough, now used in Castile, is as old as the time 

 of Cincinnatus. The ancient improvements in the 

 construction of this important farming utensil do 

 not appear to be known, even now, in all parts of 

 Europe. Loudon, in treating upon the present 

 state of agriculture in Poland, says, " We have 

 seen lands ploughed by one cow, tied by the horns 

 to the trunk of a young fir tree — one of the roots 

 shaped and acting as a share, and the other serving 

 the ploughman as a handle." In our own country, 

 since the introduction of cast iron ploughs, much 

 attention has been given to their proper construc- 

 tion. They are fomied upon various models, adapt- 

 ed to ditferent soils, and suited to different purposes. 



Still ploughmen are by no means agreed which) 

 upon the whole, is the best — each has its advan- 

 tages, and each may be superior to the other in 

 certain soils and for certain uses. It would seem 

 to your committee wise enough, if it be not already 

 done, to ascertain the true principles of construc- 

 tion applicable to all ploughs, for whatever use de- 

 signed — having reference to the line and weight 

 of drauglit, tlie depth and width of furrow, and the 

 angle at which the furrow slice should be left. 

 The improved Scotch plough, not yet introduced 

 among us, is regarded by competent judges as em- 

 bracing most of the attributes of a perfect instru- 

 ment. Whether it will prove better upon our lands, 

 and for our purposes, than those now in use, expe- 

 riment will determine, and it is worthy of a full 

 and careful trial. The attention of farmers is par- 

 ticularly directed to the subject, because if there 

 can be no good husbandry without good ploughing, 

 there can be no good ploughing without good 

 ploughs. The teams as usual in the competition 

 of the Ploughing Blatch, were pressed beyond their 

 ordinary speed. To perfect execution much de- 

 pends upon the rate of progressive motion. It 

 should not be so quick that the ploughman cannot 

 give the necessary attention to his work, nor so slow 

 that no motion is imparted to the furrow slice. 

 Cattle move at a pace moderately active, with as 

 much ease as at a sluggish one. They never 

 should be suffered to become dull ; if they are so, 

 the ploughman is in fault, for they oftener conform 

 to his pace, than ho to theirs. There were brought 

 upon the field seven ox teams and five horse teams. 

 All have wrought well — several with great skill 

 and de.xterity. The committee have been perplexed 

 in their efibrts to determine the comparative merits 

 of the competitors. It is hard to say which of 

 several have won the prize, when all reach the 

 goal at the same instant. They award as follows : 

 First premium on ox teams, to Titus Parker, 



2d, of Pittsfield, 87 



2d do. to Thomas Warner of Pittsfield, 6 



3d do. to Joseph Foot of do. 5 



4th do. to Justin Griswold of Lenox, 4 



5th do. to VVm. A. Sears of Pittsfield, 3 



First premiums on horse teams to Roswell Hub- 

 bard of Pittsfield, 6 

 •2d do. to Levi Goodrich of Pittsfield, .5 

 3d do. to Wm. Bradley of Lanesboro' 4 

 All of which is respectfully submitted. 



H. W. BISHOP, Chairman. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, ETC. 



The committee on Agricultural Implements and 

 specimens of machinery report: 



The present is an age signally characlerized for 

 improvements and inventions, many of which man- 

 ifest much more of ingenuity than practical utility. 

 To combine the several qualities of strength, dura- 

 bility and labor saving should be the great deside- 

 ratum sought to be accomplished. The greatest 

 possible simplicity is also desirable. Many inven- 

 tions which at first view may be considered bene- 

 ficial are ultimately rendered useless, or nearly so. 



by their complexity. Your committee are happy 

 to say that although there was not as full an exhi- 

 bition of improvements as has been witnessed on 

 former occasions, yet those presented evidently dis- 

 played such degree of practical utility as to render 

 them worthy of public attention and approbation. 

 Your committee award 

 To S. H. Buahnell of Sheffield, for the best 



drill barrow, $4 



2d best do. to Allen C. Metcalf of Lenox, 3 



To Chauncey Sears of do. for the best grain 



cradle, 3 



2d best do. to Elias Parker of Pittsfield, 2 



To E. W. Shepherd of Northampton, for an im- 

 proved fanning mill, '5 

 To A. Clark of Richmond, for a beautiful sam- 

 ple pitchfork, 1 

 Your committee noticed with pleasure a splendid 

 sett of ixench tools, exhibited by Messrs. J, & W. 

 Webb af Pittsfield. Also some very handsome 

 rail road axletrees, exhibited by the Messrs. 

 Wells' of Otis, which, on the morning of the 

 day of exhibition, were in the rough state of pig 

 iron, and were manufactured at their bloomery 

 and in the hall of exhibition before noon of the 

 same day. They award them 3 

 All of which is respectfully submitted. 



THOS. F. PLUNKETT, Chairman, 



ON BUTTER AND CHEESE. 



The committee on butter and cheese have attend- 

 ed to the duty assigned them and report : 



That the quantity of each exhibited at this an- 

 niversary was unusually small, and the quality of 

 the latter, with the exception of one cheese, quite 

 inferior : and they had scruples as to the propriety 

 of awaiding any premium for this article. One 

 lot of old cheese might, perhaps, have been pro- 

 nounced good, had it not been so overcharged with 

 rennet as to be very distastefiil ; a fault, to some 

 extent, they noticed in some of the other lots. The 

 number of lots exhibited was only five. 



The butter was very good. There were only 

 three lots. The one to which they have awarded 

 the highest premium would have been creditable to 

 any dairy, in any market 



Tlie committee beg leave to suggest whether it 

 may not be advisable for the society to increase its 

 premiums on these two most important articles 

 hereafter, and require greater quantities to be ex- 

 hibited in order to obtain them ; the demand for 

 both is daily increasing, as well for home use as 

 for exportation, and the increasing facilities for 

 transportation to distant markets makes increased 

 attention to their production more and more desira- . 

 ble and necessary. 



They award the society's first premium on but- 

 ter to Levi Childs of Pittsfield, $6 

 2d do. to Henry Root of do. 5, 

 3d do. to Wm. Bradley of Lanesboro', 3, 

 1st premium on cheese to Edwin Shears of 

 Sheffield, g 



