146 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOVEMBER 14, 1838. 



2d do. to Erastus R. Adams of Saiidisfield, 5 



3d do. to Humphrey Anthony of Adam.'', 3 



EDWARD A. NEWTON, Chairman. 



ON MANnFACTtJRES. 



The committee on household Manufactures beg 

 leave to report ; 



That thny have performed the duties assigned 

 them on this Agricultural Anniversary with great 

 satisfaction. iMany articles of domestic manufac- 

 ture, yielding proofs of industry and active inge- 

 nuity, have been spread before tlicm in rich arra)', 

 competing for that e.xcellence which is deserving 

 of reward. Rich products of the card and spin- 

 ning wheel, substantial fabrics of the loom, taste- 

 ful ornaments of the frame' and needle, have come 

 with a beauty of coloring and fineness of te.Kture 

 unrivalled, to show what the industry and taste of 

 the frugal housewife can effect. No little credit 

 is due to the ladies of Berkshire for having, from 

 the very commencement of your society, so well 

 sustained their parts in its public exhibitions. To 

 them is due here, as ever in the sphere where they 

 move, the meed of praise of having been unrivalled 

 by the other sex. 



Your committee cannot but hope that this part 

 of the annual exhibitions of your society will ever 

 receive that encouragement it deserves. In this, 

 they believe, is to be found that germ of life which 

 has so long sustained it. All which encour.ages 

 the industry of the farmer's domestic circle must 

 be invaluable, for it is his home which makes him 

 what he is. The sound of the wheel and the vig- 

 orous strokes of the loom, conmiingling with tlie 

 cheerful song and the contented smile, have always 

 made his fireside the green spot of his life. The 

 thought of it nerves his arm, and cheers his heart 

 in the toils of the day. And in homes like his are 

 the strong holds of virtue and independence. If 

 our cities foster the growth of pomp or the ele- 

 ments of discord — if the rich prairies of the west 

 populate with a speculating and immoral community, 

 if crowds of foreign emigrants threaten to sow 

 broad-cast over our land the seeds of evil — from 

 these peaceful farm houses -will go forth a spirit, 

 pure as the air of our own mountains, to cherish 

 and preserve and invigorate the liberties we love. 

 The committee have awarded the following premi- 

 ums : 

 On woollen fulled cloth, to Miss Jane Farnum 



of Lanesboro', 1st premium, $6 



2d do. to Miss Mary D. Parks of Dalton, 4 



3d do. to Mrs Sophronia C. Tillotson, 4 



4th do. to Mrs Ann Coman of Cheshire, 3 



On white flannel, to Miss Julia Comstock of 



South Adams, 1st premium, 4 



2d do. to Miss Nancy Tracy of Hinsdale, 3 



3d do. to Mrs Sarah F. Bishop of Lenox, 3 



4th do. to Mrs Emily Washburn of do. 2 



On woollen and cotton sheeting, to Mrs Jerutha 



Clark of Pittsfield, 1st premium, 3 



2d do. to Mrs N. Brown of Cheshire, 2 



On woollen blankets, to Mrs Lucy Buck of 



Lanesboro', 1st premium, 3 



2d do. to Airs Hannah Bradley of do. 2 



An extra premium on a pair of plaid blankets, 

 very fine color, to Miss Harriet Churchill of 

 Pittsfield, 2 



On coverlids, best, to Mrs IMary Jones of Stock- 

 bridge, - 2 

 On carpeting, to Mrs Hannah Bradley of Lanes- 

 borough, 1st premium, 4 

 2d do. to Miss Rebecca Shears of Sheffield, 3 



3d do to Mrs Charlotte Callender, Pittsfield, 2 



Very little stair carpeting was ofl^ered, and upon 

 this your committee made no award. 



On hearth rug, to Miss Laura Washburn of 

 Lenox, 1st premium, 2 



2d do. not awarded. 



On linen sheeting, to Mrs Prudence Cook of 

 Lenox, Ist premium, 4 



2d do. to Miss Sarah Sturgess, Lanesboro', 2 



No linen shirting offered. 



On linen diaper, to Mrs Mehitable Huntington 

 of Becket, 1st premium, 4 



2d do. to Mrs Hannah Wilcox, Stockbridge, 3 



An extra premium to Mrs Julia Carter of do. 2 



On women's wollen stockings, to M iss Rowenna 

 Cook, Richmond, 1st premium, 2 



2d do. to Miss Betsy Cook of do. 1 



On a pair of plain unbleached linen stockings, 

 to Miss Sally Curtis of Lanesboro', 1 



On tliread hose, to Miss Eliza Kendall of Rich- 

 mond, 1st premium, 2 



2d do. to Mrs Mehitable Dewey of Lenox, 1 



On men's woollen hose, to Mrs Agnes Buel of 

 Pittsfield, 1st premium, 2 



2d do. to Mrs Almira Sears of Lenox, 1 



An extra premium to Elizabeth Durant of 

 Hinesdale, aged 86, 1 



do to Mrs Prudence Foot of Pittsfield, 

 aged !)0. 1 



We can but speak iu recommendation of the in- 

 dustry of these two aged ladies. Certainly we 

 mean no disrespect when we say that their con- 

 tending so successfully for premiums at so ad- 

 vanced an age has reminded us strongly of the 

 old song : 



"She lived to the age of an hundred and ten. 

 And died by a fall from a cherry-tree then. 

 What a frisky old girl !" 



And though we would deprecate so unfortunate 

 an end tO" their useful lives, yet we heartily wish 

 they nmyattain the full age of their brisk pro- 

 totype. 



On woollen yarn to Miss Hannah M. Tracy of 

 Pittsfield, 1st premium, 2 



2d do. to Miss Melissa Sherwood of Williams- 

 town, 1 



On sewing silk, to Miss Emily Sherwood of do. 

 1st premium, 1 



2d do. to Miss Julia Ann Fitch of Lenox, 1 



Silk manufacture, to Mrs Mariette Sands of 

 Pittsfield, 1st premium, 2 



2d do. to Miss E. Sherwood, Williamstown, 1 



Straw bonnet, to Miss Abigail Francis of 

 Hinesdale, 2 



To Miss Nancy Tracy of Hinesdale and Miss 

 Julia Briggs of Stockbridge the committee 

 award $1 each for lace veils; and to Mrs 

 Armanda Washburn of Lenox and Mrs Sarah 

 Sturgess of Lanesboro', $1 each for High- 

 land shawls, 4 



Your committee remark a great deficiency in the 

 selection, arrangement and firmness of colors in 

 almost all tlie articles presented ; in some in- 

 stances have declined awarding premiums to the 

 otherwise best articles for this reason. 



Extra Premiums. 

 For finely finished satin«tts, to the Messrs. Ball, 



Bassett & Co. of Lee, 2 



For cassimeres, to the Messrs Russells' of G. 



Barrington, 2 



For some beautiful letter paper, of good texture 



and exquisite surface, to Messrs. Sturgess, 

 Phillips & Allen of Lee, 2 



For a bed spread, to Miss Eliza Wood of Pitts- 

 field, . ] 



For do. to Mrs Grace P. Bliss, Stockbridge, 1 



For fiannel, to .Miss Betsey D. Tracy of Hins- 

 dale, 2 



For a white bed spread, to Mrs Rebecca Bar- 

 rett of Lenox, 1 



For a well finished trunk, to James M. Noble 

 of Pittsfield, 1 



For well made otter caps, to C. B. Piatt of Pitts- 

 field, 1 



For 3 pairs linen stockings, to Mrs Hannah 

 Wilcox of do. 1 



For stocking yarn, to Miss Melissa Sherwood 

 of Williamstown, 1 



Several linen table cloths, e.xhibiting great taste 



and industry, were presented, but not for premium, 



by Mrs Franklin Root of Pittsfield. 



Your committee have seldom seen more elegant 



specimens of satin embroidery than were presented 



by Mrs E. P. Day of Pittsfield, wrought for the 



Young Ladies' Benevolent Society. 

 All which is respectfully submitted. 



N. S.' DODGE, Chairman. 



For the New England Farmer. 



Mr Editor, — Perhaps there never ha» been a 

 season in this country that presented fairer pros- 

 pects to the farmer than the last sumnjer. Every- 

 thing of the vegetable kingdom appeared to be in 

 its glory ; and if the growing herbage could have 

 had the power of utterance and of song, we should 

 have literally heard the welkin ring with its music. 

 Plenty showed her fat and ruddy cheeks all around, 

 and smiles were common currency. But the severe 

 droughts sadly changed the scene, and there came 

 a fear upon us that the yielding of the earth would 

 scarcely repay the " labors of the workmen." It 

 was foolish thus to anticipate troubles ; the event 

 has shown that the fruits oCthe earth have not been 

 withheld from us, and there is plenty for our com- 

 fort and for our joy. The potato crop is, indeed, 

 considerably cut off, nevertheless, by economy we 

 shall be able to supply our necessities at least. 

 There is a growing fondness here for farming, 

 which I am happy to witness, and husbandmen have 

 increased in the country by reason of the times, 

 and this is one cause why the fields of grain have 

 been more plenteous than for years heretofore. 

 We are indebted to Providence for the prosperous 

 growth of our crops most assuredly ; but certainly 

 there is an increased attention to agriculture by the 

 people ; the old method is done away, of following' 

 the footsteps of our fathers ; husbandmen read and 

 think, as well as work, and therefore their labor is 

 more judiciously laid out, and comes to better ac- 

 count, than formerly. I think it a duty here to say, 

 that the N. E. Farmer, and other periodicals, have 

 been in a very great degree instrumental in bring- 

 ing about a happy change. 



Permit we to ask — what has become of your 

 sweet melodist, Jigricola ') We iiope the minstrel 

 has not laid aside his pipe entirely. There is rea- 

 son to sing now ; no season is without its charm ; 

 and could he but know how he delights the country 

 swains and lasses with his harmonious numbers, I 

 am sure he would sing on. We do, verily, hope 

 that he will vouchsafe to resume his lute again. 

 The Farmer's Daughter, by the same author, I pre- 



