AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



^ 



POnLISHED BY JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO. 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Agr.cultubax Wa^ehocse.) 



VOL. XVII.] 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 28, 1838. 



[NO. 31. 



AGRICULTURAL 



WORCESTER SOCIETY. 



EXTRACTS FROM REPORTS. 



Tlie committee on " all other manufactures than 

 hose of leather and of wool, or of which wool is 



component part" — Report, 



That the number of articles submitted to their 

 xamination, as exhibited for premiums, or for the 

 urpose of increasing- the interest of our Fair, is 

 luch smaller than has been usual in past years, 

 ut they are not aware that the ingenuity and skill 

 lanifested in the manufacture, or the excellence 

 r the material used, is less than heretofore. The 

 iriety, in proportion to the number of articles, can 

 irdly, at any time, have been exceeded. The 

 )mmittee were called to estimate the worth and 

 ;auty of many articles, better fitted for fairy fin- 

 ;rs than theirs. There were coverlets, of such 

 armth and excellence, that even single blessed- 

 ^ss might be comfortable under them ; tiny socks, 

 ft and warm, which fairy feet might wear when 

 ncing under the cold moon of our frosty nights ; 



which, should the fairies not claim them, mio-ht 



worn by tliose odd things call "sweet pledges," 

 10 do not honestly belong to single blessedness ; 

 ere were hats of palm leaf and of silk, and bon- 

 is of grass and of straw, for the liead, a silk 

 ;e veil, and wrought collars for the face and neck 



beauty ; stockings and socks of cotton and linen, 

 • tlie nether limbs of those whom they might fit, 

 hough the shape of some of them was such that 

 is doubtful whether any one will confess their 

 aess ; there were crickets for weary feet, a screen 

 save the fair complexion from a fiery flush — pio- 

 •es of flowers — of little love birds and their nests 



of little dogs looking wondrous sleepy or wise of 



ughty boys robbing birds' nests — and of a forlorn 

 )rtal, mourning over all. There were wires to 

 ike cards, cards to curry cattle, beautiful and in- 

 nious implements of husbandry, and (though no 

 lecklace for a sow,") gilded hames that dumb 

 asts, as well as men, may be proud of as a collar, 

 le committee gazed, admired, wondered deci- 

 id, and directed such an account to be given of 

 l.tters as now follows. 

 Seven woven coverlets were offered, but as some 



them were partly of wool, it was apprehended 

 ;re might be a conlUct of jurisdiction between 

 i two committees on manufactures ; happily, 

 wever, the peace principle prevailed, and the 

 ler committee magnanimously relinquished their 

 .im. A cotton counterpane, or Marseilles quilt, 

 s decidedly the best, equalling the best imported, 

 id the committee award for it the premium of $5, 

 iMiss Sarah K. Shepherd, of Worcester. 

 Only two bonnets were offered — the one made 

 i Mrs Sally Leland, of Grafton, " from grass 

 jthered around the dwelling house," was a beau- 

 :il article, of which any lady might, as reason- 

 ly, be proud to be the maker, or the wearer, as 

 any bonnet whatever. The premium of $5 is 

 : arded to Mrs Leland. 



A black lace veil of fine silk, wrought with much 

 taste by Mrs Roxanna Stone, of East Brookfield, 

 they thought deserving a gratuity of S'2. 



A Highland plaid woollen shawl, made by Jliss 

 Ruth B. Wheeler, of Lancaster, and another by 

 Miss Lydia W. Estabrook, of Princeton, were each 

 deemed worthy of- a gratuity of $1. 



Very excellent wire, Nos. 30, 31, 32, and 33, 

 from the manufactory of Ichabod Washburn, of 

 Worcester, was noticed with praise, as were copper 

 wire cards, bearing the stamp of " C. O. Read, 

 Worcester" — and iron wire cards bearing the stamp 

 of "No. 10, Whittemore's Patent, I. Washburn." 



A barouche made by Albert Tolman, with a 

 harness by William Leggate, both of Worcester, 

 were examined and admired as excellent specimens 

 of mechanical skill in that branch of business. 



A corn planter and seed sower, by S. Wood, if 

 not too complicated, will allow farmers to take 

 rides for pleasure while jdant ng their fields. It is 

 certainly an ingenious article. 



Boynton's straw cutter, exhibited by Alvin Allen, 

 of Worcester, is said to be the best article of the 

 kind now known, and the committee thought it 

 might be so. 



A cheese press, by which cheese is so cruelly 

 treated, as to be made to squeeze itself, was also 

 exhibited — the inventor or exhibitor was not known 

 to the committee. 



Messrs. Ruggles, Nurse & Mason, deserve the 

 thanks of the society, for the exhibition of several 

 machines calculated to save the labor and more 

 perfectly perform the work of the farmer and the 

 gardener. They exhibited " a vegetable cutter," 

 to prepare food for cattle, by t'le labor of one man, 

 at the rate of a bushel per minute, price $10 — "A 

 seed sower," or " drill barrow," for the field, and 

 another for the garden, each of undoubted excel- 

 lence, price of the one -915, of the other §3 50 



A grindstone turned by treadle and crank, with 

 anti-friction rollers — and a Nourse's plough, some- 

 n hat improved, and very perfectly made. Each 

 of these machines and implements deserves the 

 particular examination of every cultivator of the 

 soil. By order of the Committee, 



A. D. FOSTER. 

 Worcester, Oct. 10, 1838. 



The committee on Fat Cattle and Milch Cows 

 regret that they cannot speak of the stock submit- 

 ted to their examination, with that exultation and 

 liberal praise which other parts of the large and 

 interesting exhibition of this day will excite in 

 other committees. It is too obvious that the fat 

 oxen now adjudged to be entitled to premiums, as 

 the best, would be unsuccessful competitors with 

 the fat cattle of former years. The causes of this 

 comparative inferiority are the deficient supply of 

 beef, which has hurried into our meat market, at 

 uniform high prices, everything that "hath horns 

 and hoofs," and the shortness of the pastures, occa- 

 sioned by the drought of the last summer, and the 

 high price of corn and potatoes. I 



As it is not a new predicament for Yankee far-' 



mors to be obliged to do the best with the stock 

 which they have, the committee have had no trouble 

 in a-' judging the premiums among theiHiimals sub- 

 mitted to them, which were valuable, though not 

 such prodigies of fatness as we have seen. 



It is stated that all the oxen oflfered for premi- 

 um were fed with grass and pumpkins, and had no 

 meal. 



The committeS award _to Joshua Eveleth, of 

 Princeton, for his fat ox, 4 1-2 years old, weighino- 

 1711 lbs. the first premium of 6!20 00 



To Timothy P. Moore, of Worcester, for his fat 

 ox, G years old, weighing 1790 lbs., the second pre- 

 "'•""' of .§15,00 



To lienjamin N. Child, of Worcester, for his 

 fat ox, 7 years old, weighing 1890 lbs. the third 

 premium of slOOO 



Mr Adam Harrington, of Shrewsbury, offered a 

 yoke of oxen 4 1-2 years old, weighing 1775 lbs. 

 and 1770 lbs. which deserve commendation for no- 

 ble size and beauty of form, but they lacked the 

 requisite of fatness. 



Mr T. P. Moore, of Worcester, in addition to the 

 fat ox for which a premium is awarded, presented 

 three other fat oxen. 



The committee viewed with much admiration, 

 a well formed and very fat cow, weighing 1560 lbs. 

 offered for exhibition by Mr Moses H. Felton, of 

 Barre. 



There was no more»difficulty than in the celebrated 

 choice of Hobson, in selecting the Milch Cow 

 which should be distinguished by a premium, as 

 but one was offered with the requisite certificate of 

 merit. It is to be regretted that our farmers will 

 not take the trouble to prepare themselves for com- 

 petition in this most important department of the 

 show. And it may be observed that the attention 

 and labor of ascertaing the qualities of their cows 

 as to milk, will bring its own reward in the improve- 

 ment of their own stock, in addition to the good 

 resulting to the individuals and to the public at 

 these exhibitions. In many farm yards in the 

 county, cows might be discovered which give milk 

 that will make little or no butter, while the cows 

 are bought at as high prices and kept with the same 

 expense as the most profitable animal. 



Our Commonwealth did itself honor in the exhi- 

 bition of six milch cows of fine figure and in ex- 

 cellent flesh, from the State Lunatic Hospital. 

 While the literature of the day and common obser- 

 vation prove that hunger, voluntary as well as 

 involuntary, will not only break down stone walls, 

 but commit many otljer excesses of word and deed, 

 the success of this noble institution demonstrates 

 that liberal feeding and every provision for content- 

 ment and satisfaction have wondrous power to give 

 quietness and steadiness of mind. And the lotund 

 forms and placid tempers of these stately animals 

 show, that though they confine themselves to vege- 

 table diet, they are no Grahamites in grazing, and 

 though they " wax fat" like Jeshurun of old, they 

 have no disposition to kick. 



Respectfully submitted by order of the committee. 

 S. SALSBURY, Chairmmi. 



