AND HORTICnLTDRAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, October 2, 1839. 



ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SHOW. 



The Essex Agricultural Society held their annual 

 Cattle Show on Thursday, 2Cth inst. at Georgetown, 

 (formerly New Rowley.) The attendance was very 

 large, and tlie arrangements were made and executed 

 in a satisfactory manner, saving only that the dinner 

 liall was not large enough to receive more than two- 

 thirds of those who would liave been glad to have ob- 

 tained admission. 



There was a well drnwn ploughing match, contested 

 with much spirit and skill. Four teams of one yoke of 

 oxen each, two teams ofapairof horses each, eight 

 teams of two yoke of oxen each, entered the field. The 

 ploughs used on the occasion were, first Moore's plough, 

 from Barnet, Vt., sent by Henry Stevens, Esq., of thai 

 place, for trial ; Winslow's plough, made in Middleton, 

 Essex CO., which was a wooden plough, and well con- 

 structed; Brickett's plough, which was also a wooden 

 plough, and much esteemed by those who have been ac- 

 customed to its use ; several ploughs made by Ruggles 

 & Nourse, of Worcester ; one of Howard's ploughs, and 

 one from Prouty & Mears' establishment; the character 

 of these ploughs is well established. With some excep- 

 tions, the ploughing was well executed, and some of it 

 could hardly be improved. 



We understood that the several committees were to 

 make up a judgment of the comparative excellence or 

 character of the different ploughs used. This was not 

 done, we believe, but perhaps we may have it hereafter 

 in the full report. We shall not obtrude our own judg- 

 ment, lest it should seem invidious. Great advances 

 have been made in the construction of this most impor- 

 tant instrument within a few years. The introduction 

 of the improved cast iron mould board may be consid- 

 ered almost as marking a new era in agriculture. Yet 

 it can hardly be supposed that we have as yet attained 

 to perfection in the construction of this valuable imple- 

 ment. What has been accomplished will, we hope, 

 stimulate to new exertions. Whatever remains to be 

 done, however, in the construction of the particular 

 form of the tool, it must be admitted that the workman- 

 ship of many of the ploughs and agricultural instruments 

 now on exhibition at the Mechanics' Fair in Quincy 

 Hall, Boston, discover a skill and perfection of finish 

 most admirable and seldom equalled. 



Two things are requisite in all iigricultur.il instruments 

 and in all other machines designed to assist and facili- 

 tale labor; the first is that the implement or machine 

 should do the work which it is intended to aceomplish, 

 well; and next that it should do It wiih the least ex- 

 pense of labor that is practicable. That a plough should 

 have these excellencies, particular attention is required 

 to the centre of traction, and to the line of traction, and 

 to the form of a mould-board, wliicli while it shall lay 

 the inverted sod at the desired angle, .shall, at the same 

 time raise the sod and slide forward with the least a- 

 mount of friction possible. These are matters of scien- 

 tific and exact mathematical calculation ; and that we 

 have still something to learn in this case will appear to 

 a practised eye, from comparing some of the most ap- 

 proved ploughs among us with a plough used on this 

 occasion from Barnet, in Vermont, and made, in a meas- 

 ure, after the model of Small's Scotch plough. There 

 are, however, defects or mistakes in the form of this 

 Vermont plough, especially in the construction of the 



beam. These might easily be remedied. The mould- 

 board is excellent in its form. 



The show of cattle at Georgetown was respectable. — 

 The working cattle were very good. There were sev- 

 eral excellent milch cows, one of which was stated to 

 have made fourteen pounds of butter per week for a 

 length of time. There were some good young cattle. — 

 The entries of swine amounted to seventeen, embracing 

 boars, sows and pigs, and fat hogs. Two fat hugs be- 

 longing to I'erley Tapley, of Danvers, weighed over fif- 

 teen hundred pounds live weight. There were several 

 different races of swine, but the Berkshire seemed to 

 carry the day, for their neatness, compactness and thrift, 

 though other breeds then; showed much larger size. — 

 The Berkshire of all others must be considered the poor 

 man's or the small farmer's hog, as coming earliest to 

 maturity and giving the greatest amount of pork for the 

 e.'spense incurred. We have never seen at any of the 

 Cattle Shows in Essex, so fine an exhibition of swine. 

 Several horses were entered for premium and some of 

 them of much merit and beauty. The bulls had little 

 to recommend them. There was some very good young 

 stock from the Moody farm, in West Newbury. The 

 show of articles of domestic manufacture or household 

 industry, was very honorable to the ladies, who contri- 

 buted liberally to this part of the exhibition. Several 

 premiums were awarded to children under twelve years 

 of age — one premium for needle work, to a little girl on- 

 ly five years old ; and the best grass bonnet presented 

 was from the hands of a lady of eightyfive years old. If 

 we suppose the young competitor of five years to go on 

 in her successful and skilful industry until she reaches 

 the venerable period attained by the last lady, she will 

 certainly have accomplished her share of the work of 

 this world, and have given an admirable and useful ex- 

 ample. 



There were several specimens of dairy produce pre- 

 sented. Of the cheese we cannot speak, other than that 

 its appearance was good. Some samples of the butter, 

 and particularly from Mr Howe,of Methuen, and anoth- 

 er lot, the name of the maker of which we do not re- 

 member, showed much neatness and care in the man- 

 agement and manufacture; but most that was exhibited 

 was quite inferior, certainly as matter of exhibition.^ 

 Much of it was salted to excess ; and much of it had a 

 wnxy, daubed appearance, which showed that it was 

 badly worked. There are few things in which we more 

 need improvement than in the quality of our butter. We 

 know more than one farmer in the vicinity of Boston, 

 whose butler, oil that he can make, commands always 

 thirtyscven and a half cents pHr pound. We have seen 

 butter sold within the last few months in Boston mar- 

 ket, by the quantity, for thirtythree, thirty^even, forty- 

 four, fifty, and even sixty cents a pound. One would 

 think, therefore, that there is no want of encouragement 

 to pnins-taking in. the manufacture of this necessary ar- 

 ticle. 



VV« understood' tfiair the drawing match was well con- 

 tested, but we did not see it. The truth is, that a sin- 

 gle day for such an occasion, gives one hardly an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing any thing. Every thing must be done 

 in a Imrry ; and many things must necessarily be passed 

 over with scarcely a glance. 



There was some valuable fruit and several beautiful 

 bouquets of flowers presented by that excellent florist 

 and liberal contributor, Mr J. M. Ives, of Salem, and 

 others ; and many rich products of the vegetable king- 

 dom, in the form of Rohan potatoes, squashes, sugar 

 beets, carrots, &c. Froii ten lbs. of the seed of the Ro- 

 han potato, Dr Robinson, of West Newbury, produced 

 fourteen and a half bushels weighing 65 lbs. per bushel, 

 equal' to 942 1-2 lbs., which is nearly one hundred for 



one. Mr W. Thurlow showed six squashes from one 

 seed, weighing 199 1-2 lbs. ; and Mr Samuel Balch offer- 

 ed five squashes from one seed obtained at the Cape de 

 Verd islands, whose joint weight was 27.5 lbs. 



Mr Win. Osborn,of Lynn, a spirited and successful 

 cultivator, exhibited a sample of Dutlon corn, of beautiful 

 appearance; and of China I'ree corn, which was very 

 handsome and promises to be a valuable variety. This 

 China Tree corn does not ear upon the end of the stalk, 

 nor produce so many ears upon a stalk, nor ripen so early 

 as we were led to suppose from the advertisement giv- 

 en to the public; bul from many specimens seen in a 

 state of perfect maturity, we believe it will be well 

 worth cultivating and saved from the condemnation 

 with which a month since it was threatened from all 

 quarters. We are strongly of opinion, however, that 

 the actual difference between what it proves to be and 

 what Mr Thorburn represented it to be, requires lor 

 his own sake, some explanation. Such explanation, if 

 he will give it, we shall be happy to lay before the public. 



A numerous company sat down to dinner, and after 

 dinner the President of the day, Mr Duncan, called up 

 Mr Saltonstall, the representative from the south con- 

 gressional district, who addressed the company in a most 

 agreeable manner. 



The company then proceeded to the meeting house, 

 where an instructive and excellent address was deliver- 

 ed by the Rev. Allen Putnam, of Danvers, now a prac- 

 tical farmer. After this, the reports of the several com- 

 mittees were read and the premiums announced, of 

 which we shall give a list as soon as received. 



Mr Putnam stated on his own knowledge, a very cu- 

 rious and instructive fact in the management of the dai- 

 ry ; which was, that from the same dairy, the same num- 

 ber of cows, and the same cows,fedin the same pasture, 

 and in the same way, and in the same season, three dif- 

 ferent dairy women made in equal periods of time and 

 under other circumstances as nearly alike as possible; 

 one 17, one 23, and one 27 pounds of butter per week. 

 So much for a difference in skill and care. H. C. 



"The Good Housekeeper, or the way to live well 

 .-.nd to be well while we live." By Mrs. S. J. Hale. 

 Weeks, Jordan & Co. : Timo. pp. 



This is a good book, and to be commended to those 

 who are, and to those who purpose to become good 

 housewives. It abounds with sensible advice and use- 

 ful receipts. Wo agree in the main in ihe notions of 

 the author respecting animal food. Man is omnivorous, 

 and the great cause of disease is excess, rather than 

 kind of food. We thank her for her protest against raw 

 meats, or half cooked meats, and gravies which differ 

 little from pure blood. They should be banished from 

 civilized life, or the cannibals who eat them should be 

 banished. We are sorry that she has not borne a loud 

 testimony against bread so mixed up with salseratus that 

 it has a soft- soapy taste, .ind feel and smell absolute- 

 ly detestable ; but with such bread the country is almost 

 every where surfeited. We commend her for her advo- 

 cacy of the Irish. Few people have ever been more 

 grossly abused. Their introduction among us has been 

 of the highest advantage to the country. They have 

 all the elements of a good and useful character; audit 

 will be through our own fault and injustice and inhu- 

 manity towards them, if they do not prove as valuable 

 and useful citizens as we can possess. 



This book is an unpretending but a substantial contri- 

 bution to good economy and domestic comfort. 



[Ij=ln consequence of the Muster which takes place 

 in this city to-day, some of our subscribers will not re- 

 ceive the Farmer as early as usual. 



