AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, October 9, 1839. 



MIDDLESEX CATTLE SHOW. 

 The Middlesex Society of Husb;iridmen, Mechanics, 

 and Manufacturers held their annual Show and Fair at 

 Concord, on Wednesday last, 2d Inst. The weather 

 was higlrly auspicious to the celebration ; and a larger 

 collection of people were assemhled than has been re- 

 membered on any similar occasion. 



The exercises of the day commenced with a well 

 contested ploughing match, in which nineteen teams, 

 ten with one yohe of oxen, and nine with two yoke of 

 oxen, contended for the prizes. The ploughs used were 

 of Tice, eight ; of Wright, three ; of Hitchcock, four ; 

 <if Prouty and Mears, two ; of RuggWs and Nourse, one ; 

 of Moore, Barnet, Vt , one. We shall pass no judgment 

 upon the different ploughs used in the caj-e, deem- 

 ing this the particular province of the committee which 

 we would not encroach upon. But we can say with 

 perfect truth and equal pleasure that the ploughing was 

 «rery well executed, and to those, who could contrast 

 the work done on this occasion with the style in which 

 •aid work was executed twentyfive years ago, the im- 

 provement, both in the construction of the plough and 

 the work itself will appear surprising, and evincive of 

 extraordinary improvement. There is still much room 

 for improvement. The finishing in our ploughing is 

 ilmost always bad. A skilful ploughman will lura^the 

 «ast furrow as well as the first. In most cases the sod 

 is broken to pieces, which are turned over by the hand 

 or kicked aside by the feet, in which case the work is 

 4eft in an unsightly and ragged condition. The (iiult 

 lies perhaps in taking too deep a furiow, which shoves 

 ♦he sward rather than turns it ; whereas the plough 

 •hould not be suffered to go so deep as before, aud then 

 tl\e furrow slice would be completely turned. 



We believe that Committees are now generally agreed 

 wot to lake into consideration the shortness of the time 

 «n which the work is finished as any test of skill ; and 

 not to regard at all the time employed, unless 'thnre 

 should be an evident indolence, and'the lime extended 

 ieyond all reason. This decision is right ; anti we wish 

 competitors could be more impressed with it. There 

 was some hurrying and forcing here beyond what we 

 could have w.shed ; but in general the teams were well 

 managed, and the plou..hing field with its nineteen 

 teams under full sail, and cheered on by the stimulus of 

 ambition, the hope of reward, and the interest and plau- 

 <i>l8 of the numerous spectators, who surrounded the 

 field in a dense line, was an exhilarating and charrainT 

 apectacle. " 



The pens were well filled .with stock. Of swirie, a 

 « liberal display and of superior qualitv. The Berk- 

 •hire, and the Berkshire and the Mackay cross by gen- 

 oral consent carried the day. The show o'' milch cows 

 was sicellent.though we must again express our regret 

 that the particular qualities and excellencies .of t|,e Ini 

 Bials were not more lUlly g.ven in the labels on the 

 horns or in some other forn,. H. € M.eriam, Esq. of 

 Tewksbury exhibited some superior inprwed stock of 

 the Durham Short Horns, and s,. J.kewisedid Mr Morse 

 of Marlborough, whose young stock promi.ses very well 

 Both these gentlemen have ent, red with n.ucb spirit 

 into the improvement of Neat Stock, with a view to 

 furnish for sale as good animals as can be produced ; and 

 we heartily wish them success. There was a good deal 

 af aatiye stock of excellent character, and a pair of half. 



blood steers two or three years old, which were admira- 

 ble in their appi:arance. The owner's name is not re- 

 membered; and in truth, the time given for examina- 

 tion of any part of the show, where every thing is crowd- 

 ed into a single short day in autiunn, is insufficient to 

 enable one ti> do justice to any tliino-. 



The domestic manufactures exhibited in the hall, 

 though not numerous, were excellent; the flannels in 

 particular, were very superior. The vegetable products 

 Were many of them extraordinary, expeciallv in the 

 squash line; one of those exhibited weighed IGl lbs 

 and was almost sufScient to last a common family three 

 months. Whether there was any ambition in this mat- 

 ter to rival the great cake at the Mechanic's Fair in 

 Boston we cannot say. 



There were various samples of butter presented ; and 

 among tlie whole which we examined, although there 

 was a consideriible difference among the several parcels, 

 we did not find one, which we should pronounce infe- 

 rior. Most of them were excellent ; and evinced great 

 improvement in this article ; an iinproverflent which has 

 not come too soon ; and which is sure to find an ample 

 rcw.trd. No article is belter paid for where it is deserv- 

 ing ofit; and the proximity of the Middlesex farmers 

 to the Boston market affords all Ihe encouragement to 

 do their beat in this malter, which they could :isk. 



The day upon the whole, was full of gratification to a 

 benevolent mind, which could take pleasure in witness- 

 ing the extraordinary and cloudless prosperity of our 

 rural and labouring population, eminenlly distmguished 

 as they are for their good appearance and good man- 

 ners, Iheir improved moral conditi<in, their general in- 

 telhaence, their agricultural improvement; and that 

 spirit of agricultural enterprise, which is waked among 

 them, and caunot, we hope, while the winds blow and 

 the grass grows, he again put to sleep. 



The dinner was numerously attended. Several gen- 

 tlemen from the neighboring towns sent some beautiful 

 and delicious samples of peaches, pears, grapes and 

 apples. Mr Eustis of Reading was a liberal contributor. 

 Mr Smith, (not John) of Lincoln, sent some peaches 

 and other fruit as handsome as any thing we desire to 

 see. Other gentlemen gave bountifully. The occasion 

 was one of much and innocent festivity; and the as- 

 sembly were gratified and instructed by many speeches 

 and sentiments full of good sense and sparkling with 

 exquisite humour. 



The list of premiums will be given in another place. 



H. C. 



OPENING OF THE WESTERN RAIL RO.^D. 



The first section of this great avenue of internal com- 

 munication having been completed, its opening was 

 celebrated on Thursday last, the 3d inst , by a public 

 procession and dinner at Springfield. Several" hundred 

 atiests sat down, among whom were many of the elite of 

 the Commonwealth. 



The cars with many gentlemen invited on the occa- 

 sion, left Boston at seven o'clock and were set down 

 without accident or inconvenience in Springfield at half 

 p=st twelve M This was a swallow's flight. We left 

 Springfield Ihe next day at half past six A. M. ; spent 

 one hour in Worcester ; four and a half h. urs 'in Bos- 

 ton, aud were in Salem the evening of the same day at 

 one quarter before 6 o'clock, P. M. What is to come 

 next.' 



It is not a great while since, when a man came from 

 Connecticut river to Boston, the first question that 

 would be proposed to him would be, when did ,ou 

 comedown.' what day did you leave home .? and 'va- 

 rious other enquiries about uncles and aunts and cousins, 

 which you could not answer without a feeling of uncer- 



tainly and solicitude about what may have happened to 

 them in the time which had elapsed since you left 

 home. But now you come fresh from home, and the 

 transition from the beautiful banks of the Connecticut 

 to the glittering waves of Boston Bay is immediate ; and 

 you seem to drive along with a flight as rapid as the 

 sweeping echo of the cars among the beauiilul hills 

 which line the passage. As to news, it is all over 

 now :— and as to our blessed kith and kin in the great 

 valley, who were once " over the hills and far away," 

 here they are our next-door neighbors. This is delight- 

 ful. What were once the golden chains of friendship 

 have become iron ; but their strength is not diminished ; 

 and use and frequency shall keep them as bright as the 

 polished diamond. 



The influence of these improved methods of 

 intercommunication upon the agricultural interest* 

 cannot be otherwise than beneficial. When we 

 have more room and more leisure we shall go into thig 

 subject. The first is in a degree to equalize the value 

 of farms and produce. This has always borne a com- 

 parative relation to the vicinity of the market. The 

 rail-road brings distant places near, and enables the 

 farmer on the Connecticut river to avail himself of the. 

 advantages of the market of the capital and its populous 

 vicinity, equally with the farmer much nearer to Boston. 

 True the freight is to be paid ; but this coiisiiiules the 

 principal difference between living ten or a hundred 

 miles from Boston. Against this is to be set off the 

 expenses of conveying his produce in his owa wagon, 

 the wear and tear, the injury to the articles brought, the 

 length of time which he must spend upon the journey, 

 and all the uncertainties uf weather and roads. 



We cannot now go into particulars ; but let us tnke a 

 single article of agricultural produce, which must be 

 considered one of the great staples of Connecticut River 

 Husbandry— Beef. The usual expense now of gpiting 

 a fat ox from Connecticut river to Brighton market is 

 wo dollars, and about a week's hard travel and fare for 

 the animal. The farmer, if he goes with his own stock 

 ist ordinarily calculate upon a fortnight's absence from 

 Homo, and his stage expenses on his return. The two 

 dollars in any case must be alloned for drift, fare and 

 commissions of sale, though he should go with his own 

 drovo to market. This is not all. The best (Irovers 

 estimate the loss of a fat ox in weight in driving from 

 Connecticut river to Boston at one hundred pounds. 

 Now let us see how the rail road may operate. Suppose 

 the market day at Brighton to be Wednesday, as it 

 should be. Any farmer within twenty miles of the 

 depot leaves home on Monday morning, puts his oxen on 

 the cars on Tuesday ; gets them into the market fresh, 

 and without any loss or fatigue or fever or sore feet, on 

 Wednesday; makes his sale the same day; gets the re-, 

 turn of his cattle on Thursday, and is home to his farm 

 and family on Friday, or it may be on Thursday niWit; 

 —and the expense of conveying an ox to Boston on the 

 cars ought not to exceed two dollars. No doubt suitable 

 arrangements will soon be made by the enterpribiiiK di- 

 rectors. This is only one example in which substantial 

 benefits must accrue to the agricultural interests from 

 Ibis rapid, safe, and comfortable mode of conveyance. 

 We have no room at present to extend the subject. 



H. C. 



FINE NATIVE GRAPES. 

 Mr Perry, of Natick, presented us the last week with 

 a box of dt-liciuus native grapes, which we pronounce 

 to be veiy superior ; to our taste as good as the Isabella. 

 They were (fa honeyed sweetness, color, pale brown. 

 He slated that he found the vine in the woods, and find- 

 ing it a superior variety, transplanted it to his ganlen. 



