154 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



OCT. 30, 1839. 



AND HORTICDLTDRAL REGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, October 30, 1839. 



CATTLE SHOW OK THE PLYMOUTH AGRI- 

 CULTURAL SOCIETY. 



This rural festival was holden at Bridgewater on the 

 16th Inst. The day was 6ne and the attendance very 

 numerous. As far as our own personal observation ex- 

 tends, these shows are fast growing into favor. Wlien 

 a vigilant police is exercised, which the laws of the 

 State respecting cattle shows put it in the power of the 

 managers to command at pleasure, iheie are certainly 

 no less objeclioniible occasions of recreation ; none 

 which excite a more innocent and salutary emulation; 

 and none which tend more to the cultivation of good 

 fellowship and neighborhood. Polilicnl meetings and 

 religious meetings, as things are among us, are iiuces- 

 sarily parly meetings, and not unfrequently, whatever 

 good may come from them, call up and encourage feel- 

 ings and sentiments which, to say the least, it were bet- 

 ter should remain dormant : temperance meetings, abo- 

 lition meetings, arouse on one side or the other, tierce 

 passions, and mutual recriminations and reproaches, 

 which are any thing but agreeable, however naturally 

 they may be looked for in the prosecution of enterprises 

 of this nature : education meetings are necessarily in a 

 degree exclusive in their character, and comparatively 

 few minds are sufficiently enliifhtened to appreciate their 

 great importance and utility ; objects of undefined and 

 general philanthropy would hardly keep any congrega- 

 tion awake, and interest only the few rare and disinter- 

 ested minds, who are dreaming of the perfectibilitv of 

 human nature ; but a cattle show, where even the 

 poorest man may present his cow in a competition for 

 prizes, if she has any extraordinary merit; a show of 

 household manufactures, where our wives and daugh- 

 ters may exhibit their dairy produce and their needle 

 work, substantial evidences of their skill, industry and 

 good housewifery ; and ploughing matches, where the 

 contests, however spirited, are as harmless as tliey are 

 useful, and all these matters and occasions associated 

 with marks of public distinction and honor, and pre- 

 miums of substantial value, this is an occasion of whole- 

 some excitement and universal interest. Here all the 

 artificial distinctions of society which separate men and 

 raise one man above another, are wholly removed from 

 sight; men and wom'?n,the agi'd and ihe young, come 

 together, to encourage the great art which lies at the 

 foundation of human subsistence and comfort; and to 

 exult in the goodness of that Divine Providence, which 

 spieads its bountiful table for every thing that lives ; 

 which giveth us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, 

 filling our hearts with food and gladness. 



The weather on Wednesday could not have been 

 more favorable, although the rain of the two preceding 

 days prevented, prob.ibly, the exhibition of some oni- 

 raals and articles of domestic maniifaeture, which would 

 otherwise have bceii presented ; but the show ofanimals 

 was highly respectable. We were disappoinled in ob- 

 taining the number of entries ; but the pens of the so- 

 ciety were nearly full. Of fat oxen, grass fed, there 

 were several yokes of superior quality. A pair belong- 

 ing to Mr Webster were very laigo, weighing over four 

 thousand. We could not pronounce them handsome ; 

 they were of native stock, of large fra?Ties, and rather 

 coarse, but they were heavy and in high condition.— 

 There were several other yoke of smaller size but of ex- 

 cellent thrift. There were several valuable milch cows 

 of capital appearance ; but no particular account was 



given of their product, either on the label on the pens or 

 in the reports of the committees. This deficiency will 

 be supplied hereafter. There were but two bulls ex- 

 hibited and these were of inferior quality. Some of 

 the young stock was excellent, especially a pair of twin 

 heifers, owned by Mr Joseph Bryant, of Bridgewater. 

 The stock, we believe, was almost exclusively native. 

 Plymouth county is not well adapted to the raising of 

 stock, and not much attention has been given to the 

 Rutiject. The show however did the Society much 

 credit. Of pigs or sheep there was no exhibition, no 

 premiums having been offered for this species of stock. 

 Swine might be advantageously made a subject of pre- 

 mium. Pork is greatly in demand in this county, and 

 manure equally. The soil of the county is in many 

 parts highly favorable to the growing of Indian corn 

 and the cultivation of cairots. Under these circumstan- 

 ces the raising and fatteninstof pork might be made a 

 highly profitable business. Ifproper pains were ttiken 

 theie can be no doubt that to a certain extent, the sheep 

 husbandry might be profitably pursued; hut in the pre- 

 sent condition of the fences throughout the county, 

 it cannot be pursued except in peculiar situations, with 

 safety to the flocks or the good will of the neighborhood. 



The exhibition of domestic manufactures was highly 

 creditable, and spoke well for the industry of the better 

 half of the county. Some fine specimens were given of 

 the squash family, who seem this year to have carried 

 the duy every where throughout the State ; and have 

 absolutely distanced the Rohan potatoes. Of these, 

 however, one gentleman. Col. Washburn, of Bridgewa- 

 ter, reported an extraordinary yield, being 7;i9 lbs. from 

 3 lbs. of seed ! and this was not all, as some hills were 

 dug by mistake, and their product not taken into the 

 account. The dairy produce was good ; some of the 

 butter of the first quality. Of the cheese we made no 

 trial. 



The state of the weather the day previous to the show 

 prevented our seeing the ploughing match and drawing 

 match, which occurred early in the day, before our ar- 

 rival. We can only say that the ploughing was well 

 done. 



The dinner, good and substantial as it was, was con- 

 sidered merely as matter of refreshment, and no time 

 was lost at the table; but immediately after it was de- 

 spatched, the Society proceeded to the meeting house, 

 which was crowded in every part, to li.sten to the ad- 

 dresses on the occasion, tlie reports of the several com- 

 mittees, and the awards of the premiums. 



The adtlress was delivered by the Rev. Mr Stone, of 

 West Bridgewater, and was sensible, practical .ind use 

 ful, and full of pleasantry and good humor. The reports 

 of the committees were given soon after, some of them 

 drawn up with much ability ; and we are promised the 

 pleasure of laying them before our readers at a future 

 time; and as we hope, the address likewise, of which a 

 copy was requested for the press. 



Plymouth county has contributed much to the advance- 

 ment of an improved agriculture. An individual, well 

 known to the agricultural community for his cajiital and 

 judicious improvements, has rendered immense services 

 by his unflagging zeal and his intelligent and persever- 

 ing exertions. He has found other and efficient co-ope- 

 rators. There is no reason why agriculture should not 

 be made a prominent interest in the county of Plymouth. 

 The capacities of hersoil are considerable. Herreeour- 

 ces for manure are in many parts abundant ; and mar- 

 kets are near at hand. Hitherto however, she has been 

 much more of a buyer than a seller; an importer rather 

 than a producer. It was remarked on the occasion that 

 ifthe county were now completely enclosed by an im- 

 passable wall, her agriculture might support in comfort 



and luxury a population five times as great as she now 

 has. This we firmly believe ; and on anwtlver occasion 

 in a different form, we shall lay the grounds of this opin- 

 ion before the public. Whether there is much hope of 

 turning the attention of our community to agricultural 

 labor and enterprise as we think it should be, we are 

 almost afraid to say ; but the explosion of many wild 

 speculations, the failure of many money-making pur- 

 suits hitherto entered upon with an almost frantic ambi- 

 tion and avarice; and the uncertain state of the commer- 

 cial business and currency of the country, may, and as 

 some alleviation of the distresses of the commercial com- 

 rnunity, we hope will induce many more than hereto- 

 fore to seek for an honest support in agricultural labor ; 

 and to be satisfied with that moderate but at the same 

 time sure and ample competency, with which the earth 

 never fails to reward the labors of an intelligent, perse- 

 vering, frugal and contented husbandry. H. C. 



For the New England Farmer. 



Mr Bbeck — It may not be altogether uninteresting to 

 some portion i)f the readers of your paper, to peruse a 

 brief account of any meeting of farmers from which re- 

 sulted favorable impressions or improvement. The 

 Commissioner for the Agricultural Survey of the Com- 

 monwealth on a recent visit at Pembroke, viewed a num- 

 ber of farms and collected many facts concerning pre- 

 vailing pr.actice3 and the measure of success that has at- 

 tended cultivation. An inhabitant of the town, who 

 thinks the success of agricultural pursuits at the foun- 

 dation of all prosperity in a community, perceiving il 

 impossible for the Commissioner to visit all the farmers, 

 suggested the expedie»cy of inviting them to meet him 

 on an ovening in the town house. This suggestion was 

 approved, and on Monday evening, 21st inst., a respec- 

 table number of the farmers assembled. The meeting 

 was opened by Mr Allen, who ,in a very brief mannei 

 disclosed the purposes of it, inviting attention to sucli 

 remarks as the Commissioner might please to make, and 

 requesting the farmers to make any inquiries prompted 

 by their feelings or interests. The Commissioner then 

 rose and addressed the meeting in an extemporaneous 

 speech of 30 or 40 minutes. The unremitting attention 

 given, proved that the audience were not insensible to a 

 personal interest in the topics discussed. Some general 

 remarks were made on the importance of an improved 

 cultivation in every part of the Commonwealth. Mi 

 Colman adverted to the character and capabilities of the 

 soil in Perabriike and the kind of crops on which chiel 

 dependence should be placed, in a manner highly satis- 

 factory to those who had given attention to the subjects 

 He gave much useful information relative to the culti- 

 vation and products in other sections of the State, and 

 closed with some pertinent observations on the utility 

 of commencing and temperately pursuing the culture ol 

 silk. One of the farmers then rose and spoke of the in- 

 jurious influences of prejudice in the practice nf husband- 

 ry, of bigoted attachments to accustomed implements oi 

 methods of culture, of the importance of regular reading 

 and a frequent interchange of views among farmers. — 

 Numerous inquiries and a free conversation engaged the 

 attention of the assembly half an hour longer ; tha 

 meeting was then dissolved, with an indication in every 

 countenance that we had not assembled in vain. 



The impressions produced in this meeting incline the 

 writer to think that farmers in every town might derive 

 important accessions to their knowledge and zeal in the 

 practice of their art from frequent meetings, even if 

 nothing beyond mutual inquiries and free conversation 

 were attempted. But they might sometimes have pre- 

 pared lectures, which would seem of easier and more 

 profitable application than many of the lectures to which 

 public attention is every week called. M. 



Pembroke, Oct. 25th, 1839. 



