1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



525 



to, I had not had much experience with the Del- 

 aware. As a table grape, I place it at the head 

 of our native grapes. 



Mr. Tyler, of Brattleboro', in speaking of my 

 illustration of the imperfect grape blossom asks : 

 — Is it ascertained that the impression of these 

 barren Jloioers is radical and perpetual, or is it a 

 residt of immaturity , lohich time will remove ? 



I do not hesitate to say that neither time nor 

 culture will remove the defect. I know of no in- 

 stance, either in the animal or vegetable king- 

 dom, where so glaring a constitutional defect has 

 been cured. 



Neither have I any confidence in vines that 

 blossom five or ten years without showing fruit, 

 and then suddenly become fruitful. 



E. A. Brackett. 



Winchester, Sept. 24, 1860. 



AUTUMNAL SHCWS. 



At the close of the late Merrimack County, N. 

 H., Fair, the following list of officers was chosen 

 for the ensuing year : 



President — Moses Humphrey, of Concord. 



Vice President — Nathaniel White, of Concord. 



Secretary — Jonathan E. Lang, of Concord. 



Treasurer— Enoch. Jackson, of East Concord. 



Directors — John C. Gage, of Fisherville, Aaron 

 Whittemore, of Pembroke, Emery B. Bachelder, 

 of Loudon, Moses H. Bradley, of Concord, and 

 Daniel E. Colby, of New London. 



The Cheshire Society^s Exhibition was held at 

 Keene, Sept. 25 and 26. It had a balloon and 

 "trotting for the citizen's purse." There were 500 

 entries on the books. Neat Cattle, 183 ; Horses, 

 89 ; Sheep, 37 ; Swine, 14 ; Poultry, 8—28 spec- 

 imens ; Products of Dairy, 4 ; Manufactures, 48 ; 

 Miscellaneous, 152 ; Fruit, 23 entries, compris- 

 ing 348 varieties ; Vegetables, 7. There were 10 

 entries for the walking matches ; 9 for the trot- 

 ting matches ; 4 for plowing with horses ; 6 for 

 plowing with oxen. 



The eleventh annual Fair of the New Hamp- 

 shire State Agricultural Society took place on 

 Tuesday, Oct. 2, and was continued three days. 

 About 100 horses were entered ; in a quite full 

 account in the Journal of Agricidture, the report- 

 er says of neat stock, — "we do not think there is 

 so large a cattle show as there has been in pre- 

 vious years." Sixteen sheep, about a dozen en- 

 tries of swine, and "but a few feathered animals 

 ■were on the ground." Let us see how this looks 

 analyzed and printed, thus: — 

 Horses, — 100 — Stallions. 



Matched Horses. 

 Working Horses. 

 Family Horses. 

 Mares and Foals. 

 Geldings and Mares. 

 Colts. 

 Horsemanship. 



Chief Marshal and some fourteen assistants, all 

 mounted ^nd uniformed with the tasty blue and 

 red sash and rosette, first rode around the track 

 for about one hour, when the track was cleared 

 and the horses entered to 



Trot for the Citizen's Purse. 



Ladies' Equestrianism. 



Ladies Driving in Carriages. 



Family Carriage Horses. 



Steam Fire Engines. 



Base Ball. 



Lady Thrown. 



The Great Trot 



Pacing. 



Walking Horses. 



Foot Race. 



Stallion Trot. 

 As this is the eleventh Annual Fair of the 

 State Agricidtural Society, and as the farmers of 

 the State are supposed to be the agriculturists, let 

 us see what they presented to make up an inter- 

 esting and profitable attraction. Some of the 

 horses belonged to them, undoubtedly — but prob- 

 ably more of them to those who are not farmers. 

 Neat Stock not much — "We shall notice this 

 department more fully hereafter, when we have 

 more room and time," says the reporter. The 

 reader has noticed that something has been said 

 about horses ! 



Sheep, — One Buck. 



Two superior Sheep. 

 Sixteen of superior Breeds 

 Swine, — About a dozen entries. 

 Articles in the Tent, where the "display of 

 fruitand vegetables exceeded that of any previous 

 year," and "the mechanical and agricultural im- 

 plements looked finely." 



Plowing Match — Two entries of horse teams, 

 and four to plow with oxen ! 



Such is an analysis of the Eleventh Annual 

 Fair of the New Hampshire State AgricuUurcd 

 Society, which will enable the reader to see how 

 much of the matter was agricultural, and how 

 much something else. We do not refer to this 

 society as being singular, but only as falling in 

 with the popular, and as we consider it, most un- 

 fortunate practice which has been adopted by 

 many similar associations. Under these delu- 

 sions, the management of these shows is rapidly 

 passing out of the control of the farmer, his pro- 

 ducts are dwindling down to insignificance, and 

 that animus, which was once impaired to the 

 farming community through their agency, is di- 

 verted to another, and a questionable direction. 



We approve of display, sometimes, of public 

 gatherings for amusement and instruction, and 

 believe that, as a people, we have too fcAv holi- 

 days ; but when we have a farmer's fair and festi- 

 val, we think his mind should be directed and 



