36 



NEW ENGLAND I^AUAIEK. 



Jan. 



For the New England Fanner. 

 PBEMIUMS AT AGKICULTUKAIi FAIRS. 



WHAT THEY SAID UPOX THIS SUBJECT AT THE 

 CONCOED farmers' CLUB. 



James P. Brown said the man who presents 

 some new and useful plant or implement, or who 

 takes pains to raise and train a fine animal, should 

 receive the premium, and be encouraged, rather 

 than one v.ho obtains something accidentally. 

 The man who has, with great care and pains, 

 raised a pair of oxen, and got them well broken, 

 should be rewarded, rather than one who has been 

 to Brighton and found a good pair ready for 

 work. There has been good reason for complaint 

 in this particular. In too many instances, the man 

 who can tell the largest story gets the prize. 

 Full statements in writing should be required. 

 It might be well that they should be made under 

 oath. The whole process by which any article or 

 animal has been produced should be stated, so 

 that others may be benefited. He has known in- 

 stances in which a good deal of deception has 

 been practiced. Sometimes, men have bought ar- 

 ticles and exhibited them for premiums. This is 

 wrong. The man that would do this should be 

 debarred from ever taking a premium afterward. 

 When a premium is offered for the best managed 

 farm, full statements should be required of the 

 various crops raised, with the methods of cultiva- 

 tion, and an exact account of family expenses. 



Mr. A. H. Wheeler said premiums are now 

 withheld from many objects to which they were 

 formerly given, as orchards and farms. There are 

 not premiums enough given to encourage the in- 

 vention and perfection of agricultural implements, 

 as plows, mowing machines, &c. Premiums might 

 be profitably given for crops raised in different 

 ways. A premium for the greatest number of 

 pounds of grass on an acre, at one or two crops, 

 would stimulate effort. Premiums should be given 

 for the best dairy, rather than for the best cow. 

 Statements should shov/ the income of the dairy, 

 and the process of making the butter and feeding 

 the cows. He has an idea that premiums ai-e 

 sometimes given to the man, rathsr than to the 

 article exhibited. He does not think the object of 

 the State, in giving $600, to bo awarded in pre- 

 miums, was to favor individuals. He thinks that, 

 at plowing matches, premiums have been awarded 

 for the work done by a certain plow, rather than 

 for the best plowing. 



E. Wood, Jr., said it was impossible for com- 

 mittees to satisfy all competitors. The Trustees 

 appointed the best men they could get, on com- 

 mittees. They must take men from different 

 towns. He was present at the last meeting of the 

 Trustees of our County Society, and he knew that 

 pains were taken to put the best men on the com- 

 mittees. INIany think that injustice is done them, 

 because they do not get the premiums. The Trus- 

 tees would be glad to give more premiums, if 

 they had funds. He thinks premiums should be 

 given on farms. This would give opportunity to 

 make valuable statements, and would afford a 

 basis on which to make a report. The Secretary 

 could not make an interesting report without 

 statements. If $25 or $50 were offered as pre- 

 miums on farms, it would bring out statements 

 on farm management, on draining, manures, &c., 

 that would be worth more than anything else. 



Such statements would be the first things the far- 

 mers would read. He had been looking over the 

 Essex county rcpoi't, and found valuable state- 

 ments on farms, sheep and root crops. Our Soci- 

 ety is losing ground by not paying attention to 

 these subjects. The society above referred to, re- 

 ports more than thirty bushels of wheat to the acre. 

 He believes these reports to be honest. He is sorry 

 the premiums for spadiug have been discontinued. 

 This was an interesting part of the show, and it is 

 an important farm operation, especially among 

 trees. One-horse mowing machines will come in- 

 to use, and premiums should be offered to en- 

 courage them. Why should not the man M'ho 

 makes the largest quantity of good manure from 

 the least stock have a premium ? We do not 

 make as much manure as we might. He carts in- 

 to his cellar a great deal of material to absorb 

 the liquid m.anure. But to-day, he easily found 

 two hogsheads full of urine. A premium should 

 be offered for the best management of manure. 



The President, Minot Pratt, said he had some- 

 times thought the statement should be the sub- 

 ject of the premiums rather than the article. He 

 inquired if making the show popular should be 

 the object aimed at ? If so, horses would draw 

 better than anything else. E. Wood said if we 

 had a large track, the trotting and racing of 

 horses would attract more attention than all other 

 things exhibited. He thought the track of the 

 Middlesex Society was just right. 



The Secretary, Dr. Reynolds, said premiums 

 should be given to encourage those things that 

 need encouragement. At the present time, the 

 raising of wheat, the renovating of exhausted pas- 

 ture lands, the best methods of feeding milch 

 cows, upland draining, the best modes of apply- 

 ing manures, and the kinds of manure for partic- 

 ular crops, are among the subjects demanding at- 

 tention. Objects that no longer required encour- 

 agement might be dropped, and the premiums 

 offered for those that do need it. The offer of pre- 

 miums would awaken attention to the subjects 

 for which they were offered. He thought this 

 principle should always be kept in view, in offer- 

 ing premiums. He had observed that some men 

 wanted premiums offered for such things as they 

 raised in high perfection, as they would then have 

 a good chance to get them. He understood that 

 the State offered premiums to improve agricul- 

 ture in those particulars in which it is deficient, 

 and not to encourage those branches that do not 

 need it, that are now nearly or quite perfect. Pre- 

 miums were offered for foreign stock to impove 

 the breed of stock, because it needed it, and it 

 was believed that it might be improved. 



They offered premiums for ])lowing, to improve 

 the plows and the modes of tillage. 



They offered premiums for fruit, to improve 

 the kinds and increase the quantity, and this had 

 been the eflect of them. There had been a great 

 improvement in all these respects. 



If we had arrived at a good degree of perfec- 

 tion in these and other branches of husbandry for 

 which premiums had been given, we should now 

 attend to other things in which improvement was 

 more needed. We should not continue to give pre- 

 miums merely because they have been given, but 

 should vary them from time to time, so as to call 

 the attention of the farmers to those things that 

 are falling behind, or to which it is believed they 



