1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



521 



the ripened leaves. Amid this quiet scene, sur- 

 rounded as I was by a throng of enterprising, in- 

 telligent, and tastefully, but not extravagantly 

 dressed persons, the question often came to my 

 mind, "What influence are these gatherings — so 

 common all over our State — to have upon our 

 population ?" It cannot be of a negative quality. 

 It is active, for good or evil. In this department 

 it cannot certainly have the latter influence, — 

 for if anything tends to improve the manners, to 

 soften prejudices, and enlighten the farmer, it 

 must be such associations as this. 



Now let us look at some of the details of the 

 affair, — but they must be brief, because they are 

 numerous. The Plowing Match was contested 

 by two horse-teams and seven ox-teams. The 

 soil was a sandy loam, more sand than loam, how- 

 ever, and might have been plowed by one stout 

 horse accustomed to that kind of work ; but being 

 all alike, was fair for all. The best work done, all 

 circumstances considered, was the land plowed 

 with a pair of horses driven by the holder of the 

 plow. The team belonged to C. G. Davis, the 

 President of the Society. In my view of the Plow- 

 ing Match, I was exceedingly gratified to have the 

 company of Joel Nourse, Esq., one of your firm. 

 His suggestions and critical observations gave this 

 department of farm labor — important as I had 

 considered it — a new value to my mind. His ex- 

 perience is so large, and his knowledge of the 

 principles that must be observed in making a 

 good plow, so accurate, that they enable him to 

 detect any defect in the implement, or deficiency 

 in its holder, at once. The veteran plow-invent- 

 or and maker, Mr. Mears, was on the ground, 

 but I had no opportunity to take him by the 

 hand. My first view of the stock was that of 



The Sheep. — In this part of the exhibition, I 

 was gratified to find that more attention than has 

 been usual is given to the rearing of this im- 

 portant animal of the farm. Presented by Messrs. 

 H. & V. Ames, I found 10 sheep of mixed breed, 

 probably Southdown and Cotswold. At shearing 

 they gave 6 pounds each, as an average, which 

 , sold for 35 cents per pound, — and the 10 sheep 

 brought 14 lambs, which were sold, if I understood 

 them correctly, at $3,50 each, making a total in- 

 come of $70 from 10 sheep, in a single season ! 

 The reader can now ascertain the average cost of 

 keeping a sheep, the value to his farm of its rich 

 droppings, and then learn whether the keeping of 

 sheep would be likely to be profitable to him. 

 Albert G. Pratt, of North Middleboro', and 

 Jaales T. Leach, of Bridgewater, presented some 

 fine animals — the latter had 25 Cotswolds. C. 

 G. Davis, Plymouth, 10 breeding ewes, Oxford 

 Downs, from R. S. Fay's fiock at Lynn, and 10 

 lambs, 5 and 6 months old. James Gould, of 

 BrifVewater, had 16 head, mixed breed. Peleg 



Barker, Pembroke, Tiios. O. Jackson, Ply- 

 mouth, buck and ewe, Leicester breed. P. M. C. 

 Jones, Carver, large and fine animals of a mixed 

 breed, and E. W. Barstow, Bridgewater, 2 

 Leicester and 25 Southdowns. 



Cattle. — Among these I found 7 or 8 fine Al- 

 derney cows and heifers, presented by C. G. Da- 

 vis, of Plymouth. 6 or 8 pairs of fat cattle and 

 3 cows were all good — some of them excellent. 

 Messrs. H. & V. Ames had a noble pair of fat ox- 

 en. There was a fair show of milch cows, bulls 

 and heifers, but nothing remarkable among them. 

 The Town Teams were long and creditable, some 

 pairs among them were very good, always being 

 strongly marked with the Devon blood. The 

 Team from the State Alms House Farm at Bridge- 

 water, was made up of 14 head, led oflfby a min- 

 iature pair of steers, who seemed quite elated 

 with their position in marshalling along the pon- 

 derous "quads" behind them. Among the oxen 

 were 3 or 4 pair of heavy working cattle, who had 

 evidently been much in the yoke. One pair was 

 mostly Devon, and was very handsome ; the others 

 were mixed breeds, heavy, muscular animals, in 

 fine working condition, who have doubtless done 

 good service on the State Farm. Indeed, there 

 are no idlers under Capt. Goodspeed's adminis- 

 tration. Bipeds, as well as quadrupeds, must cut 

 their own way, if they have the physical power. 

 Under this just rule, the Captain has wrought won- 

 derful changes on the face of the farm. The State 

 has been fortunate in securing the services of so 

 faithful and intelligent an agent. He went there, 

 I believe, at the opening of the Institution, and 

 has continued acceptable to all the succeeding 

 administrations, merely by attending strictly to 

 his duties, without any attempts at side show or 

 to court the popular breeze, — leaving his cash 

 balances and the appearance of the inmates of 

 the institution, and the condition of the farm to 

 commend or condemn his operations. Besides 

 his big team and wagon, loaded with the vegeta- 

 ble and cereal products of the farm, and the 

 quarter of a hundred athletic boys from his fam- 

 ily, he had about 30 head of milch cows and heif- 

 ers, and a yearling Alderney bull of pure blood. 

 Many of these cows were very fine; one of the 

 heifers I should be glad to show to friends, in 

 my own stalls. 



In conversation with Mr. Augustus Pratt, 

 Chairman of the committee on milch cows, I 

 found that they were decidedly pleased with the 

 herd of imported Ayrshire and Alderney cows 

 entered for exhibition by Nahum Stetson, of 

 Bridgewater. One of his Ayrshire cows, he said, 

 gave an average of 27 quarts of milk per day, for 

 five successive months ! He also spoke highly 

 of the President's young Alderney stock, which I 

 have already noticed. 



