,154 



THE NEW GENESEE F A R M ER 



VOL.I,.^ 



The ol)jt-ei6 r.fihis -iociuiy nru ofibe UiL;ln6l noiional 

 imporlaiicf , and iht pawerful nicunii lor cnirj'ing them 

 inio exec-uiion, wLic-li its cxicreivc orgniizaiion pla- 

 cea nl coininnnd,' mini render it a mutt eliicieiit in- 

 elrumeiit lor tbc iiiipiovtrncnt of ngriculture, and the 

 increase- o! nali»nai wealth and pri)i>perity : but, nol- 

 wilhetanding its boasted pie-eininenee in ayrienlture, 

 Enqlaiid has, until lately, been lar behind our conti- 

 nental neigbborti in practical improvement — in ilie sci- 

 eniijic knowledge npplieahie to the luboia 'if the lius- 

 buiidinan. Ignuraiicc and prejudice have been, and 

 n a great extent still are, inipastable etumbling-blocke 

 in the way of a more complete and extended success ; 

 the majority of farmers hove yet to reap the fruits of an 

 enlarged exei else of skill and knowledge, and to jin- 

 learn many a grievous but long-ehcrisbed error, and 

 to get rid of prejudices a3 deeply rooted in tlieir minds, 

 na they are opposed to their best inteiedts : time 

 must necessarily be allowed for all this, but proceed- 

 ing on the plan which ibe society has adopted, it will 

 assuredly be ellectedin the space of a very lew years." 



iJiit we Iris'.ea to lay before our renders ihe opatinz 

 of tUe grrdl feitictil, which was, nioet appiopnately, 

 nsliereil in 'ly a grand phughing-matc'i — that vtusi 

 viportiii t 9' 'xW agricultural operations, which, how- 

 e ver, eeeais to be overlooked in a str.ingi; way by our 

 agricult irista generally. Tiie preiimims awarded 

 omounted to .51 sovereigns, for which 57 ploughs start- 

 ed in all their glory ! 



" Shortly before ten o'clock, the judges gave the 

 signal to start, and a most beautilul eight presented 

 itself! Most of the 11-! horses — each fr.rnier having 

 sent bis choice cattle \\'iih the best jdougb — decorated 

 with ribbons, in 11 moment were set in motion, and the 

 trial comiiien'jcd in right geod earnest, and wiis car- 

 ried on with vigor throughout. Amongst the most 

 prominent and best work eileeted, was that which was 

 done by two boys and a man with a Scoich plough — 

 indeed it was a seided point, after the iirst hall hour's 

 ■work, that the boys were sure of reward?, if n >t the 

 first. The whole lield, of 50 acres, was ploughed U)), 

 generally in prime style, by a quarter before twelve ; 

 the two boys having iinished their work rather earlier 

 than the others ; and the judges nliiiott imniedititely 

 proceeded to their inspection ; and at h past two o'clock 

 the President, the Duke of Richmond, awarded the 

 premiums, two of which foil to two brothers, by the 

 names of Salnnm, one of whom, ovlf/ 15 t/ears of age, 

 wore a liat, which he had won at a tormer ploughing- 

 maleh ! The subscription to make up these prizes, 

 tmoiimed to nearly JilOl) sterling 1" 



It ia added, and we can readily believe i', — " This 

 part of the business of the day passed ofi' ccri/ satisfac 

 lorily." 



The Reporter now conducts us to the e.\hibiiion 

 yard. " The cattle yard is an area of four acres and 

 a half, enclosed ity a fence nine feet high, having two 

 gateway entrcnccs for the admission of cattle, agricul- 

 tural implcinenii, &.■., and fiur entianeeslor visitors 

 on the south side ; the arinng.,ments to prevent con- 

 fusion being admirable. The whole of the interior, 

 sixteen feet from the outer fence, ia surrounded by 

 cattle-sheds, the ronfs of which project six feet over 

 and beyond that rciiuircd for the cattle, f t the protec- 

 tion of visiters, should the weather prove so unproi i- 

 tious as to render shelter desirable. An inner ciimd- 

 rangle, enclosed by the caille-sbeds, had been set 

 opart for the exhiltitinn oi" e^eds, vegetable.-^, corn, 

 grain, and agricultural implements, as also for sheep 

 and pigs. 'I'he cattle were supplied with water by 

 means of cast iron pipes, laid for the purpose. Tiie 

 public were admitted as early as si.x o'clock in the 

 morning, by paying 2 shillings and 6 pence per ticket, 

 and from that hour until 12 o'clock at noon at the 

 finme price, after which, until 7 P. M. at 1 shilling 

 each. 



THE PAVILION OF DOWNING COI.I.ECE. 



** When the curiosity of the vast number of persons, 

 who had been drawn together at the yard, had been 

 in some degree satisfied, the next grand object of at- 

 traction was the dinner, to be given to the general 

 body ol the members of the society. The demand for 

 tickets by non-memhers was at one time so great, 

 that two and even three pounds was orteicd as pre- 

 mium to any one to s_'ll his right of entry to the pavil- 

 ion. * » » The gallery was early lilled witli la- 

 dies, whose presence gave a gaiety and brilliancy to 

 the scene. 



The pavilion was erected on the quadiangle of 

 Downing College ; the roofis in seven compartments, 



* Alrciuly the Sneie'y — ia the second ycMr only of its exis- 

 tence — iiousts of Jic niiiiicii of a grcnl inmihcr of ihe first men 

 of the laud; ami p. ia cx;'e.*leil Ihr.'- Ijel'orc tiic close tit' the 

 present year, ui leiisl 5:KI0 name s will lie on the lis! as suh- 

 ■crllie.-tf. 



BUppoitcd from beneath by strong pillars of wood. 

 The interior eom^ists of an apartment capable of din- 

 ing :jU()0 pertons, the tables and seats being so arrang- 

 ed as to face the high table, which ia elevated four 

 feet above the giound, and will seat sixty persons ; 

 this being set apart for ambassadors and foreigners of 

 dit-tinction, honorary members, professors of geology, 

 cheiniatry, &.C., &e. Upon the ground, immediately 

 in front of the platform, are tables and seats for 30U 

 peraone in two divisions, intended for the judges of 

 stock, liirm produce and implements, the reporters for 

 the public press, &c. There are two large windows 

 of stained glass, at each side of the budding, the ftarne- 

 woi k being oi wrought iron : the construction oi the 

 rooi is novel, the braces and ties being also of wrought 

 iron, which gives it a very light and elegant appear- 

 ance. The dimensiona are, 200 iecl troni east to 

 went, and 127 from north to south ; and, looking from 

 the chair, the area has the appearance of an amphithe- 

 atre ; the ventilation, by means of bO windows, was 

 complete, and no complaint was heard of oppression 

 by the heated atmosphere, notwithstanding the great 

 iuiinl)cr oi' pers 'US present: including the ladies, 

 there must have been in the hall not fur short of 3000 

 individuals ! The erection of this building, together 

 with the expense of the yard, dedicated to the show 

 of cattle, caused an expenditure ot £1500." 



The number of horses, ea:tlc, sheep, hogs, imple- 

 ments, seeds, &c., displayed, was absolutely splendid, 

 and the premiums dev-ited to their improvement must 

 have amounted to a very large sum ; we cannot forego 

 the pleasure of reporting the names of each class of 

 nnin«ls, much as it will add to the present article, 

 \> hiofc it is to be feared has already extended to a wea- 

 riS'ime length. 



Class 1. — Fur Short-Horned Cattle. 

 "Class 3. — Hrriford Cattle. 



Class 3. — Devon Cattle. 



Class 4. — For Cattle not qualified for either of the 

 aboTc classes. 



Class 5. — Horses. 



Class 6. — Leicester Sheep. 



Class 7. — Suut/uloicn aiid short-iooollcd Sheep. 



Class 8. — Long-jcoollcd Shctp. 



Class 9. — I'igs. — Prize 1. — '"For the best boar," 

 adjudged to Mr. Barnard, of Gostield-hall, Essex, for 

 his 1 year and 4 months old boar of the improved Fs 

 sex breed. 



There was on exhibition of seed- wheat, both white 

 and red, the premiums being 50 sovereigns for the 

 beet, of both varieties. The judges selected for trial 

 Colonel Le Couteur's B.lle-vue Talavcra, and Mr. 

 J. E. Drewitt's improved Chidham wheat, as the best 

 samples of white wheat ; but did not consider the 

 samples of red wheat ofl'ered, worthy of recommenda- 

 tion for competition : the priz? will be awarded at the 

 general meeting, in December 1841. 



remarks j:y the reporter. 



In Class 1, for short-horned cattle, there was great 

 competition. 



In Classes 8 and 3, for Herc'ords and Devons, the 

 show v.'as very indifferent. The great distance at 

 which the show has this year been held from the coun- 

 ties in which these breeds previiil, accounts, in our 

 opinion, tor the want of competition in these classes. 



In Class 4, for l^eicester sheep, there was an e.\cel- 

 lent sliow. 



In Class 7, for Snith-downs, there was also great 

 eoniiictition, and thoio of the Dnke ot Richmond, 

 Me.-sis. Jonss Wi-bb, Grantham, Ciisji, Lugar, and 

 Oveiman, did great credit to their breeders. 



In Class 8, there was a very fair show of long- 

 w.iolled sheep, in which Mr. C. Large stands pre-em- 

 inent, and carried oif the best |)rizes. 



Amongst the pigs, those which attracted the great- 

 est attention were exhibited by Mr. Paton of Dedding- 

 ton. 



The show of horses was also very excellent, porti- 

 culnrly in Sulfolks." 



The epcechcs which followed the dinner must have 

 had an eheliifyiiig efiect on an assemblage of 3000 

 persnn*, ail wound up to a pitch of enthusiasm ; ami, 

 spile of the danger of wearying our readers with the 

 detail, we cannot forego the pleasure of laying before 

 tliein a toast, wdiich was given by the Chairman, with 

 iherespoiHe, by our ambassador, Jlr. Stevenson, who 

 was present upon the occasion. 



" The nolile President in proposing the next toast, 

 which w.is the health of a distiiiguished imlividiinl 

 present, the Hon. A. Stevenson, i\IimBto7 of the Uni- 

 ted States, aa an honory member ot"the Society, said, 

 that he well knew the farmers of England, and that 

 they would all warrant him in saying, they wished, 

 one and all, lor pence and tranquility; pence at home 

 and abroad was what they tvisluul, what they prajjtd 



/. 



'or ; they did UtU icisu too see other nations l.i:d waste 

 that they might be prosperous, nor was it their inter 

 est or tlair desire, that other people's farms should bi 

 destroyed, their barns burnt, and their towns end vil 

 lages plundered; and those who vieh for 'he blessing 

 of peace, we are happy to meet half way, and n thi 

 spirit do we meet the good wishes of the Americai 

 people, whose nprcsenlative at the court of our Eove 

 reign, did them the honor of being present on that oc 

 cation. The distinguished individual to whom he al 

 luded, was one of that great nation, which had sprun) 

 from ourselves, and he (the President) in the name o 

 the farmers of England, wished it every prosperity, air 

 that it might long continue in peace with this country 

 cuUivatiiig with her thote arts and sciences, whicl 

 tend to better the condition of the human race, am 

 add to its happiness. 



With respect to the hon. gentleman (Mr. Steven 

 son) he was a tried friend to agriculture: he felt inter 

 ested in the improvement of agricultural teience ii 

 England, and thaj would that the same good shouli 

 extend to America: for the object was not only the ag 

 riculture of the land we live in, but the agiiculture u 

 the whole world I" 



Mr. Stevenson was most loudly cheered when h 

 presented himself to the meeting. 



"It would," he said "be umcorthtj affectation, '\ t 

 he did not say that he felt proud ot iho manner in whicl 

 his name hati been received by that, the most remark 

 able and imposing scene he had ever witnessed in tb 

 course of his life — not a very short one. — lie must re 

 turn histhanksto the noble President for the manm 

 in which his name had been given, but he feared h 

 shouhl not be able to do justice to his feelings on tb 

 occasion. The kind and hospitable reception whie . 

 had been given to him, and the very gratifying mannc 

 in wdiich bis name had been associated with that i 

 iheir two countries, demanded his acknowdedgmci:'. 

 he recci\ed it with pride and satisfaction. Dei; 

 sensible, however, as he was of the honor done h.i. 

 he should but inadequately convey his feelings, if I 

 confined himself to an expression of his individu 

 feeling. In relation to himself personally, it was bi 

 a matter of little Imjiortance; but in another sensi 

 looking to such an assemblage as that, represcntir 

 nolonly the great agricultural interest of England, b 

 of the United Kingdom, the kind and liberal sent 

 ment expressed irould do good, and ftrcngthen tb' 

 relations of amity and peace which existed lielWL, 

 the two countries. He, therefore, thanked them 

 the name of his country, and at the same time assuri 

 that nothing would be more acceptable to the peojile 

 the United States, than sentiments like those that hi 

 been so kinr^ly expressed. Their noble President h; 

 been pleased to express a wish, in allusion to the la 

 regulations between the two countries, that the pi 

 sent relations oi peace and concord might long en 

 tinue, fur tlie benefit of both — he need hardly say In 

 cordially he united in this svish I This was, fort 

 nately for mankind, not rn age of war; the time hi 

 long since passed, when hostility ond war was regun 

 ed as the natural slate of man, and p^ace only a dai 

 gerous and difficult experiment. The soldier and tl 

 sword, he thanked God, were no longer the only s 

 euricy for nations — the schoolmaster, and not the ica 

 rior, was abroad ! Moral power was taking the plac 

 o'' physical fiu'ce, and the rulers of the world wou 

 now lenrn, if they had nut already, that they mu 

 look for security to their thrones, to moral, and not 

 /dn/sieul power, and to the virtue antl intelligence 

 their people. In this enlightened age, when the loi 

 of peace, and knowh ilgc of Christianity, were ovc 

 spreading the earth, Avas there one Briton or Anici 

 can — one wise or good man — who would not look U) 

 on a war betw eon two such countries as England ai 

 Amciica, as one of the greatest calamities that cou 

 bidal mankind ? A war agninst interest, kindiei 

 language, and religion, and for what? — not {or prii 

 ciplc — not for national honor; not for conquest; bi 

 a war to settle the geographical lines of a treaty 

 boundary — the subject legitimately of negotiation ar 

 peaceable adjustment. 



But England and America, ho said, were two wii 

 to enter into any such war. Neither, he was suti 

 would feel itself called upon, in vindication of its hoi 

 or or in defence of its rights, to embark in war — th 

 security for peace is in the wisdom and prudence ar 

 foresight of the rulers of the two countries, and in tl 

 virtues and intelligence ot their people. Their nob 

 Chairman had done him no more than justice in su' 

 posing he bad done every thing in his power, both 

 ficially and individually, to cherish and invigorate lb 

 friendly relations of their two countries, upon the pri 

 servation of wdiich, he believed, the protpi vity ol boi 

 nations essentially depended: he therefore only sjiok 



t 



