172 



THE NEW G E N E !5 E E PARMER, 



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ompleiingthe quantity boi out, but if done within 

 that time, the beet ploughman ought, in my opinion, 

 to take the premium. 



David Thomas, in one of his many prncticnl and 

 sensible articles, published in the New Genesee Far- 

 mer, says, when treating on ploughing, and reproba- 

 ting wide furrows, "that once well done is twice 

 djne." I think it would be well to act upon thisprin- 

 ei^le in deciding any future plougiiing match. — 

 Ploughing is certainly the most important operation on 

 the farm, and it is the very operation in which the far- 

 rears of this country the least excel, and this chiefly 

 owing to the anxiety to do too much. Instead of en- 

 couraging this propensity, surely it would be more 

 prudent to adopt Mr. Thomas's doctrine of doing less 

 nnd doing it well. Apologizing for the length to 

 which I have run this letter, 



I am, Gentlemen, 

 Yours truly, 



Ontario CO., Oct. 12, 1840. C. B. 



Kemurka. — The foregoing letters, from two er. 

 teemed friends in Ontario county, contain some valua- 

 ble suggestions which will doubtless have the desired 

 effect, and accomplish good for another year. We 

 must be allowod to sny, however, that we do not think 

 the implied ceneure of the Executive Committee is 

 deserved, although we admit that many thing's con- 

 nected with the Fair were not quite as they should 

 have been, and might I'.ave been better mnnageJ. 

 But let it be remembered the society is in its infancy, 

 and the duties of the I^cutivc Committee have 

 mostly devolved upon a very few individuals; and 

 those few, but little experienced in such operations,and 

 unable to devote that time to the business which it re- 

 quired. Add to this, the extreme lack of funds, and 

 the unwillingness o( the majority of farmers to co-op- 

 erate, and we think the wonder should not be that 

 all was not managed in the best possible manner, 

 but that it was managed at all, or as well as it was. 



With regard to the ploughing jwUch, fidd crops:, 

 and other matters, alluded to by our Ontario friends, 

 a sufficient answer may be found in the reports nnd 

 explanations of the different committees, and other 

 remarks in this paper. Wo will simply add, however, 

 tliat wo think C. B. judges rather unkindly of the 

 committee on ploughing. It will be eeen by 

 their report that they were gov mod in their deci- 

 sions as much by the character of the work, as by the 

 lime employed in pcrlorming it; nad we are certain 

 that no person at all acquainted with the gentlemen 

 composing that committee, will for a moment doubt 

 their qunlificaiions as judges, or suspect them of show- 

 ing partiality. The work by the team from Canan- 

 daigua, besitles being a long time performing, (80 

 minutes) was set down in quality as No. 5. — Eds, 



DURHAM AGRICm/rURAL SOCIETY- 



The regular Fall Exhibition of stock and produce 

 by this Society, took place at Port Hope, on Tuesday 

 the 20th October, in presence of a large number 

 of merchants and other inhabitants of the town, and 

 adjoining townships of Clarke, Cavan, and Darling- 

 ton. 



The number of Mares, Colts, Oxen, nnd young cat- 

 tle, wasnot only unusually large, but of the finest kind 

 •nd quality. Several very superior English Sheep, 

 mported by John Gibson, Esq., and others, were on 

 he ground, and a number of excellent specimens of 

 the variou sbreeds of Swine were particularly attrnctive; 

 in fact, this part of the Exhibition was superior to that 

 ./any farmer occasion. 



The samples of Butter, Cheese, Wheal, Rye, Oate, 

 liarlcy, &,c., were of the very finest quality. 



Several pieces of excellent Cloth of domestic manu- 

 Biiture were produced, and from their texture, proved 

 dnt this branch of useful ndustry is not ivegleclodi 



The ground chosen for the display, in consequence 

 of the unusual number of cattle &':, was rather limit- 

 ed, and rendered the ollice of the prize judges more 

 difficult. This will be guarded against for the future. 



A good deal of sto'jk exchanged bands for ready 

 tnoiiaj. The following is n list of the prizes that were 

 awarded and paid on the spot, and the names of the 

 successful competitors: 



Thomas Gameit, best Brood Mare £3 



Henry Monroe, 2d do do 2 



Daniel Brand, 3d do do 2 



James Blackburn, best Cow, 3 



Robert Sutton, 2d do 2 



Benj. Allan, 3d do 1 



Alex. Broadlbot, best 2 year old Heifer, 1 10 



Samuel Dickenson, 2d do do 10 



Herbert Renwick. best 2 yr. old Steers, 1 10 



Jacob Cheat, 2d do. do 10 



'VIex. Broadfoot, best 1 year old Heifer, 10 



J. Boyce, 2d do. do 10 



Herbert Renwick, best 1 yr. old Steers, 10 



John Ainley, 2d do do 10 



Samuel D.ckenson, best Ram, 2 



John Gibson, 2d do 1 10 



John Gibson, 3d do 1 



John Gibson, best Ewe, 1 10 



John Gibson, 2d do 1 



Chas. Tamblyn, 3d do 15 



Henry Munroe, best Boar 15 



W.lliam Allan, 2d do 12 6 



R W. Robson, best Sow, 10 



William Allan, 2d do 10 



Alex.Broadfoot&J^jQ^ Cloth, 1 5 

 Robert Sutton, ) ' ' 



John Smart, 2d do do 15 



,Tnhn Belwood, beat acre of Turnips, ... 110 



II. W. Robson, 2d do do 15 



Znbina Fiazier, best sample of Butter, 10 



John Ainley, 2d do do 10 



Benj. Jacobs, best sample of Cheese, 10 



JobnBclwoodjbostsnmpleoffallWheat, 1 10 



James Laing, 2d do do 10 



John Smart, best spring Wheat, 10 



Robert Simon, 2d do 10 



Robert Sutton, best sample of Barley, .. 10 



John Ainley, 2d do do 10 



John Middleton, beet samnle of Oats,., 10 



Robert Saiton, 2d do do... 10 



£44 17 



After the business of the day was over, a large and 

 highly respectable body of gentlemen belonging to the 

 Society, adjourned to the " Queen's Arms" Inn, nnd 

 partook, ns customary, of a substantial nnd well-dret?6- 

 ed agricultural dinner, provided by Mr. HiSTiNos for 

 the occasion. When the cloth was removed, the fol- 

 lowing toast was given from the chair by the Presi- 

 dent, David Smart, Esq., whose connection with and 

 exertions m behalf of the Society are dated from its 

 commencement : — '* The Queen and Prince Atiiert :" 

 (nine times nine,) By the Vice-President, R. W. 

 RoRSON, Esq., — "The Gorernor-Generol," after 

 which a number of volunteer toasts were given, nnd 

 the evening passed off amid social enjoymeiU in per- 

 fect harmony and good feeling. The healthy state of 

 the funds, the interest manifested by nil nnd every 

 one connected with the Society, its rapid and constant 

 progress, are truly gratilying, and evince that the spi- 

 rit of emulat'on, arising from these periodical exhibi- 

 tions, must soon lead to vast and permanent improve- 

 ments in stock nnd produce, and speedily place the ag- 

 ricultural ebnracter ol this country on a par with any 

 other portion of North America. 



It was resolved that the annual ineetingfor the elec- 

 tion of officers for next year, should lake place at Port 

 IJupc, on Friday, the fifteenth day of January next, at 

 12 o'clock noon : and that the proceedings of this meet- 

 ing should be published ij^ the " Colonist " nnd " Co. 

 bourg Star," nnd that other editors in the province, 

 together with those of the " New Genesee Farmer " 

 and "Cultivator," should be requested to copy the 

 some. ROB'T SUTTON, Sec. 



Port Hope, V. C, Oct 20, 1840. 



Remarks. — It gives us much pleasure to record the 

 foregoing proceedings of our neighbors across the Lake, 

 The Durhnm Society is one of the most spirited and 

 useful in Canada. Aside from our personal knowledge 

 of this fact, we want no better evidence thnn n refer- 

 ence to oursubscription list affords. With the forego- 

 ing, we received two samples of beautiful premium 

 wheat, from David Suaet, Esi., the able President 

 1 of the Society. — BdS 



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The Agricnltural Fair at Cauandaigua. 



On Tuesday, Oct. 2Utb, we, with eeveinl other citi. 

 zens of Rochester, took a delightful rail-road trip to 

 Canandaigua, in order to witness the exhibition of 

 the Ontario County Agricultural Society. Our rea- 

 ders are aware that we had formed high expectations F| 

 respecting this event, nnd we ate happy to say, those 

 expectations were more thnn realized. The reporta 

 of the Secretaries, which we aubjoin, are so complete, 

 and express our sentiments so correctly, that it Is un- •'', 

 necessary for us to remark on the different depart- 

 ments of the exhibition. Wc will only say that Old 

 Ontario has good reason to be proud of the display of 

 her real wealth on that occasion; for, with the excep 

 tion of the exhibition at Rochester, which was formed 

 by several counties, tl'ere never has been so grand an 

 agricultural display in Western New York. But 

 above all, may she bonst of the gathering of her true 

 Nohdily which were brought out on this occasion. 

 With such a number of intelligent and enterprising 

 farmers ns we saw there on that day, Ontario county 

 can, and ought to attain to the highest standard of per- 

 fection in agriculture, end take the foremost rank in 

 the rnpid march of improvement. Let the Managcra 

 of the Society feel encouraged and be active; let eve- 

 ry good farmer become a member, and every raembet 

 arouse to the work — and the next, nnd each succeeding i 

 anniversary will shew a greater, and still greater nd 

 vnncement, the results of which will be, an immenas 

 increase of true wealth in the county. 



Ontario County Agricnltnrnl Society, 



This Society, formed by the Farmeis and th« 

 friends of Agriculture in this county but a few monthe 

 ago, held their first annual meeting in this village on 

 Tuesday of last week. (Oct. 20) Although organ- 

 ized so recently, the attendance of members and oth- 

 ers was larger thnn we recollect to have seen at any o 

 the meetings of the former .Society, which existed ir 

 this county some twenty years ago. }t far excecdec 

 the highest expectations of all who bad been active ir 

 the great object in view; especially when we considei 

 that the effoff was made at a time when the publit 

 mind was engrossed by the exciting polititical subjeeti 

 of the day. It was indeed a proud day for old Onta 

 rio, nnd the occasion was favored by delightful weath- 

 er. It was *a day's truce' to political strife — a *greei 

 spot' on the rough surface of the times — pleasant 'nen 

 tral ground,' on which men could mingle, for the ra- 

 tional and exalting purpose of improvement, by im- 

 parting and receiving instruction upon the every-daj 

 businessof life, and thereby securing the blessings anc 

 benefits of well-directed industry. 



The interest manifested in the success of this new 

 association, by so large a collectinn of our most re 

 spectable and independent farmers, was truly gratify- 

 ing; and the numbers nnd qualities of the various nn- 

 imnls exhibited, as well as productions from the field, 

 and fabrics of domestic handiwork, were an earnest o 

 what can be effected by the spirit and ingenuity of i 

 people, already advanced in these 'graces of civiliza- 

 tion', and favored by a soil nnd climnte, such ns art 

 enjoyed in this eounly. 



It is a matter of legret with thofe nppointed to giv( 

 an nceovmt of the proceedings of the day, that they 

 are unable to describe the various and numerous Farm 

 stock exhibited, some of which were of the best blood. 

 There were a number of superior Bulls, Cows, Oxen 

 and Calves, which, with thepens of Swine and Sheep, 

 excelled any ever brought together in Western New 

 York, in the judgment of gentlemen who visited uf 

 from other counties.* There were but few good Hor 

 ses; nnd it was n subject of remark that the improving 

 of these indispensable and noble animals, has beer 

 much neglected in Ontaiio. 



The Ploughing Match, which was limited to ox 

 teams, of which five took the field, excited a lively 

 interest, nnd gave general satisfaction. It wns a fine 

 display of jiraetised skill, as well ns of strength, and 

 the prize wns well contested. The nent manner in 

 which the furrows were opened, (marking out the 

 quarter acres) by Alexander Porter, with his iron 

 plough, wns admired by the spectators. Mr. God- 

 frey's tcnm ploughed the quarter nere in 42 minutes; 

 .Mr. Picket's in 43; nnd Mr. Gates' in 38 — but the 

 first was pronounced best. [A member, who praised 

 the rapid performnncesof the handsome oxen, exprcfl- 



fc. 



* The pentlc-iien douMIess meant to except the late exhlM- 

 tlon alUocijCi'.er.— Ers. N. O. FARi^at. 



