168 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 3. 



KOCHESTEK, AOVEWBEK, 1842. 



AGRICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE. 

 The Monroe Co. Agricultural Society held their 

 Show and Fair in Rochester, on the 25th and 26th of 

 October. It was numerously attended on both days, 

 and showed the zeal of the farmers, which was not 

 cooled off by driving for miles through mud nearly to 

 the hubs of the wheels, the rain of the preceding night 

 having left the roads in a most miry condition for the 

 season. This state of the roads undoubtedly prevent- 

 ed the bringing of many articles and animals, biped 

 and quadruped, to the Fair, which would otherwise 

 have been there; but the show in all respects was cred- 

 itable to the county, and the city was crowded with 

 farmers, their wives and children both days of the Fair. 



We shall leave the several Committees to speak for 

 themselves and give them on another occasion ample 

 room to be heard. There were several highly improv- 

 ed animals and some excellent native stock among the 

 neat cattle. The magnificent Stud Horse of Mr. 

 Weddle, a horse of most remarkable size and power, 

 ttnd designed for labor, attracted universal admiration. 

 A team of four yoke of oxen from Mr. Ayrault, and 

 . (Some other cattle from Perrintnn, and other places, of 

 native stock, and of a cross of the Durham with the 

 Devon, would have done honor to any show in the 

 country. The Leicestershire Swine were there like- 

 wise, in their glory, fairly distancing the Berkshire; 

 and a family of pigs, five monthsold, which, within our 

 knowledge, could hardly be surpassed for size, thrift, 

 and beauty. 



The show of vegetables and fruits, though somewhat 

 limited, yet in quality we have never known equalled. 

 The cabbages, some of thm weighing 31 lbs. each, 

 the sugar beets and mangel wortzel, the carrots and 

 turnips, and the celery and salsafy and apples were 

 magnificent. The products of female industry and 

 skill were numorous and beautiful. If the county of 

 Monroe has many girls as skilful and industrious as 

 the works of some showed them to be on this occasion, 

 she is eminently rich in the best of all products. If 

 rne in particular, whose numerous articles of exhibi- 

 ition were of singular beauty and displayed extraor- 

 dinary industry and taste and skill, but whom we 

 ■hould deem it indecorous to name, is not inquired after 

 early by some of the young farmers of the county, they 

 at least should have a premium for their obtuseness 

 and be honored with a fool'n cap and feathers for the 

 next anniversary. 



Some axes and pitchforks from the factory of Mr. 

 Barton of Rochester, were of exquisite finish, as also 

 were some ploughs from the machine shop of Ruggles, 

 Nourse and Mason, at Worcester, and Charles How- 

 ard of Hingham, Mass. The ploughs may in all re- 

 spects be safely compared with any made in the coun- 

 try. The number of articles exhibited were limited, 

 but excellent of their kind. 



The ploughing match came off on Wednesday a- 

 bout two miles from the city in the presence of a large 

 concourse of interested and grateful spectators. Sev- 

 cnteen horse teams entered the Ii3:a, and no one was 

 allowed a driver. The land measured 1 4 of an acre. 

 The depth prescribed was 3 inches ; the width of 

 the furrow slice ten. The time allowed, 60 minutes 

 fcr bone* ; 7& for oz«n ; but ncing was wholly pro 



scribed. The work throughout was well done, some 

 excellently Well done, though the land was not fa 

 voroble to smooth Work. The report of the commit- 

 tee will be given in full. An iron plough called the 

 Buck Eye, with a curved beam, appeared lo move with 

 extraordinary lightness and ease, and made very good 

 work. Howard's plough, for iis excellent work, main- 

 tained the high character which it has for years had 

 in Massachusetts, where it is known, as one of the 

 best ploughs ever put into the ground. 



The cuslomary ftddrces was given in the afternoon 

 and the premiums announced, excepting on cr pe, 

 which are reserved for the winter meeting ; and the 

 members of the Society scparnied, after a gratifying 

 nnd friendly intercourse, with stronger conviciiors ol 

 the importance of improved agriculture and a 

 quickened zeni for its promotion. The Society was 

 honored by the presence of several distinguifched per- 

 suna and friends of ngricullual improvement from the 

 neighboring counties, and it is hoped that at the win- 

 ter meeting in Albany of the Stale Society, such mu- 

 tual arrangements will be made in regard lo the times 

 of holding the County Shows on separate days, that 

 it may be in the power of the farmers of different coun- 

 ties to exchange their civilities, which may be as im- 

 proving, as gratifying to the parlies concerned. The 

 shows should begin early in September, and not as 

 now be all crowded inlo October. 



Ontario County. 



Ontario Co. Agricultural Show and Fair was at- 

 tended on the I8lh and 19th of October. The 18th 

 was rainy and unfavorable, still the exhibition of valu- 

 able animals was more numerous than has belbre been 

 presented in the county, and the stock of a better de- 

 scription and in higher condition. 



The ploughing match was attcndedon the second day; 

 twenty-three teams entered for the competition. Th( 

 contest was close, and the judges much at a loss to de- 

 cide among ten of the ploughmen. An hourand a half 

 was allowed for ploughing a fourth of an acre of land 

 with horses. The first premium was awarded to Silas 

 Aldrich, Farmington. The second to Wm. Otley, 

 Phelps. The third to Charles B. Meek, Canandai- 

 gua. The first premium for ploughing witlt an ox team 

 the same amount of land in the same lime, was award- 

 ed to D. C. Bates, Canandaigua. The second to John 

 H. Wheeler, East Bloomfield. Other ploughmen are 

 metioned with strong commendation. 



We should give the whole list of premiums but can- 

 not afford the space. The products of female industry 

 and skill are represented as uncommonlynumerousand 

 beautiful. This is what we should expect in this high- 

 ly cultivated and intelligent county. The specimens 

 of Ontario Co., women, whom wc have had the pleas- 

 ure of seeing, would be all of them regarded as premi- 

 um specimens in any part of the country, which we 

 have visited. We only say of the Ontario Co. men, 

 that we wish they may be worthy of their wives. This 

 would be glory enough for them. We would not im- 

 ply that they are not. 



We were glad to see the commendation bestowed 

 upon Hatch's broad cast Sowing Machine, for sowing 

 all kinds of grain and plaster; we believe it every way 

 deserving. We have seen several fields sown with it 

 with great exactness and success. We have the tes- 

 timony of several excellent farmers in its favor, to 

 which we shall hereafter refer. It is of cheap and 

 simple construction, and not liable to get out of order. 

 For the purpose designed, we know no better machine. 

 Mr. Hatch is a resident of Rochester, N. Y. We re- 

 gretted that prior engagements at other places prevent- 

 ed our attendance at the Canandaigua Show. In the 

 fertility of its soil, in the beauty of its scenery, in its 

 neat cultivation, in its improvements and the intelli- 

 gence and elevated character of its populatioo, we be- 



lieve it is exceeded by no part ot thecountry. The ad- 

 Jress of Myron Adams of Bloomfield, is much com- 

 uicndcd for its good sense and practical character. 

 We hope, through our columns, to have an opportuni- 

 ty of furnishing to our readers the whole, or the most 

 valuable parts of it. 



This waa holden at Lockport on the 18th and lOtll 

 of October. We had the pleasure of meeting the 

 Farmers of this fertile county on the first day. The 

 Jay began with rain and so continued until the after- 

 noon. Any one, who has seen a half drowned rat or 

 a game cock after he has been dipt in a tub of cold wa- 

 ter and left to drip, knows how crest fallen he seems, 

 and what an extinguisher or damper of all pride and 

 ambition such a thorough wetting always proves. If 

 3mall things may he compared with great, we could not 

 but be reminded on this occasion of an account given 

 us by a distinguished gentleman of this country, who 

 was a guest at Lord Elgin's Tournament in honor of 

 the young (iueen, when the rain came down in tor- 

 rents and the plumes of the gallant Knights hung like 

 wet rags over their shoulders, the noblest ladies of tlie 

 land were glad of the shelter of even a cotton umbrel- 

 la, all the gay pride of rank and title was absorbed in 

 the general desire "(o save himself who can," and even 

 the brilliant banquctting table in all its profusenese 

 and splv-ndors was deserted, for there was no other 

 way of keeping the fair and sparkling sandals out of 

 the water but by sitting on the benches after the Tur- 

 kish fashion with their feet under them, a positioa 

 which, besides its awkwardness, involved the peril of 

 losing the ecm re of gravity and incurring a general 

 splash. The day and field at Lockport were in some 

 respects not unlike. As to shaking off the dust of 

 your feet, though one may have felt ever so uncomfor- 

 tably towards the good people of Lockport, it was out of 

 the question ; one could hardly shake the mud off un- 

 less the foot went with it. 



The farmers of Niagara Co., however, turned out in 

 great force. They are no hot-house plants. The 

 show of cattle vfns quite numerous. Some excellent 

 animals of the Improved breeds and some first rate spe- 

 cimens of the Dishley, Cotswold and Leicester sheep 

 as well as of the fine wooled varieties were exhibited. 

 Some exeellent horses and colts were hkewise on the 

 ground. From appearances we think we have reason 

 to infer that in no county in the State, all circumstan- 

 ces considered, is the spirit of agricultural improvement 

 more rife than in this rich and beautiful county. Our 

 engagements prevented our remaining duringthe next 

 day forlheexltibition of agricultural and horticulture! 

 products and domestic manufactures, but we anticipate 

 the pleasure from some friend there, of a full account. 



Genesee Co. Agricultural Show and Fair. 



This was attended on the '20th and '21st of October, 

 at Batavia. We had not the honor of being presented 

 either for cxhibilion or premium among the live stock 

 on the tirst day; but we were on the ploughing ground 

 m due season, on the second. The attendance was 

 very numerous and the ploughing respectable. Three 

 teams only entered, but they displayed a laudible am- 

 bition to excel. This is cert.\in to carry them for- 

 ward in this first of the fanner's arts. These ploughing 

 matches deserve, in the highest measure, the encou.- 

 agement of the farmers, as they have been found, 

 whenever employed, among the most powerful meanr, 

 not merely ofimproved skill in ploughing, but of general 

 agricultural improvement ; because they bring the far- 

 -ners together under circumstances where their feelings 

 and ambition are strongly excited ; and this excite- 

 ment extends its healthful influence to all branches of 

 rural industry and emulation. 



The perfection of ,the art of ploughing fe tmljr to bo 



