ghow of the Royal Agricultural Society Eng.—Woburn Figs. 
mt 
We make these explanations, not for the 
purpose of finding fault, but to place things, 
so far as we are able, in their true light. 
The Annual Meeting and Show of the 
Royal Agricultural Society, took place at 
Bristol, England, July 12, and continued as 
usual four days. The New Farmer’s Journal, 
obligingly furnished us by its publisher, F. 
Crisp, Esq., contains full details of the pro¬ 
ceedings. The weather was favorable, and 
it seems to have been attended by large num¬ 
bers, and with an increasing interest in the 
show. We do not enter into particulars, as 
the general proceedings were quite like those 
we witnessed of this noble society, at its an¬ 
nual meeting in July, 1841, at Liverpool, and 
of which our readers will find a detailed ac¬ 
count in our April No. We notice that our 
Minister at the Court of St. James, the Hon. 
Edward Everett, was present, and made one 
of the best speeches on the occasion. About 
.£1400, (over $6000,) was distributed in 
prizes on stock and implements alone. The 
show of implements, seem to have greatly 
augmented since last year. We observe a 
large addition of members to the society in 
the month of July, and we have no doubt but 
they will continue to increase; thus enabling 
it annually to extend its usefulness. We 
look upon the establishment of the Royal 
Agricultural Society, as the most useful and 
important secular institution that was ever 
formed in England, and the one which is 
most calculated to add to its advance in 
civilization, wealth, and the amelioration of 
its lower classes. A similar one was formed 
several years since in Scotland, called the 
Highland Agricultural Society; and we now 
see that Ireland has this year followed the 
example of Great Britain. 
ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. 
For the American Agriculturi st. 
Mr. Starr’s Woburn Pigs. 
Gent : I herewith send you a cut of my 
Woburn prize Boar, together with a descrip¬ 
tion of my stock of that breed. 
As there are various kinds of hogs claimed 
to be Woburns which differ from each other, 
I have been at much pains to ascertain as to 
the genuineness of mine, and give you some 
testimony on that subject. Last year I en¬ 
gaged Captain Morgan, master of the ship 
Hendrick Hudson, to go to Woburn Abbey, 
to procure for me a pair of pigs. He was in¬ 
formed by the steward of the Duke of Bed¬ 
ford, “ that in the course of experimenting 
they had nearly lost the breed, and had no 
pigs,” but one sow was pointed out as a full 
blood, and in pig. She was very large and 
very fat. I have since informed Captain M. 
that there had been doubts expressed as to 
the genuinenes of different swine claimed to 
be Woburns. His reply was, “ you need not 
fear about that, you have the real Woburns, 
and they correspond to those I saw at the 
Abbey.” 
Mr. Rufus Rowe, a butcher in Fulton mar¬ 
ket, was well acquainted with the breed in 
England, and considers them superior to any 
other. He informs me that mine are un¬ 
doubtedly the pure breed. 
I have seen a cut in the Complete Grazier, 
(published in London in 1816,) representing 
a prize sow of the Duke of Bedford, which 
is almost a perfect likeness of a sow in my 
possession. I could multiply evidences on 
the subject, but will give you some of the 
characteristics of my Woburns. 
Their size is large enough to satisfy any 
one who goes in for any thing short of a 
Kenilworth. They are very lengthy, and 
have a good ham ; extremely fine in the hair 
and the bone, and with a skin thinner than 
any other hog I have seen opened. The 
color is white and black. The appearance of 
the skin and hair is much like some fine 
China’s I have seen, and considering their 
habits and the ease with which they keep, 
and the fineness of their flesh, I should call 
them the China on a large scale. Their in¬ 
testines are very small, and the whole side 
very thick when well fattened. During the 
season of grass, with any thing like decent 
pasture, they will thrive with fair grazing. 
I have a barrow which I expect to make 
weigh next fall 600 pounds, which has been 
gaining flesh all summer on very moderate 
fare in the way of grass, with no other feed. 
The crosses of this breed have given in this 
region universal satisfaction, and I am con¬ 
stantly hearing boasts from farmers of their 
fine Woburns. Last fall I weighed a half 
blood from a common sow the day he was 
six months old, and found he weighed 224 
pounds ; his fare was house slop, (no milk) 
with uncooked indian meal. 
Those who had the most inferior pigs 
stated that on slaughtering, the weights far 
exceeded their expectations, the intestines 
being unusually small. 
The late Henry Degroot, Esq. of Bound- 
Brook, in this state, brought from England 
some years since two pair of pigs of this 
breed, knowing at the time their name, one 
pair of which was purchased by Mr. Town¬ 
send, of Connecticut, who gave them the 
