Fair at Northampton, Mass. 
»77 
Mr. B. Y. French, of Mass., says the first Agricul¬ 
tural Society in the United States was formed at Phila¬ 
delphia during the last century. Will Dr. Jas. Mease, 
of that city, who we believe was the secretary, give us 
the particulars of its formation, date, &c. ? 
We are promised some interesting particulars of the 
old New Haven Ag. Soc., organised by the late Col. 
Humphreys, Eli Whitney, and others, about the year 
1810, from a gentleman now a resident of that city. 
The rival claims for the birth-place of these popular 
meetings, in the U. States, should at once be settled in 
favor of the rightful claimant, or after generations will 
assign them a more diversified origin, than was claimed 
by the seven cities of Greece, for the honor of giving 
Homer to the world. 
Fair of the Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Agri¬ 
cultural Soc. of Mass., held at Northampton l‘2th and 
13th Oct., 1842. 
The Reports of the Committees of this Society are 
full of interest and instruction. The first, on Manu¬ 
factures, states, that “ the collection this year, in num¬ 
ber and value, exceeds that of either of the three or 
four preceding years; and they hail this as a sign of 
renewed interest in this important branch of produc¬ 
tion, on the part of the people of the Connecticut River 
valley. The Committee regard the increased display 
of domestic manufactures which this year greets us, 
as a cheering indication that the baneful spirit of specu¬ 
lation is giving way to a more sober and more useful 
temper. For some years, too, these all-important 
branches of industry have not received that fostering 
care from the government which had previously been 
extended to them, and this may have been one cause 
of the decay of interest in them. When any branch 
of industry ceases to be profitable, it will cease to be 
followed. But if the signs of the times do not mislead 
us, the care and aid of the government, so much need¬ 
ed by our domestic manufactures, yet in their infancy, 
and so essential to develope the full resources of our , 
country, will not hereafter be withheld; and we anti¬ 
cipate a constant and steady increase of the prosperity 
of these branches of industry.” 
Among the articles enumerated were the Fancy wove 
cloths from the Northampton Woolen Manufacturing 
Co., home-made Beavers, blue Domestics, satinets, 
rose blankets,. flannels, carpets, hearth-rugs, counter¬ 
panes, linen diapers, gloves, mittens, hose, and all the 
paraphernalia that make our Yankee houses and their 
industrious and intelligent inmates so tidy and comfort¬ 
able, without the necessity of going across the ocean 
to purchase from foreign labor what they can better 
supply at home. 
“ Of silk the supply was not so great as might per¬ 
haps have been expected. Only two entries of sewing 
silk were made; and though there were five entries of 
raw silk, the Committee found but three specimens. 
“No. 2, (by Northampton Association) of sewing 
silk was a superior article—the colors brilliant, and 
the silk every way well made. 
“ No. 1, (by Mrs. Martin B. Graves) was apparently 
made by hand, and commendable for the industry ex¬ 
hibited. 
“ The raw silk was all good. No. 2, (by Northamp¬ 
ton Association) was particularly noticed as a beauti¬ 
ful article. No. 4, (by Dr. Bardwell of Whately) too, 
was excellent silk. 
“ Your Committee cannot but hope that the day is 
not far distant when attention will be more generally 
turned to this branch of production. The bursting of 
the mulberry speculation was of course calculated to 
eheck for the time the silk culture. But that has pass¬ 
ed by, and though certainly a salutary lesson against 
plunging into wild enterprises, there can be no reason 
why it should longer operate to check the development 
of the real wealth and resources of the country. And 
the fostering care which Government appears now 
willing to extend over this, as over other species of in¬ 
dustry, must, as your Committee hope, warm it into 
vigorous activity. 
“ The history of the silk culture in France is full of 
instruction, and full of promise, for us. The first 
efforts which were made to establish the culture there, 
completely failed. The fabric first produced was rude 
of course—no one understanding the mode of operat¬ 
ing, and the better made and cheaper silks of the East 
coming into the French market, and competing on 
equal terms with the home article, drove it out of the 
field, and ruined all who had embarked in the enter¬ 
prise. But after one or two attempts had thus been 
made ineffectually, the Powers of the time saw the im¬ 
portance of encouraging and fostering this branch of 
production. The Government extended over it the 
shield of protection, and it almost immediately sprung 
into new activity and vigorous life. In a few years 
the home market was supplied by the home-made arti¬ 
cle ; and now France sends her silks on the wings of 
the wind to almost every quarter of the globe. We 
purchase of her yearly to the amount of millions. 
“ But there is, the Committee believe, no reason why 
we should be dependent upon France for our supply of 
silks. In parts of our country the soil is well adapted 
to the mulberry, and the climate agrees well with the 
silk worm. What possible reason can be assigned why 
we should not raise and manufacture this article to the 
extent at least of our own consumption ? France has 
an advantage, some one may say, if not in her soil and 
climate, yet in the price of labor there. But when we 
consider that much or most of the labor could be per¬ 
formed by old persons, by women and children, this 
objection loses all its force. 
“The excellencies of Wilson’s newly invented pa¬ 
tent Lock, which bids defiance to skeleton keys and 
all the contrivances of the pick-lock and the burglar, 
we have not space to detail. But we should be doing 
an act of injustice, if we let it pass without paying a 
tribute to the excellence of the lock and the ingenuity 
of the inventor. 
“We should by no means do our duty, if we closed 
our report without noticing the display of tasteful and 
beautiful articles of domestic industry—of domestic in¬ 
dustry in the strictest sense of that term—which adorn¬ 
ed the upper part of the Hall—the offering, for the 
most part of fair hands here in Northampton, to benevo¬ 
lent and charitable purposes. The execution of these 
beautiful articles, some of them exceedingly beautiful, 
does as much credit to the taste, skill, and industry, as 
their object does to the kindness and good will of the 
makers. Considering the brief time which the ladies 
have had for preparation, their success is deserving of 
the highest praise. 
“ As a whole, the Committee repeat, that they are 
much gratified with the Show which has this year been 
offered of articles of Domestic Manufacture. They 
cannot but regard the increase in their number and 
value, as an indication of a return of interest in, and 
prosperity for, these exceedingly important blanches of 
production. We trust that this interest and prosperity 
will go on increasing, till the hopes of the most san¬ 
guine in regard to them have been fulfilled. The in¬ 
crease of domestic manufactures must have a most im¬ 
portant and beneficial influence on the general pros¬ 
perity of the country. For the Committee. 
“ Daniel Wells Alvord," 
