New Haven County Fair* 
279 
himself and his usual hired help, when his other farm¬ 
ing operations would permit; he thinks it would not ex¬ 
ceed $15 per acre, and the land that is in grass to be 
worth from $100 to $150 per acre. 
“ The third piece examined by your committee is 
situated about one mile south of the meeting-house in 
East Hartford, between the road and the Connecticut 
.River owned by Mr. Horace Williams, containing be¬ 
tween one and two acres; is a swail of wet cold upland, 
filled with bunches of rushes or round grass. Mr. Wil¬ 
liams, by draining, has been able to plow it, and got a 
fine crop of corn on it; this piece is well situated for 
under draining, a mode in our opinion, if our farmers 
would practice more, they would find great benefit from. 
“ The last piece examined is situated in the south¬ 
east part of East Hartford; is owned by Mr. Ira A. 
Kimball, containing between 1 and 2 acres; your com¬ 
mittee would here remark that they have been particu¬ 
lar in describing the situation of the different pieces 
viewed, hoping that our brother farmers will examine 
them, and follow the example set them. This piece 
was a low miry swamp, covered with moss; but by sur¬ 
rounding it with a ditch, he has drained and plowed it 
two years; the last year, he put on buckwheat; this 
year, corn and potatoes; and by way of experiment, a 
patch of carrots and tobacco: his crop looked well, and 
the cleanest from weeds of any seen by the committee 
this season; when Mr. K. commenced on this piece, 
his neighbours rather ridiculed him for attempting to do 
anything with it; and tauntingly asked him to engage 
to them buckwheat for seed; but he seems to be a man 
of too much resolution to be discouraged by such means. 
The expense of reclaiming it, he considers but little, as 
he performed the labor himself, with the aid of a boy 
12 or 14 years old—except the plowing, which he was 
compelled to hire, as he had no team, except a single 
horse, with which he hauled the muck that came out of 
the ditches, into his barn-yard and hog-pen, afterwards 
putting it on his light sandy soil, to great advantage. 
“ In conclusion, your committee would remark that if 
what was long since said by a writer on Agriculture, be 
true, that “ He who makes two stalks of grass grow where 
but one grew before, deserves more of his country than 
he who subdues kingdoms,” then he who makes acres 
of luxuriant grass grow where none grew before, de¬ 
serves more encouragement from this Society, than the 
offer of a single premium of $10, and believing as they 
do that there are hundreds of acres in this county that 
now are of little or no value except for muskrats and 
bull-frogs to gambol in, that might be made as profitable 
as any land the farmer owns, they would respectfully 
recommend that the Society in future offer three differ¬ 
ent premiums on Reclaimed Land; and likewise in¬ 
crease the number of the committee, as they think that 
any farmer would be compensated for his time spent in 
performing this duty, by stimulating him to go and do 
likewise.” 
The Report on Domestic Manufactures is full and 
gratifying, and nowhere in the United States do they 
exist in greater variety and perfection than in this 
county. Two additional Reports on Working and Fat 
Cattle , and Agricultural Products , and the Dairy , with 
the awards , complete these instructive proceedings. 
New-Haven County Annual Fair. 
This veteran society, first organized in 1810, by 
some of the choicest spirits of the age, Col. Humphreys, 
Eli Whitney, Hon. James Hillhouse, President Dwight, 
and others, was held in New-Haven, on the 28th and 
29th Sept, last, and in a style that would have grati¬ 
fied its illustrious founders, had they been present. 
Ten thousand were supposed to have witnessed it. 
The working oxen were estimated by acres, as near as 
we can judge. They came into the city by detach¬ 
ments of 20 to 132 yoke each, and when arranged in a 
hollow squarfe, (for the city was not long enough to 
hold them in a straight line,) they formed a coil which, 
had it been unwound, would have extended one mile 
and three fourths. One thousand and twenty-six work¬ 
ing oxen , each of superior form and appearance, “ of a 
deep, glossy, red color, and in fine working order,” at¬ 
test what care and attention can do, with materials 
already in our hands, when properly directed. The 
Farmer’s Gazette says r— 
“ In addition to the working oxen, there were about 
100 head of other stock, of foreign and domestic blood; 
with horses, sheep, and swine, which occupied two 
rows of stalls extending through the avenue formed by 
Temple-street, on the west side of the parallelogram. 
This part of the exhibition was not equal in improved 
blood to what it was last year ; and some of the best 
stock in the county was absent at the New-York Cattle 
Show, at Albany. There was a trial of strength by a 
number of teams on the Green, which excited a deep 
interest in the spectators. The load and cart weighed 
5,400 lbs., nearly two tons and three fourths, which 
was drawn without any apparent extra effort, by seve¬ 
ral single pairs, on ascending ground. 
“ Take it altogether, it was doubtless the most im¬ 
posing spectacle of the kind ever witnessed in the State. 
“ The Plowing Match, on Thursday, was attended 
by three thousand people, as estimated by good judges 
present. Though the number of competitors which 
entered the field was not large, the interest excited was 
intense. The field was a square of about 20 rods, on 
which the plowing was performed. The ground was 
marked out into lands of one-eighth of an acre each, 
and was accomplished by one team, of one yoke, in 20 
minutes, by another in 27 1-2, and the longest was 
only 32 1-2 minutes. Such was the zeal excited by 
the strife, activity, and skill of the plowmen and their 
teams, that, at the close, a general shout of approba¬ 
tion was sent up by the multitude, which made the 
welkin ring again. 
“ The exhibition of Agricultural and Horticultural 
productions, in the State House, was a magnificent and 
sumptuous display of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and 
grains, arranged in elegant order. The great entrance 
Hall, by the generous aid of the fair sex, ever promi¬ 
nent in a good cause* was tastefully dressed with 
flowers, evergreens, statuary and paintings, and lighted 
in the evening with numerous lamps, which, with the 
sweet harmony of Mr. Metz’s band of music, formed 
altogether quite a Fairy scene. 
“ The six spacious rooms on each side of the Hall, 
were occupied with rows of tables around three sides 
of them, which were covered with a great variety of 
fruit and vegetables of superior kinds. The large City 
Hall in the basement was filled with vegetables, grains, 
agricultural implements, and products of the dairy. 
“ The wonderful improvement in Horticultural skill 
and science, which this anniversary has evinced, speaks 
much in favor of such exhibitions, and those who have 
sustained them. The house was thronged to overflow¬ 
ing during the hours of exhibition.” 
With this we must close our notice of agricultural 
fairs for our present number. Long may the worthy 
farmers of our happy country, enjoy such peaceful tri¬ 
umphs of their labors, and long continued to them be 
the annual return of these gala days, refreshing their 
virtuous minds, and re-invigorating their hardy frames, 
with the healthful and innocent excitement of their 
God-chosen and God-blessed occupations ! 
