346 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Nov*. 
which he received from one of the Judges of that 
Island. Perhaps I may notice it hereafter. An 
Observer. ^_ 
Oneida Agricultural Society* 
We had the pleasure of attending the Show and Fair 
of the Oneida County Agricultural Society, held at 
Hampton Village on the 26th and 27th of September 
last. This was the ninth annual exhibition of the soci¬ 
ety, and in the opinion of those who have attended on 
former occasions, it afforded evidence of progress in 
reference to those objects to which the association is 
devoted. The writer was previously unacquainted 
with the agricultural products of the county, except 
from such specimens as have been presented at our va¬ 
rious State Fairs, and had not, therefore, the means of 
comparing the present with former displays. 
As to the live-stock exhibited on this occasion, the 
cattle and horses were more numerous than at most 
county exhibitions which we have attended. In respect 
to quality, the general average of the cattle was hardly 
as good as we had expected to find. We say it in no 
captious spirit, but with limited exceptions, the cattle 
possessed but few of the characteristics indicative of 
proper breeding; that is, they had not the uniformity 
of points which showed that the breeders had any dis¬ 
tinct or definite objects in view—their occasional good 
qualities appearing to be rather the result of accident, 
than a well defined system. We noticed five or six 
full blood Devons, (rather too small in size for the pre¬ 
sent standard of that breed,) and a couple of fine short¬ 
horn heifers; most of the stock appearing to be a mix¬ 
ture of various breeds with no particular traits of 
either. 
There were many working oxen and steers. Among 
them we noticed the fine cattle of S. H. Church, which 
received a silver medal at the late State Show, the 
oxen of John Bryden, which took the second premium, 
and the three-year-olds of H. H. Eastman, which took 
the first premium for steers on the same occasion. 
Several yoke of the oxen performed well on a loaded 
©art. 
There were but few good swine. Of sheep there 
were good specimens of Saxons, Merinos, and several 
pens of mixed blood English sheep. Of poultry, there 
was a fair show. Mr. Redmond, of Utica, had various 
kinds of fowls, Dorkings. Javas, Games, &c.; Bremen 
geese, and several varieties of ducks. 
The show of implements was quite large—especially 
of the various kinds of improved plows, cultivators, 
straw-cutters, &c. The principal manufactured arti¬ 
cles, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, &c., were exhi¬ 
bited in a large tent, forming a collection highly credi¬ 
table both in extent and quality. 
The plowing match was an interesting display of ap¬ 
proved plows and of the comparative skill of plowmen. 
We think there were seventeen competitors. The soil 
was very firm, being somewhat stony and gravelly, and 
covered with a tqugh and close sward, which rendered 
it difficult to be plowed w T ell, to the depth required— 
seven inches. It was, however, a very suitable place 
for such a trial, forming a better test of the capacity of 
plows for working in a tenacious soil, than is usually 
obtained on similar occasions. The work was gene¬ 
rally well done. In a few instances the furrows were 
too wide, and consequently laid too flat and heavy. 
Among the plows used, we noticed the Scotch plows 
made by Mr. Auld, of New-Hartford, others made by 
Messrs. Milner of Whitestown, Wilson of Vernon, 
Pratt of Syracuse, Delano of Mottville, Brainard & 
Wheeler of Rome, Ruggles, Nourse & Mason of Wor¬ 
cester, Mass., and Smith’s Michigan sub-soil plow, of¬ 
fered by Newel French. The latter consists of two 
plows set one before the other, in the same beam. The 
forward one skims off two or three inches of the sward, 
and the hinder one goes four or five inches deeper, 
raising the lower soil and throwing it completely over 
the sward. What would be the usual working or 
comparative advantage of this implement for soils in 
general we are not prepared to say; but on this occa¬ 
sion it left the soil in fine condition for a crop. It was 
drawn by four horses, and thoroughly stirred and re¬ 
versed the soil to the depth of nine or ten inches. It 
required but one man to hold. 
The address to the Society was delivered by its Presi¬ 
dent, Henry Rhodes, Esq. It was a sensible, straight¬ 
forward document, well calculated to urge on the peo¬ 
ple of the county in the various enterprises which they 
have already so well begun. 
The number of people in attendance on this occasion 
was not less than eight thousand, not a small propor¬ 
tion of which were ladies; and the spirit of ambition 
for improvement in most departments was strikingly 
manifest among all classes. 
Farmers’ Wives and Daughters. 
Eds. Cultivator —I have observed many articles in 
agricultural and other papers, in reference to farmers’ 
wives in New-England, which I am sorry to see have 
not met with a very cordial acceptance by that class 
for whom the authors of these articles have poured forth 
their sympathies. Some persons who have never entered 
a farmer’s house, and who have not the least conception 
of the manner in which the wife or daughters spend 
their time, give such melancholy descriptions of their 
sufferings, and draw such fabulous pictures of their em¬ 
ployment, that it would almost induce the slave at the 
south to forget the pain of his bleeding back, and the 
hardships of his daily toil, in sympathy for the degra¬ 
ded and much abused wife of the New England farmer. 
Doubtless all of that much oppressed class, in order to 
mitigate whose sufferings these articles are written, 
feel very thankful to those, who from gallantry, or from 
the kindness of their hearts, have enlisted in their be¬ 
half. But we would like to make one suggestion for 
their benefit and ours, that they would lay aside their 
pen until they had informed themselves upon the sub¬ 
ject upon which they would write, and we trust they 
will find their sympathy uncalled for. 
There is another class whose opinion in reference to 
farmer’s wives and daughters is scarcely less erroneous, 
though they have had a personal knowledge of the ex¬ 
tent and nature of their employments. Th'eir false ideas 
arise from the incorrect standard by which they esti¬ 
mate a woman’s true worth. There are many who 
consider that labor the hardest to be endured, and that 
servitude the most severe which affects in the least, the 
complexion of their delicate hands. It is very natural 
for them to breath forth their sentimental lamentations 
for the black-handed objects of their pity, only showing 
a lack of judgment in observation, and necessarily ridi¬ 
culous fallacies in conclusions. It is persons of this 
class, I imagine, who have penned these articles to 
which we have alluded, and an article of this class, 
from the Springfield Republican, in your last number, 
is, in my humble opinion, a ridiculous specimen of that 
most ridiculous class of pieces. That writer complains 
that the life of the farmer’s wife is “ nothing but 
mend and botch, cook and bake,” &c., &c. ’T is true, 
the farmer’s wife and daughters do labor ; but is it not 
as honorable for them to do that which promotes their 
health and happiness, as to sit in their parlors, spending 
their time in embroidery, reading foolish novels, or 
thumming the piano to the tune of u Susannah, don’t 
you cry,” and other popular negro melodies, while a 
servant girl in the kitchen performs their duties for 
them. It is said, too, that New-England farmers kill 
