314 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
tained. Indeed, it was found that the rapid passage, by 
means of a team, through these inequalities, enabled 
the observer to judge of the mean or average pressure 
exerted on the rapidly vibrating index of the dynamom¬ 
eter, by presenting this average more immediately at the 
same moment to the eye, than when these variations 
were of longer continuance. The sev eral plows entered 
were carefully tried by the dynamometer in the usual way, 
for the result of which the reader is referred to the re¬ 
port of the committee s on to be published. 
As these experiments were performed only in sward 
ground, the result can only have reference to the com¬ 
parative merits of plows for such ground. A thorough 
trial for all kinds of soil, whether heavy or light, with a 
sward, stubble, or mellowed surface, must be reserved 
for other occasions than State fairs, where the hurry from 
the shortness of time, and the confusion from the con¬ 
stantly intruding crowd, almost wholly preclude the pos¬ 
sibility of strict accuracy. Different qualities in plows, 
and a difference in setting, if not entirely different plows, 
are needed for different soils and purposes—a day is 
needed for each plow, for full trial for all these different 
qualities and purposes. The proper decision of such 
questions as this is of the highest importance, involving 
not merely the success or failure of a few manufacturers, 
but in a greater or less degree the success of thousands 
and tens of thousands of our farmers, whose purchases 
are largely influenced by such decisions, and to whom an 
aggregate of hundreds of thousands may be yearly saved 
by a selection of the very best and most easily running 
implement, which may do the most work at the least ex¬ 
pense to the flesh and strength of the team. 
Compared with the previous year, the show of ani¬ 
mals was generally more extensive at Utica. The whole 
number of horses, cable,- sheep, and swine is stated to 
have been 6S3, which are enumerated as follows:—114 
horses—viz., 28 stallions, 36 matched horses, 7 geldings, 
32 mares and colts:—274 horned cattle, being 48 Dur- 
hams, 11 Herefords, 9 Devons, 4 Ayrshires, 21 Natives, 
124 oxen, 12 steers, and 8 fat cattle. Sheep, 64 Long- 
wooled, 112 Middle-wooled, 58 Merinos, 23 Saxons. 
Swine, of all breeds, 34. 
There were many more horses at Utica than at Pough¬ 
keepsie, though we think the proportion of fine ones 
was in favor of Poughkeepsie. The show of Durham 
cattle did not embrace so many animals of the first qual¬ 
ity as were at Poughkeepsie. And in this department 
we think the show compared less favorably with former 
ones than in any other respect. It is true there were 
some fine Durhams at Utica; but with the exception of 
some half-dozen animals, it would have been an easy 
matter for many neighborhoods we could mention, to 
make at any time a better display of this description of 
stock. In Durham cows and heifers the show was par¬ 
ticularly deficient. We mention this not in the spirit of 
fault-finding, but in the hope of bringing out a better 
representation another year, which we know the state is 
abundantly capable of doing. We have not space to 
particularize, but noticed fine animals in this class from 
the herds of Messrs. Sherwood, Vail, Prentice, and Bell. 
The Herefords were about the same in numbers and 
quality as at the last year's show. Of the eleven head 
shown, nine were offered by Mr. Corning of this city, 
and the other two, offered by Mr. Hyatt of Rochester, 
were derived from the same stock. The Devons made 
a very pretty show, and there were among them some 
fine animals which were much admired. We were 
pleased to see so many of this breed, and of so good a 
quality, for it is undoubtedly a race well suited to many 
sections of the country. In Ayrshires there was no com¬ 
petition—Mr. Bement being allowed to sweep the board 
in this class. Of grades, there was a long array, and we 
noticed among them many apparently good and useful 
animals,—particularly some Durham and Native heifers 
offered by Mr. J. B. Nott, and a yonng cow of the De¬ 
von anti Native, by Mr. Washbon. 
Of Natives we thought the exhibition decidedly infe¬ 
rior to last year. We must confess we think the prac¬ 
tice of giving premiums for such stock as most of that 
which was shown in this class, appears to us as not like¬ 
ly to encourage improvement. 
The fat cattle embraced but few animals, but among 
them were two or three of great excellence, considering 
the time and opportunity they have had to become fat. 
The show of working cattle may be said to have been a 
decided improvement on the last year. There were two 
teams of ten yoke each offered for premium, one of 
which was owned by Messrs. Wadsworth, of Geneseo, 
and the other was from various individuals of the town 
of New Hartford. Several yoke were presented for trial, 
some of which were excellent cattle, and would have 
done credit to any exhibition in any part of the country 
—not excepting the far-famed county of Worcester, 
Ma^s chusetts. 
In sheep, the show was upon the whole perhaps equal 
to last year. In long-wooled breeds the competition 
was not numerous, but we noticed some fine bucks and 
ewes. In South Downs the competition was principally 
between Messrs. McIntyre, Sherwood, and Wakeman. 
Among the Saxons shown were some of very fine fleece, 
but we were sorry to see the competition in this class so 
limited. Among the Merinoes we observed some good 
specimens. All those offered from out of the state came 
from Litchfield county, Connecticut. Messrs. Blakesly, 
Nettleton, and Atwood, offered excellent Merinoes, and 
Mr. N. B. Smith some fine mixed Merinoes and Saxons. 
The swine department was not as well filled as last 
year. We noticed good animals of the Berkshire and 
Leicester breeds, from Col. Sherwood and Mr. Nichols, 
and some very pretty pigs of the Suffolk, and Suffolk and 
Middlesex breeds, which were brought from Vermont, 
owned by Wm. Stickney, Esq., of Boston. 
The poultry department was well filled; embracing a 
numerous display of the various fancy and favorite kinds 
of geese, ducks, turkies, barn-door fowls, (hens,) and 
pigeons. No part of the grand exhibition attracted more 
attention than this. From morning till night the coops 
and cages were constantly thronged with men, women, 
and children. 
Much inconvenience was experienced at the plowing- 
match, in consequence of the ground to be plowed being 
in three separate and detached lots, two of which were 
nearly a quarter of a mile apart. Sixteen teams, of a 
pair of horses each, contested for the premiums. The 
work was generally well done, yet there were a few 
who considerably excelled the rest. The ground was 
not of a character to make the smoothest work, especial¬ 
ly where the plowing was as deep as required by the 
committee, that is, seven inches. This was owing to 
the abundance of small stones with which the plow 
came in contact towards the bottom of the furrow. 
Stump Machine .—A machine which excited much at¬ 
tention, was Norcross’ Patent Stump Machine, exhibited 
by E. P. Evans, of Lodi, Cattaraugus county. N. Y. It 
consisted substantially, of a large tripod frame, surmount¬ 
ed by a cap resembling an inverted potash kettle. Through 
this cap a large wooden screw passed, and was turned by 
means of a large lever 15 ft. long, by a horse attached to 
its outward extremity. The lower end of the screw was 
fastened by a huge chain to the stump to be extracted. 
The horse, walking round, exerted by a combined action 
of the lever and screw, a force 400 times as great as his 
own strength, (not estimating friction,) which would 
withdraw an ordinary stump with great ease. A large 
and very tough oak tree, three feet in diameter, standing 
on the show ground, was cut down on the last day of the 
fair for the trial of this machine. The experiment, which 
was witnessed by a vast concourse, was unhappily un¬ 
successful, not apparently from a want of efficiency in the 
machine, but from the basal frame having been hastily 
made of soft wood, merely for exhibition and not for use, 
the proprietor not having had sufficient time to procure 
better. A considerable portion of the stump in question 
was torn out before the-machine gave way. We were 
assured by different individuals, that from 20 to 50 pine 
stumps had been extracted with this machine in a day, 
usually about 25. Its simplicity and cheapness are cer¬ 
tainly strong recommendations, a machine with farm 
right, being only 75 dollars, the actual cost of making 
being much less. 
Nothing of the kind could be more interesting at the 
next State Fair, than a full practical exhibition of the 
