210 
THE CULTIVATOR 
July. 
of Thursday, June 2, after which the audience as¬ 
sembled around the veranda of the hotel, upon 
which the speakers and the singers were seated. 
The veranda, and the rooms within hearing, were 
crowded with ladies, who received very unqualifi¬ 
ed compliments from the speakers. Ebgar A. 
Ormsbee, Esq., of Rutland, Vermont, announced 
that a song had been written for the occasion by 
the celebrated Vermont poet, John G. Saxe, 
which he would deacon to the audience, verse by 
verse, in the good old fashioned way. and then the 
Amphions, assisted by Prof. Wood and family of 
Albany, would sing it. The song was admirably 
adapted to the occasion, full of beautiful allusions 
and humor, and we regret that we have failed to 
receive the copy of it which was promised us, and 
which would add as much to this description, as it 
did to the exercises. In the absence of it we are 
compelled to trust entirely to recollection, and 
cannot do justice to the speakers. 
After the singing of the first verse, Mr. Samuel 
Greely of Boston, Mass., an elderly gentleman 
who has retained the freshness and vivacity of 
youth in the maturity of age, made some happy 
remarks, in which he alluded to the beautiful sce¬ 
nery of Vermont, the intelligence and prosperity 
of her inhabitants, the opulence of her native re¬ 
sources, and the importance of developing them. 
The value of mental and moral culture was made 
the subject of remark to the young. Everything 
Mr. Greeley said was listened to with marked at¬ 
tention, and he sat down amid hearty cheers. 
Judge Keese of Keeseville, N. Y., next spoke 
of the early history of the state, and of the rapid 
progress which has been made in agriculture, in 
the facilities for transacting- business, and for ac¬ 
quiring education, and ended with an appropriate 
sentiment. 
A verse of the song whieh paid a fitting tribute 
to the beauty and excellence of the “Green 
Mountain Girls,” was replied to by Mr. Pixley 
of the Amphions, in a manner which showed that 
he was well versed in the beauties of female cha¬ 
racter, while his humorous language freed him 
from the charge of being excessively sentimental. 
Solon Burroughs. Esq_, of Vergennes, Vt., re¬ 
sponded to the choice compliment given to the 
Morgan and Black Hawk horses. Every state has 
a right to be vain of something, and Vermont was 
so of her horses. They were known in every part 
of the Union, and every Vermont boy and girl, 
youth and maiden, man and woman, knew all 
about their merits. The speaker introduced some 
capital strokes of wit in his allusion to the enthu- 
siam which prevails in the state with regard to 
the “ fast horses.” 
T. C. Peters, Editor of the Wool Grower, made 
an amusing speech, in which praise and caricature 
were mingled. He acknowledged the excellence of 
Vermont horses and sheep; but he stigmatized 
certain individuals who hailed from the State as 
“ sharpers.” He said people out west were afraid 
to trust them, and advised the leaving off the use 
of “ Cornwall finish ”and the practice of honesty. 
Mr. Peters spoke in so good natured a spirit, that 
no one could take offence, and closed by giving 
farmers and their sons and daughters very sound 
advice. 
“ The Golden Fleece,” was the theme of one of 
Mr. Saxe’s verses, the mythology of which was 
aptly explained by Edgar A Ormsbee, Esq., who 
made a practical and impressive application of the 
idea it symbolises. Jason was obliged to turn his 
attention to breaking cattle and plowing the land, 
before he could recover the lost treasure and win 
himself renown. 
The two other verses of the song, were replied 
to by a member of the Amphions, and by Prof. 
Wood of Albany, but for want of the song itself, 
we are unable to report their remarks. The song 
was well sung, and received with hearty cheers by 
the audience. Immediately after, th6 following 
toasts were read by Solon Burroughs, Esq. 
Vermont —The first daughter of the old thirteen; she 
will never disgrace the family. 
Old Addison —Noted for her improvement of stock, 
may her wealth keep pace with her enterprise, 
Rutland County —May her agriculture advance with 
her increasing advantages. 
Rutland and Addison —Divided in name only, they 
are united in interest. May they become as famous for 
farms as they are distinguished for natural beauty. 
The Improvers of Stock —Like inventors of machine¬ 
ry, at first hooted at, they are always applauded after¬ 
wards. 
The Sheep Shearing Festival —Founded in correct 
notions, may it become an established holiday. 
A. L. Bingham —Though absorbed in wool, any¬ 
thing but wooley. He cannot be counterfeited by 
ce Cornwall Finish.” 
John A. Taintor, Solomon W. Jewett and George 
Campbell , Importers of French Merinos —Posterity 
will award them the title of benefactors of their race. 
“ Our Native Hitls , ■ —Every where to be honored, 
but first and foremost the “ Hill” of Blaek Hawks. 
“ Our Host’'—Like old wine, age improves his flavor 
and mellows his temper. His guests never want “ Heid- 
sick.” (Hyde-sick.) 
The Albany Cultivator and The Country Gentle¬ 
man —The first, with its points worn brighter by age, 
stirs deeply the soil and the mind—the second, its able 
coadjutor, is ever welcome at our farms and firesides. 
This last sentiment was briefly responded to by 
Joseph Warren, who thought the entire Agricul¬ 
tural Press should have received the compliment. 
Agricultural Journals have kept pace with the im¬ 
provements of the day, and are becoming more 
and more important to the farmer. The stability 
of farming interests demands a like character in 
the publications which advocate and influence 
them. 
Mr. Bingham then announced that the farmers 
interested in the rearing of sheep, would, at the 
State Fair, organize a “ Vermont Sheep Shearing 
Club,” for the purpose of accurately testing the 
relative merits of all the different breeds-; and the 
audience, who had given patient attention for more 
than two hours, dispersed to see the display of 
horses, and to their homes, all seeming well satis¬ 
fied with this pioneer farmer’s festival. 
Co3t of Ruta Bagas. 
Farmers too often become disheartened at the 
cost of raising roots, by counting the cost of the 
crop per acre , and not the cost per bushel. When 
the land has been previously well cleared of weeds 
by proper tillage, and rendered highly fertile by 
manuring, there is no crop that, can be so cheaply 
raised as the ruta baga. Judge Buel estimated the 
average cost at five cents per bushel; and in no case 
of good management, and especially with a time¬ 
ly destruction of the weeds, need it exceed this 
amount. We observe a corroborating experiment 
detailed in the last number of the Genesee Far-' 
mer, bya Connecticut correspondent. The land— 
one-fourth of an acre—was an old meadow, bro¬ 
ken up for potatoes the preceding year. It was 
