which particularly pleased your delegate was the different town exhibits. The table of the Hatfield contribution was liberally and beautifully ornamented with flowers, not thrown together in a heterogeneous mass, but arranged with exquisite taste; and the whole display of individual and collective exhibit was one of which any society might be gratified, as was also the exhibit of persons from other places.

The vegetable department was, perhaps, the chief feature of the display in the hall. I should very much like to particularly mention the contributions of the gentleman who exhibited one hundred and sixty-five varieties, which was such positive proof of his interest in that particular part of the fair; but, as I am prejudiced against individualizing names, the right of guessing is not withheld from those interested. There were fifty-two general entries; and it certainly was a fine exhibition.

The various entries of grain, seeds, flowers, bread, butter, canned fruits, jellies, &c., were numerous and attractive. Among the mechanic art entries was the Cooley Creamery, by the Vermont Farm-Machine Company of Bellows Falls, Vt. Very beneficial results were claimed by its exhibitor, and apparently it is a valuable invention; but its merits could be better appreciated by butter-makers than by your delegate.

Not being very well versed in the merits of dry-goods entries, neither in the pillow-shams, tidies, bead-work, and embroidered skirt-patterns, &c., your delegate does not feel qualified to judge of that department. He only knows there were two hundred and one entries of various articles in that line; and reasoning from the oft-heard expression from fair ladies' lips, "Oh, how lovely!" he takes that expression as prima facie evidence that in this department the display was beautiful, and the workmanship excellent.

While looking over a description of Hadley in an old gazetteer, your delegate read that "large quantities of broom-corn are annually raised, and the manufacture of brooms is an important branch of business." Having that sentence fresh in his mind, he was rather surprised that he saw only one entry of brooms, and that by Mr. Edson of Hadley, which, together with the seed shown by him, served to remind visitors of that which was once an important article of industry in that vicinity; and it occurred to the mind of your delegate, that perhaps it might have been more profitable to "the world and the rest of mankind," had broom-corn continued to have been raised, instead of the tobaccoplant. But, as the pursuit of filthy lucre is usually the incentive to producers, it, perhaps, was found that "filthy" tobacco would

line the pocket better than broom-corn. And so, without any advice to those who know their own business best, he asks the farmers to remember the good old days of broom-corn, and the time when the "river-gods" made their annual pilgrimage to the State-house, with, perhaps, tobacco in their pockets, but not in their fields.

A society having its place of exhibit in the immediate precincts of a city or town gives the leading merchants of the place a great advantage in the method of advertising, and adds very much to the show; but your delegate very much questions the legitimacy or propriety of making such places attractive in such manner. A society receiving the bounty of the State is expected by the State to show its success in matters appertaining to the agricultural, industrial, and mechanical results of the contributors, and to make its halls attractive by decoration. Dry-goods or grocerystores certainly do not add to the resources of the Commonwealth, especially if premiums are paid therefor. A society having its place of exhibition in a rural district suffers very much in display in the hall; and the verdict, "not much of a show," is attributable, sometimes in a very great measure, to the absence of large carpets and party-colored dry-goods suspended from the walls, or huge chests of tea and sugar-samples on its shelves. The show at Northampton was not particularly noticeable for this feature, although there were several Northampton merchants who were shrewd enough to take advantage of this gratuitous and attractive method of advertising their goods among the attendant residents of the rural districts; and a very good display did they make.

Not having the pleasure of acquaintances in the town, a lonely evening was spent at the hotel, varied with an occasional pedestrian exercise upon the sidewalk, viewing the interior of shopwindows. An early occupancy of his room was sought by your delegate, with the thought that the exhibition thus far had been successful, and that the next day the equine exhibit would be to him a source of pleasure; but the next morning, according to his usual custom at such times, the clerk of the weather announced rain; and, after a brief visit to the grounds, your delegate left, with the impression that the Hampshire Franklin and Hampden Society was, in every respect, worthy of the bounty of the Commonwealth.

JOHN A. HAWES.

4

HAMPSHIRE.

Arriving at Amherst at three o'clock, P.M., on Monday, the 17th of September, the day preceding the fair, I improved a few hours in somewhat the way in which my immediate predecessor did after the fair, viz., in looking around on the Agricultural College grounds, without, however, his good fortune in having as escort one of the professors of the college. My call on President Clark in the evening was not only a source of enjoyment, but his account of his work in Japan, assisted by the young men whom he took out with him, and whom this college had trained, suggested a wealth of thought as to what the Massachusetts Agricultural College had laid the foundation for doing in behalf of the wonderful people of that country.

By going to my assigned post thus early, I secured a full day's work on Tuesday, the only day on which the stock was to be exhibited. Through the kindness of Mr. Southwick, superintendent of the college farm, I was set down at the grounds at nine o'clock of this first morning, and had thus an opportunity to watch the arranging of things within the hall, and the gathering together of the animals without. The much-needed rain of the early morning had laid the dust, and the day was cool as well as sunny. This society had not enjoyed the like for many years. The change of the week had brought them the much-desired change of weather. The show inside of the hall was pronounced the best they had ever had. Although an off-year in apples, the specimens were good, and were plentiful enough to occupy nearly all the space ever allotted for this kind of fruit. Pears, peaches, quinces, and grapes were in abundance. Roots, bulbs, grains, beans, and pease were without stint. One exhibitor had a specimen of wheat like the hundred bushels grown this year on four acres of the college farm. Some of the exhibitors deserve special mention. E. J. Judd had twenty-five specimens of pears. Professor Maynard had samples of grapes from the vineyard on the college farm like the two tons raised this year. He had other fine fruit. Mr. Comins, our brother-member, had sixty-six specimens of farm and garden products. F. B. Paige had from his "melon vineyard" ninety-six varieties of fruit, nuts, berries, &c., forty varieties of which were apples. And our old friend W. L. Warner, whom no one has any hope of excelling, had a hundred and sixty-eight varieties, seventythree of which were of beans, and nineteen of sweet-corn. There were cut flowers on a large scale. There were also large collections of wild flowers of rare beauty. L. W. Goodell of Belcher

town, and others, had choice selections of flowers.

There were

also fine specimens of plants and flowers of large growth from the college greenhouse.

President Clark displayed a collection of Japanese manufactures and photographs, curious articles of costume, papers of great firmness, beautiful hand-wrought silks, window-shades, swords, &c. Dr. Noah Cressy had his cabinet of curiosities, consisting mainly of Indian relics, and articles discovered in or voided from the stomachs of different cattle, horses, and calves. The latter lot he very appropriately labelled "A Poor Dinner." There was a pair of lady's rubbers, about No. 6, found in the animal's stomach, which may have been all that was now to be seen of the party who said, "How shall I flee from that terrible cow?" a hair ball over three inches in diameter, made up in the stomach of a calf five weeks old, butchered in Amherst, supposed to have accumulated from the calf itself by licking, and then swallowing the hair. From similar receptacles the doctor had a piece of bone five inches and a half long, nearly two inches wide, and about half an inch thick; also a well-chewed copper coin, a piece of crockery, and other materials. Among the Indian relics were a fine specimen of an axe-head, an arrow-head, a tomahawk, a chisel, stone pestles and mortars for pounding and pulverizing the corn, &c., and a stone war-club, claimed to be the largest ever discovered.

The show of stock, although not so large as last year, owing to the absence of two or three large herds, was excellent in kind. It was remarked that the proportion of oxen to that of cows was not as large as formerly: still there were good numbers, including some four or five long town teams. Shorthorns, Ayrshires, and Jerseys were most numerous. Of the first-named, the herd of S. A. Bates was particularly noticeable. The Ayrshires and Shorthorns from the agricultural college farm were an ornament to the Commonwealth. There were twenty-two on exhibition; but they were not entered for a premium. The scarcity of Jerseys at this show could not well be accounted for, as it was known that there were a plenty of that breed in the vicinity. The swine were Chester Whites, Suffolks and Chester Whites mixed, and Berkshires. The pigs were very handsome. The exhibition of sheep was not large: Southdowns prevailed. There was a good show of poultry. Among the best were the White Leghorns and Light Brahmas. There were also ducks and geese.

The great feature of the occasion was the after-dinner address of President Clark, to hear which the multitudes were invited in, well filling the spacious hall. Of this address, stirring and bril

liant as every one knew it would be, the last part was devoted to a description of Japan and the Japanese, their present status, their interest in and eagerness for improvement, their high consideration of this country, and the promise they give of a bright future. Professor Hitchcock, W. L. Warner, and another, followed in short addresses. Following the meeting in the hall, there was some trotting on the track, and a foot-race.

The second was the horse-show day. It is said to have been a good show, so far as carriage-horses, roadsters, fine stallions, and some other classes were concerned; but still the show of farmhorses was not so good. Not being present on that day, I gathered these facts from a reliable source. I noticed at this fair the promptness to duty of both officers and committees. The hall had needed repairs, which the society had already commenced to make. This is a fine farming region; and the farming interest seems to go hand in hand with the superior opportunities of the location for mental culture. This Twenty-third Annual Cattle Show and Fair of Hampshire is in evidence that this society well merits the continued bounty of the State.

H. VINCENT.

HIGHLAND.

According to appointment I attended the Twenty-third Annual Exhibition of the Highland Agricultural Society at Middlefield, Sept. 13 and 14. There were a hundred and eighty head of cattle, consisting of Shorthorns, Jerseys, Dutch, Devons, and Herefords, grade Shorthorns prevailing. The cattle looked well, and would be a credit to any society. The dairy stock was good, a few extra. There was a good show of oxen; and the trial of them on a very heavy load of stones on a drag made quite an excitement. The oxen exerted every nerve to start the load at all. I must here put in my protest against that mode of trial, and recommend that the premium be for the best pair of oxen, taking into consideration their age, training, and the ease of handling a load on a cart. A pair of oxen twelve years old, it was said, have been exhibited year after year at different shows, and taken the first premium. Why? Because they were large, cordy oxen, used to heavy work; but they lost it this year. There were some fine-looking oxen, not so heavy and cumbersome, that I had no doubt would be better farm-workers.

Both coarse and fine wool sheep were exhibited in creditable