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Second premium to Charles T. Burnham. Amount not given. Third premium to Samuel Jacobs, 21 bushels; sown 10th May; old grass land; planted to potatoes the year before.

Gilbert Voter 2d, of Madrid, 20 bushels, on burnt land.

Mr. Voter also received premium on 15 acres of wheat, producing 225 bushels.

Indian Corn. First premium to Benj. Soule, for 138 bushels

ears on one acre.

Second premium to C. J. Burnham, 50 bushels on one acre.
Third premium to R. S. York of Strong, 45 bushels.
First premium on half acre to Harrison Beal, 79 bushels of ears.
Second premium to Stephen Manchester of Avon, 63 bushels of

ears.

Third premium to Lewis D. French, 62 bushels of ears.

Oats. First premium to Thomas Ellsworth, 155 bushels on two acres; land in oats in '57, with no manure--in corn '58, with four cords manure.

I. T. Cook of Avon, 73 bushels on one acre.

Rye. First premium to R. F. Perkins of Avon, 31 bushels of spring rye on one acre; in corn and potatoes last year.

Second premium to Gilbert Voter 2d, 20 bushels on one acre. Buckwheat. First premium to William Ross of Phillips, for 26 bushels on half acre..

Barley. First premium to William Ross, 57 bushels on one

acre.

Peas. First premium to T. F. Perkins, 12 bushels on half acre. No manure.

Potatoes. First premium to Enoch Craig of Freeman, 265 bushels on one acre.

Second premium to R. S. York, 196 bushels.

First premium on half acre to Harrison Beal, for 144 bushels. Second premium to John Abbott, 107 bushels on one-quarter to one-third acre. Statements are found of 340 bushels per acre.

Turnips. I. T. Cook of Avon, 150 bushels on one-eighth acre, (rutabagas.)

Samuel Whitney, 121 bushels on one-eighth of an acre.
J. R. True of Freeman, 120 bushels on one-eighth acre.

The competition on crops seem larger than in any other society in the State; a great number of statements being returned, and some giving larger products than these receiving premiums-as 85 bushels of oats per acre, &c. Perhaps they lacked the required corrobatory evidence.

SOMERSET CENTRAL SOCIETY.

The Secretary of this Society writes me as follows:

"This Society held its Annual Exhibition at Skowhegan on the 27th to 29th September, 1859.

In making our annual return we are sorry not be able to give you more material for consideration. The exhibition of stock of all kinds, at the annual show, was very large, and would compare favorably with that shown at other exhibitions in our State.

The improvement in stock of all kinds within the last few years in this community has been great. Our horses command much higher prices than formerly, and are hard to be beaten, either in speed or endurance. Our oxen which are mostly grade Durhams, are not surpassed by any in the State, if we take those that have been on exhibition at the different shows, for samples.

Some very fine cows were exhibited, and half a dozen or more girted 6 feet 6 inches, and a few even more than that, and were claimed by their respective owners to be good milkers as well as good for stock.

Quite an interest is now taken in relation to improvement in sheep. The Spanish Merinos take the lead, and are claimed by our' farmers to be the most profitable of any."

LIVE STOCK.

Horses. Amos Garland, first premium for stallion Black Hawk, five years old. Also for a Morgan, thirteen years old, reared in Vermont.

J. S. Bigelow, second premium for stallion over seven years old, for a Witherell horse eleven years old.

First premium for breeding mare, to Peter Robinson of Skowhegan.

Second premium to Sheldon Reed of Madison.

Bulls. Only one claiming to be a thorough bred, of any breed, was shown, and that without a pedigree. The committee, however, awarded his owner, John Weston of Bloomfield, the first premium for him as the best in competition.

About twenty grades were shown, some of which were highly commended by the committee.

Cows. First premium to S. W. Coburn of Bloomfield, for Durham.

Second, to Edgar Hilton.

Third, to Elijah Hilton-both Durhams,

and nearly all the grades shown appear to be of the same breed. The committee say:-"There were quite a number of fine stock cows, a large number of good milkers, and a few combining in good degree both qualities-a point as desirable as it is difficult to attain. Six or more of the cows were from 6 feet 6 to 6 feet 10 inches, though there was but one at the State show this year so large as 6 feet 6 inches, and was from this county. The heifers were generally small; and will hardly fill the places of such cows.

It is worthy of inquiry whether our farmers are taking quite the pains their interest requires to keep up the size of their breeding cows, and whether this is not a fruitful source of the deterioration of Durham stock, of which many complain.

Steers are usually crowded to a large size, but heifers too often have to get up as they can. Would not a little more attention to outward marks of indication of good milking qualities save many young animals from the shambles, and subject others, comparatively worthless, to their fate?"

The oxen shown appear to have been large; only one yoke being mentioned in the report which was not upwards of 7 feet in girth. Sheep. A Cotswold buck and some half blood lambs, very large, were shown by A. G. Glenwood.

Merinos were shown by Edgar Hilton and others.

Swine. The report says:-"Your commitee award the first premium for best boar and sow to Jotham Weston of Bloomfield, for a pair of fine Chesters which he imported last June at considerable expense from Pennsylvania. They are 5 months old and weigh

225 pounds. This breed is particularly noted (where it is better known) for its quiet habits, for its readiness to fat while young, and is also capable of making large hogs if kept long enough. They are said to be always ready for the butcher's knife, and make more pork than any other breed for the amount of food consumed. The Albany Cultivator states that the average weight of the Chester stock at sixteen months old is from 500 to 600 pounds, and when kept till two years old they frequently run up to 700 and 800 pounds. We would cheerfully recommend this breed to all admirers of good porkers."

CROPS.

There appears to have been but little competition on crops, at least so far as the returns show. A paper purporting to be a report on root crops awards divers premiums, but only upon pumpkins and squashes. One statement only is found on grain, by Thomas L. Pratt of Bloomfield, whose crop of Indian corn was 88 bushels on one acre; yellow loam; in grass for five years before; twenty loads barn manure, spread. Five bushels beans grown on same acre.

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