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HANCOCK COUNTY SOCIETY.

The Secretary writes as follows:

"This Society now embraces 400 members-119 new ones having been added during the past year.

Its second Annual Exhibition was held upon the Fair grounds, Ellsworth, on the 11th, 12th and 13th days of October, 1859, and were fortunately favored with good weather during the entire exhibition. Whole number of entries, three hundred and ninety seven.

The show of working oxen on the first day was good; showing that Hancock County is not behind the more favored counties in the State in producing superior stock of this kind. Of bulls, steers, cows and heifers, there was a good display-the Durhams and Devons, many of them showing full blood with grades and natives competing successfully for many of the premiums offered. The show of horses was far better than last year.

The vegetable and fruit departments were creditable to the county. Amongst the vegetables we noticed many samples of potatoes of large size and excellent quality; long blood beets, turnip beets and mangold-wurzels; orange and white field carrots; red, white and yellow tomatoes; yellow flat onions of large size and well ripened. Specimens of wheat, winter and spring rye, barley, oats, beans, peas and corn, in abundance.

There were water-melons, citron-melons, apple-pie-melons, egg plants, apples, pears, plums and grapes, a good variety,—together with the farming implements and household manfactures in the hall, rendered the exhibition one of much interest to all concerned.

The Society now hold a lease of thirteen acres of ground about three-fourths of a mile from this village (Ellsworth) for a term of twenty years, with the privilege of buying at any time within four years, at a stated sum specified in the lease. The grounds have been enclosed the past season with a neat and substantial board

fence. A half-mile course has been made upon the grounds, thirtyfive feet wide, and with a small expenditure another season, will make it one of the best tracks in the State. A reservoir twenty feet deep, fourteen feet across after being stoned, and affording an abundant supply of water. A flagstaff one hundred and sixty feet high has been put upon the grounds. The building of the fence, race-course, stalls for the cattle, and all the expenditures upon the grounds amount to fourteen hundred and twenty-three dollars. And by the generous liberality of the citizens of Hancock County the Society has been furnished with funds to meet this outlay, and also all other expenditures of the Society the past year, which reached the sum of nearly two thousand dollars."

LIVE STOCK.

Horses. First premium on stallion, to E. J. Durgin of North Sedgwick, for a Morgan horse.

Second, to Wm. H. Black, for a horse of the Drew stock.

Breeding Mares. First premium to William H. Black of Ellsworth.

Second, to John Armstrong of Ellsworth.

Bulls. First premium to Parker & Pearl of Dedham, for a Short horn bull, four years old, bred by Jesse Wadsworth; pedigree in Am. Herd Book, Vol. 3, page 51. Said to be of an excellent milking family.

The others shown were chiefly or wholly grades.

Cows. A cow entered as Hereford was shown by N. Varnum, and one said to be three-fourths Galloway and one-fourth Durham by Rufus W. Clement of Ellsworth.

Swine. First premium on boar, to Thomas Smith of Surry, for a Berkshire, bred in Albany, N. Y., from an imported sow and boar from England.

Sheep. First premium on buck, for a South Down, to Francis Buck of Orland. Also, for South Down ewes.

Ebenezer Clark of Hancock showed buck and lambs, a cross of South Down and Cotswold, and one from Mr. Perley's flock, (Woodstock, N. B.)

CROPS.

Wheat. Chas. P. Silsby of Amherst, 24 bushels per acre.
D. G. Wagsatt of Orland, 45 bushels on three acres; burnt land.
Rye. Parker & Pearl of Dedham, 24 bushels per acre. Burnt

land.

Barley. Wendall Silsby of Amherst, 60 bushels on one and a half acres; land in potatoes the year before.

Oats. John Armstrong of North Ellsworth, 144 bushels on two and a half acres.

Potatoes. James G. Moor, 125 bushels on half an acre.

Newell Osgood of Bluehill, 138 bushels on half an acre, (Jackson, and Jenny Lind.)

(A premium was awarded for an Essay-subject not stated; but the essay itself was not among the returns.)

WASHINGTON COUNTY SOCIETY.

The Secretary, Wm. D. Dana, writes me:-"Its Annual Exhibition was held at Pembroke on the 28th and 29th days of September. The Cattle Show was a decided improvement upon the last-as to good order, good feeling, and a good time generally; but was not a success, so far as cash receipts go to make success. This exhibition showed the results of the efforts to improve stock-Grade Devons being quite plenty, and as handsome as anything of the ox kind can be. As a contrast, a Jersey cow and bull, and some Galloways, were exhibited—not pretty, (as some think,) but good. The influence of the Society for good is plain to any one who will take pains to observe carefully the results of its operations."

LIVE STOCK.

Horses. First premium on stallion, to J. W. Hartford, for a Drew and Tiger horse.

Best breeding mare, to E. W. Chadbourne.

Neat Stock. For best bull to Andrew Rogers; breed not given. For best Devon bull, to W. E. Stoddard.

For best one year old Devon bull, to Wm. D. Dana.

For best Jersey (Alderney) bull, to William D. Dana, for one of which he says:

Alderney Bull, five years old, thorough bred.-This bull was presented to the N. B. Charlotte County Agricultural Society, by a Mr. Sharp of London, and sent out to St. Andrews in 1856. He was kept in St. Andrews till Sept. 1859, when I purchased him and brought him into this county. I know nothing of him, more than that Mr. Sharp in his letter, of which I furnish the committee a copy, describes him as a superior animal, and seems anxious that the county (Charlotte) should avail themselves of his valuable properties. The stock of his get fully sustains his reputation.

Several cows stated to be Galways (Galloways?) were shown by William Low and Samuel Leighton.

Premium on best milch cow, to John Andrews, for one which he says has not been dry six months since she had her first calf in 1853. Calved in May, and gave in June and July 20 quarts daily, and made 12 pounds butter per week.

Wm. D. Dana obtained premium on a pure Jersey cow, of which

he says:

"Sired by the Alderney bull here to-day, on a full blood Aldernay cow from an importation by Admiral Owen, bought by me at two years old. Kept on straw and turnips through the winter, and in pasture in the summer. Made in three weeks after calving, seven pounds of butter in seven days. The quantity is not remarkable, but the quality as compared with the other butter made in the same dairy at the same time, was vastly superior."

First premium on butter was obtained by Mrs. Sarah E. Dana, and from the milk of Jersey cows.

CROPS.

Wheat. First premium to Isaac Loring, for 19 bushels. Land in potatoes last year; in mowing eight years previously.

Barley. First premium to N. P. Pattangall, for 42 bushels per acre; on old greensward, plowed and 150 pounds guano applied on the furrow to 60 square rods, and compost on the rest.

Second, to Otis Lincoln, for 42 bushels per acre.

rots and turnips last year.

Land in car

Oats. First premium to Wm. D. Dana, 140 bushels on 3 acres. Soil, clayey loam; in pasture two years previously; no manure. Cost of crop, $36; value, $66.

Hay. First premium to Andrew Rogers, for 77 cwt. on one

acre.

Second premium to Aaron Frost, for 7,965 pounds.

Third premium to Otis Lincoln, for 2 tons.

Ruta Bagas. First premium to Andrew Rogers, 540 bushels per acre.

Hugh Porter, 282 bushels on 70 square rods.

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