Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-02-17
Our pgrIcuIturaI Societies.

The New York Times in a lengthy arti-
Gle on "Our Agricultural Societies" has
the following very appropriate remarks !:
"These Societies all aim at the same OBJ
iects. They are organized, ostensibly, for
The purpose of making known among far
mers such a system for the cultivation Of
land, as experiments and enlarged expert
ence have shown to be the most profitable;
and to bring together the results Of efforts
10 produce the most desirable breeds of
horses, cattle, sheep and swine that they
may be seen where they can be compared
with the greatest advantage. Societies or
ganized for such purposes, and moving
on steadily to the attainment Of their OBJ
iects, cannot be too highly commended, or
ioolargely encouraged. Every experiment
that results in the establishment of an I'M
provement Of cattle for the farm or for the
shambles, that gives us more desirable
horse, sheep or hog; tina; causes two blades
of grass TO grow where but one grew be-
fore; every invention, by the aid of which
manual labor is lessened, and the products
OF labor increased, is of lasting benefit to
all the people of the country, and the au-
thor is worthy of the highest esteem. In
this, of course. we would be understood as
placing the costof an improvement, in the
foreground of consideration. 1t is.an easy
matter, where expense is not the object, tc
put fine animal on exhibition, but when
the object of display is to present results
Of experiments, such as may be profitable
models for the largest class Of farmers, i
is as important to know how much the an
;mal cost, as to know how much he weighs
or of what particular breed he is. A fn'
large fat OK looks well; butit every pounc
of his flesh has cost his exhibitor thre'
times as much as he would bring in mar
ket, il is the question whether the farme
who raises stock to sell, derives any benef
from his exhibition. The same is true o
any other animals that are exhibited or
such occasions.
In the County exhibitions all the farm
ers of the particular locality are interested
and they can, without much expense o
risk drlve'out their best teams and show tn
finest things they have produced. Ther
YOU can easily tell who has in reality TIL
best farm, and who is the best farmer.
any one produced an extraordinary articl
or animal at an enormous price, his neigh
bors all know it, and his display is imme
diately set down as very fine, but very un
profitable. The farmer who shows tn
best COW in his herd, the whole of whic
have been equally cared for; who bring
in the biggest pumpkin from an evenl
cultivated field, and who can prove ths
his samples are the results of intelligenc
and industry, and not of lavish expend
ture of means, is the favorite. He show
what benefits may be derived from mean
within the reach of all, and having sue
ceeded beyond his fellows, he becomes jus
" entitled to the first prize. At the Sta
exhibitions the real merits of the produC
exhibited-that is, how far the seed
breed is desirable to the practical tarme
is not so well known, because the partlcl
lars are not so generally understood. An
bition to have done the best, and desi
to realize ahigh price for particular bret
often prevents fair statement OF how
result has been ob,aine1.
Of the three organizations, the Count
the State aud the National, the County e
hibition is, we believe, best calculated
be of immediate benefit to the farmer
There he finds his specimens, and has Il
means of knowing how they were produce
When he returns from such an exhibitl'
he is a better practical farmer than befol
These the farmer should not fail to attend