The North Kennebec Agricultural Society Show and Fair of 1863: Part I

Agricultural fairs have a long history in Maine. The North Kennebec Agricultural Society, incorporated on July 31st, 1847 and it's first exhibition was held in Waterville in October of that same year. This write up presented here is a full detailed account of the North Kennebec Agricultural Society Show and Fair of 1863 and will be presented in multiple parts due to it's length. Part I reads as follows:


COWS.

       The committee on cows have the pleasure to report one of the best exhibitions in this department ever made on the Society's grounds. The herd of Tho. S. Lang, alone, was sufficient show of itself to well repay the farmer for the time and money spent in attending the exhibition, and was a subject of great interest to farmers in demonstrating to them the perfection to which animals may be bred to any desired point of excellence. Mr. Lang showed five cows that were bred by the best breeders in England, and which showed a long line of celebrated ancestry, and they have been bred with reference to making a large amount of beef at small expense, and to laying on the fat at the most desirable points; and to such perfection has this object attained, as to result in almost a deformity of the animal.
        There were only two entries of Daily Cows. One by Jos. Mullen and one by I.T. Stevens, both of Waterville. Mullen's statement is, that his cow is six years old; her milk yielded with her first calf ten lbs. butter per week, on grass feed alone. She dropped her last calf in August, 1862, and through the winter months following, her milk yielded nine lbs. butter per week, her feed being hay with a small amount of roots; and in June, when her calf was ten months old, her milk yielded forty and one-forth lbs. butter, on grass feed alone. Steven's statement is that his cow is three years old; dropped her calf in May last, and in June her milk yielded nine lbs. butter per week, on grass feed alone. To Mullen we award the first premium, and to Stevens the second.
       There were many other cows exhibited which showed points of excellence as dairy animals, but the simple yet proper requirement of the Society, that competitors shall present written statements of their yield in some month of the preceding year, prevented their owners from competing for the prizes.
       There were twelve entries of Stock Cows, which your committee understood to mean cows that will raise fine calves for beef, or oxen. To Mr. Lang, we award the first premium, on his cow, Bianca; to Mr. Edwin Spring of Winslow, the second; to Mr. William Nowell, of Fairfield, the third. There were none entered for the premium for best for all purpose, and for reasons before stated, the written statement. One entry of three best from any one farm. These were presented by William Nowell, of Fairfield. Mr. Nowell, in his breeding, has endeavored to combine the two desirable qualifications of good for the dairy and good for growing fine oxen, and his cows, with their progeny, exhibited, showed that he has been eminently successful; and to Mr. Nowell we award the first premium for three best cows. There were quite a number of cows presented for exhibition, only, fine animals; some of them in years past have received the Society's prizes and their owners are entitled to the thanks of the Society for presenting them. Your committee believing that neither the climate nor the pastures of Kennebec will warrant the farmers in breeding for beef, alone, recommend the selection of such cows, as when they have a good calf, will give milk enough to feed it, and by systematically and persistently persevering to that end, they will ere long have a class of cows that will be best for all purposes.
-WM. BALENTINE, for com.

STEERS.

       On three-years-old Steers, first premium Wm. Nowell; second, to H.W. Otis. The girth of these four steers was very nearly the same, measuring seven ft. three in., and it was very difficult for your committee to decide which should have the preference. J.D. Lang exhibited a pair in this class, seven ft. four in. in girth, which some of your committee thought entitled (if not to the premium) to be called worth the most money. Wm. Otis also showed a pair seven ft. in girth, that will be looked after one of these days. J.A. Judkins exhibited a very fine pair of Herefords in this class, for which he is deserving of the Society's thanks, and which in almost any year would have ensured him the premium; but at this exhibition it seems as though all of the nice steer are here.
       Leonard Rowe gave us the pleasure of looking at a pair, very nicely matched and disciplined, and had they been as large as some here, they must have borne off the palm.
       On two-year-olds, your committee did not have so much difficulty in deciding. We gave the first premium to Wm. Merrifield, and the second, the Wm. Otis. A.J. Libbey exhibited a very nice pair in this class, but were not quite as large as the others.
       On Yearlings, your committee had no trouble in finding the best ones, for they were just where we expected to find them, viz., at one end of T.S. Lang's herd. The girth of Mr. Lang's steers is six ft. two in., and they are well proportioned every way, to make a very valuable pair of oxen. The second premium we award to Geo. Rice.
       On Steer Calves, we award the first premium to Geo. Rice, and the second to Tristram H. Woodman.
       On Trained Steers, we award the first premium to Master Rice, also the third, to same; second, to Master Simpson.
       It is very seldom that we see a pair of steers as well trained as those exhibited by Young Rice; and if all farmers took as much interest in farm stock, and encouraged their boys to discipline their young animals as Mr. Rice does, we think there would not be as many young men leaving the State for more lucrative employment, as there does at the present time.
H.C. BURLEIGH, for com.

HORSES.

       We award the Society's first premium of five dollars to T.S. Lang, of Vassalboro, for his fine stallion, Gen. Knox; also, the second premium, of three dollars, on his horse, Ned Davis; and to Amos Rollins and Co., of Belgrade, the third premium of one Vol. of Agricultural Reports, on his beautiful horse, Wamsuttee.
       On Breeding Mares, we award to John L. Seavey, of Waterville, the first premium for the best breeding mare, four dollars; second, to B.F. Hersom, of West Waterville, three dollars; third, to Henry Hedge, of Winslow, one volume of Agricultural Reports.
       On Family Horses, we award to John L. Seavey the first premium of three dollars; to W.P. Blake, of West Waterville, the second, one volume Agricultural Reports.
       Your committee noticed many fine horses on the ground, but there being only a few entries made, but few premiums were awarded. Among these we noticed Mr. Lang's beautiful gelding horse, Cloudman, seven years old, entered as a sporting horse; and seeing no premium offered by the Society, we therefore recommended a gratuity of three dollars.
GEO. W. CHAMBERLAIN, Carmel, Com.
S. BAILEY, Vassalboro, for com.
J. HERSOM, Waterville, for com.
W. CUMMINGS, Belgrade, for com.
A. ELLIS, Belgrade, for com.

COLTS.

       On Three-year-olds, the committee on colts award the first premium to Wm. Nowell, and the second to Edwin Spring.
       On two-year-olds, we award the first premium to W.B. Hamlin, of Sidney; and the second to David M. Wier, of Vassalboro.
       On one-year-olds, we award the first premium to Albert Crosby of Albion, and the second to Wm. H. Pearson, of Vassalboro.
       Your committee would say that the colts assigned to their judgement for premiums were uniformly good, with very few exceptions. We were very glad to see so many farmers awake to their interest in the improvement of their horses, especially in the line of roadsters and trotters. As the Black Hawks have long taken the lead in Vermont, and their fame has reached to other countries, it must be the permanent breed for Maine. There is no reason why Maine should not be one of the first horse-breeding States in the Union, and though Vermont has the lead now, Maine is coming up fast to compete with her. Let every man look well to the breed and blood from which he breeds on the other side.
AMOS ROLLINS, for com.
J.S. GIFFORD, for com.

DRAWING OXEN.

       The number entered for drawing, eleven pairs.
       The committee award the first premium to J.W. Hersom, on his six-years-old oxen; second, to G.E. Shores, on his six-years-old oxen; third, to A.J. Libbey on his seven-years-old oxen.
       First premium on four-years-old, to C.H. Mayo; second, to G.E. Shores.
G.E. SHORES, for com.

HEIFERS.

       The committee on Heifers are sorry to say there were no entries of the three-year-olds made.
       Of two-year-olds, there were some fine animals, and the committee award the first premium to Warren Percival, for his heifer, Bianca; and the second to Geo. E. Shores.
       On one-year-olds, we award the first premium to Warren Percival, for his heifer, Prize, 3d; and the second to Wm. Nowell.
       On Calves, we award the first premium to T.S. Lang; and the second to Wm. Nowell.
E.G. SAWTELLE, for com.
 
TEAM OXEN.

       There were only two entries of Town Teams-one from Waterville and one from Fairfield. They were very evenly matched, but the committee finally awarded the first premium to Fairfield and the second to Waterville.
HOSEA BLAISDELL, for com.
GALEN HOXIE, for com.