No. 85.J 35 



subject is specially committed, to give it all the consideration which 

 its great importance demands. 



In reviewing the operations of this society, it is necessary that we 

 should revert to the general state of agriculture about the time it came 

 into existence, the sentiments that were then held upon this subject, 

 and compare it with the position in which we now stand. 



Every observing man, who has for two score years been upon the 

 stage of action, must have seen farming in all its simplicity, — ^when 

 the farmer had no resource to renovate the soil but his own scanty 

 barn-yard manure, and even of the value of that, he was imperfectly 

 informed. It is not many years since the use of clover was first intro- 

 duced — that of gypsum soon followed ; the effects of the last struck 

 every one with surprise, particularly when applied to the former, and 

 it was reallyUhought by those who observed it that no other renova- 

 ter of the soil would be necessary. But time has since developed, 

 that great as was, and is now the benefit of gypsum, yet it requires 

 not only constant renewing, but cannot supersede the application of 

 stable manure, and successful farming now requires an augmentation 

 of the list to an almost indefinite extent. 



If I remember right, our list of fertilizers fifteen years ago, ex- 

 tended very little, if any, farther than the two substances already men- 

 tioned ; and gypsum was specially required to the growth of clover ; 

 so too, it was then a principle of farming to task the soil to its utmost 

 capacity, to raise wheat and corn if we could, and if we could not, to 

 try rye, buckwheat and oats. We followed a rotation of crops not 

 to enrich the soil, but to impoverish it ; not to enrich ourselves, but 

 to trust alone to our luck and the bounties of Providence. And who 

 does not remember the slow process, when the harvest was gathered 

 by the sickle, followed by the use of the half cradle. That, however, 

 was before the time we speak of, and the cradle as a harvest tool has 

 now for many years been very generally used. It is a tool, however, 

 of modern times, and its use is principally confined to this country. 



The plow and the harrow were then almost the only farm imple- 

 ments used for the cultivation of the soil — the former made of wood, 

 but shod with iron ; the latter clumsy and imperfect. The potatoe 

 grown, was the red ; no other kind was known — it was hardy, but 

 strong to the taste, and not very productive : as to the different kinds 

 of seed sown, sufficient care was not taken in the selection, and much 

 of it was linclean. 



