TRANSACTIONS N. Y. S. AG. SOCIETY. 



3S1 



plan!, shifted from a 3 to an S-inch pot, 

 will render the operation more easily un- 

 derstood by those who require such infor- 

 mation. 



A, represents a large crock laid over the 

 hole in the bottom. B, the layer of drain- 

 ing materials. C, layer of turfy and rough 



portions of the soil. D, soil in which the 

 plant is potted. And E, the old ball of 

 earth, the roots in which should be spread 

 out in the fresh soil, as potting proceeds. 

 The other parts will be easily understood. 

 William Saunders. 



Haven. January 0. '. 



REVIEW. 



Transaction" of the New- York State Agri- 

 cultural Society. Vol. VIII — 1S48. 



Here is an octavio of 975 pages, abound- 

 ing with matter instructing to both practi- 

 cal farmers and scientific men. If the State 

 Society's labors were limited to the produc- 

 tion of such a volume as this annually, the 

 institution would be entitled to the gratitude 

 of all who are interested in agriculture, and 

 we are glad to perceive that under the 

 supervision of the worthy Secretary Mr. 

 Johnson, the Transactions steadily increase 

 in value every year. 



The State Agricultural Society however 

 is an institution of greater value and im- 

 portance to our community than what arises 

 from the publication of these annual records 

 of farming skill and science. It is becom- 

 ing a centre point, a nucleus around which 

 the intelligence of the farming class is be- 

 ginning rapidly to crystalize, and will spee- 

 dily become a powerful instrument to ele- 

 vate and improve the condition of our agri- 

 cultural community. The early discussions 

 touching the Agricultural College, which 

 took place in the Society's rooms atAlbany, 

 were the first definite expressions of what 

 has become a great public sentiment now — 

 that the farmers of New-York demand a 

 substantial agricultural education. Of the 

 more direct practical good, which results 

 from the application by a society of some 

 system and order in farming economy, some 



idea may be gathered from remarks like the 

 following, made by the secretary of the so- 

 ciety at one of the discussions. 



Mr. Johnson here alluded to the great 

 good that had resulted to the American far- 

 mer from the accuracy in relation to the 

 measurement and return of the crops, which 

 the society had in later years insisted up- 

 on. It led him to watch closely the details 

 of his farming. Many of the counties had, 

 in their local society operations, attained 

 a degree of accuracy so complete, that one 

 set of papers would answer both for the 

 State Society and for them, while others 

 were yet lamentably loose and deficient. A 

 gentleman in Massachusetts had offered the 

 use of his farm to any one who would raise 

 60 bushels of Indian corn to the acre ; he 

 doubting that it could be grown. One of 

 our farmers had produced the most authen- 

 tic proofs of his having raised 123^ bush- 

 els to the acre, in Oneida county. In Jef- 

 ferson county 110 bushels of oats to the 

 acre, of 41 lbs. to the bushel, had been rais- 

 ed the past season. In Oneida county, one 

 field of about ten acres had yielded 112.} 

 bushels of oats to the acre, over the entire 

 field, some years since. "If, "adds the sec- 

 retary, very pertinently, "the proper know- 

 lege of culture were universally made 

 known, would our farmers be content with 

 raising 20 bushels of corn to the acre ?" 



One of the most interesting papers in 



