OUR IMPROVING AGRICULTURE. 



times a peach tree, three years old, and even much older, has only wood-buds, or wood 

 buds and branches, in very great excess; to shorten-in these in Februar}' or March, to 

 prevent their enfeebling themselves, would be defeating ourselves of what we most desired 

 — if, as is the hypothesis, such trees would remain unfruitful until reduced in vigor. 



L. Young. 



SpringdaU, Ky., Dec. 1851. 



OUR IMPROVING AGRICULTURE. 



BY HENRY F. FRENCH, EXETER, N. H. 



The present Governor of Massachusetts, in his proclamation for thanksgiving, suggests as 

 an occasion for public gratitude, "the increased attention given to agriculture;" and per- 

 haps there is no change in public sentiment of recent date, more worthy of notice than the 

 fact to which he rcfeis. That it is a fact, will not be doubted by any careful observer. 

 Agriculture in England, and on the continent of Europe, has long been regarded as of the 

 very first importance. It is a leading, if not tlie leading subject of conversation there, 

 among gentlemen in the higher circles of society. And well it may be so, as the wealth 

 of the nobility, the prosperity of the middle classes, and the salvation from starvation of 

 the laborers, are plainly seen to depend upon the crop. In Ireland, if one potato crop 

 fails, thousands of the population, perhaps, die of starvation. In America, if our pota- 

 toes fail, we merely change our diet for the time, and live just as well upon corn. 



But although the fear of actual starvation does not affect us, the fact is, that agricul- 

 ture, as his Excellency the Governor suggests, is getting to be quits the fashion through- 

 out the country. Farmers' clubs are taking the place of caucuses, and cattle shows of 

 military musters. Everj'- man who has land, is endeavoring to raise a premium crop, and 

 they who are landless, are trying to keep up with the times, and serve their country with 

 pen and ink, and such other agricultural implements as they may have at hand. Not long 

 ago, I metan itinerant lecturer who was traversing the country, "astonishing theuatives" 

 with his learned talk about silex, alumina, and divers other 



" Latin names for horns and sloves," 



and discoursing most eruditely before the public on agricultural chemistry. He said he 

 sometimes lectured on animal magnetism — that he was familiar with "all those subjects," 

 but that nothing -paid quite so well just now as agriculture! He had fortified himself 

 with a full set of Professor Mapes' Working Farmer, and other " good Avorks," and 

 with abundance of assurance instead of " faith," to match, was warmly advocating the 

 expediency of working the land at least three feet deep, in a neighborhood where it would 

 be a fair forenoon's work, to get a churn-drill to that depth! 



However, he judged wisely what topic would most interest the people, and how he could 

 best get their money. And now, while there is an interest so deep and universal on this 

 subject, while not only men of true science are diffusing valuable knowledge through the 

 land, but Avhile quacks and charletans are endangering the safety of the cause by the care- 

 less use of other men's thunder, it may be interesting to inqure what is reasonably to be 

 expected of science applied to the culture of the earth, of which so much is said and writ- 

 ten. 



From the remarks of some writers, it might be inferred that agricultural science, and 

 Uy agricultural chemistry, is to make plain all the hidden things of creation 

 light we shall discern all the peculiar properties and components of every 



