164 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



zest, as a portion of life has been enjoyed in a log cabin, 

 by their old friend, 

 Lake C. H., la., February 1, 1841. Solon Robinson. 



"American Society of Agriculture." 



[Albany Cultivator, 8:65; Apr., 1841] 



[February 18, 1841] 



Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker — The February number 

 of the Cultivator is before me, and I have read your rea- 

 sons for "declining to assume the responsibility which 

 your friends had assigned you, at least, for the present." 



I am willing, and do freely acknowledge, that your 

 means of information are such as to enable you to come 

 to a more calm conclusion upon the subject than I can, 

 and perhaps your reasons are cogent, though I hope not 

 conclusive, to all the friends of a National Society. I 

 cannot regret the conclusion that you have come to, for 

 it is the very one to cause the matter to be discussed; 

 and the case is of that importance, that it should not be 

 acted upon rashly. I am ready to admit, "that a failure 

 would be a serious calamity;" but I am not ready to 

 admit, or even believe that there are so few "men of 

 public spirit, friends to agriculture, and alive to the in- 

 terest, prosperity, and honor of the country," as you 

 seem to fear. I believe that there are at this time 

 "enough of such men to be found," who, notwithstanding 

 they are "widespread," from "Maine to Georgia," would 

 lend sufficient energies "to render such an enterprise 

 certain of success." 



I am happy to see you admit the utility of such a so- 

 ciety — in fact, I don't know that that is denied or 

 doubted by any one — the only point at issue, then, is, as 

 to the proper time to commence the organization. This, 

 then, is the sole question for the friends of the cause to 

 answer : Shall the organization of a National American 

 Society of Agriculture, be undertaken in the year 1841? 



Readers, correspondents, friends of the project, one 

 and all, speak, yea or nay. If the answer be in the 





