REPORT OF THE COMiMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 



The Committee on Agriculture of the American Institute beg 

 leave to report : 



That the Farmers' Club, which is under the direction of your 

 committee, is increasing in interest, and the meetings are fully 

 attended not only by the members of the Institute, but by farmers 

 and horticulturists from various parts of the country. Some of the 

 members come a distance of from twenty to thirty miles every 

 week to attend these discussions. 



The immense number of letters which are daily received from 

 every part of our country, testify to the hold the Farmers' Club 

 has on the minds of the people. These letters, asking for informa- 

 tion on a variety of subjects connected with agricultural purposes, 

 are briefly answered by the members present, which often leads 

 to extended debates. 



Applications are being constantly made to the club to appoint 

 committees to examine new improvements in agricultural imple- 

 ments and machinery. Such machinery when exhibited in practi- 

 cal operation is more satisfactory than looking at models or draw- 

 ings. At nearly every meeting of the club new inventions in 

 labor-saving machinery are brought to the notice of the members 

 and the public. During the past summer, a committee of the club 

 visited the strawberry exhibition at Hammonton, N. J., and had a 

 full opportunity of seeing the improvements in that growing set- 

 tlement. On the 1st of August, a committee visited Newton, Sus- 

 sex county, N. J., for the purpose of examining the Kittatinuy 

 blackberry. On the arrival of the committee at Newton, notice 

 was given that the Farmers' Clnb would hold a meeting in the 

 evening, which was well attended by the inhabitants of Newton, 

 and by a number of eminent horticulturists from different States, 

 who were present to examine this new variety of blackberry. 

 The discussion was kept up to a late hour, and was a perfect 

 success. The reports of the meeting were published in a number 

 of the agricultural papers. 



