44 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



as was usual, and cutting the branch smoothly off, close 

 to the limb, covering the cut with a cement of tar, bees- 

 wax and ochre ; also the cutting away of the sky-point- 

 ing young branches, which he calls " gluttons," and giv- 

 ing the horizontal or fruit-bearing branches a chance. 



In 1819 the importance of statistics of agriculture was 

 emphatically affirmed in the Journal, with incidental 

 .commendation of a new variety of early corn cultivated 

 by Samuel W. Pomeroy of Brighton, vice president of the 

 society. The main point of the argument was that if far- 

 mers had knowledge of the magnitude of the particular 

 interest affected favorably or adversely, they would be 

 more generally impelled to active measures. The remark 

 as to corn was : " Every one knows that the crops of Indian 

 corn were generally cut off by frosts in 1816. Had it 

 been known what quantity of Indian corn is usually 

 raised in a season in the county of Middlesex, for exam- 

 ple, the loss, in 1816, would probably have been so much 

 more felt that more attention would have been paid to the 

 recommendation of a species of corn cultivated by Mr. 

 Pomeroy of Brighton, and others, not a field of which 

 suffered by frost that year. This species, besides bearing 

 a large and fruitful ear, husks itself when ripe." In the 

 Journal of the following year Mr. Pomeroy discussed the 

 importance cf the corn crop and recommended extensive 

 cultivation. Having recognized in his article certain 

 modifying considerations, especially a due regard to rota- 

 tion of crops, he added this interesting remark : " But I 

 wish at the same time to hold up to view the golden 

 fleece found by our Pilgrim Fathers on their first landing, 

 and which, had it not existed or continued with their 

 descendants nearly a century after, the fair inheritance 

 we now possess, in the opinion of many sound political 

 economists, could not have been transmitted to us.' 7 



In 1824 overtures were made by the managers of 

 Dummer Academy in Newbury, for bestowment of the 

 patronage of the society in conducting an experimental 



