No. 10. 



Art Agent's Susrsrcstions. 



.•ilJ 



serving, if tliey cannot get it at the time spe- 

 cified, the taste for it passes away, and be- 

 fore they have it again in their power to call, 

 they care nothing about it. 2d, Paper. This 

 ought to be thick and good ; for if the Cabi- 

 net becomes so great a favourite as I intend, 

 it will be read, not only by the farmer, but 

 by his wife and family also — and not only 

 read, but examined, and unless the paper is 

 good and strong, it will soon become in an 

 unfit state for binding at the end of the year, 

 —an object of much importance, as my wish 

 is, to form of it an agricultural library and 

 book of reference ; and to that purpose the 

 subscribers may look with confidence, now 

 that the work is in the hands of men, " who 

 are as willing as they are able, to make it a 

 work worthy of the state and the country." 



Matter. — The observation expressed by 

 the editor, that " the people of this country 

 would prefer to know rather how their neigh- 

 bours in other parts are doing, than of these 

 countries, where the soil, climate, and cir- 

 cumstances are so different," is good ; and, 

 with the understanding that this is not to de- 

 prive us of the knowledge of what is really 

 valuable from foreign sources, has met with 

 universal approbation : it must not, however, 

 be forgotten, that practical agriculturists are 

 capable of digesting strong food — real prac- 

 tical knowledge and information, drest and 

 served up in a plain way, with but little of 

 the garnish — this is what they prefer, and for 

 which they have a relish, and would rather 

 take than leave — that is the criterion. My 

 wife and daughters, however, the latter of 

 whom are of an age to read and understand, 

 remind me, that I promised to put in a word 

 for them ; they believe there is room, if the 

 super-garnish be left out, to admit a little of 

 that sort of lighter food, which would be 

 more palatable to the female portion of your 

 readers, — a new class, perhaps, but which, 

 if I mistake not, will be found henceforth to 

 be pretty numerous : and they hope that 

 poetry of the best and purest kinds, very 

 small in quantity, and not foreign to the cha- 

 racter of the work, will sometimes find its 

 way into your pages. And I must add, I 

 trust the time is coming when, if the farmer 

 has not leisure to read the Cabinet, it will 

 not be found lying on the window or book- 

 shelf uncut, till the next month, but that the 

 wife and daughters will feel so far interested, 

 as to cut and stitch it into paper covers, ready 

 for his use, when he retires to his arm-chair, 

 after the labours of the day. But let me just 

 whisper, — my wife thinks that the wives of 

 farmers generally, ought to I)e supposed able 

 to make johnny-cakes and molasses ginger- 

 bread, without printed instructions in the 

 Farmers' Cabinet. 



MaNx\er. — Little and often, as all good far- 



mers say ; and upon this principle it is that 

 I take upon me to say— and this I do from 

 observation — Farmers in general like best 

 those articles wliicli treat on subjects in a 

 plain and concise manner, in xliort — for it 

 must be said — they like xhnrt artidcis ; they 

 suit the reading of the general class of agri- 

 culturists, who have often not time or incli- 

 nation to peruse a long article, even if to their 

 interest so to do ; and the preference for short 

 articles may be traced in almost every one, 

 who will admit that they at least are read firsts 

 while the sight of " To be continued," is a 

 poser to most, who, despairing of knowino- 

 where to take up "the thread of the dis" 

 course," decline entering upon the subject at 

 all. Now, this is not meant in disparage- 

 ment of essays of any length on important 

 subjects generally — by no means — it is only 

 intimated that such are better calculated for 

 the pages of standard works relating to their 

 particular subjects, rather than to those of 

 a periodical newspaper, consisting of 32 pages 

 only, monthly. It has been said, nothing is 

 more difficult than to cater for the public 

 taste ; I dare say it is difficult, but that is no 

 reason why it should not be done ; but in an 

 agricultural work, the taste of its readers is 

 very much the same, and confined pretty 

 much to the same dishes, and this narrows 

 the difficulty much : one thing is quite cer- 

 tain, all have a relish for real practical know- 

 ledge ; and if a farmer has experienced the 

 disappointment of his hope, in realizing a 

 large return from extra management, there 

 is not a farmer, far or near, who will not en- 

 ter into the subject, and listen attentively 

 while he records the circumstance from end 

 to end; this might be termed "weeping with 

 those who weep," while the account of 

 enormous crops from peculiar management, 

 stating time, place, and circumstances, would 

 be sure to interest every one, and this would 

 be "rejoicing with those that do rejoice," — 

 proof positive of good fellowship. 



Embellishments. — I see it advertised 

 that engravings will be given on suitable oc- 

 casions ; and for once, I believe that the read- 

 ers of the Cabinet have fair grounds to ex- 

 pect that the promise will be redeemed : they, 

 it must be admitted, have of late been wo- 

 fully disappointed in their expectations in 

 this particular, and I have sometimes won- 

 dered how they have submitted so quietly; 

 but such quietness is often the worst sign of 

 disease. I would, therefore, respectfully pro- 

 pose to the proprietors to make the Cabinet, 

 in this particular, "a thing to be coveted." 

 I would place it by this, and every other 

 means, beyond the possibility of competition. 

 There is a grand field open, and they ought 

 to take possession of it. They could give us 

 real portraits of the horse, cattle, sheep, hog, 



