14 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



n single mountain, or mine, or coal-pit, or any im- 

 jiortant manufactory, and occupied by a population 

 ;ilnioet exclusively agricuKural. 



" Lot us suppose these three strangers to meet at 

 tile termination of their journeys, and to compare 

 their respective observations ; how different would 

 be the results to which each would have arrived, 

 respecting the actual condition of Groat. Britain. 

 The first would represent it as a thinly peopled re- 

 gion of barren mountaijis; the second, as aland 

 of rich pastures, crowdi>d with a flnurishing popu- 

 lation of manufactures; the third, us o greatcorn- 

 field, occupied by persons almost exclusively en- 

 gaged in the pursuits of husbandry. 



"These dissimilar conditions of three great di- 

 visions of our countrj-, result from differences in 

 the geological structure of the districts througli 

 which our three travellers have been conducted. The 

 first will have seen only those nortli-werstern j>or- 

 tions of Britain, tliat are composed of rocks belong- 

 ing to the primary and transition series: the 

 second will have traversed those fertile portions of 

 the new red sandstone formation wliich are made 

 np of the detritus of more ancient rocks, and have 

 beneath, and near them, inestimable treasures of 

 mineral coal: the third will have confined his route 

 to worlds of limestone and downs of chalk, which 

 archest adapted for sheep-walks, and the production 

 of corn. 



"Hence it appears that the numerical amount of 

 our population, their varied occupations, and the 

 fundamental sources of their industry and wealth, 

 depend, in a great degree, upon tlir geological char- 

 acter of the strata on wliicli they live. Their 

 physical condition also, as indicated by the dura- 

 tion of life and health, depending on the more or 

 less salubrious nature of their employments; and 

 their moral condition, as far as it is connected with 

 these employments, are directly affected by the ge- 

 ological causes in which their various occupations 

 originate." 



From Ihe Alhpnv CnliivalMr. 



Spirit of AgricuHnral Improvement in 



England. 



The spirit of agricultural improvement seems to 

 have been awakened in England in an eminent de- 

 gree, and a zeal to pervade all classes, particularly 

 tliose of the higher orders, to give to this primary 

 branch of labor, every stimulus and encouragement 

 to improvement, as the great business which consti- 

 tue:; the basis, of national prosperity and greatness. 

 Not only has a national society been organized dur- 

 ing the last year, but several county societies have 

 gone into operation, under the most flattering pros- 

 pects of usefulness. We make some extracts be- 

 low, from the proceedings of the Yorkshire socie- 

 ty, at tlieir first annual show, as well to show the 

 spirit that prevails there, as that our readers may 

 profit by tlie information and suggestions which 

 they contain. After the exhibition had closed, 

 which was remarkable for the great number of fine 

 animals, and new and useful implements of hus- 

 bandry, whicli were shown, twelve hundred per- 

 sons sat down to dinner, which being finished, and 

 the health of the royal family drank — the Chair- 

 man, Earl Spencer, rose to explain tlie objects of 

 the society. 



"This being the first dinner of the Yorkshire 

 Agricultural Society," he remarked, "I fi'el that 

 it is my duty to call your attention to the objects 

 we had in view in establishing this society. Tliose 

 objects are, to promote agriculture in all its differ- 

 ent branches — to render the cultivation of the soil, 

 and the breeding of stock, as improved as the 

 present knowledge of the country can make it — 

 wliat I mean by improvement in agriculture and 

 good farming is, to cause the greatest amount of 

 produce at the least possible expense. It is not 

 that we %vish to encourage farmers iu extravagant 

 expenses to m.ake their farms like gardens, when 

 that will not answer the purpose of their pockets — 

 but to employ their capital judiciously, so as to im- 

 prove the land, and obtain as large a return as they 

 can for the money they lay out. On this, the first 

 occasion of our merting, we have had a good ex- 

 hibition of stock, and now, I am happy to say, a 

 full attendance of members. The exhibition we 

 have had to-day, I need not tell you, is admirable 

 as to the quality of the animals shown, and the 

 number w.as very great indeed. But the object of 

 tliis meeting is not merely the exliibition of stock ; 

 it is collecting together a body of the farmers of 

 Eno-land, in order that they may, by communicat- 

 ing^with one another, and by what they see and 

 hear, improve themselves in "the profession in which 

 they are engaged. When 1 address this large as. 

 seinbly, in tliis I can also say, that wo have been 

 successful. It is not necessary for me to tell you 

 what the advantages are of improving tlie breed of 

 cattle. I do not recommend to iV- lers of small 



capital to attempt to buy females of great value, 

 and lav out large sums to produce male animnlsfor 

 the benefit of others; becaupi nothing is more es- 

 sential in farming than that a man should consider 

 the capital he has, before he engages in any under- 

 taking; but it is for persons of large capital to en- 

 deavor, by taking pains themselves, to produce male 

 animals, fit to improve the different breeds of do- 

 mestic cattle in this countrj'. These exhibitions 

 are of the greatest advantage, not merely to per- 

 sons of the class I have described, but to all farm- 

 ers whatever. Although I would not recommend 

 any extravagant expenses, depend upon it, if you 

 be careful in the selection of your male animals, 

 you will, even with more moderate females, farm 

 to greater profit. This society also seeks to im- 

 prove the cultivation of land. I need not tell such 

 a meeting as I am now addressing, that the throw- 

 ing away manure upon the growth of weeds is not 

 a profitable way of farming; that leaving land un- 

 draincd and growing rushes instead of grasses, is 

 not good farming ; tliat getting out the heart, by 

 neglecting land, and not applying a proper degree 

 of cultivation is unprofitable — because depend up- 

 on it, that money laid out in improving is the mon- 

 ey tliat will come the quickest back again into your 

 own pockets. With this view, the society has given 

 premiums for the best cultivated farms. By so doing, 

 I am quite sure, we are not only giving those good 

 farmers new information, but we arc encouraging 

 them in doing their best. Besides those, we have 

 given prizes for publication's on agricultural sul)- 

 jects. It is our intention that each member shall 

 receive a copy of the prize essays gratis, on apply- 

 ing to the secretary. I have stated the objects of 

 this society, and the modes by wliicli we intend to 

 promote it — our object is to produce the food of man 

 in the cheapest manner in which food can be pro- 

 duced. I think the society deserves the support of 

 not merely landlords and farmers, and those con- 

 nected with agriculture, and the value of land, but 

 also of the commercial and manufacturing classes 

 of the country; it is also good for the laborers of 

 the country ; in short, a society whicli has for its 

 professed object, food at the cheapest rate, is good 

 for every one who eats." 



P. B. Thompson — "One of the first objects of 

 tliese meetings, in addition to what had been so 

 ably stated by his noble friend, was to keep up an 

 open, unreserved communication, between gentle- 

 men and farmers, wliich he trusted that meeting 

 would promote to the utmost of their power. It 

 was not by speeches, but by jdain, honest, unre- 

 served conversation, that he thought these meetings 

 ought to be sustained ; and if any person knew any 

 thing more than his neighbor, he was bound to 

 state it. Well, then, yesterday morning, he re- 

 ceived a parcel of wheat from Berkshire, which he 

 thought likely to be serviceable if grown in this 

 country. It was found three years ago, growing 

 on the mountains of Switzerland ; since then it had 

 been grown in England, and the sample he produe- 

 ed was grown in Berkshire, it was sown on the 

 firsfof February, called Royal standard wheat, the 

 crop had now (2;ith Aug.) been reaped a fortnight 

 and was supposed to be at least seven quarters [;j() 

 bushels] to the acre. .Another subject worthy their 

 attention was the application and formation of ma- 

 nure with the least possible waste ; next year hi' 

 hoped to he able to give them some useful informa- 

 tion upon this point. He never enjoyed a greater 

 pleasure tlian in v.-itnessing the cattle thatday. He 

 never looked over so good an exhibition of female 

 stock as he had witnessed that day — indeed 200 

 guineas [.$032] had been oiTered forone of the cows 

 shown. That was a practical proof of his noble 

 friend's observation, that money came back again 

 to the farmer's pocket. ' 



J. W. Childers, Esq. M. P.— "He believed that 

 an exhibition such as he had that day witnessed, 

 had scarcely ever before been seen in England. 

 But he thought that only a beginning, when he 

 saw that within a month or two, tiic .society had 

 doubled the number of its subscribers, he felt that 

 the societv would go on increasing from year to 

 year, until its extent was only equalled by the 

 Highland Society, on the model of which it was 

 formed. The Highland Society numbered 3,000 

 members, and seeing that they had reached SOU, He 

 had verv little doubt th:it they would also reach 

 3,000." Mr. Childers said he vras about to propose 

 as a toast — "the cultivator of the best farm" — and 

 proceeded to say — "he trusted in time that every 

 farm in Yorkshire would be raised to the state of 

 this prize farm. He believed it was considered al- 

 most a garden, being in such fine condition, and ho 

 saw no reason why the country should not teem 

 with farms of this description. What was it that 

 trave this farm such a superiority .' its soil was nat- 

 urally good, but so was the soil of a great deal more 

 laud in Yorkshire — it was science and capital. 



united, that gave those fertile and beneficial re- 

 sults." 



W. R. C. Stansfield, Esq. M. P.— proposed the 

 health of Mr. James Roberts, the tenant who, with- 

 in the last five years, had drained, in the most ef- 

 fectual, judicious and economical manni.n', the larg- 

 est quantity of land in proportion to his occupation. 

 He had the greatest satisfaction in calling their at- 

 tention to what ire conceived was one of the most im- 

 portant branches of the society's operations — drain- 

 age he considered the foundation of every thing. 

 Unless they had the means of preparing the soil 

 for the manure and seed, all was wasted. He fear- 

 ed this subject was little considered, either in Eng- 

 land or Scotland ; if he took his own neighborhood 

 as an example, a mountainous country, witii a nu- 

 merous and very industrious population, the means 

 of improvement by draining had scarcely begun. 

 Without draining, land was unfit for turnips or 

 seed husbandry — it was. unfit for human occupa- 

 tion." 



Mr. Bates, a successful competitor, on his health 

 being drank, made a handsome acknowledgement. 

 He drew a contrast between the condition of the 

 cattle now and fifty years ago; and proceeded to say, 

 that 



" The interests of agriculture he considered of 

 permanent national importance; it wa,s a science to 

 which clicmistry and all other branches of natural 

 philosophy ought to give place. He alluded to the 

 propo;<al for introducing a section of agriculture in 

 the British Association, and regretted that there 

 was not a Professor of Agriculture in eitlier of the 

 universities." 



E. S. Caley, Esq. M. P.— "Thus it was, that as 

 science advanced, agricultural operations were car- 

 ried on with ten times more advantage than before, 

 merely, because, instead of the observations of one 

 man, or two men, they had now the result of the com- 

 bined operations of all the world. That was the rea- 

 son why heanticipated the greatest advantages from 

 meetings like that. They were all brought togeth- 

 er, not merely to look at the fat stock, as Earl Spen- 

 cer had observed, but to join in harmony, to impart 

 the result of their own observations, and to receive 

 information from the experience of others ; and as 

 it is well known that two heads are better than one, 

 they are mucli more likely to draw true, faithful 

 and profitable conclusions, as related to agricultur- 

 al operations, by meeting there and comparing tiieir 

 different conclusions, than they would be if they 

 were all to stay at home and say nothing. He did 

 not say that they could not learn anything by stay- 

 ing at home ; but, at all events, they could not 

 learn what their neighbors were doing. There 

 was an old saying prevalent in the world, about an 

 old country woman, who had never been from home 

 in her life, but on the occasion of her young mis- 

 tress being married, was prevailed on to go to the 

 next village to see the festivities, and on getting 

 to the top of the hill, she said — 'Lord hey massy on 

 us ! wheeaivver thowt t'world was hoaf see big as 

 this!" lie mentioned tliis to illustrate the advan- 

 tages of not staying at home, in order, not merely 

 to learn from others, but to communicate to others 

 what they knew themselves. He would say to 

 them — 'freely ye have received, freely give.' It 

 was not merely for the love of gain they were as- 

 sembled together on that occasion, or that they 

 cultivated the noble science to wliich they were ad- 

 dicted ; it was not merely for the sake of gain, but 

 for the pleasure of breeding the best ox, or culti- 

 vating the best farm. There was something be- 

 yond this, some better feeling in their nature to 

 gratify, than the mere love of gain. Was it not a 

 manly, an honorable satisfaction, — what was called 

 in Yorkshire 'a bit of pride,' to sliow the bestsheof) 

 or ox to their neighbors. It was not merely the 

 love of gain, but the love of approbation, it was j. 

 pleasure to their hearts to looli round their own 

 farm-yards, and see to what perfection things might 

 be brought, what symmetry their f >rms might be 

 made to exhibit. It was not merely the love of 

 gain but the love of beauty, and the love of praise 

 from their neighbors, who were alike gratified in 

 aft'ording it. It could not but be gratifying to them 

 to see almost all the gentry of tiie country collect- 

 ed together here to view and admire their produc- 

 tions." 



Wool and Manufactures in Vermont. 



We have been furnished by the author with a 

 cojiy of the address of Heskv SrEvE.Ns, Esq. at 

 the Caledonia Cattle Fair tiolden at St. Johnsbury.. 

 Vermont, September 27, 1S38. We very much ap 

 prove the general spirit of this production. The 

 following quotation presents facts interesting no! 

 only to Vermont, but to New Hampshire and the 

 whole country : 



" I propose to show the amount of wool and wool- 

 len goods, imported from foreign '^^"■ntries into the 



