THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



121 



upon the cart, a simple machine with a boy and 

 horsp and two men takes from tlie cart, hoists and 

 curries to any part of tlie extensive bay or scaffuld 

 in from five to eight minutes, a ton andalialfof 

 cured hay. The ordinary process would reqnirc 

 the severe straininot and lifting with the pitch fork 

 of two or more stout men at least half an hour., 



In preparing their fuel, the saw carried l)y water 

 power is made to perform the work of the hand and 

 tiie axe. At Canterbury, situated upoi\ groui-d so 

 hifrli that nature has denied the use of a large 

 stream of water, artificial ponds to catcii the suc- 

 cessive rains, one above another, have been creat- 

 ed, in which the water is retained by means of close 

 dams. On the falls between these ponds are erect- 

 ed mills with various machinery, whicli turn out 

 many of those fine manufactured articles common- 

 ly found for sale in the different parts .of the coun- 

 try. 



The Self Acting Cheese Press which was the 

 sole object of this article, it may be presumed will 

 hereafter become of that extensive use as to re- 

 ward the inventors and makers. It may be had at 

 the New England Agricultural Ware-house in Bos- 

 ton, and will be kept another season by some agent 

 in Concord, N. II. 



Agriculture in Ohio. 



There is not, perhaps in the civilized world, a 

 richer and more exuberant soil, than the bottom 

 lands of tlie State of Ohio. All reports of these 

 bottom lands in the vallyesof the Muskingum, the 

 Miami, &c. represent their fertility as holding 

 out beyond most others in the country. In the a 

 bundance of rich soil the great misfortune is, that 

 but little is done to renovate the land ivhen it is once 

 worn out : the fertilizing properties are taken a- 

 way, and the land is abandoned while no use is 

 made of the various manures which the land sup- 

 plies. 



A friend has furnished us with the ^^Rcport of 

 the First Annual Fair of the Miami J^trricttltnra/ 

 Soeiett/,'' held near Cincinnati on the I7th and Irith 

 October, 1838, together with the address of its 

 President, C. S. Ci,\kkson, from which we are 

 glad to see that the Cultivators in our young 

 Sister of the West are- becoming duly impressed 

 with the necessity of cherishing and feeding her 

 soil to keep up its fertility. The address is wortliy 

 of attention as coming from a practical man wiio 

 knows well how to "do good, and communicate" 

 to his fellow farmers in "words fitly spoken." We 

 cannot do a more acceptable service to the readers 

 of the Visitor tlian by making extracts of the prin- 

 cipal part of this address: 



l;XTRACTS. 



At the recent organization of the Miami Vallev 

 Agricultural Society, its members did me the 

 honor of electing me their President; and a dis- 

 tinguished honor I consider it. 



Tile Con5?tltution of the Society makes it imper- 

 ative on the presiding officer to deliver, or cause 

 to be delivered, an address at each Annual Fair. 

 In the discharge of this branch of my duty, 1 con- 

 sider myself far less at home tlianin the barn yard, 

 tlie well stocked pasture grounds, the meadow, or 

 the cultivated field ; with these I am familiar, tie 

 writing and delivering of speeches has been total- 

 ly out of my line. On the presentoccasioii howev- 

 er, 1 have determined to make the effort, believing 

 th:it a few plain, unvarnished facts, detailed to you 

 in a no less plain and simple manner bj* a farmer, 

 who can speak from experience, would be quite 

 as acceptable to this Society as an elegant address 

 delivered by an experienced and accomplished or- 

 ator, who spoke from books and theory «lonc. 



Rapiil Progress at Improvement in Ohio. 



Genti.e^ien, — The cause in which we are en- 

 gaged is one of deep and abidmg interest to the 

 prosperity and happiness of man ; stop the onward 

 march f)f agriculture, and j'ou sap the very foun- 

 dation of ail other branches of industrj' and enter- 

 prise, on which manis dependent for employment 

 liotli of body and mind. To what are v.e to at- 

 tribute our unrivalled prosperity and happiness as 

 a peo])le, but to this noble cause. Look but for a 

 moment at our beautiful and flourishin^city, [Cin- 

 cinati] the far famed and justly styled, "Queen of 

 the West." See the rapid strides she has made 

 and is still making to distinction. View with pride 

 and admiration, as you doubtless will do, the vari- 

 pus avenues leading her on to great wealth and 

 power. See her canals, turnpikes, and rail roads 

 tiiat are entering at all points; in front behold the 

 most beautiful river tliat flows in tlie world ; its 

 bosom covered with its hundreds of splendid steam 

 boats, that look more like floating palaces than 

 freight crafts, and arc continually leaving her 

 wharves, wafting to distant marjicts the millions 



of dollars worth of produce that reach the city 

 through her various channels of communication. 

 VVlience comes all this ! Cast your eyes for a mo- 

 ment, on the valley before you, and the hills tiiat 

 surround you ; then let your imagination lead you 

 up the rich and lovely region between the Miam- 

 ies, thence to the finely cultivated and extremely 

 fertile country north, west and east of you, and the 

 story is told. It is the advantage resulting from 

 the successful cultivation of the soil, in the rich 

 and productive region, in the midst of which our 

 lots are happily cast, concentrating at this point, 

 that have mainly built up your great and growing 

 city. 



Some fifty years ago the country round iia was 

 a wilderness, untrod by the footsteps of civilized 

 man, its forest unfelled, its soil unbroken, the 

 home of the deer, the wolf, the bear, and the buffa- 

 lo, and the no less wild man of the woods. What 

 is it now, and to what are we to attribute its 

 change .' To the woodman's axe, and the plough- 

 man's .share. See what enterprise and industry 

 have achieved in the short space of fifty years, and 

 judging from the past how deeply interesting is 

 the future. I conceive it almost beyond the reach 

 of man's imagination, to calculate the wealth and 

 power to which this country is destined to attain, 

 if it goes on to prosper for the next fifty years as it 

 has for the last. Tlie subjugation of this western 

 wilderness has been made under many disadvanta- 

 geous circumstances. Our enterprising pioneers 

 had to encounter innumerable difficulties, and 

 hardships to which the present generation are to- 

 tal strangers ; not only destitute, of the common 

 necessaries and comforts of life, but they had to 

 contend against a fierce and savage foe, who dis- 

 puted with them every inch of ground, and sought 

 their destruction by every stratagem which Indian 

 warfare could suggest. But the bold and daunt- 

 less spirits of our forefathers were not to be stopped 

 or even checked in their onward march. They 

 had seen, and to behold was to admire, this rich and 

 lovely country. They at once saw the incalcula- 

 ble advantages which must result from the culti- 

 vation of such a soil, situated so advantageously 

 as this entire western country, for the transporta- 

 tion of its products to the distant markets of the 

 world. Its climate too, being entirely congenial to 

 the health of the people, and to tlie rearing and 

 maturing of the most valuable grains and grasses 

 known to us, and happily adapted to the culture 

 'of the choicest fruits and vines. With these flat- 

 tering prospects before them, the bold, enthusias- 

 tic and daring spirits, who had left tlie quiet and 

 comfortable houses of their fathers for the western 

 world, resolved to conquer this wilderness and 

 cause it to smile as the rose, or die in the attempt. 

 The result of that experience, fellow citizens, we 

 are now enjoying, and in common with you all, I 

 rejoice at the innumerable blessings that surround 

 us. From the spot we now occupy we can behold 

 the hundreds of market wagons passing daily 

 with the products of the farms and gardens of the 

 adjacent country, for the supply of the citizens of 

 our flourishing city ; from the same spot we can 

 see hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce 

 daily iiassing down the canal, to be borne off to v.i- 

 rioiis and distant markets by steam boats and ships 

 which return laden with merchandize, the neces- 

 saries and luxuries of life. From this very spot, 

 fifty years ago, the savage was heard, and the white 

 man v/ho attempted to clear or cultivate the soil, 

 had to go to his labor armed, to protect himself a- 

 gainst the tnnialiawk and scalping knife of the In- 

 dian. Beliold the difference: see what industry 

 and enterprise can accomplish : Haifa century a- 

 go, the whole State of Ohio was a howling wilder- 

 ness; now it is covered with finely improved farms, 

 beautiful and growing cities, canals, turnpikes, and 

 rail roads ; and, contains within its borders a mil- 

 lion and a half of free, happ}', and prosperous citi- 

 zens. Let us go on with this enterprise and in- 

 dustry as opportunities and facilities occur, and 

 the time is not distant when our country will bear 

 a comparison with any otiler in the world. 



lUethod of preserving the soil and procur- 

 ing gre.atest product. Agricultural Im- 

 provements, Deep Ploughing. 



The great object, gentlemen, of cur Society, (as 

 expressed by its' Constitnticin,) is to promote the 

 science of Agriculture, and to that now let us turn 

 our attention, and briefly enquire what changes 

 and improvements are necessary in our system of 

 hnstjandry. 



The farmer :ir .cultivator of the soil, in the first 

 settlement of this region, had it not in his power 

 to deviate from the common course pursued in tlii' 

 opening and improving of new countries ; to clear 

 the ground and prepare it for the plough, when 

 time and circumstances enabled him to do »o ; but 



in most cases the Indian corn from which the staff 

 of life was to be produced, was planted and culti- 

 vated with the hoe, without the logs being remov- 

 ed ; and, for many years, the small grain was put 

 in the ground in the most slovenly manner. This 

 is no longer necessary in the beautiful Valley of 

 the Miamies. Our lands are now opened and pre- 

 pared for a better state of cultivation. Let us cul- 

 tivate them in the best manner, for the attainment 

 of two objects — the preservation of the soil, and 

 the greatest product from it. 



Then, fellow citizens, let me say to you in the 

 first place, put into the hands of your laborers, ag- 

 ricultural implements or farming tools worthy the 

 object in which you are eng.aged. Nothing can be 

 greater folly, or worse economy, than to give a man 

 an indift'erimt tool with with which to perform a 

 day's work, or to permit him to work with a good 

 one after it gets out of order. Every farmer should 

 have a tool-house, and make it the imperative duty 

 of the laborer, when his day's work is done, tojmt 

 his tools in their proper place. Time is money, 

 and it will be found that the time spent in looking 

 after misplaced tools, if saved, as it may be, by hav- 

 ing regular rules and strictly adhering to them, 

 would be a handsome item of profit. To enumer- 

 ate the various tools or implements, necessary to 

 carry on the various agricultural pursuits, is nei- 

 ther necessary nor expedient at this time. The 

 plough, the harrow, the hoe, the axe, the cultiva- 

 tor, the rake, the mowing scythe, the scythe and 

 cradle, and the roller, are amongst the most com- 

 mon and useful, indeed are indispensable to suc- 

 cessful farming. These should all be of the best 

 construction, and made of the best materials ; and 

 when you find the maker of an agricultural tool, 

 skillful and honest, encourage him ; you had bet- 

 ter pay two prices for a good farming utensil, than 

 have an indifferent one presented you. The rol- 

 ler I would strongly recommend to the use of ev- 

 ery farmer; it is of the greatest importance in lev- 

 elling the ground, especially that used for mead- 

 ows. It should be u.sed after the seed is sown ; it 

 will break the clods, render close and compact the 

 light soils, and cause the grass seeds to germinate, 

 when they otherwise would not, owing to the loose 

 and light texture of the soil, which prevents the 

 fibres of the roots from taking hold : add to this, 

 it gives a smooth level surface for mowing. Tiio 

 same reasons will apply, for the use of the roller, 

 in preparing the ground for small grain. It is sim- 

 ple in its construction, and its cost is very trifling. 

 The great improvem.ents that have taken place in 

 labor saving machines, and in implements of hus- 

 bandry generally, have been of incalculable value 

 to the farming interest of our country. May we 

 not hope that our improvements in agriculture will 

 keep pace with the rapid strides of the ingenious 

 mechanic. The time has passed when the farmer 

 may s:iy, "my father ploughed his grounds two and 

 three inches deep and I must do so too : it was his 

 custom to plough his hilly lands, directly up ami 

 down, and of course I only follow his example ; he 

 ns?d such and such tools, and ploughed and sow- 

 ed, reaped and mowed, after the fashion of the old- 

 en time, and why should I deviate from the customs 

 of my ancestors .■''' 



This course fellow citizens, will no longer bo 

 tolerated by the intelligent and enlightened farm- 

 era of our valley. Experience has proved to them 

 that deep ploughing is necessary for two objects : 

 first, you cannot calculate on a good crop, without 

 preparing your land properly to receive the seeds ; 

 and, secondly, you cannot expect to save the soil 

 from washing away, if you only loosen itj surface. 



Characteristics of the successful Farmer. 



The industrious and sagacious farmer pursues 

 his business with systematic skill ; at the proper 

 season he is seen clearing up his lands, and pre- 

 paring them for the plough ; at the proper season 

 in the spring, his grounds are turned over and 

 made ready for the reception of the seeds. In due 

 time, he is seen cultivating, assiduously, his crops ; 

 he goes on steadily, step by step, in the discharge 

 of the various duties of the husbandman, and when 

 he has thus performed them, he leaves tlie increa.se 

 to Ilim who made the soil and placed man upon it, 

 tliat by the sweat of the brow, he should earn his 

 bread. But how few in this region conduct their 

 farming operations systematically or profitably. 

 The farmer sliould understand his business as 

 thorouglily as the mechanic, the merchant, tho 

 lawyer, or the physician. To do this, ho must ap- 

 ply his mind as well as his body, to the task ; and 

 I kno\y of no einploymeut better calculated to a- 

 mnse, interest, and rivet tlie attention, than agri. 

 cultural pursuits. To the lover of nature and tho 

 admirer of her regular and systematic laws, an un- 

 bounded field is at all times laid open to his view; 

 he looks with admiration upon this vegctabloking 



