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F A R M i: R S ' REGISTER. 



29 



That hence it is ol" primary importance to all, 

 that thi.< irrcat branch ol'Jahor should he specially 

 enconi-aiiccl ami honored, and that the agriculturist 

 should hiniseir receive all those menial aids, and 

 that stinuilus to industry, which are calcidated to 

 make him more prosperous in Ids busmess, and 

 more usiMid to society; — 



That we are now particularly adonionished, by 

 the scarcity and veryhitrh price of all the products 

 orairriculture, to put liirlh our ellorts to enlighten 

 its labors and increase its productions; — 



That, to the leirislature of the state, as the 

 constituted <riianlians of the public weal, par- 

 ticularly appertains the duty offostering and im- 

 proviiijx iliis primary source of our wealth and 

 liapi iuess; — 



That from the experience of the past, at home 

 and abroad, this convention are confident, that the , line 



ment, for the making and keeping in repair our 

 common roads. 



The resolutions were unanimously adopted, 

 and a copy thereof ordered to beiiresented to each 

 house of the legislature. 



Importance of Ganlogkal Inveftiigatinns to Jgri- 

 cuUurc, and to National Prosperity. 



Mr. Mather, of the slate geological corps, read 

 the following report : 



The Agricultural Convention having requested 

 a statemeTit of some of the advantages which may 

 probably result to the agricultural and other inter- 

 ests, from the geological survey of the state now 



hi progress, I will proceed lo sketch a slight out- 



patronage of the government may be advan 

 tageously extended, and without detriment to the 

 financial operations of its treasury, to this great 

 object; — 



1. By so raising the standard of instruction to the 

 children of agriculture, as to enable them to un- 

 derstand, and to apply to productive labor, the 

 best practices and improvements of the age; and, 



2. By imitating the successful examples furnish- 

 ed b}' other irovernments, of calling forth the skill, 

 industry and competition of our citizens, by pecu- 

 ninary rewards and honorary distinctions; — 



'JMiat itiiluenced by these views, the Convention 

 res[)ectfully recommend to the legislature, to 

 appropriate a permanent fund, the interest of 

 which shall amount to at least thirty thnusaand 

 dollars a year, to encourage the establishment 

 and to sustain in usefulness, a central, and county 



When we look around upon the surface of our 

 country, we are apt to conclude that the materials 

 forming it, are arranged without any regularity or 

 order; but it is not so. The laborious investiga- 

 tions of the geologist and mineralogist have de- 

 monstrated, that tliere is a regular order in lohich 

 these aggregate masses of strata, called forviations, 

 are super-imposed u])on each other, and this order 

 is never inverted. 



Another fiict of equal importance is, that certain 

 mineral substances arc most constantly associated 

 with each other, and also, that they are found in 

 particular kinds of rocks. 



The geologist, guided by these facts, in traver- 

 sing any district of country, knows what mineral 

 substances and rocks will probably be found. He 

 is thus guided in his searcli for coal, valuable ores, 

 salt, cypsum, lituestone, lor marbles, for lime and 



agricultural sorieties, and to promote, generally. | hydraulic cement, and all the various minerals and 

 the imerests of husbandry, under such regulations | rocks which can be applied to usefijl purposes, 

 and restrictions as to them shall seem meet; and j Geology thus serves to point out the geographi- 

 that provision be made by law, for introducing | cal positions in which particular minerals may be 

 into ourcommon schools, such books of elementary expected, and geological investigations serve to 

 science, as may be best calculated to accelerate trace out the particular localities, so that the public 

 our improvements in the arts of productive la- i may reap the benefit. 



The geological survey now in progress, has 

 made such developemcuts of our rich and varied 

 mineral resources, as will serve to introduce vari- 

 ous new branches of industry, afibrd new fields 

 for profitable employment and investment of capital, 

 and add a new impulse to the rapidly growing 

 prosperity of the state. 



Another important object of the survey will be 

 to undeceive the public mind in relation to the nu- 

 merous fruitless researches for coal, silver, gold, 

 tin, lead, &c. which are so often sought in the 

 bowels of the earth where there is not even apro- 

 hahility that they will be found. Hundreds of our 

 fellow-citizens have been duped by the interested 

 motives of a class of ignorant men, who pretend 

 by mineral rods, and other means, to have the 

 power of discovering valuable metals. In these 

 persons, some of our citizens have placed such im- 

 plicit confiilence, that their whole estates have 

 been expended ere they have repented of their 

 credulity. The mining mania along the Hudson 

 is for finding coal, and it has very frequently been 

 announced, "that valuable beds had been discover- 

 ed. In some instances comjianies have been 

 formed, and explorations made, but every instance 

 which has come under my observation was fruit- 

 less, and any well informed or practical geologist 

 would have'said at once, on seeing the place, that 



bo 



Resolved, That there are many new implements 

 of husbandry, calculated greatly to abridge agri- 

 cultural labor, and to increase its products and its 

 profits; that there are many also offered for sale, 

 that are unworthy of public patronage; that from 

 the difficulty, in the farmer, of determining, on 

 superficial inspection, the relative merits of' such 

 implements, many impositions are sustained, and 

 an injurious want of confidence necessarily exists 

 in those which are eminently useful; that to remedy 

 tiiese evils, and to facilitate the more general 

 introduction of labor-saving implements, it be 

 recommended to the State Agricultural Society, 

 to appoint a board of inspectors to examine, tho- 

 roughly to test, and to determine and certify, the 

 relative merits of all new fiarm implements and 

 machinery which may be presented to them for 

 inspection; that said board comprise men of me- 

 chanical science, practical machinists, and exper- 

 ienced fiirmers; that they hold semi-annual meet- 

 ings for this purpose, and that it be respectfully 

 recommended to the legislature, to provide a rea- 

 sonable compensation to the members of said 

 board, while necessarily engaged in the duties of 

 their appointment. 



Resolved, That this convention recommend tlie 

 substitution of a money, instead of a labor assess- 



