THE FA 



' REGISTER. 



Vol.. II. 



FEBRUARY, 1835. 



No. 9. 



EDMUNO RUFFIW, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. 



ON THE USUAL COURSE OF PROCEDURE OF 

 AGUICUI.TURAL SOCIETIES. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Bee. 1, 1834. 



The, rapi.l increase of our agricultural societies, 

 since the establishment of the "Farmers' Regis- 

 ter," to which I coni^ilently ascribe it, has been a 

 source of much gratiiication to one who has been, 

 so long as I have, a firm believer in. their great 

 utilityf But many things are wanting in tlieir 

 usual management to render them as beneficial as 

 tliey might be, to tiie generai interests of husban- 

 dry. The cause of this deficiency it is needless to 

 investigate; but it is highly important, if I am 

 rieht as to the fact, that the errors should be 

 jjointed out, and some remedy suggested. This 

 I jiropose to do, if an old campaigner in such mat- 

 ters may hope to be acquitted by his agricultural 

 brethren, oi" presum])tiun in taking upon himself 

 this monitorial otTice. 



In the first place, there is too little punctuality 

 on the part of their members, in attending their 

 periodical meetings. There are two great disad- 

 vantages in this — one is, the total loss of their 

 persona! co-operation; the other — the usual non- 

 payment by such absentees, of their annunl sub- 

 scriptions, which is almost sure to produce displea- 

 sure, if not withdrawal, when these arrearages are 

 demanded; especially if they have been suffered 

 to accumulate for two, or three, or four years. 



In the next place there is far too great a back- 

 wardness on the part of those who do attend these 

 meetings, in communicating individually, either 

 verbally, or in writing, the results of each mem- 

 ber's own agricultural experience for the past 

 year, or six months, according as their meetings 

 may be annual or semi-annual. A false modesty, 

 or still less excusable indolence, is the cause ot 

 this, and the consequence to the society is, that 

 each attending member returns home very little 

 wiser than he was in regard to the chief objects 

 for which such societies are established. The 

 most important of these surely is, to enable each 

 member to add something to his own professional 

 knowledge, by free and frank communications in 



management and condition of his own farm, (if 

 lie has one,) for the preceding six or twelve 

 months. These, when written, might be in a tab- 

 ular form, such as I myseif knov/, (fi^r I have 

 seen them) were constantly made by Gen. Wash- 

 ington's manager, at Mount Vernon, and Avhich 

 were as minute and particular, as any that he ever 

 required iiom the he;ids of the different depart- 

 ments in his army. Reports made oji similar prin- 

 ciples, and witli equal care, to our agricultural so- 

 cieties, by their respective members, would f()rm a 

 body of agricultural statistics, highly valuable to 

 each, at the same time that tliey would diifuse 

 more rapidly tlym by any other means, over the 

 entire country within the limits of every society, 

 the whole stock of knowledge possessed by it3 

 members, in all the different branches of husban- 

 dry. Then, indeed, but not until then, would 

 these societies soon prove how much good they are 

 capable of effecting, and how rapidly by their 

 agency, the now melancholy aspect of most of our 

 arable lands n)iglu be changed to an appearance 

 of exuberance and joyous plenty. One of the hap<- 

 piest eflijcts of this'conviction, would be to checlc, 

 at least, if not entiiely to banish from good old 

 Virginia, that desolating spirit of emigration which 

 has long been, and still is tearing asunder among 

 us, the lies — not only of neighborhood, long ac- 

 quaintance, a:nd friendship, but of blood — of iiimi-_ 

 ly union — of fathers — mothers, and children — of 

 brothers and sisters — and in some instances, even 

 of husbands and wives. When once these bonds 

 of natural affinity are ruptured, a cold-blooded sel- 

 fishness — an insatiate money-gcttmg spirit — is 

 apt to get possession of us, to the exclusion of al- 

 most all our better leelings and affections. We 

 soon lose all altachmeut to the homes of our la- 

 tliers — we never again feel settled; and are ready 

 at a ?^\\ hours notice, to flee with the speed of 

 wandering Arabs, to the extremities of the earth, 

 in search of other new lands, provided only, we 

 have persuaded ourselves, that they wfil yield ua 

 more money! more money! 



Another evil which greatly lessens the utility 

 of our a.gr!cultural societies, at least where their 

 fimds enable them to have shows and fairs, is 



terchangeably made by all. Until this can be reg- 1 the principles upon which they award their pre ■ 

 ularly and constantly done at the regidar meetings jmiums. Although these principles have again 

 of every societ}-, they will jirove but hitle more than i and again been demonstrated to be both false and 

 mere convivial assemblages of friends and ac- 1 highly pernicious, es'pecially by that excellent far- 

 quaintances, who like to see each other face to mer Timothy Pickering, so long president of the 

 face, and to shake hands at least once or twice a most celebrated of all the northern and eastern 



year. 



The remedy which I would respectfully suggest 

 for the first evil is, the punctual attendance of the 

 members at all the meetings of their respective 

 societies — an attendance which nothing should be 

 suffered to prevent, but some urgent necessity — 

 and the no less punctual payment of every annual 

 subscription. 



To prevent the second evil, I would most ear- 

 nestly recommend that every attending member 

 shoidd hold himself bound to make some state- 

 ment, either verbal or written, no matter how con- 

 cise, provided it be sufficiently particular, of the | most anxious to obtain the premium without ra 



Vol. 11—39 



atjricultural societies, yet they still continue to re- 

 gulate the distribution of premiums in every so- 

 ciety with w^hich I am acquainted. Let it suffice 

 to exemplify my accusation by stating the cases 

 of fattened animals, whether exhibited on the hoof, 

 or slauglitered. Here the jjremium is invariably 

 awarded to the one which is judged to be the fat- 

 test, without the slightest inquiiy whatever, as to 

 the expense of feeding — even where a statement 

 upon honor of the process is required in theirhand- 

 bills. The consequence ahvays is, tliat the coni- 

 petitor who is most profuse in feeding — who is 



