F A R Al E R S ' REGISTER 



275 



avorsion to wiilirig on ihai subject lor publication." 

 This was addressed to the Plate society, whose 

 chief object was to operate on the public, throutrli 

 the niodium of the pre:^s. The remark certainly 

 cannot be applied wiih the same Ibrce to county 

 societies ; yet such ol" their members as possess 

 inlbrmation which would benefit the pubhc, can- 

 not justifiably withhold it. But while our mem- 

 bers, <!;enerally, should not be expected to write 

 lor publication, I doubt much whether the cliief 

 obstacle to the success oi' our society for the pro- 

 motion of agriculture will not be "the morbid 

 aversion," to writing (or the good of the society. 

 In our associated capacity, we can only benefit 

 each other, by either written or verbal inlbrm-ition. 

 What is communicated in writing is the most va- 

 luable, as it is commonly prepared with more care 

 and system, and the communications beinij the 

 property of the society, can be referred to whene- 

 ver it is desirable. Here permit me to express 

 my stronir approbation of that regulation of our 

 society, which requires such a communication 

 from each tnember, at our annual meetings. Tliis 

 alone, if it be liiithfully aitended to, cannot fail 

 to render our institution both interesting and use- 

 ful. There is scarcely one member amongst us 

 who does not know something unknown !o some, 

 or all, of the rest. Could we, on meeting toge- 

 ther, hear from each member an elaborate essay 

 on some asricultural subject, or the details oi 

 eome experiment carefully conducted and report- 

 ed, we should s|)end the day more pleasantly and 

 profitably than we have done in some of our com- 

 paratively silent meetinus. Tlie society might 

 also, occasional!}', tiave the pleasure of difhising 

 inlbrmation considered valuable, by publishing 

 some of these communications. 



But, gentlemen, I trust you will pardon the re- 

 mark, when [ observe that it is rather too sonn to 

 complain of a deficiency of agricultural writing, 

 while there is so little ajrricultural reading among 

 us. The " Cultivator," published in Albany, 

 New York, is an exceedingly cheap and valuable 

 periodical. This, I l)elieve, is taken by a goodly 

 number of our members. "The t^armers' Re- 

 gister," published in our own state, which I con- 

 sider cheap at five dollars, but which may be 

 had for half* that sum, by punctually paying in 

 advance of each volume, has on its list of sub- 

 scribers the names of hardly half a dozen of our 

 members. In these days, when it is so common 

 for one to know and to say what other people 

 ou^ht to do, 1 suppose I shall hardly yive ofi'ence, 

 by observing that I should be highly pleased to 

 know, that not only every member of our society, 

 but every man who drives a plough in our com- 

 monwealth, was a subscriber liir both ol' these 

 works. The veteran editor of " The American 

 Farmer," in Baitimore, has also returned to his 

 old post, and deserves as much, at the hands oi 

 the agricultural community, as any man living. 

 There is nothing very pleasant in the office, but I 

 will volunteer as agent for either or all of these 

 works, and trust I shall be able to obtain some 

 subscribers. Most of us take political papers, 



* On referring to the " conditions " of the Register, 

 I find that I was not exactly correct ir, tfie above 

 statement. Two new subscribers, or any old one, 

 who will find a new one to join him, can get the work 

 for half price, by paying in advance. See Conditions 

 of publication.— W.' S.~ M. 



which sometimes put us in an ill humor. Agri- 

 cultural papers, so jar as I can speak liom expe- 

 rience, have a powerful tendency to soothe the 

 temper. The one may iherelbre be prescribed 

 as an antidote against the poison of ihe other. 

 In almost all human vocations, it is expected that 

 some apprenticeship shall be served, or some stu- 

 dious preparation undergone, in order to the pro- 

 per qualification of the votary. In the learned 

 prolessions, much and laborious study is consider- 

 ed indispensable. A knowledge of architecture 

 is tiecessary lor complete carpentry. Even the 

 tailors, I understand, are beginning to cut coals 

 scientifically. Possibly that may be the reason of 

 the great increase in their rates of charging. 

 Agriculture, alone, may be pursued without pre- 

 vious pieparation, and without a constant efiort to 

 improve in knowledge. Reading, alone, certainly 

 cannot make the practical and successful farmer; 

 but it will afford him, in an easy and expeditious 

 manner, inlbrmation which his lilnime would be 

 too fhortto learn from experiment. 



Among the obstacles to the success of agricul- 

 tural societies, has been enumerated the perpetui- 

 ty of office in the persons of Ihe same individuals. 

 Rotation in office is said to be the lile of republics. 

 Lile is certainly an article much needed at present 

 by our society. I can hardly conceive of any 

 thing better calculated to infuse this, than to place, 

 at least, the higher offices in new hands. Your 

 president should be changed once a year. The 

 present incumbent, while thanklLiI for past confi- 

 dence, would gladly resign ihe chair to another. 



I lee! unwilling to close this hastily prepared 

 address, without incorporating into it something 

 of a practical character. There was a plough in- 

 troduced into this region, about ten years ago, 

 made by Clute and Reagles of Schenectady, 

 New York, which, for strength and durability, Ibr 

 facility of draught, and the beauty and thorougli 

 execution of its work, f think unequalled by any- 

 thing of the kind I have ever seen. Indeed, E 

 consider it as far before the best ploughs of other 

 kinds, that I have used, as these are before some 

 ploughs that [ have sometimes seen, drawn by a 

 I)airof miserable horses, and not only driven, but, 

 mended very frequently by a negro boy, whose 

 best implements Ibr the operation were a lew rusty 

 old crooked nails, and a stone for a hammer. 

 The owner of this plough was certainly not in 

 the habit of making calculations. 



In conclusion, gentlemen, permit me once more 

 to urge a renewed efiort for ihe prosperity of our 

 society, and to tendsr to each, and to all of you, 

 my most hearty wishes Ibr your success in agri- 

 culture, and your success in every thing. 



CURING HAY. 



From the American tanner. 



In an early number of the Farmers' Register, 

 instructions are given for curing hay, which I have 

 adopted, and pursued advantageously for several 

 years ; and, as many of your readers may not 

 have seen that work, perhaps this communication 

 may result in benefit to some of them. 



I prepare stakes seven feet long, and two inches 

 in diameter, sharpened at both ends — hay cut in the 

 morning, if the weather is clear, is collected by a 



