of insects and all the branches of Natural His- 

 tory — unless indeed they are content to remain, 

 and have their sons remain mere ignoble imita- 

 tive clod-hoppers. Once more we repeat that it 

 is the taste that is wanting. Be it then our 

 pleasing duty, ^^■ith a feeble hand but willing 

 heart, to assist many and more able fellow-labo- 

 rers in begetting such a taste ; and bow^ can that 

 be better done than by laying hold of the best 

 means within our reach, among which we re- 

 gard these philosophical disquisitions, sucli as 

 we find, already to our hand, in these foreign 

 weekly, monthly, and quarterly Agricultural 

 Journals. Disquisitions illustrated and support- 

 ed for the most part, by all the details of actual 

 experiments, and all the analogical circum- 

 stances necessary to intelligible and fair com- 

 parison and deduction? Is there any reason 

 vi-hy -we, who cater for the agricultural, should 

 be less alert, than he who panders to the gastro- 

 nomical appetite? Which is most useful, to 

 pamper the cravings of him ■whose hunger is 

 for knowledge ; or to go abroad for dainties and 

 fishioDS to humor the caprices of the glutton or 

 the fop ? 



Such at least are our vie\vs of some of the 

 wants of American agriculture, at this time ; 

 and of our duty and our means to supply them. 

 Whether, -wdiat -we shall offer, of articles thus 

 imported, deserves to be encouraged, until an 

 improving taste .shall hold out encouragement 

 sufiRcient to insure their domestic production, is 

 a question for our readers to decide. Our lib- 

 eral publishers tell us to go ahead and make a 

 fair experiment. If it fail it shall not be for 

 want of industry, and of heartfelt anxiety for 

 the prosperity of the interest to which we hope 

 to devote the residue of a life spent, -we assured- 

 ly may say, in no feeling of indiiference to the 

 honor and welfare of American Agriculture. 

 Having thus explained how we hope to benefit 

 the cause of American Hu.sbandry, by the pub- 

 lication of the best essays from abroad, for many 

 of w^hich, written by men of the bighe.st repu- 

 tation, large premiums are paid, ^vo proceed 

 now, with pleasure, to show our preference for 

 domestic production when of superior quality, 

 by giving place to one which obtained the pre- 

 mium from the New-York State Agricultural 

 Society which ought, of itself, to be sufficient to 

 give it the stamp of excellence — but which over 

 the signatui'e it beans, would sufficiently com- 

 mend itself to our attention and its author to our 

 thanks. 



ON FARM MANAGEMENT. 

 Prize Es.say — By J. J. Thomas. 

 The great importance of performing in the 

 best manner, the different operations of agricul- 

 ture, is obvious to every intelligent mind, for on 

 this depends the success of farming. But a good 

 performance of single operations merel}-, does 



not constitute the best farmer. The perfection 

 of the art, consi-sts not only in doing everything 

 well, individually, but in" a proper adjustmen"t 

 and systematic an-angement of all the jiarts, so 

 that they shall be done, not only in the best man- 

 ner and at the right time, but with the most ef- 

 fective and economical expenditure of labor and 

 m.oney. Every thing must move on with clock- 

 work regularity, without interference, even at 

 the most busy sea.sons of the year. 



As this subject includes the whole routine of 

 fanning, in a collected view, as well as in its 

 separate details, a treatise upon it might be made 

 to fill volumes; but this being necessarily con- 

 fined to a few pages, a general outline, with 

 some remarks on its more essential parts, can 

 only be given. 



Capital. — The first requisite in all undertak- 

 ings of magnitude, is to " count the cost." The 

 man who commences a building, which to fini.sh 

 would cost ten thousand dollars, with a capital 

 of only five thousand, is as certainly rained, as 

 many fanners are, who, without coun*^ing the 

 cost, commence on a scale to which their limited 

 means are wholly inadequate. One of the 

 greatest mistakes which young farmers make in 

 this country, in their anxious wish for large pos- 

 sessions, is, not only in purchasing more land 

 than they can pay for, but in the actual expen- 

 diture of all their means, without leaving any 

 even to beghi the great work of farming. Hence, 

 the farm continues for a long series of years 

 poorly projfided with stock, with implements, 

 with manure, and with the necessary labor. — 

 From this heavy drawback on the profits of his 

 land, the fanner is kept long in debt ; the bur- 

 then of which not only di.sheartens him, but pre- 

 vents that enterprise and energy which are es- 

 sential to success. This is one fruitful rea.son 

 why American agriculture is in many places in 

 so low a state. A close observer, in traveling 

 through the country, is thus enabled often to de- 

 cide fi'om the appearances of the buildings and 

 premises of each occupant, whether he is in or 

 out of debt. 



In England — M-here the enormous taxes of 

 different kinds, imperiously compel the cultiva- 

 tor to fimn well, or not fann at all — the indispen- 

 sable neces.sity of a heavy capital to begin with, 

 is fully understood. The man who merely rents 

 a farm there must possess as much to stock it 

 and commence operations, as the man who l>vys 

 and pays for a farm of equal size in the best 

 parts of western New- York. The result is, that 

 he is enabled to do every thing in the best man- 

 ner ; he is not compelled to bring his goods pre- 

 maturely to market, to supply his pressing 

 wants ; and by having ready money always at 

 command, he can [jerform every operation at 

 the very best season for product and economy, 

 and make purchases, when necessary, at the 

 most advantageous rate. The English farmer is 

 thus able to pay an amount of ta.x, often more 

 than the whole product of fanns of equal extent 

 in this country. 



The importance of possessing the means of 

 doing every thing at exactly the right season, 

 cannot be too highly appreciated. One or two 

 illustrations may set this in a clearer light. Two 

 farmers had each a crop of nita-bagas, of an 

 acre each. The first, by hoeing his crop early, 

 while the \veeds\vere only an inch high, accom- 

 plished the task with two days work, and the 

 young plants then pre%v vigorously and yielded 

 a heavy return. The second, being prevented 

 by a deficiency of help, had to defer his hoeing 



