VOL. IV. 



NEW_ E NGLA N D FARMER . 



Published by JOHN B. RUSSELL, at the corner olCongrc ss Riid Lin dall Streets, Boston.— .THOMAS G. FF-SSFNOKN, Kpitop., 



~"" FRIDAY, DECEMIBER 1(5, 182.5. ~ 



No. 21. 



roR THE XETV r.^:f;T,A^'D farmer. 



AN ADDRSSS, 



JJeUveitd befure lite Piymtnilh Jlgricullnral Society, at 

 Biidgemifer, October 5, i;.2:>. 



BY .lOHN E. HOWARD. 



01 ajfriculliire it luis rrc()ueiili\ neen r(>mark- 

 eH, anif vor}' jn«lly, ihal il Iins bei-n loo tiiMch 

 nesleclod ; it i' naturiil llierelrrpin conleni[ila<- 

 ing tliip suhjocl.lo inrjiiire into tht' Ciiiise of this 

 neglect. Surely, no objeciions lo it lomiHeil on 

 i(s unworlliinpss, can l-uig relain a [ilace in a 

 spnsilitp and reliecting mind. Siir.li an one can- 

 not Ihink an art mean and cnnlem|ililde, which 

 dales ils origin from llie era of linin in pxislence, 

 and has given employnipnt and subsistence In 

 the giealer pari of the family of man, in all 

 .Tgps an<l nations of Ihe world; \n art whicii is 

 the grand source of individnai,and national pros- 

 perity, — whirli ha.s furnished ihenies for thf.' 

 immortal songs of the most Cf leliraled Poets ol 

 antiquity — aii'l whio-i claims for its patrons and 

 Fopportcrs, tlie rifst illnstrions men of almost j 

 every age. An art which can prefer soch claims i 

 to the respectlnl consideration ol' intelligent he- 

 ings,cannot, surely, he thought nnwoi ihy, or be 

 treated with conlempi, hut hy those only, who 

 have not the sagacity to discei n its merits, or 

 not the candonr lo confess them. IVo; it is not, 

 indeed, on arconnl of Ihe degraded estimation 

 in which it has heen held among mankind, ihal 

 agriculture has heen neglected. It i'^, in short, 

 because it has lieen considered an iinprofitahlc 

 jiursnit ; hecause the prospect c:f gain which il 

 has afl'orded, has been loo slender and untempt- 

 ing. A circumstance than which, no other Cvish*. 

 operate more \infriendly lo ils Irne interest. 



Relying on your indulgence, gentlemen, I 

 shall now venture lo speak to you, very hnetly, 

 concerning suine of the errors incident lo the moda 

 of cuhivalion n-hich have been pursued in thistjuar- 

 ter of the country, the correction of which, 

 may have a tendency to remove, at least in part 

 the capital objection just now staled, lo agricul- 

 tural pursuits. 1 can adopt this course of re 

 mark with the more confidence, when I relied. 

 Ihat I am addressing practical and intelligent 

 larmers ; men, who, 1 trust, are not unwilling 

 to improve lo their advantage any useful hints 

 in regard lo their profession, wilhout reference 

 to the source Irom which they are derived, or 

 tlie manner, in which they may be suggested. 



It seems lo liave been a prevailing erior a- 

 niong our farmers, Ihat their views liave been 

 too limited and unsteady. They seem lo have 

 been confined loo much lo the passing hour, 

 with little or no regard to the future. Biu to 

 any one, who will lake the trouble of a mo- 

 ments reflection on the sutject, il must ap()eai 

 evident, Ihat il is of vnst importance to ever^ 

 farmer to have constantly in view a fixed and 

 ultimate object, to which his efTorts should be 

 uniformlv diiected. It is necessary thai his 

 mind be engrossed by this object, and fixed with 

 a just sense of its magnitude and imporlance lo 

 him, and with a iletein)inalion lo pursue it. — 

 For where there is no sieadniess of view, and 

 fixedness of purpose, there can be no unifoim 



and regular exertion without which no farmer 

 can be siiccessl'iil. Much indeed in such circum- 

 stances may be altr-mpted, but little will he ac- 

 complished. Bold and vigorous elTorls may be 

 made; Ijul not being stimulated by one and the 

 same motive, the}' will be as likely to be o[ipo- 

 sile and conflicting in their tendency as in con- 

 cert and unison with each other. And thus Ihe 

 zeal and intrepidity even of active and reso- 

 lute mind* will generally evaporate in desultory 

 anil unavailing attempts. In this way centuries 

 might pass, and Ihe last year leave agriculture, | 

 not advanced in improvement one step, beyond 

 Ihal in which he first found it ; and each as it 

 revolves could hear testimony lo the thousand 

 l;me,s reiterated complaint of farmers, of Ihe i 

 hardness of the limes, and unproducliveuess io( 

 the soil which gave them birlh. 



Dut when the industry ol the farmer has one 

 uniform direction and ulliniale tendency, far tlil- 

 I'erenl will be the result. There will lie design 

 in all his plans, and no conflicting operalions in! 

 iheiT execution ; and if the means which he em- j 

 ploys be well chosen and adapted to the end! 

 proposed, he cannot fail of being successful. — • 

 Step hy step ;is he advances in his career, lie 

 will reap the fruits of his labors. His crops! 

 will come in, yearly with incieased alMindance 

 — his sterile lands will be gradually ronveited 

 into feriile plains — and those ban en wasles. 

 where once flourished nothing, but the briar 

 and the bramble, will shortly be covered, 1 had 

 almost said, with olive gardens and vineyards 

 Lvery breeze will waft lo him ihe fragrance ol 

 Ins orchards, and every jirospect exhibit the 

 riegaled hues of the led clover and the hon- 

 ey suckle. 



It need scarcely be said, that this object which 

 every farmer should have in view, aiul towarii 

 which his efforts should lie uniformly duetted, 

 is no oilier than Ihc constant and giadu.il meli- 

 oration of Ihe coiuliliun of his vUiole farm. Ii 

 is not a jiarlicular spot, a favorite acre, which 

 should engross bis v\ hole atlenlion, and enjoy 

 the exclusive benefits ol a liberal and enlight- 

 ened cuilivatinn ; but every acre, capable of im- 

 provement by culliv ation. This is an oiijecl 

 which sbiiuld ever be interesting and im[iortant 

 10 him ; it is worthy of his closest allenUon,tiiul 

 most strenuous exertion. In pursuit ol such an 

 object, he can comfort hira ii;ii;?cii with the re- 

 flection, tlial it is no illusion of Ihe brain, no 

 fleeting vision, lo which an over heated imagi- 

 nation has given a name and shape, which l^ 

 perpelualiy in view before hirn, and perpetual- 

 ly eluding his grasji ; but a real substantial good, 

 pointed out lo him by the dictates oi sober reas- 

 on, and of Ihe piaciicability of whose altatnraeul 

 reason has assured him. ' 



There is then, this important advantage which 

 Ihe farmer enjoys above almost every class ol 

 men, ihat the issue of his labois, if rightly di- 

 rected, will nol be involved in doubt and uncei- 

 taiaty. If his industry have a right direction it 

 cannot be exerted in vain. But other causes 

 have operated, in many instances, lo prevent a 

 right direction being given to bis industry. 



Prejudices have existed in the minds ol some 

 to valuable improvements in agriculture, on ac- 



count of the quarter in which they have oiiijin- 

 aled ; and delaiied .■utotints of' such imjiroie- 

 ments have been loo dfien unlieedrd,or regard- 

 ed merely as Ihe airy and fanlastick notions, of 

 '• gentlemen larmers," as tlicy have lieen cm - 

 templuoiisly denominated, because derived lirni 

 men of whom it has been I bought, lliat ihcy 

 have gone out of their appropriate sphere of 

 action, lo give instruction on a subject, concern- 

 ing which it has Lft en believed, they are both 

 practically anil Iheoieticiilly ignorant. But such 

 feelings cannot, and ougbl not long lo exist, in 

 a liberal and enlightened community. No man 

 who is worthy llie name of a farmer, can long 

 refuse to avail himself of any useful discoveries 

 relating lo his arl, if they really possess that 

 character, come they fVom what quarter they 

 may, and to exercise a becoming respect, and 

 gratitude toivar<l tlie ar.thors of them. 



Others there are, who have manil'esfrd an al- 

 most invincitde and itisuperatiie atlacbmtnf, to 

 those |iarliciilar nuules ol' cultivation, in n hjch 

 they have been biunght up, which have been 

 handed down to them, from the remolest gene- 

 rations of their anceslors, and which have anj - 

 thing but improvement for iheir object. Any 

 innovation upon these customs, ihus clideared 

 lo them, and sanclilieil by the a|iprobalion and 

 |^~■,^^e of their Ibiefathers. seems lo have been 

 regarded as a crime lillle lesii than sacrilege, 

 and resis'ed with an obslmac} of determination, 

 and an inflexibility of [iur()ose, vvoilhy of a hel- 

 ler cause. But it is hoped, that the period is 

 not far distant, wfien this blind and superstitious 

 veneration for ancient modes of farming, will 

 give placofo more liberal and enlightened vievv s, 

 and when ;arviii ,4 will Gunsenl to receive those 

 as the true principles of iheir an. whose cor- 

 rectness has lieen sufficiently tested by the suc- 

 cess of their practical application. 



Another error which I shall mention is, that 

 f'urmers have attempted loo much. The thea- 

 tre of Iheir operations, has not been sufficiently 

 circumscribed and limited, and of consequence 

 iheir efforts have nol been sufficiently conctn- 

 Irated. It having been impossible lor them lo 

 cultivate well, all they have alleaipled lo culti- 

 vate, some of their lands have been necessarily 

 in a constani slate of exhaustion. And hence 

 their lime and resources have been employed, 

 chiefly, not in increasing their productive pow- 

 er, beyond what it was, at any given period, but 

 in restoring their lost fertility. To the man 

 who has pursued, for 3 ears, such a course, how 

 dishearlening must be Ihe reflection, thai his 

 long and severe labors have availed him so lil- 

 Ue ; that he is, at last,so near the point whence 

 he originally set out, and has done no more for 

 himself and no more for posterity. 



Were Ihe hidden treasures of our soil fully 

 developed, and its capacity of improvement com- 

 pletelv exhausted, it would be unne( essary to 

 urge, in relation lo agriculture, the importance 

 of a more vigorous and efficient system. But this 

 is evidently nol ihe case. Farmers therefoie, are 

 invited lo increase the productiveness of their 

 lands, nol only because it is practicable, but be- 

 cause it would be greatly lor their interest to 

 1 do so ; and if it be inquired, bow it is to be el'- 



