396 



NEW ENGLAND FAIiMEH. 



July 7, lS-20. 



AN ADDRESS, 



Delivered before the Rhode Island Socielij for the 

 Encowrageme.nt nf Domestic bidustru, October ' 

 15, 1823, bi) Solomon Drown, J^. D. '^ \ 



~ J ! 



(^Concluded from page 389.) | 



"If we examine the state of ^Agriculture gener- 1 

 ally, we may observe great disparity in the appear- 

 ance of farms, though lying side W side. Is this 

 owing to difterence of soil, or of/culture ? Such 

 disparity, it seems, owing to superior energies in 

 some cultivators, existed araongthe farms of the 

 olden time : — for, one good Ronan farmer, men- 

 tioned by Pliny in his Natural! History, " Cains . 

 Furius Crcsinus was cited before the Curule Edile ,' 

 and an Assembly of the Peoplfi, to answer to a ' 

 charge of sorcery, founded on ijis reaping much { 

 larger crops, from his very small spot of ground, j 

 than his neighbors did from tlieir extensive fields: \ 

 he produced his strong implements of husbandry, 

 his well fed oxen, and a hale young woman, his 

 daughter, and, pointing to them, said, These, Ro- 

 mans ! are my inslriimrvts of witchcraft : But J 

 cannot here shoiv you my Inbows, su'cats and anx- 

 ■ ious cares." Applausive murmurs must have suc- 

 ceeded to this ostentive and laconic vindication. 

 I presume in general we iire pretty sae from such 

 a terrible accusation. 



" How excellently circumstanced is this happy 

 state for all the purposes of the most varied hus- 

 bandry : — for crops of every species ; — for choic- 

 est fruits ; — fpr all the numerous varieties of hor- 

 ticultural procAictions ; — for ornamental gardening 

 •with its enchanting scenery. Wouli! to nature I 

 Could excite some spirit of rutcrprize and emula- 

 tion in embellishing our rural abodes ! Then would 

 the meanest house, like many cottages in Eng- 

 land, be surrounded by flowering .shrubbery or 

 twining plants, exhaling richest fr.igrance. Many 

 of our indiffenons plants are wry ornamental. — 

 The Epilobium is one of these. Linna;us says, " It 

 frequently, like a garden, surrounds the hut of the 

 wild Laplander, who vies with Diogenes in the 

 simplicity of his household furniture, but whose 

 habitation seems the palace of a divinity wlien 

 this stately plant is in bloom." Such natural or- 

 naments are not to be disdained. 



"Search but the gardtiv, or the v.-ooil, 



Let yon admir'ii carnation own. 

 Not all was meant lor raiment, or for food, 



Not all f.ir needful use alone ; 

 There while Ihe seeds of future hlosioma dwi 11, 

 ■'Tis colour'd for Uie sight, prrfunj'd to please the smell." 



" To familiarize youtli with ornameutal rural 

 scenery, must have an excellent eifoct upon their 

 rninds and dispositions. Were ii, only on this ac- 

 count, gardening ,would richly deserve attention : 

 for a garden necessarily requires oriler and ele- 

 gance.and must include a great number of very in- 

 teresting objects — the freiiueut contemplation of 

 wliich would be promotive of tiio moral beauty ;-^ 

 and not only so, but lead the inquisitive, ever ac- 

 tive mind, more and more to admire the wisdom 

 and beneficence of that Almighty Blwni;, wlio 

 has vouchsafed so many useful, beautiful produc- 

 tions for their gratification. 



" Gardening, though an important branch of 

 Agriculture, has been far too much neglected. — 

 Fruit, in particular, deserves more attention. " It 

 13 painful to redect," says Mr Lowell, "every cot- 

 tager in Flanders, Germany, Holland and England, 

 is better supplied with summer fruit than our 

 most opulent farmers. This almos ;ult«r neglect 



of cultivating summer and winter fruits, materijll? 

 injures the health of our farmers. How mortify- 

 ing to see the finest climate for the cultivation of 

 the apple, so undervalued, that many of our farm- 

 ers are obliged to slice up tlieir stnumer fruit, and 

 suspend it in the front of their houses to dry, in 

 order that they may have a comparatively insipid 

 and tasteless provision for winter ! Yet such is 

 too often, I may say too generally, the case. The 

 greatest benefit, however, which our faniMrs 

 would derive from an attention to gart'euing, 

 would be the acquistion of habits of care and neat- 

 ness, which ivould be transferred ^to their far.Tis. 

 The remark respecting winter fruit, I think vill 

 not apply generally in this state. What can ex- 

 ceed planting, in promoting cheerfulness of mind, 

 and alleviating the solicitudes of life. Planting 

 and building, observes Lord Bacon, are the m»st 

 agreeable oocupations in which we can be engag- 

 ed ; particularly planting, when we see beautiful 

 natural objects continually growing up under cur 

 care and arrangement. Highly commendable are 

 the unwearied exertions in promoting all kinds of 

 Agricultural improvements, discovered by John 

 Lowell, Esq. of Roxbury ; particularly, in so well 

 exemplifying what he strongly recommends — the 

 planting of forest-trees. Such examples cannot 

 remain long without effective influence ; and such 

 men may promise themselves the exquisite satis- 

 faction, W'hich swelled the bosom of Cyrus, w hen, 

 showing his elegant residence to an ambassador, 

 he exultingly said, " These trees I have planted.""^ 

 To those of my fellow-citizens who are disposed 

 to attend to planting, I would particularly recom- 

 mend, among others, for dry grounds, the elegant 

 and useful native Locust-tree, (Robinia) ;] and for 

 moist lands, that majestic forest tree, also a native 

 of our favoured country — the sugar maple, (Acer 

 Saccharinum,) the rustlings of whose long-petioled 

 leaves, in the gentle breeze, are but the v.hisper- 

 ings of humanity. 



" Thou dulcet tree, that pour'st the balm of life. 

 Yet grow'st still stronger for the innocuous knil'e ; 

 Thy sap, more sweet than ^lyhla's honey, flows. 

 Health for the heart-sick — cure of slavery's woes." 



" The sugar procured from this tree is superior 

 to any other, and its use ought to be encouraged 

 by all the friends of humanity, acquainted with 

 the sufferings of the enslaved African, in furnisli- 

 ing a delicacy for luxurious, often thoughtless pal- 

 ates. This tree flourishes well in almost all parts 

 of the Middle and Northern States. Its culture 

 prospers admirably at Mount Hygeia ; and agree- 

 ably soothing is its shade. 



" The time is fast approaching when the I'ine 

 will be mucli cultivated in tiiese States, and wine 

 be made in sufficient quantity for the use of the 

 inhabitants. In this state there are numerous 

 pleasant hills, ex))Osing their bosoms to south- 

 eastern suns — ready to receive and cherish the 

 Vine, which some Probus may introduce.t Would 

 it not be well for our Society to procure a tract of 

 land in the vicinity of this village, for an e.\peri- 

 mental (pattern) farm, where trials of all ki'ela of 

 agrictdtural processes and products may be made; 

 clay and earth burning, trench ploughing, scari- 



* Uless'd is the Dian whoso trees lor years have stood : 

 More bless'd whose ha;ipier hands create a wood. 

 Me cries with Cyrus, as their shades disclose, 

 »' ' I'was I, who planted all those stalely rows." 



1 The white Mulberry tree, for fruit, limber, and 

 rearing silk worms, deserves cultivation. 



■\. The Vine was introduced into Caul (now I'rance' 

 by the Emperor I'robus. .Iptrlos 13achus amal colics. 



fying, rotations of crops, &c. and the culture of 

 new grasses and other useful articles, not omit- 

 ting the Vine. 



"I am pleased to find in the adjacent county 

 (Kent) so much attention paid to some very useful 

 articles, particularly mangel wurtzel, a fine growth 

 of which was observable at Mr King's. This 

 plant is far superior to ruta baga in point of nutri- 



( ment, though perhaps not so easily preserved. 



\ " Millet, too, has attracted attention. The best 



, trial I have witnessed of this excellent species 

 of fodder, was made'this year by our President. — 



! It is no doubt the very species of millet cultivat- 

 ed in the time of Virgil ; who, in his beautiful 

 Georgics, recommends sowing it when the sun 

 enters the sign Taurus : or, in his poetic language 

 — rrhcn the bright Bull opens the year with his 

 goUhn horns. This now would be about the 20th 

 of April ; — but allowing for difference of climate, 

 &c. a suitable time for sowing it here would be 

 perhaps the L'rth or 20th of Maj'. Mr Rhodes 

 had upwards of two tons from an acre, sowed the 

 13th of June; but supposes the crop would have 

 been greater, if sown earlier. The clover sown 



j ivitli millet, appeared better (Sept. G) than that 

 wit!i barley or oats. The seeds will be consid- 



jerable, though tlie millet was not fully ripe at 

 reaping. This is Punicum milioceum of Botan- 



jists. Another species, indigenous, and common 



,in rich land, Panicum cms galli, (barn grass.) I 

 think worth cultivating for soiling. The Guinea 

 grass, Panicum, maximum, would prove an ex- 



|Cellont acquisition, if we could readily procure 

 the seed. It is cultivated in the State of Missis- 

 sippi, to great advantage. Kent exhibited also 

 excellent fields of maize ; and of potatoes, that 

 next important crop ;* " the rich maiVs luxury and 



Hhe poor jna?i's bread." Such productions king 



' Alcinous might have been proud of showing in 

 his garden of '■^four acres measuring complete ;" — 

 vhen visited by shipwrecked Ulysses : But sucii 

 productions, ancient or modern Europeans and 

 Asiatics never knew, till the age of the illustrious 

 Columbus. 



" On reviewing the multifarious businesses of 

 agriculture and gardening, with their many cares 

 and pleasures — the tranquillity and healthfulness 

 of the rural life and occupations — we are ready to 

 e.tclaim with Virgil, 



O fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint, 

 Agricolns ! 



" Too happy husbandmen, if they but knew 

 their advantages !" And may add, with equal em- 

 phasis — Most happy Americans ! — Aloof and cx- 

 empt from tlio collisions of European politics. On 

 that contentious portion of the globe.two fine coun- 

 tries,by unjust aggressors plunged in mad warfare, 

 are now the sad arenas of most sanguinary con- 

 flicts, on wliich we cannot look with cold indiffer- 

 ence. But, if their patriots prove true to tlieir 

 cause, there can bo but little fear with respect to 

 the result ; for, 



" Tbi y h.ive ofreal odds. 



Against th' astonisb'd sons of violence, 

 \\'ho fight with awful justice on their side." 



" Our conflicts \\iil be of a different nature : — 

 Who best may turn tlie furrow with tlie shining 

 plonghsliare ; contests fiir exceeding, in interest 

 and utility, the Olympic games, so celebrated in 



* This American plant, (says a late .'Scotch* writer) 

 has proved a treasure lo this country, " compared 

 with which the mines of Potosi are worthless." 



