40 



<SI)C Jarmcr'0 illoittl)li) faisitor. 



sity in the older New England States. Some 

 brought seeds gathered from cider mills, but a 

 large portion were seeds from favorite apples, 

 supposing they would produce the same fruiL — 

 In this way great numbers of superior jiadDC ap- 

 ples have been produced, which are known oiiJy 

 by local names ; and great numbers have been 

 disseminated by wrong names, being «ee<llings 

 Irom the variety whose name they bear. As an 

 instance, the Rhode Island Greening may be nam- 

 ed, which has been scattered over tlie State by 

 grafting. While some are fully equal or superior 

 to the parent tree, others can hardly be recogniz- 

 ed as belonging to the same class. 



Every settler sowed apple.soeds, or procured 

 trees from his neighbor and planted an orchard; 

 and to encourage raising apples, the Legislature 

 in 179J, passed an act exempting from taxation 

 for ten years, all lands on which forty apple trees 

 on an acre were planted. Almost every farmer 

 soon raised his own apples and made cider, be- 

 sides having much cider distilled for cider or ap- 

 ple brandy. For the last twenty years but little 

 cider has been made, and during the temperance 

 excitement some fifteen years since, many of the 

 finest orchards were cut dowu, which might have 

 been made valuable by improving the fruit and 

 raising it for feeding to hogs, or cattle, or for ex- 

 portation. 



The old orchards during this time liave been 

 gradually decaying, except in a few towns where 

 an industrious cultivator has set an example by 

 renovating his old trees, and showing them that 

 they may be again made as " good as new." — 

 There is now more attention given to fruit, the 

 sidiject being discust-ed in almost every county, 

 by agricultm-al societies, andliundreds of nurse- 

 ries have been sowed during the last two years, 

 and much inquiry is made for the best methods 

 of treating old orchards. 



There is a great difference in our soil and -cli- 

 mate for the growth oi' fruit trees. The whole 

 of the western part of the State is favorable for 

 the growth of apples, and may be considered one 

 of the best sections in New England for superior 

 fruit. The eastern part, for one hundred miles 

 from the south line, is as good as an average of 

 New England, while the central and northeastern 

 ])arts are not favorable for fruit, thoujjh in most 

 places, by selecting proper varieties, and planting 

 in favorable situations, they may be successfidly 

 grown. More attention has been given to culti- 

 vating a|iplus in Bcnninglou, than in any other 

 town in Vermont. It is one of the oldest towns 

 in the State, has a fine soil and favorable climate, 

 anil among their first settlers, their minister was 

 an enthusiastic and scientific poniologisl. Ills 

 l.ibors (at least ill this line) are still seen, in their 

 numerous and healthy old fruit tree.-, scattered 

 through the town. Many varieties of English 

 apples, and the best natives of Canada, were 

 among the first introductions of foreign fruit on 

 the borders of Lake Chan]plain,auil among them 

 varieties lately introduced into Massachusetts 

 from England, of whicli old trees may here be 

 seen. Many apples are sent from towns border- 

 ing on the lake, in the counties of Chittenden and 

 Aildison, to Canada, (or a market ; and this part 

 of our State must he called the best Hjr the growth 

 of apples ; and we may safely challenge the 

 world to produce finer ones than we can here. 



lu most parts of the State ap|ilo trees flourish 

 well quite to the borders of our largest streams, 

 except on alluvial soil. There is, however, one 

 exception. 



On the Missisco river, which runs through the 

 northern towns of the State, l<)r some fifiy miles, 

 an<l empties into Lake Chaniplaiii, although a fine 

 ngrioultmal region, no apple trees can be (bund 

 within three or four tniIcK (ioni the stream, in a 

 healthy hearing stale, and (i;w of any sort. 1 had 

 often heard this stated, but supposed no attention 

 had been given to lhi;ir cultivation — but while at 

 the house of Chief Justice lioyre, who resides on 

 a large liu'in, where ho was born, on its banks, he 

 Informed me that in no part of the Stale had tlii^ 

 farmers and ollicrs more faithfully tried to raise 

 apple trees than on the banks of this river; lliat 

 they grew well while young, but invariably died 

 when grown to the size of bearing trees. This 

 cannot be at'tributed to climate, as on higher and 

 colder land, three to (bur miles from llie stream, 

 npplca are grown successfidly. If any poniolo-l 



gist -can give a reason for this failure, I shall be 

 very happy to hear it. 



CHAUNCEY GOODRICH. 



Burlington, Ft., Jan. 1847. 



(1^ Having been called a few days since on 

 hasty business at Albany, N. Y., (now brought 

 down by railroad to the travel of a single day 

 from Boston,) and falling in company with our 

 old agricultural friend Ellsworth, late Commis- 

 sioner of Patents at Washington, both of us, as 

 in duty bound, called and put up with Mr. De- 

 ment, who often contributes as the result of his 

 knowledge and experience, his mite towards the 

 advancement of agriculture and domestic econo- 

 my. Mr. Bement is, by profession, a printer near- 

 ly of our own age ; but for the last ten or fifteen 

 years has been engaged in the more pleasing 

 employment of a farmer. He purchased several 

 years since — jiaying for it a high price — a beau- 

 tiful farm of one hundred and eighty acres, some 

 three miles out o/ Albany, on which he some time 

 resided, and which he still continues to cultivate 

 and improve. On this farm he has distinguish- 

 ed himself for some practical results in a syste- 

 matic method of raising poultry. Several suc- 

 cessive editions of a book written by him on that 

 subject have been published, by the Harpers, at 

 New York, giving him a profit for the copy 

 right. One of these books he presented us. 



Besides this, Mr*. B. had done much towards 

 introducing in New York and the West the 

 most valuable and highly improved breeds of 

 swine. His whole farming operations have been 

 conducted on the plan of improvement He has 

 recently adojited a simple process of manufactur 

 ing hominy of the kind used at the South — a 

 l)alatable and highly nutritive article for common 

 table purposes: this he wholesales at $1.£J0 the 

 bushel, making a large |)rofit upon the price of 

 the corn, while the retailer sells under him at a 

 profit of nearly one third. Engaged with such 

 men as Ellsworth (now a citizen of Indiana who 

 rai.sed his 50,000 bushels of corn the last season) 

 and Bement, we could scarcely think or talk 

 about anything else than the fasciuaiiag subject 

 of agricultural improvements. Like Mr. Bement^ 

 we did not yurdiase an expensive farm, for we 

 had not the capital to lay out : our main object 

 has been to make lands productive, of little value, 

 and thus to increase our capital by making these 

 poor spots worth from four to ten times their 

 cost. Retiring on the evening before leaving 

 Albany, Mr. Bement presented ns next morning 

 with the Ibllowiug comnnmicatioii (or the Visi 

 tor : 



For the Kannor's Monthly Visitor. 



Comparative View of liaising a Crop of Wheat 



in England and America. 



In looking over the 12th volume of the "Farm- 

 ers' Magazine," published in London, i find the 

 total cost of raising an acre of" wheat and send- 

 ing it to market is stated at £13 15s. (id. sterling. 

 This estimate allows the tenant (or his labor one 

 pound sixteen shillings sterling. The gro.ss pro- 

 duct of the acre (i)r wheat, straw, feed, &c., is 

 stated at £13 lis. per quarter. 



This statement shows us lliat the United States 

 is a natural region for growing wheat when com- 

 pared with England. In our Westi'ru States a 

 farmer can purchase a farm of two hundred 

 acres, fiMire and brc^ak up one hundred acres for 

 .iil'iOO or iSl.'SOO. He can put on a house and 

 barn lor Jj'iOO, making the whole eost $2000.— 

 His first crop, everything fiivorable, will bring 

 him on an ■iverage )?l000,and his second crop of' 

 one hundriMl ticrcs of wheat isSlOOO more. His 

 lands and iniprovemonts are now paid for. The 

 third year, if one hundred and fifty acres are put 

 into wheat tin; pioduct will be .*1500. 



Now, in Kngland, according lo the work above 

 quoted, the charge on one acre of vvhoat, for tithe, 



two years,is ten shillings sterling; and poor,liigh- 

 way and church rates, for two years, eight sliil- 

 lings sterling. Our land has no such charges as 

 this. Our farmers may well be satisfied" with 

 their own country. 



In the state of New York, I am informed that 

 wheat lands may be purchased (or from thirty to 

 fifty dolhirs per acre, in improved farms. Every 

 hundred acres of wheat yields from S2000 to 

 $2,500 gross income. Jt is clear then that with 

 fiee competition, the United Slates will command 

 the wheat and flour markets of Europe and 

 America. One fact, however, reipiires the seri- 

 ous consideration of the America-i husbaudiiian. 

 It is calculated by WrCulloch, that the increased 

 average produced of wheat in England, since 

 1821, probably from improved implements and a 

 more enlightened and scientific cultivation, now 

 at twenty-six busliels to the ticre, being an in- 

 crease of nine bushels, which is about dotible to 

 that of the State of New York at the present 

 time. 



Farmers of America! are you willing to rest 

 satisfied with only obtaining from twelve to thir- 

 teen bushels of wheat to the acre? Sixty bush- 

 els per acre, has been raised the past season, and 

 what has been done once, can be done again. — 

 It is to let our head assist our hands, and we can 

 increase the average very considerably. It is in 

 this way that great results can be obtained. At 

 one of our agricultual meetings held in the as- 

 seembly room, a few evenings since. Dr. Beek- 

 inan said " With respect to the necessity of ag- 

 ricultural schools, my mind is fully made up that 

 it is a most desirable object. There will always 

 be great iliversity of opinion in respect to all the 

 operations of farming — as to ploughing, sowing, 

 manures, the appliealion of ashes and plaster, ; 

 &c., the manme of the chemist and the barn- 

 yard. It is high time, among our intelligent peo- 

 ple, that we shonlil bring these varied opinions 

 to a ("ocus — to some |ioint — so as to find out the 

 best way of making our farms most successful. 

 And in what way shall this be done.' Should 

 we follow the old method and do nothing .' And 

 what way can be better than in the first place to 

 inform ourselves of the composition of the soils, 

 and how to add to their fertility. To get this 

 knowledge in aihaucing our present pursuits, 

 what better way than to study agricultural chem- 

 istry — the composition of all the giains we use, 

 and what is best adapted to ihuir growth — what 

 enters into their coiiipositiou and what bcnetits 

 them ? How can it he belter done than by ac- 

 quiring systematic knowledge ? 



" There is everything abroad to encourage us. 

 In Etu'opc it restdts in raising double — treble 

 what we do, and who will say our soil is not as 

 good as theirs .' We work our soil too much, so 

 that it degenerates, and yet neglect to intiirm 

 ourselves, thoroughly of the means of restoring 

 it. By the esiablishmeut of an agricultural \ 

 school, agrictilttirtti chemistry, botany, inathcinat- 

 ics, mensuri'.tioii, would bo tatight ; young men at- 

 teniling would get htibilsof indu.'^iry — tliey would 

 learn how to keep farm accounts, and lay up u 

 store of general- information, no matter whether 

 they were sons of rich or poor, they would learn 

 to work. Taught there, after being prepared for 

 it in the common school, all the sciences would 

 be useful to them as agriculturists — they would 

 come out to be serviceable, industrious, accurate, 

 systematic fiirmers— men both in informatiou, 

 and their position in life — independent. 



"If such a school shoidd turn nut an hundred 

 men, their influence would soon reach every part 

 of the Slate. Their minds wotdd be prepared 

 for sysiemaiii- fanning, and many, many others 

 H'ouldsoou follow their example. The influence 

 of a good example is very great. Whoever dop.< 

 his work well is smo to succeeil. Let a good 

 and skilful fanner settle in a neighboihood and 

 pursue his occupation in a regular and systematic 

 inauner. Let it be seen in the condition of his 

 house, his barn, his fences, his crops, his cattle. 

 How soon will it provoke the jcaloti.sy of the 

 others around him — (such is the natural influence 

 of th(" human mind,)— and how much will his 

 ex:iinplo eflbct tnwanls reclaiming the entire 

 neighborhood and make them all men like him- 

 self.'" 



C. N. BEMENT. 

 Bemcnt's Am. Hotel, 



Albany, March, 20, 1847. 



