"60 



F A R M E R S ' REGISTER 



[No. 1-2 



and five hundred pounds of tobacco to be paid to John 

 Page, Cor a horse lost in the expedition against the 

 Rechahecrians, The complaint of Page, and the 

 wording of the order, show, that this sum was not 

 thought equal to that which the horse might have 

 commanded. If we estimate the tobacco at the mar- 

 Jet price only six years after, it will amount to an hun- 

 dred pounds; a prodigious price, if we consider the 

 rates in Europe during this period. In the same 

 year, on the petition of Richard Nicholas, it was or- 

 dered, "that sixteen hundred pounds of tobacco be 

 paid him, for the charges and cost he had been at in 

 recovering and finding a horse, which had been on the 

 service in the same expedition." At the same time 

 Richard Walker was ordered live hundred pounds of 

 tobacco "for finding the horse of Henry Jupons, and 

 four hundred more when he found that of Richard 

 Eggleston." — appendix, His!, of Va.p. xxxii. vol. 2. 



note b. page 753. 



The foregoing address was drawn up in the early 

 part of January, to be delivered at the annual meeting 

 of the Historical Society which was to have taken 

 place on the 9th of February, but which was post- 

 poned from time to time, until March 2nd. When 

 this task was undertaken, the attempt was about to be 

 made through an Agricultural Convention, to obtain 

 some legislative aid for the diffusion of agricultural 

 knowledge; and the writer hoped, in this manner, to 

 lend some feeble aid to that praise-worthy but fruitless 

 effort. This intention, in some measure, directed the 

 treatment of the subject, and induced the expression 

 of hopes, which had not then been prostrated — as they 

 were afterwards, and indeed before the meeting of the 

 Society was finally held — by the total neglect of the 

 whole subject, by the legislature of Virginia. When 

 recommending objects for legislative encouragement, 

 in aid of agricultural instruction, two principal, and 

 and very important subjects were designedly omitted. 

 The one was the circulation of agricultural periodical 

 publications; the other, the establishment and support 

 of agricultural societies. The recommendation of the 

 first was forbidden by the writer's private interest be- 

 ing connected with what he might advocate — and the 

 second, because much space would have been required 

 to explain his views of what agricultural societies 

 ought to be, and the objections to their usual procedure, 

 and because the subject had been treated fully upon 

 several previous occasions. See Farmers' Register, 

 Vol. I. pp. 147, 201, and Vol. II. p. 257. 



From the New England Parmer. 

 IRRIGATION. 



Extract from a communication from John W. Lin- 

 coln, of Mass. 



Having had some experience in this busines, I 

 am disposed to offer myself as a witness, premi- 

 sing that no school boy is more amused by pad- 

 dling in the water, than I am pleased with turning 

 it about from place to place on my farm, knowing 

 that I could in no other manner be so profitably 

 employed; gratified with witnessing from time to 

 time the superior growth of the grass, and antici- 

 pating the pleasure of seeing a heavy swath when 

 it shall be cut. 



My late father was in the practice of irrigating 



a portion of his land on the farm on which I was 

 bom, on which there are tracts which have, with- 

 in my own knowledge, for nearly forty years an- 

 nually produced large crops of hay, without the 

 aid of* any manure, except that derived from wa- 

 ter. In the spring of 1820, on ihe decease of my 

 father, that farm, now owned by my brother, was 

 placed under my superintendence"; and from that 

 time to the present my attention lias year by year 

 been called to the subject, of irrigation, and during 

 thai time I have known no year, however moist 

 has been the season, in which I have not derived 

 much benefit from the artificial use of water on 

 my land. The farm on which I now reside come 

 into my possession in 1820, previous to which 

 time, a portion ol it had been irrigated, but the 

 works, from disuse, were much out of repair. If. 

 not being convenient for me to take it under my 

 own immediate supervision, I rented it, as it has 

 been rented for many years, on shares. J how- 

 ever at my own charge put the dam, the principal 

 trench, and several of the smaller ones in repair, 

 and endeavored to persuade my tenant, that it was 

 much for his interest to make use of them. But 

 whether he believed that our climate did not 

 require this mode of improvement, that a kind 

 Providence would supply all the moisture which 

 was necessary for vegetation, or was unwilling to 

 devote proper attention to this subject, I know 

 not, it was much neglected. In 1829, my barn 

 being then old, and much out of repair, 1 caused 

 it to he pulled down, and another to be erected of 

 a different form and greater capacity. When I 

 showed the plan of the proposed structure to my 

 tenant, he expressed much surprise that I should 

 think of erecting. so large a building, saying that 

 all ihe prod nee of the farm would not. half fill it. 

 I told him that I was satisfied that the (arm, if 

 properly managed, was capable of filling it, and 

 that if I continued in the enjoyment of health for 

 a few r years, that I should see the barn full. It 

 was true that alter the barn was erected, and the 

 crops gathered, not half the barn was occupied: 

 and it is also true, that after the last harvest there 

 was very little spare room in my barn. On the 

 fust day of April, 1830, I took my farm into my 

 own care, and I was obliged to purchase several 

 tons of hay to support what stock was then there, 

 until vegetation was so far advanced, as 1o enable 

 them to obtain a living abroad. I have been 

 oradually increasing my stock as I had more food 

 to sustain them, and now keep more than twice 

 die stock of 1830, and have now considerably 

 more hay than can be necessary lor their support, 

 several tons of which I shall sell. And this change 

 has been effecled principally by irrigation. I say 

 principally, because I have during that time pur- 

 chased some manure, but I have also received for 

 hay sold, nearly as much money as I have paid for 

 manure; and perhaps somcth'mgis to be attributed 

 to a different mode of husbandry on lands notirri- 

 gated, but the improvement which has been in- 

 creasing from year to year, is in a great degree 

 owing to the use of water. I have strong reason 

 to believe, that by employing the same means 

 I shall be able to add greatly to the future crops 

 of my farm. I have not heretofore derived so 

 much advantage from this mode of improve- 

 ment as might have been expected: my engage- 

 ments have required me to be frequent^ absent 

 from home, and consequently I have not been able 



