34 



tlon. Solon Robinson, of New York, was one of 

 the prime movers of this effort. 



Ten or more years later another and more suc- 

 cessful movement was initiated. June 14th. 

 1852, a National Agricultural Convention was 

 held at the Smithsonian Institution, in the city of 

 Washington, and the "United States Agricul- 

 tural Society" was formed. The first annual 

 meeting took place at Washington, Feb. 2d, 1853. 

 In July, 1857, a national tield trial of reapers and 

 mowers was held at Syracuse, N. Y. Three vol- 

 ume?, under the title of " Journal of the United 

 States Agricultural Society," in 8 Vols., ap- 

 peared in 1852-3, 1854-5 and 1856-7 successively. 

 The first two hearing the imprint of Washington, 

 the last of Boston. Another publication was 

 the " Transactions and Monthly Bulletin of the 

 United States Agricultural Society for 1858," 

 edited by Ben Perley Poore, Sec'y, Washington, 

 1859. Also several special reports. Fairs were 

 held annually at various places from 1853 to 

 I860 inclusive. 



This attempt at a National Society failed, as 

 its members were too far separated by an im- 

 mense domain, to be able to attend its meet- 

 ings, or feel a permanent interest. It, however, 

 had a large influence in stimulating agricultural 

 thought, and its transactions may be generally 

 criticised as being no worse than we should ex- 

 pect. Indeed, we are sometimes disposed to 

 call them good, but necessarily the farmer had 

 to give place to the man of political or social 

 prominence, and the past literature of the world 

 appears more strangely than does that tour of 

 home practice and home surroundings. 



The American Pomoiogical Society, were we 

 treating of aught outside of general agriculture, 

 wouM here demand a place as a society with an 

 American literature, and praiseworthy at that. 

 But fruit growing is a specialty so distinct from, 

 and so little influenced by the farm, that we 

 purposly avoid reference to this and kindred 

 societies and publications from our scheme. 

 The specialized industries are far in advance in- 

 tellectually of general farrninar. 



In 1820 was founded the Rhode Island Society 

 for the encouragement of domestic industries. 

 The publications originating from this society 

 are largely devoted to manufacturing, and but 

 comparatively little prominence is given to ag- 

 riculture, a course which would be anticipated 

 from the restricted area of the state and the 

 prominence given to its manufacturers. We 

 have, however, failed to examine its flies, and 

 so pass by with a mention. 



In 18^0 also, the New Hampshire Board of 

 Agriculture was founded, and published one 

 volume, which is now excessively rare. Its title 

 is the New Hampshire Agricultural Repository, 

 published by the State Board of Agriculture, 

 under the patronage of the state of New Hamp- 

 shire, 8vo., Concord. Printed by Hill & Moore, 

 1822, pp. 136. A summary of the contents of this 

 publication is given in "New Hampshire Agri- 

 cultiire," Adams, Vol. 2, 1872. 



This effort was premature. The publication, 

 judging from its table of content", was common- 

 place, yet its leading contributor, Kev. Hum- 

 phrey Moore, appears to have been a man of 

 considerable force, and alive to the necessity of 

 the time. 



In 1870 a new board was organized by the leg- 

 islature, and the first Annual Report appeared 

 in 1871, and has been annually followed hy its 

 successors. These reports have some good es- 

 says, and some useful hints, yet they are not 

 too harshly judged by the term ornate and com- 

 monplace. Indeed, we fear that our judgment 

 may be considered too severe, but our position is 

 to state thimrs as they seem to be, and not in 

 connection with the circumstances under which 

 they appear. 



No other art that we are familiar with has, on 

 the average, received such fragmentary and 



shallow aid as agriculture appears to have sub- 

 mitted to for the past few generations. 



In 1850, the " New Hampshire State Agricul- 

 tural Society " was incorporated. This society 

 has published ten volumes of transactions, but 

 we are not familar with them. The volumes 

 bear the imprint of Concord, Manchester and 

 Dover. From a surperttcial examination, our 

 impressions are that they fall far short ot what 

 they could have been or should be. Is it a won- 

 der, indeed, that they should receive the same 

 criticism as wonld be given to the farming which 

 they exemplify ? 



In 1841, the Louisiana State Fair Association 

 was organized, and reorganized March, 1867. 

 We have never found mention of any publica- 

 tions. 



The Ohio State Board of Agriculture was or- 

 ganized Feb. 26, 1846, Its first report comprise 

 proceedings from 1846 to '49. Its last is entitled 

 "Twenty-ninth. Annual Report," &c., for the 

 year 1874. 



These reports are among the most valuable 

 that we have in our library, but hardly as Am- 

 erican. They receive their tone largely from 

 the character of their editor, and the state agri- 

 cultural tone is largely concealed. We think, 

 however, that intelligent, thoughtful agriculture 

 is not as common in Ohio as it should be, and that 

 these reports certainly indicate it. These reports 

 part far from the Commonplace, not so much 

 through the efforts of the farmers, but through 

 the good judgment of the editor, who seeks 

 Irom miscellaneous sources material for his 

 reports which shall be educational to his readers. 

 In this there has been good success, and we 

 know not of another place to turn to, to obtain 

 translations of valuable German experiments. 

 The abundant appendix contains usually the 

 cream of the annual agricultural literature. In 

 this, Mr. Klippart has been wise, but we think 

 had been wiser, had the agricultural thought 

 also of the population been more stimulated 

 through meetings and discussions^thaii by a fair 

 and exhibition. In this, however, Mr. Klippart 

 is powerless, except as an agent, and our judg- 

 ment is from a different point of view than his. 

 In ]86i a State Dairymen's Association was 

 formed, which has held annual meetings, pub- 

 ished annual reports, and has been productive 

 jf much good. It is to these specialized indus- 

 ;ries that we are to look for the strongest de- 

 velopment of agricultural thought, and in dairy- 

 ng and fruit culture we need never lok in vain. 

 When our general agricultural literature at- 

 tains the present intellectual position of her 

 pecialized industries, the farmer may well feel 

 jroud. 



In 1847, Delaware established a State Agricul- 

 tural Society, but has published no report; yet 

 me of the county societies at least, the " New 

 CastleCounty Agricultural Society and Institute, 

 formed in 1835, published its proceedings in a 

 pamphlet form as early as 1843, 8vo., pp. 58. 



In 1848, the " Maryland State Agricultural So- 

 ciety was formed. Nov. 14, 1866, the Maryland 

 Agricultural and Mechanical Associatic n was 

 organized. We find no record of any transac- 

 tions or publications. 



With 150 we commence an era of agricultural 

 nterest, and each successive year new states 

 fall into line by their agricultural organization. 

 In 1849. the Michigan State Agricultural So- 

 ciety was organized, and received its charter 

 April 2d of the same year. Its first volume of 

 transactions was for 1851-2, although we find ac- 

 cess to Vol. 3 for 1851, 8 vo., Lansing, 1853. 



The State Board of Agriculture was organ'zpd 

 by act of legislature in 1861, and published its 

 first annual report for 1862 ana annually there- 

 Iter. 



The society reports we need scarcely notice 

 here. The board reports are noteworthy on ac- 

 count of the small membership of the Board of 



