Agriculture, and the consequences upon their 

 publication. Indeed, we hardly have represent- 

 ed the agriculture of the state so much as that 

 of a few individuals. This fact gives these re- 

 ports a higher character among their class, how- 

 ever it may detract from their historic, philo- 

 sophic character. In these reports we nnd evi- 

 dence of the strong influence of the Agricultural 

 College upon the printed agriculture of the 

 state, and this is as it should be. Except for the 

 differentintion which is brought about through 

 age, and to this extent gives an old community 

 an advantage over a younger, we would be in- 

 clined to place Michigan in the front rank as an 

 agricultural state, forming our judgment upon 

 the effort of the leaders of her agricultural 

 thought. 



A little youngness, no fault implied here, 

 places these reporrs absolutely behind some of 

 those we have already reviewed, but relatively 

 to her surroundings', Michigan reports occupy 

 a front place. 



The Wisconsin Agricultural Society was or- 

 ganized March 13,1851. We find access to Vol. 

 3 for 1853. Vol. 4, 1854, Vol. 5, I860, Vol. 6. 1861, 

 Vol. 8. 1861-9, including 8 years, Vol. 10, 1871, and 

 thence annually. 



There has been a commendable activity in 

 agricultural thought HS evidenced by the late 

 volumes of this society, hut the stream was 

 rather shallow as would be expected from a 

 young state, with abundant reeouict s requiring 

 development. As with some other of our West- 

 ern States, Agriculture is in a measure in a 

 transition stage, and the true raising of crops is 

 complicated by questions of a more political or 

 social character. These latter are of great im- 

 portance, but relatively to the crop question 

 they are now receiving from farmers more than 

 their usual proportion of attention. Yet agri- 

 cultural thought may perhaps be developed as 

 well sometimes in off lines as in no defined line 

 at all, and we of the East should be cautious of 

 a too harsh judgment. 



In 1851 the Indiana State Board of Agriculture 

 was organized. Its first report was published in 

 1852. Its ninth report is for the years 1863-67, in- 

 clusive, and thence annually. 



AVe have on our shelves the reports for 1870, 

 71-72, and if by these the rest are to be judged, 

 we must coniess that they have not character 

 enough fwr criticism. Indeed ihey come as 

 near being absolutely worthless as a tew hun- 

 dred pages of printed matter can be, and it is to 

 be hoped that the rag-money parry of Indiana, 

 if it once gets power, will do the public the 

 mercy of running these volumes through the 

 pulper and converting into pa per money, among 

 the first. Perhaps the destruction of so much 

 emptiness might be considered as an equiva- 

 lent in small part for the ills of a measure, 

 otherwise to be commended by none who think 

 in whole thoughts rather than in fragments. 



The Virginia State Agricultural Society was 

 ornanlzeil February 1852, Volume I. of the Jmir- 

 alot Transactions was issued in 1853, Vol. 2inlS57 

 and Vol. U in 1856; at least thus they rend m the 

 copies preserve'i 'nthe library of the Massachu- 

 setts Hoard of Agriculture. We find no mention 

 of any others. For this we are sorry, as the 

 quality of these three volumes make us wish for 

 more. They are American ; t his is somet hing in 

 their favor. They are high-toned; and this is 

 more. They have a certain earnestness of their 

 own, and a certain character. Yet there is 

 enough lacking to show the deficiency of the 

 state wherein they vere issued. We note that 

 the appeals are to an aristocratic class, rather 

 than to t he laborer ; not in words so much as in 

 tone. We note the dependence of thought on 

 Southern industries, a localization of ideas 

 which should be cosmopolitan. We find erross, 

 and why not? We find verbiage ; and why note 

 such a frequent occurence? These volumes are 



interesting, and have value. They are good, 

 without being very good. They are bad, without 

 being very bad. They are sufficient of both for 

 criticism, and even this should be considered 

 praise. 



The Connecticut State Agricultural Society 

 was organized and chartered June 221852. It 

 has published transactions annually for 1854 and 

 1859 inclusive, to our knowledge. These are 

 principally the reports of their fairs, collater- 

 al matter, and although excellent examples, 

 comparatively speaking, of their class yet do 

 not deserve, as a series, any further of our 

 space or time. 



The Connecticut State Board of agriculture 

 met for organization August 1, 1866, and pub- 

 lished its first report for this year. Its fifth re- 

 port was lor 1871, none having been made in 



1870. its " ninth annual report," bears date 

 1S75. 



These reports are among the most valuable 

 of our agricultural literature, and are note- 

 worthy as coming the nearest to what we con- 

 sider a report should be, than any others which 

 we have examined. The leading idea is to have 

 annual meetings lor discussion, whereat lead- 

 ing men are ensured to be present ; have a defi- 

 nite subject assigned, as near as may be. for 

 each jenr; and the publication of the result of 

 these meetings ; of the results of special offi- 

 cial study, such as of the chemist, botanist, 

 entomologist, and pomologist; and of a little 

 statistical data. We hence find in these reports 

 advanced scientific views, and the advanced 

 farmers practice combined. We cannot say 

 that these reports contain more original matter 

 than some ot hers. Massachusetts, for example, 

 but what they do contain is leso dilated, and 

 heuce more acceptable as far as it goes. There 

 is more to be hoped lor in the future from these 

 Connecticut reports than from those of any 

 other one state, as indications are at present, 

 for Mr. Gold, tneir secretary, has the wisdom 

 which is allied to progress, and while conserva- 

 tive, is neither slow nor jealous of younger 

 men. Ah I this jealousy of the older of the 

 younger; this brake on agricultural progress: 

 this teeling, which leads some men to try and 

 maintain their own positions by trampling 

 down opposition, rather than by exciting them- 

 seivts for greater knowledge. 



The Illinois State Agricultural Society was 

 organized in 1853. and ceased to exist April 17, 



1871, when the Department of Agriculture of 

 the state of Illinois succeeded to its place. The 

 flrt transactions of the society were Vol. 1, 

 1853-4, Springfield, 1855. Vol. Ill, 1858-9. Vol. 

 I v. 1859-60, Vol. V. 1861-64, Vol. VI. 1865-6. VoL 

 VII. 1867-8, Vol. VIII. 1869-70. 



In 1862, the society started a journal, under 

 the title. " Journal of the Illinois Stare Agri- 

 cultural Society." it continued for two years 

 only. The Department of Agriculture reports 

 commence witn Vol. IX. old series. Vol. 1, new 

 8erie-. 8vo. Springfield, 1872. We have seen 

 Vol. X. for 1872, Vol. XL for 1873 and Vol. Xtl. 

 for 1874. These reports are of little value ex- 

 cept as recording the exhibitors at the shows. 

 The Department of Agriculture reports seem 

 even greater failures than those of the society. 

 When it is remembered that fertile soil alone 

 do not determine the largest crops, but the 

 right application of intelligence towards the 

 development of this fertility with crops, it is 

 seen how essential education must be to the 

 farmer. In 1873 the United States Department 

 report of the average corn crop of Illinois with 

 her fertile prairies is bur, 21 bushels per acre, as 

 compared wirh Massachusetts 35 bushels per 

 acre. The increase is a direct outcome of bet- 

 ter practice, arising from a more educated pub- 

 lic. I do not speak of common school alone, but 

 of farm education. 



