AOKICULTUUE.] 



CATTLi:, AND TJIEIR VA!:i!:riES. [AGnicrLxruB. 



CHAPTER III. 



AGRICULTUKAI, ASSOCIATIONS; TIIK riUNCIPI.i:>5 OF CATTLE-HUEEDING ; FAT-ACCmU'LATINO BnP.EDS; 



MII.K-YII-I.DING liUKEDS. 



AGRICULTURAL ASSOCLVTlONb. 

 Ojte of the best moilos of advnncin;* the in- 

 terests of the fanner, is by that kind of ngri- 

 cultural association which has sprung up 

 amongst us, and which has already been the 

 means of efl'ecting great iinprovements in those 

 countries where it has been spiritedly adopted. 

 lu England, almost every county has uow its 

 agricultural society, consisting mostly of prac- 

 tical men, who meet for the purpose of dis- 

 cussing those points that are more immediately 

 interesting to tliemselves ; and, indeed, no 

 branch of occupation requires so much of this 

 combination, or is literally more dependent 

 on it for its advancement. Taking into con- 

 sideration the ordinary operations by which 

 farming is conducted — its rotations and shifts — 

 how few are the opportunities which present 

 themselves for any one, in the course of bis 

 life, to avail himself even of his own experience. 

 Experiments generally are costly, and the 

 results often too uncertain to be pursued by 

 one who has to live by the produce of his 

 acres. Hence it becomes of vital imiiortance 

 that he should derive knowledge for his own 

 working, as it may be presented to him, tlirough 

 the experience of others. In this country, 

 seed-time and harvest occur but once in the 

 annual revolution of tlie earth in its orbit; 

 and, should the husbandman fail in an ex- 

 periment (unlike the manufacturer, who can 

 immediately and incessantly repeat his trials 

 until success rewards his exertions), he cannot 

 retrace his steps, or begin again, as the re- 

 volving year requires a different crop. The 

 exigencies of a general system of rotation 

 demand another course. The soil will not 

 yield its increa:se without alternation ; and he 

 is, therefore, compelled to wait an appointed 

 time before he can take advantage of the ex- 

 perience which ban enabled him to ascertain 

 the cause of his previous failure. Science, it 

 is true, has largely I'evealed tlie vast resources 

 of the soil, and has modified the general laws 

 of cropping; but the theory of to-day must be 



established by the practice of anounr liay; 

 and the success or failure requires the whole- 

 some filtration of discussion, before any fact 

 can be satisfactorily established. 



"We owe it to the enlightened agriculturists 

 of Scotland, that such associations now exist. 

 During the last century, a small body of 

 Scotch landowners formed themselves into a 

 " Society of Improvers in the Knowledge of 

 Agriculture ;" and to this humble beginning' 

 may be traced all the associations that havo 

 since sprung up, not only in Great Britain, 

 but throughout the countries of Europe, and 

 ! on the continent of America, until, at length, 

 I the importance of the subject has compelled 

 ' a recognition on the part of various govern- 

 ments. In France and Belgium there aro 

 separate ministerial departments, under whoso 

 care and surveillance progress is made in all 

 that belongs to agriculture ; and the inter- 

 national exhibition which took place at 

 Paris, has been productive of very important 

 results, in radiating, throughout the empirea 

 and kingdoms of the European continent, the 

 experience that was collected at that Agricul- 

 tural Congress. Our own cxhihitious have also 

 done much; and if we cast a glance across 

 the Atlantic, we find that in Canada there 

 are provincial associations, botli in the Upper 

 and tlie Lower province. At Toronto, in Up- 

 per Canada, a central agricultural and horti- 

 cultural society was organised some years ago. 

 There are also a hiircau and boards of agricul- 

 ture; and a provision was made for imparting 

 "a knowledge of the science and art of agri- 

 culture" in the various schools, and even in tho 

 colleges and universities. Tnese have already 

 been, no doubt, instrumental in placing this 

 great colony foremost among the ranks of agri- 

 cultural countries. Both in Nova Scotia and 

 New Brunswick there are associations ; and, 

 in one of the reports of the latter, we find it 

 f<tated, that "our fanners are now convinced, 

 by experience, that they (the West Highland 

 cattle) are the best adapted to our climata 



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