J 58 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOV. IX, 1840. 



and horticultural register. 



Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1840. 



AN AMERICAN PLOUGH ATA BRITISH AGRI- 

 CULTURAL SHOW. 



In tlie October number of the British F.Tfiner'p Maj^a- 

 zine, il is stated that at the agrieuitural meeting and 

 show of the British Royal Agricultural tiocirty at Cam- 

 bridge, an American plough was sent expressi}' for e.x- 

 hibltion. It attracted much attention. It is remarked, 

 that " a test of its properties was made in a part of the 

 field not included in the space for the operations of the 

 competitors for the prizes. His grace the Duke ofRich- 

 mond, handled this plough in a niasioily manner, but it 

 did not do its work well until tin- coulter was placed to 

 it. It is sim[)le in its construction, but we say not very 

 efficient. Those who saw it worked, thought it capa- 

 ble of much improvement." 



We should btt happy to learn what spirited individual 

 sent this [ilough abroad ; and then what plough was 

 sent. The circumstance in the case which cannot fail 

 to be lemarked witli peculiar pleasure, is the fact of the 

 plough having been held and " in a masterly manner" 

 by one of the first peers of the realm. It is gratifying to 

 see the most eminent men in the country not only as it 

 is termed, " lending their patronage " to the art, but by 

 direct intermingling with the farmers, taking a part in 

 the business of the farmer's holiday ; and as in this 

 case, actually holding the plough — thus contributing to 

 exalt the too long degraded pri;fess;on of a practical far- 

 mer in public estimation and respect. So ditTerent is 

 the state of society with us, and bo little familiar are 

 we with the artificial distinctions of rank prevailing in 

 aristocratic countries, that we can hardly estimate, as il 

 would he BO deemed in Great Britain, the extraordinary 

 condescension of this act. 



Jlr Coke, of Holkham, now an old man, many years 

 an independent commoner and recently exalted to the 

 peerage, has for a long time stood at llie head of the ag- 

 ricultural interests of the country. Ills husbandry has 

 been the means of renovating the whole county of Nor- 

 folk, and of making one of the least fertile territories in 

 England, one of the most improved and productive. 

 His annual cattle shows or sheep shearings were always 

 numerously attended ; his hospitality was unbounded ; 

 and it was usual for him to have for three successive 

 days, six hundred persons of resprctabilitv and distine- 

 tion to dine with hirn, besides making abiindarii provi- 

 sion for a vast nmnber of other persons in attendance. 

 His lands embrace a large extent of territory and are 

 divided among a numerous tenantry, who revere him 

 as a father. As an evidence of the extraordinary suc- 

 ces-! with which he has applied iin abundant capital to 

 agriculture, the late lamented Mr Lowell stated at 

 Brightcul some years since, that he had increa.sed the 

 rental of his estates by his improvements, from twenty- 

 five thousand to two hundred thousand dollars per year 

 This seems enormous, but the facts are unquestionable. 

 So retnarkable was his cultivation for its cleanness, 

 that it was deemed extraordinary to finil a single weed 

 growing among his wheat crops. He may be considered 

 wo suppose, il not the originator, at least the most efiee- 

 tual promoter of tlii! turnip husbandry in Norfolk. The 

 turnips are fed ofT the ground by sheep, a practice which 

 the climate of England admits of, and being cultivated 

 with excessive care, leave the ground in fine condition 

 for the grain crops, which are to succeed them. 



The Duke of Richmond, Lord Alihorp, (now Karl 

 Spencer) and the Duke of I'ortland, with many other 

 gentlemen of distinguished rank, and others, members 



of Parliament, are now devoting themselves with great 

 enertry and effect to the advancement of the agricultural 

 interest, which since the death of Sir John Sinclair and 

 his coadjutor, Arthur Young, lias got along as it could. 



The state of society with us is of course, from the na- 

 ture of (iiir government, entirely different from that 

 which exists thera. But we have men among us, if not 

 adorned with ai;y of the stars and garters of artificial 

 rank, yet ludding as high a place in public estimation 

 and respect, .-ind therefore on account of their education' 

 wealth, and public stations, wielding ::6 powerful an in- 

 fluence upon public opinion. It is gratifying to see such 

 men in various parts of our country, taking a deep inter- 

 est in this subject. They can confer no more beneficial 

 service on the community than by rendering the busi- 

 ness of farming and the profession of agriculture more 

 and more the objects of interest and regard. 



Whoever looks into our cities will see crowds of 

 young men who have left the humble labors of the coun- 

 try, not always because they disdained them, but very 

 often because they felt that (armors constituted a sort 

 of lower caste in the community and because they wish- 

 ed to rise to the condition of gentlemen. It certainly is 

 desirable, as far as possible, (how far that may be we 

 presume not to say,) to disabuse the public mind of sen- 

 timents so false and vicious; and let it be understood 

 that the true honor and respectability of a man consists 

 not in the particular employment or profession in vvhicii 

 he is engaged, but in honest and useful industry, in a 

 cultivated mind, in self-respect, and in virtuous morals ; 

 and that no man holds, in truth, a higlier rank in thi' 

 community than the man who with these qualifications 

 tills the earth for his bread. 



They will see, likewise, in our cities, crowds ofyoung 

 men, the sons of rich men, who have been the creators 

 of their own fortunes, wasting their time in idleness, 

 mere loafers, too proud to work, crowding into professums 

 already filled to overflowing, oftentimes mere fortune- 

 hunters, or speculators and gamblers, and destined to frit- 

 ter away life in absolute sloth and indulgence, or perhaps 

 to a darker fate, and to squander it in jirofligacy and dissi- 

 pation. How singularly happy would it be for such per- 

 sons, if they could be inspired with a taste for rural plea 

 sures and pursuits ; and if the parents, of their abundant 

 wealth, could |dant them as respeclable freeholders up- 

 im the soil, to till and enrich and adorn it; by honest 

 iniluslry to secure their own health and long life ; and 

 provide for their own families and train them up in 

 h.ibits of useful labor and frugal living, if through the 

 lelicity of early marriages. Divine Providence should 

 see fit to bless them with fiimilies to be thus trained. 



H C. 



THRESHING MACHINE, 

 ."^t the late exhibition o( the British Royal Agricultu- 

 ral Society, a threshing machine was exhibited which 

 turned out wheal at the rate of fifteen coombs or sixty 

 bushels per hour, as proved by after measurement. This 

 is most extraordinary work. We infer /'roin its beini; 

 exhibited in ihe show yard at t'ambridge, that it was a 

 movable machine, though most of the English machines 

 are fixtures This, however, is not certain. We should 

 have been glad to have known something of its con- 

 struction and cost, but nnihing i? stated in relation to 

 tliese points. Three hundred bushels per d:iy is the 

 largest qu;inlity which we have ever heard of any Amer- 

 ican machine being capable of throwing out. This, 

 however, is mere rumor, and does not rest upon «ny 

 authentic testimony. The machines in common use 

 will not turn out more than one hundred bushels of 

 wheal or ryo per day, and one hundred and twenty of 

 oats ; and besides horse-power, it will require at least 



four hands to supply the grain and take away and bind 

 the straw. 



At Indian Hill farm in West Newbuiv, is a ihr. shing 

 machine on the Scitch plan, enacted at consideratile ex- 

 pense and occupying a good deal of room, it threshes 

 and cleat, s the grain perfectly i.t the same operation. 

 It requires four to six horses to drive it lo advantage. 

 How many busbel.s of gram it will turn out in a day we 

 are not apprised ; but nothing eompiiriible to wliat is 

 stated of this English machine. 



The Shakers at Canterbury, N. H., have a threshing 

 machine driven by water, which operates well and lo 

 niiieh advantage. This would be an excellent arrancre- 

 ment lor a farming neighborhood, where much ffrain is 

 i.iised and a good water-power is at hand. Tlie custom- 

 ary price paid (iir threshing in many parts of the coun- 

 try by flail, is one bushel in ten. 'I'his is a very high 

 price for whe.it. The threshing by flail, compared with 

 the work done by a good niachiiie, is ollen at a conside- 

 rable los-. In passing wheat that was considered well 

 threshed by flail, afterwards through n good machine, 

 we have obtained at the rate of full two quarts to a bush- 

 el. It strongly reminded us of the condition of the 

 Irishman's straw, who upon being asked how he kept 

 his horse in so sleek and fine a condition, replied, '-An 

 failh," says he, " my liinny, he has nothing to ate but 

 whale straw, and that is not half threshed." H. C. 



ON A LARGE SCALE. 

 At the show of cattle and implements at Cambridge, 

 in England, in September last, tlie money received for 

 admission into the yards to see the cattle and imple- 

 ments, was from 1600 to 1650 pounds sterling, or up- 

 wards of 8000 dollars. The number of persons at the 

 dinner, including ladies, was 3000. Ten dollars, and ia 

 some cases even fifteen dollars each, were off'ered for 

 tickets. A particular object of attraction without doubt 

 was to hear the agricultural speeches of distinguished 

 individuals. H. C. 



CONDITION OF SOCIETY IN ENGLAND AND 

 THE UNITED STATES. 



At the meeting of the Royal Bucks Agricultural So- 

 ciety al Aylesbury, England, on the lOili September, the 

 fact may strike some of our simple republicans with a 

 degree of surprise, that when it came to the distribution 

 of prizes, which were given in cash and in anicles of 

 clothing, " the several recipients were then called in, 

 and his grace the Duke of Buckingham having address- 

 ed them upon their past good conduct, the prizes were 

 handed to them with a printed te-limeny of their suc- 

 cess, and a glass of wine each, lo drink the health of 

 the farmers present.'' How much happier is the condi- 

 tion of society among us, how much more favorable to 

 the proper elevation of Ihe laboring classes, and how 

 much more beneficial in its influenre upon the charac- 

 ter of the rich and dislinguished, where men are not 

 "called in .'ind furnished standinir with a glass of wine,' 

 butcome of their own accord ami of their own ri"ht, and 

 and with a self-respect arising from the consciousness 

 of their own piTsonal independence, sit down at the 

 same table with the most distinguished men In the com- 

 munity upon tirms of peitect equality ; and buy their 

 own clothing, and fill their own glasses for themselves. 

 The industrious, honest and virtuous yeomanry are the 

 true nobility of our land. They can show themselves 

 worthy of this rank only by cultivating their minds as 

 well as till) soil; and determining lo extirpate every 

 weed in their moral habits and clwracters, with even 

 far more resolution and thoroughness than Ihe weeds 

 among their growing crops. H. C. 



