44 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan- 



near Springfield, North Adams, Chicopee, &c. 

 The average weight, per square, is 560 pounds. 

 Without the fear of contradiction I have never 

 seen, either in the Welsh yards of Boston, or 

 other places, or in the slate yards of Vermont, as 

 beautiful piles of slate as I have repeatedly seen 

 at the yards of the Forest Company, at Hyde- 

 ville. There is no reason why these slates can- 

 not be delivered in Boston or Charlestown at 

 six dollars per square. A Subsckiber. 



November, I808. 



FARMERS' CLUBS. 



The constant attendance upon the meetings of 

 a Farmers' Club for six months in a year, through 

 several years, and a constant watchfulness of the 

 opinions and practices of those who have been 

 associated with us in such a club, give us a high 

 opinion of their usefulness. 



A correspondent from Hopkinton, Mass., writes 

 us as follows : — "As this is a favorable season in 

 the year for the formation of Farmers' Clubs, and 

 especially as my neighbors are agitating the sub- 

 ject, I wish you would say a few words in regard 

 to the usefulness of such institutions, and also in 

 regard to the formation and manner of conduct- 

 ing the meetings of a successful Farmers' Club. 

 And I should like to hear from those who are 

 connected with clubs in different parts of the 

 State." 



In response to this appeal, we cannot urge up- 

 on our readers with too much earnestness the 

 importance of forming clubs for the discussion 

 of all matters relating to the farm. 



Noio is the appropriate time — suffer it not to 

 pass unimproved. You will find amusement, im- 

 provement, and capital, in its deliberations, which 

 you cannot now appreciate. Form the club, and 

 be determined to take an active part in it, and 

 you will find your thoughts ranging in new and 

 delightful fields through another year. Meet at 

 your own dwellings, and thus while you are in- 

 terchanging civilities with each other, you will 

 save all expense of hall hire, fuel and lights. 



The following is a suitable form of a constitu- 

 tion : — 



CONSTITUTION. 



Art. 1. — This Association shall be styled The 

 Farmers' Club 



Art. 2. — Its officers shall be a President, Vice 

 President, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall be 

 chosen annually by ballot. 



Art. 3. — The President shall preside in all 

 meetings of the Club, with power to preserve or- 

 der, appoint Committees, and assign topics for 

 discussion. 



Art. 4. — In the absence of the President, all 

 his powers shall be exercised by the Vice Presi- 

 dent. 



Art. 5. — The Secretary shall keep a record of 

 the proceedings of each meeting, which shall be 

 read by him at the next subsequent meeting. He 

 shall preserve all reports of Committees, and 



conduct whatever correspondence shall be or- 

 dered by the Club. 



Art. 6. — There shall be at each meeting a dis- 

 cussion upon a topic previously announced, which 

 shall be commenced by four members designated 

 at the preceding meeting by the presiding of- 

 ficer ; and such other exercises as the Club shall 

 deem proper. 



Art. 7. — There shall be in the Club twelve 

 Standing Committees : — One on Manures ; Hoed 

 Crops ; Root Crops ; Grain Crops ; Grass Crops ; 

 Live Stock ; Farm Buildings and Farms ; Far- 

 ming Tools ; Reclaiming Waste Lands ; Garden 

 Fruits ; Ornamental Gardening ; Fruit and Or- 

 namantal Trees. 



Art. 8. — Select Committees maybe appointed 

 as the exigencies of the Club may require. 



Art. 9. — Each Committee shall make report 

 in writing, from time to time, as t'ae Club may 

 order, and the reports so made shall be at the 

 disposal of the Club. 



Art. 10. — Any person may become a member 

 of this Club by paying one dollar to the Treasurer. 



Art. 11. — The Annual Meeting of the Club 

 shall be holden on the first Monday of Novem- 

 ber of each year, for the election of officers ; and 

 all officers to hold over until new officers are 

 elected. 



Aside from the agricultural information that 

 may be gained by such association, it will make 

 families of the same town better acquainted with 

 each other, excite a bond of sympathy and inter- 

 est, and promote those delightful social relations 

 which ought always to exist among a rural pop- 

 ulation. Merchants, manufactures and mechan- 

 ics have their meetings to discuss their business 

 affairs and lay down some common platform or 

 rules by which they may be guided, and in this 

 way they strengthen each other's efforts, and 

 profit by each other's example. In the language 

 of the Woi-Jiing Farmer, we say, "take your sons 

 and workmen to these meetings, and they will 

 learn to respect an employment which calls into 

 active use the talent of all. If you have a sick 

 animal, you may have advantage by the experi- 

 ence of all your neighbors, and probably save the 

 life of the animal. If you have excess of crops, 

 such as are usually used on the farm, or are short 

 of others, may you not at such meetings learn 

 where you may sell or exchange ? Do not such 

 meetings tend to soften asperities, cement friend- 

 ships, and do away with peculiarities of temper, 

 which always occur with men who work alone ? 

 We would sooner forget much of our reading, 

 than to lose the recollection of such pratieal im- 

 provements as we have been acquainted with at 

 farmers' clubs." 



Largest Yield of Corn on Record. — A cor- 

 respondent writing from Vanderburg county, In- 

 diana, informs us that at the State Agricultural 

 Exhibition a silver pitcher was awarded for the 

 best Jive acres of corn. The award was made 

 upon the decision of three disinterested men i: 



