1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



243 



ELEVENTH LEGISLATIVE AQRICUL- 

 TUBAL MEETING. 



TREPORTtD BY John C. Moore, for the N. E. Farmer.) 



Owing to the House of Representatives having 

 occupied their Hall on the evening of Monday 

 of last week, the usual agricultural meeting was 

 postponed uniil the evening of Wednesday, when 

 it was held in the Green Room of the State 

 House — the Legislature being at the same time 

 in session. The attendance was not so large as 

 could have been desired — particularly when such 

 an important question was under discussion, viz.: 

 " The best means to be adopted for the improvement 

 of the farming of New England." His Excel- 

 lency, Gov. Banks, was present during part of 

 the evening. 



Hon. JosiAH QuiN«cy, Jr., occupied the chair. 

 He said, substantially, that the question was a 

 very comprehensive one. Two points were ob- 

 vious — the necessity of giving the farmer infor- 

 mation, and the necessity of getting him to take 

 advantage of it. Much of the information, how- 

 ever, we had in this country regarding farming 

 was copied or stolen from English works, written 

 by men who were not really farmers, but gentle- 

 men who made farming a recreation. Those who 

 did work on the farms were a very different class 

 — laboring under great social disadvantages — 

 and little better in many respects than the slaves 

 of the South. They had no interest in the soil, 

 or hope to have any. It was different here, where 

 the farmer was the owner of the soil, and where 

 he had a consequent interest in it. Such a man 

 could not believe in English farming instruction ; 

 and the best way with him was to convince him 

 that his profession was an honorable and a prof- 

 itable one; This would be one great means for 

 improvement ; and farmers on principle would 

 be the most valuable men we could have. A 

 good farmer could live on very small capital, and 

 his position would be found to be the most eligi- 

 ble in the country. Young men had been taught 

 to look on the history of the late Amos Law- 

 rence as a pattern of instruction and suggestion ; 

 but few who knew the real history of the man, 

 and of his trials, could fail to know that his life 

 was, though an honorable one, far from being a 

 happy one. It was a gross m'stake to advance the 

 doctrine that it was advisable for young men to 

 leave farming, and its happy circumstances, and 

 dive into the troubles of a business life ; and the 

 more that could be done to prevent this folly, and 

 to convince young men in the country that the 

 farmer's position was the most peaceful, heallhy, 

 honorable and covetable, the more would be ac- 

 complished for the improvement of farming. 

 Many young men were literally putting their 

 hands to the plow, and every inducement should 

 be held out to them not to turn back. 



Mr. B. V. French was of opinion that the 

 teachings of the life of Amos Lawrence had been 

 more pernicious than any one could describe, 

 and was ready to endorse all that has been said 

 by the chairman. Taking advantage of the sug- 

 gestion, which Mr. Quincy threw out at the close 

 of his brief remarks, that the discussion might 

 include all the means and appliances of improved 

 farming, Mr. French commended a more gen- 

 eral attention to draining ; the establishment of 

 agricultural educational institutions ; the insti- 

 tution of such experiments in such culture as 

 were simple in themselves, and within the means 

 of every farmer to follow ; and above all, the 

 careful training of young men to the profession 

 of agriculture on the basis of a love for it. He 

 was glad to note that much progress had been 

 made of late ; and took occasion to pay a well- 

 deserved compliment to the public spirit of Hon. 

 Josiah Quincy, Sen., who had done more to im- 

 prove the science of farming in this region than 

 any other man. 



Mr. W. J. BuCKMINSTEK was of opinon that if 

 the young men who were wild after foreign .spec- 

 ulation could be advised to turn their energies 

 towards the cultivation of the soil, respectability, 

 comfort, health and usefulness would be more 

 certain than in any other path ttiey could follow. 

 He held that the system of town farmers' clubs, 

 with fairs and exhibitions of agricultural imple- 

 ments and produce, which would furnish attrac- 

 tive features, would do much for the extension 

 of a love for farming, and to show the proof of 

 its profitableness. He was not entirely in favor 

 of agricultural colleges ; as practical instruction, 

 with a modicum of book-learning intermingled, 

 would be much more beneficial, in his estima- 

 tion. One great cause of an aversion to farm- 

 ing was the severity of the labor, and the gener- 

 al irregularity of the working hours. By the in- 

 troduction of machine labor the hours of labor 

 might be much shortened, and time given for 

 such recreation as a healthy mind could relish 

 and pursue ; and, moreover, by breaking up the 

 slavery and monotony of the farmer's life, young 

 women would be induced to marry farmers, and 

 the business of farming be placed on a more 

 pleasing and permanent basis. Some might smile 

 at this talk about marriage ; but those who knew 

 the facts would be ready to acknowledge that 

 young women had little encouragement to be- 

 come farmers' wives, on account of the hard and 

 weary labor they would be bound to do in the 

 household and in the dairy. Whatever fright- 

 ened the women away from it was not well calcu- 

 lated to induce young men to attach themselves 

 to it. Mr. B. concluded by recommending that, 

 after making the farmer's vocation attractive, it 

 would be excellent policy to induce the young to 



