1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



301 



AGRICUIiTUKAL KEPORTS. 



It has been our purpose to present a series of 

 notices of the Reports of the State and County 

 Agricultural Societies of the past year. We 

 published a notice of the Transactions of the 

 Massachusetts Society, soon after its publication, 

 and have slightly noticed one or two others. 



We propose now to take them up in order, 

 and make such remarks as their contents may 

 suggest. In general, they indicate that the Ag- 

 riculture of the Commonwealth is in a progres- 

 sive state, and that all classes of the community 

 are interested in its promotion. There is no want 

 of zeal or effort in the cause. There is a great 

 amount of force and energy brought to bear up- 

 on the subject. But one thing is very obvious, 

 on looking over the Reports, and that is, a want 

 of unity, method and system. If there could be a 

 meeting of the officers of the several societies, 

 and a plan of operations carefully digested and 

 arranged, we cannot but believe that much good 

 would come from it, and some of the measures 

 resulting from the want of experience and from 

 the impulsive character of Young America, would 

 be suppressed, and no small amount of force, that 

 now does more harm than good, be directed into 

 useful channels. Perhaps the Board of Agricul- 

 ture might do something to promote this object> 

 and to divert the zeal and efforts of agricultural 

 men to these subjects that deserve immediate at- 

 tention. 



The Massachusetts Society has set a good ex- 

 ample in this respect. That Society has annu- 

 ally directed its attention to some specific object, 

 which the exigencies of the times seemed to de- 

 mand. This year, they have called attention to 

 the establishment of local fairs for the exhibi- 

 tion of stock, produce and implements, and in 

 consequeiice of their recommendation — seconded 

 by the action of the State Board of Agriculture 

 — a Market Day, or Fair, was holden at South 

 Danvers, the 3d inst., and others will be held in 

 various parts of the State. We are inclined to 

 think that such fairs, properly arranged and man- 

 aged, wherever the population is sufficiently 

 dense, will be productive of much good. They 

 will bring the farmers together, and enable them, 

 by sale or purchase, or by barter, to supply their 

 several wants, without intervention of "middle- 

 men," who usually carry off the profits of such 

 traffic, and furnish them an opportunity to dis- 

 pose of the products of their farms directly to 

 the consumers and dealers. There are several 

 places in the state where such fairs may be held 

 to advantage. We shall watch their course with 

 interest, and be prepared to publish notices of 

 such of them as we may witness, or that may be 

 offered to us from time to time by others. 



Farming is a progressive business, and new 



methods, new implements and new subjects of 

 attention present themselves from year to year, 

 and should receive due regard from the manag- 

 ers of our agricultural societies. 



The tendency at the present time is to give 

 the control of our county societies to men who 

 are not farmers — men who wish to keep them- 

 selves before the people, and to make agriculture 

 a hobby which they may ride for some effect not 

 set forth in the "Farmer's Guide Book !" Such 

 men may infuse a certain degree of energy into 

 their movements, but their object, it may reason- 

 ably be supposed, is often an ulterior one. They 

 aim to produce a sensation, and to carry things 

 through with eclat, and are quite likely to be 

 content when their personal objects are attained. 



We think more careful thought is needed in 

 appropriating the bounty of the State, so that the 

 most permanent good shall be accomplished by 

 it. The object of this bounty is not to put money 

 in the pockets of the competitors, for premiums, 

 but to promote agricultural experiments, and 

 real improvements ; to diffuse scientific and prac- 

 tical knowledge, and to increase the product of 

 the soil. When the object is merely to obtain 

 the prizes, and no pains are taken to furnish 

 statements of the methods pursued in producing 

 the articles or animals for which they are award- 

 ed, which may be useful to others, or which may 

 afford reliable information, it is time they were 

 withheld, or appropriated to some other means of 

 effecting the same objects. 



The premiums paid by the Massachusetts So- 

 ciety for Essays upon agricultural subjects, wilj 

 do more for the cause than twice the amount 

 paid for articles that were produced by accident, 

 or were cultivated expressly for the premium, at 

 an expense of land, manure and labor that no 

 practical man can afford. What is wanted at the 

 present day, is, that farmers should make well 

 arranged, careful experiments, and give the re- 

 sults, whether successful or not, in a clear, reliable 

 form, so that they may convey information of a 

 practical character. One such experiment is worth 

 more than a hundred big squashes, or beets, and 

 we hope a set of well digested experiments will 

 be prepared, and liberal premiums offered for 

 them, to be paid, whether they result profitably 

 or otherwise, provided they are conducted in con- 

 formity to the prescribed conditions. 



If one-half the money from the State treasury 

 were appropriated in this way, we have no doubt 

 that it would do more to promote agriculture 

 than is accomplished by it at the present time. 



Essays upon stock-breeding and stock-feeding, 

 upon draining and reclaiming pasture lands, up- 

 on grain crops, and root crops, upon meteorolo- 

 gy, geology, and various topics connected with 

 the subject of agriculture, should receive so lib- 



