1859. 



KEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



325 



be glad to see them more full and particular. 

 The two most important papers in the report 

 are a story by the Secretary, Dr, Joseph Rey- 

 nolds, designed to illustrate farm management 

 — and the address at the table by Ralph Waldo 

 Emerson. These are both interesting, and both 

 suggestive of thought. Mr. Emerson's address 

 is in his own peculiar style. He has a wonderful 

 faculty of clothing old ideas in a new garb, so as 

 to make them appear original and impressive. 

 He can say more in a few words than most men, 

 and he takes a philosophical view of everything 

 he looks at. We heard of a remark with regard 

 to the story upon farm management from one of 

 the best farmers in the county, which we think, 

 will afford the author more pleasure than the 

 premium he received for it. It was this. The 

 farmer said if he had a son who was going to 

 farming, he knew of nothing he would sooner 

 put into his hands, tRan that simple story. Both 

 the story and the address have been extensively 

 copied, not only by the agricultural press, but 

 other papers also. 



We do not notice any premiums awarded for 

 flowers, or for farms, or experiments. We would 

 recommend the offer of premiums for experi- 

 ments in reclaiminsf pasture lands, as a subject 

 of great importance in Middlesex county, — the 

 greatest milk-raising county in the State. The 

 pastures in Middlesex are very much exhausted, 

 and if anything can be done to restore them, it 

 will be of immense value to the county. 



There is much experience in this county with 

 respect to feeding stock, which if it could be 

 brought out, might result in securing much lar- 

 ger products from the same means. 



For tlie New England Farmer. 

 SECOND MARKET DAY FOB ESSEX. 



This came off near Sutton's Mills, in North An- 

 dover, yesterday. The gathering was large, the 

 animals presented of superior character, and 

 trading brisk and satisfactory. So well satisfied 

 were the trustees of these markets that they de- 

 termined to hold a third at Georgetown, on Tues- 

 day, the 21st of June, 1859. The probability is, 

 double this number would have been at Andover 

 had it not have been for the rainy aspect of the 

 skies ; but the rain did not essentially mar the 

 utility of the fair. 



I was pleased to see on the ground a mower, 

 to be moved by one horse ; and wheels for guid- 

 ing the plow without hands ; and corn cultiva- 

 tors, said to do the needful, without disturbing 

 the roots of the plants. 1 have entire confidence, 

 that market fairs are to be one of our 



3Iay 18, 1859. Yankee Notions. 



Agricultural Books. — Messrs. Crosby 

 Nichols & Co., Washington Street, Boston, 

 keep a large assortment of agricultural books 



which they offer at low prices. A good farmer 

 cannot afford to be without good agricultural 

 books, as he will find his profits increased by 

 their perusal. 



A NEW PLO"WMAN. 



Labor-saving implements and machinery are 

 desirable, we believe, on every account ; at least, 

 we know not what possible disadvantage is con- 

 nected with any good labor-saving machine. — 

 If they are useful and profitable under our pres- 

 ent mode of culture, they will be likely to re- 

 main so until superseded by something still 

 more useful and profitable. 



Under existing circumstances, where so large 

 a portion of the farm labor of New England is 

 performed by our trans-Atlantic brethren, we 

 want one of two things — machines that will 

 think, so as to perform all this labor in the 

 cheapest and best manner, or some person must 

 put his own thoughts into machines, and so con- 

 trive them as to make them work without 

 thought, when the motive power is applied to 

 them! 



The farmer will surely be disappointed, who 

 expects to conduct his aff"airs satisfactorily with 

 only the heads and hands of these excellent 

 brethren in their way, to whom we have alluded. 

 They have broad shoulders and strong hands, 

 with some impulse and great persistency in la- 

 bor, but nothing, or little, to guide it. They 

 must pass many more years yet in a course of 

 preparation, aided constantly by Yankee teach- 

 ing and examples of aptitude, before they will 

 become qualified to take the lead in our agricul- 

 tural operations. 



The Plowman, introduced at the head of this 

 article, is'^ machine of the latter description. 

 Hitch it to your motive power, set it in place, 

 and your men, without heads, or at least, heads 

 innocent of much thought, will perform for you 

 a good work. The Plowman, like most good 

 contrivances, is a very simple affair — merely a 

 triangle of cast iron, with a M'heel at one point- 

 It is attached to the beam of the plow by bolts 

 or screws, and is not easily broken or put out 

 of place. In company with Mr. J. M. Whitney, 

 of Bolton, Mass., the inventor, we took it to the 

 field and set it in motion. When once in place, 

 and properly adjusted, it kept on its way un- 



