AND GARDENER'S JOURNL. 



PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH URECK & CO., NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (Ageiculturai. Warehouse.) 



vol.. XVI. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 7, 1838. 



NO. 35. 



^<3mJ£<&t2J'J£.E"®'2I^^Ig,a 



NEW YORK AGRICULTURE. 



We arc liappy to lay before our readers an able 

 Report, presented to the New York Legislature, 

 hy a gentleman liiglily distinguislied by bis agri- 

 cultural skill and intelligenee, Lewis F. Allen of 

 Buffalo. The Report is drawn up with ability, 

 and we cannot doubt will be followed by some 

 mportant measures, tending to foster and advance 

 his greatest interest of the republic — its Agricul- 

 ;ure. New York is destined to be eminently an 

 igricultural State; and already lier agricultural 

 products are immense. With the exception of 

 cotton and rice there is nothing that she may not 

 produce. Nor are her citizens in any respect be- 

 hind any part of the country in agricultural knowl- 

 edge and enterprise. Indeed when we take into 

 ^iew the extent of their farming operations, no 

 New Enghmd agriculture can come in competition 

 (vitli them. Their wheat crop is an immense pro- 

 luct ; their wool an immense product; so arethe 

 fruits of their dairy establishments. 



For a time the agiiculture of New York re- 

 seived the spec-.ial and fostering patronage of the 

 State Government. In 1791 — 99, her Agricultu- 

 ral Society published four quarto volumes full of 

 valuable communications. 'In 1821 — 25, the State 

 )rdered ibe publication and gratuitous distribution 

 )f three volumes of agricultural papers, which 

 or instructive and useful matter of that kind are 

 lot surpassed by any publications of the same 

 ?xtent. 



The State patronage has, since that time, to a 

 •reat degree been withdrawn. We presume that 

 jarty politics, that terrible bane of all that is 

 igreeable and most useful in the community, has 

 triumphed over a public spirit, and a just i-e- 

 gard to this primary interest of the Common- 

 wealth. 



Individuals among ihein-etiiinenl for their just 

 ippreciation of this great concern, afterwards asso- 

 ciated for its advancement, and attempted a Cattle 

 Show at Albany. But they had no prerriiums to 

 lestow, and their efforts were in a great measure 

 libortive, though the first Exhibition presented 

 lome remarkable specimens of improved animals, 

 >articularly of foreign and imported blood. 



It is sincerely to be desired by every friend to 

 igricultural improvement throughout the whole 

 !Ountry, that this new attempt to enlist the inter- 

 !Sts and secure the patronage of the State Govern- 



ment, in ways for aught we can see, unobjection- 

 able and highly beneficial in their tendency, will 

 be successful. 



A state so rich as New York could without the 

 slightest inconvenience to her finances, and in the 

 end with most eminent advantage to her true in- 

 terests, devote one or two hundred ihousand dol- 

 lars a year to promote her agriculture. This we 

 hope she will do. It will confer upon her an im- 

 mortal honiM-. It will Btiinulate to such an in 

 creased production ns shall comjiensate in the end 

 thousands of times for her expenditures. As Mas- 

 sachusetts men we cannot presume to follow her 

 "with equal steps ;" but with hearty good will, 

 we will cheer her on in this noble career ; and 

 rejoicing in our federal and fraternal connexion, 

 regard the increased advances of one member of 

 the family, a member, who is in some considera- 

 ble measure bone of our bone, and flesh of our 

 flesh, as a common and universal good. 



REPORT 



Of the Committee on Agriculture, on the memorial 

 of the State Agricultural Convention assembledin 

 Albany 07i the first day of February, instant. 

 Mr L. F. Allen, from the Committee on Agri- 

 culture, to whom was referred the memorial of 

 the State Agricultural Convention assembled in 

 Albany on the lirst day of February, instant, 



REPORTS : 



Although the duties of the committee on agri- 

 culture have oftentimes been considered rather 

 nominal ihnn active, yet your committee, on ft re- 

 view of past years, and a careful examination of 

 the present condition of the State, hfive come to 

 the conclusion that a serious responsibility, at this 

 time, rests ujinn them ; that they are charged 

 with some of the highest dutie.'i which devolve 

 upon the Legislature of a State; the guardianship 

 of that primary branch of industry which is the 

 source of our prosperity and greatness, and our 

 sure dependence in limes of p.iblic peril and mis- 

 fortune. Politicians may sjieculate upon the in- 

 fluence which free institutioas, or a partisan ad- 

 ministration, may have upon the prosperity of a 

 country ; commercial men may extol the advanta- 

 ges of an extended foreign commerce ; manufac- 

 tures may claim prs-eminence in conferring in- 

 dependence upon their country ; and literature 

 may arrogate the exclusive credit of rendering a 

 community enlightened and polished ; yet, after 

 all, agriculture couslitules the broad base upon 

 which the whole superstructure of society depends 

 for support. If tliat languishes, either for want 

 of the protection and patronage of the constituted 

 authorities, or from the inattention and lack of in- 

 telligence in its rural population, the government 

 becomes embarrassed, commerce crippled, and 

 manufactures paralyzed. A raaratim; war may 



sweep our conmierce from the ocean ; our manu- 

 factures may sink for want of a market for their 

 fabrics, as they have done ; but agriculture never 

 disappoints our ho|]es, while we continue to enjoy 

 the blessings of a kind Pi-ovidetice, whose favor it 

 is alike our duty and our interest to propitiate by 

 prudent foresight and dutiful sub'iiission to all 

 his requirements, 'ihesoil, under judicious man- 

 agement, never withholds the tribute of reward 

 to those who humbly devote themselves toitscul- 

 tm-e, and place upon it their only sure reliance. — 

 Upon this, then, we ought to bestow our special 

 attention, our protecting care. These truths have 

 been amply illustrateil and established in the ex- 

 perience of the two last years. Your committee 

 are persuaded that the condition of the agricul- 

 ture of any country affords a safe citerion whereby 

 to judge, not only of its general prosperity, but 

 of the social and moral condition of its popula- 

 tion. 



The recollections of tlie age wiil serve to sho'W, 

 that the relative condition of our agriculture ami 

 that of many of the countries of Europe has un- 

 dergone a remarkable change within the lust forty 

 years. While the latter lias been increasing, ours 

 has been diminishing in its products. About the 

 commencemeflt of the, present century the expor- 

 tation ut bread stuffs and other provisions, from the 

 northern and middle Stages, amouutcd.wioually, 

 to twelve or fourteen millions of doKars,. princi- 

 pally to the continent bf Europe. In the two last 

 years, instead of exporting provisions to Europe, 

 as formerly, we have imported from thence brearil 

 stuffs to the amount of seven or eight millions oi, 

 dollars. These facts conclusively show, that the 

 agricultural products of Europe have greatly in- 

 creased, while ours have been diminishing, in pror- 

 portion to our population, notwithstanding the 

 vast accession of fertile virgin soil which has been 

 constantly enlarging our bordeiw. Whence this 

 gj-eat change but from a neglect, on our part, to 

 nurture this great branch of national industry ;. 

 and a diligent and constant endeavor, on the part 

 of the governments and people of Europe to im- 

 prove it .' We have the most ample evulence 

 that the effortsof our cofemporaries on the old, 

 continent have been crowned with abundant suc- 

 cess. France and Germany have made great ad- 

 vances in agricultural improvement. The once 

 liarren sands of Brandenburjli, and the no less 

 unproductive heaths of Prussia, are now covered 

 through the active efforts of the Prussian govern- 

 ment, with plentiful harvests of the finest grain in 

 the world. The soil of England has been made 

 to more than double its pjoducts within the last 

 sixty years ; and Scotland has quadrupled her 

 agricultural products since the termination of our 

 revolutionary war. 



While such has been the recent progress of ag- 

 ricultural improvement in Furope", what has been 

 our progress in husbandry ." Has it not been re- 

 trograde .^ Have not our cidtivated lands been 

 generally deteriorating, under an exhausting sys- 

 tem of husbandry ? and have not large tracts, once 



