294 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 31, I83S 



AND gardener's JOURNAL. 



Boston, We5>esday, Mahch 2l, 1838. 



BRIGHTON SHOW. 



We learn tlial tlie Trustepg of ihe Massachusells Ag- 

 ricultural Society have deeided against having a Cattle 

 Show and Ploughing Match tho current year. We are 

 not familiar with the reasons on which such derision is 

 founded; but, for ought we can see, we wish the decision 

 had been otherwise. Every thing vvhicli' draws atten- 

 tion to this great art, docs a service to it. It renders it 

 matter of inquiry and experiment; and this serves to 

 make it better understood. The public interest taken in 

 it on such occasions by gentlemen distinguished by their 

 talents, official standing, and char,acter, renders the [jro- 

 fession the more respectable ; and thus leading the far- 

 mers the more to respect themselves, has a powerful 

 and most favorable moral influence upon them as a 

 class ; and operates as a strong encouragement to young 

 men to engage in the pursuit. The competitions on 

 these occasions in the exhibition of stock, in the man- 

 agement of teams, in the management of the plough, 

 and in the produclif)n of household manufactures has 

 always been a powerful means of improvement. Those, 

 who have been faniiliar witli these subjicts since the 

 institution of the first cattle show and plougliing match 

 at Brighton, have seen these results in the mwfft striking 

 manner. The intercourse of farmers fiotn different 

 parts of the state on such occasions has been highly ben- 

 eficial. The holiday itself too is delightful ; and where 

 etrict order and decorum are observed ; and the means 

 and faciliiies of gambling and intoxication are put away, 

 Buch occasions are means of innocent and agreeable re- 

 creation ; and encourage the best sentiments and affec- 

 tions of the heart. 



The Show at Brighton in former years has been the 

 means of bringing to the knowledge and notice of tiie 

 farmer some of the most valuable live stock ever raised 

 in the country or imported- into it. The very fine im- 

 ported horses shown tliere, Barefoot, Serab, Bellfoundcr, 

 Columbus, the Cleveland Bay ; the magnificent fat 

 oxen from West Springfield and other parts of the 

 Stale, the Oakes Cow, the Westbrook Heifer, the 

 fine bulls, Fillpail, Ctfilebs, Denton, Admiral, the beauti- 

 ful Merino, Saxc-ny, Dishley Nalt, Leicester, South- 

 down sheep ; the various imported stocks of cows and 

 their progeny, the remarkable swine that have been 

 seen there, are the exhibitions of former years, and 

 not easily forgotten by those, who had the pleasure to 

 see them ; and the display of this fine stock gave an 

 impulse to attempts at improvement) which was deeply 

 felt, and must long continue to be felt. 



The ploughing matches and the working matches 

 have rendered an immense service in improving the 

 plough itself and the manner of executing its work, as 

 every man fumiliar with thi'se subjects must be satisfied ; 

 and in exciting a genurai and spirited ambition in the 

 appearance and training and management of our ox- 

 teams, an ambition not ccjnfined to the vicinity merely, 

 but extending itself far into the interior; lor the far- 

 mers from a remote part of Worcester t-'ounty were of- 

 ten successful competitors for the premiums ; and car- 

 ried back and diffused a most wholesome influence in 

 their own towns. 



We see no reason, why the same beneficial re- 

 sults may not continue to follow from simitar measures. 

 V/c certainly have not reached tho end of the line of 

 improvement; and wc believe there has been no lime 



within many years, when the spirit of agricultural en- 

 terprise and improvement has been more active than at 

 this very time ; and when public feeling would accord 

 more interest and cordiality to a Brighton Cattle Show. 

 We shall resume this subject on another occasion and 

 consider the objections which may be supposed to be 

 urged against it. 



EXACTNESS AND CALCULATION. 

 We cannot urge loo strongly upon the Farmers every 

 where, the importance of ascertaining, by exact exaini- 

 nalion and measurement, where measurement is 

 practicable, what tlicy produce, what is the value, 

 and what is the cost of their productions. In 

 general, farming is carried on as a system of random 

 jfuess-woik. Tliis ought not to be. In order to know 

 what we can do and ought to do, it is of the first im- 

 portance to understand what we have dime. The con- 

 stant objection to such exactness is, that " it is too much 

 trouble, such exac'ness takes too much time.'' Now, 

 we can answer for it, tliat it takes very little time, and 

 that it giv*s very little trouble. It would be, in the 

 first place, important for every farmer to know the con- 

 tents in acres and value of every enclosure on his 

 farm, and this once done is done forever, as long as 

 those enclosures remain ; or il he takes up but part of 

 his field for cultivation, there is no great difiicully in 

 having that part carefully measured. In his cultiva- 

 tion iT would be easy for him to ascertain carefully the 

 quantity of land under cultivation ; to keep an exact 

 account of the number of days employed in that culti- 

 vation ; the number of loads ol manure applied to it; 

 the quantity of seed sown ; and th« time of sowing 

 In respect to all grain or vegetable crops, they of ne- 

 cessity pass through the bushel or the half bushel 

 measure. There can be no difficulty in keeping the 

 numbers of these measures. In regard to his hay 

 and straw, there caa be no great trouble in keep- 

 ing the number of loads as he carries them in ; and 

 making a pietly accurate estimate of their quantity, or 

 in ascertaining the quantity contained in any single bay 

 or mow ; or in other modes of coming at a near esti- 

 timate of the quantity collected. In regard to his dairy 

 produce, nothing can be easier than ascertainiug by va- 

 rious simple trials, or by actual weighing and measuring, 

 the quantity of milk, or butter or cheese. So likewise 

 of his pork and bnef. There is no reasonable excuse 

 for his not doing this ; and if he would only introduce 

 some regular system into his proceedings and get into 

 the habit of exactness in accounts, we can assure him 

 the pleasure of doing it, the satisfaction of coming at 

 precise results, the being able when he is inquired of 

 about his farming, or when he hears about the farming 

 of others, to say in respect to his own affairs what he 

 knows, instead of saying merely what he gui:sses, 

 would compensate him a bundled fold for all the 

 trouble it may occasion and all the time it may occupy. 



the Commonvvealth. Such a project, if well matured 

 and carried out, must confer gnat bcnefils upon 

 the Slate One great object of such a Board would be 

 to look after the disbursements of the large amounts 

 of money given annually by the Stale to the various 

 Agricultural Sooieties. We have no belief that any of 

 this is squandered, purloined, or designedly misapplied; 

 but in the expenditure of all such monies, tho responsi- 

 bility to the State should be direct and immediate ; and 

 the judgmi;nt of a Board composed of intelligent men, 

 familiar with and interested in the great operations of 

 agriculture throughout the Stale, might do much in 

 giving a more efficient, and, perhaps, in some cases, a 

 more judicious direction to these bounties. 



We have the pleasure to-day, on our first page, to lay 

 before our readers the report of Judge Buel at the Agri- 

 cultural Convention in Albany on the condition and ad- 

 vancement of agriculture. Everything which proceeds 

 from bis experienced and full mind on this subject is 

 entitled to great respect. Other valuable reports on va- 

 rious subjects given at the same time we shall, as matter 

 of course as well as of general gratification and instruc- 

 tion, transfer to our columns as occasion may offer. In 

 speaking of the crops in Scotland by the statute acre, 

 we are to remember that a Scotch acre contains one 

 quarter more than ours ; that is five quarters of ours. 



We are inclined to believe that our respected friend 

 deals out rather too severe measure in his censures of 

 the iigriculture of his own state. The spirit of improve- 

 ment has been sometime awake there ; quickened and 

 fanned by his own powerful influences ; and her agricul- 

 ture is advancing with rapid strides. When the legis- 

 lators become once fully aware of the immense impor- 

 tance of this mighty interest ; and the just claims it has 

 upon legislalive aid, tliey cannot refuse to cheer, and 

 belter than that, to aid its onward. 



Agricultural Subvkv. — The first Report of the 

 Commissioner of Agricultural Survey has been publish- 

 ed by order of the Executive. It principally relates to 

 the County of Essex ; and embraces a great variety of 

 subjects connected with the agriculture of the County ; 

 together with a general account of the objects and pro- 

 gress of the Survey. It is commended to the intelligent 

 and candid examination of the farmers ; and while it 

 shows the need of their co-operation, it is hoped will 

 excite a universal desire among them to lend a helping 

 hand in this great and important public work. 



SUMMARY OF THE WEEK. 



No subjects of great interest have been passed upon 

 either in Congress or our Slate Legislature, since our 

 last. The Revenue bill, in the Senate, remains in de- 

 bate ; and all the letters from Washington attest that 

 tho great orator, Mr Webster, has come down upon it 

 witlfa force of argument and eloquence, as yet never 

 surpassed in the Halls of Congress. 



Our own Legislalurc have passed upon many private 

 acts of local imporlance only. They have appointed a 

 committee of the House and Senate, to inquire into the 

 expediency of establishing a Board of Agriculture in 



Maine. The Legislature jof Maine hss passed a re- 

 solve appropriating !!f76,954, lor the, payment of the 

 bounty on Wheat claimed by the farmers of that Slate 

 under the Act of last year. The following are the 

 amounts of bounty claimed by each county under tho 

 Act, viz : — 



1,521 29 



County of York, 



Cumberland 



Lincoln, 



Hancock, 



Washington, 



Kennebec. 



Oxford, 



Somerset, 



Penobscot, 



Waldo, 



3,055 on 



3,209 93 



1,784 26 



1,998 76 



14,407 16 



10,416 38 



17,49U 93 



14,706 81 



8,364 07 



The towns which receive the largest amount are 

 China, which receives f 967 42— Farrnington 926 22— 

 Anson, 906 79. 



A bill has been introduced for repealing the law. 

 In the debate on the subject, it was proposed to add a 

 bounty on corn. The whole bi41 was opposed, on the 

 ground that its operation is unequal upon different parts 

 of the Slate. The same objection might have been 

 urged to the similar law lately passed in this state. 

 We know of hut one farmer who raises wheat within 

 the limits of this city. This farm is at South Boston, 

 and it has always, we believe, produced good crops. — 

 Dailij Mrerthtr. 



Raspberries. — We are informed by John T. Wheel- 

 wright, that he furnished the last season from the Gar- 

 den belonging to Lot Wheelwright, Esq. Nonantum Hill, 

 Newtim, thirteen hundred boxes of Red and White 

 Antwerp Raspberries for the Boston Market. Mr 

 Wheelwright has given much attention to the cultiva- 

 tion of this delicious fruit. Those who wish to supply 

 themselves with plants will see by his advertisement 

 that they can be accommodated. 



NOTICE. 



A special meeting of the Committee of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society on Fruits, will be holden 

 at Ihe Hall of the Society, on Saturday, 24th inst. at 10 

 o'clock, A. M. On the subject of awarding premiums 

 for fruils. A punctual attendance is requested. 

 For the Committee, 



WILLIAM KENRICK, Chairman. 



