334 



Cape May Agricultural Society. 



Vol. X. 



as soon after birth as possible, and keep them 

 so till they reach maturity. The details 

 given above are descriptive of the expedi- 

 ents generally adopted by the breeders of 

 this district for securing these objects. — Jour. 

 of High. iSj- Ag. Soc. of Scotland. 



Communicated for the Fanners' Cabinet. 

 Cape May Agricultural Society. 



A meeting of tlie citizens of Cape May, N. J., was 

 held at the Court-house on the •25th of Third mo. last, 

 and organized the "Cape May County Agricultural 

 Society." A Constitution was adopted, and Samuel 

 Springer was elected President; Downs Edmunds, Jr., 

 Joshua Swain, Jr., Franklin Hand, and John Stites, 

 Vice- presidents; Richard C. Holmes, Rec. Sec; Jolm 

 H. F. Stites, Cor. Sec; and Richard Thompson, Trea- 

 surer. 



Moses Williamson delivered an appropriate and 

 good Address, from which we make the following ex- 

 tracts.— Ed. 



It may be thought by some, useless to 

 form an Agricultural Society in this place ; 

 that the mode of farming has been estab- 

 lished long since, and any variation from the 

 old habits and practices, is out of the ques- 

 tion. They used to plough two or three 

 inches deep when they broke up their fields, 

 foddered their cattle in the main road, kept 

 forty half starved cattle, instead of twenty 

 that might have been wintered tolerably, 

 would sell their grain, and lose two or three 

 cows and half a dozen yearlings, for want of 

 food and attention ; buy land enough for three 

 farms, and have nothing left to lay out in 

 improvements, till fifty acres of land, and 

 get from three to five hundred bushels of 

 corn, while a better crop could be got from 

 ten acres of good land properly cultivated. 

 We are glad, however, to say that there 

 have been great improvements made within 

 a few years past in this respect. But where 

 improvements have been made, they have 

 not, by any means, been pushed to their 

 utmost limit. Another objection to such a 

 society, and which is of a piece with the 

 preceding, is that many suppose they can 

 be taught nothing new on the subject — that 

 it is lost time and waste of money to gain 

 information, or to make experiments on 

 farming. Another objection to doing any- 

 thing in improving our lands is, our soil is 

 light, barren, and near the sea-shore, and 

 there is nothing within our reach that will 

 make any improvement on them and pay 

 expenses. In answer to this I would say, 

 that the improvements already made are 

 sufficient to show, that much may be done 

 to raise the land to quite a high state of cul- 

 tivation, and that, too, by the ordinary means 

 which might have been enjoyed by the farm 



er from time immemorial — his barn-yard, 

 ashes, oyster-shells, king-crabs, and sea- 

 weed. These have been used in various 

 instances with ample success. If our soil 

 is light, it is capable of great improvement. 

 We know that on tlie same piece of ground 

 that will yield twenty bushels of corn per 

 acre, forty bushels mny be produced, and a 

 much better article. It is by manuring and 

 properly cultivating the land, this excess is 

 secured. Since discoveries have been made 

 in the preparation of manures, by compost- 

 ing, every facility is aflorded for furnishing 

 any quantity of excellent manures. The 

 statements which have been given to the 

 public, and which may be relied on, show 

 tliat these manures may be procured at a 

 very reasonable expense. It is now gene- 

 rally acknowledged, that science is likely to 

 lend important aid in this branch of the ag- 

 ricultural art, — that chemical experiments 

 will make vast improvements, by bringing 

 to the light what had been concealed from 

 the farmer for ages. He may now go scien- 

 tifically to work, bring to bear on his land 

 the peculiar elements which will call out 

 the latent energies of the soil, or supply the 

 deficiency, as the case may be, and thus be 

 able to prepare a manure suited to any soi' 

 lie may possess. Seeing, too, every year 

 new discoveries are made, so beneficial to 

 the farmer, there is everything to hope, and 

 nothing to discourage him in the diligent 

 pursuit of his business. I am persuaded 

 that we have only made a beginning in fur- 

 nishing means to enrich our lands, in kind 

 or in quantity, that may yet be found in the 

 ingredients which our own county may sup- 

 ply, and which, by the proper application of 

 chemical agents, will prepare these ingredi- 

 ents to do for our poor lands more than we 

 could ask, nay, make it almost as productive 

 as the prairies of the West, and on account 

 of its locality, far more valuable. 



The practice of sending to Philadelphia 

 to purchase some good, bad, or indifferent 

 animal for a good serviceable horse, does 

 not exactly suit on a farm — however well 

 it may suit a horse-jockey — and with a little 

 care and expense they might be brought up 

 on our own soil, where their qualities would 

 be known; and then such as were most suit- 

 able for this region of country could be raised, 

 and such as combined strength and fleetness, 

 fit either for the light carriage or working 

 team. Whatever may be said in favour of 

 the ox-team, it moves too slow for the indus- 

 trious, driving farmer. But before much can 

 be calculated on in this line, we must raise 

 fresh grass in greater abundance than at 

 present. 



The same is true in regard to cattle. We 



