No. 11. 



Cape May Agricultural Society. 



335 



will never do anything worth while in the 

 milk business inilil our calves are brought up 

 on fresh grass, instead of three-square, and 

 cows be wintered on fresh hay and roots. 

 Although there are many excellent varieties 

 of cattle, yet how little pauis is taken to se- 

 cure the best. It would cost no more to 

 keep a cow that gave a large quantity of 

 milk, than one that gave but little, and 

 which, too, would make better beef. It has 

 been truly said, by an eminent agriculturist, 

 " How many stunted milch cows do we see 

 which may be said to go dry all the year 

 round. How many steers, which, after 

 emptying a whole corn-crib, at last in the 

 spring look like tlie corn-crib itself, all ribs 

 without, and all hollow inside." 



As to swine, we would only say, that there 

 seems but little attention paid to them, be- 

 yond provision for family use, being some- 

 thing over 2,000 only raised in the whole 

 county in the year 1840. Tiiere is quite a 

 market for hams in the county, which might 

 be supplied at home instead of abroad. 



In regard to sheep, little attention is paid 

 to these — any kind will answer — any care 

 sufficient, and if they can be found in shear- 

 ing time, with a few lambs, to make up for 

 the loss of old ones, all is right. And yet 

 how many more might be raised, better in 

 quality and yield, in respect to wool and 

 flesh, if proper attention were paid to them. 



I would make a remark respecting the 

 implements of husbandry. These also are 

 improving every year, rendering the business 

 of farming to be better done at a cheaper 

 rate. There is already to be found every 

 utensil that can be serviceable to the present 

 degree of farming knowledge. But how 

 often is some important thing neglected, be- 

 cause some proper implement is not at hand; 

 and how often is a thing badly done for the 

 same reason. Many a useful experiment 

 would be made by the farmer, were he only 

 provided with the proper instruments to do 

 it. One would try deep ploughing if he had 

 a subsoil plough ; another would put in his 

 crop in the best manner, if he had a good 

 plough, instead of so rooting it up that you 

 can scarcely tell which way the furrows run, 

 or whether it had not been the regular work 

 of a herd of swine. 



I have hinted before that farming too much 

 land is a common fault in our county, — and 

 it is so almost everywhere. We proportion 

 the manure to the size of the field. It is 

 thinly scattered over twenty acres, when it 

 should be put on ten. It then disappears 

 with the first crop, and must be manured 

 again when another planting is made. Being 

 thus exhausted, there is no chance for grass 

 seed to take root, if grass is thought of; for 



there are many.who have extensive farms, 

 and who have fiirmcd for thirty or forty 

 years, yet never dream of laying out a penny 

 to get their fields into grass. But without 

 sowing grass seed on our fields no permanent 

 improvement can be made. If this were 

 properly attended to, tliere would be little 

 doubt as to the final success of agriculture 

 in our county. When we can sec the green 

 clover and timothy and orchard grass suc- 

 ceeding our wheat, rye, and oat crop, instead 

 of a crop of sickly weeds and wild grass, or 

 the bare sand itself, then we may expect a 

 new era in farming to be at hand in this part 

 of the country. 



It is said we have no market that is con- 

 venient enough to encourage the business to 

 any extent. We would say, that there are 

 many articles which are brought from abroad 

 which might as well be furnished at home; 

 and when we have supplied our own mar- 

 ket, will it be impossible to find the way to 

 Philadelphia or New York markets'! The 

 improvements in roads and steam navigation 

 will most likely keep pace with the improve- 

 ment in agriculture. The day cannot be far 

 distant, when it will be a common business 

 to transfer the produce of Cape May to Phil- 

 adelphia; and when it will be no more a 

 matter of surprise to see a Cape May man 

 at market, than to see a man there who has 

 come twelve miles in his own wagon. 



I would now refer to some things which 

 might do much towards the advancement of 

 the agricultural interests among us. The 

 first thing that suggests itself to my mind 

 is, that legislation should do something in 

 this matter more than it has done; that some 

 more inducements should be held out to the 

 farmer by way of premium or protection. 

 That such an important art should have so 

 little done in its behalf by so many of the 

 State legislatures, seems surprising. We 

 would expect the annual bleeding which it 

 gives the farmer, by way of taxation, which 

 he submits to most patiently and honourably, 

 pays for the privilege of keeping horses, 

 cows and wagons, and for his land that he 

 keeps them on, when neither land nor horses 

 nor cattle have blood enough to keep circu- 

 lation going. We have our school fund, and 

 acts are passed relating to the manufacturing 

 interests, but the farmer may go on and do 

 the best he can, without any special encou- 

 ragement from that government of which he 

 is the staunch supporter. Thousands of dol- 

 lars have been expended on public schools, 

 so called. I am not unfavourable to learn- 

 ing, and having it as thorough and universal 

 as possible. But why not encourage a busi- 

 ness so important to the community as agri- 

 culture? But what receives so little coun- 



