316 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRIIi 17, 1833. 



AST ADDRESS 



To Ihe Essex County Agricultural Society, delivered at New- 

 bury, September 27, 1832, at tlieir Auuual Cattle Shuw. 

 By Kc\'. Gardnek B. Pekrv. 

 The value of an Institution njust be estimated 

 by tbe interest it is designed to promote and its a- 

 daptation to promote such interest. Brought to this 

 test, few, whose more direct bearings are on world- 

 ly concerns, have a higher claim to general sup- 

 port than the one I now have the privilege to ad- 

 dress. 



Your object, gentlemen, is to enable men more 

 abundantly, and with diminished labor, to supply 

 themselves with the necessities and elegances of 

 life, and in this way to render their condition more 

 comfortable. 



Surely this is a great and worthy enterprise. A 

 man may live and endure life, and, if called in 

 providence, be submissive too, in caves or holes of 

 the rocks, or ill-sheltered in the wigwam of the 

 untaught savage, on a morsel of bread, the scanty 

 earnings of ill-directed labor. Still it is an object 

 of deep interest to be better provided for, and to 

 obtain this better provision with diminished labor. 

 As the object of this Society is important, so I 

 think it may easily be shown that it is well calcu- 

 lated to the result for which it is organized. 



To accomplish this result, it is indispensable in 

 the first place that the community generally be 

 made acquahited with the abundant and varied 

 provision which a bountiful Providence has made 

 for us. Such knowledge is indispensable to a ju- 

 dicious selection of the most profitable or useful. 

 On this subject there is a want of information, not 

 generally supposed, end not easily accounted for. 

 In the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms, 

 there are varieties recommended by the profit or 

 l)leasure they arc capable of yflbrding, abounding 

 in different p«-ts of the world — I might say of the 

 state and county, — of which large communities 

 remain unacquainted. In consequence of which, 

 an article ofcomparatively small value is cultivated, 

 when a much better might be procured witii the 

 same expense of labor or money. 



The same is true in respect to many implements 

 of husbandry, and even tools of the mechanic. 

 Few employments make a greater demand upon 

 the physical powers than farming. The call for 

 the improvements of skill, are therefore as urgent 

 here as they ever will be in any employment. In 

 no business, however, has the head done so little 

 and left the liands so much to perform. The 

 head has not, however, been slower in invention, 

 than has been the progress of knowledge of what 

 has been devised, or the disposition to adopt the 

 improvements which have been made. In vari- 

 ous districts at no great remove, implements of 

 husbandry possessing distinct advantages above 

 those in common use are possessed, the employ- 

 ment of which, if not the knowledge of their ex- 

 istence, is confined to very limited circles. This 

 IS particularly true in communities composed of 

 emigrants flora difll^rent nations in a foreign coun- 

 try The English, Scotch, Irish, Dutch, Swedish 

 and German settlers, are hardly better distinguish- 

 ed by thetr language than by the form and nature 

 of hetr implements of husbandry. Among each 

 ofthesecomtnunitiesmaybe found some imple- 

 ments of peculiar excellence, and others partaking 

 ofvery obvious defects. Yet the ill-contrived of 

 one very tardily give place to the more perfect of 

 the otiier. Prejudice may be among the causes. 



Ignorance that better are in use is however the 

 most general. 



The design of this society is to collect and dif- 

 fuse knowledge on these important and interesting 

 subjects. How well calculated it is to do this, 

 must be obvious to the most careless observer. 

 By its public meetings it draws men together from 

 different places; by its premiums it induces them 

 to bring what they suppose of peculiar excellence; 

 it invites them to give a history of their successful 

 and unsuccessful efforts. In its exhibitions what 

 is deemed excellent by one is placed by the side of 

 what is thought excellent by another. Opportuni- 

 ty of inquiry, comparison, and trial are afforded, 

 and thus all may select for their own use what in 

 their estimation possesses the fairest claims to 

 preferment. 



By the doings of this society the public are fur- 

 nished with the knowledge of facts connected 

 with experimental fanning. In the introduction 

 of new or foreign articles of produce, and trials of 

 new modes of culture and manufiictnre, there 

 must be more or less risk. Till trial has been 

 made, no one can know with certainty what effect 

 change of climate, soil, and other surrounding cir- 

 cumstances may produce. This risk a Itirge jtor- 

 tion of the community are not able to take upon 

 themselves to any considerable extent. For 

 should the labor of the year be expended upon an 

 unsuccessful experiment, they would in the end 

 be pressed for the necessaries of life. With the 

 public spirit and praiseworthy enterprise of the 

 wealthy and scientific farmers of the county, there 

 is hardly a call for them to make expeihnents. 

 These are made for them, and with such preci- 

 sion in the operation, and accuracy of record, that 

 any one may judge with all necessary certainty 

 whether he can with advantage adopt them or not. 

 In this respect the people of this county are i)ecu- 

 liarly favored, for there are siiread over the coun- 

 ty, farms, embracing a great variety of soil, owned 

 and improved by wealthy, enterprising and scien- 

 tific men, who cultivate them as a means of ration- 

 al enjoyment, conducive alike to health of body, 

 vigor of mind, and refinement in moral feeling. 

 Of this class of farms, may be named those of 

 Gorham Parsons, at Byfield. 

 William Bartlett, at Methuen. 

 Frederick Howes, at Beverly. 

 James H. Duncan, at Haverhill. 



E. H. Derby, and the ) „ , 

 n- , ,■ ;■ at Salem, 



rickman farm, j 



And many others of similar character. 



These farms may all be regarded as experimen- 

 tal farms, or, I might say, agricultural laboratories, 

 owned and managed to be sure by individuals, but 

 from the manner in which they are conducted 

 scarcely less advantageous to the community than 

 if they were public institutions; for the whole op- 

 erations upon them are open constantly to public 

 inspection, where every one of sober conduct may 

 see for liimself and learn, without money and 

 without labor, what change he may make with 

 great certainty of advantage, in his articles of pro- 

 duce, or method of cultivating them. 



Of the same character are the agricultural re- 

 searches and improvements of many professional 

 men, who though extensively engaged in their ap- 

 propriate spheres, still give a portion of their time 

 to their farms as a means of healthful relaxation, 

 and in some instances, perhaps, with a commenda- 

 ble regard to the profit connected. 



For examples of which I might refer to 

 Dr. N. Cleaveland, of Topsfield, 

 Dr. D. Robinson, of West Newbury, 

 Kev. B. Loring, of Andover, and 

 Rev. H. Colman, lately an active and ef- 

 ficient member of your Board of Trustees, who 

 has now gone to another section of the state bear- 

 ing with him the respect and good wishes of all; 

 and who has commuincated for our instruction 

 many valuable experiments in husbandry. 



As holding a like place in the scale of utility, 

 and alike entitled to public gratitude, are the 

 gratuitous effort of various distinguished individ- 

 uals, wlio though not engaged in practical agricul- 

 ture, are in various ways bringing before the pub- 

 lic the knowledge which former experience and 

 observation, together with the investigation of 

 science, have taught them. And also the encour- 

 agement and interest which their well earned rep- 

 utation and standing in society give to the Institu- 

 tion with which they are so usefully connected. 

 Among those of this class I with pleasure refer to 

 the worthy President, and the like worthy and 

 active Secretary of the Society, aiul to Dr. Nichols, 

 whose communication on the subject of Silk, gave 

 so nnich value to the able report published by the 

 Society the last year. 



I will close these specifications, though other cases 

 might with propriety and advantage be referred 

 to, by mentioning the farms of wealthy, enterpris- 

 ing, and high minded yeomanry, who themselves 

 " either hold or drive." These are in the field 

 themselves, where they try over again and with a 

 direct regard to the advantage to be gained by the 

 adoption of them in general practice, the experi- 

 ments which others may have made for scientific 

 [imposes, and by their own personal labor and ob- 

 servation are able to decide with certainty what 

 advantages may be expected from new modes of 

 cidture, new implements in husbandry, and new 

 articles of produce. 



As fair illustrations of this remark, I refer to 

 Moses Newell, of West Newbury. 

 Putnam Perley, of Newbury. 

 Jacob Osgood, of Andover. 

 Stephen Barker, of Andover. 

 Richard Stewart, of Haverhill. 

 Jesse Putnam, of Danvers. 

 Daniel Putnam, of Danvers. 

 Erastus Ware, of Salein. 

 The experiments made by such men, with the 

 manner of operations and the success attending 

 them through the medium of your Society are 

 spread before the community. Thus enabling 

 those who cannot venture upon experiment them- 

 selves, to ascertain whether they can with safety 

 and advantage introduce any change in their agri- 

 cultural operations, and if they adopt new methods, 

 tc go on with them with almost the same readi- 

 UDSS as though they had been trained to them from 

 early life. 



In these illustrations of what I wished to state 

 I liave purposely referred to persons living in 

 various parts of the county. Many others might 

 witli equal, and perhaps in some instances with 

 greater propriety, have been mentioned. I hope 

 those whom I have referred to will excuse the 

 liberty I take to introduce their names in this con- 

 nexion. 



In addition to these advantages, the doings of 

 this Society have a tendency to remove some of 

 the greatest hindrances which lie in the way of 

 agricultural imiirovement. 



