NEW ENGL.AN1> FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agkicolturai. Warehousk.)— T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 

 VOL. XI. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 6, 1833. 



AN ADDRESS 

 Delivered before llie Bristol Couiily Agricultural Society 



October 3, 1832. By Rola.sd Howard, President of the 



Society. 



[Concluded from page 3G5.] 



Wf. will now cross the Atlantic, and see what 

 has been done in this our highly favored land. 



The first exhibition of domestic animals, and I 

 may say the origin of cattle shows in this country 

 was holden mider an ehn tree, in the town of 

 Pittsficld, in the county of Berkshire, in the year 

 1807; anil the whole exhibition consisted of a pair 

 of Merino sheep, which were owned by Elkanah 

 Watson, who may be considered as the originator 

 of cattle shows in this country. In the winter of 

 1811, the Berkshire agricultural societj' was in 

 corporatoti ; but at that time the society were with 

 out funds ; • notwithstanding which, the society met 

 on the 2 ith of September, the same year, and it 

 was found that such a spirit of inquiry had been 

 excited, that the number of people that attended 

 were estimated to be from three to four thousand. 

 Since which period, and without doubt partly in 

 consequence of a wise provision of the govern- 

 ment of this state, agricultural societies have been 

 formed in many of the counties of the state; and 

 similar institutions are already formed, or are now 

 foriinng throughout the United States. 



In aid of these societies, many valuable period- 

 ical publications have sprung up in diflercnt parts 

 of the country, calculated to concentrate and dif- 

 fuse precisely that kind of information, which the 

 agriculturists so much need, and without which 

 much of their labor must be spent in vain. 



The reason of my giving you this brief histori- 

 cal sketch of the progress of agricultural improve- 

 ment, is to show in some small degree the causes 

 that have combined in producing such results as 

 we can at this day behold — results that every man 

 whose vision is not clouded by bigotry, jealousy or 

 envy, must be compelled to acknowledge; and al- 

 so to refute an idea still entertained by too many, 

 that agricultural societies never have, nor ever will 

 do any good 



It must be obvious to the most superficial ob- 

 server, that a great improveinent in fanii manage- 

 ment, has been made in many parts of this state, 

 within the last twenty years, particularly in the 

 improved construction of farm buildings, and fen- 

 ces — in saving, collecting, and the application of 

 manure, by which vegetable i)roductions have been 

 greatly increased ; and by the introduction and im- 

 provement of many valuable labor saving agricul- 

 tural itTiplements. The same improvement is also 

 discoverable in our domestic animals — we not only 

 have better breeds, but more attention is bestowed 

 on them to render them comfortable; for it is now 

 pretty generally understood, that unless they are 

 well fed and properly sheltered, they will but im- 

 poverish their owner. Now to what cause or 

 causes are these acknowledged improvements to 

 be ascribed, if agricultural societies have had no 

 agency in producing them ? It appears to me evi- 

 dent, that much of the improvement that has re- 

 cently been made in the intplements of husbandry, 

 may, and ought to be ascribed to the establish- 

 ment and influence of agricultural societies; in 

 proof of this position, I ask you to compare the 

 implements used in husbandry at the present day. 



with those in use in former times — "see with the 

 mind's eye" Cincinnatus fallovving his land with 

 the limb of a tree for his plough-beain, and a knot 

 to it for his coulter and sliare — look at the patri- 

 archs, see then) grinding their corn with pestles ; 

 and if you fl-ace the progress of improvement 

 down to fifty years ago — what was then the con- 

 struction of the farmer's implements ? We might 

 then have seen what is termed a breaking up, or 

 sward plough, nine or ten feet in length, and re- 

 quiring four or .six stout oxen to draw it; often 

 two men to drive, one man between the handles, 

 one on the beam, and one with a hoe to turn the 

 furrows ; with this plough, and all this expense of 

 labor, one acre per day might be " cut and cover- 

 ed" (as the |)hrase is) for it surely was not plough- 

 ed. Now if you please, compare the neatly con- 

 structed plough of the present day with those I 

 have described , I refer you more particularly to 

 those made by Briggg, Warren, or Proutty, and 

 especially to the latter. I hazard nothing by say- 

 ing that one man with a good yoke of oxen, that 

 are well disciplined, with a plough of the make of 

 either of the above gentlemen, will break up an 

 acre as quick, and the work shall be better done 

 than can be done with three hands and four oxen 

 with such a jdough as those in general use in the 

 county fifty years ago. 



I will now call your attention to another neces- 

 sary implement in husbandry, (viz.) the shovel : 

 ''fty or sixty years ago, the shovels in general use, 

 were made of an oaken plank, without a particle 

 of iron or steel about them. Compare shovels of 

 this description with the finely polished shovels in 

 use at the present day — and what think you .' Can 

 any doubt but that there is an improvement? And 

 will any one say that the encouragement given by 

 agricultural societies to mechanical skill has had 

 no agency in bringing about this improvement? 

 No, none will say it. I might go on and enume- 

 rate (were it necessary) numberless other imple- 

 ments, which have recently been made in agricul- 

 ture, horticulture, domestic manufactures, and the 

 mechanic arts, dll which tend directly to amelio- 

 rate and improve the condition of man ; but 

 enough has already been said to convince every 

 unprejudiced mind, that the objections brought 

 against the utility of agricultural societies are alto- 

 gether groundless, weak, and futile. 



Thus it may be seen, that the march of im- 

 provement is by no means slow, or at a stand, let 

 every one contribute according to his ability to its 

 advancement, and many of the evils incident to 

 our present condition will vanish like a morning 

 dew. 



Permit me now to call your attention to one 

 more improvement, which according to my im- 

 pression lies at the loundation of all other im- 

 provements ; and is of vital importance to all those 

 who cultivate the soil; and this I shall call intel- 

 lectual improvement. 



The field here is large, and the soil generally 

 good, but nevertheless it needs cultivating, for 

 whhout the cidtivation of the mind, we at most 

 but resemble a barren and unprofitable soil. 



Wisdom, or knowledge may be compared to 

 the lever by which the world is moved — or in 

 other words, the great principle by which the Su- 



preme Being governs and sustains the universe ; 

 and the creature man, for wise and benevolent 

 purposes, having been created an intelligent being, 

 it woidd seem to be a natural inference, that it is 

 only by the acquisition of useful knowledge that 

 the means of promoting his own happiness are to 

 be increased ; and certain it is, that in all our 

 operations, we find that the light which knowl- 

 edge bestows, is foimd to be of great importance 

 in all our operations ; and here we discover the . 

 truth of the saying "that knotcledge is power" — a 

 maxim however, that no class in society have been 

 slower to adopt, than the agriculturists ; and sorrj' 

 I am to state, that by' no other class are books 

 treating on subjects relating to their several avoca- 

 tions held in less repute. 



What good reason can be given why the farm- 

 er should not avail himself of a portion of the nu- 

 merous publications which are extant at the pre- 

 sent day, and in which may be found not only the 

 theory of his art, but many hundred practical re- 

 sults, fully exemplified — and why should he not 

 read, and put in practice in his farm management, 

 those courses in husbandry, that shall appear to 

 him to promi- ■ favorable results? 



I would ell ritably hope that the day has gone 

 by, and never more to return, when knowledge 

 acquired by rending' was thought by many to be 

 incompatible with the practical operations of the 

 farmer — when a man of literary attainments, was 

 thought by some to be unfit to hold a plough or 

 drive a harroiu — avd when it was considered al- 

 most a crime to cdipt in practice a course in hus- 

 bandry, if it came recommended to him through 

 the medium of a boo!c. 



I am also sensible that the time has been, when 

 the farmer who was seen reading such books as 

 treated on the art of husbandry, subjected himself 

 to he pointed at with the finger of scorn, and to 

 the epithets, book farmer — gentleman farmer — vis- 

 ionary theorist, &c. but we have now good reason 

 to hope for better things ; the day star of intelli- 

 gence has already beamed upon many of our far- 

 mers, and the light which illuminates their minds, 

 is not hid under a bushel, but shines abroad, shed- 

 ding its benign influence on many of the ignorant 

 and unthinking. But notwithstanding there may 

 be seen here and lliere a bright speck in our agri- 

 cultural hemisphere, still it must bo obvious, that 

 the standard of intelligence is yet much too low 

 among the agricultural class of society ; and that 

 we are, as a' body, much too negligent in embrac- 

 ing the means of improving our art, which at this 

 day are brought within the reach of every one, 

 and which may be easily attained. 



I am aware that there are some who plead that 

 they arc too poor to furnish themselves with 

 books — let all such examine a little, and serious- 

 ly inquire for the cause that has produced the low 

 state of their finances; and perchance they may 

 discover some way by which their expenditures 

 may be reduced, and their coflers replenished. 

 Perhaps one cause of their poverty may be found 

 in expensive and foolish habits ; too much may 

 be spent for dress, and other appendages of exter- 

 nal show — too much also for indulgences of the 

 passions and the appetites — have any become a 

 slave to the habit of taking their bitters in the 



