324 



Agricultural Premiums. 



Vol. XII. 



property"? The road that leads to his premi- 

 ses, is one item that goes to set a value upon 

 it. If easy of access, its value will rise in 

 estimation of the purchaser. Then, again, 

 the general character of the road goes to tell 

 the general character of the neighbourhood. 

 If the highways are rough and unpleasant, 

 the ways of the people about them are likely 

 to be so too. 



And this class of people are the ones upon 

 whose labours we would make a discount of 

 ninety-four per cent, from the assessments. 

 They are behind time in coming to their la- 

 bours, and watching time with sluggish in- 

 dolence to see the sun gain the meridian, or 

 sink behind the western hills. They make 

 it a holiday, a day of rest, unless perchance 

 they exhaust themselves in fault-finding, be- 

 cause those who work do not work faster, or 

 do different. Thus they cheat themselves, 

 for the sake of cheating others. 



In working highways, care should always 

 be taken to leave them as smooth as possible, 

 with a gradual slope from the centre. The 

 smoothing will enable beasts and vehicles to 

 pass smoothly and easily along, without dan- 

 ger of stumbling to one, or an annihilating 

 jolting to the other. The old practice of 

 raising high bars across the road to stop the 

 progress of water on hills was a pernicious 

 one, and should be wholly abandoned. They 

 were unsafe, and often highly dangerous an- 

 noyances, fraught with no particular good. 

 When the road, even on the steep hillside, 

 is well worked, a much better remedy for 

 washing may be found by opening slight 

 outlets every six or eight rods, by which the 

 water will pass off quite as well as though 

 huge embankments were raised to effect the 

 object. Much less injury will arise to wag' 

 ons where this is done, and the passenger 

 will find himself passing over comparative 

 smooth surface. 



Another evil we will hint at, is the super- 

 abundant quantity of ploughing which fre 

 quently takes place at the time of repairing 

 highways. Every one must have seen, not 

 only in his own neighbourhood, but abroid, 

 the ill appearance of ground ploufrhed and 

 lefl in the furrow, or ditches badly cleared, 

 to become the fallow for every noxious and 

 unpleasant weed that the winds may see fit 

 to sow. In repairing roads, no more land 

 should be disturbed than is actually necessa 

 ry to effect the object, and this is the most 

 economical manner, so that, aside from such 

 places and the travelled path, they may pos- 

 sess a smooth, green, velvety appearance, 

 always grateful to the eye, and pleasant to 

 pass along. 



It is no visionary conjecture to contemp- 

 late the time when our highways will all be 



adorned, on either side, with beautiful rows 

 of stately shade trees, to ornament and en- 

 liven the scenery. In that day, what a con- 

 trast will deep ditches, naked fallows, large 

 patches of weeds, rough and uneven furrows, 

 aflbrd to their enlivening influence! Im- 

 provement in these things is necessary, and 

 where improvement commences her work, 

 and the result rarely and beautifully devel- 

 opes itself, its ultimate triumph may be well 

 anticipated. — American Journal of Agri- 

 culture and Science. 



Agricultural Premiums. 



At a stated meeting of the Philadelphia 

 Society for promoting Agriculture, held at 

 their rooms on the 5th of April, 1848, A. S. 

 Roberts, President, in the chair. The min- 

 utes of last meeting were read and adopted. 



Roswell L. Cott, Esq., of Patterson, N. J., 

 was elected an honorary member. 



The committee appointed at last meeting 

 to report a schedule of crops for which pre- 

 miums should be offered this year, made re- 

 port as follows, which was adopted. 



For the best Wheat, not less than three 

 acres, $10. 



For the best Rye, not less than three 

 acres, ,^8. 



For the best Oats, not less than three 

 acres, S6. 



For the best Corn, not less than five acres, 

 $10. 



Por the best Potatoes, not less than one 

 acre, f^lO. 



For the best Ruta Baga, not less than half 

 an acre, S6. 



For the best Sugar Beets, not less than 

 half an acre, $6. 



For the best Parsnips, not less than one- 

 quarter of an acre, $6. 



For the best Carrots, not less than one- 

 quarter of an acre, $6. 



For t!ie second-best crop of each, or any 

 of the above, a copy of Colman's Journal 

 will be awarded, 



A committee of five members were ap- 

 pointed to make inquiry, preparatory to hold- 

 ing the next annual exhibition the approach- 

 ing autumn, and to report at next meeting. 



Dr. Hare remarked that the health of farm- 

 ers and others exposed to frequent changes 

 of weather, would be greatly benefited by 

 the use of additional clothing when required 

 by such changes. 



He also recommended the use of the rain 

 guage, a necessary and useful article, which 

 farmers might obtain at a small expense. 



Mr. S. Williams recommended the use of 

 zinc pans for dairies, as possessing the power 



