188 



NEW ENGLAiND FARMER, 



Jan. 1, 1830 



JUDGE PITMAN'S ADDRESS. 



Cont in uetl from page 1 S 1 . 

 But we must return lioiii the r<^t;i<iiis of iioetry, 

 nnd speak in our dull prose cf tlie pursuits of ag- 

 riculture 



the cheapness of land, its fertility, hy which a ulillly. Nor will hi^ breed of swine be thou 

 large product may be obtained at a sinall expense, ; beneath his care, unless he is willing to \]a\e 

 and to that disposition in our yeomanry to be lords ears lilleil by a clamorous rare who are rnntinu 

 of the soil, and work for tlicmselvcs. | crying girc .' gire .' while their lean carcases 



That art upon which all other arts suhaist.must ""'*e little iu return. Nor will he sufler thet 

 To obtain the greatest possiblu product at the j eventually be equally rewarded. The day of pros- '"" at large in unproductive idleness, to the te '■ 



least possible expense, is the great ilesidcratuin of 

 the farmer and manufacturer. 'J'lie latter has ob- 

 tained his object more nearly tiian the former. 

 The farmer must i)rocecd more slowly in his pro- 

 "ress ; his operations depend upon contingencies 

 which cannot be foreseen, and U|ion the coopera- 

 tion of agents, the nature of which lie does not 

 perfectly understand. But nearly all the ojieratioiis 

 of the manufacturer address thenisclves to the eye ; 

 we behold in a little time the w^iole process ; nil 

 the causes are known, and the etl'ccts arc certain 

 and invariable. The product of ai.'ricullure is the 

 joint production of nature and jiiun. Man sows 

 in hope, and cidtivatcs in hope ; hut if God witli- 

 Jiol(l.s the early or the latter rain, if the influence 

 of the sun is not sulliciently aifonlcd, or is shed 

 in scorching profusion, if blight or mildew ap- 

 proach, or the worm that gnaws in si-cret, the re- 

 sult is disappointment. In any agricultural expe- 

 riment, though the result is known, some of the 

 causes arc involved in mystery ; how n)uch the 

 result was dependent ujion the labor of man, how 

 much U|ion the peculiar nature of the soil, or the 

 nature of the substances applieil to ciirich the soil, 

 upon the quality of the seed, the given quantity of 

 cold and heat, of moisture and drougiit afforded by 

 the season, or how much upon causes which en- 

 tirely escaped observation, or were it)visible, is un- 

 certain, but must be inferred by the comparison of 

 difiercnt expcrinicnts with each other. Where 

 so much is left to conjecture, there is room for 

 contradictory theories which have hindered the 

 progress of the science. 



Any improvement in manufactures can he 

 speedily and certainly demonstrated. Where no 

 doubt exists, there can be no hesitation at adopt- 

 ing the improvement ; and it must he adopted, or 

 those who use it will be able to undersell those 

 who do not. I'rudenee, however, suggests to the 

 farmer to be cautious in adopting suggested im- 

 provements, aii<l that his own experiments must 

 lirst satisfy him of their utility. Much time is re- 

 quired to make these experiments; if the first is 

 unsuccessful, another year is required to repeat if, 

 and in the mean time, if the farmer has not re- 

 corded the particulars of the first experiment, they 

 may he forgotten, and if one particular is lost, the 

 experiment, for all the i)ur|)oses of science, is use- 

 less. 



In this country, the high price of labor and low 

 jirico of agricultural product, has been another 

 impediment to agricultural improvement. Accord- 

 ing to the theory wliich makes labor the standard 

 of value for everything, it is a paradox that the 

 price of labor should be high, and tho product of 

 that labor low. Several causes may contribute to 

 this. Ill this portion of our country, labor can be, 

 nnd i.s, more profitably irinployed in mnimfaciines, 

 and the reason why this scarcity of agricultural 

 labor does not cause a .scarcity in agricultural pro. 

 ducts, and an enhatiiemcnt of their price, is, that 

 the agricultural products of other parts of our ex- 

 tensive coimtry where they are more nhiiiidiint. 



peritv for our farmer must yet arrive ; that home ' "'"" '^''o have poor fences ; hut having fiirnie 

 market which is to be created by the extension of | '''*'" with comfortable quarters he will ulso 



manufactures, must increase the price of their pro- 

 duce. The rapid increase of labor saving machine- 

 ry must lessen by competition the price of manu- 

 factures, nnd consequently of labor. .\nd the price 

 of labor, which is now regulated, with us, hy the 

 price of manufactures, must, as it should, accord- 

 i'lg to the natural course of things, be ultimately 

 and permanently regulated hy the price of agri- 

 cultural product. 



But in proportion to the present difficulties un- 

 der which our agriculture labors, should be our 

 exertion to overcome them. If the price of labor 

 is high, we should strive to render it more pro- 

 ductive. Though the fanner cannot cultivate his 

 farm by the |iower of water or steam, yet he may 

 render the power of the horse and the ox more ef- 

 ficient, bv the best implements of husbandry. The 

 great point, however, is, to ascertain the most pro- 

 ductive application of labor ; to acquaint oiirselvc.= 

 with the princijjles of agriculture, that we may be 

 scientific and practical farmers. The farmer who 

 is ignorant of the nature of the substances he em- 

 ploys to cooperate with him, may he said to work 



blindfoldeil, compared with him whose experience I made to the B;itli and West of Englainl Socii 

 and observation, combined with the knowledge to was deemed hy that society worthy of publical 

 be derived from agricultural books, and the sci- among their p.Tpers, and was republished in 

 ences connected with agriculture, have taught him 



vide them a place to work in, and matcriakp 

 work with, that they may corn a portion of I 

 living, and thus prepare, in the best manner, 

 means of fertili/.ing the soil. But time would 

 me, nnd I should weary your patience, shou 

 attempt to enumerate nil the particulars of g 

 management by which such a farmer imprt 

 his estate, and adds to the comfort of all aro 

 him, while on the other hand, nnd perhaps 

 far from him, we may behold one who desn 

 and ridicules all improvements, and whose i 

 strate fences, mess grown meadows, weedy en 

 neglected orchartls, crazy buildings, lank ca 

 and itinerant swine, might induce us to supr 

 that he was trying some miserly experiment, w 

 how few of the comforts of life it was pussibli 

 bring up a family, or keep his own soul and b< 

 together. 



I beg leave, gentlemen, to call jour altcnl 

 more particularly to a subject which I havcsligl 

 mentioned, and which is deemed of much imi 

 tancc in agricullure : — the adaptation of jihint! 

 the soil. A ciimmunication on this siibj 



the secrets of nature which have been discovered 

 by man. The scientific and practical farmer will 

 nscertain the properties of bis .soil, its component 

 parts, and the proportions of this compound; his 

 knowledge of agricultural chemistry will teach him 

 the importance of this as the basis of all his other 

 operations. Having ascertained the qualities of 

 his soil, he will know how to improve its texture 

 by the acklition of those substances in which it is 

 deficient, and to correct it in reference to those 

 substances found therein unfavorable to vegetation. 

 He will be able also to determine what plants are 

 best suited to his soil, the substances to be a|>plied 

 most proper for their nourishment, nnd the best 

 time and manner of cultivation. He will .search 

 his farm for the means of its improvement in con- 

 nection with the barnyard, and will gladly avail 

 himself of those rich deposits of vegetable mat- 

 ter which have been accumulating for ages, the 

 distribution of which will abundantly reward his 

 labor. His attention will be constantly directed to 

 the oi)crations of nature under the diversity of the 

 seasons and diflJerent modes of cultivation, that 

 the exjicrience of each year may increase his 

 stock of knowledge. He will have a due regard 

 to the rotation of his crops, that an exhausting may 

 he followed hy nn ameliorating crop, nnd will put 

 his liiiul to rest under a liberal distribution of 

 grass seed, that it may be defended from the sum- 

 mer's bent and winter's coM, nnd when, in a few 

 yenrs, it shnll come again into the course of ciil- 

 tivntion, n rich glebe may bo buried in the soil to 

 itnprove its texture and add to its fertility. He will 

 be anxious to improve the breed of hi 



anil the surplus great, find, hy the facililv of water j knowing that the cost of keeping will not be there 

 transportation, an ea.sy ucce.-^s to our mnrket. But t,v increased, and that at a stnall expense he will 

 why is the price of labor comparatively high where nd.l to his wealth, and derive much pleasure in 

 this suriilus is 80 great ? This may be owing to ! beholding the combination ofso much beaiitv and 



country, in the year 1817, in the 4tli voluiije of 

 .Massachusetts Agricultural Journal. .As maui 

 you may not have seen this communication, 1 

 not know that I can more profitably employ a i 

 lion of the tiine allotted ine, than in giving 

 few extracts from the same. And it may the uii 

 attract your attention, when I inform you tha< ^ 

 was a communication by a lady, Mrs Agnes Jhl ' 

 son ; for the other sex has not only exceeded « 

 in nil the charities of life, but successfullv i 

 with ours in the government of .liiigdoms, in 

 cultivation of the sciences, and in directiii" 

 labors of agriculture. Nor would these n 

 cares seem incongruous in the female sex, accc 

 ing to the notion of some of the ancients, «h< 

 their mythology made Ceres the goddess of c 

 and tillage ; and may our wives and diiu;;h 

 stimulate us to excellence in this, as in all ui 

 gooil works. 



This lady, (who had received some flatter 

 proof of the approbation of this societv,) slu 

 that she had been for many years constantiv oc 

 pied in dissecting and studying the nature of plai 

 and fiir the hist few years preceding her comn 

 nicntion, she had endeavored to draw results fr 

 the dissection of vegetables applicable to iif^ric 

 lure, hnvitig h.td the use of a pretty large funn 

 assist theory by practice. 



" I have been lately occupied, (she said,) in 

 leavoring to shew that all plants should he divid. 

 disposed, or placed according to the difli-rent .sc 

 cnligenini to their habits, from which llicy ori 

 nally proceed ; niul that it is to the total inntti 

 lion to this circumstance that we probiihlv o' 

 the very strange and coiiiradicioiy results c< 

 stnnlly M be foiinil in all agrieidlunil reports. I 

 person can n^ad with atteiiiion the late accimi 

 delivered to the House of Omiinons respectii 

 the f;iiuvth of corn throughout this kingdoi 



