C??6 



FARMERS* REGISTER. 



[No. 10 



lem of a!j;riculture. which it was hopeJ, the wis- 

 dom of tiie legislature would effect, and that ob- 

 ject obtained, the establisliment of manutactures 

 next would create a greater deniand lor those pro- 

 ducti3, and of course, enhance their prices. 



It was under these circumstances that our so- 

 ciety commenced its operations. Premiums were 

 offered, ofTrom .^1 to .^10, tbrt'ie first and second 

 best specimens of each of our staple productions, 

 having a reference to (juaniiry as well as quality : 

 but in all cases, the appearance, as well as yield, was 

 to be above the ordinary standard, and its method 

 of cultivation stated in a comnnuncation. Premi- 

 ums were likewise offered lor the exhibition of the 

 best specimens of horses, cattle, sheep, swine, 

 farming implements, and domestic manuliictures, 

 wiiii a distinct and greater premium for the best 

 cultivated fiirra in the district. For the purpose 

 of awarding these premiums, committees of the 

 members of the society were appointed. The 

 principal farmers pretty generally enrolled them- 

 selves as members for the first two or three years. 

 It was then observed, that although the distribu- 

 tion of premiums had been general throughout 

 the county, and the good efi'ects of the society 

 were manifiist to all, because new life was diffused 

 throughout our whole population, and a general 

 desire to excel in the several departments of airri- 

 cultiire, with a view to the attainments of the 

 premiums — yet, as there were intelligent and 

 leading farmers who, under every previous dis- 

 conraijing circumstance, were first in their neigh- 

 borhoods, and who would naturally be the first to 

 improvp, and niore than keep pace with their hith- 

 erto sluggish neighbors, who vere now to become 

 competitors — and who, according to the course 

 of things, would annually bear off but a small 

 portion of the premiums from the others — and as 

 the first were but thw in number, though scat'ter- 

 ed through the county, and the latter many — it is 

 easily seen, that from the want of success, much 

 the larger number would be disappointed. If 

 these efi'ects had lasted but for a y^'ar or two, it 

 •would not have given rise to much complaint ; 

 but of this class, a successful competitor one year, 

 was commonly successful the succeeding j'ear, 

 and the premiums were necessarily taken by a 

 few men. From this cause arose jealousies, and 

 the law, among the many, became unponular. 

 Al the expiration of the lime for which it was 

 last enacted, it was, consequently, not renewed. 

 As I was not a member of the society, and of 

 course took no premiums, I trust I was at least a 

 disinterested spectator of its eifects. Such was 

 the operation of the law among the fSirmers 

 generally. I will now give a concise history of 

 its effects upon their agriculture. At the organi- 

 zation of the society, I think I have before ob- 

 served, that it was in a low state. The quan- 

 tity produced was small, its quality inferior — 

 our cattle and horses illy attended to — sheep-hus- 

 bandry scarcely known, and worse practised — our 

 farms gave us hut a scanty support, and houses 

 little comfort. As illustrahvc of^ one fact, I dis- 

 tinctly remember one of our most enterprising and 

 intelligent iiirmeis observing to me, that we could 

 not raise good clean wheat. There would be al- 

 ways a little rye. cockle, smut or chess in it — it 

 was unavoidable. But when larmers were brought 

 together at our fiiirs, by competition, when they 

 saw that better articles could be produced, and 



that to succeed themselves, more care must be 

 used in the selection of their seed, more judgment 

 used in its tillage to insure a heavy crop, and skill 

 in prep'aring it fijr market — that the way to ac- 

 quire this intelligence, was to mix with the best 

 practical li^rmers in the country, acquire a know- 

 ledge of their superior management, and then 

 profit by it. The same gentleman who made to 

 me the observation alluded to, was so lar benefit- 

 ed by this diffusion of information, tliat he be- 

 came one of the most successtiil wheat growers, 

 both in quality and quantity, in tliis county; and 

 he occasionally in subsequent lile alluded to his 

 former misuiken not^ioiis of its cultivation. I have 

 made the allusion to this particular branch of ag- 

 riculture simply to show its effects in this case 

 upon one of our productions; but when those 

 productions extend to all those raised by the far- 

 mer, for it would have a like effect upon each, we 

 nmst come to the conclusion, that the spirit of 

 competition and rivalry created the desire to be- 

 come acquainted with the best method of raising 

 all our agricultural producis — of having it said 

 that we had the best cultivated farm, the best ar- 

 ranged barns and out-hous:'s, the best agricultu- 

 ral implements ; that we raise more and better 

 wheat, corn, oats, rye, or barley, upon less land 

 than others; that we had the best stud of horses, 

 or drove the best pair; that our hogs were the 

 flattest, and cost the least; our cattle the finest, 

 and most profitable, and our sheep bear competi- 

 tion with any other, and the independence of 

 feeling emd practical comfort growing out of any 

 or all of these advantages. If these were any of 

 the edects derived from aiiricultural societies, we 

 must admit they were highly useful. The spirit 

 of improvement is still somewhat rile among us. 

 What gave it first the impulse, unless it was the 

 excitement created by competition, I know not. 

 For more than fen years our county society, un- 

 der the law of 1819, has ceased to exist; but 

 many of its fruits have not yet been gathered. 

 We see it in the improved and improving condi- 

 tions of our farmers : all around them denotes 

 comfort and increasing affluence — the envy and 

 jealousy with which they looked upon professional 

 men has disappeared, for they are engrossing a 

 large portion of the wealth of the community. 

 Fifteen years ago it was a rare sight to see a far- 

 mer riding in his carriage : now it is neither novel, 

 nor is the number iew that do and can aflbrd it. 

 We see too, many of them selling their farms, 

 aiid retiring upon the fortunes created by their in- 

 dustry and care. It may be asked, can their 

 successors receive the interest upon their invest- 

 ments, buying farms at @100, and often more, per 

 acre? I answer, yes. The solution is as easy as 

 it is practical. Take, for instance, an acre of 

 land producing wheat ; it will not take extraor- 

 dinary fiarming, in ordinary seasons, to produce 

 twenty bushels to the acre ; this at present prices, 

 would be over forty dollars worth of produce fi-om 

 it. Deduct one-third of the nett proceeds, for all 

 the expenses of cultivation, and it will leave ,^26 

 66| profit, giving nearly the interest, at 7 per cent, 

 of !^400 to the acre. Take oatf, producing an 

 average, neither large nor uncommon with us, of 

 40 bushels per acre — (we sometimes have 60 or 

 70 — ) this at present prices would be !ft20 per acre. 

 Deduct again, one-third for exfienees. would leave 

 §13 33^, or the interest of nearly i$200 per acre. 



