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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



An Address delivered before the Monroe, JV. Y. Agri- 

 cultural Society, at their annual meeting in 1823. 

 By Mr. James Sperry, President of the Society. 

 Gentlemen, — Another anniversary of this 

 society has brought us together, and it oflScial- 

 ly devolves on me to address you. I make but 

 one apology for the attempt. Had I been 

 present at your last election, I should not have 

 suffered myself to have been placed in a sta- 

 tion which ought to be occupied by an older 

 and more able person. You have my warmest 

 thanks for the distinguished honor conferred, in 

 placing me at the head of an institution, honor- 

 able, and capable of being rendered extensively 

 useful. 



Agriculture has been justly termed the most 

 essential of all the arts. It has in every age 

 been eulogized by poets and orators; and in 

 every region of the earth, where civilization 

 exists, it necessarily occupies a great portion of 

 the human race. It is the basis of all other 

 arts ; and the foundation and support of society ; 

 the source from which every class of com- 

 munity derives its support. The art of hus- 

 bandry, therefore, is closely connected with the 

 very existence of the human race ; and as it is 

 first in importance, it naturally commends itself 

 to the favorable consideration of all those who 

 have the good of the community at heart. It is 

 laid down as a general maxim, which will ad- 

 mit of but few exceptions, that people, taken 

 collectively, are hajipy in proportion to the de- 

 gree of perfection to which their agriculture is 

 advanced. 



If then, the science of agriculture is actual- 

 ly so important, it behoves every class of com- 

 munity to aid in its improvement, and to take 

 those measures best calculated to advance the 

 art, and to stimulate the cultivators of the soil 

 to excel in every branch of husbandry. 



It was with this view that the several agri- 

 cultural societies of this state, together with 

 the Board of Agriculture, were organized. The 

 system thus established for the improvement 

 of agriculture stands approved by the great 

 portion of the enlightened citizens of the 

 state, as admirably calculated to obtain the ob- 

 ject in view. Yet it is to be regretted that there 

 are some who are opposed to the plan, and 

 consider agricultural societies in general as 

 'iscless, and productive of no real good ; and 

 that there are others who professedly approve, 

 yet do nothing for their support. As no plan 

 for the obtaining of an object, unless adopted 

 and steadily pursued, can be of use, it is desir- 

 able that all would enter with spirit and ener- 

 gy into a measure that has for its object indi- 

 vidual good and public utility. I shall, tliere- 

 fore, claim your indulgence, while 1 offer a few 

 arguments in support of agricultural societies, 

 and attempt to show how they may be render- 

 ed useful. 



A well organized agricultural society, if lib- 

 erally patronized, is directly calculated to pro- 

 mote the interests of community ; first, by 

 originating knowledge in the art of husbandry. 

 Our system of agriculture is defective; its im- 

 provement would be more certain, should num- 

 bers unite and act in concert, than it would 

 .4iould they act separately. Where numbers 

 unite for one object, pride, if nothing else, 

 must stimulate each to add something to the 

 common slock. Each may contribute a little ; 

 and several items, however small, will amount 



to considerable in the aggrngate. Besides, an 

 agricultural society liberally patronized, may 

 ofl'er inducements for new and useful discove- 

 ries. " The art of agriculture can never be 

 brought to its highest degree of perfection, or 

 established on rational and unerring principles, 

 unless by means of experiments accurately tri- 

 ed, and properly persevered in." Experiments 

 will, with proper inducements, be tried ; all of 

 which may not be successful and satisfactory, 

 yet some out of the many will be worthy of a 

 repetition, and be adopted into our general 

 system of agriculture. 



Again — agricultural societies are important, 

 in as much as they tend to diffuse knowledge on 

 the subject of agriculture generally, among the 

 cultivators of the soil ; not only that which may 

 be originated by the members of the societies, 

 but that already possessed by our best and most 

 successful agriculturists. Could the great body 

 of farmers throughout the state, gain the infor- 

 mation which is requisite to constitute a good 

 tlirmer, and be induced to adopt those systems 

 which time and experience have proved to be 

 the most profitable, the improvement would be 

 beyond calculation. This will appear evident 

 by contrasting the result of our general prac- 

 tice with that of a few distinguished farmers. — 

 It is a fact, that some farmers raise treble 

 the amount of produce from a given number of 

 acres, that is raised by farmers in general — at 

 less expense, and on land no better by nature 

 than that of their neighbors. In passing 

 through our country in almost any direction, 

 we frequently see some farms twice as produc- 

 tive as others, with equal natural advantages. — 

 This contrast cannot be wholly owing to indi- 

 gence or indolence in the unsuccessful culti- 

 vator ; it proceeds rather from a want of 

 method, or of knowledge — while the greater 

 success must be the result of superior know- 

 ledge and practice, which would be equally as 

 successful with many as with a few. It is there- 

 fore desirable that every improvement in hus- 

 bandry, and the most successful practical sys- 

 tems of agriculture, which are known only to 

 a few comparatively, should be generally known 

 and universally adopted : and agricultural soci- 

 eties, if properly conducted, are directly cal- 

 culated to obtain this object. Farmers are not 

 apt to communicate to the public the result of 

 their experiments, let them be ever so success- 

 ful, or publish to the world their general .sys- 

 tem and practice. It has the appearance of 

 egotism : and without some inducement besides 

 that of informing the public, but few communi- 

 cations would be made. By the law organizing 

 societies of this kind, each competitor is bound 

 to give a concise history of the process ; to 

 state the quality and kind of soil; what preced- 

 ed the last crop obtained ; how much manure 

 was used, and what kind ; when ploughed, and 

 how often ; and what the whole expense of 

 cultivation amounts to. This information is 

 given without diffidence ; it being mude a duty, 

 it loses the appearance of egotism, and the re- 

 quisition is cheerfully obeyed : and as the in- 

 ducement ofi'ered as an incitement to the per- 

 formance is gratifying, in an honorable and pe- 

 cuniary sense, it is hardly possible but that a 

 mass of information must be collected, froml 

 which a skilful hand might select much that | 

 would be of real use, and of public utility. 



Again — agricultural societies are, or may be, i 



of service, by exciting farmers generally to 

 adopt the improvements of the day — to abandon 

 bad husbandry for good ; and by influencing 

 them in some instances to deviate from the 

 path marked out by their fathers, and convinc- 

 ing some that it is possible they may be defi- 

 cient in the knowledge of an art, in which they 

 have been instructed " from their youth up." — 

 iVIan is a creatuie of habit, and tenaciously ad- 

 heres to the principles taught by his father, 

 without investigation, or determining whether 

 theymre founded on a reasonable basis. It is 

 therefore an arduous task to convince him of 

 errors thus long established, however apparent : 

 it requires something more than abstract rea- 

 soning ; he must have occular demonstration. — 

 He is more easily convinced by that whict\ 

 he sees and hears, than by information indirect- 

 ly obtained. It is a fact that farmers, general- 

 ly, must have some incitement more than the 

 ordinary profits of good tillage, to induce them 

 to make extra exertions in cultivating their 

 lands. We may, therefore, conclude for a cer- 

 tainty, that a society for the promotion of ag- 

 riculture, if well conducted, may render essen- 

 tial service to community, in this respect. Here 

 premiums are offered for the greatest product; 

 the spirited and enterprising enter the list as 

 competitors, and use extra exertions to excel; 

 and he who obtains a premium is doubly re- 

 warded, while the unsuccessful candidate meets- 1 

 with a full recompense in the crop obtained. — : | 

 Others take courage, and assert (if they have \ 

 enterprise) that they are not to be outdone, and j 

 enter the list with equal success. In this lau- 

 dable competition, it is ascertained what can be 

 done, with the knowledge already possessed ; 

 and the mind is put in requisition for some im- 

 provement of the present process. In this 

 manner knowledge is originated, and inquiries, 

 are made for information on the subject; " wel, 

 tried" improvements are adopted ; and farme 

 become convinced by their own experiments^ 

 that it is for their real interest that the cultiva' 

 tion of their land should be more perfect; am 

 by commencing on a small scale, the eflect ol 

 errors will not be serious, and by perseverance, 

 they will soon be enabled to perfect a systero 

 worthy to be adopted generally, in all their ag- 

 ricultural pursuits. 



Here the best agricultural products of the 

 coimty are exhibited as an example and excite- 

 ment; here we have an opportunity of viewing 

 and comparing the best of our flocks and herds, 

 of different breeds, to ascertain their relative 

 value ; and here the farmers and citizens gener- 

 ally assemble once a year, become acquainted, 

 promote kindly feelings among the people oi 

 the count}', and converse freely with each oth- 

 er on those subjects most interesting to them 

 What can be better calculated to stimulate us 

 to do than this? What greater excitement to 

 the production of that which is excellent in its 

 kind ? And what better opportunity can we wish 

 to learn to do well ? If there were no other good 

 resulting from the society than the satisfaction 

 of seeing the best of the county collected to- 

 gether, every man of taste must be abundantly i,, 

 compensated for the small sum required ol 

 each for its support. k, 



I think I may say that agricultural societies Ld 

 have already been of service in rendering thejilj 

 pursuits of husbandry more popular than theyjto 

 heretofore have been, and in placing the pro to 



