1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



91 



courage them to do well, (encouragement is some- 

 thing to iifarmer as Avell as to au cdit-or,) for their 

 produce, stock, dairj-, &c.,have advanced from 25 

 to 50 per cent, within a few years; and the}- can 

 get cash too. ^lany have learned that it will pay 

 to^ improve, as well as Avork their farms ; for those 

 farms that have Ijoeu well cultivated, are now 

 vrortli one-half more than they were a few years 

 ago. One great cause, that has advanced the 

 prices of farm produce here, is the facility to get 

 it to market, since the railroad came tiirough this 

 vicinity. Such clumsy fellows as potatoes, oven 

 in this cold season, are sent to your market, week- 

 ly, from " these regions ;'' and the farmer takes 

 the cash for them at his door at prices nearly 100 

 per cent, higher than he once could. Ten or fif- 

 teen years ago, the farmers here could seldom get 

 cash for numy kinds of tlieir produce, and when 

 they couhl, it was at such prices a.s would not 

 recompense. Now, everything they can raise "is 



food as cash in hand," and at "fair jjriccs." 

 ormerly the goods, brought from "your town," 

 and elsewhere, by the merchants, were sold, many 

 kinds, 25 to 50 per cent. higher than at present. Islost 

 farmers tlien bought on credit, to be paid in pro- 

 duce, after they could raise it. The merchants 

 charged 25 jier cent, or more than for "cash 

 down," and when the farmer brought his produce, 

 he did not realize but small pay for his lal^or. 



Many a farm had to be mortgaged, and at last 

 go into the hands of the merchants by such deal- 

 ing. Now alhiost everything the farmer can 

 raise brings cash, at prices 25 to 50 per cent, high- 

 er then formerly, while many kinds of the mer- 

 chant's goods are as much lower, Avhich makes 

 quite a difference infooting upthefarmer'saccount; 

 and his profession is now considered as profitable 

 and honorable as any. The farmers here now 

 take courage, and there can be no mistake, that 

 improvement in cultivating the soil is advancing. 



And there is also an improvement in the minds 

 of the farmers, aa regards that profession, else 

 they could make none in the soil ; for no one can 

 do a thing till he k7unvs how to do it, and we hope 

 many a farmer is striving to obtain that know- 

 ledge which gives power to his profession. Yet 

 there arc some old fogies who think they know 

 it all now, and tliat their experience supercedes 

 all scientific investigation. All improvements in 

 the arts and scicnc(!s have had opposers, even by 

 those whose interest it was to encourage and pro- 

 tect, and there are many who still plod along in 

 the "same old be:iten patli," and say there is no 

 use to try to do more than what has been done to 

 improve agri(;ultural business. But the dark 

 cloud, that has low(!red on the l)row of many an 

 honest farmer, must eventually be dispelled by the 

 1)riglit rays of intelligence, that now shine 

 tiirough the whole land. 



There are influences in operation that cannot be 

 resisted. The hundreds of agricultural societies 

 and journals in the union are obtaining, and 

 spreading broad-cast througli the land, that 

 knowledge which must sometime influence and 

 benefit cvei-y farmer. Already Is that influence 

 greatly felt even away up in this l)ack corner. 

 Many a farmer has received "much good" by pe- 

 rusing the N. E. FarmT; and many more miglit 

 receive, in useful knowledge, if they would take 

 and r«iad that excelleut paper, 500 per cent, on 

 tlieir money advanced. Milan. 



Morristown, Lamoille Co., V(., Jan. 1854. 



Remarks. — The other portion of your article, 

 not being particularly connected with the foro- 

 jgoing, will be given at another time. Imbue all 

 [others with your own spirit and the occupation 

 of farming will soon take a different hue. 



FIEST AGRICULTUEAL MEETING, 



At thb Statb IIolse, Jan. IT, 1S51. 



At the close of the series of the Legislative 

 Meetings at the State House last winter, Mr. 

 Flint, the Secretary of the State Board of Agri- 

 culture, was requested to call this opening meet- 

 ing to order, and take the preliminary steps for its 

 organization : but being detained by sickness and 

 the pressure of other duties, Mr. Proctor, of Dan- 

 vers, called the meeting to order, and nominated 

 Col. "Wilder to act as Chairman fur the evening, 

 and he was elected. 



On taking the Chair, he expressed his gratifica- 

 tion at being present upon the opening of another 

 series of these interesting meetings, his hearty co- 

 operation in their objects, and willingness to take 

 part in their deliberations whenever it might bo in 

 his power. He spoke of the benefits of a free in- 

 terchange of opinions in a familiar manner, and of 

 the encouragements to the friends of the cause in 

 the manifest progress of the last year, in the new 

 interest evinced by ncirly all classes of our people. 

 lie said that a gentleman had already expressed a 

 willingness to contribute fifty thousand dollars to- 

 wards the establishment of an Agricultural school 

 whenever the Commonwealth would appropriate 

 double that sum for the like purpose. He then 

 spoke of the improvement in the implements of 

 husbandry, the use of guano in restoring exhaust- 

 ed lands, of the great increase of the crops com- 

 mon to our soil, and the earnest desire of all to 

 promote the great Art. 



The meeting was further organized l)y the elec- 

 tion of an Executive Committee to consult and 

 co-operate with Mr. Flint, the Secretary of the 

 Sttite Board, in arranging the business of future 

 meetings. This committee consists of Messrs. 

 Brown, Proctor, French, Sprague, Smitu of the 

 Senate, Russell, and Sewall of the House. 



Messrs. Simon Brown and AV^illiam J. Buckmix- 

 STER, were elected Secretaries. 



The President then called upon Professor NAsn, 

 of Amherst College, who was accidentally present, 

 and who had recently returned from an agricul- 

 tural tour in Europe, to favor tlic meeting with 

 sumo remarks relating to his visit. Mr. Nash said 

 he was unwilling to occupy the whole, or a largo 

 portion of the time of this meeting-— believed it 

 would bo better employed by a free interchange of 

 thoughts among practical farni'-rs — would however 

 say a few words about his recent tour in the Brit- 

 ish Islands. 



Ho landed at Portflmouth on tholOthof Juno 



