1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



95 



it is not necessary to our object. We have not 

 mentioned above, the products of many occupa- 

 tions, such as the manufacture of boots and 

 shoes, "willow and wooden ware, many other 

 tilings ; neither have we taken into account, 

 on the other hand, the oat and barley crops, 

 beans, peas, early vegetables, strawberries, and 

 other small fruits, the great staples of butter, 

 cheese and milk, and the important articles of 

 timber and fuel. If all were fairly stated, we be- 

 lieve there would still l)e a large credit to the far- 

 mer, beside that found aliove. 



Then we have in the Commonwealth, a State 

 Board of Agriculture, composed of representatives 

 from all the county societies, together with three 

 persons appointed by the Governor and Council. 

 This Board was cstaljlished by the Government of 

 the State, sanctioned by it, and has continued to 

 receive something of its attention and care, and 

 His Excellency the Governor, His Honor the 

 Leiut. Goverxok, and the Hon. Secretary of the 

 Commonwealth are members of the Board ! But 

 from this ]\Iessage the people of the Common- 

 wealth will learn nothing of the condition, or ex- 

 istence even, of this l)ranch of the Government. 



Nor do we desire to array one class of our peo- 

 ple against another, or to excite discontent in any; 

 all their varied pursuits are necessary to promote 

 the wealth, dignity and glory of the Common- 

 wealth . We only say this — that the farmer and 

 his interests have boen, and still are, neglected, 

 by those whom they place in power ; that his 

 occupation does not hold that estimation in the 

 public mind which its importance merits, and that 

 until his interests are regarded, and his claims to 

 the common respect acknowledged, our voice shall 

 be heard in his favor so long as we have power to 

 speak. 



For the New England Farmer. 



TRAli^SACTIOKS OF THE HAMPSHIRE 

 AG-EICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



AT AMIIEKST, 1S53. 



This young and promising society is starting 

 aliead of most others, in their annual publication. 

 If we do not mistake, it will be found a work of 

 much interest. Tlie address by Rev. Mr. Hunting- 

 ton of Boston, is one of the happiest we have ever 

 perused. It amuses and instructs at the same 

 time ; without any pretensions to superior knowl- 

 edge, lu; hits the nail directly on the head. It must 

 have produced a(U;cide(lly lavora1)le impression on 

 his heai-ers. What is most creditable to the society, 

 all the people of the vicinity , /(^ male as well as male, 

 engaged in the exhibition. "]\Iore than one thous- 

 and entries were made for the premiums offered. 

 The Reports too, are not the hasty effusions of the 

 moment, but well considered and arranged essays 

 from gentlemen fully competent to the service. 

 Where such a feding exists, progress is certain. 

 Older societies must wake up, or the younger will 

 run away witli the laurels. x. 



January Sih, 1854. 



For the New England Farmer. 



FARMING BY STEAM, HAY-MAK- 

 ING, &c. 



Mr. Editor : — That the Americans, as a body 

 of men, or "Yankees arc a fast people," no one 

 can doubt who has watched the course of events 

 for the past few years. Not content with apply- 

 ing steam power for railroads, steamers, and sta- 

 tionary engines, &c., it then" must be applied for 

 forming purposes, sucli as carting manure, plow- 

 ing, sowing seed, and so on, and in a few years all 

 our heavy farming will be done by "steam," so 

 that very little "hand labor" will be necessary on 

 the farm. 



We have been led to these remarks in reading 

 an article, a short time ago, in the "iVtw York 

 Tribune,^^ on "llay-making by Steam." The 

 writer says, "Let' the grass be heaped up as fast 

 as cut, and covered with an India rubber cloth. 

 Then a pipe from a steam-boiler, mounted upon 

 a wagon, may be inserted under the centre of tte 

 pile, and steam applied to a degree of heat strong 

 enough to almost cook the whole heap, at any 

 rate to prepare it for rapid sun drying. We be- 

 lieve, from some experiments which we have seen 

 in drying other vegetable substances, that green 

 clover may be prepared in three hours for safely 

 stowing away in the barn. By using metal caps 

 instead of cloth, the jirocess of steaming may be 

 continued to a degree sufficient to expel all the 

 moisture. AVhotb.er it can be used economically 

 upon the farm, is the point which we wish to see 

 settled, and that is what the agricultural societies 

 should determine. Steam has already been ap- 

 plied to carry manure to the field, plowing the 

 ground, and threshing the crop. No doubt it will 

 soon be applied to sowing t!ie seed and reaping, as 

 well as mowing, and it only remains to cure tlie 

 green grass as fast as cut by the same powerful 

 agent. 



This is not a chimera unworthy of thought. It 

 is a subject which, sooner or later, will attract the 

 serious attention of that portion of farmers wIk) 

 do think, &c. A\''e confess that this plan of curing 

 green grass in heaps into dry ha}^ by a "steam 

 boiler," carted around the meadow on wheels is 

 the last operation in hay-making out. In all our 

 experience in hay-making, tlie very best ao^ent 

 that we have yet found for curing ha^^ is "old 

 fashioned sunshine," and a plenty of it. Some sea- 

 sons we are cut short of that "agent," to a great 

 extent, by cloudy weather, and then we have to 

 resort to air and wind, and also by curing liay in 

 the heap by natural heat. 



The plan of curing hay in the "heap" has been 

 practised by many farmers fur the last forty yeara. 

 And in case of clover hay it should l)e invariably 

 cured in that way, and stirred as little as possi- 

 l)le till made. And in case of very hot, dry sea- 

 sons, wo are inclined to think that if all grass wa« 

 one-half cured in tlie heap, it would be an im- 

 provement in quality of the hay. Still, tlie main 

 dependence for hay-making is "sunshine;" not 

 for one or two hours only, but until tlie hay is 

 well made. And whoever lives twenty-five years 

 licnce, will see sunshine in as great- demand for 

 hay-making as now, "steam boilers" to the con- 

 trary notwithstanding. As for phiwing by steam, 

 we are aware tliat this plan hlis been strongly re- 

 commended by some "theorists" fur several years 



