No. 5. 



Address of Samuel D, Ingham. 



145 



to sugg'cst what appears to be a desii-able 

 plan for collecting information. It is in this 

 as in every department of Immaii occupa- 

 tion, power is vastly increased by a division 

 of labour. Every person engaged in farm- 

 ing for a ftw years only, must have ascer- 

 tained many facts worthy of being promul- 

 gated, and where each member of a numerous 

 Society may bring the experience and obser- 

 vation of his whole life into the coaimon 

 stock, the collection will be more valuable 

 than a thousand general addresses, gliding, 

 as they necessarily must, over the surface. 

 The essential business of such a Society, 

 is for each member to impart and receive 

 information — and if each would voluntarily 

 or in conformity with some regulation to 

 that effect, — communicate such facts and 

 observations as may have attracted his no- 

 tice as worthy of attention ; the mass of 

 valuable instruction thus obtained, would 

 not only be highly beneficial to us individu- 

 ally, but excite a deep interest m our labours 

 wherever they were known. In an associa- 

 tion of farmers, there is of course a variety 

 of knowledge ; few topics can be suggested 

 appertaining to agriculture, in which more 

 or less information is not possessed by some 

 of them, and nothing is wanting but the dis- 

 position of each individual to impart freely 

 whatever he may deem useful ; and to ap- 

 preciate fairly the contributions of others. 

 There are also other sources from which 

 valuable essays may be prepared. A va- 

 riety of books have been written on agricul- 

 ture, wliich, including the popular periodi- 

 cals of the present day, contain extensive 

 collections of useful matter; many of these 

 works have no doubt come under your no- 

 tice; the experience of a practical farmer 

 will enable him to separate the chaff from 

 the wheat, and he may render as valuable 

 a service to the Society by pointing out the 

 errors, as by establishing and circulating the 

 truths contained in such works. I would 

 therefore, like to see an Address at least 

 once a year, if not oftener, from some mem- 

 ber specially appointed, for which ho might 

 select the general subject or some particular 

 branch of it, and also a communication from 

 each member, on any topic he might deem 

 most useful or feel best able to throw light 

 upon. The field which may be thus culti- 

 vated is virtually of unlimited extent. It 

 includes the whole theory and practice of 

 husbandry, and all the auxiliary arts, not 

 only the preparation of the earth for the va- 

 rious crops — the -manufacture and composi- 

 tion of manures — tlie adaptation of the crops 

 to thoir appropriate soils — the proper season 

 for planting^.— the introduction of new va- 

 rieties of seeds — their acclimation in differ- 



ent latitudes — the implements for tilling the 

 earth, harvesting its productions, and their 

 preparation for provender — feeding and fat- 

 tening animals — the selection of the best 

 breeds of horses, cattle, sheep, swine and 

 poultry — the management of the dairy, and 

 all matters immediately belonging to the 

 farmer's cares and duties. But there is a 

 great variety of incidental subjects, which 

 are scarcely less important; among these 

 are the diseases and treatment of domestic 

 animals — the nature and habits of all the 

 vermin and insects which infest either ani- 

 mal or vegetable life. Those of the birds 

 and reptiles which prey upon these noxious 

 insects and aid us in their destruction ; the 

 character of all the plants of the earth, 

 suited for the use of man or beast, and also 

 of those which are noxious. In short, we 

 want to know the best means of increasing, 

 improving and protecting all the productions 

 of nature, best suited to supply the wants 

 and promote the comfort and happiness of 

 man. There is no limit to such investiga- 

 tions, and our progress will be very slow, 

 unless each one of us will come forward 

 and contribute from his store of experience 

 to the common stock. In pressing this sub- 

 ject on your attention, I am aware of the 

 only real obstacle to its favoarable conside- 

 ration. There are many good farmers 

 who are little accustomed to putting their 

 thoughts on paper, for the public eye. As 

 it will be a serious loss to be deprived of all 

 the experiments of such persons, let us en- 

 deavour to remove this obstacle. The ob- 

 ject we are in pursuit of is information. 

 The dress or style in which it may be com- 

 municated is of no importance; many wise 

 men and profound thinkers have been obliged 

 to employ their amanuenses to put their ideas 

 in form ; and on the other hand there are not 

 a few very correct writers, who seldom com- 

 pose from their own thoughts. It is no dis- 

 paragement to the understanding of any 

 person that he cannot write well; none 

 should therefore be deterred from contri- 

 buting whatever he considers useful, on ac- 

 count of his unpractised pen. 

 ******** 



It is worthy of experiment to ascertain 

 from what climate and soil we might most 

 advantageously procure seed wheat for the. ]|| 

 best change, also other grains. So much 

 has been accomplished in the vegetable and 

 animal kingdoms, by breeding from the best, 

 that it would be well worth our attention to 

 select every year a number of the best and 

 ripest heads of wheat, most free from rust, 

 and continue the propagation from these and 

 the like, for the supply of our entire seed. 

 Most of you have heard of the remarkable 



