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NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCT. 26, 181: 



vating the earth. It was aaid by Lord Bacon, that 

 " knowledtje is power." And the extent of the 

 power which the af!;riciilturist acciiiires by a kuowl- 

 edge nf niitnral science, has no oilier limitation 

 than tlie systematic operations of Nature. A Unowl- 

 edge of her laws gives him the powor to use these 

 as his instruments and agents by conforming to 

 their operation. In its application to agriculture, 

 it is not only true that " knowledge is power," but 

 power is wealth, or that which makes and increases 

 wealth. It is the power which a knowledge of the 

 laws of vegetation gives to the agriculturist to ta.i; 

 to the utmost tlie productive energies of the earth, 

 by conforming to those laws and to draw from iier 

 those exhaustless stores of agricultural wealth 

 which lie latent within her. 



Farmers of the County of Worcester: These 

 considerations present to you the strongest induce- 

 ments to the acquisition of scientific knowledge. 

 Apply yourselves, then, to the work of agricultural 

 improvement. Pursue your inquiries and experi- 

 ments as far as prudence will allow. You will all 

 find enough to do. The system of husbandry is no 

 where so perfect as to be incepable of improvement. 

 You should not be satisfied with doing as your fath- 

 ers did before you. Tlie old way may be good, 

 but it is quite as likely to be bad. It should only 

 be followed till a better way can be found. It is 

 as absurd now to suppose that no further improve- 

 ment can be made in husbandry, as it was when 

 Cincinnntus plowed his field with the limb of a tree 

 for his plow-beam and a knot for liis coulter and 

 shear. And yet undoubtedly many farmers in the 

 days of Cincinnatus, believed that no improvements 

 could be made in the plow then used. Though 

 we may smile at such folly, I can easily believe it 

 to have been eo, when I find the maxim, " Change 

 not your plow," ascribed to so wise a man as Cato 

 the censor. Beware then, that you do not commit 

 a like error. Do not beguile yourselves into su- 

 pineness by the fallacious dogma, that agriculture 

 has attained its ultimate perfection. Such is the 

 tendency of every age. But so far is it from the 

 truth, even now, that it may more properly be said 

 that agriculture, as a science, is yet in its infancy. 

 It is but a little more than thirty ycar.s since atten- 

 tion was first attracted to ngricultural chemistry in 

 England, by Sir Humphrey Davy, in a course of 

 lectures before the Board of Agriculture. The 

 first work upon the subject which appeared in 

 France, was that of Chaptal, an eminent chemist 

 and practical agriculturist, which was published in 

 1833. No American work upon the subject, of a 

 scientific character, was published, that 1 am aware 

 of, until within a very recent period of time. And 

 these, I apprehend, have been but little read by 

 practical agriculturists, or the principles which they 

 leach but little applied. 



It has been my design, gentlemen, to draw your 

 attention to this subject, and awaken your minds 

 to a conviction of its importance. If there is any 

 truth in the views which I have expressed, (and I 

 sincerely believe there is,) then these truths should 

 stimulate you to increased cffVirls in tin; work of 

 agricultural improvement. Let not the farmers of 

 Massachusetts be outdone in exertions to promote 

 the progress of agriculture. 



No where in the wiile world are there stronger 

 inducements or better opportunitios to advance 

 that noble art. If our soil is by nature compara- 

 tively sterile, so much more need have we of the 

 aids of science. Our civil and religions institu- 

 tions have secured to all liberty of thought, speech 



and action. Our schools and seminaries of learn- 

 ing afford to all the advantages of a good educa- 

 tion. Where, then, if not here, ought we to ex- 

 pect agricultural improvements to be made? Who 

 are more capable of doing it than the independent 

 and educated yeomanry of our own Commonwealth .' 

 Gentlemen, neglect not the opportunities by 

 which you are surrounded. Apply yourselves to 

 the improvement of agriculture. Mndeavor to raise 

 the standard of agricultural education and render 

 the profession more attractive. Our schools should 

 all be made seminaries of agricultural knowledge, 

 that the young who are destined to the pursuit of 

 agriculture, may bo educated in its principles. 

 Let these principles be the subjcots of your daily 

 study, reflection and conversation. Summon to 

 your aid the principles of science, and diligently 

 apply them to the cultivation of the earth. Com- 

 municate your own experience to your neighbors, 

 and obtain from them the results of their experi- 

 ments and inquiries. Endeavor to establish ( ir 

 yourselves the best system of husbandry, and set a 

 good example for the imitation of others. Thu? 

 may you increase your own and the nation's wealth, 

 fill the land with plenty, beautify and adorn the 

 country, and make our agriculture the glory of the 

 State. 



" The fame that heroes cherish, 

 The ginry earned in deadly fray, 



Sliiiil fide, decay and perish. 

 Honor waits, o'er all the earth. 



Through endless generations, 



The art that calls the harvest forth, 



And feeds expectant nations." 



ADAPTATION OF CROPS TO SOILS. 



One of the evils which grows out of our contin- 

 ual efforts to force soils to our own purpose, reck- 

 less of the laws of God, is the introduction of poi- 

 sonous or hurtful plants or grasses — such as ergot, 

 buttercup, darnel, or tares, &c. Where do we 

 most frequently fine acrid and poisonous plants .' 

 Certainly it is where we apply our strongest and 

 most forcing manures. 



Mr Whitlaw, who has paid much attention to the 

 subject, and written on it extensively, has arrived 

 at the grave conclusion — a conclusion based on 

 numerous facts — that a very largo number of 

 sheep and cattle in our highly cultivated section of 

 country, are poisoned, and not a few destroyed by 

 these selfsame acrid plants. Among these, proba- 

 bly, no one among us is more destructive than the 

 buttercup. 



Will it be said that cattle and sheep will not eat 

 it on account of its bitterness? Perhaps not, to 

 any great extent, as long as they can get better 

 feed. But sometimes grass is short, and they bite 

 so close that they receive a little of it. This is 

 especially the case with those animals that are 

 most highly domesticated as we call it — that is, 

 diverted from nature's path. The wild animals, 

 whose instinct is more perfect, will seldom eat lau- 

 rel or buttercup. Buttercup, however, is chiefly 

 eaten in the form of hay. Our strongly manured 

 grounds abound with it, and the cattle in winter, 

 can hardly separate it wholly if they would; and 

 some of our younger, tougher, half starved cattle, 

 will not try to do so. 



Here it will perhaps be asked, why sheep and 

 cattle — if these notions are correct — do not oftcner 

 die ? To this, I reply, it is for the same reason 

 that men do not oftener die from eating poisonous 

 things. They are tough. The current of life is 



onward. The poison is usually in small quanti- 

 ties. In the cow or sheep it is often divided be- 

 tween the mother and her suckling. In the hard- "! 

 working animal it is carried off, in part, by perspi- ' 

 ration. In others, however, it irritates slowly, and 

 gradually paves the way for disease, if indeed, it ! 

 does not actually induce disease. Besides, as it is 

 difficult to elevate a race that has been deteriora-}*'' 

 ted, or even an individual, God has provided against 

 its rapid detPrioration. 



The truth is, however, that both men and the ani- "' 

 mals, properly so called, in our highly cultivated 

 society, are more or less poisoned continually. 

 Lay open the first passages — the alimentary tube — 

 in man or domesticated animals, and you vfill gen. 

 erally find a degree of subinflammation, as medical 

 men call it. This state of things — this unnatural 

 redness of the stomach and intestines — is by no 

 means harmless. Grant that no ulcers form, still 

 the parts are injured ; and all other parts or or- 

 gans are injured from sympathy. 



Hence — I repeat it — an additional reason for 

 a more simjile, natural and healthful cultivation of 

 our soils, and as strong argument against over- 

 stimulation. I wish this subject might be fully in- 

 vestigated. What is wanted is to apply the light 

 of science and religion to the pathway of the hus- 

 bandman no less than to that of other men, of more 

 fashionable, but not more useful cmjiloyments. 



W. A. A. 



(U^The above is one of a series of articles upon 

 agricultural topics, which are being published in the 

 Dedliam American, and written, we presume by 

 Dr. Alcott, whose pen has little respite from its la- 

 bors of benevolence. To question the orthodoxy 

 of the writer's positions upon matters of animal phy- 

 siology, would, poriiaps, be heretical ; for he speak* 

 by the authority of knowledge. But in regard to 

 another of his positions, which.comes more particu- 

 larly within our province, we wish to make a few 

 remarks. We never suspected that/iigA cuUiration 

 will produce the buttercup. It grows abundantly 

 on some moist soils — but it grows in the pas- 

 tures that M'ere never tilled or manured, as abun- 

 dantly as in fields. Clean tillage, connected with 

 the highest manuring, helps to remove it from the 

 land. It is generally true that rich lands, «(/( 

 tilled, give us crops as free from noxious weeds and 

 plants, as any other grounds. — Ed. N. E. F. 



SPARE THE BIRDS. 



I was right glad, friend Smith, that you have 

 taken up arms in defence of the poor birds. The 

 barbarous fashion of shooting sparrows and robins 

 lias gone quite out of date with decent men. There 

 are now only a parcel of great grown up boys, 

 two fisted, almost men-kind of boys — who deem it i 

 a great thing to carry on this miserable warfare. 

 I saw one coming home after his day's campaign ; 

 lie was six feet high, with an old rusty firelock on 

 Ills shoulder, and in his hand, as a trophy, one poor 1 1 

 robin. I could not help asking him — Did you kill i| 

 that bird? 



The amusement of shooting birds is pretty much 

 the same as if you were to catch some little wren 

 or torn tit, and stick pins into them — he to be the i 

 hero who first could touch the little bird's heart 

 and kill him. 



I would not say one word against the humane 

 and gentle, and kmd-hearted sport, if these gunners 

 would always kill these birds stone dead, and thus 

 put them out of their suffering at once. It is no 



