-14 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JAN. S, 18«S. 



Wl 



AM> HORTICULTURAL RKGISTER. 



THE NEW YEAR. 



VVi! miglil comply with custom, and wish our readers 

 and friends " a H.-ijipy New Year," were not llie year a 

 f.w days old bcfure we liave an opportunity tn speak. 

 Lit that pas.-i. 



Farmers now should square accounts wiili neiglibors 

 and all with whom ihey have dealings. If the money 

 is not on liami, foot up the books and adjust matters so 

 lliat nothing shall remain to be done but t4> hand over 

 tho money when il comes. 



Also, tommenco keppin:; accurate accounts of all 

 moneys receive{i :md paid in IS42. Likewise procure a 

 bo ik in which to keep a regular account of all work, all 

 tnodes of culture, and all crops during the year. If this 

 woik be new, it will be fuund convenient and profilal.lc. 



De constantly getting thirgs in preparation f"r spring 

 and summer use on the farm — fuel, fencing stuff, tools, 

 &c. should be got in readiness for use while winter 

 lasts. 



I'lans of operation for the next season should ce form- 

 ed and matured. 



Let induslry, economy and good husbandry be resolv- 

 ed upon now and carried out through the year. — While 

 these things are attended to, forget not the higher duiies 

 of honesty, temperance, command of temper, kindness 

 to man, and faithful service of God. Remembering and 

 doing these things, theiiew year when it shall have be- 

 come old, will have been a hap^y one. 



THK IN.STITUTION OF PLOWING MATCHES- 

 JOHN PRINCE, KSa , OF ROXBUKV. 

 U'e know not when plowing matches were first insti- 

 tuted in England ; but tliB first in this country was held 

 in Pitlslicld, Berkshire county, Mn.is., in 1817. While, 

 however, o county society was llie first to put in practice 

 here this means of benefiting agriculture, we have little 

 doubt that the publication by the State Soci':lv of its in- 

 tention in August, JS17, to liave a plowing match at 

 Biighton, in October fi>llowing, suggested the idea to 

 the people in lierk«liire, who )u-li their cattle show a 

 week or two earlier. Before Uie otlicers of the State 

 Society, this project was brought-forward by John 

 Prince, Esq. To liim, more than to any otlier man, are 

 the farmers of the Commonwealth indebted for whatever 

 good has reaulled fr<un thcfo cunlcsts with the plow. 

 Mr Prince also imjjortcd in 1817, tin: first plow with i 

 cait iron mould board, which was used in these contests 

 of skill, and thus furnished a nindel which has been 

 adopted and improved upon until iho old wdoden mould- 

 board plows liave disappdared from all ihe fields of tho 

 State. And not in this matter only but in various wuys 

 and for many years has Mr Prince been laboring and 

 appropriating means to advance and bonelii tho cause of 

 agriculture. Few men among us have done muie for 

 tlie farmers generally, than this gentleman. Not merely 

 has he made, and often made, " two blades of grass 

 grow wlierc but one grew before," but his imporlatiohs 

 offruit trees, of agricultural implements, and of domo's- 

 tic animals, have furnished for many an orcliard choice 

 trees, for many a laborei mora convenient tools, for many 

 a farmer better stock. 



Massachusells Legislature.— Th'i* day the law-maUors 

 of the Commonwealth assemble to commence I 'icir la- 

 bors. We tiUBl that ihey will work as vigorously and 

 faithfully for the State, as they would wish individuals 

 in their private employ to work for them. 



AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF THE UNITED 

 STATES. 



This national Society has been formed. Its Constitu- 

 tion is given on another page of this paper. We must 

 omit notice at present of many of its features. But there 

 are one or two points which we will notice now. 



The government is, very judiciously, to be confided to 

 a few men, and those are to reside near each other. 

 Under any other arrangement, nothing could be expect- 

 ed but delays and inefficiency. But even now the pro- 

 ject will fail, unless ihe Board of Control shall be com- 

 posed of 7;icn of the right stamp. Upon the judicious se- 

 lection of these officers, hangs thr question of life and 

 death, or nearly that, with the Society. If these are 

 prudent, economical, discreel and ';fBcicnt mi;n, all may 

 go well. If, on the conlrary, they are hasty, extrava- 

 gant, and t'llkers rather than jrorAcr^, tho institution 

 will become embarrassed and must die. Here is the 

 grand point to be attended to by tho?e xvlio are acting in 

 this matter. This is what we wanted to say, end to say 

 now. It is important to he wise and cautious in the 

 choice of the Board vf Control 



Should the Society flourish, and should a farm be cul- 

 tivated under its direction, we hnpo that measures will 

 be taken there to procure a thorough analysis of each 

 variety of soil and subsoil upon the farm ; and also of 

 every common cultivated plant, and of every different 

 manure. 



We have often felt the want of trustworthy tables, 

 giving the chemical composition of every grain and its 

 stalk — of every root that is used for food — of every 

 thing in short that the agriculturist cultivat.'^s as an im- 

 portant crop ; and in addition to this, we have w ant(;d to 

 know what all the common manures are composed of 

 Had we such tables, the question, and it is an important 

 one, could be settled, wholhcr chemistry can lead us 

 safely to a wise and successful adaptation of manures to 

 particular crops. Such tables when constructed, would 

 be useful every where, if u^e^ul any where. 



On the proposed farm we hope that the chemical com- 

 position of the soil, of every thing applied to the auil, 

 and of every crop taken frtuii the soil, will be ascertain- 

 ed. To do this will require the scfvices of ihe very 

 beet chemist for a yiar or years; and, also, an experi- 

 enced and competent man should direct till the opera- 

 tions in the fiuld,and note the results. Nothing here 

 should be left to conjecture. 



We speak of MorouwA analyses, and emphasize tho 

 word ; we do this because very fertile soils and some 

 that arc almost barren, in some instances, are found to 

 differ from eacli other but little in their composition 

 We have heard that soil from the fertile banks of ihe 

 Nile, has 07 of its parts in 100, precisely the same as 

 exist in tho almost barren soil on Sekonk plains. This 

 shows that only thrt'o parts in un hundred, taken from 

 or added to a soil, may change it fiom fertile to barren 

 or from barren to fertile. If then barrenness and fertili- 

 ty lie within 3 per ceiil. of eacfi other, no analyses are 

 of any woith but thosu which arc strictly aocurite and 

 full. 



Such analyses, we believe, have never yet been made, 

 excepting in tho case of a comparatively few articles. 

 All opportunity, as we judge, may now occur for neconi- 

 plishing a valuable object which has never yet, in any 

 country, been (airly attempted. Wo trust that here, 

 when the work goes on, tho question will be settled, 

 wherein ond how far scirnco may be Iho safe guide of 

 art in matters of husbandry. 



Farmers at the Ntirth and F.o<l, even though they may 

 never think of meeting with tho Society, should remem- 

 ber that the payment of the small sum which is requir- 

 ed to constitute llieniselves members, will bo valuoblo 



aid to tliosc who are moving in ths measure, which 

 designed to be of national benefit. 



At some future time, we may notice the other objec 

 of Ibe Society, and perhaps explain more lully our view 0t 

 upon the importance of bringing science and art iot ^| 

 iheir closest possible union in the operations upon tit 

 experimental or model farm. 



WESTERN RAILROAD. 



This road is now open to Albany. Last week tb- 

 city otEcers of Boston, in company with many othe 

 gentlemen, made a visit to Albany, where they wcr 

 feasted and toasted profusely. On their return, tho' 

 took with them the government of Albany, and in ihei 

 turn gave tlie feast and toasts, &c. The iron roui 

 whicli now aflfoids an easy communication between tbii I', 

 city and the Slate of New York through its wholf '!"■ 

 length to the Lakes, promises to add much to ihe biiai. 

 ness and growth of Boston. 



Candles wori! used for lighting the iiall in Albany, m 

 Monday evening, which wore made in New Bedford oa 

 Monday morning. On Wedi esday evening, in Boston, 

 the company feasted upon cakes made from flour, th* 

 wheat for whicli was threshed in Rochester on Mondw 

 morning, and the barrel in wjiich it was brought com- 

 posed in part a standing tree, on Monday morning 



FARMERS' MEETINGS AT THE STATE HOUSB.J 



We trust that such members of the Legislature a<i -.re 

 interested in Agriculture, will at an early day in ■; 

 session, reinstilute such meetings for the discussiM.i oi 

 questions connected with this great branch of industry, 

 as have been held in years past. Hitherto the meolinga 

 have been inleresling and instructive. 



I 



THE BOSTON ALMANAC. 



Tlie seventh number of this useful annual, by S 

 Dickinson, (Thos. Groom & Co., publishers, 82 Stak 

 Street,) has made iU appearance. For people in tlH 

 cily, and such as aie accustomed to visit and do busineL 

 hero, this is an exceedingly convenient and useful liul? 

 work. We happen to know that ono young man,» 

 siranger, wl.o commenced mirketing hero the last au- 

 tumn, found this a safe and sufficient guide toevcry part 

 of iho city , and to every man who deals in such articlei 

 us he had to dispose of. 



BUEL-8 FARMERS COMPANION. 

 .•\ third edition, revised and enlarged, of this valuabit 

 work, has just been published by Marsh, Capen, l,yo» 

 >iiid Webb. The sound judgment and clear style of th« 

 iaie Judge Buel ns a writer upon agriculture, are so uni- . 

 versoUy known that any thing we might say in commen- 

 dntionof this work, would be superfluous. Thoauthor'f 

 name alone tells all that iieud lie said for the body of 

 the work. Tho glotsarf or definition of terms, and the 

 ind.x in this edition, are very full. Tlie work may ba 

 very safely recommended to the farming community, 

 as one well worth their purchase and perusal. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Saturday, Jon. 1, 1.''4-. 

 liemsrkably largo and fine specimens of Celery wcro 

 exhibited by Mr Samuel C. Mann, of Dedham. 



SAME PO.NI). 



When we cannot engage in an undertaking with the 

 approbation of conscience, wc may be tuic we are wronj 

 if wo proceed. A feeling of self graiulalion alwars ac- 

 companies an eflort to do right, though it result in ca- 

 lamity to ourselves. 



