NEW ENGLAND l-'ARMER. 



ail 



as good advantages as the man whose whole em- 

 ployment is study — if he was but aware of the 

 fact, and would improve his opportunities. 



Let any one who reads this, if he doubts the 

 truth of my proposition, that a man can do as 

 much work as another who does nothing except 

 work, and at the same time acquire nearly as great 

 an amount of knowledge as one whose whole busi- 

 ness is study, — enter on this plan -for a few days, 

 let him in the morning study two hours, not super- 

 ficially, but '■'■toto corpore,'" as if life or death de- 

 pended upon his exertions, and when the two hours 

 have passed, he will Jh'l that his mental powers 

 are somewhat weakened, and that his interest in 

 his theme of study has in a measure subsided, and 

 hence he will not be in a proper state of mind to 

 acquire and retain knowledge; but he will enter 

 his field of labor with renewed vigor; so when the 

 muscles brought into exercise by labor, are exhaus- 

 ted, his mind will be free to commence anew his in- 

 tellectual toil. 



Thus while his body is resting, and renewing 

 its strength, he can improve his mind, and converse- 

 ly while the mind is resting he can be useful by 

 means of manual labor. 



Thus also even a liberal education might be ac- 

 quired by many, while they not only would not be 

 spending money, but tliey would actually be gain- 

 ing in the same, thus laying up property for a 

 ^^rainy day,^'' and gaining mental property such as 

 will prepare one not only for a greater amount of 

 pleasure than he would otherwise be able to enjoy, 

 but also for usefulness. Who will avail them- 

 selves of this golden opportunity 1 d. 



Remarks. — In considering the subject introduced 

 by our correspondent, a very important fact pre- 

 sents itself, which is that the student or literary 

 man needs at least five hours per day for exercise, 

 which should be brisk and as severe as would be 

 produced by half a day of common labor. This is 

 essential to the preservation of health and a sound 

 constitution. This being the case, he may as well 

 attend to labor as amusement for exercise; and 

 generally better, for when one is pursuing labor 

 with interest, he takes exercise without thinking 

 of it; but when he exerts himself purposely for ex- 

 ercise, he often does it reluctantly, and frequently 

 grows indolent and neglects it. 



Again, the man whose principal business is labor 

 can perform a good day's work in ten hours, and his 

 body must have rest, and while that is resting, his 

 mind may be at work, and without any disadvantage 

 to his physical frame. Ten hours for manual labor, 

 five for study, two for meals and recreation, and 

 seven for sleep and rest, which is enough in all 

 conscience for any one to sleep, excepting children. 

 In til is ca.se, with all reasonable time for every 

 other purpose, the laborer has five hours for close 

 study, and besides this he may while laboring con 

 over his studies, and thus greatly aid his pro- 

 gress. 



We have known laborers who attended to their 

 work the usual number of hours, and with as 

 much diligence and success as their associates; 



and yet they attended, to studies, or wrote books or 

 articles for periodicals with as much progress and 

 good success as those who gave their whole atten- 

 tion to these pursuits. — Editor. 



MEMOIR OF COL. TIMOTHY PICKER- 

 ING. 



John W. Proctor, Esq., President of Essex Ag- 

 ricultural Society, has communicated to the Albany 

 Cultivator a very interesting memoir of this distin- 

 guished patron of agriculture, including his politi- 

 cal career. As Col. Pickering was among the most 

 zealous and efficient promoters of agricultural im- 

 provements in his day, we select that part of the 

 memoir relating to agriculture, believing that it will 

 be perused with interest, and afford a worthy ex- 

 ample to those who are able and disposed to do 

 likewise. Col. Piiskering was born in Salem, July 

 17th, 1745. He died at Salem, January 29, 1829, 

 in his 84th year. We copy from the memoir. 



It is of Col. Pickering as a farmer that we feel it 

 to be our privilege to speak. This we should not 

 have done, had not our solicitations to otheis, bet- 

 ter qualified to say what ought to be said, been in- 

 effectual. 



In 1818, an association of the farmers of Essex 

 was formed, under the name of the "Essex County 

 Agricultural Society," over which he was invited 

 to preside. It was done in accordance with the of- 

 fer of the State for the encouragement of such so- 

 cieties. There is good reason to believe that Col. 

 P. was not ignorant of the movement that prompted 

 these offers. Whatever may have been the origin, 

 it met his entire approbation and active co-opera- 

 tion. He continued thus to preside for a period of 

 leri years, until the autumn of 1828, when lie said 

 he felt it to be his duty to withdraw, lest he should 

 be thought to be in his dotage — an idea that never 

 occurred to any one but himself. We know not 

 how to express our opinion of the efforts of Col. 

 Pickering, in connection with this society, better 

 than in the language of the address, in 1844. Says 

 the speaker — "I have ever esteemed the hints and 

 observations that fell from Col. Pickering at our 

 meetings, as among the most valuable lessons ever 

 taught to the farmers of Essex. At an age when 

 most men think their labors should be ended, he 

 was in his prime, in handling the plough and insti- 

 tuting new experiments. He was not ashamed to 

 soil his hands or his clothes, in the labors of the 

 field. In whatever he engaged, he took thepait of 

 the working man. When he spoke, it was not to 

 display his own acquirements, but to instruct his 

 hearers. While others were admiring his superior 

 wisdom, he, himself, appeared to be the only one 

 not conscious of it. Like Franklin, he always had 

 some illustrations that would not fail to make a 

 lasting impression." 



During his presidency, (as it was our privilege 

 to be his secretary,) we can bear tesstiniony that he 

 was scrupulously attentive to all the meetings and 

 interests of the trustees, and of the society; always 

 ready to illustrate by precept and example his ac- 

 cumulated experience. lie loved farming for its 

 own sake, and for the good of his fellow-men. He 

 was never happier than when he conunanded the 

 listening attention of a group of practical far- 



