VOLUME I. 



ROCHESTER, MAY 21, 1831. 



MMBKI! 20 



JEFFERSON COUNTY 

 AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We are aware that the publication of ad- 

 dresses delivered at agricultural festivals and 

 exhibitions may be objected to by many of 

 our readers, and for very good reasons ; as 

 many of them arc mere quotations from for- 

 eign authors and delivered by men unac- 

 quainted with the practical parts of husban- 

 dry, and of course many things recommend- 

 ed which are not calculated for our soil and 

 climate. Such examples were common du- 

 ring the existence of our State Agricultural 

 Societies, and it is rather problematical whe- 

 ther they had a good or bad effect upon our 

 farming interest. In offering to our readers 

 the address of V. Le Ray De Chaumont, we 

 assure them that it is of a different charac- 

 ter. It may be said that he is a foreigner, 

 and unacquainted with our course of tillage. 

 This is not correct but in part. He is a for- 

 eigner by birth, but an American by adop- 

 tion, and the county of Jefferson is proud of 

 him as an agriculturist. Hi9 investments in 

 landed property in that county have made it 

 for his interest to understand the agiiculture 

 of our country, and with such success has 

 lie applied himself to study and observation, 

 that he is now looked up to as one of the 

 most correct farmers in that section of the 

 state. The Agricultural Society of that 

 county is also a monument of the correct 

 judgment and persevering efforts of its mem- 

 bers, among whom he stands conspicuous, 

 and furnishes a noble example of the bene- 

 fits of such societies, when conducted upon 

 proper principles. Notwithstanding the gen- 

 eral downfal of them in most of the counties 

 through the state, the Society of Jefferson 

 has held on its way, distributing its benefi- 

 cial influence to community. 



Their breeds of cattle and horses have been 

 greatly improved under the directions and 

 by the exertions of the leading men of the 

 Society ; and having attended one of their 

 exhibitions, we are justified in saying, that 

 we believe there are few counties in the state 

 that can surpass them in the number of fine 

 animals. These exeYtions have also been 

 attended with corresponding ones on the part 

 of the manufacturers, as they can boast of 

 having one of the best cotton manufacturing 

 establishments, not only in the United States, 

 but in the world. We refer to the one built 

 by Mr. L. Bebee — which, in point of location 

 as to water power, proportions in construc- 

 tion, and finish of machinery, so far as it 

 has progressed, will compare with any, we 

 are confident, in Europe or America.* 



It is with due consideration for the agri- 

 cultural and manufacturing character of Jef- 

 ferson county, that we offer the following 

 address.which will be found replete with use- 

 ful instruction and observations, and which 



will, we trust, be read with satisfaction by 

 all classes of community. 



GoutietnaD of the Society, and Fellow-Citizons ; 



We meet on this annual occasion under 

 the most favorable auspices. This has been 

 an unusually healthy and productive year. — 

 Our Society, the second in age in the state, 

 is now " the only existing monument of its 

 kind of that enlightened legislature, which 

 so judiciously appropriated a portion of the 

 funds of the Slate, for the noble object of 

 promoting agriculture. "f 



Far from being dispirited by the withdraw- 

 al of its support, we have drawn new ener- 

 gies to our aid — we have kept alive the sa- 

 cred fire, and will keep it still brighter and 

 brighter, until it shall again extend over the 

 State: we have held out to our fellow-citi- 

 zens an example by which they may see the 

 benefits to be deiived from it, and in pro- 

 gressing steadily in usefulness and prosperi- 

 ty. We have improved our rules and regu 

 lations, and thereby acquired the support of 

 many who before had objections to join us. 

 The spirit of liberality which had presided 

 over the subscriptions has increased, but not 

 so much in proportion with other classes a- 

 mong our farmers, and particularly those of 

 the south part of the county. Their distance 

 fiom our place of meeting is not however a 

 good excuse, since we have allowed an ex- 

 tra compensation in such cases, and at any 

 rate, it would not apply to the most import- 

 ant premium, that upon farms. It is the 

 Viewing Committee who suffer by the dis- 

 tance, and they have cheerfully travelled to 

 the most northerly parts of the county, » lure 

 they have seen a zeal that was as unexpect- 

 ed as it was pleasing to them, and which the 

 south ought to imitate. 



The labors of this Viewing Committee, 

 composed of some of our most intelligent 

 farmers, who go every year through those 

 parts of the county where farms are offered 

 for premiums, collect and interchange infor- 

 mation, and afterwards embody part of their 

 observations in a report which is read to the 

 society, appear to me to be among the most 

 important results of our institution, and suf- 

 ficient in themselves to justify and repay all 

 we do to sustain it. The individuals who 

 have at different times composed those com- 

 mittees, deserve our warmest thanks. Their 

 influence, considered as a channel of infor- 

 mation, as a connecting link between the 

 different parts of this county, would be far 

 greater if more towns should invite their at- 

 tention. Their able reports have generally 

 encouraged us by tire account they gave of 

 the improvement we make every year, and 

 I feel pleasure and pride in adding the flat- 

 tering testimony of one of the most enlight- 

 ened landholders in the state, whose prop- 

 erty lies principally in St. Lawrence coun- 

 ty, and who in answering an application for 

 a subscription, says, that " no person can 

 travel through the county of Jefferson with- 



' The above manufacturing establishment is situ- 

 ated on an island of rock in the Black River, in the 

 village of VValertown. The building is 250 feet in 

 length by 50 wide, and 5 stories hign. The river 

 here flows through a bad of compact limestone, with 

 high banks ; the race which conducts the water to 

 the wheel, which is under the building and secure 

 from frost, is cut through thie rock, and seems to 

 bid defiance to any thing but time to affect il. 



t New-York Farmer, Sept. 1829. 



out remarking the change which has taken 

 place in our agricultural condition," and 

 that it is indisputable that our society has 

 given an impulse to these improvements. — 

 This compliment was not a mere show of 

 words, as it was backed by a remittance of 

 fifty dollars. 



It can hardly be mspected at this day that 

 intelligent farmers, even if they should yet 

 see some points in our society which might 

 be improved, have great doubts upon its gen- 

 eral utility, or believe that such societies can- 

 not do much good, because they are some- 

 times conducted by persons who are not la- 

 boring farmers. No mistake could be great- 

 er than this. To cultivate well your farms, 

 and raise the greatest possible quantity of 

 the productions which have been raised by 

 your fathers, are undoubtedly important ob- 

 jects of improvement ; but among an intelli- 

 gent and industrious people they cannot fail 

 of being attained, and they will, without an 

 agricultural society, make a good country, 

 producing plenty of food and raiment for the 

 population, and perchance for a little ex- 

 portation. But will this ensure the prosper- 

 ity and growth of the country under all the 

 vicissitudes which the world is almost daily 

 undergoing ? Far from it. Look at the cot- 

 ton, tobacco and rice, the principal articles 

 of exportation of these United States; the 

 wines of France ; and in short, almost all 

 the agricultural products which now form 

 the basis of the riches and power of civiliz- 

 ed nations. Were they known to our an- 

 cestors a few hundred years ago ? Who in- 

 troduced them where they seem to be indig- 

 enous ? Not only they were not farmers, 

 but they have sometimes been opposed most 

 strenuously by the very class who were to 

 derive most advantage from the introduction 

 of a new plant. Such reproach I know could 

 not be incurred by the American farmers. — 

 They show themselves ready to adopt what 

 appears advantageous, and therefore agri- 

 cultural societies are calculated to be very 

 useful in this country, since their object is 

 not only to improve the mode of cultivating 

 the common products of the country, but to 

 nlroduce new ones. To the great staples 

 which I have above mentioned, it is proba- 

 ble that in a few years two will be added, or 

 perhaps even by another change in some o- 

 ther country, will take the place of one or 

 more of those. 



Hemp, one of those articles to which I 

 allude, has been cultivated with great suc- 

 cess in many parts of ihe United States. If 

 is a fact well ascertained by numerous ex- 

 periments and confirmed by the navy com- 

 missioners in their reports, that American 

 hemp is preferable to Russia. I see in a 

 publication from one of our most enlighten- 

 ed agriculturists, (Judge Buel of Albany,) 

 that " the United States pay annually to 

 the foreign cultivators and manufacturers of 

 hemp, more than two millions seven hundred 

 thousand dollars. There is therefore little 

 danger of gutting our markets with this nec- 

 essary production. Most of the states from 

 Tennessee to Maine already grow hemp, and 

 in this state it is successfully and profitably 

 cultivated, particularly in the counties of 

 Orange, Saratoga, Washington, Tompkins. 

 &.c. upon most of the soils which yield a pro- 

 fit in the ordinary productions of agricul- 



