i85S, 



I^EW ENGLAND FARMEil. 



163 



■society. The address is a capital one, tak'ing hold 

 of the right points and urging them in the right 

 way. It cannot fail of doing miich good. SVxi are 

 indebted e^^'ory day, to the clergy, for some of the 

 best efiarts put forth to advance the long neglect- 

 ed cause of agricultuve — to dispel the gross dark- 

 ness that sits upon the people in relation to an in- 

 telligent cultivation of the soil. Mr. CLirr nill 

 please accept our thanks. We hope, hereafter, to 

 find room for extracts frora the address. 



XEGISIiATIVB AGRICULTURAL MEET- 

 INGS. 



Si.XTH MEETING— Tuesday Evem.ng, Feb. 22, 1853. 



The sixth meeting of the series was h^eld in the 

 Representatives' Hall at the State House, on T-ues- 

 day evening. 



The meeting was called to ord^r by Mr. B. V. 

 FREXcn, of Braintree, and IMr. Pkootor, of Dan- 

 vers, was invited to preside. The subject was 

 then announced, 



"The expediency of establishing Farmers' In- 

 stitutes in the several counties of this State * and 

 the beat mode of perfecting such organizations." 



Mr. Prgctgr, in taking the clmir, remarked that 

 he was unprepared to discuss the6ul)jecfc. Hean- 

 aiounoed with rogret, that President Hitehcock,of 

 Amherst College, who had been expected to at- 

 tend, and address the meeting, was not present. 

 He expressed th^ opinion that the establishment 

 •of farmers' institutes, would prove mo.st beneficent 

 to the farmer, — more especially to the young far- 

 mer, who, by an attendance on their lectures and 

 a participation in their discusaoDS, could not fail 

 to learn much that he needs to know. He would 

 aothave them established 1)y the State., but formed 

 and sustained at the expense of the farmers them- 

 selves. 



Ak-vs-^ Walker expresssd himself pleased with 

 the subject, because it was in harmony with the 

 spirit of the age, which tends to association, and 

 because it is evident that there is a great revival 

 in the agricultural interests of the Commonwealth. 

 He thoaght there was no doubt that the project 

 would meet the approbation of agriculturists 

 throughout the State. The speaker alluded to 

 the greatly increased interest which_ teachers' in- 

 stitutes have awakened in the cause of education, 

 and remarked that something similar must be done 

 to bring agricultural education home to the mass of 

 the people. Farmers' institutes are just the 

 things for diffusing agricultural information, both 

 new and old. The scientific man and the practical 

 farmer would be brought together, and every pe- 

 riod of improvement in regard to agriculture 

 would be brougl* forward and discussed. As ev- 

 idence of the need of exciting increased interest in 

 agriculture, he stated that not more than one 

 man in three in the State now takes any interest 



in the matter, and preiKiums are distributed onh" 

 in the proportion of one in five towns. 



Mr. BroWxV, of the Neiv England Farr.ier,m re- 

 ply to a call from the chaiTman, said that he had 

 no de'nnite views in vegard to the subject, Ixit he 

 though. t it was necessary to do something to in- 

 crease the interest in agriculture ; and ho believed 

 ithat when the time came to establish institutes, 

 they would accomplish great good, not only in 

 this State, but throughout the country. But 

 first, he thought, primary associations should be 

 formed in eaKjh town by th-e fiu-mers, fi>r mutual 

 consultation and discussion on all subjects of in- 

 terest to them ; and by this method they would 

 quaiify themselves to form 4ind <}ondiict the high- 

 er association, or institute. By the formation of 

 farmers' clubs in -ea-ch town , and the attendance 

 of farmers upon them during the winter, he be- 

 lieved tho lands and crops of such towns would 

 exhibit an increase in value of ons per cent, from 

 year to y«ar ; farmers would become more intelli- 

 gent by such mutual counsd. He thought th« 

 time had not com* to call upon the State to do any- 

 thing more for the farmer than she has done al- 

 ready, but when that time did come, he believed 

 that «he would be found liberal. 



Mr. Brooks, of Princeton, coincided with the 

 views expressed by Mr. Brown. He was not pre- 

 pared at present, to advocate the establishment of 

 an institution similar t-o the teachers' institute. 

 That provides for lectures ; and the lecturer must 

 have a test or fact to speak upon ; and where will 

 that textcom.e from ? It must come from science ; 

 but we have no American agricultural science. 

 We -cannot raise either wheat or cattle as they do 

 in England. The speaker enforced this point by 

 illustrating the inapplicability of the conclusions 

 of English science to forming in this country, as 

 in draining. Yet, many towns, he said, already 

 had small farmers' clubs, and he believed they 

 would prove of great benefit. 



Mr. French, of Braintree, would have the coun- 

 ty societies set apart a day or half a day at their 

 annual exhibitions, to listen to lectures from able 

 men, and to discuss agricultural subjects. Peo- 

 ple are awaking to the importance of the agricul- 

 tural interest, and demanding a higher class of 

 instruction than they have hitherto obtained. 

 Ohio has ninety county societies, sustained by the 

 State. He did not agree with Mr. Brooks, that 

 we have no reliable agricultural science, and re- 

 ferred in proof to the statement of Mr. Ccsxis, be- 

 fore the National Agricultural Society, that at 

 one time he cultivated 8000 acres of land with 100 

 men, and raised only TOO bushels of wheat— so 

 exhausted and sterile had become the soil ; but af- 

 ter being instructed by Edmund Pvuffin how to fer- 

 tilize his land, obtained from it 7000 bushels of 

 wheat. 



Mr. French stated that from personal observa- 



