238 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



the control of the Board of Agriculture, where ex- 

 periments iiT feeding stock might be made. On 

 the farm he would have a chemist, paid by the 

 State, who should furnish farmers throughout the 

 State with analyses of soils, on condition that they 

 should experiment on their own farms. By this 

 means experiments will be obtained all over the 

 State, and in much greater number than in any 

 other way. The farmer, too, would collect his 

 facts on his own farm, and from his own experi- 

 ence. If any of these experiments failed, they 

 would be explained and corrected by the Secre- 

 tary, who could afterwards collect and publish the 

 results thereof. 



Mr. Brown, of the iV. E. Farmer, considered 

 the inquiry, what shall the State do, an important 

 question to be answered ; and he had an opinion 

 in relation to what the State might do, and that 

 with great advantage. The State may establish 

 somewhere in the Commonwealth an experimental 

 farm — which may be the poorest land to be 

 found anyvrhere — at a small expense, and culti- 

 vate it in such a manner as in the end to incur no 

 expense whatever to the commonwealth ; the in- 

 come of the farm itself, and increased value of the 

 land which it might eventually spare, repaying ev- 

 ery dollar invested in such a purchase. He agreed 

 with the gentleman from Princeton that such a 

 farm would not be a criterion for the whole State, 

 but it might be of great benefit in some respects, 

 and particularly such as the kind of stock to be 

 reared, and the manner of feeding it— a subject 

 of great importance, and of which very little is 

 known. Although he had had many years expe- 

 perience in feeding stock, he still felt ignorant of 

 the true principles to be adopted, and was not 

 confident that he was pursuing the best plan. 

 There are a great many other experiments which 

 might be made on such a farm. 



Another thing he would have the State do, was, 

 to make an impression on the general government. 

 He would not ask, at presont, for the establish- 

 ment of a department or bureau, at great expense, 

 with its head as a cabinet cabinet officer, and a 

 corps of clerks, but he would have our charges, 

 consuls, naval officers, and all scientific persons 

 paid by the government, instructed to make re- 

 searches into the state and practice of agriculture 

 in the countries they visit ; to collect seeds and 

 plants of every description which might be consid- 

 ered useful here, and return them to the govern- 

 ment,together with such reports as their opportuni- 

 ty and ability had enabled to draw them out. These 

 collections could be referred to the proper officer, 

 and make a part of the annual agricultural publica- 

 tion issued by the government, or referred to such 

 of the state societies as would engage to prepare 

 and publish the reports, or experiment with the 

 seeds and plants. 



Mr. Brown said it" had been remarked that 



"the good time" was coming for the former, but 

 he declared that the glorious day had already come, 

 for the great point in securing his prosperity was 

 to soften his prejudices and gain his good will ; he 

 believed that time had arrived. We have gained 

 the public ear, and people are willing to listen and 

 read. Scientific effort had been looked upon with 

 distrust ; the term science has been made a gor- 

 gon's head to frighten people from experiments 

 and books ; but the partition wall is now broken 

 down, and when the dust and rubbish is cleared 

 away, we shall go on in the clear light of rational 

 progress. 



The hour of nine having arrived. Governor Clif- 

 ford brought the discussion to a close, with a few 

 remarks, in the course of which he expressed his 

 pleasure at the remarks of Jlr. Brown in regard 

 to the breeding and feeding of stock, that he was 

 not satisfied with what knowledge he had in the 

 matter. "We should adhere to that idea, and not 

 be satisfied with present attainments. In this we 

 have the best assurance of future improvement. 

 These discussions are sufficient evidence that the 

 course of agriculture is in good hands. 



At a few minutes past nine o'clock the meeting 

 adjourned, sine die. 



For the New England Farmer. 



SHOVELDOM. 



Mr. Editor : — Enclosed you will find a most in- 

 teresting article from the Christian Register, on 

 ^^Shoveldom.-^ Everybody who ever used a shovel 

 in America, must have known something of 0. 

 Ames & Sons' shovels Easton, Mass. This tells 

 (after the manner of Dickens' Household Words, 

 in describing the manufacture of nails or tacks and 

 other articles) how they are made. Being a na- 

 tive of the adjoining town, I have always under- 

 stood from my youth up, the cause of the great 

 reason of the success of the Messrs. Ames to be, 

 that ^'whatever they thought worth doing at all, 

 tvas u-orth doing ice//." Here is a practical and 

 ocular demonstration of the capital working of 

 such a motive power and principle. Many hard 

 days of shovelling has the very hand which traces 

 these words done with Ames' shovels. But con- 

 siderably more than half of my life has since been 

 spent in Boston, endeavoring to shovel up dollars 

 and cents, and in all my experience, I can truly 

 say, that if the instruments of my work were as 

 perfect as that article, and if the motive power or 

 motto above had been more strictly adhered to, 

 my success would have been greater, w. R. b. 



"Pardon a brief descent to details, gentle reader, 

 and imagine yourself holding in your hand a bran 

 new "Ames's Cast Steel Shovel," to serve for a 

 text. Do you know that useful tool is the result, 

 by virtue of a wise divison of labor, aided by apt 

 machinery, of some Jorti/ different processes, not 

 including the make of the handle, which came with 

 millions like it, from Maine, where trees are plen- 

 ty ! Such is the veritable fact. Space will not 

 allow of minute description ; but a few items will 

 furnish convincing proof. 

 In the first place by a knife of irresistible edge 



