ADDRESS. 281 



To those who have passed to manhood, and who have 

 made up their mmds, from necessity or from choice, to 

 till the ground, the means of improvement — of studying 

 the principles of their business, and of becoming acquaint- 

 ed with the most approved and modern practices in hus- 

 bandry — the opportunities of acquiring useful knowledge, 

 are abundant and cheap. One of these means, and a 

 valuable one, is proffered him through the exhibitions and 

 publications of these societies. Another is the perusal of 

 books upon Agriculture and rural economy, which should 

 form a part of social and rural libraries. And another 

 facility of acquiring this useful knowledge, is afforded by 

 the Agricultural periodicals of our country, which, besides 

 containing much that is instructive in the philosophy of 

 farming, are a record of the best modes of practice, and 

 of much that is new and important, in the various depart- 

 ments of rural and household labor. A volume of the 

 Cultivator, of which 1 can speak with accuracy, contains 

 about as much matter as five or six volumes of the popu- 

 lar novels of the day, and twice as much as four numbers 

 of our literary quarterly journals. The price of the Cul- 

 tivator is one dollar per annum. I verily think, that if 

 the farmer would divide his patronage between political 

 and Agricultural journals, he would be a manifest gainer, 

 in his fortune and in his family — would be more happy in 

 his business, and domestic in his habits — a better mana- 

 ger, and a more useful citizen. 



Time will not permit me to go into the details of mod- 

 ern improvements in husbandry. These improvements 

 are great, and afford the brightest hopes to the philan- 

 thropist and the patriot. No one who can carry back his 

 memory forty years, can withhold his wonder at the as- 

 tonishing improvements which have in that time been 

 made in the manufacturing and mechanic arts, by reason 

 of the aids of science ; and those who can scan the future, 

 will have no less reason to rejoice, in the anticipated ad- 

 vantages which are in prospect, from an improved culture 

 of the mind and the soil, consequent upon a better system 

 of education, to the agricultural population, and the gen- 

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