PREFACE. 



THE Philadelphia Society tor promoting Agri- 

 culture, was formed in the year one thousand seven hun- 

 dred and eighty Jtve, by some citizens, only a few of whom 

 were actually engaged in husbandr}', but who were convinced 

 of its necessit}- ; and of the assistance which such an associ- 

 ation, properly attended to, would afford to the interests of 

 agi-icidture. The societ\"* continued to meet regularly, for 

 several years ;— and published numerous communications from 

 practical men, in the news papers of the day, on various in- 

 teresting subjects ; and thereby contributed to diffuse the 

 knowledge of many improvements in agriculture ; the general 

 adoption whereof, has visibly tended to increase the product, 

 and to improve the qualities of the soil of Pennsvlvania. 



The continuance of a long war with Great Britain had ef- 

 fectually precluded all friendly intercourse, and prevented the 

 receipt of all information irom that comitr}*, (in a language ge- 

 nerally understood here) not only of the improvements in agri- 

 culture there existing, but of those in other European coun- 

 tries, wherein the practice and principles of good husbandr)- 

 are universally attended to. The system generallv pursued 

 here at that time, was bad in the extreme. It consisted in 

 a series of exhausting grain crops, with scarcely anv inter- 

 ruption, for several years ; after which, the land was abandon- 

 ed to weeds and natural grass, under the fallacious idea of 

 rest; and, v.hen completely v.'oiii out, new land was cleared. 



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