FARMS. 57 



their doings known by coming to the society's meetings and 

 exhibitions. It sometimes enables us to remove prejudices that 

 have been formed against the society through misapprehension 

 of its purposes. In many obvious ways it adds to the society's 

 strength, benefits, and general prosperity. "We have only made 

 a beginning, and would recommend that another committee be 

 appointed for the ensuing year, charged to commence opera- 

 tions in the spring and continue them to October; to make 

 diligent and minute inquiries and report them in detail. 



This committee visited a number of the best farms, espe- 

 cially in the north and west portions of the county, and 

 gained valuable information respecting the cultivation of grains, 

 potatoes, grass, fruit, and vegetables. Wherever we went we 

 were courteously welcomed and hospitably entertained, and 

 every where found facilities for acquiring the knowledge we 

 sought. Our limited ability, arising from the circumstances 

 mentioned above, prevents us from making such a detailed re- 

 port as we could wish ; but we saw abundant evidences of the 

 improving condition of agriculture in the county. We saw a 

 general disposition on the part of farmers to avail themselves 

 of the agricultural information diffused by the society's reports 

 and by weekly papers devoted to this subject; a willingness in 

 many to overcome traditional prejudices, and to accept the 

 improvements suggested by modern science ; a desire to ex- 

 periment with new manures and to test the expediency of new 

 crops; a better appreciation of the importance of deep plough- 

 ing and thorough cultivation, and of the superior advantages of 

 high-bred stock for the dairy ; and a growing conviction that 

 under suitable conditions, which are within the reach of most, 

 farming may be a profitable business. 



In some parts of the county less land is under tillage than 

 formerly, much having been suffered to run up to wood. In 

 poor soils this may be good policy ; but, as an offset, a good 

 deal has been effected in the recovery and cultivation of bogs 

 and meadows, which often prove the most productive and profit- 

 able parts of the farm. More than ordinary attention is paid 

 to the planting and care of orchards, as the farmers find a 

 ready and remunerating sale of their products. Our attention 



has been called to several instances of eminent success in this 

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