15 



free from weeds." And no one disputed it. He also 

 urged the cultivation of root crops. 



Reports of committees for 1824 were published in 

 the N. E. Farmer. In 1825 no address seems to have 

 been delivered. In 1826 and 1827 the reports were 

 published in the N. E. Farmer. 



On September 25, 1829, Col. Pickering was again 

 called on to address the Society, the annual address hav- 

 ing been omitted since 1823. In this, his last appear- 

 ance as a teacher of agriculture, he spoke of ploughs, 

 and said with much truth: "It is not so much the 

 weight as the shape of a plough which makes it of easier 

 or harder draft ; and this depends chiefly on the mould 

 board." He also urged keeping manure " under cover." 

 He says : " Many years ago I became satisfied that the 

 hilling of Indian corn was at least useless ; I was rather 

 inclined to think it injurious." 



The orator for 1830 was Hon. James H. Duncan, who 

 is still one of the active and useful members of the Soci- 

 ety. He announced with justice that " there is the same 

 and equal occasion for discernment, good judgment and 

 intelligence in the business of husbandry as in the other 

 employments of life." He favored small farms, and sys- 

 tematic husbandry ; urged careful education in agricul- 

 ture ; and recommended " good tools." 



Rev. Henry Colman delivered the annual address at 

 Andover, Sept. 29, 1831. This was one of Mr. Colman's 

 earliest efforts in that cause to which he devoted so use- 

 fully the latter years of his life. In this address he stat- 

 ed that " Ploughing is too deep when it buries all the 

 richer parts of the soil, and brings to the top only a cold 

 and gravelly substance, imless you have manure in such 

 abundance that you can create a new vegetable surface." 



