In agriculture experience is of great value. Agri- 

 culture is particularly an art resting upon facts. 

 Theories are of little value excepting as they are di- 

 rectly deducible from actual experiments and well 

 attested and acknowledged facts. It is a matter like- 

 wise in which we might avail ourselves with essential 

 benefit of the experience of others, who have pursued 

 the art with success and carried it to a high degree 

 of perfection, especially as far as our circumstances 

 resemble theirs, and their rules and practices are ap- 

 plicable to our condition. 



The highly improved agriculture of England and 

 Scotland would in various respects afford most valu- 

 able and instructive lessons ; and the Commissioner 

 added, that he had the highest pleasure in saying, 

 that their distinguished fellow citizen, who had re- 

 cently returned from his tour in Great Britain, had 

 at his request come to the meeting of the farmers of 

 Massachusetts this evening, and would favor us with 

 his observations on foreign agriculture in its highly 

 improved condition, and on its improved practices in 

 their applicableness to husbandry among ourselves. 

 In intelligent and practical observation, in familiar 

 acquaintance with the agriculture of New England, 

 and in a just sense and comprehensive view of the 

 importance of this great art, no one could be better 

 qualified to make observations abroad, or to deter- 

 mine with sounder judgement what would be appli- 

 cable and useful to his countrymen at home. While, 

 therefore, in common with others of his fellow citi- 

 zens, the farmers of Massachusetts tendered to him 

 their hearty welcome on his return to his native 



