90 



Another source of education to the root producer may be 

 found in the Institute meetings of recent origin, that are fre- 

 quently held by our Agricultural Societies. The discussions 

 are the means of arousing farmers to the importance of testing, 

 by careful experiment and account, the comparative merits on 

 various crops and soils of the different commercial fertilizers, 

 the use of whicii are yearly becoming a necessity to most far- 

 mers of this section. The discussions, on many subjects, in- 

 cite people to sometimes test, what at first seems others' folly, 

 but which, oftentimes, amply repays them, by the benefits de- 

 rived. While a growing interest is manifested by the large 

 attendance to our Society Institutes, we yet find many who are 

 unaware of the benefits and pleasure to be derived from them. 



The liberal premiums offered by our Society, to solve, by 

 five yearly consecutive experiments, many problems relative to 

 raising Potatoes, — indicates the progressive spirit which pre- 

 vails among us, to perfect, and if possible, completely establish, 

 many hitherto uncertain points, which have a bearing toward 

 increasing the productiveness of this most valuable home pro- 

 duct. 



That this is an age of progress, is plainly discerned in the 

 agricultural, as well as mechanical field, and the grandeur of 

 our calling is, that changes are daily going on about us, and 

 that nature lends a willing hand, that harmonizes with our 

 best efforts toward improvement. 



The farmers in this section of New England have met with 

 serious drawbacks by the protracted droughts of the past two 

 seasons; and its disastrous effects on many crops, suggests the 

 importance and practicability of bringing under cultivation 

 many tracts of meadow sind swamp lands, which abound 

 among us, and which are, m many sections, almost valueless in 

 their present condition ; but, by a small expenditure, can, by 

 drainage, be brought under subjection and prove doubly valu- 

 able to some of our elevated lands, for the production of grass, 

 and, in fact, most root crops ; producing larger crops, with a 

 smaller outlay in manures. 



