39 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS. 



Committee. — Jabez Fisher, L. H. Bradford, Asher Green, John P. 

 Sabin, Leonard Day. 



The Committee on " Experiments connected with the pur- 

 suit of Agriculture," have attended to the duty assigned to 

 them, and herewith present their Report. 



The offer of a premium for experiments, the specific char- 

 acter of which is left to the experimenter, is a new feature in 

 the proceedings of this Society ; but we are inclined to hope 

 and believe, that though the first, it may not be the last time 

 at which it will occupy a position among the bounties annu- 

 ally distributed. 



That individual who thoroughly and understandingly in- 

 stitutes or conducts an experiment, and gives to the public a 

 careful and reliable report of it, adds something to the gen- 

 eral stock of information ; and more especially, if such 

 experiment be an original one. The whole of our knowl- 

 edge, not only agricultural, but that pertaining to every de- 

 partment of life, has been slowly and laboriously derived 

 from the results of a continued succession of experiments; 

 or, in one word, from experience. It is immaterial whether 

 Nature, unaided, places the experiment before us, or whether 

 she merely suggests. If we are but able to grasp the whole 

 in such a manner as to learn the lesson which it is capable 

 of teaching, we can then communicate it to the world as so 

 much experience or knowledge. 



While very few persons are able to originate an experi- 

 ment of any importance, almost any one can carry it through 

 when full directions are given for the purpose. Many how- 

 ever, perform anything of the kind in such a careless man- 

 ner that their results are worth little or nothing when 

 obtained. This arises from the fact that such persons are 

 not in the habit of making observations upon any subject 

 with the care that is requsite for success in cases of this kind. 

 Every agricultural operation, the results of which are to be 



