i5o 



$3 per cord, and do its work as well as stable manure that 

 would cost him $7 per cord. He thought night soil could 

 be used five years continuously on land without detriment, 

 and the continual use of fertilizers on land would not be 

 detrimental. Other speakers gave their experiences with 

 fertilizers. 



The 59th Institute, " Ladies' Day," was held at Plum- 

 mer Hall, Salem, on March 29th, 1888, with " The Ameri- 

 can Farmer, his Blessings and Privileges " for the opening 

 subject for forenoon by Mrs. Martha DeM. Gage of 

 Bradford, followed by a paper on" The Grange, from a 

 Woman's Standpoint,*' by Miss Lizzie J. Huntington of 

 Amesbury. 



Mrs. (J age said that the American farmer is a very dif- 

 ferent being from the foreign peasant. Under the 

 American social organization, he is the equal of represen- 

 tatives of other trades and professions. In no other 

 country has equal mental activity and alertness been 

 applied to the cultivation of the soil and a farmer requires 

 mental and physical energy, interest in his work and 

 judgment. The American farmer has the best blood of 

 other nations in his veins. — the tenacity of the English, 

 the versatility of the French, the stolid perseverance of 

 the German, the mechanical ingenuity of the Swiss, and 

 the energy of the more northern nations. He has im- 

 proved machinery and the ability to use and care for it. 



Mrs. Gage gave comparisons of wages received by 

 farmers in different countries. In Massachusetts the farm 

 laborer averages $30.66 per month, in Iowa, -ft 17.41 

 monthly, for the year, including board and lodging and 

 in some counties 140 per month, without. 



In western England, miles, $14.60 per month and 

 females S5.84, in summer and without board : in Wiltshire 

 and Dorsetshire, males $11.64 in summer, and $10.08 in 

 winter; in Hull district $29 to $72 for the year with 

 board and lodging : in Yorkshire, the first man per week 

 with cottage, #4.0fi. second man, without cottage or board 

 $■''>. 70, in Kent, $4.13 without board, and so on. 



