«54 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



'•• That the power and prosperity ola country, 

 ilcpenr) on the ditfusion oi useful knowledge, can 

 hardly be questioned ; and there is probably, no 

 art, in which a variety of knoivleilg;e, is of more 

 essential importance, than in that of agriculture. 

 The extent of information necessary to bring it 

 to any thing like perfection, is far greater than 

 is generally supposed. To preserve the fertility 

 of the soil ; — to free it from superfluous mois- 

 ture; — to cultivate it to the greatest advan- 

 tage ; — to raise its productions at the least ex- 

 pense ; — to procure the best instruments of hus- 

 bandry ; — to select the stock likely to be the 

 most profitable ; — to feed them in the most 

 judicious manner, and to bring them to the most 

 advantageous markets ; — to secure the harvest, 

 evjen in the most unpropitious seasons; — to 

 separate the grain from the straw with econo- 

 my and success; — and to perform all the other 

 operations of agriculture in the mo-^t judicious 

 modes, require a greater extent, and variety of 

 knowledge, than might, at first view, be judged 

 requisite. 



" But though a general knowledge of agricul- 

 ture, may be ilifTused over a great country, it is 

 found by experience, that it cannot be materi- 

 ally improved, unless by comparmg the various 

 practices which subsist, m different parts of the 

 Mflae kingdom. One district has been led, to 

 pay a peculiar and successful attention, to one 

 branch of husbandry, or by a fortunate accident, 

 some important discovery has been made in it, 

 while other districts excel in other particulars 

 of equal importance." 



EXPERIMF..NTAL FARMS. 



''• The art of agriculture, can never be 

 brought to its highest degree of perfection, or 

 established on rational and nnerring principles, 

 unless by means of expcrimcnV=, accurately tried 

 and properly persevered in. The ardent inquirer 

 has too long been obliged, to rely on vague opm- 

 ions, assertions which havrf not been warranted 

 by sullicient authority ; it is full time, therefore, 

 by the establishment ci' experimental farms un- 

 der the sanction, and at the expense of govern- 

 ment, or by enabling the Board of Agriculture 

 to grant adequate premiums to deservmg per- 

 son-;, for new discoveries, to brmg the art to as 

 great perfection as possible, by ascertaining the 

 principles on which it ought to be conducted. 



" It is alleged, that there are many distin- 

 guished characters, who carry on experiments 

 for their own information and amusement, by 

 means of which, every important fact, will in 

 process of time be ascertained ; and it cannot be 

 doubted, thai their example is of very great ad- 

 vantage to those, who have the means of exam- 

 ining the progress that is made. Their farms, 

 liowever, are more properly speaking, pattern 

 farms, for the advantage of ikc farmers in their 

 imntndiate neigliborliood, than experimental ones, 

 in the .strict sense of the word ; and they are too 

 often, rather the partial records of successful 

 exi)erimi'nts, than the faithful journals of success 

 and of disappointment. In ord^r to render ex- 

 perimental farms generally useful, they ought 

 to be open to the inspection of the public; the 

 account of each experiment ought to be regu- 

 larly published, and every new practice, likely 

 to improve the cultivation of any considerable 

 part of the kingdom, ought to be exanained with 

 the utmost precision, every trial repeated for 

 confirmation, and, if possible, made by different 



persons, in difTerent places, and on different 

 soils. 



'■'■ It cannot be expected, that persons of high 

 rank, whose attention is neccessarily directed 

 to other object-, should renounce their ordinary 

 pursuits, and devote themselves exclusively to 

 the conducting of agricultural experiments ; 

 but if one or more experimental farms were 

 established, under a proper system, it would ere 

 long be discovered, what practices ought to be 

 avoided, as well as what ought to be pursued. 

 It is important, that the one should be mide 

 known as well as the other ; yet errors in hus- 

 bandry, are seldom communicated to the public, 

 or known beyond the sphere of a confined neigh- 

 borhood, because a farmer is in general ashamed 

 of acknowledging his want of success. Unfortu- 

 nately also, when his experiments answer, they 

 are sometimes concealed, least others should 

 avail themselves oi'the discovery. The object 

 of an experimental farm, however, should be to 

 ascertain facts, and to publish them ; and as mwh 

 credit would be acquired, by an intelligent con- 

 ductor of an experimental farm, for his exer- 

 tions in detecting errors, as in establishing fxts 

 likely to be useful.'' — ibid. 



so far as we know, been adopted in New-Ea 

 land. We therefore give that part of the 

 count entire as it may perhaps suggest usef 

 ide.as to some of our agriculturists 



"Of the Ploughs, there were only three tt 

 cd ; McCormick's, Wood's or Freeborn's, ai 

 Cochran's. The committee here subjoin the 

 calculations, and leave it to the public to decid 



M'CORMICK'S. 



Width of Furrows. Depth. 



16 inches 7 inches 



11 8A 



15i 7' 



14' 7i 



FREEBORN'S. 

 15 inches 



1st trial 

 2d do 

 3d do 

 4th do 



Fore 

 3; 



3: 



3i 



1st trial 

 2d do 



3d 

 4th 



5 th 

 Gth 



do 

 do 

 do 

 do 



FIRST VIRGimA CATTLE SHOW. 



The American Farmer of the 61h inst. con- 

 tains an account of the proceedings of the Fred- 

 ericksburg Agricultural Society at a meeting 

 held on the 13th and 14th of November; tnd 

 of the Cattle Show exhibited on this occasion ; 

 which it appears was the first which has lieen 

 exhibited in Virginia. At this meeting, resolves 

 were passed, approving of the proposition of 

 the Albemarle Society for the establishment of 

 an Agricultural Professorship at the University 

 of Virginia — for presenting the thanks of »lie 

 meeting to J. S. Skinner, Esq. editor of the 

 American Farmer, " for the many instances of 

 polite attention to the interests and wishes ol 

 the Society, which we have experienced at hi: 

 hands, and for his meritorious labors in the 

 cause of agriculture generally," and approvinL' 

 of the " elegant workmanship displayed on the 

 premium plates awarded by the society ; and, 

 that the artist, Mr. Warner, of Baltimore, fie 

 respectfully recommended to the patronage of 

 our sister societies." 



Among the premiums awarded were a silver 

 pitcher with emblematic device and description, 

 cost 5^33, to Mr. Ira Lipscomb, for a fine stallion ; 

 a silver pitcher, which cost ^28 to Col. George 

 Love for his bull Pluto, besides a silver cream 

 cup and several .silver mugs to several individ- 

 uals for fine animals of different kinds. Likewise 

 a silver mug, value gl5, to Mr. McCormish fjr 

 the. best plough; and also a discretionary pre- 

 mium of g5, for an Angular Balance, by which 

 to ascertain the force necessary to move a 

 plough. Among the articles exhibited were 

 Pine-Apple Cheeses, a Wheat Fan, two Cutting 

 Boxes, a Drill Plough (or planting corn, a beau 

 tiful Counterpane, Sic. 



The mode of trying ploughs by a force equal 

 to a certain number of pounds weight, has not, 



Id 

 13 

 13 

 14 



13 



13 

 11 



11 

 11 



H 



6 



COCHRAN'S. 



3 



3£ 



3] 



35 



36 



35 



35 

 35 

 36 

 34 



1st trial 12 5| 



2d do 11 5i 



3d do 11 5 



4th do 11 4 



" But the most singular exhibition of all, an 

 one that caused general amusement, was tb 

 spectacle of two little goats completely harne 

 sed and attached to a cart, in which sat the dr 

 ver, a man weighing nearly 200 pounds, wb 

 coursed his proud looking little steeds abw 

 with much apparent ease and security. The 

 were perfectly tractable and true to the draft.- 

 This equipage, although intended by the wo 

 tliy proprietor merely for amusement, convex 

 :i good practical lesson to husbandmen. It show 

 111 a striking manner, what things may be 3' 

 complished with our domestic animals by anro. 

 i-r course of education.''^ 



The second day the following toasts wei 

 given : 



1. The Day we celebrate — May each return < 

 it invigorate our zeal, and augment our prof»( 

 sional knowledge. 



2. Our soil and our Intellects — We must giy 

 l>;tter culture to both, or the first will soo 

 clange masters. 



J. Free Exports and Imports — The best secvl 

 rity for regular demand and supply 



4. The Congress of the United States — WoOll 

 they five Agriculture more of their works, an 

 less oi their f'aith ; Agriculture would give thw 

 more of her money, and less of her complaint' 



5. Fear, free Trade and Universal Commerce- 

 The be^ pioneers, for liberty, knowledge, an j 

 universalgood government. 



6. Prohibitory Duties, and the self-flagellation i 

 of Sancho Panza, plants from the same nursery- 

 A fool's cap, with ass's ears, is due to the inven,] 

 lorsofboth. i 



7. Moderate and competent profits to all, es 

 travagant ones to none. 



8. Steady and regular prices to every occu 

 inition, the healthful trade-winds of natiooa:!! 

 |)rosperity; exorbitant gain, the tornadoes tha ' 

 ruin them all. | 



9. Our Plough-shares and our S-jnords — Ma; ' 

 the first never be last, nor the last first. 



10. Speed to our Ploughs; industry, skill am 

 honesty to their drivers ; and a prudent enligbt 

 ened ecoaoiny to the owners of the soil, 



