338 



NEV/ ENGLAND FARMER. 



have m.jre recently developed themselves, and 

 given reason to believe that we are approach- 

 ing still nearer the goal to which our elTorts 

 have been directed. The causes that have led 

 to the change are chiefly three : — The peculiar 

 organization of our Board of Agriculture — The 

 honourable zeal o! ».ur leading characters in all 

 parts of the province, — and the mixed nature 

 of our population drawn from distinct countries, 

 and consequently divided amongst themselves 

 in their maxims, rules and methods of cultiva- 

 tion. 



All along since the revival of the provincial 

 industry, the Central Board has been the sole 

 organ by which the legislature has acted. To 

 it the power of direction has been transferred, 

 and through it the grants of public money have 

 been distributed. It has been regarded as the 

 fountain from which the liberality of govern- 

 ment has flowed ; and on that account it ha.s 

 gained and preserved a prepoii<lerating influence 

 over the minor societies. This derived and 

 delegated superiority which it posse^ises in con- 

 sequence of its peci:Iiai- organization, has ena- 

 bled it to wield an undisputed authority and to 

 bind in one common plan of operation the jar- 

 ring energies which would otherwise have dis- 

 turbed and thwarted each other. Hence to one 

 grand point has the attention of ihe country been 

 directed year after year, and (he joint labours 

 of all have been infinitely more eQ'ectivc than 

 they could have been, if irregular and diver- 

 gent. The Board prescribed both the objects 

 and rules of competition, and maintained consis- 

 tency in the general eff"orts of the agricultural 

 body. Had the separate societies been left free 

 of choice in their particular schemes, these 

 would have been of an incoherent and motley 

 character, and could not likely have been made 

 to harmonize into a common system. One would 

 have directed their premiums -■solely to the im 

 provenent of live stock — a second wonid have 

 abetted greatly the domestic manufactures — a 

 third would have thrown out lirae and summer 

 fallow as useless — a fourth would have consider- 

 ed oats as furnishing too coarse a meal for the 

 delicate palate of their members — \\ut drill ni.i- 

 chinery would have been despised by a flith ; 

 and thus each following thei: own counsels aad 

 partial views would have chalked out » line of 

 conduct that baffled and tniverscd that of Ihe 

 resl. All these evils have been prevenle<I by 

 the peculiar constitution <it the t'ontral Hoard. 

 The Directors from the outset fixed their eye 

 on indcpciulence in bre.id corn, as the nia,n 

 point in which all their measures should con- 

 centrate ; and without iny materia! abcriation 

 have proceeded towards It with an unwearied 

 ardour of pursuit. OI)jccts of minor importance 

 were either neglected or thrown into the back 

 ground, and this unilorniily of plan has been the 

 chief means of elTecting so thorough a change 

 in the provincial hwsliaiulry. 



And this end has been also brought about by 

 the authority and patronage of the leading men 

 throughout the province. It is not my inten- 

 tion to pass an eulogy on their public spirit — a 

 strain in which posterity much more than the 

 present generation, will take delight in indulg- 

 ing ; but it is worthy of notice, that wherever 

 these men have shown themselves most zealous, 

 there the societies were first lounded, and Iheir 

 ell'ecls became most visible. Hence all the 

 couaties have not partaken equally of the bene- 



fits of that new excitement, which wherevei 

 felt, passed like electric matter and was accom- 

 panicd with sensations almost as quick and mar- 

 vellous. In some the precepts of the new school 

 were warmly received — in others Ihey were 

 listened to with indifference ; and yet, it cannot 

 be said that in any did they meet with a firm 

 and inflexible resistance. This is nothing more 

 than what might have been expected. No sen- 

 timent hovvever popular, has ever inspired a 

 whole people with the same degree of ferven- 

 cy ; though if its foundation be in reason, and 

 no violent opposition obstruct its progress, it 

 will in the end work its way by a silent and im- 

 perceptible tendency. There are at present 

 manifest and pleasing indications, that the more 

 improved methods of managing land as well as 

 the manufacture of oats are creeping westward : 

 and it is more than probable that they will, be- 

 fore (he lapse of two, or at most three years, in- 

 sinuate themselves into every corner and cran- 

 ny of the province. 



But the third and main cause of the univer- 

 sality of that change which has taken place, lies 

 in the mixed nature of our population. In old 

 communities where society has gotten time to 

 settle down into fixed habits, manners and cus- 

 toms, and into which there is little or no migra- 

 tion of strangers to disturb the accustomed 

 course, all things soon come to wear one unva- 

 rying aspect. The style of living — the mode of 

 dress — the religious opinions and the agricultur- 

 al practices partake of a common character ; 

 and by such marks nations are usually distinguish- 

 ed. Nay further, so powerful is the principle 

 of imitation when it has long time to act, that 

 even in the same kingdom, men, occupying one 

 particular district or county, are assimilated in- 

 to a closer resemblance than are those who live 

 beyond the verge of their immediate commun- 

 ion. Hence the method of cultivation in e\ery 

 separate county of England has some striking 

 characteristics either in the plan of rotation — 

 in the structure of the implements, or in the 

 manner of harvesting; and thus in eyery dis- 

 trict there is somewhat of relief to break the 

 llat uniformity of the national agriculture. It is 

 easy to see how a colony like this, composed ot 

 the original French, the Dutch and the Ger- 

 mans — the American refugees — the Knglish, I- 

 rish and Scotch, and all these mostly brought 

 together within the last seventy years, could not 

 yet have reared up and cherished with mucj 

 partiality any common system of husbandry. 

 Every emigrant brought along with him the pre- 

 possessions of his native hill and valley ; and 

 the only feature in which this heterogeneous 

 mass seems to have agreed, was a decided pre- 

 ference to grazing, above arable cultivation. 

 In this state the Central Board at its establish- 

 ment lound the agricultural body. It was loose 

 and di'-joinled ; with much to amend, but with 

 no antipathy at a stricter coalescence. 



These may be justly specified as the fa\ora- 

 ble causes which have contributed to our suc- 

 cess, and which deserve to be recorded and set 

 in this conspicuous light, in order to inspire a 

 just confidence in the measures which have been 

 prosecuted, and to guard against any sudden or 

 fitlul deviation from them. The organization 

 of the society by which it has been rendered 

 the medium of all legislative aid to the farmer, 

 and the honorable zeal of our pulilic men from 

 the noble founder of this Institution and his stic- 



ci -sor m oflSce down to the lowest gradation l, 

 rank, all co-operating heartily in one plan, haVt 

 accomplished here a greater revolution in tlf 

 ^i ice of four years, than the Board of Agrico 

 lure or the Highland Society, with their pol 

 friul means and influence, have been able.' 

 achieve in the English or in the Scottish pt 

 tices. (Remainder next week.) 



VOR THE NEW E.VGLAJJD FARMER. 



In the early part of the month of June, 18! 

 I planted a small piece of deep, rich and rat 

 stitf soil in my garden with Mangel Wuri 

 seed, or root of Scarcity. The ground had bei 

 dug or forked up well a [ew days before. Tl 

 day of sowing I raked the ground over sraool 

 and divided it into beds or strips as nearly t 

 fi'Ct and three fourths wide as practicable, 

 hoed and cast them up into ridges four or 

 inches high, and raked and rounded over tl 

 same smooth. Upon each of these ridgei 

 drew two equidistant furrows, about an im 

 and an half deep, with two pegs about five 

 ches long set in a rake head ten inches aparl 

 In each of these furrows I made a row of hole 

 about two inches deep and five or six apart 

 with a stick about the bigness of my finger, an< 

 dropped a single beet or bunch of seed int 

 each hole, and just filled the holes by brushiDi 

 along the surface with the hand or head of tbi 

 rake. 



The usual culture of culinary plants was pin 

 sued through the season. Some care was take 

 to have one healthy plant only in the prope 

 place, by pulling up where they were too thic 

 and transplanting in places where there wer 

 none. It must be observed that all that wer 

 transplanted were inferior to the others. 



On the '2S\h October I measured with Gnr 

 ter's chain the plot of ground wliere the Mai 

 gel Wurtzels were growing, contninin^ B» 

 ridges of double rows as above, and found it t 

 be in length forty-five links, in breadth twentj 

 one, including a margin of four inches, compris 

 ing, consequently, an area or superficies of 94 

 square links, or H square rod and 7i squar 

 links, or li square rod and 3,267 square fee 

 I pulled them, cat ofi" the tops, counted, mea.' 

 ured and weighed them, and the result was 56 

 in number, measuring 'io bushels, and weighin 

 924 pounds, the average vveight being iiearl 

 1 lb. 10 oz. exclusive of the small ones give 

 with the tops to the cows. 



It will be seen by the above, that an acre c 

 land, at the same rale, may yield of this excei 

 lent vegetable, in one season, with trifling li 

 bor, 60,160 of the Jiveiage weight of 1 lb. 10 o? 

 measuring 2133i bushels, and weighing forty 

 four tons nearly, the estimate being made with 

 out reference to the fraction of 3,267 squar 

 feet. J. PRESCOTr. 



Groton, May, 1 823. 



The following; comiminication is from a person wh 

 is a straiigt r to us, but comes recommeiuled by some c 

 our subscribers, who are " desirous that it should b 

 made public." We have always been somewhat ic 

 credulous as respects the doctriuc of the mootVs injh 

 t)ice on vegetation, and have hitherto thought th» 

 that plnnet never intermeddled with a farmer's coo 

 cerns, any farther than now and then to overlook hi 

 fields as a quiet spectator. Men of science, have, ger 

 erally, in modern times, denied the moon any othf 

 agency in iuE>/ujia)jr matters th»n what is displayed i 



