194 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 11, 1828. 



ileprived, through most of his life, of the dampness 

 of the earth, his foot is exposed to all the evils, 

 increased hy happening together, arising from a 

 plethoric habit, from contraction of the horn,- and 

 from mechanical violence ; and, an Arabian foot 

 not being originally intended to meet with very 



ADDRESS, 



Delivered to the Proprietors of the first Agricultu- 

 ral, and third Social Library in Easton, Mass. 

 December 18. By Roland Howard. 

 Gentlemen — I take it for granted that the 



severe concussion, a decree of pre-disposition i most of you are already apprised of the object of 

 to disease in the foot is propagated to each gen- ' this meeting— and if so, I beg that you will in- 

 eration, particularly to caries of the bones ;—, dulge me with a few moments ot your attention, 

 which, (as the human teeth) are remarkably ready and a reasonable share of your candour, while I 

 10 discover an hereditary mis-organization. The offor for your consideration somo of the advanta- 

 thorough-bred horse has been long naturalized in gcs, which, in my apprehension, may be derived 

 Jie States ; forms, at least, half of the Massachu- from the establishment of a Social Library, select- 

 setts mongrel, and is found as common, and in as ed with judgment, and managed with discretion 

 high perfection, as in England, in the low country and care ; to be confined principally to subjects 

 of Virtrinia. - which relate to rural pursuits and domestic econ- 



But the best horse, of any A.-ced breed, not tho- O'ny- 

 rough-bred, is the English Cleveland Bay ;— of Whatever might have been the original condi- 

 which the horse and mare sent here by Sir Isaac tion in which man was placed, of one thing at 

 Coffin, were intended as a sample. The true least wo are now certain ; and that is, that the 

 Cleveland Bay, who is probably a lineal descendant sustenance of man is only to be obtained by la- 

 afthe horse used for tournaments in the MiddleAges, bor, and the sweat of the face ; and that we are 

 is extremely scarce in England, and confined to born into the world totally ignorant of the means 

 the county of York. Though a much finer horse, most proper to he employed to obtain wherewith 

 and not over large, he bears a genenl resem- \ to satisfy our daily necessities ; and thus we have 

 hlaiice to tho German horse of the Middle States; "ot only our t-read to procure, but we have to ao- 

 oarticularly, in his full crest, his Roman nose, and V'^re the necessary knowledge how it can be pro- 

 uis deep bay color. He is in the very highest re- ; duced— nor is this condition, perhaps, much to be 

 .west, both in England and on the Continent ; and ' regretted, since so much of our happiness depends 

 stands at the head of all breeds between the blood ' on the constant exertion of our physical and men- 

 horse and the cart-horse. He has formed no part tal energies. 



of the Massachusetts horse ; but there is still re- ' . It appears from history that the employment 

 maining in England, somo remnant of a very eel- ' given by the Supreme Being to some of the Ri^ 

 ebrated draught horse, who unquestionably has ; men wo have an account ot, was as follows :-^ 

 many of our ancestors having come from his The first man was a dresser of vines and a culti- 

 country, and his peculiarities are often to be trac- vator of fruit trees ; or in modern language he 

 ed in our horse. He was supposed to have been ' ^vas a Horticulturist. The employment of the 

 •.:arried from Norway, and was called the Suffolk second was a tiller of the ground, or an Jlgricul- 

 Scrrel. Ho forms part of the modern trotting- <'"J'S'- That of tlie third, a keeper ot flocks, and 

 horse of tho bordering counties of Norfolk and herds of domesticated animals, or a SVie/v/ierrf. 

 Lincoln, of whom that most excellent horse Bell- 1 Then it appears that as soon as men were cre- 

 founder is a genuine specimen. ated, an employment was assigned them, suited in 



The most valuable horse in himself, however, all respects to their physical powers, and well as 

 but who forms no breed, bred by the English, is adapted to supply their daily wants. In process 

 their gentlemen's hunter. He is often supposed of lime men became multiplied, and it was found 

 here to be the oftsprinn- of a direct cross between necessary that their employment should be still 

 the blood-horse and the cart-horse. This has, in A'rther varied, and adapted to all the necessities 

 some instances, been the case ; but he is usually, of a wide and extended population. Hence the 

 now, either the thorough-bred horse himself, or origin of the Mechanic Arts— wide spread Com- 

 fot by him out of a well bred mare; and it would merce— and the complicated Machinery of the 

 be difficult to find one, of whom less than 3 parts Manufacturer, which at this day give employment 

 in 4 could not be claimed by the Arabian. Some 1° millions of the human family, and incalculably 

 horses, not thorough-bred or as thev are called serve to ameliorate our condition, and increase 

 ■nEngland, cock tails, are kept expressly as hunt- the means of subsistence. 



ing stallions, but this is not common; the thor- i It is not my present design to go into detail 



ough-bred horse havin<r the advantage of afford- 1 "pon all the different employments of men, but 



Nng the greatest room for selection, and of havin-- i the remarks which I have made were designed to 



the peculiarities of his family so well known, as 

 to give some ground.s for a calculation concerning 

 the fnte of his stock. However, as he is some- 

 times kept entire, and as a tii'icd good hunter must 

 have shown himself able to perform the severest 

 labor of which a horse is capable, and to possess, 

 both, leiis ,ind constitution. I rather wonder none 

 has ever been imported to this country as a stal- 

 lion. In my m-xt, I Hill make some observations 

 upon the breeding of horses. 



Fruit and P'egetables. — The neighborhood of 

 London furnishes it with fruit and venntables, and 

 occupy about GOOO acres which are laid out in 

 gardens, and give employment to 30,000 persons 

 »n vsrinter, and nearly 100,000 in summer." 



show that however varied the employments of 

 men may be, they are each necessary to the pros- 

 perity of the other ; and that it is as necessary to 

 the prosperity of the body Politic, that all its 

 members are in a sound vigorous state, as it is 

 that each member of the humiin body should be 

 healthy, and rapablo of porfoniiing the various 

 functions to wliich they are respectively adapted. 

 Hen-:e it is, tiiat .Itrricultvre and Manufaiturrs 

 give strength and support to Commerce; and Com- 

 merce in ret irn, nr'nes spring and support to ./g- 

 riculture anil Mtnufncurts. 



TiiPse remarks are believed to be correct, and 

 incontrovertible ; and are made' at this time, in 

 the hope that they may tend to do away certain 

 jealousies that have prevailed, and are still believ- 



ed to exist among us, between men of different 

 occupations, and which have a manifest tendency 

 to mar our general and individual prosperity. 



Therefore if we wish to be prosperous in our 

 several occupations, let us learn to think liberally 

 and act liberally towards those who may be differ- 

 ently employed, provided their occupation may be 

 a lawful one. 



You will now permit me to revert to the first 

 employment of our race, viz. Horticulture, Agri- 

 culture, and the rearing of domestic animals ; and 

 here permit me to observe, that these employ- 

 ments were not oD\y first in the order o( time, but 

 they were, and still are, the first in order to ex- 

 istence. . 



In vain would the whitened canvass spread upon 

 the wide bosom of the deep, if the hand of agri- 

 cultural industry becomes palsied, and the earth 



should refuse to yield food for man and beast 



In vain would the wheels of our manufactories be 

 put in motion, if the plough, the harrow, and hoe, 

 together with the other implements of husbandry, 

 are suffered to rust and decay, and the husband- 

 man is found folding his arms in sleep at noon 

 day. 



Tlierefore, as it is from our mother earth that 

 our race is to be upheld, and that too by the skill 

 and energy of the agriculturist, it is but a reason- 

 able inference, that the husbandman should avail 

 hiciself of all the knowledge attainable, which' 

 maj be likely to be useful to his profession. — 

 When I speak of the agriculturist, I wish to be 

 iUndsrstood to include horticulture, and the care 

 of iomestic animals, — for notwithstanding they 

 maj appear to have been three distinct callings 

 originally, they are now generally blended to- 

 gether ; and the farmer or agriculturist, has to 

 re.-tr his own trees, and his own animals. 



Agriculture is universally admitted to be an 

 art, and if an art, why does it not need the same 

 auxiliary aid and support as every other art? — 

 The navigator has his books, his maps and his 

 charts, and by a thorough knowledge of his pro- 

 fession, he is able to bring his ship safely into 

 port, amidst the howling of the wind, and the 

 thunders of the storm. 



The roanufacturer searches every book with a 

 scrutinizing eye, wherein is recorded one particle 

 of knowledge relating to his business ; and cheer- 

 fully puts in practice every new discovery vvhicii 

 has been tried and found useful. 



Professional men also, universally consider books 

 relating to their several professions as indispen- 

 sably necessary — and why ? It is because every 

 material fact, they can there find recorded by 

 these of the same profession, who have lived cen- 

 turies before them ; and thus they are able at one 

 view to concentrate the experience and knowledge 

 of all preceding ages. 



Indeed, there is but one class of men with 

 which I am acquainted that contemn and deride 

 all experience and knowlcdj/e « liich relates to 

 their callinij, or profession, if sli'.nvn to them in a 

 ho»k, no matter how many well aiiilienticiitedy«f?i 

 may be recorded — no matter when, or who made 

 a useful (Uscovery, or how beneficial its results ; 

 if the facts or the discoveries are foun.' in a book, 

 they with them are stark r.aught. 



Need 1 designate this class ? or ni ly 1 nrssume 

 that you are already apprised to whoni the re- 

 oiark will apply? For mine own honor, and for 

 the honor of the art nbich I consi'ler tie first of 

 all ths arts, I will presume the latter, and proceed 



