V(»ii. XV. NO. ;t3. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



259 



lights and aid. How much would tho.<e who 

 have grown wise by ex;)erifinee, have gained l)y 

 a course of systenialic. instruction al tlie outs(;r. 

 If by such means individual success may be in- 

 creased, the evils of depcndance obviated, the 

 Agricultural luxuriance of liritain rivalled in the 

 free fields of New England, and the character of 

 the people, intellectual, moral and social, elevated, 

 then it is among our duties, as members of this 

 Society, to disseminate Agricultural Knowledge, 

 and to impress upon the community a sense of 

 its necessity. Favored by Legislative bounty, 

 and honored, as we are on this, the Farmer's Fes- 

 tival, by the presence of the Chief Executive 

 Magistrate of the Commonwealth, we are bounil 

 to show that ours is not a barren soil, but that we 

 will return the bounty a thousand fold in an in- 

 creased i)roduction, and that we will emulate, 

 though we may never hope to riv;d that intellec- 

 tual excellence, so illustrious in another sphere. 



By establishing the i)rinci|)le that science is ne- 

 cessary to husbandry, and mingling its acquisition 

 with the laI)or3 of the field, that instruction of by 

 far the most importance to individuals and to The 

 community, the education of the heart, or virtu- 

 ous habits, will be secured. With minds enlight- 

 ened and characters pure, united with the manly 

 independence which always makes a part of the 

 Agricultural character, the farmers of New-Eng- 

 land need not abandon their own sphere to seek 

 in another happiness or honor. The scientific 

 farmer will know when his work is done. He 

 will plainly and distinctly discern the limits of 

 human agency, and the boundaries of human 

 power, and having done all and averted all which 

 these allow, he will naturally look beyond them 

 to discover his next reliance. In this vic;w will 

 be presented to him that Providence, whose 

 Power and Goodness always surround him, and 

 without mnrnuiring and without repining, he will 

 rely with confidence and hope upon the Divine 

 Benig.mtt. 



MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE. 



House of Representatives, Feb. 8, 1837. 



The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was 

 referred the order introduced into the House 

 January 18th, inquiring "the expediency ' of ])ro- 

 viding for an agricultural survey of the several 

 counties in the state," have had that subject under 

 careful and deliberate consideration, and ask 

 leave to 



REPORT: 



That, in the prosecution of any kind of busi- 

 ness, success essentially depends upon an ac- 

 quaintance with well established facts: this is 

 emphatically true of agriculture, the most practi- 

 cal of all the arts, the source of human subsist- 

 ence, the foundation of all industry, and the basis 

 of national wealth and independence. 



The Committee think that agriculture in this 

 state is in comparatively an inferior condition ; 

 that it has not kept pace with improvements in 

 the other arts, and that the cultivation of the soil 

 is far from being as well directed and profitable 

 as it may be rendered ; that great improvements 

 in agricultural implements and machinery might 

 be advantageously adopted, and that many pro- 

 ducts, now unknown in many sections of the 

 state, might be successfully cultivated. There 

 are many improvements in husbandry and rural 

 economy, which, if generally known, would di- 



minish the labor and cost of < ultivation, and in- 

 crease the amount and value of the crops. 

 Fanners are confined by their business and their 

 habits to their liomes. Agricultural knowledge 

 and improvements travel slowly, wliile improve- 

 ments in the other art.s are rapidly and extensive- 

 ly peomulgated. Farmers are not fond of expe- 

 riments : they distrust innovations; they want 

 well authenticated facts, stated in a plain aud 

 concise manner. Such facts it is supposed, an 

 agricultural survey will furnish : if made by a 

 practical and experienced farmer, under the aus- 

 pices of the state it will command the attention 

 and deserve the confidence of the agricidtural 

 portion of the community. The nature and ca- 

 pacities of the soil will be developed, the stock 

 of knowledge will be augmented, improvements, 

 made in different sections of the state will be 

 proi7iulgated, and more extetisively practised ; 

 farmers will know what cannot, as well as what 

 can he done, the resources of the Commonwealth 

 will be better ascertained and appreciated, and 

 the public will be furnished with many valuable 

 facts in the statistics of the state now altogether 

 inaccessible. In saying that there is now a pro- 

 found ignorance of our agricultural condition, 

 resources and capacities, we do not make too 

 bold an assertion. 



The Committee believe that, with proper man- 

 agement and suitable encouragement, our ewn 

 soil, much as it hits been despised, is capable of 

 aflfording in abundance, all the articles of farm 

 produce which are consumed within the limits of 

 the state ; nay more, that a laige surplus might 

 be furnished for exportation. But it is a fact 

 much to be regretted, that immense quantities of 

 Indian corn, rye, barley, oats, hay, and, (not to 

 enumerate wheat) many other products which 

 were formerly rcck'oned among the staples of the 

 Commonwealth, are now imported from other 

 states and even from Europe. And, now while 

 bread, the very staff of life, is selling in Paris for 

 two cents per pound, and in London for three 

 cents, in good old Massachusetts, which used to 

 boast of her agricidtural prosperity, bread is 

 worth seven cents per pound. The price of land 

 captdde of cidtivation has not increased with the 

 growing value of other articles; enterprising 

 young men are every year leaving, though reluc- 

 tantly, their native vallies and hill sides, and seek- 

 ing more fertile soils or inore lucrative employ- 

 ment ; and men prefer for themselves and their 

 children, almost any other business to that most 

 natural, healthy, and best of employments, the 

 cultivation of the earth. Such facts appear to 

 the Committee to demand of the Legislature 

 careful consideration and vigorous action. 



Farmers generally mingle little with the world ; 

 there are few periodicals devoted to their use ; 

 their reading is not extensive, and there are but 

 few objects beyond their homes and firesides 

 which deeply interest them. They want some- 

 thing to excite their energies, to awaken inquiry, 

 and to give a direction to their industry. All 

 this, it is believed, an agricultural survey will ac- 

 complish. A public agent, skilful, shrewd, expe- 

 rienced as he should be, cannot go among the 

 farmers of the State without producing good ef- 

 fects; he would excite interest, and communicate, 

 while collecting knowledge ; his intercourse would 

 be free and unrestrained ; liis visits would be wel- 

 come, and followed by the happiest couseqwences. 

 Agricultural surveys have been made in Eng- 



land, Scotland, France and Flanders ; they have 

 been attended with great success ; distinguished 

 iaiproveiiieuts have invariably rolliiwed them. 

 Indeed, k has been supposed that in those coun- 

 tries, agricultural surveys have contributed more 

 than any thing else to the perfection of the art. 

 The Stale of New York, with a noble liberality, 

 has appropriated $ 10,000 in a single year, to the 

 dissemination of agricultural knowledge among 

 her people. Shall Massachusetts, which has been 

 wont to take the lead in patriotic and liberal en- 

 terprizes, be distanced in the course? Will she 

 now refuse to give encouragement to the yeoman- 

 ry, whose strong claims on her liberality she has 

 always admitted ? 



The geological survey has been very acceptable 

 to the people ; it is alike creditable to the indus- 

 try and science of the agent who accomplished, 

 and to the liberality of the State which authorized 

 it. But an agricultural survey, if successfully ex- 

 ecuted, will be productive of vastly greater, more 

 extensive and valuable results. The expense of 

 the survey will not be immoderate, but the bene- 

 fits which may be hofied from it are incalculable. 

 The Committee, although fully satisfied and 

 unanimous in opinion that a survey should be 

 made, do not rely solely on their own judgment. 

 Many practical and experienced farmers have ap- 

 peared before them and expressed a strong con- 

 viction that the measure will promote not only 

 the agricultural interest, but the general, welfire. 

 (Concluded next week,),, 



Boston Marine SoctEfv. — We are moeh 

 pleased to learn that this excellent institution, well 

 known by its respectability and usef^ilnesS) has re- 

 ceived from one of ilie honorary inembers, the lib- 

 eral donation of $300. it may not be generally 

 known that this society has- commenced the estab- 

 lishment of a Mariiie Museum in this city — and 

 has already procured upwanls of 400 articles of 

 curiosity — which are for the ]>resent deposited in 

 the Marine Association Rooms, over the Trerront 

 Bank. Additions will be gratefully received from 

 any one disposed to aid the undertaking. — Merc. 

 Journal. 



Rochdale Church steps are 121 in number, and 

 lead from the top of Pecker street to the Church- 

 yard. Jt is reported, with some show of truth, 

 that Sir Ashton Lever, who was a reckless horse- 

 man, once rode down them; at a gallop — a daring 

 act, but certainly consistent with his character. — 

 Mv Charles Hill, of ihc Red Lion Inn, Rochdale, 

 the most adventm-ous rider of the Rochdale hunt, 

 once rode up and down the same evening on his 

 return. It is not known that this feat has been 

 performed by any person since Sir Ashton Lever, 

 and Mr Hill. 



The manufacture of spurious Champagne, es- 

 tablished at Dresden, and which will come into 

 serious competition with the real article, is al- 

 ready in full activity, fifty thousand bottles will 

 be sold this year of the vintage of 1836. — English 

 paper. 



Consider your calling the most elevated, and 

 the most important : but never be above it, norbe 

 afraid of the frock aud apron. 



As soon as the spring opens and the frost is out 

 of the ground, put your fences in order. 



Plant no more ground than you can well ma- 

 nure and cultivate to advantage. 



