•2S4 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 13, 1)930. 



N. E. FARMER 



We arc well acquainted with Low's work, an 

 account of which, given by an esteemed corres- 

 pondent, is subjoined. ^^ e concur in all which is 

 said in its favor; and are happy to lenrn that it is 

 to be reprinted in numbers with all due despatch 

 in the Rural Library published regularly in New 

 York ; and at a price more than 7.5 j)er cent, less 

 than the cost of the English copy. We avail our- 

 selves of this opportunity to commend to our broth- 

 er farmers, with a high opinion of its usefulness 

 and the strongest wishes for its success, this same 

 Rural Lihvvi,-y,<ST[,igi, jg designed to embrace the 

 best standard Works in agriculture, and is publish- 

 ed by Saml. Fleet in New York at a very reason- 

 able rate. We arc authorized to say that the pub- 

 lishers of the N. E. Farmer will be hnppy to act 

 as agents for this or any other agricultural works 

 published in the country. H. C. 



ELEMENTS OF 



AGRICUL. 



PRACTICAL 

 TLTRE, 



Comprehending the Cuilivulionof Plains; the Hits- 

 bandfy of Domestic Animals ; and Ihe Economy 

 of the Farm. By David Low, Esq. K. R. S. E. 

 Professor oj JJgricxilture in the Vnirersit;/ of 

 Edinburgh. 1 vol. 8vo 2d Edition nilh altera- 

 tions and additions, and above 900 wood cuts. 

 To the EHilorof the N. E Farmer. 



Sir. — A wish to extend to others who may not 

 be immediately able to procure the book for them- 

 selves, a portion of the gratification which I have 

 found in its perusal ; and a desire to make some 

 return in kind for the pleasure as well as improve- 

 ment which I have never failed to derive from the 

 columns of your paper ; have induced me to for- 

 ward you the following brief notice of the woik, 

 whose title forms the heading of the present com- 

 munication. 



To give you an idea of the expectations wi,h 



one of those mistakes in which the ignonrftt and iirally, grow the plants and vegetables of other' 

 the educated, those who admit as well as tliose countries which fashion or habit has made necessa- 

 who deny the advantages of book fanning, would nes of all, &,c. &c. 



be most likely to agree, viz. that a knowledge of In the husbandry of domestic animals we are 

 the system of agriculture of our country or, what Eupplied with all the details as to the breeding, 

 is the same thing to every individual who has not rearing, and improvement in this line which the 

 travelled- and seen for himself, an acquaintance with most judicious e.Nperiments and persevering expe- 

 Ihc publications in which that system and the rea-'ricnce under every variety of circumstances could 

 eons on which it is founded are explained, is of no ■ be expected to collect on such a subject. The 

 use to the agriculturists of another country whose 'sketch, for as such it is only given in connexion 

 climate and productions are greatly if not, loosely i with the principal object of the work, until the 



speaking, altogether difl'crent. 



This is an idea so prevalent amongst those who, 

 from their very numbers must long continue to in- 

 fluence the agricultural character of these states, 

 thnt T shall leave professor Low to settle the mat- 

 ter with them in the best way he can, and you, and 

 your fellow-laborers in the different sections of the 

 union, to allow for those deficiencies which the 

 limits of his undertaking did not allow Jiim to- fill 

 up. 



He says in the introduction already alluded to, 

 " However different may be the natural productions 

 of countries, and however necessary it may be that 

 the farmer adapt his operations to tliese differences, 

 yet there are rules and maxims in the art, common 

 to the husbandry of all countries : and he who is 

 thoroughly acquainted with one good system of 

 practice, applicable to any one of the situations in 

 which the farmer may be placed, has the means by 

 an easy analogy, of applying his knowledge to 

 other, and even dissimilar ones." And in another 

 paragraph the person who could manage a farm 

 on the banks -of the Tweed, couM- hardly fail of 

 successs on' the banks of the Ohio or tiice versa. 



Before entering on the details of the first great 

 division of the work, the author takes a rapid and 

 condensed survey of the facts which geology has 

 c. ntributed for the illust.-ation of the theory^ of the 

 formation of soils — of the aids which chemistfy 

 has given by analysis, and practice has C(,nfirmed 



which I entered on the perusalof the book, and of I by experience^-of e.x-plaining the nature, operation 

 the spirit by which the accompanyingcritiquc min-htr"d means of increasing mahiires— or for preserv- 

 consequently- be supposed to be determined, it will ' 

 be sufficient to say, that I had fully before my 

 mind's eye, the sensation which its first edition pro- 

 duced on either side of the Atlantic, that its author 

 was not only one of the mostii distinguished mem- 

 bers of a society, which, as you nut long since re- 

 marked, did more for t'-.c agricultural improvement 

 of Scotland, than any other- similar institution that 

 could be named, had effected for that of any other 

 country in the world, but that he was one of the 

 professors of an university whose chah-s have been 

 honored for the last fifty years, as they continue to 

 be gr.-iced at the present moment, by master spirits 

 in every department of human leaning. It will 

 readily be conceived, that a work which could jus- 

 tify the anticipations, such remembrances weie cal- 

 culated to excite, can hardly be unworthy of your 

 notice or of the attention of your readers. That 

 it has done something more even, will 1 presume 

 be apparent from the following coup d'ceil, the only 

 sort of notice consistent with tlio space which in 

 periodicals like the Farmer can be allotted to 

 such purposes. 



The title page {perhaps from those suggestions of 

 modesty which men who have least need, are al- 

 ways the most inclined to listen to) gives by no 

 means, so satisfactory an idea of the nature of the 

 contents as it might be very easily made to do. 



The author, in his introduction, notices for the 

 purpose of exposing its precipitancy and nonsense, 



time will allow the author to amplify it into a more 

 comprehensive form, must be particularly valuable 

 to all American farmers who are devoting particular 

 attention to the improvement of their stock. 



The econi.my of the farm lays down principles, 

 which may be modified to suit any object to be de- 

 sired for the erection of buildings, the division into 

 lots for the most easy attainments of the ends that 

 •should be kept in view, the construction of fences, 

 gates, &c. The capital necessary for the success- 

 ful and profitable management of a farm. The 

 necessaries without which no farmer should enter 

 on the cultivation of ground. The proportion of 

 live stock to the extent of farm — expense and pro- 

 duce of the same — operations of the farm in the 

 order of time. Showing the most judicious and 

 profitable way of disposing of every minth, week, 

 day and hour of the year. In the words of the 

 Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, "No work on 

 agriculture has appeared in our time which will 

 bear a comparison with tliis excellent, and we 

 v.ould say classical work, of Professor Low. It 

 will become the manual of practical agriculture 

 for the British empire ; and the judicious views and 

 sound rules of our author will unquestionably 

 prove beneficial to the agriculturists of other 

 countries." D. w. c 



Westchester Co. 



■i.ig or increasing the productive powers of- the 

 soil — of the implements of every kind necessajy 

 to the work of the farm, and of the necessity of 

 such a degree ot knowledge of the principles on 

 which they are constructed as would at once ena- 

 ble the farmer to correct the mistakes of ignorant 

 mechanics or supply the want of skill of his own 

 %yorkmen — of the operations of tillage— prepara- 

 tion of the land for crops — succession of crops — 

 illustrated by wood cuts wher<jver the nature of the 

 object in view rendered the thing necessary or de- 

 sirable. 



Then comes the cultivation of plants to which 

 all I have mentioned, though containing a mass of 

 curious and instructive matter gleaned from the 

 practical husbandry of every civilized nation on 

 the face of tiie earth for which it would be idle to 

 look in any other single jMiblication extant, is only 

 considered an introdxiction, rendered necessary by 

 the comparative perfection to which the science 

 and art of agriculture have been brought within 

 our day. 



In this section we are inducted into the best 

 known modes of cultivating everv kind of plant 



which man has ever yet devoted {o the promotion ' artic'l;f;"a^7a.commumcation upon the formation of 

 hi .'hi' ," T^ or his interest. The > vegetable mould, made to the Geological Society 

 habitatorbirth-paceol each ind.vidual-thelali-: of London, by Mr Darwin, and inserted a para- 

 extnt '""S"'"'" '° "■'"<^h Its production may be graph or two of my own. The season will soon 

 extended-the probable results as to profit or loss recur, when opportunities will be presented to 

 of acclimating in climates where they do not nat- those who delight in observing the curious phenom- 



The agricultural public will feel themselves 

 much indebted for the subjoined communication. 

 The facts to which it refers are astonishing; but 

 nature is full of such wonders. The cause as- 

 signed for the curious facts, which are here refer- 

 red to we are disposed to regard not only as possi- 

 ble, but highly probable The effects "which are 

 here supposed to follow the toil of these diminu- 

 tive and humble laborers need not excite any sur- 

 prise, when we recur for a moment to the immense 

 coral reefs to be found in various part of the trop- 

 ical regions and the large islands of the Pacific, 

 resting upon these coral formations and the abodes 

 of a large population, the basis or sub-stratum of 

 which islands are the product of the indefatigable 

 labors of the little and humble coral insect." It 

 would seem to be almost a law of divine Provi- 

 dence that the greatest effects should spring from 

 the humblest causes. 



We owe an apology to our esteemed correspon- 

 dent for delaying tlie publication of this valuable 

 article. He may be assured that though postponed 

 it was not neglected : and that Ave shall always 

 heartily welcome his communications. If. C. 



Providknce Jan. 14, 1839. 

 Mr Colma.v — F have condensed the following 



