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NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



•TTir.Y !J4, 1839. 



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To the person who shall construct and intro- 

 duce for the use of farmers, the best subsoil 

 plough fS'30 



For any newly invented agricultural imple- 

 ment or machine superior to any designed 

 for the same use, a reward not exceeding 

 twenty dollars, according to the importance 

 of \he invention ~0 



To the person who shall prove to the satisfac- 

 tion of the Trustees that his mode of rear- 

 inu-, feeding and fattening neat cattle is 

 best 20 



For the greatest quantity of raw unmanufac- 

 tured silk, not less than ten pounds, raised 

 by the claimant and presented before the 

 first of December, 1839 20 



Trees and Live Hedges. 

 For the best plantation of white oak trees, not 

 less than one acre, nor fewer than 1000 

 trees per acre, raised from the acorn, not 

 less than three years old, and which shall 

 be in the most thriving state on the first day 

 of September, 1839 

 For the best plantation not before offered for 

 premium, of white ash, larch and yellow lo- 

 cust trees, each not less than one acre, nor 

 fewer than 1000 trees per acre, to be raised 

 from the seeds, and wliich trees not less 

 than three years old, shall be in the most 

 flourishing condition on the first of Septem- 

 ber, 1839 

 For the best live hedge, not loss than 50 rods, 

 and which shall be in the most thriving 

 state in 1839 30 



To tlie person who shall offer the best com- 

 munication on the mulberry tree in relation 

 to silk culture, showing by experiments or 

 otherwise, how to be most advantageously 

 managed, what species is best suited to 

 our climate — the effect ofthe winter there- 

 on, and if injurious, the best remedy there- 

 for 50 

 Claims for the best plantation of trees above men- 

 tioned, together with the proper evidence, must be 

 delivered to Benjamin Guild, Esq., in Boston, free 

 of expense, on or before the first day of January, 

 1840. 



Claims for the premiums on vegetable and grain 

 crops, and experiments and inventions, together 

 with the evidences required, are to be in writing, 

 and sent free of expense, to Benjamin Guild, Esq., 

 in Boston, Assistant Recording Secretary, on or 

 before the first day of December next, aiid they 

 will be examined by the committee nrevious to the 

 5th day of Dccemlier. 



It is understood that whenever merely from want 

 of competition, any of the claimants may be con- 

 sidered entitled to the premium under a literal con- 

 struction, yet, if in the opinion of the judges, the 

 object so offered is not deserving of any reward, 

 the judges shall have a right to reject such claims. 

 Persons to whom premiums shall be awarded, 

 may, at their option, have an article of plate with 

 suitable inscriptions, in lieu ofthe money. 



In cases where pecuniary premiums are offered, 

 the Trustees may, having regard to the circum- 

 stances of the competitors, award either the Socie- 

 ty's gold or silver medals in lieu of the pecuniary 

 premium annexed to the several articles. 



That if any competitor for any ofthe Society's 

 premiums shall be discovered to have used any dis- 

 ingenuous measures, by which the objects of the 



Society have been defeated, such person shall not 

 only forfeit the premiums which may have been a- 

 warded to him, but be rendered incapable of being 

 ever after a competitor for any of the Society's 

 premiums. 



Time of paying Prtmimns. — The Treasurer will 

 attend on Thursday, the 5th of December, at 12, M. 

 to pay all premiums awarded. 



All premiums not demanded within six months 

 after they shall have been awarded, shall be deem- 

 ed to have been generously given to aid the funds 

 ofthe Society. 



By order of the Trustees, 



PETER C. BROOKS, ~\ 

 WILLIAM PRESCOTT, | 

 E. H. DERBY, } Commiltte. 



JOSIAH QUINCY, Jr. | 

 ELIAS PHINNEY, j 



June, 1839. 



[For Ihe New England Farmer.] 



Thoughts and Observations on Matters and 

 Things relative to the Farming Interest. 

 Mr Colman — Sir : To while away the tedium of 

 a rainy day, (of which we have had a superabun- 

 dance this season,) I have committed to paper a few 

 thoughts and observations on matters and things 

 relative to the farming interest, which if you think 

 they contain enough to warrant an insertion in your 

 paper, they are at your service. 



Much has been written and published within a 

 year or two past, from New Orleans to Maine, in 

 the different newspapers, in attempting to account 

 for the high prices of provisions, the almost univer- 

 sal dislike of the rising generation to follow the 

 honest, healthy and independent business of farm- 

 ing, and their overweening anxiety to get a living 

 in some other way than by the sweat ofthe brow — 

 by resorting to the more uncertain and vexatious 

 pursuits of the learned professions, trade, manufac- 

 tures and speculation. There has been a combina- 

 tion of causes that has produced this state of things. 

 That there has been a very great change in the 

 business pursuits of a large mass of the population 

 in the New England States within the last twenty- 

 five years, is well known to every man. The im- 

 mense increase of manufactories of cotton and 

 woollen clolh, of paper, castings, and every species 

 of manufactures and riiechanical business all 

 through the country, has given an entire new as- 

 pect to rural matters, and perhaps upon no class 

 has this new state of things had a greater effect 

 than upon farmers and their sons. 



I shall attempt to show what xoas the state of 

 things here in the interior of the State of New 

 Hampshire, and what they now are and have been 

 for some years past. Formerly, most farmers hired 

 from one to three or more laborers, from 7 to 10 

 dollars per month, for 7 or 8 months, and the sur- 

 plus laborers, (and many times in droves,) with their 

 long smock frocks wrought into knapsacks, left the 

 country on foot, for the seaports and lower towns in 

 pursuit of farm work : in autumn they returned on 

 foot, with their hard earnings carefully saved, and 

 put out at interest, there to accumulate till they 

 could earn sufficient to purchase a tract of land to 

 commence making a farm ; that was their aim and 

 ambition ; but now, few, very few go for employ- 

 ment on farms, but vast many take the stages for 

 some ofthe manufacturing places, to get employ- 

 ment in and about them, and to the cities, to escape 



the hard labor and drudgery of farm work ; — occa- 

 sionally they visit their homes in the country, dress- 

 ed in fashionable style, giving the young natives 

 glowing descriptions of a city life and its pleas- 

 ures and amusements. This renders them uneasy 

 and discontented — the quiet of a farm life is dull 

 music to ihem — they in turn want to be off. They 

 look around them, and although they have been 

 told a hundred times that •■igriculture is the oldest 

 and most honorable profession, and that farmers are 

 the bone and muscle of our great republic, they 

 can see but little honor attached to the profession, 

 and as to bones and muscle, they know too, that 

 they can be made to ache by the building of wall, 

 pitching hay, &c. 



The farmers say they cannot pay the wages ask- 

 ed by laborers, or that they can obtain in other em- 

 ployments — therefore cultivate less land, give up 

 the dairy and pork business, and keep large flocks 

 of sheep — consequently all kinds of provisions are 

 from 50 to 100 per cent, higher than formerly, so 

 that the surplus that a farmer may have to spare, 

 will bring twice as much money, while most manu- 

 factured and imported articles he purchases, are 50 

 or 100 per cent, less, which enables him to lay up 

 as much or more than he did with two or three 

 times the labor. That farmers in the country have 

 made money within the last few years, was brought 

 to light during the pressure of 1837 — not by any 

 outward show of improvement, either of houses or 

 furniture, horses or carriages, or any visible extrav- 

 agance, but by the failures of country traders, spec- 

 ulators, dashing mechanics, &c., &c. When the 

 crash came, then it was found out that many, very 

 many farmers had money at interest, that were hard- 

 ly thought to be even with the woild ; — it was for 

 the interest of both lender and borrower to "/iree;> 

 dark''' — one to avoid being taxed for money at in- 

 terest, the other to keep up his credit. These far- 

 mers, many of them, had worked hard, fared hard, 

 for the sake of having money at interest, trusted it 

 to the dashall family and lost it, which made the 

 whole case very hard. 



I know farmers that lay up from one to five hun- 

 dred dollars per annum, and not very great farmers 

 neither; they either loan it out at six per cent, or 

 buy lands they do not need, or get it in specie and 

 lock it up ; but I think there are ways in which a 

 farmer can vest his surplus, better than the above, 

 where he need not fear the loss ofthe principal, 

 and be sure of good interest. Suppose a farmer at 

 the end of the year lias saved two hundred dollars, 

 has a family of children growing up to men's es- 

 tate, has a comfortable farm house, but neither 

 painted inside or out — there is no door yard in 

 front, nor shrubbery or shade trees about it, nor 

 garden worthy of the name — no other fruit than 

 common apples, few books in the library, . and no 

 interesting periodical taken. The children of such 

 farmers have eyes that can see, feelings that can 

 be gratified or wounded ; they can contrast their 

 cheerless looking houses and out buildings with 

 those of the professional man, traders, industrious 

 and prudent mechanics, and they see about these 

 situations an air of neatness, comfort and elegance 

 they do not possess : home has but few attractions. 

 Now if this farmer would expend 100 dollars to- 

 wards repaiiing and painting his house, ornament- 

 ing his yard with shrubbery and choice fruit trees, 

 even if he liad to send 60 or 80 miles to Winship's 

 or Kenrick's for his trees, buy a few good agricul- 

 tural books, subscribe for the N. E. Farmer, with 

 your weekly lectures to spur him on to " improve- 



