242 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JAN. 15, 1S40. 



AND HORTICULTURAL RF.GISTER. 



RosTON, WEnNKsriAv, January 15, 1840. 



AGRICULTURAL MEETING. 



The CnmmissionRr of Aijriciillural Survey having 

 obtained the use of the Represpnt.itives Hall, for the 

 purpose ; notified the'first agrinultural meeting of ihe 

 season, for Monday evening- at 7 o'clock. The meeting 

 was very fully attended. Tliis evening was taken because 

 no other evening in the week \rouId have been conve- 

 nient for Mr Webster's altend.-ince, though it was sin- 

 cerely regretted that it should interfere with other lec- 

 tures liolilen on that evening ; and that, on this account 

 the presence of many gentlemen, ardent friends 6f agri- 

 cultural improvement, was prevented. Mr Webster, 

 having, in his recent tour, made the husbandry of Eng- 

 land a particular subject of observation and inquiry, it 

 was highly desirable to have from his own lips some ac- 

 count of his observations and impressions; and of his 

 views of the applicableness of foreign rules, and modes 

 of husbandry to our own country. 



The meeting was organised by the choice of Hon. Mr 

 Tha.Tter, of the council, to preside; and the Agricul- 

 ture of Massachusetts having been announced as the 

 subject of the evening's discussion, intending by it to 

 open a wide range of conversation, some general views 

 of the subject and the leading topics of impiiry were 

 briefly stated, when Mr Webster, being particularly re- 

 ferred to, rose and addressed the meeting in a plain, di- 

 rect, perspicuous, instructive and admirable manner ; 

 and was followed by I'rofessor Silliman, of Connecticut, 

 likewise called upon by the chair, with a corresponding 

 felicity of matter and manner. 



It would be matter of the highest utility and gra- 

 tification if both these addresses could bo given in 

 full by themselves. We can scarcely, hope for this; 

 and in place of it, as we know the public curiosi- 

 ty will be aniiotisly alive to receive them, wo shall 

 give, from n few very imperfect and hasty notes, our 

 reminiscences of the principal remarks of these two dis- 

 tingui-hed gentlemen. 



Mr Webster began with stating that he regarded agri- 

 culture as the leadmg interest of society ; and in all its 

 relations having a direct and intimate bearing upon hu. 

 man comfort and the national prosperity. He had been 

 familiar with its operations in his youth ; and iie had 

 always looked upon the subject with a lively and deep 

 interest, lie did not regard himself as particularly quali- 

 fied to judge of the subject in all its various aspects and 

 departments ; and he neither himself regarded, nor 

 would he have others regard his opinions as authorita- 

 tive ; but the subject had been one of careful observa- 

 tion to him, both in public and private life; and his visit 

 to Europe, at a season of the year p.-irticularly favorable 

 for this purpose, had given him the op|iortunity of see. 

 ing tlieir iiriproved husbandry, and as far as it iTiight be 

 interesting or wouhi have a bearing upon the subjaot of 

 the evening's discussion, the agriculture of Massachu- 

 setts, he would proceed to give his views and impres- 

 sions. 



How far in this ra.itter the e.-iample of other countries 

 was to be followed was a subject worthy of much consi- 

 dereticn. The example of a foreign country might be too 

 closely followed. It would furnish a safe rule of im- 

 itation only as far as the circumslancf-s of a country cor- 

 respond with those of the country whose rules and cus- 

 toms it was proposed to adopt. 



The great objects of agriculture and the great agricul- 



tural products of difTerent countries were much the same. 

 Bre;id, meat and clothing onstituted iheie objects. Cot- 

 ton might be regarded as an incidental product, peculiar 

 to certain latitudes and countries. Though the great 

 agricultural products of diflFerent countries were the 

 same, yet there were various diversities of condition and 

 circumstances, which materially affected the agriculture 

 of different countries. 



The priinnry elements which entered into the consi- 

 deration of the agrirullute of a country were four; cli- 

 mate, soil, price of land and price of labor. In any com- 

 parison, therefore of the agriculture of England with 

 that of Masiachusetts, these elements were to be taken 

 particularly into view. 



The climate of England differed essentially from that 

 of this country. Thnv were on the vveatern side of the 

 eastern, and we on the eastern side of the western con- 

 tinent. The rlimtte of each country was materially 

 affected by their respective situations in relation to the 

 ocean. The winds which prevail both in this country 

 and in England are from the west, and westerly winds 

 blow three days out of four. These farts are fnmiliar. 

 The consequences resulting from them are, that our 

 wintern are colder and our summers much hotter than 

 in England. Our latitude was about that of Oporto, yet 

 the temperature was very different. On these accounts, 

 therefore, the maturing of the crops in England and the 

 power of usinir these crops would create a material dif- 

 ference between their agriculture and ours. It may be 

 supposed that our climate must resemble that of China 

 in the same latitudes ; and this fact may have an essen- 

 tial bearing upon that branch of agriculture which it is 

 propo.sed to introduce among us, the production of silk. 

 The second point of difference between the two coun- 

 tries lies in the soil. The soil of Kngland is ntainly ar- 

 gillaceous ; a soft and unctuous loam upon a substratum 

 ofelay. This may be considered as the predominant 

 chnractcristic in the parts which he visited. The south- 

 ern parts of England are sandv, rcsiing upon deep heds 

 of chalk. The rocks in England are of a different for- 

 mation from ours. Ours is a granite soil. There is 

 granite in Great Britain ; hut this species of soil pre- 

 vails in Scotland, a part of the country which more ro- 

 senibles our own. Our soils are stony. Smh lands are 

 not found in Tngl-md. We may have lands a.^ good as 

 any in England Our alluvial soils on Connuctii-ut riv. 

 er and in some other parts of the country, are equal to 

 any lands ; but these have no clay. It is not proper to 

 compare the soil of Kngland with the soil of Americ.i, 

 because of the extreme differences in different parts of 

 our country, stretching as it does through so many de 

 grees of latitude, and embracing in its eitent every va 

 riety of climate and soil. 



The price of land, another important element in agri 

 cultural calculations, differs greatly from the price of 

 land with us. It is three times as high as in Massachu- 

 setts. 



The price of labor is much more in Massaehtisetts 

 than in England. In different parts of Englpind the 

 price of labor is considerably various ; but it may be set 

 down as twice as dear with us as there. 



These are general remaiks, which have suggested 

 themselves in regard to the stale of things abroad. Now 

 have we any thincr to learn from them .' Is there any 

 thing in tb.eir condition applicable to ours; in which the 

 arrriGUiture of England may be of use to Mass.-ichusetis 

 and to other countries ? 



The subject of agriculture in England has strongly 

 attracted the attention and inquiries of men of scieiu-e. 

 They have studied particularly the nature of the soil. 

 More than twenty years ago, Sir Humphrey Davy un- 

 dertook to treat the subject of the application of chemi- 

 cal knowh^dge to agriculture in the chemical analysis 

 of soils and manures. The same attention has been con- 

 tinued to the subject, and the extraordinary discoveries 

 and advances in chemical science, since his lime, are 

 likelv to operate greatly to the advantage of agriculluie. 

 The best results may be expected from it. These inqui- 

 ries are now prosecuted in France with great enthusi- 

 asm anil success. We may hope for like beneficial re- 

 sults here frons the application of science to this subject 

 with us. 



A second material feature in the agriculturo of Eng- 

 land consists in the rotation of crops. It is a settled 

 principle in their agriculture, that two white crops 

 shall not come in immediate Bucression. A tenant would 

 be discharged by his landlord who should violiite this 

 rule. White crops are grain crops, wheat, barley, rye 

 and oats. These ate succeeded by, or alternated with, 



polat'ies, vetches or tares, beans, pesis, turnips and ck 

 ver, which are considered as green crops. 



The great improvements in English husbandry area 

 traci'd to the introduction from sixty to eighty years ag( 

 of tile cultivation of turnips. Before that time, whe 

 lands became exhausted by the repetition of gram crop 

 they were left, as it was termerl, fallow , thai is, were ni 

 cultivated .at all, but abandoned to recruit tliemselvesi 

 they might. This occurred as ofun as every f'nurt 

 year, so that one-quarter of the arable jahd was aiwaj 

 out ofcullivation and yielded nothing. Turnips ai 

 now substituted in the place of these nakerl fallows ; an 

 now land in turnips is considered as fallow. W'tiat 

 tlie philosophy of this.? The raising of crops does n 

 in itself enrich, but exhausts the land. The exhausiic 

 of the land, however, asexperience and ob.servation Im 

 fully demonstrated, takes phice mainly when the seei 

 of a plant are allowed to perfect themselves Tlie tu 

 nip cmp is a biuimial plant. It does not perfect i 

 seeds before it is consumed. There is another circur 

 stance in respect to the turnip plant, which deserv 

 couslderatinii. Tlants, it is well understood, derive 

 large portion of their nutriment from the air. T. 

 leaves ofplantsare their lungs. The leaves of lurni 

 expose a wide surface to the atmosphere, and deriv 

 theref>re, much Tjf tlieir subsistence and nutriment. T 

 broad leaves of the turnips likewise shade the groun 

 preserve its moisture, and prevent, in some measure, 

 exhaustion by the sun and air. 



The turnips have a farther and ultimate use. Me 

 and clothing come from animals. Tlio more aniin; 

 are sustained apon a farm, the more meal and ihe mt 

 cloilang. These things bear, of course, a proportion 

 the numbers of bullocks, sheep, swine and poultry u hi 

 are maintained. The great inquiry then is, what ki 

 of crops will least exhaust the land in their cnliivatic 

 and furnish support to the largest number of animals.' 



A vcy large amount of land in England is cuUi' 

 ted in turnips. Fields of turnips of three, four, a 

 even five hundred acres are not uncommon. Sir 

 the introduction of the turnip culture bullocks and slu 

 have trebled in number. Turnips, frir the reasons giv- 

 are not great exhausters of the soil; and they turn 

 abuudaitt fooil for animals. Wiiere one bushel ol i. 

 are produ(;ed ten bushels of turnips may be grown 

 the same cost. The great difference in the two crop 

 to be found in the farmer's barn yard. Here is the I 

 of their comparative value. This is the secret of 

 great advantages, which follow from their cultivatin 

 The value of manure in agriculture is well app' 

 cialed. Dr Ure states the extraordinary fact, that 

 value of the maiiuie annually applied to the crops 

 England, at current prices, sui passes in value the wh 

 amount of their foreign commerce. There is no do 

 that it greatly exceeds it. The turnipcrop returns a v 

 amount of nutritive matter to the soil. The farmer tl 

 from his green crops, and by a regular system of u 

 lion, finds green feed fur his catile and wheat for 

 market. Tlie growth of green crops is intiinaluly c 

 nected with a system of rotation of crops. 



The lands in the county of Norfdk, in England, 

 sandy. Here is the plar-e of the remarkable cultivat 

 and distinguished improvements of Mr Coke, now L 

 Leicester. His usual lotation is barley, clover, lurni 

 wheat.* These lands re.semble much of the land in 

 county of Plymouth; and the sandy lands to be foi 

 in the vicinityof the Connecticut and Merrimack rivi 

 The cultivation of green crops in New England, d.ser 

 alli^niion. Theie is no incapacity inoursiul; and no 

 cumstances unfavorable to their production. What wo 

 be the best kind of succulent vegetables to be cultivat 

 whether turnips, or carrots, or Swedes he was not [ 

 pared to say. But no atlein|its within his knowlei 

 iiad been made among us ol a systematic agncultu 

 and until we enter upon some regular rotation of crc 

 and our husbandry become more systematic, no dis 

 guished success could be looked for. As to our S'.il 

 liad been remarked, there was no inherent .'iicapac 

 for the production of any of the common crops, 

 could raise wheat in Massachusetts. The average c 

 in England is twentjsix bushels to the acre. From 

 own farm, and it was comparatively a thin and p 

 soil, lie had obtained this summer seventysix biishid 

 wheal upon three acies of land. It was not theref 

 any want of capability in the soil; but Ihe inipro 

 ment and success of our husbandry must depend U| 

 a succession of crops adapted to the eircumstances 

 our soil, climate, and peculiar cond lion. 



• He has increased the rental of his farms by his 

 proveinents more than fimr times, from twentyfive 

 two hundred thousand dollaisa year. II 



