xvtn.2 



AND H O R T I C U L T U ri A L R E G I S T E R 



^ 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 



FARMER, 



HEMORIAL OP THE COMMISSIONER 



the Agricultural Survey of Massachusetis, on n 



Hoard of Indu sin/, Sy-c. 

 e Hon. Senate and House of Representatives of Mas- 

 sachusetts, now in session m Boston : 



letnemorialofthe snbscribcr. Commissioner 

 le Agricultural Survey offie State, respectful- 

 ows : — 



lat tlae domestic industry of the State, and es- 

 Jly Its agriculture, in its connexion with na 

 1 wealth, with the comforts of every class an.l 

 tion of Us people, and with good morals, has 

 s to the most liberal encouragement and ptit- 

 :eofthe g'overnment. 

 a faithful and enlightened regard to atrricul- 



Massachusetts has eminently disting'uished 

 If among her sister States. In her endow- 

 I and annual bounties to agricultural societies 

 r geolgical and agricultural surveys, and in' 

 ■emtums offered for the prodtiction of wheat 

 nd sugar, she has made a generous provision 

 3 encouragement of this great and useful art- 

 ith a sound discretion has expended monev' 



has already given back, and is in the pro - 

 t making the most abundant returns. 

 '■ !»roier and nsefnl direction of thi.* bounty i . 

 set of public concern. It may have done 

 good ; and yet not all the good which itmin-ht 

 one or may be made to do. In the official 

 tiwh.chyrur memorialist holds to the com- 

 :alth in reference to this .subject, he trusts it 

 It be deemed intrusive or' uncalled for if in 

 ■m he presents to tlie Legislature his 'views 

 le manner m which the patronage and power 

 rovernment may be rendered more efficient 

 ey have yet proved ; or may be applied in a 

 1 some accounts more eligible. At the same 

 e Legislature will do him the justice to be- 

 lat he presents these vie-vs with the respect 

 erence tliat are due to the body which he 



honor to address, combining in so hi./h a 

 3, the wisdom and intelligence of the Com- 

 ilth. 



disbursements of the State, on account of 

 :ural societies within the last two years, ' 

 en $8,7(58 ; on account of bounties o'n the 

 >on of silk, within that time, have been 

 I ; on account of bounties paid on the pro- 

 of wheat, within the last year, $9 380 14 ■ 

 a total of $18,833 28. The expenditures' 

 reologicil and agricultural surveys are al- 

 3fore tile Legislature. It will be seen un- 

 e circumstances, that the Slate has not 

 ^cient m liberality, 't is believed that 

 Bjects for public patronage seldom present 

 'es; and the good already resultino- from 

 'vment, shows the wisdom and sound judn-- 

 the appropriation. Your mcmori.^ili.^ Is 

 convinced that a Inrae portion of this pat- 

 or rath-r of this expenditure, mav be with- 

 1 the remainder applied with mo'r,- a Ivan- 

 1 It has yet been. 



Your memorialist is of opinion, that there is no 

 farther occasion for a bounty upon the production 

 of wheat. The I.iw offering this bounty, may be 

 supposed to have had two objects ,n view ; the first, 

 that of determining the capacities of the climate and 

 soil of the State for the production of this crop : the 

 second by a comparison of the different modes 

 adopted in reference to the soil, the kind, the quan- 

 tity and the preparation of the seed, the time of 

 sowing, the kind and quantity of manure applied, 

 the use of hnie, plaster, and ashes, and any disea- 

 ses or accidents which may have occurred, that of 

 ascertaining what is the best mode of cultivafinn- I 

 tlie crop, and how the diseases or accidents to 

 which It IS peculiarly liable, should be o-uarded 

 against or prevented. ° 



In respect to the former object, the capacities 

 of the soil and climate of Massachusetts to the pro- 

 duction of this crop, the report;s of the two years 

 during which the bounty has been.offered, are am- 

 ply sufficient for its determination. It will appear 

 from these returns that there is no natural incapa- 

 city either in the soil or climate of Alassachtisetts, 

 making all ordinary and reasonable exceptions ef I 

 particular and limited localities, for the perfect pro- 

 duction of this valuable crop. j 



In respsct to the second object, the determinin<T 

 the best mode of cultivation, this has not and can"- 

 not be obtained under the law, atleast in its pre- ' 

 sent form. The returns, in the first place, in the 

 requisitions made by the law in respect to the cir 

 cumstancesofthe cultivation, are too meagre and 

 imperfect to lead to certain and valuable conclu- 

 sions. In the second place, the premiums offered 

 are in themselves too small to induce to that ex 

 actness and carefulness <.f culture and observation 

 which are indispensable in order to settle with cer' 

 tainty many contested or dubious questions in rela- 

 tion to It. This object, however, which is indeed 

 of the highest importance, may be attained, as will 

 be hereaft-r shown, by another mode. In the opin- 

 ion therefore, of your memorialist, the continuance 

 ot the law offering a bounty on wheat is not neces- 

 sary for the objects, which are presumed to have in- 

 duced its enactment. 

 [ With respect to the bounty upon the production 

 I of silk, the .same remarks, in a degree, apply as to 

 the law authorizing a bounty upon wheat. The ca- 

 pacity of the soil and climate of the State in re 

 spect to the cultivation of the best kinds of m'ulberry 

 trees for feeding the worms, and in respect to the 

 rearing of worms, and the production of silk of the 

 best quality, has been fully demonstrated ; and the 

 profitableness of the production of raw silk as a 

 branch of domestic and household industry, has i 

 been as fullv established. This object of the law I 

 then has been attained. The procuring of informa- ! 

 tion as to the best kinds of trees, and the best modes ' 

 of management in regard to the worms, though an I 

 object of the highest importance, is not at all''pro ' 

 vided for by the law. This, however, as your me. ' 

 monalist hopes to show, may be attained without ' 

 any new or direct expense to the State, under anoth- ^ 

 er form. I 



With respect to the bounty upon sugar manu- 



tNO. 35. 



I factured from beets, it is not known to yaur memo- 

 : riahst that any claim has yet been made. The law 

 j IS limited to five years from its enactment. Whfth- 

 j erit be con,petent for the Legislature under these 

 i circumstances to rescind it, it is not for your memo- 

 j rialist to offer an opinion ; but as the only valuable 

 object to be attained by the State under the law, is 

 the ascertaiiiment of the practicability of the pro- 

 duction as far as the raising of the beets and the 

 manufacture of the sugar are concerned, and as 

 these matters are already fully established, it does 

 I not appear Unf any public advantage is to be o-ain- 

 ed by contin': ng the law beyond the orescribed 

 term ; or indeed at all, if it be consistent with (he 

 character of the statute to repeal it before it will 

 expire of itself The law, in its present form, is 

 likely to avail little in regard to the matter of the 

 greatest importance to the agricultural community ; 

 that is, the determining the best and proper mode 

 of cultivating the beet, and the proper and best 

 mode of extracting and manufacturing the sugar; 

 the value and uses of the pomace in feeding st'ock 

 or for other purposes ; and the expenses or profita- 

 [blsness of the culture of the vegetable or the manu- 

 jfar-ture of the sugar. Another point, perhaps of 

 I frtore importance than any other, and which is not 

 likely to be attained under present arrangements, 

 IS the ascp.:ninment whether the manufacture of 

 sugar cs/iievor be made a certain and pivftable 

 branch of domestic or household industry, so that 

 every family may with advantage supply themselves 

 witli t;;is great and necessary articia of home con- 

 sumption. 



In re.apect to many of the bounties or premiums 

 bestowed for agricultural objects in the State, there 

 seems to your memorialist to be one cardinal failure 

 or defect. The legitimate object of allsuch boun- 

 ties and premiums is not solely to e.vcite and en- 

 courage enterprise, inquiry, and experiment, but 

 mainly to obtain useful and practical information, 

 which may be diffused among farmers. Wc desire 

 to know not only that a thing can be done, but how 

 It can be done ; not only that a particular vegeta- 

 ble or crop can be raised, but in what manner and 



by what particular pi-^-cess this may be effected. 



Under the laws of the State authorizing bounties 

 upon wheat, sugar, and silk ; and under the opera- 

 tions of the afi-ricultural societies in the use of the 

 money granted them by the State, this is not al- 

 ways provided for ; and, in a considerable measure, 

 it is not done. "Whether better arrangements can 



or cannot be made, is matter of useful inquiry. 



Your memorialist is of opinion that a beneticia'l al- 

 teration ill this matter may be made, in respect to 

 the annual grants made by the State to agricultural 

 j societies ; and, without designing to cast any cen- 

 i surewhatever upon any peri>ons or any society, yet 

 he would respectfully express his conviction,' that 

 those to whom the application of this pub;ic-S|)irited 

 bounty is entrusted, should be held to a more exact 

 accountability." At present, the amounts expended, 

 and the objects for which they are given, with the 

 persons' names upon whom they are bestowed, com- 

 prise nearly all that are returned to the ollice of 

 the Secretary of the Slate; but your memorialist 



