190 



NEW E iN G L A N D FARMER 



DEC. 13, 18 



AXn HORTICULTURAL RKGISTER. 



Kdltcd by JosepH BrccU. 



Boston, VVEDNEsnAV, Dec. 13, 1843. 



SO.MK PAirnCULARS RELATIVE TO THE 

 ORIGIN AND EARLY EFFORTS OF THE 

 MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY FOR PROMO- 

 TING AGRICULTURE. 



It may gratify the curiosity of some of our younger 

 readers, and slimulato to new exertions some of llie new 

 Societies, to report lo them the origin and early effbrts 

 of " the Massacliiisetls Sociely for Promoting Agricul- 

 ture." It is now more than liaT a century siince tliis 

 Society was originated and p'll forlli its lirj*t efforts. It 

 was incorporated on the Tih "I March, 1702, and is the 

 oldest institulion of the l<iiid in the United Slates, es- 

 cepting " Tlie Pluladelphia Society for Promoting Agri- 

 rnlture," which wns founded in 1765. Tlio act of in- 

 corporation was signed by llie Hon. Samuel Phillips, 

 President of llie Senate, approved by His Excellency 

 John Hancock, and atlfisled by John Avery, Esq., Sec- 

 retary. Tlie following twentyeight gentlemen were 

 named in the act, viz ; 



Sam'l Ad.nms, John Avery, jr., Jos. Bnrrell, Martin 

 Brimmer, Chas. Bulfinch, John Codman, Edw'd Culls, 

 Aaron Dexler, Thos. Durl'oe, illosp.s Gill, Christopher 

 Gore, llinj. Guild, Slephcn Higginson, Henry Hill, 

 S:ini'l Hcilton, Benj. Lincoln, John Lmvell, Jona. Ma- 

 son, Jona Mason, jr , Azor Orne, Snin'l Phillips, Thos. 

 Russell, Sam'I Salisbury, David Sears, James Sullivan, 

 Cotton Tufts, Chas Vauglian, and Thoujas ^Vinthrop. 



All these grntlemen, with the exception of the vene- 

 rable Charles Bulfinch, Esq., have passed off the stage 

 of action, and their places been filled with the second 

 and third gencraiion ; but although dead, their viorks 

 elill live and speak, and succeeding generalions will re- 

 member with gratitude this first, and we believe then 

 the solitary instance in Nhw England, of association in 

 a corporate (onn for the encouragement of Agriculture. 



By the records of the S.iciely it appears that the first 

 meetioii was held on the 19th of April, 1792, at the 

 Council Chamber, in Boston. At a meeting on the 31st 

 of May, of the same year, seventy gentlemen were ad- 

 mitted as members of the Society. 



June 14th, 1792. The commitlee appointed to frame 

 »urh laws and regulations " as they shall think neces- 

 sary," reported. The first officers of the Society were 

 then cliosim as follows : 



The Hon. Thomas Russell, Esq , President ; Hon. 

 John Lowell, Esq., (falber of the lale Hon. John Lowell,) 

 Vice Presideni; lion. Moses Gill, Esq., id Vice Presi- 

 dent; John Avery, jr., Esq., Recording Secretary; Dr. 

 Oliver Smith, Correspoooing Secretary ; Dr. Aaron 

 Dexler, Treasurer. C«>Lton Tufts, Loammi Baldwin, 

 James Bowdoin, Christopher Gore, (Jharles Vaughan, 

 and Martin Brimmer, Esqrs., 'I'rusiees. 



June 22d, of the same year, sixteen rules or by-lows 

 were reported, discussed, modified and adopted. (See 

 Isl page (fthis paper.) By these rules, most of tlie du- 

 ties devolved on the Truslces, who reporied their doings 

 semi annually to tlie Society. The By-Laws have been 

 somewhat changed ; some repealed, others adopied — re- 

 lating lo the times of the annual meeting, the yearly 

 payment, tliu nunibtr necessary for a quorum, «&c. A 

 committee of 15 was appointed to raises fund for the 

 carrying into execution the designs of the insiiiution. 



At the next meeting, Or:t 3d, 1792, another large ad- 

 dilion was mode to llie member.'! of the Socieiy. A let- 

 ter wa? received from Mr Thomas Adams, primer of the 

 "Independent Clironicle," informing iho Society that 

 "09 they will have frequent occasion for advertising, 

 Se should expect no oilier compons ition than llie honor 



of publishing their communications." Wh-Tenpon the 

 thanks oflbe Snciely was voted Mr Adams for his gene- 

 rous oIHt When the Soclely lirid ceased publishing 

 their " Ma=sachusBlts Agriciillurnl Reports," I'fler iho 

 New England Farmer was eslablished, Thomas G. Fes- 

 seiideo, Esq., the editor, made the same liberal offer, and 

 since ihal time this paper has been the official or^an to 

 communicate the nperatifms and reports of the Snciely, 

 and wc do not hesilate lo sav that ihey have conslltuled 

 the most interesting, practical, and instructive portion of 

 its columns. 



Fr.h ytli, 1797. A rommiltee was appointed to apply 

 to ihe legislature to pay I he expense rif printing, and it 

 was voted ih.Tt a copy of the publications be furnished 

 to each member of the Geneial Court. Such conimuni- 

 calions and papers as ihe Trustees thought calculated to 

 promote agrlculiural knowledge, were printed from 

 lime 10 time. We find that up to 1S13, two volumes 

 entitled " The Massncliusetis Agricultural Repository 

 and Jnurnal," of about 400 pages each, octavo, had been 

 piiblishi'd. Many of these papeis and letters were hloh. 

 ly inlcresting and inslructive lo the agriculturist, and, 

 without doubt, exerted n povverlul influence by their 

 diss-'mination, in laylui; the f mndation for that surcess 

 that litis so euiinenlly crowned the efforts of the New 

 England farmers 



June loili. 1793. Tiie committee appointed lo audit 

 the Treasurer's account, reported, that in addition lo 

 $5.(i70 invested in stocks, there was due to the Societv 

 $612 40. 



Feb. 13th, 1799. The first premiums were offered by 

 the Socieiy at this meeting, viz : " To the person who 

 shall produce the largest quantity of wool, meat and 

 lallow, from the smallest number of sheep, not less than 

 one score, a premium of $30. to be claimed on or before 

 Augu.st 1st, 1800." 



'* To the person who shall ascertain by accurate anal- 

 ysis, the constituent parts of sevi-ral fertile soils respec- 

 tivelv, and In like manner Ihe pnrls of S'!ver:il poor soils, 

 and ihus shall discover the defects of the latter, and 

 shall show by actual experiment, how the paid defects 

 may be remedied, by the addiiion of earths or other in- 

 gredients which abound In the country, and in a manner 

 that may he practiced by the common farmer; and if it 

 shall appear lo the satisfaction of the Trusters, that up- 

 on an cxlensive practice, the impioveinenl of the poor 

 soil would be rnoie than equivalent lo the expense of 

 the improvement ; a premium of $;100. A minute de- 

 scription of the several stills, and all the circumslan- 

 ces attending tlie processes, cultivation and results, will 

 be required " 



From 1799 down lo the present lime, the Socieiy have 

 offered and paid liberal premiums for every variety of 

 Improvement in crops, slock, implements, products of 

 domestic manufacture ; for Ihe best cultl\ ated farms, and 

 experiments which It was sufrposed would forward the 

 cause of agriculture, and In fact for everything which 

 would benefit or promote the interest of the f^irmer. 



In some years, the energies oi' the Society have been 

 concentrated in a Cattle ^!iow, in ail the variety of ob- 

 jects which are usually displayed on such occasions ; at 

 other times, butler and cheese have been some of Ihe 

 prominent objects — the Society using all efforts to sllm- 

 ulale the firmer to improve the quality of these impor- 

 tant products ; at other times, stock or implemenls, and 

 in fict no branch of rural economy has been forgotten. 

 Stock, imf'lements, and seeds were imported not only 

 by the individual members, but by the Socieiy, and 

 through their effo-ts, individually and collectively, an 

 impetU.s was gVveti fo'Mr'L.:sachusHtts agriculture, which 

 has ever made her prominent among her sister Stales. 



Six hundred dollais Is appropriated for the present sea- 

 son, to he given in premiums for the best cultivated 

 farms, independent of what is offered for other objects. 

 That tliFse premiums may be justly awarded, the Soci- 

 ety have em[)loyed an agent to examine the firms of ap- 

 pllcanls, which are so numerous thai it has occupied all 

 his lime in the proper season. A belter choice could 

 nol have been made, for In this gentleman are combined 

 a theoretical ami [iraclical knowledge of agriculture, 

 well seasoned with judgment, discretion and iiuparlial- 



'ly- 



In 1802. a commlnee was appointed lo apply to the 

 Genera! Court for their counlcnane.e and aid to the pro- 

 [io«ed institulinn for Natural History and a Buttinic Gar- 

 den in Ihe neirrhborhood of Boston. It was also voted 

 that the Trustees be a coMimlttee to consider the expe- 

 diency of subsciibing lo the proposed institulinn. 



It appears by the records, that the genllemt n connecl- 

 ed with the Society, became subscribers, with ntliers, to 

 a fund fiir a Professorship of Natural history in Harvard 



College, and when sufficient funds hod been cidle 

 In ltJI)5 the Professorship vv'as established. Tins 

 Ihe origin of the Boianic Garden al Cambridge, v 

 has been under Ihe care of Mr Wm. E. Carter, ai 

 dener, from the beginnine, and the charge coulc 

 have been confided lo more woilliy hands. 



The President of the Americim Acad my of Art 

 Sciences, llie Preslilent of Harvard College, the 1 

 dent of Ihe Mass. Medical Society, with the Trt 

 of the Mass. Snciely for Promoting Agrlciillure, 

 made a Board of Visitors, and so remained until 

 when the corporation of Harvard College were si 

 luted for the Trustees, and became the visitors wit 

 other gentlemen. 



In ]ttl3, a new effort was made to increase the 

 rest and utility of ihe Socieiy's papers, and a new i 

 of numbers were proposed to be issued, the fee of ; 

 bership being raised lo §5, to defray part of the ex| 

 of the work. The Stale had made some approprisi 

 lo defray the expense of the two volumes already if, 

 The numbers came out irregularly, as the papeii 

 reports accumulaicd. Seven additional volumes 

 ])ubllshed from lime lo time, containing from t 

 four numbers each. The members were cntill 

 these publications. 



It appears that new members were voted In at a 

 every meeting ; but in June, 1815, 07!i! huiidrec 

 /ort7/S(i were admitted. This large reinforcement 

 from every county in the Stale, very equally distril: 

 and some from the then District of Maine. 



Our curiosity was somewhat excited when we 

 to this part of Ihe record, for it appeared that some 

 movement was anticipated ; nor were we disappoii 

 for in looking at ihe records of the followincr mee 

 it appeared that the subject of a Caille Show and 

 was agilMting the minds of the Socieiy. In ihe Ja 

 number of the Repository of 1816, we find the folk 

 announcement : 



" Miinval Caille Show at Brighton, in the CoutiM 

 Middlesex. 



The Trustees of the Massachusetts Society foi 

 moting Agriculture, taking into consideration iheii, 

 lance of improving Ihe breed of domestic animals, 

 inffuenreil by ihe example of enlightened socielies 

 pans of Europe, who have established annual ej 

 lions of such animals, and encouraged the cultival 

 produce them by suitable rewards ; and wishing, 

 as possible, to fulfil the expeclalions of the l.eoisi 

 of the Commonwealth, who. have liber.illy patro 

 ihls inslilulion — have dt lermined to eslablith an A 

 Cattle .S'AoTr, ir. a slluntion, and at a season of the 

 the most convenient fiir the citizens at laroe." 



Accordingly we find that a'Catlle Show wa.s ap| 

 ed to take place in Brighton, on the second Tucsd 

 October, 1810. Most or all of the premiums were 

 ed for stock. This, we believe, was Ihe bcoiniili 

 Cattle Shows In this country. 



In the following year, tlie Trustees announce 

 " Encourage. 1 by Ihe renewed patronage of the Le 

 lure of this State, they intend to bestow in pren 

 not only the sum granted by government fnr ihif 

 pose, hut also the whole amount of the income of 

 own funds. They therefore announce to tlie public 

 wish to have a Cattle Show and Exhibilion of Mar 

 lures at Brighton, on the [second Tuesday in Ocl 

 1817." At this Exhibition, premiums were oflert 

 Stock, Agricultural Experiments, Inventions, anrt 

 mesllc Manufiiclures, to the amount of $1270. 



At Ihe close of the ninth volume of the Reports, v 

 contained only two numbers, the edilors remark- 

 is probable that this Journal will hereafter be publ 

 at more distant intervals. The establishment o: 

 New Eughind Farmer, a most valuable paper, ha^ 

 dered the frequent publication of tills Journal of lea 

 portance." After this announcement, in 1820, 

 ihreo more numbers were published, containing, p 

 pally, reports and addresses before the Society. 



The Cattle Shows ar Brighton were continued t 

 year, excepting in 1831 and '34, until 1835. Since 

 lime they liave been discontinued. We noliced lb, 

 1832, premiums lo the amount of $18.35 were off 

 viz: For stock, $459; for butter and cheese, a 

 lirit'hton Show, $105 ; for butter and cheese in Do 

 ber fiillowing. $435 ; Vegetable and Grain crops, $ 

 best farms. $250 ; experiments, discoveries and in 

 tions, $200 ; to plowmen, $5(). 



Benj Guild, Esq., Ihe present Recording Scere 

 was admllted as member of this Soclely in ISIS 

 from that lime to the present, has held that office', 

 dl.scharged lis duties with fidelity and devotion ti 

 interests of the Socieiy. 



