1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



443 



AMERICAN" AGRICULTURAL IMPLE- 

 MENTS. 



The leading editorial article of the Mark Lane 

 Express, an agricultural ])a]ier printed in London, 

 of Oct. 31, 1S59, is based on a fact that maj' well 

 flatter American vanitj' as much as it seems to 

 wound English {iride. 



The article commences with a eulogy on the 

 commercial enterprise of the English people, which 

 introduces a very flattering notice of the energy 

 of British farmers. The writer congratulates the 

 agriculturist that he is assuming to himself more 

 and more of the national character. Like the 

 merchant, the British farmer, when his own mar- 

 ket gets a little dull or overdone, looks out for 

 another ; and just now is especially intent on 

 making the most of every opportunity and of ev- 

 ery available offer. Nor does he look in vain for 

 new markets and new customers. "Brother Jon- 

 athan and his first cousin in the colonies," says 

 the editor of the Express, "will buy his Short- 

 horns and Herefords at their hundreds or thous- 

 ands each. The Emperor of the French will give, 

 we hai-dly dare say how much a pound for his South 

 Down mutton, and Yorkshire men have audience 

 with the crowned heads of other countries by the 

 favor of a Cleveland stallion, or a famous char- 

 ger. The Esterhazys, and such leviathan culti- 

 vators of the Continent, have become accredited 

 purchasers of our prize implements ; while Boy- 

 dell's traction-engine winds its way through the 

 sugar fields of Cuba ; and Crosskill's clod-crusher 

 is in work on the plains of Athens." 



Leaving these and many similar statements, so 

 agreeable to the taste and feelings of English 

 readers, to make their appropriate impression, the 

 writer changes the subject and the scene. 



It is in the middle of October, 1859, and the 

 Agricultural Society of the Cape of Good Hope, 

 iu Africa, is holding its annual exhibition at Cape 

 Town. As with us, it is a show of both stock 

 and implements, — imported cattle and sheep, val- 

 ued at upwards of five thousand dollars, being 

 entered. The display of machinery is still more 

 imposing, and estimated at four times the value 

 of the beasts. That is to say, there are some 

 twenty thousand dollars' worth of implements on 

 the ground for the Cape farmers to pick and 

 choose from. Among these there are no less than 

 furtij-two varieties of plows. The editor of the 

 Express is not present ; but, seated in his office 

 in London, he writes as follows : 



"We might even go so far as to imagine that 

 Mr. Sutton, Mr. Barrett and Mr. Cole were on 

 the scene, politely distributing their catalogues, 

 and descanting on the premiums they had taken, 

 and the wonders they had done. Alas ! however, 

 it is too well known that some of the finest flights 

 of our ])oets, and some of the gr::ndc'st efforts of 

 our artists, have been to dopict tlieir heroes in 



actions that they really never took apart in. And 

 so would it be with our ]5a^an over what Granthan, 

 Ijiswich or Bedford did at the Cape Town plow- 

 ing-match — for there was not one of them there. 

 Of these forty-two varieties of plows for the En- 

 glish colonists to purchase, every one of them was 

 of American manufacture." 



He also asserts that, not only was there no Eng- 

 lish plow on the ground, but in the whole twenty 

 thousand dollars' worth of machinery, there was 

 scarcely anything whatever of English make. 



After noticing the declaration of some Ameri- 

 can, that better Shorthorns will be soon grown 

 in the United States than in England, alluding to 

 the fact that a colt brought over by Mr. Ten Broeck 

 is "the first favorite for the Derby at this very 

 time," and confessing that "in some descriptions 

 of machinery wc only follow their lead, and the 

 best of our reapers and mowers are either invent- 

 ed or improved upon by Americans," the editor 

 concludes his article with the remark : "We are 

 unwilling to see ourselves 'cut out' in any quar- 

 ter, but more especially among our own kith and 

 kin." 



It is a seasonable moment to introduce this 

 subject, just as our favorite Mechanics' Fair is 

 about to hold its Ninth Exhibition. We hope 

 it may be the means of calling out every variety 

 of implement and machinery used upon the farm, 

 and that the farmers, with some portion of their 

 families, from every part of New England, will 

 visit the renowned Faneuil and Quincy Hairs-.on 

 this occasion. It may be made a holiday turned 

 to pecuniary account. 



LONG ISLAND LANDS. 



We have before us a very interesting pamphlet 

 upon "The Plains of Long Island, N. F.," by 

 WiNSLOW C. Watson, Esq., of Essex county, N. 

 Y. From this pamphlet it appears that Mr. Wat- 

 son has given those lands a close investigation, 

 and his researches show them to be of a highly 

 valuable character. He says, "I found it to be 

 the general impression with intelligent men, that 

 the farmers of Long Island enjoy, on account of 

 the mild temperature of the climate, an average 

 of about forty working days in the year more than 

 those above the Highlands. * * It seems to he 

 admitted that the island rarely suffers from 

 drought. The sea air, always charged with mois- 

 ture, constantly refreshes vegetation." 



Mr. Watson speaks of the qualities of soil, cost 

 of clearing, value of crops, &c., and shows that 

 when a fair degree of intelligence and skill is ex- 

 pended upon them, they v^all return the most re- 

 munerating crops. The lands are certainly in the 

 midst of the best markets in the world, with evei y 

 cheap facility for getting their products to tl « 

 cjusumer. 



