1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



509 



of these special substances, -will become una- 

 ble to bear a corn crop at all, though it may 

 still contain a large store of the other inorganic 

 substances which the corn crop does not spe- 

 cially exhaust. Suppose bean or turnip crops 

 raised in like manner for a succession of years, 

 they would exhaust the soil of a different set 

 of substances till it became unable to grow 

 them profitably, though still rich perhaps in 

 those things which the corn crop especially de- 

 mands. 



"But grow these crops alternately, then the 

 one crop will draw especially upon one class 

 of substances, the other crop upon another ; 

 and thus much larger crops of each will be 

 reaped from the same soil, and for a much 

 longer period of time." 



A LANDMAKK. 



The question is sometimes mooted whether 

 there has been any actual progress in the art 

 and science of agriculture during the last half 

 century. Whatever may be the result of this 

 discussion, we think there can be no doubt as 

 to the progress of the agricultural press, dur- 

 ing that period. Still this progress has been 

 so quiet and so gradual that we are occasion- 

 ally startled by some old landmark that re- 

 veals the actual velocity of the "stream of 

 time" — which is impelling our onward course. 



In writing up the history of the Kennebec 

 Agricultural Society, the oldest society of this 

 kind in that State, the Maine Farmer, presents 

 one of these landmarks in the following extract 

 from the records of a meetmg of the Society 

 held Nov. 6th, 1822 :— 



" Voted, That the Society take two copies of the 

 publick Paper puljlished in Boston called the New 

 England Farmer, and that two of the Trustees 

 become sul)scril)ers, — therefore Chosen, Samuel 

 Wood, Esq., and Willm. Richards, Esq., sub- 

 scribers as above." 



As this vote was passed during the first year's 

 existence of the Farmer it is possible that 

 Samuel Wood and William Richards, Esqrs. 

 were its first subscribers in Maine. But 

 whether they were the first or not, it is well 

 known that for a long time, although the New 

 England Farmer was the only agricultural 

 paper in New England, its circulation was ex- 



»tremcly limited. We were told a few months 

 since by Mr. Durant of Lawrence, who for 

 several years furnished the paper on which it 

 was printed, that one "bundle" sufficed fortwo 



weeks — less than five hundred sheets per week ! 

 Yet such has been the increase of our circula- 

 tion, and such the improvement in the agricul- 

 tural press, that we now furnish a sheet about 

 three times the original size of the Farmer, 

 and notwithstanding the stimulus of war prices, 

 the rate of yearly subscription is the same now 

 as when this ancient and honorable society 

 passed its resolution to "take two copies of 

 the publick paper printed in Boston, called the 

 New England Farmer." 



There are now six weekly and two monthly 

 agricultural papers printed in New England ; 

 the average circulation of which is considera- 

 bly larger, counted by thousands, than was 

 that of the single one forty-five years ago, 

 counted by hundreds. And yet at that period 

 both the agricultural editors of the present 

 New England Farmer had completed more 

 than half the prescribed course of the only 

 Farm School known to the youth of that gen- 

 eration. 



AMERICAN POMOLOQICAL SOCIETY. 

 This Society held its eleventh biennial ses- 

 sion at St. Louis, Mo., commencing Septem- 

 ber 10th. Previous sessions have been held 

 successively at New York, in 1848 ; Cincin- 

 nati, in 1850 ; Philadelphia, in 1852 ; Boston, 

 in 1851; Rochester, in 1856; New York, in 

 1858 ; Philadelphia, in 1860 ; Boston, in 1862, 

 and Rochester, in 1864. On account of the 

 prevalence of the cholera, the session for 1866 

 at St. Louis, was postponed to 1867. At the 

 late fair there were exhibitors from the States 

 of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, 

 North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, 

 Iowa, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The 

 fruits exhibited comprised 680 dishes of grapes, 

 82 of apples, 745 of pears and 212 of peaches. 

 The President, Marshall P. Wilder, said the 

 exhibition of fruit greatly exceeded expecta- 

 tion, rivaling anything heretofore seen in the 

 way of pomology. The society adjourned on 

 the 13th, to Philadelphia, two years hence. 



We are indebted to the St. Louis Democrat 

 for a detailed journal of the proceedings of 

 the late session, including the address of the 

 President, Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, a paper 

 by Thomas Meehan, Esq., of the Philadelphia 



Gardener'' s Monthly, on "Fire Blight, — Can- 

 ker — Leaf Blight," and much other valuable 

 information and suggestions in relation to the 

 cultivation of fruit, to which we hope to be 



