No. 1. 



AND GARDENERS JOUR 



^H? 



f 



thein from time to time, lor abadijing and t'aciiitattnt; 

 lUe labors of the farm. 



IJusb-indmen should rGmeniber that just in propor- 

 tion ai ihy 6tnc in the time (/ jm/oitning ihoir dn.ly 

 opciations, just in the same pio, o. t.oji do they ceono- 

 miSt: in tlie item of hibor, and in tiie e-xjicnse incurred 

 by It- Ad for instance, if my two hirtd men, at the 

 exp.-ns-' of n dolilnr a day a piece, can tbreah with the 

 (lad, one hundreil bushels of grain in ten days, the 

 thrcsliiny; oi my j^rain w 11 have coet me tiocnty dol- 

 lars, taking no account ol the incvitible lusj by wu^tc. 

 Now il by the use ofa tbrcsliing machine, at an expense 

 Bay, of two doLais per day, with the ass'stHnce o{ a 

 man and a boy at on\i dollar and a half per day, my 

 one hunlrcd bushels of grain ciin be threshcil m two 

 days, it w.U be done at an e.xpen-e of scvai dollars 

 ins.ead of twenty, withagti.na so, of cig-/i« days lime. 

 We presume the itonifl in this e;^timate arc iiicoiiect, 

 but we believe the d iVercnee in time and expense will 

 njt be fjuiid to bo much exnggerated, and wdl Ecr>c 

 to dlusratj our promos tion, that ichulcrcr is -saved 

 in tin tim; of p:rform.ng tlic duibj upirutions of thi 

 furrfij is so much ^iiinod in the icjg^s tf labor. 



We advance another propositio.t, that, not onlv do 

 we, by the uej of lab ir-eaving machines, cconomsein 

 time and the cxp.nisa attending Ir.b )r, but aluo that j.vs( 

 in proportion as ice. ccotxovusc in those two iicjyis, jnst 

 in Vie samcproporilon dois tUesame amount cf capital 

 go furlJicr m the cid.iration and itnprorcinritt of iJic 

 farm. If 1 have twenty dollars to pay for ihreshina 

 one hundred bushels of gran by the flail in ten days, 

 an! c:in, by the nee of a thieehing machine, have the 

 came amount threshed in two dajs for seven dollars, 

 I have aciu.iUy gamed eght daye and thirteen dollars, 

 whicbl may spend in olh.r dut ea up in the fjnn, or, 

 which is the same thing, 1 can w.ih the same amount 

 of capital, pefjrm nearly three times as much labor 

 in three quane's of the time. 



We would suggest then, on the strength of those two 

 prop OS tions, that, Iiy the a. d of labor-sawng implements, 

 our I'arineis may jieiform the u;^ual lnbo:s of the farm 

 at a much reduced expense, and, with the tame out'ay 

 ot capital, may aUo accomplish a very much increaSLd 

 amjunt of lab.ir, and consequently an inc:e3s:d pro- 

 duction. Vic know that it w.ll be ohjcct.d, that this 

 **Pil|S^i'- very well upon pn.'cr, and may accord vcrv 

 tveTwiih a clos t calculation, but that we have omitted 

 to takenoticeof the item oftheyj/ii e.vpense of all ma- 

 chines, more particularly those of modern invention, 

 an! of the onalant wear-and-;ear attending their op- 

 eration. We have made a liberal allowance for all 

 this, in the two genc'.al propO;it ons we have advanced 

 — the more liberal, inasmuch a3 wherever labor-saving 

 machinery upon forms haa come under our notice, the 

 expense of purchase and repa rs has been more than 

 amply msd," good by the expense 6.aved in the wages 

 of hired men, by the superior and cxpeJ.t ons manner 

 in which the various operations of the farm have been 

 performeJ, and by the greater amount accomjli^hed. 



Oar limits w.ll allow us to record but one instance of 

 the successful employment of labor-saving mach'nery 

 upan farms, an 1 there is no feature in the farming, in 

 the instance ret'erreii to, that we more adiiire than the 

 mnnner in which art and scienco are made to supply 

 the place of several pair of hands. We wdl only say 

 that the gentleman refered to is one of the mout intel- 

 ligent and d.st nguished farmers in the Stale of New- 

 York, whose practice as wdl ns his experience and 

 opinions, maybe most confidently relied upon. Our 

 friend, in the lirtt place, has upon hs farm a iioriab'e 

 horse power, a machine in too common use to need a 

 description, and which, by the medium of the wheel 

 and band, is capable of giving motion to niach nes for 

 various purposes. In connection with ths p jwtr, he 

 employs a grain-tbrtsh^r, (ofwuiose invention we do 

 not rec.)llect,)liy which h's grain is threshed in a third 

 or qnar.er the usual time, w.ih scarcely any of the waste 

 atten lant upon the^j of the Hail, and which, when 

 he is not usng it bWieelf, is passng from farmer to 

 farnt^r to expedite the r operations. By the aid of the 

 eame horse power applied to a sinple circular saw by 

 means of a band and wheel, he is enabled to effect the 

 cutting of h-8 waiter's fuel, in a very few days (we had 

 almost said hours) without any of that waste o( chii>s, 

 that, in aseiiesofyeare, makes no email item in a farm- 

 er's economy. The same band and wheel transfered 

 to his grindstone, and a pair of hands are saved at the 

 crank, w'a 1? by the increased power and velocity, two 

 can be employed at the stone with greater ease and ex- 

 pedition than one could be by the aid of the common 

 handle. The power obtained by the wheel and band, 

 again transferred to his hay and straw cutter, ond a 

 couple of hours work prepares cut feed for a stock of 

 twenty head for several days, and thus brings into suc- 

 eesaful operation a machine, that has not been in gen- 

 eral use for a large stock of cattle from the great lenmh 

 cf lira* required t» cjt the food bj- manaal Inhor. By 



the use ot the horse-rake, he contrives to sa\c the la- 

 bor ol sjveral houisondmen in raking his level lands ; 

 and by a simple moehino, wc believe ol h.s own con- 

 struct. on, he plteteiB on extent of land in a lew tno- 

 iiicntp, that would lequirc an hour or two to pass over, 

 it the pin.st r should be sown by hand. Indeed he foreeb 

 machinery to p< riorm lor him every operation on the 

 farm, whereby he can save limeBnd tcagcs paid to hired 

 men, — n s; sem which be tiiids more e.xiiensive than 

 the old fnsbioncd iiieihud of entire hand labor at the 

 onset, !iut inhnitely, !)ye»,(ii/i/ moie economical in the 

 end. 



And now when we ask ourselves how many of our 

 firmeis w.ll be couvinccil ot the truth of w hat we have 

 said snilicienlly to practice upon it, we find but a dis- 

 couraging answer in our obsunv-ition upon the preva- 

 lent systems of husljaiidry about us. VVben we urge 

 the adoption of improved agiieuhural implements and 

 labor-saving machines, we are met with excuses ofa 

 want of capital to meet the first expense, — of an inabil- 

 ity to use successfully many implements and mcchincs, 

 from their complicated chaiacler — .and from a wjnt ol 

 eoulidence in all improvements in agricultural imple- 

 ments, from the repeated instances of quackery un- 

 der which tliey have sufl'ered, in the numerous ma- 

 ehinco that have been palmed ujion them as fs.lul in- 

 ventions, and which turned out to be mcic clap-trap. 

 In reply to all this we can only say, begin on a small 

 scale, but do not be rfmid to vcntii'ie. Wh-ther it he 

 a hoise-rakc, or an improved plough, or what not, 

 incur the first expense and its use will lepay you four- 

 lold. Be not alormed because the dollar you invest to- 

 day wi.l not return to you to-moirow, but be contented 

 to wait, il there is any reaeonable hope that it may come 

 back to you at a more disiant day trebled or quadru- 

 peled. And remember when you pnrehaie, that the 

 object of all improved farmjng tools or machinery, 

 sijould be to perfoi m, in a given time, a greater amottnt 

 ot woik in a mo.-e thorough and cconomicul manner, 

 than the implements for which thev are substitutes. 

 With this object in view, purchase the most s inply 

 consiruetcd machines, and neither condemn them or 

 be diccouraged because after vf^w trials they do not ful- 

 til your expectations. Let them be u-dl tested, and 

 every attempt made to d.Beover the cause of failuie be- 

 fore they are given up. Be careful that th s cause be 

 not in the employer rather than thj machine. Anel 

 the farmer's well known intelligenee and caution must 

 be his protection agtinst the employment of machinery 

 or modes of farming of any sort, that are of doubt- 

 ful utility. By placing a proper elegrec of contiilenee 

 in the experience and opin ons of those who have fairly 

 tested various farming instruments, and by exercising 

 his own judgment critically, there is no reason why 

 the farmer more than any other man, should be the 

 dupe of usiil.-^ss inventions. 



^Ve have already extended our remarks to a greater 

 length than we had intended. But the iiiiportanee o. 

 the subject must be our only apology, anil we shall be 

 content with having drawn any to an attentive conaid- 

 eratiou of what we have said, and the vniious conclu- 

 sions to which our suggestions may lead. H. V. 



From the Siik Junrral. 



CHOICE OF OCCrPATIOIV. 



At the present period of general derangement in 

 ninioet every department uf business, it is natural for 

 all inquiring mind:? to cast their eyes nrounel in search 

 of some puisuit calculated to yield them a support, or 

 to advance the r pecuniary resoureej. And where, 

 let me ask, does the mind meet a certain re.^pouse, 

 except from the productions of the soil, and where else 

 can one look for Ftab lity, as to tiie safety of his in. 

 vestment, and to an ample return for his labors. — 

 What other pursuit can offer to him a euie guaran y 

 of a comfortable support for his family, and permanent 

 provision forhs children. In commercial pursuits all 

 is chance and uncertainty, and he who can boast of 

 being on the ascenrlant to day, can only claim to occu- 

 py the reverse position to-morrow. The history of 

 v,'holc stieeti in our mercantile cities, is but a record 

 of the rise, and the downfall of their occupants. It is 

 a melancholy rejection, that such are the uncei'tain- 

 ties attendant on commerce, and on mercantile affairs 

 generally, that every six or seven years witnesECS a 

 complete revo'ution in the mcrcant le class of the com- 

 munity. And yet such has been the filly and absence 

 of proper discrini'nati on among parents generally, that 

 apparently, it has been the.r most anxious desire to 

 devote their sons to mercantile purbuiis, and to risk 

 their prosperity on changes ai lluctuatingand more un- 

 certain, than the turn of the die. It is to this gross 

 misdirection of the mind that many branches of agri- 

 culture have to this day been totally neglected, although 

 offering the most bonntifiil rctnrnfl to ih'ore who would 

 "■ngnge in tb»m. Pruvidenee planted thexne anly in 



Persia, Syria, and in North Amer.ua. To l''ronee acj 

 Italy, lie tendered no tuch bounty. And vot wo tc« 

 I'rance, whose climate woe eo uncongenial to the 

 vine at its lirtt introduction, that it could baiely Eur- 

 vive on its most southern thores, now become enriched 

 beyond cveiy other nation by the immense aecuiiuiln- 

 t;on of wcjihh for ages her vintage has |)oured into her 

 bosom. We see that country becoming aliluent nnel 

 powerful, not from the natural jiroduetiona of her own 

 soil, but from thoi'O which she has borrowed from mere 

 favored climes. Look at her olive groves, ond the 

 whole race of oleaginous plants from which the de- 

 rivcLi the immeiicc i|unniity of her choicest oils, tulii- 

 eicnt almost for the comumption of the whole earth. 

 Lewk ot her grove? of almonds, figs, prunes, and al- 

 most every other fiuit calculated to give siqipoit to her 

 citizens, and amiditude to her coiiimeicc. And lattly, 

 leiok ot her immense and increasing plantiitiuns fur th« 

 silk culluip, rivalling in profit all her oiher puisuits. 

 Not one of these invaluable pieiductions is the gift of 

 nature, but arc all cxotics'transjilantcd to her toil.— ^ 

 For cuivelvet-, we may claim both the vine and iho 

 mulbeiiy, ns pre-eminently our ev,n, and planted on 

 our soil by the God of nature. And thus favored, 

 shall Ameiicane succumb and yield precedence to na- 

 ticns possessing fewer natural advontagca? Shidl wa 

 fbrink from the development of thoco resources whieh 

 Ged himself hcs marked out as peculiarly ealcuhiitd 

 to enrich our country, and extend our sj here of com- 

 f trt and happinets ? V/o true-tnot. We Irvst that we 

 shall not have, for the future, any recreants among ui?, 

 who doubt the triumph of Anieiican diill, enitrprirc, 

 and industry, where any other nation dare claim £u«- 

 cese. It is such men who retard the naticitnl auvaitco- 

 nient, and ale a clog to its prosperity. They are 

 worse than drones, for they impede the labors of lite 

 industrious. Men, professing such opinions, otight to 

 receive the withering scorn and dcjition c-f a nation 

 which claims to hove no superiors in knowledge end 

 the arts, and which acknowledges no consnmmaiicn 

 to their labors, hut that wh.eh ensures for them the 

 most triumphant success. 



IIow to make Asricaltaral pur-stiils pleasant as 

 well as profitable. 



For age? the employment of the husbandman has 

 been lookcil upon as dull, umnteieEting work. It has 

 been thought to be a dull, plodding occupation of tho 

 hands and not of the heael. And there h.is lee^n too 

 much foundation fir such an imprcceion. 'J'he agi i- 

 cullu! iits of j'ears not long by-gone, did little with iho 

 head to dignity or enliven the work of the bonds. — 

 A change lor the better seems now near at bond. Ter- 

 hnps in your da}', fartrrers may be generally more intel- 

 lectual, more intelligent, ond more able to bring the 

 truths of science to benefit them in their manual laboi e, 

 and to give thenr interest and delight in their oecupn- 

 tions. Bat whatever others do, I hpe you at Itost will 

 take such mcosures as will convince yourself, if not 

 others, that agriculturaf employments are as inttrectrng, 

 intellectual and pleasing pursuits as any \\ith v.hicli 

 they may be put in compaiioon. I know of jm riicth> 

 od by which you can more cficctut.ly render th.;ni to, 

 than by cniiiloying your mind upon your woik, Mo.,t 

 assurctlly the more your mind is employed upon your 

 v/ork — in tracing effects to their causes, in oceour.tir.g 

 lor failure and disappointment, in undersiaiidirg the 

 operations of nature, in devising imjirovemcnte. Ac. 

 — the rn^ue interest yon will take in your cniploj nieutc, 

 and the pleasure oi.d gratification you dciive ficni 

 them. Sloreover this is not only the way to nrake your 

 pur-suit^ pleasant, but it is the way to make them prof- 

 itable al.'o. Your mental ope-rotiens niiifi lewrtng- 

 tided and injudicious indeed if they do net 'tad you to 

 the discovery of means whereby you can cdi.ce more 

 produce out of any certain amount of labor ord cxjien- 

 diture. The most intelligent farmers, you mny easily 

 convince yourself, if industry is not wanting, gcncrrd- 

 ly succeed in making their farms the moi t profiti.ble. 

 But what I wieh csp.ccially to inculcate upon you, at 

 this tilEc, ia, that you will feel more interest, nioro - 

 pleasure, more conscious dignity in your pursuits, the 

 more you occupy yeiur mind on the subject. 



Agricultural schools would aid in thus elevating cg- 

 riculture.— ^4/6<rr??/ Cultivator. 



' ' ' • ' F 



Orici!! or THK WoBD " F.iRji.". — !n the Saxon* 

 time, the estate which the Lords of Manors griintad to 

 the freemen were at first but for years, with a rtniltr 

 of a rent, which in those days were of corn or victual, 

 ond thence the leases so made were calleil formes or 

 farmcs, which word signilieth victufils : hut times en- 

 suing turned the victuals into money, and trrmi of 

 years to terms of li."? and inheritance, retiijning t;:e 

 rents and iho=« eailed quitrents', er rentu of tho'C per 

 ■ionfi that wore avquitfe^i or fiee. 



