88 



THE NEW GENESEE F A R M E R, 



Vol. 1. 



Agricultural Convention at Rochester. 



We give below the record of the procccJings of the 

 Conveniion, held in ihia city in pursuance of the call 

 published in our lost number. The meeting was well 

 attended, and much spirit and energy evinced during 

 ita transactions; and we doubt not, through the exer- 

 tions of the Executive Commitee of the newly formed 

 Bociety, with the assistance of the friends of the cause, 

 an exhibition and fair will lake place in the autumn, 

 such as our citizens have never before witnessed; and 

 wo would respectfully and most urgently request all 

 to lend tboir exertions in support of the Executive 

 Committee, that the new society and ita fairs may be 

 well worthy of the character and reputation of the far- 

 mers of Western New- York — the original " Genesee 

 Country." 



To prevent any misunderstanding, we would brief- 

 ly state, tbnt the territory intended to be embraced by 

 the Society, must be in some degree defined by cir- 

 cumstances. It is intended to exclude no one who 

 may wish to join; at the same time the society distinct- 

 ly disclaims any intention of interfering in the least 

 degree with county societies already formed, or which 

 may be organized hereafter. While such a vast and 

 abundant field of labor lies before us, we bail with 

 pleasure any accession to the numbers of those whose 

 efforts are directed, in whatever channel, to the beet 

 means of ensuring the agricultural prosperity of our 

 countrv. • 



lowing, which was considered and discussed by sec- 

 'lons, and adopted, viz : 



Constitution. 



Art. 1. This society shall be called the Genisee 



GEIVESEE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETV. 



In accordance with a call published in the New 

 Genesee Farmer, and various other papers in the Gen- 

 esee country for several weeks past, n convention of 

 Farmers and friends of Agriculture, assembled at the 

 Court House in the city of Rochester, ]\Ioy28th 1840. 

 On motion of Gen. Harmon, of Wheatland, GEN. 

 MICAH BROOKS, of Mount Morris, was chosen 

 Chairman, and ELIHU F. MARSHALL, of Roches- 

 ter, Secretary. 



The Chairman made some very pertinent remarks 

 explanatory of the Convention. 



After some interesting discussion ond remarks 

 from Gen. Harmon, VVm. Garbutt, Hon. Enoch 

 Strong, Isaac W. Smith, and others, — 



On motion of John J. Thomas, of Macedon, a 

 committee of seven was appointed to present for the 

 consideration of the meeting, a Constitution for an 

 Agricultural Society. Wm. Garbutt, Amos R. Cole, 

 Rawson Harmon, Jr., John J. Thomas, Isaac W. 

 ■ Smith, Henry E. Rochester, and M. B Bateham were 

 the committee. 



On motion of Lorenzo Hathaway, of Perinton, a 

 committee of seven was appointed to report resolutions 

 for the consideration of the convention, composed of 

 Enoch Strong, John Ayrault, Lorenzo Ilathaway, 

 Matthias Garret, John B. Smith, Elihu F. Marshall, 

 Oliver Culver, Henry M. Ward, and Tho's. Weddle. 

 The committee, after a temporary absence, reported 

 the following, which, on being commented on, were 

 unanimously adopted, viz; — 



L iiV™/ra/, That agriculture stands first in the 

 scale of human pursuits; — that the products of agri- 

 culture constitute the basis of all individual and na- 

 tional wealth; and as the prosperity and consequent 

 happiness of a people depend greatly on their skill in 

 husbandry, we would unite in every effort to promote 

 the farming interests of the country. 



2. Resolved., That our common country is emphati- 

 cally an agricultural country— that as we possess with- 

 in the limi's of these United States the soil and cli- 

 mate adapted to the produeiion of all the necessaries, 

 and raos'.of the luxuries, of life, our independence and 

 ultimate destination among the nations of the earth, 

 depaml upon our proficiency in agriculture. 



3. R.soliT.r/, That although great improvements in 

 skill and maiuigement have been made within the last 

 tew years, there still remains a great and manifest de- 

 ficiency in our knowledge and practice of agriculture. 



4. Hcsolccil, That the interests of the farmiu" 

 community will be best promoted by the united ef^ 

 forts of farmers in their intercourse with each other. 



5. lirsolrcd, That wc therefore proceed to the 

 formation of an Agricultural Association, by the 



f the Genesee Agricultural Society. 



f immittee on a f^onstitiition produced the fob 



nanif 

 The 



Agricultu RAi, Society, for the advailcement of Ag 

 riculturc. Horticulture, and the Domestic Arts, in 

 VVejtem New York. 



Art. 2. Any person may become n member of this 

 Society by paying into its treasury one dollar on ad- 

 mission, and one dollar annually thereafter, on or be- 

 fore the annual meeting, during his continuance as a 

 member. Any person paying twenty-five dollars on 

 admission, may become a life member. 



Art. 3. The Officers of the Society shall be a 

 President, three Vice Presidents, Recording Secretary, 

 Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, end seven Man- 

 ogers, who shall, together, constitute the Executive 

 Committee. They sholl be elected annually by a 

 majority of votes, and shall have power to fill vacan- 

 cies in their own body. 



Art. 4. The Executive Commiitee shall appoint 

 local committees in the various sections of the terri- 

 toiy embraced by the Society, whose duty it shall be 

 to examine forms and crojis which may be offered for 

 premiums, and report the same at the annual meeting, 

 to obtain members, collect all sums due the Society, 

 ond perform all necessary labors connected with the 

 operations of the Society, in their respective sections 

 of country. 



Art. 5. It shall be the duty of the Executive Com- 

 mittee, five of whom shall constitute a quorum, to 

 exercise a general supervision of the affairs of the So- 

 ciety, — to appropriate the funds of the same, in such 

 manner as shall in their judgment best subserve the 

 interests and forward the objects of the Society, — to 

 call special meetings, — to ofl'er premiums, and to ap- 

 point committees to award them, — ond to distribute 

 oil seeds, plants, books, &c. received for the Society. 

 Art. G. The Executive Committee shall determine 

 the time and place and make the necessary prepara- 

 tions for an annual fair, and give sufficient previous 

 notice of the premiums to be awarded thereat, at 

 which time the annual meeting shall be held, for the 

 election of officers, and at which the Executive 

 C'ummittce shall make an annual report. 



Art. 7. All competitors for premiums sholl be mem 

 hers of the Society 



Art. 8. This constitution moy be altered at any 

 annual meeting by a vote of two- thirds of the mem- 

 bers present. 

 On motion of John J. Thomas, 

 R. Harmon, Jr., Thomas Weddle, M. B. Bateham, 

 Lorenzo Hathaway, John Ayrault, Charles Burr, Da- 

 vid Bings, John B. Smith, and Elihu F. Marshall, 

 were appointed to nominate officers for the Society the 

 ensuing year. Af'er a short absence, they reported 

 the names that follow, who were unanimously chosen : 

 For President — Lyman B. Lancwortht, of Greece. 

 Vice Presidents — Micah Brooks, of Mount Mor- 

 ris, Isaac W. Smith, of Lockport, William Gar- 

 butt, of Wheatland. 



Recording Secretary— Henrv M. Ward, of Ro- 

 chester. 



Corresponding Secretary — M. B. Batkham, of 

 Rochester. 

 Treasurer — Henry E. Rochester, of Gates. 

 Managers — Oliver Culver, of Brighton, Rawson 

 Har.mon, Jr. of Wheatland, Enoch Strong, of Per- 

 inton, John J. Thomas, oI Macedon, John B. Smith, 

 of Ogden, Thomas Wediile, of Greece, John H. 

 Robinson, of Henrietta. 



After the appointment of officers, the following res- 

 olutions were offered and after some discussion unani- 

 mously odopted. 



On moti.in of H. M. Ward, 



Resolved, That we consider a well conducted ond 

 well suppor ed periodical devoted to the farming inter- 

 ests, of the first importance to the advancement of 

 agriculture ; that the " New Genesee Farmer" being 

 emphotically o;;r o«'?»7w;7cr, merits and sholl receive 

 our cordial opprobation and support ; that it shall be 

 cmsidored the organ of this Socio y ; and that it shall 

 be the duty nf the officers and members of this Socie- 

 ty to make prompt and vigorous efforts to increase its 

 circulation, by obtaining subscribers for the same in 

 their respective neighborhoods. 



On motion of Wm. (Jnrbutt, accompanied by re- 

 marks from many other gentlemen, the following was 

 offered and unanimously adopted : 



Resolved, That the Executive Committee be direct- 

 ed to appoint and make the necessary preparation for 

 eemi-onnual fairs, fir the sale and exchange of farm 

 stock and produce, one to be held on the day next fol- 

 lowing the onniial fair, and ibe oiheraboui ihe middle 

 of Apri\, 



Resolved, That the proceedings of this convention 

 be published in the New Genesee Farmer, and that 

 the different papers in the "Genesee Country" be 

 requested to copy the same. 



Micah Brooks, Chairman. 



E. F. Marshall, Sec'y. 



Culture of Wheat. 



In the southwestern part of Cayuga county, where 

 the elope of the land is not greater than a hundred leet 

 to the mile, from the smoothness of its surface, a 

 stranger, walking through the woods, and not obser- 

 ving the fall in the streams, would be likely to con- 

 clude it wos nearly level; and we remember, many 

 years ogo, to have heard a rover from the hills of a 

 neighboring state, declare that this district was noth- 

 ing but a maple swamp ! Indeed in times of heavy 

 rains or melting snows, there wae some countenance 

 for that notion; yet when the land was cleared, and the 

 wheat simply harrowed in, — without any plough hav- 

 ing been brought into the field, or any ditch cut to turn 

 off the surplus water, — the crops were often very hea- 

 vy. The interlocing of the fibrous roots of the trees, 

 through the deep vegetable soil, prevented the young 

 wheot from being lifted out by the frost. 



But that state of things has passed away. The 

 stumps with oil their roots, have long since dieop- 

 peared from most of our fields; the muck is much ex- 

 houstcd; ond a portion of the harder subsoil bos been 

 turned up ondmi.xed with it, rerdering the moss more 

 compoct and heavy. The consequence is, that the sur- 

 face water soaks away with more diffieulty, and the 

 plants ore much more lioble to be damaged or destroy- 

 ed in winter when the ground becomes frozen. 



Another cause, however, has had something to do 

 with this deterioration. The lots in Western New- 

 York were generally laid out in rectangles conforming 

 to the meridians and parallels of latitude; ond the fields 

 more frequently occord with the original boundaries. 

 It is different, however, with the course of the swales, 

 or noturol drofts in the land. These generally cross 

 in a diogonal direction, and the ploughman therefore 

 in forming his lands, has obstructed, more or less, the 

 free possoge of the water. 



The remedy for this error is ploin. First, " cease 

 10 do evil;" then "learn to do well." Plough the 

 furrows parallel to the swales, so as to deepen these 

 natural depressions, and make them serve for the col- 

 lection and discharge of the surplus water. It will 

 frequently happen also that the bottom of each furrow 

 will be a drain of itself, allowing the water to posa 

 under the inverted sod, or sook away more freely 

 through the mellow earth. We may be met indeed 

 with the objection that such diagonal ploughing would 

 cause many short houfs ; but it is better to have short 

 Ijouts than short crops. 



We odmit, however, when the swale is narrow ond 

 deep, compored with the adjoining loud, tbot o furrow 

 or two well cleoicd cut with the shovel, may be suffi- 

 cient; but in broad swoles, very little below the gen- 

 eral surface of the field, such process will be found a 

 very inadequate remedy. We must increase the ine- 

 quality of the surface by gathering broad lands with 

 repeated ploughlngs, and then carefully abstain from 

 filling up the deep furrows between them. The ben- 

 efit of this practice, wc know by experience. 



These remarks ore not intended to prevent a more 

 thorough system of draining Jjy open ond covered 

 ditches, which we would recommend to the general 

 attention of farmers. On the upper side of fields es- 

 pecially, open ditches ore very beneficial by intercept- 

 ing the surface water from higher ground. Of whot 

 great consequence this would be to many forms, may 

 be known in some measure by observing what Hoods 

 are discharged during continued rains, by the ditches 

 which ore cut alonj ilie upier side of the roods: and 



