lis 



1' H E N E \y GENESEE F A R M E R, 



Vol.1. 



Importauce of the Education of Farmers. 



Messrs. Kditors — .'Mihough much Una been said of 

 lale upon ibc education of farmers, elill much more 

 needs be said before the minds of the farming commu- 

 nity will be properly awake to this subject. It ought 

 to enfagc the pen of the ablest writers ; it ought to be 

 published in every paper, and jiroclaimed upon the 

 house-tops, that ignorance ia the greatest obstacle in 

 the way of successful farming. If any profession on 

 earth requires its followers to be well educated men, 

 thoroughly acquainted with the laws of nature, it is 

 that of Agricidture. In order to success in almost 

 any business in life, it is necessary that those engaged 

 ehouldbe well acquainted wiih the first principles of the 

 profession. Especially is this true of farming. And 

 yet how many there are who are engaged in this im- 

 portant business who are wholly ignorant of its first 

 rudiments. No other profession has ever been the 

 subject of 80 much abuse by reason of ignorance as this. 

 Before men can engage in moat other callings, they 

 must first serve apprenticeship and give a year or more 

 of their service, or they must apcnd seven or eight 

 years and many hundred dollars in study, before they 

 can be considered os prepared to engage in the intend- 

 ed profession. But any body can be a farmer, is the 

 general opinion. Any body knows enough for that. 

 No matter indeed whether they be any body or not, if 

 they are only in the shape of a man. No matter 

 whether they know A from B, or whether they sup- 

 pose the moon is composed of the same material os our 

 earth, or whether it is made of green cheese. No mat- 

 ter whether they suppose the earth revolves around the 

 Bun and is governed by the iixed laws of nature, or 

 whether it stands upon the shoulders of four huge ele- 

 phants. No matter at all about these things, if they 

 only know how to plough, sow their grain and cover it 

 up ; this ie all that is necessary. This has been the 

 too prevalent opinion, although I am glad to soy it is 

 fast doing away. Farmers education has been greatly 

 neglected; they hove generally thought that to educate 

 their children was unnecessaiy. With many the opin- 

 ion prevails that if they can only read well enough to 

 read a newspaper, (seldom though that they take one,) 

 can write a little, understand arithmetic well enough 

 to add and substract, their education is sufTicient. To 

 study Grammar and Geogrophy would be worse than 

 useless. As the former would make them talk more 

 politely and correctly, and politeness is something that 

 belongs to gentlemen, not to farmers. The latter would 

 make them more acquainted with the world, and there- 

 fore create in them a desire for traveling. Philosophy, 

 Chemistry, Geology, Botany, Minerology, &c., which 

 are very essential to good farming, are entirely beyond 

 their comprehension, and are generally supposed to be 

 Greek or Latin words. For such people to send their 

 children to an academy, would, of course, spoil them, 

 as it would make them lazy ond proud. And this lat- 

 ter objection may be sometimes true: but it is always 

 with those whose natural abilities are not sufficient for 

 a i'armer. Therefore, some other busiiicfs, to which 

 euch ones always flee, woiUd be better for them. 



What I have said, is not true of all fanners. Yet it 

 is too much so with the majority; and its effects are 

 plainly to be seeti. By reason of such ignorance they 

 are frequently duped and defrauded in their inter- 

 course with the more enlightened. By reason of such 

 ignorance they have come far short of thot profit which 

 they might have realized had they been more thorough- 

 ly acquainted with the principles of forming. And, 

 as a consequence, farmeiB have generally been consid- 

 ered inferior to persons of other profesiions ; and, 

 therefore, farming hos been looked upon by many as 

 rather a low and degraded colling. And farmers 

 have been contented to have it so. They have not 

 considered themselves as good as other men. Like 



the African slave, they have been too willing to be 

 trodden down by those whom they considered their 

 superiors. They often regard men of other profes- 

 sions far above themselves. But this should not be. 

 Farming is the most important, and it should be con- 

 sidered the most honorable, occupation in the world. 

 Let farmers arise and take a proper stand in the com- 

 munity, and no longer let it be considered degrading 

 to be a farmer. Let farmers become educated men. 

 By becoming educated, I do not mean that they must 

 be college educated; but let them be instructed in 

 those sciences which are necessary to a thorough 

 knowledge of their profession. Let them be thinking, 

 intelligent men — men of sound minds and honest 

 hearts. 



But, one more idea, ond I have done. That is this. 

 Farmers compose three-fourths of the inhabitants ot 

 this great republic, and upon them, therefore, rests 

 the destiny of this nation. How important, therefore, 

 thot they be intelligent, educated, thinking men. Do 

 they consider this ? Then let them prepare their sons 

 and daughters to fill a station so high ond important 

 Let them prepare their sons for seots in our Legislo- 

 tures and our Congress; and I verily believe were 

 these bodies now composed of farmers, we should not 

 see that discord which now prevails in our national af- 

 fairs. K. 



Lc Ruy, June, 1840. 



For the New Genesee Farmer. 

 Noxious Weeds. 



Messrs. Editors — The farmers in this section are 

 letting their farms get overrun with noxious weeds, 

 which will be the means, in a few yeors, of ruining their 

 best londs, so well adapted to growing wheat. It is 

 only a few years since the forme in this quarter were 

 entirely free from foul stuff' of any kind, but of late 

 years, the formers hove become more negligent, and 

 therefore we cannot expect otherwise, than to see the 

 spread of noxious weeds of every kind. 



Almost every field in this section and elsewhere 

 where I have traveled, contains more or less of the 

 Canada Thistle, ( Cnicusartcnsis.) To destroy them, 

 some propose ploughing them three or four times in 

 the course of the summer. Others have proposed 

 mowing them as often as they make their appearance 

 above the surface of the earth. But the way to destroy 

 them, is by ploughing and droggingos often ostwice in 

 a month through the season ; by thus doing they con 

 be entirely destroyed. Johnswort, (Hypericum ^cr- 

 foratum,) is olso becon.ing very prevalent, and is a 

 very bad weed. Also the Vellow Doisy, f Chrysan- 

 themum lucanthcmuiujjnndiiweel Elder, ( Sumhicns 

 canadensis). The Elder in mony ploces in this vi- 

 cinity, hos almost destroyed large fields, which would 

 otherwise be first rate lands. The Milk Weed ( Ac- 

 depias syriacus,) is a very destructive weed, but is 

 very easily subdued, by cutting them os often as they 

 appear. I know fields that were a few yeors ogo en- 

 tirely covered witli the milk weed, where now one con 

 hnrdly be perceived. 



The (oct is, sirs, if we wish to destroy the above 

 named weeds, it is highly necessary that we do it now, 

 and not put off' till to-morrow, because every year they 

 will become more and more prevalent, and soon it will 

 be almost impossible to subdue them. 



The Slein Craiil, or red root, ( Lilhospcrmnm ar- 

 vcnse,) is becoming very common in this region, and 

 hos been the means of almost ruining large fields of 

 wheat. A neighbor of mine, hasa farm of l;!0 ocres, 

 and the greater part of it is almost entirely covered w'ith 

 Stein Craut,the very worst of weeds among wheat. Fif- 

 teen years ago, such a weed woe not known in this coun- 

 try — ond might have been entirely kept out, if the far- 

 mers had been more diligent, and on its first discovery, 

 destroyed it. A few years since a farmer of my ac- 



quaintance in this town, raised from nine acres sowing 

 to wheat, 15 bushels of the Stein Craut — very clear 

 seed too. He had not more than holf a crop of wheot 

 from the nine acres of land — which had it not been for 

 the stein craut, might have been a great crop, as the 

 land was of first quality. It is evident that the farmers 

 must use some means whereby this noxious weed can 

 be destroyed, oritwillbeentirely useless to sow wheat. 



OBSERVER. 



Growing EvUs-»Canada Thistles. 



Messrs. Editors — Hoving occasion, not long since, 

 to pass through an adjoining town, my thoughts natu- 

 rally turned to the subject of farming; and as I com- 

 pared the diflerent formers together, I thought to my- 

 self there is much room for improvement among this 

 class of society which is so often termed the most inde- 

 pendent; and groicing evils were creeping in among 

 them unowores. Occasionally there is a farm to be 

 seen, which looks os though the owner intended to do 

 justice to it, hoping, doubtless, to receive a rich re- 

 ward for his labor. But he has powerful eneniits to 

 contend with. In on adjoining field, owned by h.s 

 neighbor, several large patches of Canada Thistles 

 were to be seen, growing luxuriantly, accompanied by 

 a good quantity of other evil weeds. Perhaps the 

 Thistles were destined to be mowed down, or in some 

 manner destroyed, but he who has this task allottee! 

 him, often overlooks a part of them, (perhaps from 

 a want ol interest on the subject,) and they arc per- 

 mitted to go to seed and spread from field to field.— i 

 Thus it is from the carelessness or ignorance of one | 

 man, that anothers cares are increased. Often do we 

 hear it remarked, "You have a fine crop of Canada 

 Thistles, and why don't you destroy them." "Oh, 

 I have tried and tried, and oil that I can do only makes 

 them worse." The fact is, he has only made a mock 

 trial, and as long as he continues so to do he will find 

 himself surrounded by growing evils. As yet I have 

 menticmed but one of the growing evils of our coun- 

 try, and if there were no more, woidd not this one be 

 sufficient to require action on the subject of growing 

 evils? Is it not o subject which demands the atten- 

 tion of every Farmer? Do you osk for a remedy ? Pe- 

 ruse closely your ogricultural paper and you will find 

 several, but they will avail you nothing unless you prac. 

 tice them. Furthermore, use your best endeavors tc 

 persuade your brother farmers to become subscribers t( 

 some good agricultural poper, thot the mass of farmeri 

 may move together, and be active and united on thii 

 subject, and then you may anticipate a victory ovci 

 these and other growing ev ils. SPUR. 



Education of Farmers' Sons. 



Mkssrs. Editors. — If o farmer's son knew some 

 thing of botany, geology ond agriculturol chemistry 

 he might still be a rustic, but not an ignorant man.— 

 As he pursed his daily task he would find himself ii 

 that school of nature, where she lightens physical toi 

 by unfolding to the mind at every turn of the plough 

 the rich treasures of her kingdom, ond the wondorfu 

 secrets of her laboratory. But w hen grossly ignoran 

 of that science which encircles his doily professiom 

 his situation is olmost as hopeless, in point of intellec 

 tual knowledge, as that of the native Shiek of the dt 

 sert, who asked Savary, the Trenchroyagair, whelt 

 er the English or the French made those Ruins. 



Ignorance in the farmer ia more palpable than i 

 those classes who herd together in cities and villagei 

 In the latter places the most limited information is o 

 ten concealed by a sort of showy flippancy, acquire; 

 by that daily procliee which the former cannot have. 



Far be it from me to deny the farmer's son a class 

 col education; — I am also aware that w itliout a knovi 

 ledge of some of those languages from whence tl 

 English is derived, a truly literary character can hart 



1 



