lo. 6. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



83 



aanpplioil tlian in ihe previous year, mid notwiih- 

 Jiiuling ihe severe drougUl which greatly injured 

 lost of our root cro|>s, my crop on this piece of land 

 ;as nearly double to that of Inet year. There is no 

 niiwn cause lo which 1 can attribute this great in- 

 rease of the produce, but tile use of my new con- 

 Uiiclrd subi=tiliiio for a subsiil plough. The soil was 

 [tirrcd to the depth of fourteen inches; by this means 

 be roots of the carrots were enabled to strike deep, 

 ind thereby not only find more nourishment, but to 

 • >yerconie, in a great measnrc, the elfeets of a very 

 ■1 jinching drought. With great respect, 



'* Your ob'l serv't. 



." Lexington, Mass. E. PHINNEY. 



Ainericnn Society of Agriculture. 



An Aililressto the fanners of llie Unitctl States; to ev- 

 en/ friend of ugriciiltiiriit improvement; to erery 

 citizen of tlic United States wko desires to see eleva- 

 ted the character and sta7uii7tg of the cultivators of 

 American soil. 



Most respected and most respectable friends and 

 brothers, give me your attention for a few fleeting mo- 

 ments; your humble brother, who now addresses you, 

 published a suggestion about three years ago, for the 

 purpose of arousing your ntteniion to the subject of 

 forming a National Agricultural Society; that sugges- 

 tion was then responded to with a hearty good will 

 throughout the country. But action upon the subject 

 has been overwhelmed by the political whirlwind that 

 has swept over our country. In the first lull of the 

 succeeding calm, the proposition to form such a socie- 

 ty has been renewed, and with one exception, has met 

 with a cheering " God speed the project." None 

 doubt the utility of the proposed society, yet doubtless 

 there are many who would like to see the object, end 

 and aim of the society more fully e.\plained. To such 

 I now ofter some of my views, and in doing so, invite 

 you all to give yours; for this is one object of a Nation 

 al Society to interchange our views. 



Many warm friends of the measure, who are anx- 

 ious to see the society in operation, cannot see how it 

 is to be organized. They say, " No doubt if once or- 

 ganized, it would daily increase in strength and use- 

 fulness; but it is like a great complicated piece of ma- 

 chmerv, ot great use and value when once in motion, 

 but very dilHcult to start." Now, to mo there is no 

 difficulty in the way. All that is wanted is a few ac- 

 tive engineers to put the machine in motion. Imme- 

 diate and decided action of a few of the active friends 

 of agricultural improvement, who must assume the 

 responsibility to act as engineers as well as pioneers 

 for the whole Union; and having once given the socie- 

 ty an e.t'atence, it will flourish and increase in strength 

 just as our political Union has done. 



The following plan of organizing the society is sug- 

 gested to your consideration : 



Let as many of ihe friends of the project as can be 

 induced to do so, meet at the city of Washington, on 

 some dny of the autumn of 1841, (the particular day to 

 be hereafter li.xed.) and there form a constitution for 

 the society, and elect officers, to wit: a president, a 

 vice president fir each state, a recording secretary for 

 each state, county, city and principal town in the Uni- 

 ted State?, a treasurer, and probably a publisher of a 

 national piper, to be called the Journal of the Ameri- 

 can Society of Agriculture. 



The first officers will hold their offices nntil the next 

 annual meeting, which shoidd be held at the capital of 

 that state which had furnished the greatest number of 

 members at the time when the president of the society 

 should issue his proclamation to convene the second 

 me-ning. 



The place of each annual meeting should be fixed at 

 the preceding one, in some state other than the one 

 where it was then held, so as to give the members in 

 each state an easier opportunity of attending. 



As in the formation ot all such associations it is ne- 

 cessary to have some cash funds, are you willing to 

 donate "a mite" to accomplish this great national 

 object 7 



If 80, an opportunity will hereafter be offered you 

 to do so. Upon some of you I hope to make a person- 

 al call fjr that purpose, should it be thought advisable, 

 after due reflection, to proceed in the organization; 

 therefore, I pray you to give this subject your serious 

 consideration. 



If you should aid in the formation of this society, 

 will not your children •' rise up and bless you ?" Foi 

 one of the first objects of the National Agricultural 

 Society should be to connect with it a " National Ag- 

 ricultural School." 



Not such a " National School" as the only one we 

 Bfl V hive, which has, with too much truth, been cal- 



led "a nursery of aristocracy"— where the humble 

 son of a farmer is ranly admitted, and if admitted, 

 what is he taught ? Not how to cultivate his mother 

 earth, and make her sons glad; not how to increase 

 life, but the art of destruction, the trade of blood 1 I 

 Such is now your only national school. 



Such will not be the only one, in a few short years, 

 if you will lend your energies to form a National So- 

 ciety, whose motto will be, " to elevate the character 

 and standing of the cultivators of the American soil." 

 For when once organized, you will show a united 

 force of many thousands, whose voice will be heard in 

 the halls of Congress demanding our birthiight. lie 

 assured we shall be heard. " Let all our energies be 

 concentrated, and we can do any thing in the power of 

 man; but divided and scattered as we are, we spend 

 our forces, as it were, drop by drop; whereas, iinioii 

 would make us mightier than a torrent." We can, 

 shall we say we will form snch a torrent as will over- 

 whelm our political ruicrs, unless they will do justice 

 to the agricultural class of the community. 



As soon as the National Agricultural Society is form- 

 ed let us ask Congress to appropriate the " Sniythso- 

 nian fund" of half a million of dollars to establish a 

 National School. If we unite as we should do, our 

 "torrent" will be too strong for time-serving politi- 

 cians to resist. 



I look upon the National Agricultural School as the 

 greatest blessing to flow from the National Society. 



But the Journal of the Society will also prove ol 

 immense advantage. It will embody a vast amount of 

 matter, useful and interesting to every cultivator in 

 the Union. The inost carefully prepared tables of the 

 productions of the earth, from every section of the 

 Union will be kept constantly befoie the reader, total- 

 ly different from those vehicles of deception, and often 

 fraud upon the farmer, called "prices current." It is 

 by the quantity produced, tud the probable demand 

 therefore, that we can understand whether it is for our 

 est interto sell our crops now, or store them up. At 

 every meeting there would be numbers from every 

 state in the Union, as ready to impart as to receive in- 

 lormation. 



" All the inducements of the business of a Nation- 

 al Society, a National Fair, and a National School," 

 and the honor of being a member of such a society, 

 would be enough, I think, to make us all feel that it 

 would be a gieater honor to be elected a state delegate 

 to one of the annual meetiugeof the National Society 

 than to be elected a member of Congress. 



It cannot be expected in this short address, that I 

 should point out all the good that would flow from the 

 action of the proposed society. But if we are convin- 

 ced that the etVect would conduce to the interest and 

 happiness of the great mass of American agricultu- 

 rists of the Union, let us act, and with spirit too. 



And now my fiiends, one and all, do you approve 

 of the plan of organization ! Speak out boldly if you 

 do not. .\nd if you do not object, the leading friends 

 of the measure will fix upon a day for the first meet- 

 ing, and proceed in the manner proposed. 

 There has been an argument raised against organizing 

 such a society at present, " because the public inind 

 has not been sufficiently instructed, and does not suf- 

 ficiently aijpreciate the advantages of such an associa- 

 tion to render it successful." 



Now it is on this very accou -t that the friends of 

 the proposed National Society wish to see it establish- 

 ed, that the operations thereof may wake up an excite- 

 ment throughout our " wide scattered population," 

 that shall be the moving cause of changing the "con- 

 dition of the country." 



It is also argued that the failure of severjl state and 

 county societies is proof that a national one must fail 

 also. 



Let me ask if this is a valid argument ? This short 

 quotation, in my mind, is sufficient to knock the 

 whole force of the argument into nonentity: " Divi- 

 ded and scattered as we are, we spend our force as it 

 were, drop by drop; whereas union would make us 

 mightier than a torrent." 



The object of all state and county societies has been 

 of a local iruture. Their existence has been known 

 only in their own locality, and they have been too 

 weak in numbers to command legislative aid. Who 

 can tell what would have been the eflects if all the 

 members of all the local societies in the Union had 

 been attached to one National Society 1 If all the ex- 

 ert'on of all these societies, collectively and individu- 

 ally, had been concentrated upon one object, would it 

 not have formed a " torrent" as mighty, comparative- 

 ly speaking, as the thundering Niagara? If the na- 

 tion, instead of individuals, had received all the light 

 of the intelligent minds that have been devoted to these 

 local BToieties, would it bct>- be taid •' that the pnWif 



mind was not sufficiently enlightened to appreciate the 

 advnntagea to be derived from a National Society?" 

 II all the money that has been devoted" drop by drop" 

 upon " model farms" and local schools had been con- 

 centrated, should we not now have an institution wor- 

 thy the great ciuintry we inhabit 7 



If our population is scattered ; if " long distances 

 intervene between the most efficient friends of agricul- 

 tural iniprovoment," so much the more need of form- 

 ing such a society as shall draw them together in " on* 

 strong bond of brotherhood." 



Is it a fact " that the time has not yet arrived when 

 such an association can be organized with a reasons, 

 ble certainty of success V If such is the fact, I am 

 disappointed in the energy and character of my couii- 

 trynien. 



Once more I call upon you to answer me this quet- 

 lion; am 1 so disappointed in your character 7 



Do not refuse your countenance to the measure be- 

 cause It does not originate in high places. For " if 

 ever we are to have a National Society of Agriculture 

 it must be g.it up by the formers tbemeelvee;" and aa 

 one of that class 1 now address you. 



If the present attempt at organization fail, the matter 

 may be considered as decided for the present genera- 

 tion. 



The only question then is, shall the matter sleep un- 

 til you and I are past waking t 



I am a devoted friend to present organization of a 

 National Society of Agriculture, and a National School, 

 that ujill elevate the character and standing of the cul- 

 Lirators of the American soil. 



And your friend and brodier, 



SOLON ROBINSON. 



Lake C. H., Ta., April 1, 1841. 



For the New Genesee Former, 

 Letter from Wisconsin. 



Messrs. Editors — Among the interesting articles 

 in your paper, none are esteemed more highly, or 

 looked for with more solicitude by me, than those re- 

 lating to the flower garden and to horticultural pro- 

 ducts, by your valuable assistant, D. T. He is al- 

 ways entertaining and useful; and I should like to 

 take a peep over his garden fence in a month or two, 

 although our prairies and woodlands can boast of their 

 peerless beauties in the way of flowers, not to be ex 

 ceeded by those cultivated in eastern gardens. I am 

 not a scientific botanist, but can appreciate well the 

 beauties of Flora. Here many plants grow wild, that 

 are nurtured and esteemed among the florists of the 

 east. I shall make a collection of the most of them 

 and place them in my front garden, and will some fu- 

 ture day, do myself the pleasure of sending some of 

 the seeds, &c. to you. 



By the way, I see you are making a collection of 

 grasses. I think you could find quite a variety in this 

 country; for wc have many varieties growing wild in 

 our marshes and low lands, many of which make very 

 good hay. We have also wild rice in abundance; for 

 you must know that this neighborhod was the resi- 

 dence of the Menonimee Iijdians, or wild rice eaters, 

 as they were called by the French, and a few of whom 

 still linger round their ancient homes. 



I wish to inquire what is best to apply to cure a losa 

 of the eye in neat cattle I have a favorite half blood 

 Durham cow, which last summer had ihe miafortun* 

 to lose her left eye, the sight having all run out. Now 

 I wish to know what to apply to heal over the wound. 

 Will you inform me 7 E. B. QUINER. 



Milwaukee, W. T., 



Large liogs. 



Mr. George Baker, of ffdgmont, Delaware o»nn» 

 ty, Pa., slaughtered, on the 10th of March last, a hog 

 which weighed, when dressed, 879 lbs.! 

 Another. 



Mr. Ptilip S. Bishop, of Edgmont. Delaware coun- 

 ty, Pa., also slaughtered, on the 30th of March, a hog 

 which weighed, when dressed, 967 Ibs.l Those two 

 hogs were about 2J year* old, and of common stock; 

 both of one Utter. The litter consisted of twenty- 

 thre*. We cliall«ng« th« Bwksbiros to beat this. 



A SUSSCRIBZII. 



