110 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Intellectual Culture. 



Feeling somewhat gratified with the flattering notice 

 bestowed on my former communications, and not wil- 

 ling to appear indlti'erent to, or negligent in returning 

 a compliinont, or in emlcavoriog to repay a "good 

 turn," I have resumed my pen; noc, however, without 

 the conviction that many, very many, mothers and 

 daughters of the surrounding country, enjoying supe- 

 rior advantages, bath of acquired and natural abilities, 

 are far more capable of enlisting the attention of the 

 heedless and casual reader, and of Inspiring the minds 

 of the too busy-workers with a love for intellectual cul- 

 ture and general improvement. Yet I do not feel un- 

 willing to render my "mite" in acaiise replete witli in- 

 terest, to the farmer as well as the statesman, to the 

 farmer,8 children as well as the collegiate stuilent. 



The first most natural duty of man, appears to be, to 

 provide fur the body sustenance and raiment. Our ap- 

 petite prompts us t.i satisfy its cravings for food, our 

 pride and ambition and the sense of heat and cojd in- 

 duce us to provide clothing; hut ollen, through too 

 much care and anxiety for those, the appetite of the 

 mind becomes weak and unhealthy ; its perceptions and 

 energies are blunted ; its longings for knowledge and 

 inquiry into the wonderful operations of animated ex- 

 istence and inanimate matterarcsnspended, and finally 

 almost extinguished, until some whispe.ings of con- 

 science penetrate the ear of the soul, or some thunder- 

 bolt of omnipotent power startles anew into existence 

 l!ie hushed and neglected spirit, thecriished and abused 

 intellect, the intelligent soul, vyhich has been entrusted 

 to our keeping. 



The enquiring mind cannot be satisfied and can 

 never be stilled. It is boundless in its desires, and un- 

 rca.sing in its efforts. It is capable of infinite expan- 

 sion and endless duration ; but dependent upon the 

 will and judgment of its possessor for a proper cultiva- 

 tion to bring it forth in its native strength and majesty* 

 in its purity and dignity, in its beauty and lovcUness. 



My feelings upon this subject induce me to address 

 myself mostly to the fathers and mothers employed in 

 the busy occupations of agriculture. Altliough I have 

 not the experience of mature age, yet I hqpe the years 

 employed havj not been altogether unimproved ; and 

 while I would speak with the utmost deference to those 

 older and more experienced than myself, I would soli- 

 cit their attention to a subject involvin t the deepest in- 

 terests of every individual. All acquainted with the 

 history of the farm.ing population of our country, are 

 aware that they have had, what is generally termed, 

 rather hard times to get through the world with credit 

 and honor, and secu;'e to their posterity a competence, 

 an independent station in society. They have, as a 

 general thing, commenced life, not in <t^(^«(?h«; and (.ws!;, 

 but with a R'W hundreds of ilollars, and many with 

 •lathing but health and a vigorous determination to lay 



■ themselves a foundation of wealth and its advanta- 

 ges. With little or no education, and fi'W opportuni- 

 ties for improving it, with few clothes and no money, 

 how many of our forefathers Iiave commenced the cul- 

 tivation of the wild and cheerless tbrest ; hardly giving 

 themselves nature's just repose, so intent were they on 

 acquiring by the labor of their own hands, a support^ 

 yea, more — a comfortable, cheerful homo for their 

 children. 



But while they labored to secure for their families 

 the necessaries of life, they seem almos' to have for- 

 gotten that the mind, the foundation of all rational and 

 exalted enjoyment, had been committed to their united 

 care for direction and improvement. Amiust the bus- 

 tle of business, the fatigue of labor, and the anxieties, 

 cares, and perplexities of life, the cultivation of the 

 mind has been too much neglected; and the false and 

 injudicious opinion that the farmers had no use for 

 much education, that there is notliing in his pursuits to 

 draw forth the intellectual spirit within him, and that 



it is of no farther importance to him than it affords fa- 

 cilities for the accomplishment of business, to advance 

 his wealth and influence, has by degrees, detached, 

 in a great measure, from his noble and generous heart, 

 the purest sources of human enjoyment. That part 

 of the subject has been too wilhngly relinquished to the 

 nothing-to-do atid professional classes. But it ought 

 not, it must not be thus. 



Upon the father, as the head (if the family circle, 

 devolves the duty of establishing a course of regular 

 instruction at the fireside; and the mother should be 

 diligent and unwearied in her efforts to have those reg- 

 ulations observed and adhered to. But, says the busy 

 farmer, what time have I for instructing my children. 

 I let them go to school in the winter, and if they do 

 not learn it is their own fault. Biif fathers! reflect one 

 moment. Your children's characters are moulded by 

 your owi^ ha^id ; and their present and eternal happi- 

 ness may almost with truth, be said to rest upon your 

 conduct. Let the father set the example — let him, in 

 conversation, by reading and study, impress upon the 

 youthful minds of his children the iiecessity, the advan- 

 tages, the happiness, and the duty of intellectual cul- 

 ture; let him but succeed in the single effort of incul- 

 cating a love for reading, and then select such books as 

 will both et^liyen the imagination and enlighten the un- 

 derstanding ; that will raise the ambition and create a 

 thirst for improvement ; that will awaken the curiosity 

 and induce meditation ; that will fire the soul with 

 courage, animation andpersevcrcnce; that will estab- 

 lish a loye for virtue, religion and justice; and you will 

 have little trouble to keep that child iri the path of rec- 

 titude, in the road to knowledge, in the straight and 

 nan'ow way that leads to happiness here and infinite 

 enjoyment hereafter. 



But says one, 1 have no leisure for reading anything 

 more than my political and agricultural paper — I can 

 scaroely sj^nd time for that — and as for buying books 

 for my children, I have no money to spare, — there are 

 other things that must be attended to for ail that. But 

 what is it that mqst bp attended to"? a few more acres 

 of land purchased'? a fine span of horses and a few 

 more cows'! Or perhaps these things are already pur- 

 chased and the moricy must be made out. Well, I 

 am glad for one that you can have these things; lam 

 heartily rejoiced to see the hard workirig man enjoy 

 the fruits of his industry and ecopomy. But — that 

 little conjunction, but, has got a word to say — does 

 the father, the lawfiil poi^sessor of a rich and produc- 

 tive farm, the honest and rightful owpcr of fine horses 

 and sleek cattle, of numerous herds and fiocks of every 

 kind, will he say, I cannot afib.rd time to read anything 

 but a paper or twol that I cannot afibrd a few shil- 

 lings or dollars to purchase books for my family'? 

 Does he fancy that the all-wise, bountiful, benevolent 

 father, the author, creator and preserver of himself 

 his family, and his possessions, will, at that great ajid 

 awfol tribunal, say u,ntol)im, "thoq gspd and faithful 

 servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" ? Think 

 you that he will believe that you had no time to de- 

 vote to the improvement of the mind ; that you had 

 no time or talents for the instruction of your children ; 

 no money to purchase for them the writteri volumes 

 of information ar,d knowledge? Ah! there is httle 

 doubt, there is bqt one cojiviction as to that final 

 opinion, that eternal decision. FLORA. 



Brutus, Cayufra Co., August 7, 1813. 



For the fiew Gfnesee Farmer, 

 On Threshing Machines. 



Mr. Cqlman — 1 noticed in your July number of 

 the Farmer, what you say as well ae svhat some of 

 your correspondent soy in regard to threshing ma- 

 chines. If you have no objection^, I would like to 

 have my say on the same suliject. 



In the first place, with all due deference, I dissent 

 entirely with yoii and your correspondent Y, in regard 



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to this "partnership" oj "company concern;" fc 

 the simple reason, that it is not often that two or ibrt 

 formers can be found that are equally corefid nnd pai 

 ticularin the use of machinery ; and without core 

 attention, the best and strongest will sometimes breo 

 or get out of order. I will state a ease in point, an 

 I have no doubt there are many others of the satr 

 stamp. 



About six or aeypn years ago, four of my neighbo 

 pt^rchiised in compony one of Fox and Boilond'o m 

 chines. The first yeor, each one threshed out the 

 crops, and nil went very smoothly. Two out of tl 

 four were careful men, and, when in their posaessio 

 all was right. But mork the difiercnee ; the four 

 partner, after using the machine, neglected to remo' 

 it under cover, and left it at the back side of his ba 

 exposed to the weather, until it was wanted again ti 

 next season. 'When another of the owners was dei 

 roua of threshing out some rye, he sent for the ra 

 chine, which was three miles off, and after considei 

 ble lime hod been consumed in cleaning, piling, &i 

 every thing prepared, the horses bitched on, the m 

 chine started, when lo, and behold ! one of the co 

 wheels was found to he broken, and instead of three 

 ing, the hands were disehargedj and he was obliged 

 send to a machinist to hove it replaced, which to 

 several days ; and the consequence was, the flail h 

 to be used to thresh for immediate use, and n proj 

 siiion was made to sell out and close the concei 

 " What is every one's business ia no one's bvsinesE 

 of course the machine myst aufler. 



Now, sir, 1 roisebut little grain of any kind, sti 

 find it a slow operation to beat it out with ihp fiai 

 besides tltpre is ponsiderable waste, in its not bei 

 threshed clean : to be sure, the cattle will not disli 

 it any the less on that account, but to soy the Ipast 

 is a slow and tedious operation. 



This rpminfls me of the Dutchman who woe asli 

 why it v«'Qs that his horses were always so fat , 

 which he honestly replied, " I tont know, for I gi 

 dem notting but straw, and dot ia not half ihreehet 

 It is presumed he used the flail, or what is more co 

 mon with them, beat out the grain with his hor 

 leet. 



The snnchine made nt Hillsdale is, I believe, Alle 

 patent, and a very efiicient one it is too ; and the 1 

 price for which it is sold, is a cpneideration not to 

 overlooked in the present depressed state of the tin 



My objection to Hibbard's miiehine is, that it lo 

 up too much room-^cannot be ^vorked in stor 

 weather — loo much lime consumed in preparation— 

 quirea a driver, and from the description, too com 

 oaled. I concur in ppinion with your correspond 

 Y, thot two-horse power is preferable, as it cnett 

 more, and can bo worked by one horse if requii 

 An etidlees-chain power can be placed on a born f 

 — takes up little room — can be removed from one b 

 to another and put in operation in a few moments. 



One object in addressing yoii this communicati 

 ia to answer the inquiries contained in several let 

 lately received on the subject, and whether "Ha 

 power and thresher hold the same place in my esti 

 as it did when I recommended it lo the notice of 

 farmers, in the third volume of the Cultivator 

 1837." 



Ae I observed before, I cuhivate but little grain, 

 from 900 to 700 bushels of all kinds ; still I consic 

 cd a threshing machine necessary, nnd procured 

 1S36 one of *' Hale's Endlees-choin Power 

 Threshers," which I have used ever since, for thri 

 ing, sawing ond grinding ; and what is very extr 

 dinary, no accident hns occurred, nor have I expc 

 ed one shilling for repoirs ; nnd it is now in as g 

 order, with the exception of ihe floor on which t, 

 horse walks, which is much worn nnd may require 



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