56 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



February, 1921. 



having on one occasion left the city for a few days, 

 some curious person determined to test the matter. A 

 letter, asking a question on Agriculture, which required 

 an immediate answer, was sent to the office of the 

 Acadian Recorder. An answer could not be received 

 from the place where the reverend gentleman had gone 

 in less than several days, but "Agricola" not knowing 

 the strategy answered the letter the same afternoon 

 and thus furnished infallible proof that the clergyman 

 was not the mysterious "Agricola" and that, more- 

 over, Agricola lived in Halifax. 



Even at this time there were some of his more in- 

 timate f"iends who were suspicious of the real per- 

 .sonality of "Agricola". Himself referring to the above 

 mentioned instance says "By such means conjecture 

 was drawn within narrower limits and at this date (8 

 months after the appearance of the first letter), there 

 was a pretty general expectation that I would turn out 

 to be the writer who had so long worked the secret 

 springs of the agricultiiral movement." 



Before, however, the personality of Agricola was sus- 

 pected, some interesting public evei^ts occurred which 

 showed the esteem in which the unkno^^^l writer was 

 held. At a dinner in Halifax on the occasion of the 

 Anniversary of St. Andrew, November 30th. 1818, His 

 Excellency, The Right Honorable Earl of Dalhousie, 

 (Governor of Nova Scotia and Founder of Dalhousie 

 University! proposed " The health of 'Agricola' and 

 success to his labors." In proposing the toast His Ex- 

 cellency stated that the personality of Agricola was 

 unknown to him. None the less the newspaper accoimt 

 of the dinner states that the toast was received "with 

 Ihree times three and great applause." 



By December, 1818, five months after the apiiearancc 

 of the first letter, some twenty-four Agricultural 

 Societies had been organized in the Province and it was 

 decided that a Society subsequenth' called "The Pro- 

 vincial Agricultural Society" should be organized in 

 Halifax to centralize and foster the movement. A 

 meeting for this purpose was called for December 15th 

 1818, at which His Excellency, The Earl of Dalhousie. 

 presided. A most interesting account of this meeting 

 appeared in the Acadian Recorder of December 19. 

 1818. The Earl of Dalhousie was declared permanent 

 President during his administration. Other distinguish- 

 ed men were elected to prominent positions but when it 

 came to the appointment of Secretary, His Excellency 

 said that there was only one person capable of assuming 

 that office, "Agricola" himself. As, however, Agricola 

 was unknown to the meeting His Excellency requested 

 the Honorable Judge Haliburton (better known as 

 the author of Sam Slick) to act as temporary 

 secretary nntil such time as Agricola would disclose 

 himself. As a matter of fact Agricola was present at 

 the meeting hxit did not take part in the proceedings. 

 In a letter written at a later date he says that he heard 

 the proceedings with calm indifference, although when 

 the Governor nominated him for Secretary, a close ob- 

 server might have detected him by the involuntary 

 heat and flush which diffused his face for a moment. 

 Up to this time his purpose of remaining forever con- 

 cealed had been unshaken Imt this appointment made 

 him reflect whether the mystery in which he had 

 hitherto concealed himself might not be treachery to the 



cause. This question of revealing himself had to be de- 

 cided before the next meeting of the Society to be called 

 by the Governor. This meeting Avas held on April 13, 

 1819, and a few days before the meeting, Agricola him- 

 self says "I wrote HLs Lordship (The Earl of Dalhou- 

 sie) and subscribed my real name. An interview im- 

 mediately followed: and thus the long contested secret 

 was finally divulged." 



"Agricola" proved to be John Young, a Scotchman 

 born at Falkirk, Sterlingshire, Scotland, on September 

 1st, 1773, who came to Halifax and establi-shed himself 

 as a merchant in that city in 1814, who subsequently 

 bought a farm at Willow Park (near the Halifax Ex- 

 hibition grounds^ and who died in Halifax on October 

 6th 1837. During the earlier years of his life he had 

 studied medicine at Glasgow, Avhere he acquired his 

 knowledge of Science which is so well displayed in his 

 letters. Subsequent to revealing his name he represented 

 the then County of Sydney, (now Antigonish and 

 Guysboro). in the Provincial Legislature for two terms. 

 Although he was a graceful and prolific writer it is 

 stated that he was not a brilliant speaker and that he 

 excelled more in the councils than in the forum of the 

 House. In Campbell's history of Nova Scotia a humor- 

 ous instance is narrated of Agricola which is worth 

 recording : 



"In a debate in the House of Assembly on a grant 

 of money for tlic importation of horses for the Province, 

 several members expressed their opinion as to the most 

 suitable breed. John Young was in favor of horses for 

 fai'ming purposes, of which he was considered a good 

 judge. James B. Uniacke was in favor of importing 

 horses, half blood, and in liis remarks spoke sarcas- 

 tically about the kind of horses kept by Mr. Young who 

 lived at Willow Park and which were occasionally em- 

 plo.yed in driving agricultural produce to market. Mr. 

 Uniacke was an eloquent speaker, graceful in manner 

 and appearance, and by his ready wit and a sly allu- 

 sion to Mr. Young's cabbage, turned the laugh of the 

 House against that gentleman. Mrs. Uniacke was a 

 ladj- possesed of a large fortune at the time of her mar- 

 riage but happened, like many of the very best of her 

 sex, not to be renuirkalile for her lieauty. Mr. Young 

 wlio had sat dreamily listening to Mr. Uniacke, by-and- 

 l)y rose to reply, and with a complacent smile on his 

 countenance said "We, in Scotland, Mr. Speaker, select 

 our horses upon the same principal as some gentlemen 

 select their wives, not for their beauty, but for their 

 sterling worth.' All eyes were immediately turned on 

 Mr. Uniacke and there followed a universal burst of 

 laughter." 



Were this an historical magazine and were the readers 

 all Nova Scotians it might be of interest to tell of the 

 further measures that were used by Agricola, now 

 working in his public capacity as Secretary of the 

 Provincial Agricultural Board, to further promote agri- 

 culture in Nova Scotia. Particularly note-worthy was 

 the continued organization of new Agricultural Socie- 

 ties, a system that has been continued in Nova Scotia 

 up to the present date, there being now some 271 of 

 these Societies. An account appears in the publication 

 of Young's letters of prices offered by the Provincial 

 Society for encouraging summer fallow, for the grow- 

 ing of the best fields of five acres or more of oats and 

 two acres of turnips, etc., for the largest amount of 



