174 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.-GRINDING BONES. 
cised by one man or a few over their fellows, or by 
the ignorance or wilfulness of many over themselves 
—in all instances the people suffer alike. These are 
plain truths, told in a downright blunt manner; and 
the consequence is, that many of our readers are very 
angry. This we expected at first; but we shall look 
to time and reflection to modify these feelings; and 
we have no doubt we shall live to see the day when 
we shall be thanked instead of blamed for what we 
have written upon the subject of fences. 
Suppose that one man has a farm which it is 
much more profitable for him to cultivate in grain 
than grass; of course he does not wish to keep much 
stock—they would be a loss to him. Another, some 
little distance off, has land which it is most profitable 
to keep in grass, and stock is consequently his most 
profitable crop. Very well ; it is a free country, and 
each follows his own interest, and does as he thinks 
proper. But then comes the odious tyranny and tax 
of law and custom, interfering between the two. 
The owner of the rich grazing land is not compelled 
to fence his stock IN, or to send a shepherd and dogs 
to keep them on his own bounds; but it is he who 
possesses the grain land who is forced to fence them 
OUT. Was ever anything more odious or unjust ? 
We will say nothing of the liberty allowed a few 
vagabonds, to let their vicious and unruly animals 
run in the road, to gather up a half-starved and pre¬ 
carious existence. The argument is just as good 
where lands are so situated that it is difficult to main¬ 
tain fences on account of fires; the scarcity and high 
price of timber; bleak situations, w T here the strong 
winds annually prostrate them; or the overflow of 
rivers or tides sweep them to destruction. 
There are millions of acres of land in this country 
fit only for the pasturage of geese, and a small hardy 
breed of sheep. The value of the feed per acre grow¬ 
ing on this kind of land, is not over 25 cents to $2 a 
year. A few boys with dogs can take care of thou 
sands of these animals at a trifling expense ; how ab¬ 
surd, then, to force the owners to fence in this poor 
land, at such a cost as to make the possession of it 
an outgo, perhaps, rather than an income to them. 
Shame on such law, we say, or rather custom, which 
has become more powerful than the law in many in¬ 
stances and rules to its destruction ! 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
The regular monthly meeting of this Association 
was held in the rooms of the Historical Society, at 
the University, on Monday, the 7th of April. Hon. 
Luther Bradish,the President, in the Chair. The at¬ 
tendance, as heretofore, was both large and highly 
respectable. The minutes of the last meeting were read 
and approved After which several letters were read, 
from Hon. Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, Daniel 
Webster, and Adam Beatty, acknowledging and accept¬ 
ing their appointments as Counsellors of the Society. 
An interesting communication was read from Mr. 
Harmon, of Monroe county, on his mode of cultivat¬ 
ing wheat. The case belonging to the State Agricul¬ 
tural Society, prepared by him, containing a number 
of varieties of wheat heads, tastefully arranged, was 
exhibited. Mr. Harmon generously offered to prepare 
a similar case for the Association, which will be a 
valuable donation. A communication was also read 
from Mr. Weller, of Brinklyville, N. C., upon the 
subject of the Grape Culture. Mr. W. has been highly 
successful in cultivating, some of our native grapes, 
from which he has made an excellent article of wine 
He promised to furnish the Association with his mode 
of making wine, in a future communication. A let¬ 
ter was read by Mr. Butler, from Mr. Van Epps, 
upon the subject of fossil peat, discovered by him on 
Long Island, a specimen of which was exhibited. 
Mr. R. L. Pell, of Ulster county, presented speci¬ 
mens of the weevil and pea bug, large numbers of 
which he had collected and preserved alive in bottles. 
Also specimens of oats; orchard grass; and chess, five 
feet, six inches high; and clover, three feet, nine inches, 
the growth of a few weeks, accelerated by a highly 
concentrated chemical manure. He also presented to¬ 
matoes, just in fruit, twenty-four inches high. Peas-, 
in blossom, twenty-one inches; wheat, twenty-one 
inches; potatoes, with blossom buds, twenty-one 
inches; all grown by the influence of electricity,since 
the 12th of March—twenty-five days. Also, a Madei¬ 
ra vine, twenty-four inches high; peas, twelve 
inches; wheat, ten inches; pepper grass, four inches; 
grown by the agency of a galvanic battery, since the 
20th March—seventeen days; and a cauliflower se¬ 
ven inches in circumference, planted April 1st—six 
days. Also, grain growing in brick dust, and in cut 
straw; a large geranium, in ground bones ; plants in 
pure charcoal dust, and one in pure sulphur. He 
also presented green peas and new potatoes. 
Mr. Pell read a paper upon the subject of the effects 
of electricity upon the growth of plants, in the course 
of which he referred to the specimens which he ex¬ 
hibited, with the apparatus, &c., attached to each. 
Mr. Pell's electrical experiments were made in this 
simple manner. He took a common flower pot on 
box, and putting a piece of copper sheet on the bot¬ 
tom, he then filled up with soil, and placed a zinc 
sheet on top, leaving a hole an inch or two in diame¬ 
ter, for the plant to rise through to the air. A cop¬ 
per wire was soldered to this, connecting it with the 
copper sheet below, to which it was also soldered. 
Mr. Russel read an essay upon the preservation 
and coloring of growing timber. He exhibited seve¬ 
ral specimens of white-wood, with which he had suc¬ 
ceeded admirably; dying it a variety of colors, by 
means of a variety of chemical agents. A remarka¬ 
ble change appeared to have taken place also in the 
wood itself, for it was much heavier after the pro¬ 
cess. 
Dr. Gardner made some excellent remarks from 
notes, upon the exhaustion of the ground by grow¬ 
ing crops. 
Mr. Kerr presented a beautiful view and plan of a 
country-house and buildings, which he explained. 
After several resolutions relating to the business of 
the Society were passed, the meeting adjourned to 
the 1st Monday in May, when the company retired 
to the upper rooms of the Society, where refresh¬ 
ments were provided, which seemed to be not the 
least attractive part of the meeting. 
Grinding Bones.—A correspondent in South 
Carolina writes us, that he had bones broken up to 
the size of partridge eggs in large mortars made with 
iron plates in the bottom, and heavy iron pestles. 
They were then put under fine French burr stones, 
adapted to grind corn cobs and shuck together. They 
ground the hones as fine as was necessary, and as 
fast as meal. 
