AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
211 
PEIZES FOE MOWING MACHINES. 
may therefore all feel well disposed towards 
agricultural enthusiasts .—London Agricul¬ 
tural Gazette. 
FAEM EXPERIMENTS. 
We hold in high appreciation the practi¬ 
cal experiments of practical men in their 
farming operations, and as intimated else¬ 
where, we shall be much pleased to make 
our columns the medium of their publication. 
We would, however remind correspondents 
that the successful result of a single experi¬ 
ment ought not to be satisfactory to them¬ 
selves, and can not as a general thing, be 
beneficial to the community. The first ex¬ 
periment in almost any other direction, may 
be so entirely satisfactory as to preclude the 
possibility of a doubt of its complete adapted¬ 
ness to public use, but in any occupation so 
varied in its attendant circumstances as 
farming, one trial is not enough. The man 
who builds up theory and recommends its 
application in practice, on so light a founda¬ 
tion, runs the risk not only of sacrificing his 
own reputation, but. of seriously injuring 
those who adopt his suggestion. Our farm¬ 
ers although prudent men have much of the 
“ go ahead ” principle which is so striking a 
characteristic of the American people. They 
stand ready to adopt any system of culture 
which promises to be in a higher degree re¬ 
munerative, than that, last pursued. 
We admire the men who,having the means, 
have the courage to test the value of a plaus¬ 
ible theory. Such men are the pioneers of 
progressive farming. If the trial proves un¬ 
successful they are able and willing to 
meet the consequences ; but unfortunately, 
this is not the case with all experimenters. 
Our young men are in an eminent degree 
imbued with this progressive spirit The 
novelty and excitement attendant upon the 
introduction of new seed implements, or 
systems of culture, have too many charms to 
be resisted, and, as is often the case, these 
novelties are commended by writers who 
are either interested in their sale or adoption 
by the community, or whose experience in 
their use is limited to a single experiment. Is 
it wonderful then, that we hear of the fail¬ 
ure of so many of the highly extolled novel¬ 
ties of farming. It is to guard against such 
errors as these, that we throw out our sug¬ 
gestions. 
We are desirous of rendering our paper 
reliable in every particular, and in order to 
accomplish this end, must have reliable data 
upon which to build. A very general im¬ 
pression prevailed that an enormous product 
is necessary to render an experiment worth 
recording. Here we have another hurtful 
error. Such extraordinary results are not 
demanded by good husbandry, nor does ex¬ 
perience as a general thing sustain them. 
If under peculiar circumstances and treat¬ 
ment, a much heavier crop than usual is ob¬ 
tained, such a result is certainly worth being 
made public; but the following season, if 
under the same treatment the yield is great¬ 
ly lessened, that fact is equally valuable. It 
is not the successes of farming experiments 
only, with which the farmer should be made 
acquainted, the failures should also be 
brought to his notice, and that prominently, 
in order that he may be enabled to steer 
clear of the shoals upon which the hopes 
and expectations of others have been wreck¬ 
ed. We therefore repeat the request, that 
when results of experiments are furnished 
for publication, the writers will distinctly 
state during how many seasons trials were 
made, whether a single one, or two, or three, 
or more. If this course is pursued our 
readers will be enabled to form a more cor¬ 
rect estimate of their value, and adopt or re- 
ect them as the circumstances seemed to 
ustify.— Progressive Farmer. 
The Trustees of the Massachusetts Socie¬ 
ty for Promoting Agriculture, believing that 
the introduction of labor-saving machines in 
field operations, especially those employed 
in mowing, promises to effect a most bene¬ 
ficial change in the agricultural economy of 
New-England, are desirous of bringing this 
subject to the earnest and immediate atten¬ 
tion of the farmers of Massachusetts. For 
the purpose of forwarding the movement 
now being made in this direction, they offer 
the following premium: 
To the possessor of the mowing machine 
which shall cut during the present season, 
with the greatest economy and to the best 
advantage, not less than fifty acres of grass 
within the State, the machine to be worked 
by horse or ox-power, 
SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. 
All otherthings being equal, the greatest 
number of acres cut by any one machine ex¬ 
ceeding fifty, would entitle the competitor 
to the premium. 
Every competitor must give notice to the 
Trustees of his intention to compete for the 
premium, on or before the seventeenth of 
June next. He must at the end of the sea¬ 
son or before the tenth day of September 
next furnish satisfactory proof of the number 
of acres cut by the machine during the sea¬ 
son. He must also keep a record of each 
day’s work ; the number of hours actually 
at work in each day ; the number and kind 
of animals employed, stating when any of 
the same, if any, are changed, and the rea¬ 
son therefor ; the name of the maker of the 
machine ; its cost ; if new this season ; any 
accidents or breakages which have occurred 
in working it, and the nature of them and 
how repaired, together with an}' suggestions 
which may seem useful in preventing a re¬ 
currence of them ; which record shall be 
submitted to the Trustees at the close of the 
working season of the machine. 
Competitors are not precluded from com¬ 
peting for any similar premiums offered by 
County Societies orindividuals, nor are they 
confined to mowing on their own land. It 
is also to be understood, that all persons, 
procurers of a machine, whether as.owner, 
lessor or maker, resident of the State or 
otherwise, are entitled to compete for this 
premium. 
The Trustees reserve the right of dividing 
the premium among equal claimants or of 
withholding it altogether, provided they are 
of opinion that no competitor has by his 
performance with his mowing machine 
made so great a saving in labor and expense 
over the old method of scythe mowing as to 
enable them to recommend its general intro¬ 
duction and use, in which case, the premium 
will be renewed for the succeeding year’s 
competition. 
As a further incentive to the skill and in¬ 
genuity of the manufacturers of mowing ma¬ 
chines, the Trustees offer another premium 
of 
ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS 
to the maker and exhibitor of the best mow¬ 
ing machine, to be awarded in the year 1856. 
To entitle any person to the premium, 
the machine, with full particulars of its prin¬ 
ciples of construction, weight and selling 
price, must be entered for competition with 
the Trustees on or before the first day of 
June, 1856. A general trial will be had of all 
the competing machines, due notice of which 
will be given, together with all needful par¬ 
ticulars at the commencement of the season 
of 1856. 
It is to be hoped that there will be a large 
competition for the premium offered this 
year, and that manufacturers who propose to 
compete for the one in 1856 will take pains 
to introduce their machines for this season’s 
work. The Trustees in awarding the one 
thousand dollar premium will not confine 
themselves to the single trial which will be 
afforded to competitors to exhibit the powers 
of iheir machines, but they will also take 
into account the merits of each as displayed 
in competing for this year's premium and in 
its ordinary working both for this and the 
coming year, whenever and wherever an 
opportunity is afforded of seeing it in opera¬ 
tion. 
The County Agricultural Societies are 
earnestly invited to appoint Committees to 
aid the Trustees in awarding the prize offer¬ 
ed for this year, who shall inspect the work¬ 
ing of competing machines in their several 
districts, and in reporting the result of their 
observations to the Trustees. One or more 
of the Trustees, will endeavor to visit each 
county during the season to see some por¬ 
tion of the work be performed by each ma¬ 
chine, but from the necessity of the case, 
great reliance must be had upon the cordial 
and hearty co-operation of the County So¬ 
cieties. 
The Trustees have adopted the followirg 
Committee to attend to the details connected 
with the subject, viz : 
THOS. MOTLEY, Jr. 
G. W. LYMAN. 
C. G. LORING. 
RICH’D. S FAY. 
W. S. LINCOLN. 
All communications may be addressed to 
Thomas Motley, Jr., Jamaica Plains, or 
Rich’d. S. Fay, Boston. 
Boston, May 28, 1855. 
Value of Farms in Different States.— 
The late Census shows the aggregate cash 
value of the farms in the several States. 
Distributing this aggregate according to the 
white population of each State, we find the 
following result: New-Jersey is the highest. 
The aggregate cash value of the farms in that 
State is $120,537,511 ; the population is 489,- 
555, which gives for each inhabitant $245,60. 
The next of all the States is Vermont, in 
which the cash value of the farms is equal to 
$201 for each inhabitant. Connecticut is 
next on the list, and nearly equal to Ver¬ 
mont, being $196,41. Massachusetts is far 
below either Vermont or Connecticut. Her 
population is 994,514; the aggregate value of 
her farms is $109,076,347, which is equal to 
only $109,77 to each person. To be equal 
per inhabitant to the ratio of Vermont, Mas¬ 
sachusetts should have an aggregate value of 
farms of $299,897,314—a difference of more 
than $90,000,000; and to be equal per in¬ 
habitant to Connecticut she should have a 
value in farms of $197,272,494—a difference 
exceeding $88,000,000. The average in 
Ohio, without fractions of a dollar, is $181 
to each inhabitant; in New-York $189; in 
Pennsylvania $172 ; in Virginia $152. In 
Illinois and other Western States, although 
the aggregate intrinsic value is far greater, 
the cash value is far less. By referring to 
the compendium of the census any one can 
find the materials for the same calculations 
as to all the States .—National Intelligencer. 
Livingston Co. (N. Y.) Stock Growing.— 
The Dansville Herald, says it can be demon¬ 
strated from the Census “ that Livingston 
County stands in the front rank of stock 
raising counties of the State of New-York. 
The soil and climate of this section of the 
State is peculiarly adapted to the raising of 
stock. The grasses grown upon the hills are 
sweet and nutritious; the air is pure and 
healthful; the soil, though not liable to suf¬ 
fer greatly from drouth, is not marshy; the 
water is as pure as can be found in any 
quarter of the globe, and the winters are not 
generally long or severe. Timber and lum¬ 
ber are still plenty and comparatively cheap, 
and everything is favorable for |the cultiva¬ 
tion of stock." 
