892 
AM’EKXGAN AGBICULTUKIS'ij 
The Back Volumes of the American Agriculturist, 
neatly bound, can now be supplied from the commence¬ 
ment. These of themselves constitute a beautiful and 
valuable Farmer’s Library, embracing a compendium 
of all the important agricultural articles that have ap- 
peareed during the last thirteen years. First ten volumes, 
new edition, furnished bound for $10. 
Bound volumes XI, XII and XIII (new series), $1 50 per 
volume; unbound, $1 per volume. The whole thirteen 
volumes furnished bound for $14 50. 
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lew-York, Thursday, August 30. 
This 'paper is never sent where it is 
not considered paid for—and is in all cases 
stopped when the subscription runs out. 
AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 
Agricultural exhibitions have become one 
of the fixed institutions of this country. For 
a dozen years past, they have grown rapidly 
into public favor, and each year has witnessed 
a great increase in their numbers and diffu¬ 
sion, and in the higher character and more 
extended field of operations embraced by 
the industrial associations getting them up. 
The annual publications containing the trans¬ 
actions of single societies now rival, in size 
and variety of information, the comprehens¬ 
ive reports from the different Departments 
of our Federal Government. 
From all parts of the country we hear of 
unusual preparations for the Agricultural 
Exhibitions, Fairs and Shows to be held dur¬ 
ing the months of September and October. 
Nearly every State will have a general gath¬ 
ering, while through all the Northern States, 
and in some of the Southern, a majority of 
the counties and many of the towns have 
local organizations, which have quite spir¬ 
ited agricultural exhibitions every Autumn. 
At almost all of these an address from 
some “ distinguished speaker” is considered 
an essential part of the proceedings, and as 
speech-makers are more easily obtained 
from among those who are politicians by 
profession, politics are quite apt to supplant 
the discussion of such topics as deep plow¬ 
ing, manuring, selecting seed, improving the 
breed of domestic animals, &c. Last year 
we received printed copies of these speech¬ 
es by the hundred, but not one in ten con¬ 
tained a single page of practical agricultural 
information. Long words, flowery senten¬ 
ces and poetic quotations upon the “dignity,” 
“ the nobleness ” of the farmer’s profession, 
form the chief staple out of which these 
speeches are manufactured. We once stood 
in a crowd listening to one of these har¬ 
angues by a third-rate lawyer, and could not 
but be amused at the discomfiture produced 
by an old farmer singing out, “ Waal, if farm¬ 
in’ is so fine, why don’t you go into it ?” We 
thought the question quite pertinent. 
There are, however, quite a number of 
agricultural men, of sound practical common 
sense and extensive experience, who are 
sometimes called upon on these occasions, 
and who would more frequently take part in 
them, were the exercises of a different char¬ 
acter. W T e have seen a plan followed by 
several societies which we think an excel¬ 
lent one, and worthy of universal adoption. 
Instead of a single meeting, and one speech, 
let there be a series of meetings for discus¬ 
sion, hearing reports, &c. As soon as any 
committee is ready, let an officer announce 
that the report will be read, and let the re¬ 
marks of the committee be followed by dis¬ 
cussions. Such a course would lead to a 
further and more minute examination of the 
animals, implements, or produce reported 
upon. The committees themselves would 
decide more carefully, if knowing that time 
and opportunity would be given for criticis¬ 
ing their decisions. At all events, reports 
from committees previous to the final hour 
of such exhibition are desirable, and espe¬ 
cially so is the practice of holding a number 
of conversational meetings, even if the exhi¬ 
bition continue but one or two days. Those 
men capable of giving the most reliable in¬ 
formation w r ould talk at such a meeting, while 
not one of them would mount the rostrum 
and make a speech. 
FAIR OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 
The Twenty-seventh Annual Fair of this 
Institute will open, at the Crystal Palace, on 
the 3d of October, and continue through the 
month. 
The Cattle Show and Plowing Match are 
omitted this year, out of compliment to the 
State Fair, so that the whole effective force 
of the Institute is to be turned to Agricultu¬ 
ral productions and manufactures. 
Steam power is to be furnished for run¬ 
ning machinery, and a more than common 
representation of steam engines is antici¬ 
pated. 
Rare mineralogical collections are invited 
for exhibition, and especial attention, we 
see, is to be bestowed on building stones. 
Natural and artificial specimens of the ores 
and metals which abound in this country are 
anticipated. 
Specimens of painting and sculpture will 
form a prominent feature of the exhibition. 
The ladies are invited to contribute speci¬ 
mens of household industry, and $500 is to 
be distributed in premiums among appren¬ 
tices. 
The Managers desire strongly to impress 
Exhibitors with the necessity of furnishing 
early information of the articles they intend 
to exhibit, and the space that will be re¬ 
quired. 
Explanation. —Several inquiries indicate 
that at least some of our subscribers did not 
read through our notice of the contemplated 
change. We therefore give it again, on page 
396, and here repeat that, after next week, 
the Weekly Times will be mailed on the same 
day as the weekly Agriculiurist has been 
heretofore mailed, and the enlarged Agricul¬ 
turist on the 1st of each month. Both of 
these papers will be sent to all our present 
subscribers, without any charge for the full 
time now credited to them as paid for in ad¬ 
vance. For terms of one or both of the pa¬ 
pers, to new subscribers or renewers, see 
last page. 
#£§“ Those having paid in advance, and 
not wishing the Times will be credited with 
the Agriculturist for double the time paid for, 
if they will give us prompt notice of such 
desire. 
MAKING A GOOD MEADOW FROM POOR PAS¬ 
TURE LAND-DEV0N CATTLE. 
One of the most successful experiments 
of this kind, which we have seen, is at Mr. 
Edward G. Failes, Woodside, near Morrisa- 
nia. Four years ago, this field was a mis¬ 
erable, worn-out pasture/thiekly sprinkled 
with daisy and other weeds, and did not pro¬ 
duce over half a tun of grass to the acre— 
and a very poor quality at that. 
Being desirous of turning this pasture into 
meadow land, without going through the te¬ 
dious and expensive process of plowing, 
planting, and seeding, Mr. Faile got up a 
scarifier, after the model of an engraving of 
one which he found in an English work, 
called the Complete Grazier. With this im¬ 
plement he went over the pasture lot early 
in the spring, and then top dressed it with a 
compost of 250 lbs. of Peruvian guano to the 
acre, mixed with four parts of good earth, 
lying about three weeks under cover before 
being used. He then sowed four quarts of 
Timothy and four pounds of Red Clover seed 
per acre, and brushed in. When finished the 
pasture lot looked ragged enough; but the 
grass began to appear shortly, and it was 
soon the greenest field of the farm. 
The first season after this process, many 
of the weeds disappeared ; the second sea¬ 
son scarce any were to be found. That year 
he gave it another top dressing, though not 
more than half as rich with guano as the 
first. 
When we looked at this field, in July last, 
transformed thus cheaply and easily to a 
meadow, there was a large t burthen of grass 
upon it just ready for the scythe, or rather 
the Mowimg Machine. Its yield we judged, 
at the lowest, would not be less than two and 
a half tuns to the acre, of the best quality of 
Timothy and Clover hay. The whole cost 
of this beneficent change of a poor and al¬ 
most worthless pasture, to a valuable mead¬ 
ow, could not have been more than $12 to 
$13 per acre; and the grass this season 
alone will be worth thrice that, standing. 
Devon Cattle. —Mr. Faile has one of the 
finest Devon herds in the United States ; 
several of which are imported, and nearly 
all are from good milking families. His 
stock bull, Exeter (198), he imported two 
years ago from the herd of Mr. James Quart- 
ly of England. He is of large size, impos¬ 
ing in his appearance, and thus far proves 
an excellent getter. We noticed a superb 
bull calf, dropped the 6th of last March, got 
by the above, out of the beautiful imported 
cow Bo wley (42), from the herd of Mr. George 
Turner of England. Another of Exeter’s 
bull calves, was dropped the 9th of May, 
out of Moss Rose (304), also from Mr. Turner. 
She is a great and rich milker. The calf is 
extraordinarily fine, and being so well de¬ 
scended, and from such a good milking fami¬ 
ly, he will make a highly valuable animal. It 
is Mr. F.’s intention to keep him as his own 
stock bull. 
Mr. F. has another very superior bull, a 
