WORK FOR THE SEASON.-SECRETARY OF THE STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
accustomed channels3 or if changes are aimed at, 
they should be gradual. Hence, care must be taken 
not to cut off “ too many large limbs at a time,” lest 
the sap of some of the roots, and particularly those 
corresponding to these limbs, should he too sud¬ 
denly checked in its ascent. 
Sometimes trees, which at first were good bear¬ 
ers, become stag-headed and unfruitful. It is more 
than probable that this condition is owing to some 
defect in the soil. The proper remedy to be resort¬ 
ed to in this case, is, what is called “ heading 
down that is, removing all the branches to with¬ 
in a foot or two of the main forks, or the stem of 
the tree, in order to encourage the formation of a 
healthy and vigorous head. This operation should 
he accompanied by a heavy dressing of compost, 
formed of oyster shell lime, ashes and loam, ex¬ 
tending for a considerable distance round the tree, 
which should he dug in with the turf. According 
to the opinion of some orchardists, pruning, after 
the head of the tree is properly formed, is to be 
avoided as much as possible, as it creates nume¬ 
rous useless shoots, and prevents the production of 
fruit. A very important advantage, however, may 
be derived from this principle by provoking young 
shoots to appear by skilfully wounding the bark 
in the vacant spaces of a branch, and thereby regu¬ 
late the symmetry of the tree. 
WORK FOR THE SEASON. 
In every month, ere in aught be begun, 
Read over that month what avails to be done; 
So neither this travell may seem to be lost, 
Nor thou to repent of this trifling cost.— Tusser. 
In our youthful days, one of the books which 
gave us the greatest pleasure to peruse, was the 
quaint old poem, called, “ Five Hundred Points of 
Good Husbandry,” by Thomas Tusser. A beauti¬ 
ful edition of this work has ever since graced our 
library, and although our time is now very much 
engrossed with an exacting business, yet we occa¬ 
sionally find means to snatch an hour during the 
long winter evenings, to devote to the perusal of 
what formerly gave us so much delight. In con¬ 
ning over the lines above quoted, a short time since, 
it occurred to us that we might profitably ask our 
readers, the pertinent question of “ What avails to 
he done” during this month, that their “ travell” 
(labor] “ may not seem to be lost.” 
We will suppose your horses, cattle, sheep, and 
swine daily well fed, housed, and cleaned 3 that 
your grain is being prepared for the market 3 that 
your wood pile is replenished, and such logs as will 
be wanted for sawed stuff the coming year are taken 
during good sledding to the saw mill3 that the ma¬ 
nure as fast as the heaps accumulate, is carted out 
to the fields and deposited where it will be needed 
in spring, and if the weather be open, that peat, 
swamp muck, the leaves of trees, and all decaying 
matter around your premises are added in proper 
quantities to these heaps 3 that all the tools as time 
permits are being put in order 3 that the hemp and 
flax are broken 3 that you are giving a look to the 
orchard and cutting out all decayed and dead limbs 3 
and if you care for early vegetables and have time 
to cultivate them, that the hot beds are now in rapid 
preparation in the garden 3 that you have settled all 
your accounts for the past year ; that you are kind 
U 
and generous to your poor neighbors ; and finally, 
that you are at peace with yourself and the world. 
Then what remains to be done l It is this. As you 
have time, review the numbers of your last year’s 
agricultural periodical—for no man can be entitled to 
be called a really good farmer, who does not take one 
of these cheap and highly useful publications—and 
note all the hints in it of any value to you, and pre¬ 
pare to carry them into practice during the coming 
active season. If you have more time than this to 
give to books, commence some one study closely 
bearing on your occupation. Of these, there is a 
great variety. For example, agricultural chemis¬ 
try : mineralogy 3 vegetable physiology and botany ; 
arboriculture 3 mechanics, particularly those branches 
which are connected with building, and the manu¬ 
facture of agricultural implements 3 engineering as 
as it has a bearing on ditching, draining, andfencing; 
natural history, together with the anatomy and pa¬ 
thology of the domestic animals. 
These are such things as the farmer ought to 
know 3 and he may acquire a pretty good notion o f 
them all by the time he is forty years old, if he wil 
properly improve his winter evenings. Then the 
mind and hand would work together, and at so great 
an advantage as to surprise the world. Whenever 
any country can show such a race of practical and 
scientific farmers to work its surface, its agricultu¬ 
ral productions will be quadrupled 5 and with morals 
to match—for these are pretty sure to go hand, in 
hand with science—the enjoyments and happiness 
of those thus educated would be multiplied ten fold. 
Are not these things worth working for ? W e 
think so 3 and hope every tiller of the soil in 
America will respond to the assertion, and exert 
himself manfully to carry them into effect. 
As sure as the sun shines, that farmer who is 
the most intelligent, and couples with that intelli¬ 
gence proper application and economy, always 
makes more of every thing under his control, and 
reaps a larger annual profit than those who are in¬ 
ferior to him in education. It is truly said, that 
“ time is money 3” may we not add with equal truth, 
that education is also money. If then, there be no 
higher motive on the part of the tillers of the soil to 
enlighten their minds and increase their understand¬ 
ing, let them do it solely for their worldly interest. 
Secretary or the State Agricultural So¬ 
ciety. —The present incumbent, P. B. Johnson, 
Esq., has discharged the duties of this important 
office so ably and efficiently, and with such general 
satisfaction, that we trust he will be re-elected with¬ 
out opposition. It requires peculiar qualifications 
to fill such an office properly, and these qualifica¬ 
tions we think Mr. Johnson possesses in an emi¬ 
nent degree. We think also the salary ought to 
be increased, and that something should be allowed 
him for an assistant, so as to enable him to travel 
more, and make the Society better known to the 
people. This would benefit the Society in two 
ways : first, by obtaining a considerable accession 
of friends to it 3 and second, the Secretary would 
be able to gather up a good deal of information, 
which condensed by way of reports in the pages oi 
the Transactions, would tend to enlighten the farm¬ 
ing community on those subjects ydiich most inter 
est them. 
