10 
WEEDS—>-THElR UTILITY.-AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY ADDRESSES. 
WEEDS—THEIR UTILITY. 
When not occupied with useful crops, it is bet¬ 
ter to allow lands to run to grass, weeds, or almost 
any vegetation they will produce. A large accu¬ 
mulation of vegetable matter is thus secured upon 
the ground, no inconsiderable part of which is de¬ 
rived from that universal store house, the atmo¬ 
sphere, from which every skilful agriculturist should 
endeavor to draw as much as possible ; and by 
turning this into the soil, an advantage is frequently 
obtained fully equivalent to a crop purposely grown 
for green manuring. Weeds and grass, after all, 
are less injurious than beneficial; and the intelligent 
farmer will not fail to make them subservient to his 
own interests, by permitting their growth when not 
in the way, and keeping them in subjection when 
they would interfere with a more useful vegetation. 
A few years ago we renovated a miserably poor 
field of several acres, by merely letting the weeds 
grow spontaneously upon it, and then plowing 
them in as often as the principal ones were going 
out of bloom. By this method the land became 
clean by vegetating the seeds of all the weeds in it, 
and was nearly as much enriched as if we had 
plowed in a succession of green crops—such as 
clover, buckwheat, or rye. 
AGRICULTURAL SO CIETY ADDRESSES. 
In the first volumes of this journal, we wrote 
some rather pungent articles on the unmeaning gene¬ 
ralities which at that time too often formed the i 
staple of Agricultural Society Addresses. Those] 
who made them, usually began with father Adam I 
and mother Eve, then quoted Hesiod, Virgil, and j 
if their learning had come down so far, good old 
Tom Tusser. They would next offer some common 
place remarks, and at last wound up by telling the 
farmers that they were the bone and sinew of the 
country; the most independent and virtuous class 
to be found; the wisest, happiest, and best of men ; 
the basis of the body politic and pillars of society; 
in short, the most enviable beings of the commu¬ 
nity, &c., &c. ; all which nauseous flattery only 
served to disgust a plain set of common sense 
men, or called forth their derision of the glib ora¬ 
tor of the occasion, who had talked much , yet in 
their sound judgments knew precious little —at 
least, of what most concerned them. Now t ,’ hap¬ 
pily, we are pleased to notice a great change in 
the matter and manner of these addresses. 
One of the best which has fallen under our no¬ 
tice the present season, was delivered by B. P. 
Johnson, Esq., before the Greene County Agricul¬ 
tural Society, at its late Annual Fair at Windham 
Centre. It is, in fact, an admirable model ; and 
those who are destined to make addresses another 
year, will do well to study this for the suggestive 
pertinency of its topics, and the simple and con¬ 
densed manner in which they are placed before the 
people. As an illustration of our meaning, we 
quote the following. 
Discoursing of English Agriculture, Mr. Johnson 
says :—“ Great care is given to the selection of seed 
grains. In many instances so much nicety is ob¬ 
served, that the eailiest heads and most luxuriant 
are taken out by hand, and carefully drilled in, un¬ 
til the product is sufficient for use ; and in this way 
some of the best varieties of wheat now grown in 
England have been secured.” 
Again he says :—“Not only is the care and at¬ 
tention which have been mentioned, given to the 
matters alluded to, but the cattle and sheep are 
bred with a perfection never before equalled. Their 
aptitude to fatten at an early age, to lay on their 
flesh on the most valuable parts, has been secured 
both in cattle and sheep, to a perfection that is truly 
surprising. I have seen week after week in 
Smithfield Market, London, from 3,000 to 5,000 
beasts a week, a large majority of which are of the 
choicest animals, and would compete at any of our 
fairs, successfully for the premiums, with the best 
stock we have. The cattle brought to the market 
of their improved breeds are fattened at from 18 
months to three years of age, seldom exceeding the 
latter age. The advantage to the breeder of turning 
off his cattle thus early, must be apparent.” 
In suggesting improvements to the farmers of 
Greene county, he adds :—“ From your locality, the 
nature of your soil and climate, your facility of 
access to the great commercial metropolis of our 
country, it appears to me, that one great branch of 
agriculture with you, must eventually be, the rais¬ 
ing and fattening cattle and sheep for market. I 
have already alluded to the success which has at¬ 
tended the efforts to improve both cattle and sheep 
in England, for the shambles. The same care and 
attention here in the selection of breeding animals, 
would eventually give you a stock, which would 
in every desirable quality, equal the animals in Eng¬ 
land, and yield you a reward for your efforts and in¬ 
vestments that would be satisfactory to all. Your at¬ 
tention should be directed to the preparation of your 
lands for grazing. The growing of line wool, also, 
would doubtless prove profitable, and your county 
seems well adapted to this business. An increase 
in this branch of agricultural industry would be a 
means of enriching your land, and enhancing its 
value for agricultural purposes.” 
“ The superiority of our apples over those grown 
in England is now acknowledged even there, by every 
one who has tasted our fruit. The price which 
our apples bear in their markets, is much higher 
than their own fruit. In passing through Co vent 
Garden Market, in London, where the choicest 
fruits and vegetables from almost every clime are 
found in great profusion, I discovered in a glass 
show case, some fine yellow apples, labelled 
“ American Newtown Pippins A Glad to see even 
an apple that belonged once to my own loved native 
land, the land of the free, I inquired the price, and 
was informed that I could have them for 6s. sterling 
per dozen, being at the rate of nearly 12 cents each. 
I was satisfied with the look of these Americans , as 
you may well suppose. Let me then urge upon 
you the importance of cultivating good fruit , and 
that only. ’Tis best for your own use, best for 
market, and costs no more than the poorest. Your 
climate and soil, except perhaps in some localities, 
I should judge, was well adapted to its cultivation, 
and success will crown your efforts rightly direct¬ 
ed.” 
This is the way to talk to farmers. In the sum¬ 
mer of 1846, we passed through a portion of Gieene 
and Ulster counties, mingling with the hardy veo- 
