THE CULTIVATOR. 
33 
agriculture, the sum of five thousand dollars, to enable 
them to pay the aforesaid premium; to purchase and dis¬ 
tribute such useful seeds as they may deem proper; to 
publish an annual volume, and to defray such other neces¬ 
sary expenses to promote the object oi this act, as are not 
otherwise provided tor; and the said board shall annually 
account with the comptroller for the expenditure ot this 
money. 
§ 14. That the presidents of the several county societies, 
or delegates to be chosen by them annually for the pur¬ 
pose, shall be ex-officio members of the New-York State 
Agricultural Society. 
§ 15. The board of agriculture, constituted as aforesaid, 
shall have the authority in their discretion, to award pre¬ 
miums for the production of extraordinary and valuable 
crops of grain; beet root, and sugar manufactured from the 
same; mulberiy orchards, and silk manufactured therefrom; 
or any other agricultural or horticultural productions or 
household manufactures, which in their view shall by such 
encouragement add to the productive wealth of tr.e coun¬ 
try, not exceeding, however, in amount, the sum of five 
thousand dollais hereby placed in their hands. 
§ 16. The collectors of taxes in the several towns in the 
state of New-York are hereby required, while collecting 
the same, to ascertain, as near as may be in their power, 
the number of bushels of grain of different kinds, of escu¬ 
lent roots, and of hay produced during the current year in 
their respective towns, and the number of horses, cat Vie, 
sheep and swine then in existence, and report such amount 
to the board of agriculture in the city of Albany, ou or 
before the first day of January in each and every year 
hereaffer. Suph report to be directed to “ The State 
Board of Agriculture, Albany.” 
§ 17. The su'tn of twenty-five thousand dollars appro¬ 
priated by this act, shall be taken from the income of the 
surplus fund deposited with the state of New-Yc,rk by the 
United States. 
§ IS. The first board of agriculture shall consist of 
who are hereby appointed for the term of five years 
aforesaid, and all vacancies that may occur in said board 
shall be filled by joint ballot of both houses of the legisla¬ 
ture at their annual session, to be held by the incumbents 
for the same period of time. 
§ 19. The State board of agriculture shall procure of the 
agricultural periodicals entitled “ The Cultivator,” and 
“ The Monthly Genesee Farmer,” a.s many copies of 
each, commencing with the current volumes, as there are 
common school districts in the state, and shall cause ss 
many copies of each to be addressed to the school com¬ 
missioners of each town as there shall be school districts 
in the same; and it shall be the duty of such school com¬ 
missioners to cause the said papers to be promptly distri¬ 
buted, one copy of each to the several schools, and of the 
trustees of sa : d school districts to have the same properly 
taken care of, and to be used as occasional class books in 
said schools. 
§ 20, The comptroller shall, on the requisition of the 
said board of agriculture, draw his warrant on the treasury 
of the state for the payment to each of the proprietors of 
the said agricultural papers for the number of copies so 
delivered, estimating each of them at fifty cents per copy; 
such payment to be made from the common school fund. 
_ EXTRACTS. _ 
Agricultural Convention. 
At a meeting of the citizens of the county of Onondaga, 
convened pursuant to public notice at the Mansion 
House, in Syracuse, for the purpose of adopting mea¬ 
sures for the incorporation of a County Agricultural So¬ 
ciety, ASA EASTWOOD, Esq., was temporarily call¬ 
ed to the Chair, and Mii.es W. Bennett, Esq. ap¬ 
pointed Secretary. Whereupon it was 
Resolved , That a committee of five persons be appoint¬ 
ed by the Chair to report officers for the Convention— 
The following persons were thereupon appointed said 
committee, viz: Harvey Baldwin, James L. Voorhees, 
- -- JJoane, II. Moses, and Rufus Cossit. 
The committee reported the following gentlemen as 
Officers of the Convention, viz: JAMES L. VOOR¬ 
HEES, President; Gabriel Tapp an, and Asa 
Eastwood, Vice-Presidents; John B. Brown, and H. 
JST. Howe, Secretaries. 
The report of the committee being adopted by the Con¬ 
vention, it was thereupon, on motion of Mr. H. Baldwin, 
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by 
the President to draft resolutions expressive of the sense 
of this Convention on the subject of forming a Board of 
Agriculture for the county of Onondaga, and also to de¬ 
vise measures for procuring the incorporation of a County 
Agricultural Society,—whereupon, the President appoint¬ 
ed the following gentlemen ori said committee, viz-: H. 
Baldwin, B. F. Stone, E. F. Wallace, D. S. Earll, and 
R. Cossit. 
The committee, after a short recess, reported by their 
Chairman, Mr. Baldwin, the following resolutions, which 
were adopted by the Convention, together with the peti¬ 
tion also reported by the committee. 
Resolved, That we regard agriculture as the first and 
best pursuit of man, as a science more ancient in its ori¬ 
gin, more useful in practice, and more important in its re¬ 
sults to the whole human family, than any other art or 
science, and which therefore commends itself to the atten¬ 
tion of every philanthropist and true patriot. 
Resolved, That a science so intimately connected with 
the best interests of society, is entitled to our warmest ap¬ 
probation, and cordial, vigorous, individual, and united 
support, and that we will henceforth exert every means 
in our power to improve and elevate its character, dissemi¬ 
nate its principles, and extend its blessings. 
Resolved, That we regard as among the most efficient 
means for advancing these great objects, the establishment 
of State and County Agricultural Societies—the establish¬ 
ment of Agricultural Schools, in conjunction with pattei - n 
©r experimental farms, and the periodical publication of 
Agricultural Papers, and that to establish, foster, sustain 
and protect these, is an imperative duty which every well 
regulated government owes to itself and to its citizens, 
and should at all times be regarded as an object of primary 
and paramount importance. 
Resolved, That in view of the immense interests in¬ 
volved in the science of rural economy, as connected 
with the natural, physical, moral, political and religious 
wants of man, we, with deep humiliation confess, as well 
in our individual as in our corporate capacity, that we 
have hitherto come far short of our duty as men, as citi¬ 
zens, as philanthropists, as patriots, and as Christians, and 
now offer, as the best atonement we can make, a dedica¬ 
tion of our time and means to the advancement of this 
work, so far as it is consistent with other duties and other 
obligations. 
Resolved, That the policy hitherto pursued by this 
state in refusing to grant pecuniary aid from the surplus 
revenue, for the promotion of this great object, is, in our 
opinion, unwise, illiberal and unfair— unwise, because her 
wealth consists in the wealth of her citizens, and what¬ 
ever promotes the one, increases the other in the same 
ratio— illiberal, because the appropriation of that money 
to this object, was but to return it to hands from which 
most of it was directly or indirectly draw n, and because if 
returned it would have been again reinvested in a manner 
most beneficial to the state and the country— unfair, be¬ 
cause the aid was solicited by a class composing seven- 
eighths of the whole community, and which, as such, has 
never to any considerable extent partaken of the bounties 
of the government. 
Resolved, That the warmest thanks of this Convention, 
of this state, and of this nation, are due to those few in¬ 
dividuals who have long been toiling with unabated zeal 
and perseverance in the cause of Agriculture—who have 
freely devoted to it their time, talents and money, and 
whose able and well conducted periodical publications 
have done much, and indeed, have mainly contributed to 
awaken public interest and inquiry on this all important 
subject; and in the foremost ranks of whose works, we, 
with pride and pleasure, recognize ‘ The Genesee Far¬ 
mer, ’ and ‘ The CultivatorI 
Resolved, That a committee be apppointed for the pur¬ 
pose of circulating a petition to the present Legislature 
for the incorporation of a County Agricultural Society, 
with a capital of $50,000, with, power to increase it to 
$ 100 , 000 , to be divided into shares of $20 each, and to 
be employed, or so much thereof as may be necessary, in 
the purchase of an experimental farm—preparing ana 
stocking the same, and in the establishment, in conjunc¬ 
tion therewith, of an Agricultural School, and in such 
other objects as are calculated to advance the great and 
permanent interests of the infstitution. 
Resolved, That Victory Biirdseye, Azariah Smith, Pha- 
res Gould, James R. Lawrence, Samuel L. Edwards, 
Harvey Baldwin, James L. Voorhees, John Stevens and 
George Geddes be appointed delegates to represent this 
county in the next meeting of the State Agricultural So¬ 
ciety, to be held in Albany on the first day of February 
next. 
Resolved, That the proceedings of this Convention be 
signed by the officers thereof, and published in the county 
and village papers, the Albany Argus, Evening Journal, 
Gazette and Daily Advertiser, the Cultivator and Genesee 
Farmer. 
To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of JYcw- 
York, in Senate and Assembly convened : 
Your memorialists, inhabitants of the county of Onon¬ 
daga, beg leave respectfully to represent, 
That from the benefits resulting to the farming interests 
in this county, from, the law- of 1819, establishing Agri¬ 
cultural Societies, your memorialists are satisfied that all 
the interests pertaining to rural economy would be largely 
promoted by the re-enactment of that law', or of some si¬ 
milar law on that subject. 
Your memorialists are also satisfied that the cultivation 
of an experimental farm, and the establishment in con¬ 
nection therewith of an Agricultural School, would also 
have an important bearing on the same interests, and 
should be provided for, and protected by the future enact¬ 
ments of the Statu in relation to that subject. 
Your memorialists, therefore, respectfully solicit your 
Honorable body to pass a general law r for the incorpora¬ 
tion of County Agricultural Societies, securing the afore¬ 
said objects, or a law for the incorporation of an Agricul¬ 
tural Society of this County, incorporating therein provi¬ 
sions on the abov'e subjects, with a capital of fifty thou¬ 
sand dollars, to he divided into shares of twenty dollars 
each, and for such other and further enactments and aid 
in reference to the subject matter, as to your Honorable 
body shall seem right and proper—all of which is respect¬ 
fully submitted., 
Syracuse, January 29, 1S38. 
JAMES L. VOORHEES, Pres’t. 
Gabriel Tapper, 
Asa Eastwood, 
TjfiZT’} 
Vice-Pres’ts. 
Massachusetts Agricultural Society. 
We have great pleasure in announcing some of the Pre¬ 
miums of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society. The 
society offered tw r o most liberal premiums for the best and 
second best managed farm, which might be offered, re¬ 
quiring that the entry of these farms for premium should 
be made early in October, and that a full account of the 
whole condition and management should be given in de¬ 
tail. The first premium was 150 dollars, the second 100 
dollars. It was hoped that these would have presented a 
sufficient inducement for many applications. The offer 
of premiums made by the society, though the trustees 
took great pains in extending it, did not reach all parts of 
the State; and in this matter it is to be feared great ne ¬ 
glect is to be attributed to some persons in whose hands 
their prospectus was placed, and by which neglect the 
liberal and excellent intentions of the society have been 
in a measure defeated. The conditions were as liberal as 
they could with any propriety be made; and we have ma¬ 
ny farms in the state, which might have honorably entered 
into the competition. Only three claimants appeared, and 
two of those not having been seasonably entered, the 
trustees did not consider themselves at liberty to bestow 
on them either of the premiums; but bestowed liberal 
gratuities only- The claim seasonably entered was, for 
reasons detailed in their report, not deemed entitled to 
either of the premiums; but at the same time deserving 
of an honorable notice. We shall give the reports in full 
in our next paper, at this time we announce only the re¬ 
wards. 
To Joshua R. Lawton, of Great Barrington, in 
Berkshire Co., a gratuity of seventy-five dol¬ 
lars . $75 00 
To Joseph Howe, of Methuen, in the county of 
Essex, a gratuity of fifty dollars, . $50 00 
To William Buckminster, of Framingham, in the 
county of Middlesex, a gratuity of fifty dollars, $50 00 
The statements of these several claimants, with their 
particular accounts of their management and crops will 
be given, in due season with the report. We presume 
that these premiums on the management of farms will 
be continued, and we hope they will excite that attention 
among our farmers, which they deserve. If the pecunia¬ 
ry value of these rewards is not sufficient to rouse them, 
yet have they no public spirit? have they no interest in 
the improvement of that great art, to which they have 
devoted their lives? and what can more directly contri¬ 
bute to its advancement than an animated and public com¬ 
petition ? When we come to present the detailed reports 
to the public, we shall take occasion to extend our re¬ 
marks. We have only to add that Mr. Howe, ot'Methuen, 
Essex Co., who appears here honored by a liberal gratui¬ 
ty, obtained a premium on his farm, of thirty dollars, from 
the Essex agricultural society, the current year. This re¬ 
turning home with two medals will, we hope, make his 
neighbors sufficiently envious to induce them to go and 
do likewise. If they choose to say, as we know they will 
say, there is nothing in Mr. Howe’s farming which any 
body cannot do, we only say then in reply, let any body 
do it. That is the very thing we desire. 
We subjoin the report of the committee on vegetable 
and grain crops. 
The committee of the trustees of the Massachusetts 
agricultural society, on vegetable and grain crops, respect¬ 
fully submit the following report. 
Premiums they recommend as follows— 
To Eldad Post, of Lenox, for the largest quanti¬ 
ty of Spring Wheat, being 40 bushels to the 
acre, . $20 00 
To Maxwell Lowry, of Marshfieid, for his crop 
of carrots on an acre, being the only claim for 
that article, 472 32-56 bushels, . $30 00 
To S. D. Colt, and Robert Colt, of Pittsfield, for 
the greatest quantity of vegetables for home 
consumption and not for sale, . $30 00 
Also for the greatest quantity of Ruta Baga, be¬ 
ing 1,080 bushels on 1 acre and 2 rods, . $30 00 
T\he following claim was sent in too late to be admitted 
according to an indispensable rule of the trustees, but as 
the crop was uncommonly good, the committee recom¬ 
mend half the amount of the premium as a gratuity. 
To Pel eg S. Gardner, of Somerset, for his crop 
of Rye, on one acre, being 35 1-2 bushels,... $10 00 
The committee notice with pleasure the following 
claims which, though not entitled to premiums deserve to 
be mentioned, as evidence of the increasing attention of 
our agricuiturists to the raising of wheat, and as showing 
the practicability of growing to advantage this essential 
article of bread stuff, in Massachusetts. 
Payson Williams, of Fitchburg, had to 
the acre of wheat, . 3 S i _2 bush. 
Jos. S. Leland, of Sherburne, . 32 14-32 “ 
Frederick Knight, of Newbury,. 32 14-32 “ 
All these were Spring Wheat. 
Mr. Benj. Cleveland, of Somerset, had 79 1-2 bushels of 
oats. No premium was offered on oals. 
Mr. Pel eg S. Gardner, had 40 1-2 bushels of barley on 
one acre. The quantity required was 45 bushels. 
(Signed,) P. C. BROOKS, 
Chairman. 
The crops of wheat rewarded and noticed are excellent. 
Samples of some of them have been sent here; and pre¬ 
sent a beautiful grain. These are most important results 
in various points of view. It is desirable that we shoukL 
understand our capacity of raising our own bread. Foff* 
some years past we have been rather too much engaged 
in making pictures, beautiful engravings on silk paper- 
and have been as much pleased with them as if we were 
all children. It would be well, if a large part of our po¬ 
pulation would go to producing something else, apply- their 
ingenuity and industry to something more substantial and 
see it they cannot induce the earth to make liberal divi¬ 
dends upon fair investments of manure and labor The 
above results show what she can be made, or to speak 
more gratefully, what she is willing to do; or rather what 
she can be persuaded to do; and where shall we find any 
