140 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
without a prospect of improvement in the character of our 
husband -y, we are in danger of being exposed to the remarks 
of Solomon, in regard to the slovenly farmer. ‘ ‘ I went by 
the field of the slothful, and lo it was all grown over with 
thorns, and nettles covered the face thereof, and the stone 
wall was broken down.” May we not, however, hope that 
a better day is dawning upon us in all that relates to the 
means by which the physical as well as intellectual resources 
of our country may be developed, and that in view of all 
the considerations which have been addressed to the pride of 
the farmer, he may be led to aim at a standard better calcu¬ 
lated to elevate him in public regard ? 
In contemplating the causes which in our own country 
have led to the low estimate heretofore placed upon the pur¬ 
suits of agriculture, we cannot fail to ascribe the principal 
agency to the disrepute in which manual labor is held by 
those who have been educated for the so called learned pro¬ 
fessions. Even the merchant considers himself as occupying 
a higher grade in society, although he is but the teamster who 
is employed in transporting and exchanging the surplus pro¬ 
ducts of the farmer, who creates the raw material, and in 
bartering the articles of the mechanic and manufacturer who 
exerts his labor in preparing the raw material for the market. 
The standard of the farming character suffers injury from the 
common opinion which attaches to his profession, the want 
of any intellectual culture or any refinement in manners; and 
although we may deplore and condemn this unworthy preju¬ 
dice towards the employment -which is intrinsically the most 
respectable, we have reason to confess that too large a por¬ 
tion of i hose engaged in the cultivation of the soil seem by 
their conduct to attach little importance to these requisites of 
character. If as a profession we do not occupy in the com¬ 
munity, the attitude of intelligent farmers and accomplished 
citizens, we have to ascribe the result, in a great degree, to 
our neglect of the means which would elevate us in society. 
We have, heretofore, discarded all connexion between science 
and art as applied to agriculture, and by the neglect of gene¬ 
ral education, have allowed other professions to assume and 
to occupy the position to which we are entitled. We have 
disregarded even the proper measures for training our sons 
to the exercise of their most exalted privileges as citizens; 
and to the apathy and ignorance of farmers, in reference to 
the fundamental principles of public policy, we may trace 
most of the political disorders in the state. It is often said 
when a young man is supposed to be too dull for what are 
called the learned professions, that he is then fit for the plough. 
Be it our high aim to establish the converse of this proposi¬ 
tion; and were the standard of intelligence among farmers as 
elevated as their employment is honorable, the day may not 
be distant when the youth who should be found to want the 
intelligence and energy necessary to make him a successful 
farmer, will then be pronounced fit only for seeking his for¬ 
tunes in some one of the “ unproductive”—less dignified— 
learned professions. With this high object constantly in 
view, and by the adoption of the means which will be ad¬ 
verted to in the further discussion of the subject, the cultiva¬ 
tor of the soil may hope to resume the proud attitude which 
the nature of his profession as well as the approbation of ages 
has assigned to him. 
In attempting to examine the subject with a view to legis¬ 
lative encouragement, I find myself surrounded by a multi¬ 
tude of imposing facts in our own history and in that of other 
nations in relation to this great interest, all calculated to 
deepen conviction as to the necessity of arousing the apathy 
of farmers, of vindicating the dignity of their profession, and 
of guiding public sentiment to an appreciation of the funda¬ 
mental cause of national prosperity.— (To be contrived.) 
Circular on Common School Education. 
To his Excellency the Governor of and the members of 
the Legislature of that State. 
Fellow Citizens —“At the ninth annual meeting of the 
American Lyceum, held in the city of New-York, on the 3d, 
4th and 6th of May 1839, the following resolutions, proposed 
by Professor Brooks of Massachusetts, were maturely consi¬ 
dered and unanimously adopted: viz. 
“ Resolved , That it is expedient to hold a National Con¬ 
vention for one week in the “ Hall of Independence” atPhi- 
ladelphia, beginning on the 22d of November next at 10 
o'clock A. M. for the purpose of discussing the various to¬ 
pics connected with elementary education in the United 
States. 
“ Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to re¬ 
quest the Governor (and, if in session, the Legislature) of 
each state in the Union to invite the friends of education in 
their state to attend the convention.” ( Copy of records. 
The undersigned, having been appointed to form the com¬ 
mittee, do now in obedience to their instructions respectfully 
address you on this paramount subject. 
The American Lyceum, in taking measures to carry into 
effect the above resolutions, expresses its deep anxiety for the 
proper physical, intellectual and moral culture of every child 
in the United States. It is ascertained that as many as nine¬ 
teen out of twenty children, who receive instruction, receive 
it in the common schools. These schools therefore must be 
with us the hope of civilization, liberty and virtue. To ele¬ 
vate them so as to meet the wants of our republic is the high 
and single aim of the convention. Parties in politics and 
sects in religion will not for a moment be recognized in any 
form. No power will be vested in the Assembly. It will be, 
we trust, a company of philanthropists, patriots and Chris¬ 
tians, coming together in the spirit of an expansive benevo¬ 
lence, to consult for the highest good of the rising generation; 
and whose deliberations and results, when published to the 
country, will bring the great cause of education simultane¬ 
ously before the several states in a form for enlightened, do 
finite and successful action. As subservient to this humane 
and patriotic object, we would suggest a few among the many 
topics which will demand the consideration of the meeting: 
viz: 
How many children are there in each state, who, accord¬ 
ing to the laws of that state, should be under instruction?— 
How many of this number are found in the schools? What 
is the condition of the common schools in each state? What 
is the organization of the school system? What branches of 
knowledge should be taught in our common schools? What 
should be the character of our common school books? How 
may school apparatus and school libraries be made most use¬ 
ful? In what branches should instruction be given orally, 
and in what degree? What should be the qualifications of 
teachers? Are normal schools (or seminaries for the prepa¬ 
ration of teachers) desirable? On what plan should they be 
established? Is a central normal school for the Union desira¬ 
ble? Should it be under the direction of Congress or a soci¬ 
ety of citizens? What connection should the common schools 
have with academies, colleges and universities? What mo¬ 
dels for school-houses are best? Will a “Board of Educa¬ 
tion,” established by each state, afford the best supervision 
and secure the highest improvement of the schools? How 
can itinerant teachers and lecturers best supply destitute pla¬ 
ces? Is a national system of instruction desirable? How 
should a school-fund be applied? In what part of each state 
lias the greatest progress been made in elementary education? 
How may schooi statistics, which must be the basis of le¬ 
gislation, be most easily collected? What features of the 
systems now in operation in Holland, Germany, Prussia, 
France and Great Britain, may be most usefully adopted in 
this country? 
Fellow Citizens—The discussion of these and kindred to¬ 
pics will probably elicit a mass of information the importance 
of which cannot be easily overstated. We would therefore 
urge those, who shall attend the convention, to come prepar¬ 
ed for making known the valuable facts they can gather.— 
Believing that all the talent of a country should be so tempt¬ 
ed forth, by judicious culture, as to bring it into profitable 
and harmonious action; that it is important to the public good 
as well as to private happiness that we should receive the 
requisite supply of useful information; and that each faculty 
which the Creator has implanted in childhood should be de¬ 
veloped in its natural order, proper time and due proportion, 
we invite you to secure the attendance of delegates from 
your state prepared to promote this first duty of our republic 
—the education of our youth. Believing that our country 
must look to intelligence as its defence, and to virtue as its 
life-blood; and lhat the plan now proposed, originating in the 
most enlightened views of freedom and humanity, will be the 
first in a series of means for securing the greatest good to fu¬ 
ture generations, not only among us, but to our sister repub¬ 
lics, the Lyceum desires to bring into a focus all the light 
which can be collected in our land. Some of the most dis¬ 
tinguished gentlemen in several states have promised to be 
present; and we would suggest the expediency of inviting 
the members of Congress (who will be on their way to Wa¬ 
shington about the lime of the meeting) to join the conven¬ 
tion. 
With the most heartfelt good wishes for the success of eve¬ 
ry effort for the benefit of the young, both in your state and 
throughout the Union, we are your friends and fellow citi¬ 
zens, 
THEODORE FREEING HU YSEN, of New-Jersey. 
CHARLES BROOKS, of Massachusetts. 
JOHN GRISCOM, of Pennsylvania. 
HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT, of Michigan. 
THEODORE DWIGHT JUN. of New-York. 
New-York, June 1839. 
P, S. We respectfully invite each editor of a newspaper 
in the United States to give his patrons the opportunity of 
reading the above circular; and to add this postcriptas record¬ 
ing our sineerest thanks for his friendly co-operation. 
On the use of Dime. 
Bloomsbury Plains, Somerset Co. July 16th, 1839. 
Dear Sir —According to your request I will give you my 
experience on the use of lime. I will first describe the soil 
of my farm, which is a mixture of clay and a line calcareous 
looking sand, with a yellow clay bottom. In 1837 I purchas¬ 
ed 200 bushels of slaked stone lime, at 12 cts. per bushel; 
as it was the first I ever used I was determined to give it a 
fair trial, and to ascertain its true value.. I walked out to my 
field and laid off one acre of poor worn out land, which did 
not produce more than lj barrels* of corn to the acre, and a 
large part of that hardly saleable. In October I put on 50 
bushels of stone lime to the acre, with a tolerable covering 
of coarse grass, and ploughed it under and let it lie until the 
next April; then cross-ploughed and planted it in corn: the 
ground appeared very mellow, and I could see a considerable 
difference in the color. At the period of harvesting my corn 
I was anxious to know the result—I gathered the corn and 
measured it up; the result was 4 barrels of corn to the acre, 
or 20 bushels of sound corn, weighing 59 i pounds per bushel. 
I then set down to make a calculation to see what profit I 
derived from my lime. It is as follows: 
20 bushels com at 75 cts.. $15 00 
Fodder worth. 3 00 
$18 00 
Cost of 50 bushels lime, at 12 cts. $6 00 
Hauling. 1 00 
- 7 00 
$11 00 
What it produced before liming:—7| bushels 
corn at75 cts.—fodder $1.50, ............. 7 12J 
Clear profit,. $3 87J 
And leaving my land worth three times as much as it ivas before 
the application of lime. Well, I had 150 bushels left—I put 
it into a compost with barn-yard manure, such as pine tops 
and straw litter from cattle—-In the spring manured with my 
compost in the hill, which acted admirably, equal to stable 
manure. I have tried the lime on almost a bald surface, and 
I could perceive scarcely any benefit. I think it will not act 
well without some vegetable matter. My opinion is, that it 
acts as a stimulus, and rectifies the unproductive properties 
of the soil. 1 tried oyster shell lime—I took a piece of ground 
1 thought would produce about 2£ barrels, and applied 100 
bushels oyster shell lime with some coarse manure. I did 
not measure the corn, as I was hurried, but thought it would 
gather 70 bushels per acre. I will leave you to describe the 
present crop, as you were an eye-witness to it. Yours re¬ 
spectfully, MATTHIAS B. TOADVINE. 
Facts for Fanners. 
[From the Boston Cultivator .] 
It is a fact that some cows will make three times as much 
butter as others of the same size and with the same keeping. 
* Seven and a half bushels. 
It is a fact that some breeds of swine will make a ton of pork 
out of half the keeping which is required for other breeds. 
It is a fact that some ploughs require twice as much team 
as others and yet do not perform the work so well. It is a 
fact that some farms of fifty acres produce more than some 
other farms of one hundred acres. 
Is it not worth our while to make inquiry into the causes 
of these differences and to devise a mode of equalization; 
And first, as to our breeds of cattle. We will make no over 
statements. We know there is abundance of testimony that 
we have native cows which will make more than fourteen 
pounds of butter per week each, and we all know we have 
a great number of cows that will not make five pounds each. 
W ith these facts staring us in the face shall we not cast out 
those that will not pay the expense of keeping and introduce 
better breeds ? 
We would not be understood as making comparison with 
any foreign breeds of cattle. Those who prefer them may 
make the trial, and may improve by crossings; but we would 
improve our native breeds and select the very best. There 
can be no doubt of the practicability of producing a herd from 
our native stock that shall in a very few generations be sure 
to prove of the true blood of the ancestors. We have yet made 
no trial in this country, but knowing what has been done else¬ 
where, we can now proceed with confidence, having our path 
lighted by lamps that have gone before. 
The course of commerce between Massachusetts and the 
interior has for many years been unfavorable to the improve¬ 
ment of our neat stock and of our swine. In the vicinity of 
our cities we have found it more profitable to slay all and eat 
all our young neats, at an early age, than to rear them; 
while in the interior, where keeping was cheap and there 
was no market for veal, the whole progeny of the neat cattle 
has been reared without the least regard to symmetry of 
form or promise of exellence. All must perceive that by pro¬ 
ceeding in this manner we can make no improvement in our 
stock. 
But a better era begins to dawn upon us; for since it is 
found that the most excellent of our own cows will command 
a price bearing some proportion to the good qualities of the 
animal, the best will be snatched from the butcher and rear¬ 
ed; and inferior animals from the interior will bring only such 
prices as may justify their purchase for beef. The whole 
tendency of the operation will be in favor of selections, both 
here and in the interior, of the best animals for rearing. 
But we hope and trust we shall not be content with this 
slow mode of approximating to a perfect breed of neat stock. 
Since farmers are becoming convinced of the superiority of 
the best of our native stock over the poorest, they will lend 
their aid to those who shall begin in earnest to rear only from 
the best animals. 
We are fully satisfied that no branch of farming could be 
pursued to greater profit, even within a few miles of Boston, 
than that of rearing the best of neat stock that can be select¬ 
ed from our native breeds, and we are pleased that one gen¬ 
tleman at least in the neighborhood of Boston is determined 
to prove what may be done by crosses of our very best native 
cows with an English bull of the Ayreshire breed which is 
of fine form and was not selected for his great size but for his 
good qualities. 
We sincerely hope others will be induced to imitate his ex¬ 
ample, so far at least as a selection of our best native stock is 
concerned—and that not only the females but the best males 
will be selected and kept from other herds until we can 
be supplied with an improved breed that shall rival the best 
that has ever been reared. 
By breeding from the very best males and females only, we 
may be quite certain in a short time to raise up a perfect stock. 
We well know “ a good cow may have a bad calf,” but ten 
good cows with a male of the right breed will have eight or 
nine good calves, and the descendents of these will be more 
likely to be of the true breed, and so on; the farther we pro¬ 
gress the more sure we may be of a correct result. 
And what an acquisition to the farmer and to the com¬ 
munity to possess herds that will give us thrice the milk 
which our present stock supplies. 
The average expense of keeping a cow on hay and grass 
in the vicinity of Boston for a number of years past may be 
stated at not less than thirty dollars each. The average va¬ 
lue of her milk made into butter may be 140 weight, or seven 
pounds per week for twenty weeks,—or at nine quarts per 
day, 9 times 140 equals 1260 quarts, and this at four cents 
per quart equals $50.40. Thus the butter to equal the 
milk should bring'thirty-six cents per pound. 
We have yet counted but twenty weeks milking, but with 
good keeping cows should be milked not less than forty 
weeks, and if turnips and grain are fed out the last twenty 
weeks will give half as much as the first twenty. The pro¬ 
duce in milk might then be worth $75.00—in butter, at the 
common market price, it would be one third-less, thougli 
the nicest premium butter has often brought more than this 
milk would amount to. 
We think it quite feasible to rear cows that will give dou¬ 
ble this quantity of milk or butter, and how valuable must 
be such stock ? 
Beet Sugar. 
[From the New-England Farmer .] 
We perceive by a recent number, that our neighbor the 
publisher of the Yankee Farmer, proposes forming an asso¬ 
ciation for the purpose ox ascertaining the practicability and 
advantages, if any, of the manufacture of sugar from beets 
in this country, by the latest and most improved methods.— 
Especially, he is desirous of determining whether it can be 
so managed, as has been represented, that every farmer’s fa¬ 
mily in the country may by a simple household practice, sup¬ 
ply their own wants. We most heartily wish him all possi¬ 
ble success. How far the calculations which he has given to 
the public in relation to this matter, are to he relied on, we 
are not able to say. But the funds asked for are a small af¬ 
fair compared with the importance of the object in view; and, 
divided as they will be, cannot fall heavily, even if the pro¬ 
ject should fail. But success is highly probable. 
The sugar beet is beginning to be much cultivated m vari¬ 
ous parts of the state. We have seen considerable fields of 
it in many places: and trials of it as feed for cattle and swine 
have served to bring it into favor. A company is prosecuting 
the cultivation of it, as we have been informed, to a large 
extent in Michigan, with a view to the manufacture of sugar. 
