1846. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
363 
HOW SHALL WE IMPROVE ? 
« The public expect of us vigorous efforts to improve 
and elevate our agriculture—and we should be untrue to 
ourselves, did we not endeavor to satisfy every reason¬ 
able expect ation.” 
This is the language of the late president of the 
New-York State Agricultural Society, in his annual ad¬ 
dress delivered in January last. The sentiment is cor¬ 
rect, but the question is, has every reasonable expec¬ 
tation been satisfied? During the five or six years that 
the society has been in operation, has it as yet pursued 
or devised any plan by which a good and fair analysis 
of the various crops grown in this State would be put 
into the hands of every farmer in such a shape that he 
who farms may read and understand? It is a fact, that 
in the five volumes of transactions already published, 
there are many valuable and highly interesting papers; 
yet, it is equally a fact, that out of the whole mass of 
agricultural writers, there is scarcely ever a communi¬ 
cation sent to an agricultural paper, that refers to a 
single idea or suggestion whieh has arisen from the pe¬ 
rusal of these papers. Why is this? Is it not partly 
because there is no system fixed on as permanent, for 
the arrangement of the various papers of which they 
consist? And do not the volumes fall into the hands of 
too few persons who are actually the working practical 
farmers? Does it not, also, seem probable, that were 
the prize essays made a small handy pamphlet or vo¬ 
lume, unconnected with the transactions, they would be 
much more read, much more consulted, and conse¬ 
quently more readily aid to (< improve and elevate our 
agriculture?” 
Again, there are but few of the papers, I am inclined 
to think, that have that utilitarian character that it is 
expected such an eminent society should present to the 
agricultural world. To explain what I mean, I must 
refer to the proceedings of a like society, the Transac¬ 
tions of the Highland Society of Scotland. These con¬ 
tain many able essays, which have been elicited by high 
premiums. I need go no further than to mention the 
essay on the analysis of the oat, by J. P. Norton. No 
one can read this essay without perceiving that the pre¬ 
mium, high as it was, about 250 dollars, would hardly 
remunerate the author for the time, labor, and expense 
that he was at, for a period of some twelve months, in 
preparing his paper: yet this, with the exception of a 
well-deserved reputation, was all the reward that the 
author had for a paper that contains all that can, as I 
believe, be knOvvn of the oat. Yet how many will 
gladly avail themselves of the knowledge of facts 
hitherto unknown, and now contained in that paper, to 
increase the value of a standard crop, and one which 
occurs in nearly all our systems of rotation; how many 
will reap the benefit of his skilful chemical manipula¬ 
tion, acquired only after long practice, of his patient 
investigations, and of his laborious researches, for the 
mere trouble of reading some twenty-five or thirty 
pages? Essays like this stamp a character on a society, 
and give its sayings and doings a standing that nothing 
else will. 
An especial and prominent aid, both to the funds and 
to the premium list, I would now ask leave to point 
out to the executive board of the N. Y. Society. I 
have never seen it as yet suggested, nor even spoken 
of, and should you deem it feasible, I hope the project 
will receive that aid and support not only from you, but 
from the whole agricultural press, of which it appears 
to me well deserving. It is this: That the N. Y. State 
Society should procure from the Legislature, at the next 
session, authority to print a certain number for the use 
of the society, or to procure stereotype plates of the 
volumes of the Natural History of the State, containing 
the Agricultural Report now in course of preparation 
by Dr. Emmons. Here is an opportunity to diffuse, 
cheaply among the farmers of this State, accurate sci¬ 
entific information, combined with practical knowledge, 
in the shape of premiums, that will never occur again. 
The State is bound to print it at any rate, and while the 
ponderous tomes on Geology, Mineralogy', Botany, 
Zoology, Conchology, Herpetology, and Paleeontology 
have been paid for and printed by the State, and are 
without doubt of service to develop the mining, and 
manufacturing, and trading interests, to the farmer they 
are of little importance; it is the Agricultural Report 
that will render these of use to the farmer; it is through 
it that he will appreciate them; and I cannot too highly 
commend to you and to your readers, and especially to 
the Executive Board of the N. Y. State Society, the 
importance of speedily bringing this matter to the no¬ 
tice of the Legislature. The people of the State, and 
especially the farmers, from whom, as a matter of 
course, the greater share comes, have cheerfully paid 
enormous sums for the knowledge contained in the Na¬ 
tural History of the State. I consider it, therefore, the 
right of the agricultural community to demand that at 
least, since they have paid so much for science, a slight 
attempt at a return should be made on the score of utility. 
It is also an excellent investment for a part of the 
funds of the society, as it will give to them a store of 
premium material far more valuable than the richest 
medals or pieces of plate that genius, art, and taste 
combined, can possibly devise, and one which the intel¬ 
ligent farmers of our State, as I believe, will more 
eagerly strive after and hold in far higher esteem when 
gained. 
When it is known that but three thousand copies of 
this work is to be printed, that this single edition will 
probably have to last the State for many years, as it is 
not likely that any publisher would undertake to publish 
an edition of it in the hopes of being remunerated; 
knowing that many of those on whom he would pro¬ 
bably rely, in other cases, for the sale of such a work, 
had been supplied, and that this would be a cheap, if 
not the most economical and most useful mode of 
spreading the information contained, I, for one, hope 
that some action will be taken right speedily on the 
subject. J. 
Bethlehem, Nov-, 1846. 
SALT AS MANURE. 
Mr. Tucker —Having read several articles recom¬ 
mending the use of salt as a manure, I was last spring 
induced to procure a quantity for the purpose of testing 
its value. 
On the 7th of May, having spread about 30 loads of 
stable manure on 1^ acres of sod, turned over in April, 
I sowed four bushels of western salt on a little more 
than two-thirds of the ground, leaving a strip through 
the middle unsalted. The whole was then thoroughly 
harrowed, and the next day planted with corn. This 
field lies on the left bank of the Kinderhook creek; the 
eastern part is a light yellow loam; the western is a 
gravelly knoll; while the middle is alluvial—composed 
of sand and mud washed from the river. The salt was 
sown so as to give each of the different soils a fair trial. 
The corn was a good crop, producing (with the excep¬ 
tion of a small portion shaded by trees.) at least 50 
bushels to the acre. It was considerably smaller on 
a part of the alluvial land to which no manure was 
applied; but from first to last, no difference could be 
perceived between the salted and unsalted portions of the 
field, either in respect to the growth of the corn, or 
to the quantity destroyed by the cut and wire worms, 
which, however, was not very great in any part. On 
another field, with a slaty soil, I sowed a bushel of 
salt, at the rate of about five bushels to the acre, but 
could see no effect on the corn. The same result fol¬ 
lowed its application to the potato crop. Four and a 
half bushels w r ere sown on an acre, leaving a strip 
on each side unsalted. The vines died in July and 
August, and the crop of course was light; but few 
decayed potatoes were seen, except on some low 
ground. My brother used salt on both corn and pota¬ 
toes without perceiving any effect. Ifsalt is so valua¬ 
ble as some have supposed, (and of its good effects in 
some instances there can be no doubt,) what was the 
cause of failure in the cases stated? Was it in the soil, 
season, mode of application, or in the quantity applied? 
Can you give any light on the subject? S. P. Rollo. 
