1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
301 
only to exhort the farmers of this old county to a steady 
perseverance in their honorable occupation; which has 
so far rewarded their toil and industry with competence 
and independence. May they properly estimate and 
approve of the provision which the state has thought 
proper to make for the promotion of the great cause in 
which they, and their brethren throughout the length 
and breadth of the land, are so steadily engaged. 
The benefit and advantages of which have again and 
again been made manifest both at the state and county 
fairs.. So much so, that it is now a matter generally 
conceded, that inquiry and exertions have been stimu¬ 
lated, a more perfect system of cultivation pursued, a 
great improvement in all the implements of husbandry 
obtained, the breed of cattle and horses carefully at¬ 
tended to 5 and finally, an accurate knowledge of the 
component parts of soils, as well as of the qualities of 
manure, placed within the reach of all. In all these 
matters the farmers of the state have a deep interest. 
They constitute the great mass of its inhabitants, are 
constantly and laboriously employed in the cultivation 
of its soil, the gathering of its crops, and their trans¬ 
portation to the best market. An occupation as honora¬ 
ble and useful as it is ancient and necessary 5 and too 
much neglected by the youth of our country for other 
and more uncertain pursuits; one, too, in which the 
passions and the worst feelings of our nature find little 
room for growth or display, where the regularity of 
labor, the comforts of life, and the feeling of independ¬ 
ence, which the ownership of the land ever imparts, 
tempers and chastens the character and sentiments of 
the tiller of the soil. Such is eminently the condition 
and the let of the farmers of this noble state: may such 
continue to be the inheritance of their children. 
System, Order, and Economy. 
The farmer of the state of New York is deprived 
of the many and necessary facilities for studying, com¬ 
prehending, and intelligibly practicing his profession. 
The farmers of the state of New York contribute more 
to the due education and accomplishment of the minis¬ 
ters of religion, of lawyers, physicians and merchants, 
by full three fourths, than either of the above classes 
do or can contribute for their own advancement, because 
when combined they even then do not amount in num¬ 
bers to one fourth of the farmers of this state. We 
farmers, then, pay for the establishment of schools and 
colleges, of academies and universities, the energies of 
which are mainly exerted and directed to educate and 
advance the classes above referred to; and from them 
emanates special appliances for their respective indivi¬ 
dual classes. The farmer has reason to rejoice and 
feel proud of the benefits he is thus so largely instru¬ 
mental in producing; he knows, acknowledges, and 
bows to, the efforts of the man of God, who meekly 
and purely devotes himself to the guidance of his 
fellow beings in the only path which leads to true and 
enduring happiness. The farmer has a proud satisfac¬ 
tion, too, in the means he has so richly afforded in 
bringing forward the eminent lawyer, who, when pur¬ 
suing his own proper duty, is exercising benevolence 
and talent of the highest order in adjusting and regu¬ 
lating the contentions of his fellow men; and thus 
through all classes, the farmer has cause to rejoice 
and feel proud, in his liberal and cheerful efforts to 
develope and sustain them. But what has this power¬ 
ful body of men done for themselves ? Nothing — 
nothing for their own special advancement in the art 
and science of agriculture ! ! 
And here let me ask reference to one of the princi¬ 
ples claimed to be established at page 79 of the Culti¬ 
vator , when first calling the attention of my brother 
farmers to the value and necessity of order , system and 
economy , it was then stated that il the power of man, 
when used without the application of mind or intellect, 
degrades him in his own estimation, reducing him to 
a condition of servitude and dependence.” 
It is not to be supposed that any man will deny this 
position, for we have abundant proof in the abject con¬ 
dition of man, thus circumstanced at various places on 
this earth. Admitting the truth of this position, is it 
not equally true, that the greater amount of intellect 
employed in directing the power of man, the more 
elevated, free and independent is his condition ? Now 
let us apply these truths to our class, as farmers, and 
compare the amount of intellect we use in our vocation 
with the amount used by the divine, the lawyer or phy¬ 
sician. Must we not frankly admit, that to a great 
extent, we are negligent in this particular; and, conse¬ 
quently, where this neglect prevails, there we are 
valued below our capacities and natural conditions ? 
Yes, we may not deny it, but we can and ought 
promptly to open to the body of farmers the broad door 
to knowledge, whereby we may readily and easily sub¬ 
stitute intelligence for mere force, “ the power of 
knowledge for the power of muscle.” While we parti¬ 
cipate in common in the blessings of our common 
schools, and while we joyfully and gladly contribute to 
the advancement of knowledge among other classes, 
let us no longer neglect the interests of our own sons, 
but with unceasing energy claim an equal distribution 
of all the facilities for the distribution of science and 
art, as applicable to the cultivation of the earth. 
As our colleges and prominent seminaries are now 
conducted, they give us abundant opportunities for 
training the mind, for exercising it and enabling it to 
grapple with abstruse studies. All this is well, and is 
quite as important to the farmer as to any profession: 
but once within the walls of our present educational 
halls, and we find that the minds of the boys, though 
well exercised, are insensibly led from the most impor¬ 
tant and pure views of progress in life, by means of 
agriculture, to hazard their destinies in the ambitious 
short-lived road of public employment, or in the 
scheming, speculative tracks of trade and commerce. 
Here is the point, then, we must needs start from: 
either our existing system of education, in all our 
seminaries, must make agriculture a department equal 
in importance and as honorable in pursuit, as any and 
every other vocation of man, otherwise a large portion 
of the funds which we farmers now contribute for edu¬ 
cation, must be applied to the direct, special advance¬ 
ment of education, with a single view to the agricul¬ 
tural interests. 
I need hardly remark that to this end, the farmer 
needs as high talent for his use, and as extensive 
knowledge as is needful for any vocation on the earth. 
These are the means we must use, and probably the 
course we must pursue to cause our class to hold the 
elevation to which it is entitled, to use mind and intel¬ 
lect in the application of our power, securing the 
highest condition of man in this world, and the best 
preparation for comprehending and entering upon those 
duties which lead to perfect happiness in the world to 
come. 
To produce this result, we have need for order and 
system , or in other words, union and systematic action, 
as a class of men pursuing a vocation distinct from all 
others,—more important than all others,—and without 
which, all art, all science would decay. Agricola. 
Seneca County. 
Tan converted to Manure. —This, it is said, may 
be successfully accomplished, by placing alternate lay¬ 
ers of spent tan and lime, the former 2 feet thick, the 
latter 3 inches-—remaining thus for two years. 
