1817. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
197 
connected with each and all these points, without at* 
taching undue importance to any one of them, to ap¬ 
prove that work the best which would be most worthy 
of imitation on a farm.” 
A Manual of the Principles of Road-Making : comprising the 
Location, Construction and Improvement of Roads, (common, 
macadam, paved, plank, etc.) and Railroads: by W M. Gilles¬ 
pie, A. M.j C. E., Professor of Civil Engineering in Union Col¬ 
lege— pp. 336. New-York, A. S. Barnes & Co. 
The author of this work has supplied a desideratum 
which has long existed. Perhaps there is no subject on 
which information is more needed by the country in ge¬ 
neral. than on that of road-making. To be satisfied of 
this, it is only necessary to notice the miserable manner 
in which a large portion of our roads are constructed. 
The author of this volume opens by stating that “ the 
roads of a country are accurate and certain tests of the 
degree of its civilization.” Whether this is or is not 
admitted in its broadest sense, we think it true that the 
character of a community as to enterprise, public spirit, 
and even intelligence, is generally judged of by the con¬ 
dition of its public roads. Mr. Gillespie has taken up 
the subject in a proper manner—beginning the work at 
the right place, and prosecuting it in systematic order 
to its completion. He first tells “ what roads ought to 
be,” as to their direction, their slopes, cross-section, sur¬ 
face, cost ; next, the 11 location of roads,” arrangement of 
hills, valleys, and water-courses, with directions for sur¬ 
veying, mapping, establishing grades, calculating exca¬ 
vations, embankments, &c. The next chapter is on the 
li construction of roads,” in which all the details in regard 
to earth-work and mechanical structures, such as bridges 
culverts and drains are given. The next chapter de¬ 
scribes the manner of making the different kinds of 
roads, as earth roads, gravel roads, broken-stone roads, 
paved roads, roads of wood, &c. Next follows a chap¬ 
ter on the construction of railroads: The closing por¬ 
tion of the work is devoted to a discussion of the present 
road system, in which its defeots are shown and a new 
system proposed. The book is for sale by E. H. Pease 
and by Steele & Durrie, Albany. 
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
New-York State Society. —We have not room 
for the proceedings of the Executive Committee, at their 
April meeting. Among the most important of its pro¬ 
ceedings, we consider the arrangement with Dr. Fitch, 
of Salem, for a thorough Agricultural Survey of Wash¬ 
ington county, to be published in the Society’s Transac¬ 
tions for 1847. From the peculiar qualifications of 
Dr. Fitch for the undertaking, and his untiring indus¬ 
try, we anticipate a report which will serve for a pat¬ 
tern for the surveys of other counties. The premiums 
on Butter Dairies were increased so as to correspond 
with those on cheese, viz: 1st, $50—2d, $30—3d, $20. 
Letters were read from gentlemen in different parts of 
the state, and several donations of books, samples of 
grain, &c., acknowledged. The Secretary was ordered 
to procure some one to prepare a memoir of the late 
Willis Gaylord, and a committee appointed on the 
subject of the removal of the remains of the late Judge 
Buel, to the new Rural Cemetery. The next meeting 
of the executive committee is to be held at the United 
States Hotel, Saratoga Springs, on Thursday, the 3d 
day of June next, at 12 o’clock at noon, at which time 
Judges and committees will be appointed, and arrange¬ 
ments made for the Cattle Show and Fair. 
Persons in western New-York who have not received 
diplomas and premiums awarded at the State Fair at 
Auburn, will please notify J. Alleyn, ,at the office of 
the city Treasurer, Rochester. 
Rhode-Island Society for the Encouragement 
of Domestic Industry. —We have received a list of 
premiums offered by this Society for 1847. We notiee 
that a large portion of the money is offered for making 
experiments on various subjects, and if the experiments 
are properly conducted, the results will prove of great 
utility. 
Worcester County, Mass.— This long established 
and most useful Agricultural Society, held its meeting 
for the choice of officers, at Worcester, on the 17th 
April, when the Hon. Levi Lincoln, who, we believe, 
has been at the head of the Society for nearly thirty 
years, was re-appointed President; and John Brooks, 
of Princeton, and George Dewey, of Westboro, Vice- 
Presidents; John W. Lincoln, Cor., and Wm. S. Lin¬ 
coln, Worcester, Rec. Secretaries; Anthony Chase, 
Treasurer. A Board of Trustees, consisting of 172 
persons, located in the different towns of the county, 
was also appointed. 
Burlington County, N. J.—An Ag. Society was 
organized in this county, by a meeting held at Mount 
Holley on the 13th of April. After the adoption of 
the constitution, Dr. Jona. I. Spencer, of Morestown, 
was chosen President; Wm. N. Shinn, Isaac V. Brown, 
Charles Collins, and Levi Barton, Vice-Presidents; Jo- 
seph F. Burr, Rec. and C. Gillingham, Cor. Sec’y; and 
C. M. Harker, Treasurer. A Fair is to be held in Oc¬ 
tober next. 
Chittenden County, Vt.— -The Fair of this So¬ 
ciety is to be held on the 22d of -September. The list 
of premiums amounts to $618. For list of officers, see 
March number, p. 96. This society distributes among 
its members 200 copies of the Cultivator. 
Lamoille County, Vt. —An Ag. Society has re¬ 
cently been formed in this county, which will hold its 
first exhibition at Hyde Park, on the 28th Sept. next. 
Ariel Hunton, President; and Carlos S. Nores, Sec’y. 
The Provincial Ag. Society of Canada West, 
will hold their next great Exhibition at Hamilton, on 
the 6th and 7t,h of October next. The premium list 
is about equal to that of our State Ag. Society, previ¬ 
ous to the present year, amounting in cash premiums 
to nearly $2,500, together with 30G - volumes of works 
on Agriculture and Horticulture. E. W. Thomson. 
Esq., of Toronto, is President, and W. G. Edmundson, 
Toronto, Secretary. 
Windsor County, Vt. —We have been favored with 
the Premium List of this Society for 1847, the Fair to 
be held at Woodstock, on the 7th of October. The 
Premium List embraces a great variety of articles, and 
amounts to near $800. For officers of this society, see 
March number, p. 96. 
Queens County, N. Y.—We are indebted to A. G. 
Carll, Esq., Secretary of this society, for its list of pre¬ 
miums, to be awarded in October next, embracing, to a 
great extent, the products of the farm, orchard, and 
garden. 
Yates County, N. Y.—At the annual meeting of 
the society in this county, Charles Lee, of Milo, was 
chosen President; Artemas Bigelow, Sec’y, and F. A. 
Stebbins, Treas. A Vice-President and member of the 
Board, was also chosen from each town in the county. 
C# 3 We have received from Rodman Sisson, Esq., 
of Abington, Luzerne Co., Pa., a parcel of apples, com¬ 
prising handsome specimens of the Rhode Island Green¬ 
ing, Belle-flower, and several kinds of sweet apples. 
Also, a sample of maple sugar, of a quality rarely 
equalled, although it is, as we are informed, only a fair 
specimen of the whole quantity, (several hundred 
pounds,) manufactured by him the present season. 
Hogs in the United States. —The Genesee Far¬ 
mer says that “ the hog crop in the United States, this 
past year, is three times the worth of the cotton crop. 
The ‘ standing army 1 of swine consumes annually two 
hundred millions of bushels of corn.” 
