1848. 
25 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
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hibit the effects of intelligence in the improvement of 
the soil, he purchased, in the vicinity of this- city, a 
most forbidding tract of land, from which to make a 
farm. It was a part of what was known as the “ san¬ 
dy barrens,” lying between Albdny and Schenectady, 
and has been described as “ an open common, covered 
with bushes ; and appearing as if doomed to everlast¬ 
ing sterility.” 
Judge Buel, however, being satisfied that this un¬ 
promising soil was capable of being rendered produc¬ 
tive and profitable, immediately proceeded, with the 
intelligence and judgment which he brought to bear on 
all his pursuits, to improve it by fencing, clearing off 
the brush, draining, manuring, &c. He erected build¬ 
ings, and established his residence here. In the course 
of a few years, the place, from having been positively 
repulsive, from its barrenness,, became noted for its 
general fertility, and especially for its very fine orchard 
of various fruits, and an extensive and well managed 
nursery. While engaged in these improvements, he 
devoted his leisure hours to the advancement of hisffa- 
vorite pursuit. He officiated for two years as Secre¬ 
tary of the old Board of Agriculture, and the last two 
volumes of its “ Memoirs” were prepared by him. He 
also republished from the columns of the Argus, a 
Treatise on Agriculture, which had been written at 
his request, for that paper, while edited by him, by his 
friend Gen. Armstrong of Dutchess. As another 
means of advancing the improvement of his favorite 
pursuit, he issued a number of Agricultural Tracts. 
He was also a frequent contributor to the old “ Amer¬ 
ican Farmer,” the “New England Farmer,” and the 
“ New-York Farmer,” the only agricultural papers 
published in this country previous to 1830. On the 
establishment of the old “ Genesee Farmer,” by the 
present proprietor of “ The Cultivator,” Judge B. be¬ 
came one of its warmest friends, and for nearly two 
years, previous to the establishment of “ The Culti¬ 
vator,” was a weekly contributor to the editorial de¬ 
partment of that paper. These papers, however, at 
that day, had but a limited circulation; and he wished 
to adopt some mode by which the benefits they afford¬ 
ed might be enjoyed by a much larger number of our 
farmers. After consultation with the few who then 
took an interest in the subject, the plan of “ The Cul¬ 
tivator” was determined upon—a plan which has re¬ 
sulted in immeasurable good to the country. 
“ The Cultivator,” as many of our readers are 
aware, was commenced under the auspices of the New- 
York State Agricultural Society, at the low price of 
25 cents per year, Judge Buel having volunteered to 
edit it without charge for his services, and the late 
Patroon, the Hon. Stephen Yan Rensselaer, and the 
late James Wadsworth, Esq., of Geneseo, having 
pledged themselves to pay whatever expenses might be 
incurred in the publication, over its receipts, for one 
year; for no one anticipated that the sales of the paper 
would pay the expense of the publication. But so 
nearly-were the accounts balanced at the end of the 
year, that Judge Buel, at the request, of the Society, 
paid the bills and took the establishment into his own 
hands, and gradually-enlarged the paper, and increased 
its price to $1 a year. He continued to conduct it, 
with increasing usefulness to the public and honor to 
himself, till his death, which occurred suddenly on the 
6th of October, 1839, at Danbury, Conn., while on 
his way to New Haven, to deliver an Address before 
the Agricultural Society of that county. 
In addition to the works already enumerated, Judge 
Buel was the author of the Farmer’s Companion, a 
work written at the request of the Massachusetts 
Board of Education for the District School Libraries 
of that State, and the Farmer’s Instructor, 2 vols., pre¬ 
pared for Messrs. Harper’s series of books for the Dis¬ 
trict School Libraries of this State. The productions 
of his pen secured him a wide reputation at home and 
abroad, and he was elected an honorary member of 
many distinguished societies in this country and Europe. 
Judge Buel adopted as a motto for “ The Cultiva¬ 
tor”—“ To improve the Soil and thH Mind;” and 
while he was indefatigable in his exertions to carry out 
the first object suggested, he never for a moment lost 
sight of the latter. He was an earnest advocate for 
self-instruction, a noble example of which was pre¬ 
sented in his own attainments. In obtaining the large 
fund of knowledge which he possessed, he was not even 
aided by the advantages of a common school education, 
having never attended school but six months. His 
views in regard to the improvement of “ the mind,” 
through the medium of publications, are expressed in 
the following extract from the first number of “ The 
Cultivator 
“ To Young Men we would especially appeal. 
You are destined soon to occupy the stage of public 
action, and to fill the important stations in society. 
Now is the time to prepare for these high duties, as 
well as for profit and distinction in your business. 
Your characters are but partially formed, and are yet 
susceptible of receiving good or bad impressions , which 
are to last through life. It is important to you, to 
your friends, and to society, that these impressions 
should be for good. We will lay before you rules and 
examples of the wisest and best men, to aid you in the 
formation of your characters—to enable you to become 
intelligent and successful in your business,—useful and 
respectable in society,—and beloved and happy in your 
families. Do not object that you have no time to read. 
Few young men labor more hours than did Benjamin 
Franklin, or are more humble and self-dependent than 
:he was in his youth; and yet Franklin found abundant 
time for self-instruction; and so.indefatigable and suc¬ 
cessful was he in his studies, that he became one of the 
most useful and celebrated men of his age. We need 
not limit the remark to Franklin : mosf of the distin¬ 
guished men of the day have risen from humble sta¬ 
tions by their own industry and frugality, and have 
