1852. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
41 
ancient and greater, yet, with regard to the world, it was 
new and less, And as we justly expect a greater know* 
ledge of things, and a riper judgment, from a man of 
years than from a youth, on account of the greater ex¬ 
perience, and the greater variety and number of things 
seen, heard, and thought of, by the person in years; so 
might much greater matters be justly expected from the 
present age, than from former times; as this is the more 
advanced age of the world, and now enriched and furn¬ 
ished with infinite experiments and observations.” 
Tho late Judge Buel, and his associates and colaborers 
in New-York, early and clearly saw the advantages that 
would flow to agriculture from associated effort, backed 
by appropriations of money by government. They were 
a company of as able, enterprising and useful men as 
ever graced and honored any State. They were far in 
advance of public opinion around them, and were at 
times thought to be quite wild and enthusiastic. After 
years of earnest solicitations for legislative aid to agri¬ 
culture, and after exhausting every argument in its favor 
which their capacious minds could frame, they in part 
obtained the objects desired. Some of the measures they 
advocated, are now in full operation; the benefits realised 
therefrom in their own State can hardly be estimated 
high enough; the Transactions of the State Society they 
labored so earnestly to establish, are among the very 
richest contributions to the agricultural literature of the 
age, and form a light to enlighten the most distant parts 
of our country; and society already acknowledges its in¬ 
debtedness to these, men for their far reaching and com¬ 
prehensive views, and early, earnest, persevering efforts 
to carry the same. I had lively hopes that Vermonters, 
seeing the rich results of concerted action and legislative 
aid to promote agriculture, would at once and quite 
generally favor measures calculated to produce like re¬ 
sults in their own State; but judging from the present 
aspect, a majority choose rather to consider such mea¬ 
sures in the light of an unsolved and uncertain experi¬ 
ment. Although disappointed in this part of our present 
effort at advancement, I cannot but hope that the spirit 
of the nineteenth century will get a fast hold upon our 
algriculture, that the dry bones hanging to it will be 
shaken, and awakened to life and activity, that the in¬ 
telligent and active men of the State will be awake and 
in action, and that we shall somehow contrive to keep 
along with other communities-in the forward movements 
©f the times. 
In Vermont, there are various circumstances favorable 
to the existence and success of a State Society; and 
around the State, on all sides, there are circumstances 
which make such a Society quite necessary to its farmers. 
We live compactly, and feel a community of interests. 
Railroads span the State in almost every direction. In 
from three to six hours, they can bring the people togeth¬ 
er in any one of a dozen of our largest villages; and they 
will quickly and free of charge, transport all kinds of 
stock to a place of exhibition. They open new, distant, 
and desirable markets to our farmers, and invite them to 
engage in new modes of farming, in the production of a 
variety of articles heretofore unprofitable for cultivation 
on a large scale, or of a nature too perishable to reach 
a suitable market by the old modes of conveyance. We 
have fine breeds of horses, cattle, and sheep,—indeed, in 
this regard, we occupy a high vantage-ground; and we 
must not only preserve their present excellence, but also 
strive to improve them. This is best done by associated 
effort, and by comparing ourselves among ourselves; and 
if we fail of employing these aids, each trusting to him¬ 
self, in ignorance of what his neighbors are doing, other 
communities on either side of us, by organised efforts for 
improvements, will be altogether likely to get ahead of 
us. 
A portion of the farmers of Vermont will certainly en¬ 
deavor to sustain their State Society by voluntary effort. 
They will probably prove a sufficiently spirited band of 
men, to carry it forward successfully. The repulse they 
have met with in the outset, will quicken them in efforts 
to do not only their own work in the matter, but also a 
considerable portion of that which should have been done 
by the State through its legislature 
Now let me suggest an idea or two regarding the ad¬ 
vantages which may result to the country at large from 
the operations of State Societies. If generally organis¬ 
ed in the states, they may exert a double influence; for 
while singly they have their own legitimate, decided, and 
powerful home influence, collectively, they may furnish 
the means for exerting a very important national influ¬ 
ence. For instance; the State Societies of New-York 
and Georgia gave very general invitations to the friends 
of agriculture in other states, to meet with them at their 
late Festivals, to observe their improvements, and to con¬ 
sult with them and with one another, for the general wel¬ 
fare of agriculture. Now t , if these State Associations 
become general, and these courtesies are extended from 
one association to another, the farmers of different and 
even distant sections will be likely to meet together more 
or less, compare views, counsel upon their mutual inte¬ 
rests, become w T ell acquainted with one another, find they 
do not differ so very much after all, and thus the agri¬ 
cultural community may move forward unitedly and un- 
derstandingly in efforts to promote their great and com¬ 
mon cause, and the prosperity of the country. If Con¬ 
gress should persist in a refusal to establish a Bureau of 
Agriculture at Washington the farmers through their se¬ 
veral State Societies, may in time form a Central Na¬ 
tional Organization, to do in part those things contem¬ 
plated to be done by a National Bureau. In the course* 
of a correspondence with Hon. J. Delafield, President 
of the New-York State Society, this subject has been 
briefly discussed. I trust he will pardon the liberty I 
take in now using an extract from one of his letters to 
me,—though of the character of familiar private corres¬ 
pondence. He says: “ You allude, among other tilings, 
to a Central Agricultural Bureau. Upon this point I 
think vre may move to advantage as State Societies or 
Associations; and with a hope to confer upon this and 
other matters of moment, I invited the Presidents of all 
other State Societies to attend our late Fair, and from 
each I received replies corresponding with the brief views 
then given. * * * It seems to me improbable that 
the General Government will take any decided steps in 
regard to a Bureau. The State Societies may form an 
association, hold its office at Washington, and being a 
representative body from the people, carry at an early day 
a clear conviction to Congress that such a Bureau as has 
been indicated, is imperatively needed in our Agricultu¬ 
ral Republic.” 
While upon the subject of Agricultural Societies, al¬ 
low me to throw in a word or two of caution. At all 
great or small festivals of these .Societies, allusions of a 
distinctly political cast should be strictly avoided. Men 
of all political parties may meet to consider the interests 
of agriculture, and find ground spacious enough to stand 
upon, and weighty matters enough to consult about, all 
in harmony and good fellowship. These Festival occa¬ 
sions belong to agriculture, not to politics. Political oc¬ 
casions are numerous enough, in all conscience; and these 
men may kindle up such enthusiasm as the good of the 
country may seem to demand; but the quiet and harmo¬ 
ny of agricultural gatherings should not be disturbed by 
matters so exciting as those of politics. F. Holbrook. 
Brattleboro, Dec. 2, 1851. 
Apples, &c . 5 in New-Ungland. 
Agreeably to your polite invitation sometime ago ex¬ 
tended to me, I sit down to wwite a few lines for the 
pomological department of The Cultivator. 
Not to waste time or space with any unprofitable pre¬ 
liminary remarks, I will say a few words respecting, 
1. The Forms of Trees. —No writer that I am aware 
of has yet given a good classification of trees in this re¬ 
spect. Barry, in his “ Fruit Garden,” recently publish,- 
ed, has made the attempt, but not, as I think, with en¬ 
tire success. For the purpose of bringing this subject 
under discussion I would propose the following terms for 
1 designating trees: 
