• U5t. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
165 
lars an acre ; a man with small means even can buy 100 
or 200 acres; this gives him quite a scope for raising 
Stock, keeping a dairy, or fattening cattle; and as much 
of that land he buys for 10 dollars an acre, is really 
worth, for grazing or dairy purposes, as much as that 
where land is smoother and readily sells for 50 to 60 
dollars per acre, he is much the gainer, as his outlay of 
capital is so small. Though the plowing is rather rough, 
the crops when once got in and well tended, yield abun¬ 
dantly. I have seen very line crops of corn, oats, rye 
and buckwheat, grown on these farms, and I am inclined 
to think, that for the actual amount of capital invested, 
about as much money is made upon them as upon most 
other farms, when subjected to the ordinary mode of 
culture only. 
Science has nut done much yet for the dwellers in 
rough sections of country-, hut let not the occupants 
of those portions despair; the day must and will come, 
when every serious obstacle to the success of the agri¬ 
culturist, will disappear before the inventive genius of 
cur American mechanics. The tide of emigration may 
for a time set westward, hut with the rapid increase of 
our population, many years will not roll over our heads 
before it will be found better and cheaper to stay where 
we are, and improve our soil, rough though it he, than 
to leave our homes for a strange land. 
But Putnam county is not all mountains; there is 
many an oasis here, where the eye can rest with pleasure 
upon finely cultivated farms. Of some of these, I shall 
occasionally, if agreeable to you, give you sketches, as 
I know no better way to disseminate useful information 
about agriculture, than to give notes of the plans and 
operations of those who are engaged in that calling, and 
who look to it for a livelihood. My object will always he 
to find out those men who, with the smallest outlay, have 
reaped the greatest profit, and whose farms show the 
effect of skill and good management. Yours truly, H. 
C. W. Putnam Valley , N. Y., Feb. 22, 1851. 
prngrw nf Agriculture. 
Causes of Improvement.—-No. 5. 
Many of the improvements of which we have spoken 
in preceding numbers, are of a very important charac¬ 
ter. They have extended the sphere of agricultural 
knowledge, and enabled the farmer to pursue his occu¬ 
pation with increased advantages, and greater certainty 
of reward. In view of these results, who would wil¬ 
lingly he thrown hack to the point from which we have 
advanced within the last fifty years? or who can regard 
the cost of those improvements as worthy to be compar¬ 
ed with the benefits, past and prospective, which they 
have produced? 
We propose now to notice some of the causes which 
have occasioned the advance in agriculture to which we 
have called attention; and shall conclude with some 
suggestions in regard to other objects, to which efforts 
for further improvement should be directed. 
The principal causes in producing the improvements 
to which we have alluded, have been Agricultural Socie¬ 
ties and Agricultural Publications. Neither of these 
causes have existed a very long time. In our own country, 
we recollect hut three agricultural societies which had 
their origin previous to the present century, viz: the 
Philadelphia Society, organized in 1785; the New- 
York “ Society for the promotion of Agriculture, Arts 
and Manufactures,” organized in 1791, (incorporated 
1793.) and the Massachusetts Society in 1792. The in¬ 
crease of these associations was very slow, and they did 
not become common in any of the states, till they were 
encouraged by legislative patronage, which has not been 
generally extended till within the last twenty-five years. 
It is to the stimulus exerted by agricultural societies 
through the medium of their exhibitions, that their in¬ 
fluence in originating improvement has been chiefly felt. 
These exhibitions are of quite modern date. The first 
in the country was held at Pittsfield, Berkshire county, 
Mass., in the Autumn of 1810. The society in this 
county was organized the following winter. The next 
exhibition was that of the Massachusetts Society, and 
took place at Brighton in 1816. The latter was the 
commencement of a series of exhibitions, which from 
the liberal premiums offered by the Society, and the ex¬ 
tensive competition which was thus created, were pro¬ 
ductive of great benefit to the country.* This Society 
was the first in America to institute plowing-matches and 
trials of plows, (the first having been held at Brighton 
in connection with the annual exhibition of 1817,) which 
were the means of effecting some of the most important 
improvements the plow has undergone. The Society 
imported various patterns of the English and Scotch 
plows, which were here tested in competition with the 
different kinds of American manufacture—a comparison 
which brought out the defects and excellencies of each, 
and suggested to our mechanics many useful ideas which 
they immediately carried into practice in the construc¬ 
tion of their implements. 
But this is not a solitary instance of the influence of 
agricultural societies in producing improvement; the 
same beneficial results have been experienced in most 
other departments of agriculture. The public exhibi¬ 
tions have brought together the various products of the 
farm,—the different species and varieties of live stock, 
the grains, vegetables, fruits, butter and cheese, as well 
as implements,—and afforded the opportunity of making 
proper and useful comparisons. Perfection in all these 
things is only comparative, and the farmer and mechanic 
can form no correct idea of the real merits and value 
of their animals or articles, hut by a critical comparison 
with others which are deemed to possess excellence. 
The facilities which agricultural exhibitions have afford¬ 
ed in this respect have been very great, and they have 
in this way been the means of originating and dissemi¬ 
nating improvements, the value of which are beyond 
estimation. 
In bestowing this commendation upon agricultural 
societies, we are not insensible to the fact that they have 
sometimes been mismanaged—that their organization 
and administration are always more or less imperfect- 
hut these objections do not affect the main point, which 
is, that they are capable of being made most important 
aids in the cause of improvement. 
1 
* Among other enterprises which were early encouraged by this 
Society, was the offer of a premium of $500 for the introduction of 
the first five rams and ten ewes of the Merino breed. This was the 
means of many being imported. 
