THE CULTIVATOR. 
23 
members of society, must depend mainly, for subsistence and for 
wealth; and that upon the intelligence and virtue of those who ma¬ 
nage its labors—comprising, as they do, the mass of our population 
—must materially depend our moral and intellectual character as a 
people;— 
That hence it is of primary importance to all, that this great 
branch of labor should be specially encouraged and honored, and 
that the agriculturist should himself receive all those mental aids, 
and that stimulus to industry, which are calculated to make him 
more prosperous in his business, and more useful to society. 
That we are now particularly admonished, by the scarcity and 
very high price of all the products of agriculture, to put forth our 
efforts to enlighten its labors and increase its productions;— 
That to the Legislature of the state, as the constituted guardians 
of the public weal, particularly appertains the duty of fostering and 
improving this primary source of our wealth and happiness ;— 
That from the experience of the past, at home and abroad, this 
convention are confident, that the patronage of the government may 
be advantageously extended, and without detriment to the financial 
operations of its treasury, to this great object;— 
1. By so raising the standard of instruction to the children of 
agriculture, as to enable them to understand, and to apply to pro¬ 
ductive labor, the best practices and improvements of the age ; and, 
2. By imitating the successful examples furnished by other go 
vernments, ot calling forth the skill, industry and competition of our 
citizens, by pecuninary rewards and honorary distinctions;— 
That influenced by these views, the Convention respectfully re¬ 
commend to the Legislature, to appropriate a permanent fund, the 
interest of which shall amount to at least thirty thousand dollars a 
year, to encourage the establishment, and to sustain in usefulness, 
a central, and county agricultural societies, and to promote, gene¬ 
rally, the interests of husbandry, under such regulations and re¬ 
strictions as to them shall seem meet; and that provision be made 
by law, for introducing into our common schools, such books of ele 
rnentary science, as may be best calculated to accelerate our im¬ 
provements in the arts of productive labor. 
Resolved, That there are many new implements of husbandry, 
calculated greatly to abridge agricultural labor, and to increase its 
products and its profits; that there are many also offered for sale, 
that are unworthy of public patronage; that from the difficulty, in 
the farmer, of determining, on superficial inspection, the relative 
merits of such implements, many impositions are sustained, and an 
injurious want of confidence necessarily exists in those which are 
eminently useful; that to remedy these evils, and to facilitate the 
more general introduction of labor-saving implements, it be recom¬ 
mended to the State Agricultural Society, to appoint a board of in¬ 
spectors to examine, thoroughly to test, and to determine and certify, 
the relative merits of all new farm implements and machinery which 
may be presented to them for inspection; that said board comprise 
men of mechanical science, practical machinists, and experienced 
farmers ; that they hold semi-annual meetings for this purpose, and 
that it be respectfully recommended to the legislature, to provide a 
reasonable compensation to the members of said board, while neces¬ 
sarily engaged in the duties of their appointment. 
Resolved, That this convention recommend the substitution of a 
money, instead of a labor assessment, for the making and keeping 
in repair our common roads. 
Mr. Viele, of Rensselaer, moved the adoption of the preceding 
resolutions, and went into a very able argument to show that the 
objects they proposed were eminently calculated to promote the 
great ends of free government, and to accelerate our progress in 
improvement and in wealth. 
__ The resolutions were unanimously adopted, and a copy thereof or¬ 
dered to be presented to each house of the legislature. 
On motion of Mr. Beekman, of Columbia, 
Resolved, That Judge Spencer and J. Buel, of Albany, and H. L. 
Baldwin, of Onondaga, be a committee to collect statistics upon the 
state of our agriculture, with a view of enlightening the public mind 
as to the causes which have led to the necessity of importing foreign 
wheat, rye, barley, oats & hay, for the supply of an agricultural nation. 
Resolved, That J. Buel, Prof. Mather and L. C. Ball, be consti¬ 
tuted a committee to collect facts in regard to the history and habits 
of the grain worm, (tipuli Iritici') to its ravages upon our farm 
crops, and to the means, if any are known, of preventing its depre¬ 
dations ; and that they be requested to report to the next Agricultu¬ 
ral Convention. 
Resolved, That J. P. Beekman, of Columbia, A. Van Bergen of 
Greene, J. J. Viele and A. Walsh of Rensselaer, be a committee 
to inquire whether, in the distribution of public moneys in aid of 
agriculture, a better mode can be devised, than that of giving it to 
county agricultural societies, to be awarded in premiums. 
On motion of Mr. Ogden, of Yates. 
Resolved, That in the opinion of this convention the tariff com¬ 
promise of 1833, so far as regards the protection it affords to the 
products of our soil, ought to remain inviolate. 
Resolved, That the Secretary forward to each of our represen¬ 
tatives in Congress from this state a copy of the preceding resolu¬ 
tion. 
On motion of Mr. McCullock, of Rensselaer, 
Resolved, That in the opinion of this convention, the interests of 
agriculture would be promoted, and the business intercourse of the 
country much facilitated, by the establishment of periodical fairs _ 
not of exhibition merely, but for the exchange of the ordinary pro¬ 
ductions of the country ; and that the design of a plan, for the in¬ 
troduction into this state of a system, the vast utility of which has 
been tested in other countries, by the experience of ages, is deserv¬ 
ing the consideration of the Legislature, and of the agricultural in¬ 
terests. 
Mr. A. Walsh, from the committee appointed to examine Brooks’ 
Silk Spinner and Twister, reported. 
That in the absence of Mr. Nott, Messrs. Spencer and Walsh 
have seen the machine in operation, and critically examined it; and 
that they are of opinion that it is not only a most ingenious inven¬ 
tion, but in their judgment cannot fail of becoming eminently useful. 
It seems to solve the problem, which has induced great doubt, whe¬ 
ther the culture of Silk in the United States would be profitably 
prosecuted, from the difficulty of good reeling of silk from cocoons, 
without very considerable manual instruction. The committee is 
satisfied, that an ingenious female can almost immediately learn to 
reel on Mr. Brooks’ machine, in a perfect manner. 
As the machine has been seen by the convention, the committee 
forbear to describe it particularly; but they recommend to the con¬ 
vention a donation to Mr. Brooks, as a small reward for the im¬ 
mense benefitsthis invention will confer on the silk culturists of this 
country. 
On motion of Mr. Allen, of Erie, 
Resolved, That we approve of “ The Farmers' School Book,” by J. 
Orville Taylor, and that we earnestly recommend its introduction, 
as a reading class-book, in all our common schools. 
The following petition, signed by a number of highly respectable 
citizens, was then read: 
To the Legislature of the State New- York: 
The. petition of the undersigned represents, 
That a law was passed at the last session of the Legislature “ to 
incorporate the New-York State Agricultural School, for instruction 
in literature and science, and improvement in scientific and practical 
agriculture, and in the mechanic arts— 
That from the known utility of like schools in Europe, your peti¬ 
tioners believe the school contemplated by that a6t will tend to en¬ 
lighten labor in our useful arts, to increase greatly its products, 
and to subserve the best interests of the state; 
That they consider the plan of combining labor and study, in ju¬ 
venile education, with practical instructions in the arts, particularly 
in agriculture, as among the great improvements of the age, calcu¬ 
lated to increase our resources and enjoyments, and to extend and 
perpetuate the rule of rational freedom ;—and as particularly adapt¬ 
ed to our wants as a free people;— 
That from these considerations, a portion of your petitioners have 
been induced to become subscribers to its stock, and not from the 
hope of gain, as is evidenced from their not asking, and not being 
permitted to take, more than five per cent upon their investment. 
That they are desirous of giving to the school all the advantages 
which its great importance demands, and of placing its benefits with¬ 
in the reach of the most humble in life, and obtaining for it the coun¬ 
tenance and support,—matters of moment to a young institution,— 
of the Legislature of the State;—and 
That the better to enable them to carry out, as they trust, these 
beneficent designs, they respectfully ask of your honorable body, such 
an appropriation from the public treasury, to aid in the purchase of 
a library, apparatus, &c. as a liberal regard for the interests of the 
state will permit, and its resources warrant;—or 
