A CONSOLIDATION OF BUEL’S CULTIVATOR AND THE GENESEE FARMER. 
Cult. Vol. VIII—No. 11. 
ALBANY, N. Y. NOVEMBER, 1841. 
Cult. & Far. Vol, II.—No. 11. 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY. 
GAYLORD &, TUCKER, EDITORS. 
LUTHER TUCKER, PROPRIETOR. 
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ment of a new volume. 
CATTLE SHOW AND FAIR. 
Of the New-York State Agricultural Society, 
Held at Syracuse, Sept. 29, 30, 1841. 
The 29th and 30th days of September, were proud 
days for the State of New-York, commencing, as they 
did, a new era in our agricultural career; giving a well 
founded hope of many succeeding and still more tri¬ 
umphant gatherings of the bone and muscle of our 
country; and demonstrating to all the wisdom of that 
legislation which has so successfully called this and 
so many other societies, having the same great object 
(the promotion of agriculture) in view, into a prospe¬ 
rous existence. Nothing could more satisfactorily show 
the interest which such anniversary exhibitions create, 
than the multitude of gratified spectators, variously es¬ 
timated at from ten to fifteen thousand, principally 
farmers, from almost every county in the State, as well 
as the assemblage of distinguished agriculturists and oth¬ 
er gentlemen from other States of the Union. Consi¬ 
dered as a first Show and Fair of the Society, an experi¬ 
ment as it were, the meeting was an eminently success¬ 
ful one, although in some respects it cannot be doubted 
that succeeding ones will be superior. 
In making the preparations for the Fair, too much 
praise cannot be bestowed upon the committee of ar¬ 
rangements at Syracuse, particularly Messrs. Burnet 
and Baldwin, whose exertions and efforts to do justice 
to all during the two days, as well as in the prelimina¬ 
ry proceedings, were well directed and untiring. The 
same spirit was evidenced by the public spirited citi¬ 
zens of Syracuse generally; and pleasant associations 
in the minds of those who for the first time have visi¬ 
ted that flourishing city of central New-York, will 
doubtless long remain. The pens for the exhibition of 
anipials were erected in a beautiful grove near the court 
house; and the court house itself was thrown open for 
the reception and exhibition of agricultural implements 
and products, and specimens of domestic manufactures. 
The number and variety of these things, however, was 
such that the halls allotted to their use were found in¬ 
sufficient, and utterly unable to accommodate the crowd 
of visitors who wished to inspect and examine them. 
On the day previous to the opening of the Fair, a 
train of 25 cars, filled with choice animals from the vi¬ 
cinity of Albany, and from the river counties, left Al¬ 
bany for Syracuse. The counties around poured in 
their animals, implements and products, and on the 
opening of the Fair on the 29th, Syracuse presented a 
scene of gratified interest, and a thronging population, 
never witnessed, unless during the immense mass meet¬ 
ings of the political parties at that point in the autumn 
of 1840. The concourse of farmers and mechanics 
the producers of wealth, and the proud examples of the 
real dignity of labor, was unexpectedly great: and 
with these came the amateur farmer, the professional 
man, and all who felt an interest in the advance and 
prosperity of agriculture. The weather, during the 
two days of the Fair, was such as to prevent in a great 
measure the attendance of the ladies, although enough 
tvere present to show that in every thing that regards 
11 
the public welfare, man may be sure of the cordial sup¬ 
port and approbation of woman. The numerous and 
beautiful articles presented for exhibition, the evidences 
of female skill and industry, were much admired and 
elicited deserved commendation. 
The first day was principally devoted to the exami¬ 
nation of animals, implements, and articles presented. 
That as a first effort, some little irregularity and con¬ 
fusion should have taken place, that the committees 
should not have been as perfectly organized as they 
might have been, and that some mistakes in not proper¬ 
ly noticing some animals or implements at the proper 
time, should have occurred, is not surprising, or to be 
wondered at; but the fine manner in which the whole 
came oft, and the strong and general expressions of 
pleasure and satisfaction from all, showed that such 
mistakes were not permitted to mar the feelings, or 
disturb the harmony of the occasion. The num- 
ber of animals on the ground for exhibition was 
great; and taken in connexion with those of the Onon¬ 
daga County Society, which held its meeting at the 
same time and place, the collection has been rarely 
equaled at any Fair hitherto held in this country. We 
may remark here that great discrepancies appear in the 
reports of the proceedings furnished for many of the 
most prominent journals of our country, as to the num¬ 
bers of animals present. These differences are account¬ 
ed for by the fact that some give only those claiming 
the premiums offered by the State Soctety; others in- 
clud in their estimate those presented to the county 
society for premiums; and some embrace all that were 
shown at the Fair, whether claiming premiums or not. 
We may here remark too, that the patrons of the Onon¬ 
daga County Society did not in general come forward 
as fully and strongly as they might and would have 
done with their fine animals and agricultural products, 
had they not relied on the State Society for the princi¬ 
pal interest of the two days. 
Our host of the Syracuse House, found his powers 
of providing food for the multitude, pretty well tested, 
and amply and honorably did they sustain themselves. 
Not far from twelve hundred partook of his splendid 
farmers’ dinner on the first day. J. B. Nott, Esq. Pre¬ 
sident of the society, presided, and after the many good 
things on the table had been liberally proved, in a few 
well timed remarks he introduced to the company that 
eminent western agriculturist Solon Robinson, Esq. 
who was present, and who is so favorably known as 
the pioneer in that great undertaking, the formation of 
a National Agricultural Society. Mr. Robinson at once 
responded to the call, and in a speech of some fif¬ 
teen minutes fixed the attention of the hearers, by his 
well timed allusions, and happy illustrations. The 
Hon. Micah Sterling of Jefferson county, long a Se¬ 
nator from that district, and now well known as an 
agriculturist, being called upon, next addressed the com¬ 
pany as follows : 
Mr. President, and gentlemen of the Society:—An 
agricultural society has been organized in the county of 
Jefferson, and its prospect of success and usefulness is 
very fair. About 300 farmers have already joined it— 
they have raised between four and five hundred dollars 
—they have held their first cattle show, which went off 
remarkably well—they distributed premiums to the 
amount of $384. 
When the law was first passed appropriating a sum of 
money for the encouragement of agriculture, I had great 
doubts as to its expediency, and feared that evil rather 
than good would be its result. Indeed I looked upon it 
as little else than a wanton waste of the public money, 
and had repeatedly, while a member of the Senate, 
voted against the passage of such a law, not from any 
intrinsic defect in the law or its policy, but because I 
had been convinced from experience, it would do no 
good to vote away the money of the people to help 
them “ who would not help themselves;” that the far¬ 
mers were not awake to its importance, that public opin¬ 
ion was not prepared for it, that the practical agricul¬ 
turists would not organize societies under the law, or 
if societies were established, it would be, as it had 
been heretofore, by a few theoretical, public spirited 
men, calling themselves farmers, but really not working 
men—that such societies would flourish for a while, 
make a show or two, and then die away for the want 
of sound practical farmers to support them, whose 
honor and whose interest it was to keep them alive; 
but who had heretofore, from one cause or another, 
shown an unaccountable apathy in contributing time 
and money to the support of these societies. That 
his own county of Jefferson had shown a striking ex¬ 
ample of this fact—a society started there at an early 
date, and as long as it was supported by the mind and 
the purse of such excellent and eminent men as its worthy 
President, James Le Ray de Chaumont, that noble 
Frenchman who devoted his life to doing good, aided 
by such men as Gen. Jacob Brown and others, the so¬ 
ciety flourished; it gave a character to the farming and 
the stock of the county, and every thing went on admi¬ 
rably. The people and the farmers flocked to the cat¬ 
tle shows and fairs, and were delighted ; they were 
pleasant and delightful hotydays for the farmers, their 
sons and daughters; but when money was called for to 
pay the expense of the premiums, &c. the practical, 
hard working farmers, with some noble exceptions, 
were nowhere to be found—they had gone home and/or- 
got to leave their dollar to help pay the expense. In a 
few years, God in his inscrutable wisdom, removed 
some of these men by death—poverty overtook others, 
and the society, left to the guidance and support of the 
farmers alone, soon dwindled and shortly expired. 
Having seen the whole operation of this thing, I had 
little faith that any societies would succeed, established 
upon similar principles and having similar objects in 
view. 
But from the indications which have been exhibited, 
since the passage of this law, in the county of Jeffer¬ 
son, and from the numbers, and the zeal, and the intelli¬ 
gence I see collected around me, I have changed my 
opinion, and think the prospect is now bright and cheer¬ 
ing; that the law will prove beneficial, and that the coun¬ 
ty and state societies will succeed, as the real farmers 
show new life and vigor, and act as though they were 
resolved to unite their energies and place their own 
profession in honor, where it is in fact, among the most 
useful, happy, healthy and respectable occupations of 
man. 
There are a variety of reasons which make me be¬ 
lieve that a great and most beneficial change has spread 
over the state within the fifteen and twenty years past. 
The farmers of New-York have greatly increased in 
knowledge within that time ; their sons too have come 
forward with more zeal, more time and more intelli¬ 
gence than their fathers possessed. The circulation of 
information is much more general, more active, and of a 
raoie useiul nature than it was. Our agricultural papers 
scatter much light and knowledge in all parts of the 
state, and are inculcating the right spirit into the farmers 
and their sons—they are no longer ashamed to be cailed 
farmers, and they begin to see and to feel that they are 
on the right road to health, to happiness and to for¬ 
tune. 
Our rich men begin to see that they had better make 
farmers of their sons than lawyers or doctors, if they 
want them to live long and be blessed with comfort, 
health, a clear conscience and a competent fortune. It 
begins to be well understood, that here, as in England, 
our land owners are destined to be the great men of the 
nation, its defence, its support, and its honor. Let 
them be well educated, and they are sure of this : for 
against them there are no deeply rooted prejudices but 
they are now greatly excluded from office, and have to 
yield to lawyers and doctors, from the inferiority of 
their education, not of their moral or mental worth. 
It is a truth too, beyond all doubt, and as gratifying 
as it is true, that the number of wealthy and' indepen¬ 
dent farmers has greatly increased within the last quar¬ 
ter of a century. 
I can only speak particularly of my own county, where 
it is a blessed sight to travel among the' farmers and 
see how in a short time things have changed their ap¬ 
pearances for the better—how the log cabin has yielded 
to the beautiful stone, or brick, or wooden mansion, the 
barn of poles to the stately edifice of boards and tim- 
ber, the front yard of dirt and filth to the neat lane 
and shrubbery ; and how the whole country has as¬ 
sumed oi is rapidly assuming that appearance of neat¬ 
ness, beauty, high cultivation, and comfort, which all 
American farmers, with honesty, industry and economy 
can soon attain to. I dare say other parts of the state 
are equally changed for the better, and equally sustain 
the ereat cause of cultivation and improvement. Add 
to all this, many men of wealth and taste and science 
have devoted their time, and a portion of their wealth’ 
within a few years past, to the importation and rearing 
of the first order of stock, and while it is hoped they 
are increasing their ample fortunes, they are becoming 
the true benefactors of the country, and take an active 
and prominent part in sustaining the cause of home in¬ 
dustry and agriculture. 
It is needless to mention their names. One such man 
