State Convention—Faem-Banks. 
431 
learned there. I believe these discussions in these agricultural con¬ 
ventions once a year, are of more benefit to the farmers, than any 
other thing that comes before the convention. It is telling exper¬ 
iences. I would suggest to the masters of the granges, that they 
deliver a lecture about once a month, upon practical farming, not 
theoretical. They should ask their neighbors, how did you succeed, 
and why did you succeed? To those who failed, what was the 
cause of your failure? The farm I own now, in 1846 produced for¬ 
ty-five bushels of wheat per acre without an}" fertilizers. Some of 
this land has grown a crop of wheat every year for thirty years. I 
know the properties that went to make those crops are all taken 
out of the soil. I have gone to grass to some extent. I have learned 
that 1 must go to grass if I want to grow a crop. Now, I have over 
one hundred acres of grass on my farm, not over half of it good sod. 
It didn’t more than half catch. I believe if I had known as much last 
year as I do now, I would have succeeded. I understand, now, I 
must sow my plaster with my seed. The failure heretofore has 
been my grass seed has not caught; putting the plaster on has 
made a better crop. I have been farming forty years, and yet I 
know very little about farming. I have tried some experiments and 
am improving. 
Mr. Daubner: I want to know whether you take an agricultu¬ 
ral paper? 
Mr. Robbins: I took so many of them that 1 couldn’t read half 
of them. 
Secretary Field: The trouble with Mr. Robbins is, he started to do 
too many things. 
Mr. Robbins: I find now, I have to go to farming. I used to 
think I could get information at the store, but I find that I cannot. 
Mr. Anderson: Mr. Robbins thinks the masters of the granges 
should once a month deliver a lecture. We have an officer in the 
grange whose duty it is to deliver a lecture at every meeting. 
Mr. Hazen: I have felt a deep interest in the remarks of the 
gentleman last up, rubbing up the granges a little; I was one 
once, and believe I am yet. Common farmers in our section of 
country, and grangers, I believe, are not in the habit of cropping 
one piece of land thirty years in succession; any farmer that would 
do that, ought to goto grass. I attend the agricultural meetings 
and keep posted as well as I can; I confess there are others in our 
