::::!■!••,. 1 . i 1 t 1 !!!!i!!!!!i!!l ^liiilil! liliiiiiiiiitiiii I 1^^ ail >, s V, llil i'.lti ■^ , lii i ' n ! ', '^ 1 ■ i 1 !,, . -il ^M ;!' ;lMj, i in : "• ^ 1 nHnr 1 K^ Il '' ■ ■' ' 1 1' > n 1 1 ' i / n ^ o I ^ f^ o '^ tJ _ ^ « o o CO ^ Tj >-< o d ■'-' > ~ o o -^ S 2 CD o ~ c » *j -fl O =! t) c3 Si 5^ o O C3 CO Ss. =q o s o o o n h^ o O 99 =1 r3 a o y •n o o o o ^ -^ in - ^ S c3 > CD Ml • I— ( e3 O c o o o :3 Cl o Q p fl ;-i ■ ^ o X! O o C3 *2 +3 o M < o 1—1 o 50 c3 OS 1^ 09 0) C^ 50 !> TRAISACTIOWS OF THE N. J2. Btate ^gtimlUtral 0ocicty, WITH AN ABSTRACT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. VOL, III. -1852. I ALBANY: C. VAN BENTIIUYSEN, PRINTER TO THE LEGISLATURE No. 407 Broadway. *i853.* X'T' LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN NOTICE. The Twelfth Volume of the Transactions of the State Agricul- tural Society is submitted to the farmers of the State, with a hope that, like its predecessors, it will be found interesting and valua- ble. Many of the papers contained in this volume will be of permanent value, and calculated to improve the farming in- terest of our State and Country. The increased demand for the reports of the Society, as they annually appear, evinces the posi tiou they hold in the minds of intelligent men, not in our own country only, but in all parts of Europe. This should stimulate us to greater efforts to make each succeeding volume more valua- ble than any that has preceded it. In this volume will be found the last address of the lamented Prof. Norton, whose labors in tlia cause of Agriculture had been so successful, and who had contributed by his communications in former years to increase the value of our Transactions. In the preparation of the volume, the subscriber has received important aid from many gentlemen whose contributions are given — and it is hoped that this volume will accomplish what it is designed to do — the elevation and advancement of the great interest of American Agriculture. B. P. JOHNSON, , Agricultural Roomsy Marchj 1853. Secretary. 'Tii%' ERRATA. .Page ^73, 11th line from top, read ^' marshes '' for '' ponds.'* 282, 14th " " . . . . 470 H. Hussey's Reaper, 115 Horse Powers tried, 132 Horse Powers, awards, 139 Hereford Cattle, 141 Horses, thorough-bred, report, 150 Howard, Sanford, on Breeding Animals, 297 Herkimer County report, 406 I. Implements tried at Geneva, 95 J. Johnson, B. P., report of World's Fair, 1851, 179 Statement in relation to curing Beef and Pork, 295 Report on Maryland Fair, , 345 Jefferson County report, 420 Productions, 423 K. Ketchum's Mower, , . . , 106 King, Hon. Charles, address, 531 Knowlton, S , address, , 558 CONTENTS. IX L. Lewis County report, 436 Livingston " 440 Linter, Rev. Dr., address, 572 M. McCormick's Reaper, 112 Manny's Reaper and Mower, 105, 113 Mowers, awards, 1 38 Milch Cows, report, 148 Machinery, report, 153 Maryland State Fair, report of delegates, 345 Madison County report, 441 Monroe " 445 Montgomery " , 448 Products of, 451 McDonald, John, report on trial of implements at Geneva, o ^ 617 N. Needle work, report, 165 Norton, Prof. J. P., lecture, 243 Niagara County report, and products, 454 0. Ozier Willow (Bement), 313 Ohio and Micliigan Fairs, report of delegates, 353 Oneida County report, 460 Products, 467 Onondaga County report, 478 Ontario " 483 Orange " 484 Orleans ^' 485 Oswego " 491 Products, 501 Otseg^j County repc^'t, 503 p. Potatoes, P. Crispell, jr., statement, 221 Pigs, fattening, J. Winuc's statement, 224 X CONTENTS. Potatoes, experiments in raising, 342 Putnam County report, 513 Queens County report, 526 R. Ruggs' Mower and Reaper, .... 107 Reapers, awards, 1 38 Rhode Island Society, report of delegates, 349 Rural Life, essay on, , 518 Richmond County report, 540 Roclkand " 547 Rensselaer " 551 S. Seymour k Morgan's Reaper, 114 Seed Planters tried, 120 Award, ,0,3 141 Sowers, broad-cast, award, 00 141 Sheep, Middle Wooled, report, 1 50 Saxon, 151 Swan, R. J., draining, 204 State Asylum, draining, 207 Science and Agriculture, Prof, Norton's lecture, 243 Seguine, C, statement in relation to curing Beef and Pork,. 274 Salisbury, J. H., analysis, • * . . 323, 337 Sherman, J. A., address, ; 427 St. Lawrence County report, 549 Saratoga '' 556 Schoharie " 572 Seneca « 577 Sullivan « 580 Products, 582 T. Thrashing Machines tried, .^ . . . . 125 Awards, 140 Tallcott, Jonathan, draining, 209 CONTENTS. XI Treasurer's report, 226 Tioga County report, R. Howell, 587 Farming, Henr7 Young, 590 Tompkins County report, 597 U. Ulster County report, 599 W. Wight, Jas. F., statement in relation to curing Eeef and Pork, 285 Wilcox's, Rodney, {farm, 407 Wilson, H. C, essay on Rural Life, , 518 Washington County report, 600 Products, E. H. Newton, 600 J. Savage, 606 W. Forbes, 608 H. Brown, 609 Wheat, Corn, &c., 611 Potatoes, 613 Trial of implements at Geneva, J. McDonald's report, 617 Wayne County report, 623 Watson, Joseph, report of farming and profits, 625 Wayne County products, 629 Westchester County report, 634 Wyoming " ' 638 Products, 639 Y. Yates County report, 642 % LIFE MEMBERS, 1853. BEEKMAN, J. P., Kinderhook. BELL, THOMAS, Harlem. BUEL, WILLIAM, Rochester. BECAR, KOEL J., New- York) BROWN, LEWIS G., Westchester. BOUGHTON, CHAUNCEY, Saratoga. CAMPBELL, WM. BAYARD, New- York. CLARKE, GEORGE, Springfield. CLARKSON, AUGUSTUS, Potsdam. CORNING, ERASTUS, Albany. CORNING, ERASTUS, Jr., Albany. COREY, JOHN A., Saratoga. CROCKER, DAVID, Jr. DELAYAN, HENRY W.,* Ballston. DELAFIELD, JOHN,* Oaklands. DICKEY, GEORGE, New- York. FELLOWS, JOSEPH, Geneva. FOSTER, H. TEN EYCK, Lakeland. FAILE, EDWARD G., New- York. PAILE, EDWARD, West Farms. FINLAY, J. BEEKMAN, Saratoga. FAIRBANKS, THADEUS, St. Johnsbury. FAIRBANKS, ERASTUS, St. Johnsbury. GEDDES, GEORGE, Fairmount. GREIG, JOHN, Canandaigua. HUNTINGTON, BENJ. N., Oneida. HARTSHORN, GEORGE, Rahway, N. J JACKSON, JOHN C, Astoria, L. I. KELLY, WILLIAM, Rhinebeck. LENOX, JAMES, New-York. LE RAY DE CHAUMONT, J.,* Le Raysville. LIVINGSTON, EDWARD P.,» Clermont. LEE, JOHN R., Buffalo. LUDLOW, WM. IL, Suffolk. LINKLAEN, LEDYARD, Cazenovia. , McINTYRE, ARCHIBALD, Albany. McINTYRE, J. McDonald, Albany. LIFE MEMBERS. Xlll MORRIS, LEWIS G., Morrissania. MARVIN, JAMES M., Saratoga, ODELL, WM. T., Ballston. PATRICK, M. R., Sackett's Harbor. PRENTICE, EZRA P., Albany. ROTCH, FRANCIS, Butternuts. RUST, PHILO N.,* Syracuse. SEWARD, X^ILLIAM H., Auburn. SEYMOUR, HORATIO, Utica. SHERWOOD, JOHN M., Auburn. SPINNER, JOHN D., Herkimer. SAXTON, C. M., New- York. SPENCER, LORILLARD, Westchester. THOMPSON, SAMUEL L., Setauket. TOWNSEND, JOHN, Albany. TUCKER, LUTHER, Albany. THORNE, JONATHAN, Wasbingtonville. VAIL, GEORGE, Troy. VAN RENSSELAER, STEPHEN,* Albany. VAN RENSSELAER, STEPHEN, Albany. VAN RENSSELAER, WM. P., New-York. WADSWORTH, JAMES,* Geneseo. WADS WORTH, JAMES S., Geneseo. WADSWORTH, WM. W.,* Geneseo. WELLS, EDWARD, Johnstown. WHITE, HOLLIS, Niagara. WATSON, WILLIAM, West Farms. WAIN WRIGHT, C. S., Rhinebeck. * Deceased. OFFICERS FOR 1853. President^ LEWIS G. MORRIS, Mount Fordham, Westchester oounty. Yice President s-) 1st district, RICHARD L. ALLEN, New-York. 2d district,- WILLIAM KELLY, Rhinebeck. 3d district, GEORGE TAIL, Troy. 4th district, JOHN BEEKMAN FINLAY, Saratoga Springs. 5th district, GEORGE GEDDES, Fairmount, Onondaga county. 6th district, R. H. VAN RENSSELAER, Morris, Otsego county. 7th district, JOEL W. BACON, Waterloo, Seneca county. 8th district, SILAS M. BURROUGHS, Medina, Orleans county. Corresponding Secretary^ B. p. JOHNSON, Albany. Recording Secretary^ ERASTUS CORNING, Jr., Albany. Treasurer^ B. B. KIRTLAND, Albany. Executive Committee^ THEODORE C. PETERS, Darien, Genesee. J. T. BLANCHARD, Saratoga Springs. WILLIAM BUELL, Rochester. CHARLES MORRELL, Ludlowrille, Tompkins county. JOHN A. SHERMAN, Rutland, Jefferson county. Ex Presidents^ ex officio members^ LEWIS F. ALLEN, EZRA P. PRENTICE, JOHN A. KING, JOHN DELAFIELD, HENRY WAGER. CONSTITUTION OF THE NEW- YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The style of this Society shall be " The New-York State Agri* cultural Society.'" Its objects shall be to improve the condition of Agriculture, Horticulture, and the Household arts. Sec. 1. The Society shall consist of such citizens of the State as shall signify in writing, their _^wish to become members, and shall pay on subscribing not less than one dollar, and annually thereafter one dollar, and also of Honorary and Corresponding members. The Presidents of County Agricultural Societies, or a delegate from each, shall ex oiScio be members of this Society. The payment of ten dollars or more shall constitute a member for life, and shall exempt the donor from annual contributions. Sec. 2. The officers of the Society shall consist of a President, eight Vice Presidents, one to be located in each Judicial District ; a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary, a Treasurer, an Executive Committee, to consist of the oflScers above named, and five additional members, and five of the Ex-Presidents shall be ex officio members of the Executive Committee, and these five shall consist of the five Ex-Presidents whose term of office has last expired, of whom three shall constitute a quorum ; and that the E:^- Presidents of the Society, not members of the Executive Committee, shall constitute a Board of Councellors, to which may be referred, for consultation and advice, all questions that may from time to time arise, and in the decision of which the Society may in any manner be interested ; and a General Committee, the members of which shall be located in the several counties, and be equal to the representations in the House of Assembly. Sec. 3. Tlie Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Society. The Corresponding Secretary shall carry on the corres- XVI CONSTITUTION. pondeiice with otiier Societies, with individuals and with the general committee^ in the furtherance of the objects of the So- ciety. The Treasurer shall keep the funds of the Society, and disburse them on the order of the President or a Vice President, counter- signed by the Recording Secretary, and shall make a report of the receipts and expenditures at the annual meeting in January. The Executive Committee shall tnke charge of and distribute or preserve all seeds, plants, books, models, &c., which may be transmitted to the Society ; and shall have also the charge of all communications designed or calculated for publication, and so far as they may deem expedient, shall collect, arrange and publish the same in such manner and form as they shall deem best calcu- lated to promote the objects of the Society. The General Committee are charged with the interests of the Society in the counties in which they shall respectively reside, and will constitute a medium of communication between the Executive Committee and the remote members of the Society. Sec. 4. There shall be an annual meeting of the Society on- the second Wednesday of February, in the city of Albany, at which time all tlie officers shall be elected by a plurality of votes and by ballot, with the exception of the General Committee for the coun- ties, which may be appointed by the Executive Committee, who shall have power to fill any vacancies which may occur in the officers of the Society during the year. Extra meetings may be convoked by the Executive Committee. Fifteen members shall be a quorum for the transaction of business. Sec. 5. The Society shall hold an Annual Cattle Show and Fair at such time and place as shall be designated by the Executive Committee. Sec. 6. This Constitution may be amended by a vote of two- thirds of the members present at any annual meeting, upon one year's previous notice in writing. State Agricultural Rooms, ? February 9, 1853. ^ I certify the above to be a true copy of the Constitution of the New-York State Agricultural Society. B. P. JOHNSON, Cor. Secretary. ^t^tt 0f :Nrruis:3iottit* No. 112. IN ASSEMBLY, MAE. 30, 1853. ♦» ^» COMMUNICATION From the Corresponding Secretary of the New-York State Agricultural Society. State Agricultural Society, 1 March 29, 1853. 5 To the Hon. William H. Ludlow, Speaker of the Assembly : In pursuance of the acts of the Legislature for the promotion of Agriculture, I present herewith the annual report of the New-York State Agricultural Society, with the proceedings of the Executive committee, and abstracts of. the reports of county societies for 1852. Very respectfully yours, B. P. JOHNSON, Cor. Secretary, [Ag. Tr. '53] TRANSACTIONS OF THE (jtrtmrittral Report of the Executive Committee for 1852. TO THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW-YORK : The Executive Committee of the New-York State Agricultural Society pursuant to tlie act for the encouragement of Agriculture, Respectfully Report : That durinor the past year, the operations of the Society have been carried forward with an increase of interest over those of any former year ; and the results of their operations will be found in the proceedings which accompany this report. In no former year have the evidences of progress in every branch of agricul- turcj and the mechanic arts connected with it, been of a more cheering character. lu the various departments of the operations of the farm, a perceptible advance is witnessed; and improve- ments are being carried into effect in almost every county in the State, which, a few years since, would have been regarded as utterly impracticable. The subject of draining, which has been brought prominently before the public tlirough the exertionsof the Society, and which, 4 [Assembly when first presented to the attention of our farmers but a few years since, was received with distrust, now attracts attention in every quarter ; and among the papers which accompany this re- port, will be found the statement of a single farmer, who has laid during the year, seventy-two thousand five hundre.d and fifty drain tile, in trenches, varying from two and a half to three feet in depth ; mailing five thousand four hundred and ninety-six rods, equal to 17 miles and 56 rods. The whole cost of this ex- penditure was 12i cents per rod for the tiles; and the expense of preparing the trenches and laying the tiles, was 15J cents per rod. Nor is this a solitary case, as there have been in various sec- tions of the State, tiles laid to a large extent, though in no instance has such extensive work been performed as in the case referred to. When it is remembered that in 1848, John Delafield, Esq., of Seneca county, introduced the first tile machine into this State, and that for a considerable period it turned out more tile than there was demand for, while at the present time, there are, it is believed, at least from twelve to fourteen machines in operation, and the demand for tile is nearly equal to the entire power of all the machines, some idea may be formed of the progress which has been made. That this has been so, results from the facts which have been presented to the consideration of practical farmers, of the great advantages resulting from thorough draining where needed. In one county in this State, in 1849, the entire saving of the wheat crop upon the drained lands, as compared with the crops upon land undrained in the same county, which suffered severely, was more than sufficient to have drained the other por- tions of the county under wheat cultivation. It has been the constant endeavor of the Society to impress upon the minds of our farmers, that to enable them to meet with 'success the competition which increased facilities by railroads and other channels of communication are opening up to the fertile western states, they must improve, not only their system of hus- bandry, but must also adapt themselves to the circumstances in which this competition places them. To do this effectually, a new system of farming must, -in a measure, at least, be adopted? No. 112.] 5 and crops, which were once the leading ones in our State, must give place to those of a diiiCrent character. , The returns of the last census most clearly show that this has taken place to a considerable extent already; and the general prosperity of the farmers of our State, and the successful result of their operations the past year, show, that their labors have, in the main, been well directed. The wheat crop has de- creased, from a less number of acres devoted to its cultuie; a crop which the west can raise and send to market, so as to com- pete with us successfully. Indian corn, rye, oats and barley, which will not bear transportation so well, have largely increas- ed since the last State census. Our dairies have also very materialy advanced, not only in the quantity of butter and cheese, but in quality also ; and what is most encouraging, while the increase in quantity of butter ]ias been 264,361 pounds, and of cheese 12,991.437 pounds, the number of milch cows, since the last State census, has decreased 68,066, showing most clearly that the efforts of the Society in elevating vthe standard of our daily products, and in improving the charac- ter of our dairy animals, have been most gratifying. Tlie ave- rage yield of cheese per cow, as estimated in 1845, was 110 lbs. each ', and the yield in 1850, adopting the same standard of esti- mate, gives a fraction over 160 pounds each, showing an increase per cow, at the average prices at which cheese was probably sold by the farmers, six cents, of about iJST. 50 each=toSl, 162,916. 12, for the whole number of cows in the State employed in the cheese dairies alone ; a revenue to the farmers engaged in this business, equal to nearly one-half the annual revenue of our canals. The increase in butter, though not as large, is still very satisfactory, and shows most conclusively the advance which has been made in this department of agriculture; and in which, from the cha- racter of our soils and climate, and the facility of our markets, we are not likely to be superseded by any section uf our country. The Society have ever kept before the minds of the farmers of our State, the importance of doing well what they did do; and the premium farms to which awards have been made from ytar to 6 [Assembly year, give assurance that tlie exertions which have been madcy have not been without effect. From the statement of one of the competitors, Mr. Albert G. Ford, a dairy farmer of Herkimer county, which will be found in the Transactions of 1851, it will be seen, that his yield of cheese per cow, has averaged, for the last three years, upwards of 600 pounds per cow. Should this ratio be continued throughout the State, or even to 400 pounds the cow, the increase would amount to several millions of dol- lars per annum ; and we see no good reason why this may not, in a good degree, at least be expected. In a report made»to the Society in 1846, by the present Secre- tary of the Society, on the cheese dairies of our State, it was shown " that the yield of the whole State might be increased to 400 pounds per cow, without extra feed," and the experience of the past five years but strengthens the opinion then expressed ; and the success of Mr. Ford, and many other dairymen who could be named, gives increased assurance that this will yet be attained in our State. Were this the only department of Agri- culture which had been advanced by our efforts, we feel assured that we might appeal with confidence to the Legislature and to the people of our State, that the efforts of the Society have pro- duced results of far more importance to the welfare and prosper- ity of our citizens, than any other organization which has been in operation in this country, taking into consideration the little ex- pense, comparatively, with which its operations have been car- ried on. In connexion with the other operations of the Society, the county surveys have been continued and Winslow C. Watson, Esq., of the county of Essex, has completed the survey of that county. When this report shall be published, it will be found that a mirte of wealth, not only of a mineral character, which the survey brings to light for the first time in all its fulness, of the richest character, which any portion of our country or the world can furnish, but also of an agricultural character, that will be most gratifying, and which will show the importance of opening, by cheap and ready conveyance, this portion of our State, which has been shut out in a considerable degree, from a ready No. 112.] 7 access to market. The Survey fully developes that extensive beds of phosphate of lime, to which allusion was made in our last report, exist in the county, the extent of which is commensurate with the demand of the world, and of which upwards of 100 tons of superior quality have been taken to the sea board. Its import- ance will be more fully appreciated, upon an examination of an able prize essay published in our last volume, on " the agricul- tural value of phosphate of lime." In addition to this, there are other minerals which have been found to exist in large deposits, that will add greatly to the wealth of our State, as they shall be fully developed and brought into use. Each additional survey" but strengthens the conviction, that this is a most important work for the State, and that the Soeiety can in no other manner dispose of a portion of their funds more advantageously, than by prosecuting these surveys. The county of Sullivan has been selected for the next survey. This county long secluded by its position from markets, and but sparsely set- tled, possesses characteristics which when developed, it is believed, will add largely to the resources of our State. From an examination partially made in that county, the Society anticipate that the survey will be one of great interest, and of great value to the inhabitants of the county not only, but to the State at large. In connexion with these surveys, the deficiencies of all the maps hitherto published in our State have been shown, and the necessity of new surveys, for the purpose of giving a correct map for every county in the State, has been clearly presented in the surveys of Washington, Seneca, and Essex. It is gratifying to be assured, that tlie efforts of the Society have led to an exami- nation of this matter, which it is hoped will secure a correct and perfect map from actual survey, for every county in the State. Agricultural Education. The subject of schools, for the education of the sons and daugliters of farmers, has long been before the Society, as one of the prominent objects desirable to be accomplished. It has been referred to in previous reports, has engagedthe attention of suc- cessive Legislatures, but as yet nothing decisive has been done for its accomplishment. While it is not desirable to press this mat- 8 [Assembly ter farther than is consistent, it cannot be passed by without ex- pressing the most anxious desire that it should not be overlooked.. The anxiety for the establishment of an institution devoted to the wants and imperious necessities of the farmers and mechanics of our State, is deeply felt in every portion of our State, and the number who feel the want of such an institution, is constantly increasing. If intelligence be the birthright of any citizen of our country — if in proportion as our citizens are intelligent, will be their value as members of our confederacy, no argument can be necessary to show, that the great interest which we represent, comprising four-fifths of our entire population, should not be neglected. While we are ready to contribute to the education of every other class, in such a manner as will enable them rightly to discharge the duties of their particular pursuits, we but ask in return, that this great interest of our State and nation shall not be passed by, but shall be by education placed in a position equal to any other, so that when called upon, either in the councils of the nation or elsewhere, they may be enabled to properly exhibit to the world, what the true position and character of an Ameri- can farmer is — what it is designed to be, from the very nature of our free institutions, as distinguished from those of any other country under the whole Heavens. We therefore most respect- fully ask the attention and favorable consideration of the con- stituted authorities of our Stale, to the numerous petitions which are calling for their action in this direction. Trial of Implements. The necessity of a thorough trial of those implements which are indispensable to the farmer, and the merits of which cannot be determined without actual trial, has long been desired, and the executive committee selected a committee composed of some of the most distinguished gentlemen in our State, conversant with the merits of the different implements selected for trial, and assigned the trial at Geneva, in the month of July last. The im- plements presented for trial were reapers, mowers, horse powers? drills, cultivators, thrashing machines, separators, broad cast sowers, and steam engines. The trial of these various machines occupied about eight days, and was of such a thorough character, No. 112. 1 9 ,^ as to satisfy, it is believed, every competitor at the time of trial. No effort was spared on the part of the judges, to arrive at reliable and practical results in every case, and it cannot be doubted, that a trial so thorough and minute in every important particular, has never been had in this or any other country. The great and increasing variety of machines in our country, evidences the urgent necessity that existed for a complete and satisfactory trial ; and while it is not assumed that in every case, the judgment passed upon the machines, may not in some respects have failed to do complete justice to some one machine, still it is believed, that the machines to which the awards were made, will fully sustain the judgment of the committee, and will in the hands of the farmer in the field, justify the aw,ards which were made. The interest which this trial excited in the farming community, was such as to bring together from all parts of our State, and from adjoining States, a large number of farmers, who watched with deep interest the trial of the machines, particularly the reaping and mowing machines. The executive committee, in undertaking this trial, were convinced, that while the trial itself would prove of great benefit to the farmers of our State, by fur- nishing to them machines upon which they could rely ; it would also, in another point of view, prove of the highest importacce to the mechanical ingenuity of our citizens, interested in the machines in use, by stimulating them to improvements in their machines, or in the preparation of new ones, developing more perfectly the principles best adapted to the particular purpose for which the machine was designed. This has already proved true in reference to some of the machines exhibited — and new ones are being built, as is alleged, with im])rovements suggested by the trial which took place, by which the merits of the best machines are secured, while it is claimed that the defects of each are avoided. Whether this is so or not, the committee cannot judge, or the public either, without a thorough trial, still it shows, as the result of this trial, that the inventive genius of our mechanics, has been put in requisition, and it cannot be ques- tioned, that eventually great good will result to the farming 10 [Assembly interest, in the preparation of additional machines for the various purposes of farm use. The expenses of this trial were necessarily- large, but it is believed, the benefits derived from it are of such marked and it is hoped enduring character, as fully to justify the trial made. It can hardly be necessary to repeat the trial of these machines, until some new and improved ones shall have been put in actual operation, and have satisfactorily demonstrated their value by the judgment of the practical farmer. The report of the committee, which is annexed, is ample and full in its description of the trial, and will, it is believed, like the report on the trial of plows in 1850, by the Society, be regarded as a standard for those who are interested in the use of the im- plements which have been passed upon. The executive committee desire to express in this report, in behalf of the farmers of New-York, the obligations they are under to the gentlemen, who at much personal inconvenience and sacrifice, gave their undivided energies to this work, and they doubt not, that the consciousness that they have done a most important, as well as desired work, for the farmers of our State and country, will be to them a source of gratification for all future time. To the citizens of Geneva, who interested themselves in the arrangements for this trial in a most satisfactory manner, the Society are greatly indebted. Grasses. The executive committee have long felt that too little attention was paid to the cultivation of grasses in this State. While the demand for pasturage is constantly increasing, the number of our cultivated grasses is but few, and no means have been taken heretefore, as in Great Britain, to add to their number those best adapted for pasturage, for the dairy, or for fattening animals. As it is obvious to every attentive observer, that in this direction, the energies of our farmers are to be more particularly directed than formerly, the executive committee have directed their attention to the subject, and have adopted a selection of grasses, which they deem best calculated to aid in the improvement of our herbage, and have called the attention of our farmers to the No. 112.] 11 trial of the same. Should the funds of the Society justify it, it is designed to import the seed of the various grasses selected, and to give them a thorough trial in every part of the State, pro- vided suitable persons can be secured to give them a fair trial under favorable circumstances. It is expected, that gentlemen may be willing to make the trial in some instances, on an ex- tended scale, and defray in part at least the expense of the seeds, which will materially lessen the amount to he expended by the Society. When it is considered that the natural pastures of Great Britain contain from 26 to 30 species or varieties of grass, com- ing to maturity at different periods, so as to give a fresh bite to the animal every week of the season, and when it is known that prepared grasses may be had producing a like return, it cannot we think be questioned, that this effort, if it shall prove success- ful, will add largely to the productiveness of our farms, and prove in the highest degree advantageous to the best interests of our State and country. Models of Fruit. In pursuance of a resolution adopted by the S<;ciety at its last annual meeting, Mr. Townend Glover, of Fishkill, was em- ployed, to prepare models of fruit, which had been adjudged by the Society as worthy of culture, to the number of 78 varieties of apples, 27 of pears, 17 of plums, 14 of peaches, 9 of cherries, 2 of grapes, 4 of strawberries, 3 of apricots, 2 of nectarines, 4 of cur- rants, 4 of raspberries, and 14 of gooseberries, and a case of insects. Mr. Glover has prepared with great skill, and true to nature, 44 varieties of apples, 31 of pears, and 29 of plums, with the insects ordered ; and they are now arranged in the museum of the Society. The importauce of tliis collection cannot be too highly appreciated, and it is believed, that an extension of the col- lection is very desirable, whenever the funds of the Society will allow it to be done. TJie balance of the models ordered, will be completed as soon as suitable specimens can be procured for the artist. The resolution in relation to M. Kos>uth was duly attended to, 12 [Assembly on behalf of the Society, by the Secretary, in the unavoidable absence of the President. The interchange of the Transactions with foreign associations, has been very extensive the past year, and is constantly increas- ing. During the year large assortments of different varieties of grain and seeds, have been received from England Scotland, France, Bavaria, and Russia ; and returns have been made as full as the means of the Society would permit. A most interesting feature in our intercouse abroad is, that which has been opened with the Royal Hawaiian Society of Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. This Society has been organized three years, and has published three numbers of their transactions, which are in the highest decree creditable to those Isles, and show most clearly, what has been done, in transforming to a great extent, the entire groups from barbarism, to their present condition of civilization, within the memory of many of those who compose this Society. In 1850, the Secretary having noticed the formation of a Society there, solicited permission through the American Mis- sionary Board, to forward on behalf of the Society, their Transactions to Honolulu; the request was most kindly com- plied with, and in due time returns were received, expressing the most heartfelt thanks for this donation. During the succeed- ing year, a letter was received from the Hon. Wm. L. Lee, the Chief Justice of the Courts of Hawaii, and Pres't of the Society, calling to mind his former residence, wiien a young man in the village where the Secretary resided, and giving a brief account of the manner in which he became a resident of those Islands, 20,000 miles from our Atlantic coast. He was remembered not only, but it was most gratifying to be assured, that he was enga- ged in a most noble work amoijg this people, and that his influ- ence was felt in the advancement of all those industrial pursuits, that give character and stability to civilized Society. A letter has been received from him lately : and a box of grain, seeds, and useful works on agriculture and horticulture, have been for- warded to the Society, and the arrival of a collection of seeds from the Islands, which is on the way here, is daily expected. No. 112.1 13 -* * It is a matter of no little interest, to be assured that we have been instrumental in aiding in carrying forward and sustaining this Association, and its importance can only be measuied by the value of civilization and improvement, as compared with heath- enism. A way is opened through this channel, forsuppljing these Islands with implements, grain, and seeds, and stock, from our country, and it cannot be questioned, that the commer- cial relations between our country and these Islands, will in- crease rapidly, and become of a most important character. County Associations. The returns from the county Societies, evince a most gratifying advance in every portion of the State. Three new Societies have been organized, and the interest which is manifested in sustain- ing them, show^s that there never has been a period, when they were effecting so much for the advancement of agriculture as at present. The Secretary visited several Societies, and delivered addresses ; and in all of these Associations, he was most glad to find that the best farmers in our State, are giving their energies to advance this great interest, by the adoption of all those im- provements, which have stood the tp3.] D 50 ^ * [Assembly HORSES. All Work — Stallions, four years old. 1st, Daniel North, Middlefield, Otsego county, " Gifford Morgan, '^ ^30 2d, Truman T>. Derick, Troy, Rensselaer county, "Young Norman, '\ ... 20 3d, Mark Gill, Pittsfleid, Otsego county, " Highlander, ^^ 10 4th, J. D. Remington ,.Sennctt, Cayuga county, "Young Black Hawk," Youatt. Cominanded . S. A. Gilbert, East Hamilton, " Young Gifford Morgan,'" Trans. John Rosevelt, Northampton, Fulton county, " Black Hawk," Trans. Eli Rudd, Ellisburgh, Jefferson county, " Young Mountain Morgan,".. .Trans. Truman Cone, Denmark, Lewis county, *"' Black Blucher," Trans> Ira Brayton, Fort Ann, Washington county, "American Eagle," Trans. John K. Tucker, Buffalo, " Young Defiance," , Trans. 3Iares and Foals. 1st, Samuel Baker, Edmeston, Otsego county, . . . <> 30 2d, Horatio Curtis, Clinton, Oneida county, 20 3d, Richard S. Tracy, Pompey, Onondaga county, 10 4th, Elias Thomas, Volney, Oswego county, Youatt^ Draught — Stallions. 1st, Cornelius Scobie, Springport, Cayuga county, " Interest,** 30 2d, Charles Peck, Yan Buren, Onoiidaga county, "American Messenger,** 20 Thorough Bred — Commended. the thorough bred horse " Consternation," owned by J. B. Burnet, Syracuse having heretofore received the first premium, is awarded a CER'PiyiCATEby the Judges. T^ree years o'd S'aJHons. 1st, Orin H. Pownell, Ridgway , Orleans, » 25 2d, John F. Hager, Verona, Oneida count}'', 12 3d, Ira Carrier, Fulton, Oswego county, 5 4th, Horac e Wood,] Deerfield, Oneida coimty , Youatt Mares. Ifit, Obadiah Howland, Owasco, Cayuga county, 25 2d, J. M. Gillett, Clyde, Wayne county, 12 3d, F. A. Spencer, Westmoreland, Oneida county, » 5 4th, R. A. Avery, Yernon, Oneida county, .Youatt S alions, two years old. 1st, M. D. Burnet, Syracuse, " Tiptoe," 15 2d, Barnes Davis, Vernon, Oneida county, 10 3d, R. M. Remington, Sennett, Cayuga county, "Young General Gif- ford,'* Y'ouatt No. 112.J 51 Mares. 1st, M. Ley den, Jr., De Witt, Onondaga county, ^15 2d, Obadiah Howland, Owasco^ Cayuga county, 10 3d, S. A. Gilbert, East Hamilton, Touatt Commended. 1st, Volkert Yrooman, Mohawk, '' Waxy Pope," Trans. 2d, David W. Shaw, Gaines, Orleans, " Empire." Trans* 8d, Mrs. Matilda Hihbard, Syracuse, *' Hornblower," Trans. 4th, L. Tower, Oswego, " Morgan Messenger," Trans. Stations, one year old. 1st, Charles W. Ingersoll, Lodi, 10 2d, Wm. R. Kirby, Bainbridge, 5 3d, Calvin Shattuck, Marcy, Youatt Matched Horses — Carriage. 1st, Benjamin Ashby, Auburn, 20 2d, Olney Gould, Albion, Orleans, 15 3d, H. Gould, Albion, Orleans, g Special, to H. B. jNIoore, Rochester, pair gray horses, 20 Commended. 1st, D. S. Forbes, Chautauque county, Youatt 2d, P. D. Livingston, Auburn, Trans. 3d, E. M. Parsons, Rochester, Trans. 4th, Josiah Barber, Auburn, Trans. 5th, S. White, Jr., New-Haven, Oswego county, Trans. Cth, Edward Dewey, Deerfield, Oneida county, Trans. Draught. 1st, John Bryden, Kirkland, Oneida county, 20 2d, J. A. Holmes, Hastings, .' 15 3d, Boyce & Avery, Paris, Oneida county, 8 4th, Natliaiiiel S. Wright, Vernon, Oneida county, Youatt Ten pair farm horses. Ifit, Squire M. Mason and others, New-Hartford, 25 Geldings. Ist, M. G. Varney , Prospect, Oneida county, Dip. and 10 2d, L. R. Proctor, Hartwick, Otsego county, 8 3d, Wm. H. Hills, Rome, 6 4th, Jonathan Bliss, Floyd, Youati jS' ecial premiums. Clark & Jcralman, Whitestown, sorrel horse, 10 52 [Assembly Single mares. 1st, W. V. Willoughby, Newport, Dip. and ,$-10 Sd, H. B. Moore, Brighton, Monroe county, 8 3d, Daniel W. Curtis, Canaan, C 4th, J. Tanner, Schuyler, Youatt Commended. ist, M. Lv Hungerford, Watertown, Jefferson county, Trans. 2d, Horace Shepherd, New Hartford, Trans. JF^o reign horses. Blood Stallion, E. Adams, Vergennes, Vt., " Black Hawk, Jr.," . .Dip. and 15 j^ll work. Best stallion, Silas Hale, South Royalton, Mass., ** GTreen Mountain Morgan," Dip. and 15 Draught. Best stallion, John C. Wilson, Guelph, C. W., " John Long,". . .Dip. and 15 ?■ <• Commended. Newell Miner, Simsbury, Conn., "Morgan," Trans. F. A. Wier, AValpole, N. H., " Gifford Morgan," Tra^^ JACKS AND MULES. Jacks. P. Ward, Owego, 30 Mules. H. H. Kellogg, Clinton, 25 ' ^ SHEEP. Fat Sheep — Loxg Wooled — Over two yec'S. 1st, Hungerford & Brodie, Adams, Jefferson county, 6 2d, Elias L. Barlow, La Grange, Dutchess co., 4 Under two years. 1st, John McDonald, Warren, Herkimer county, 6 2d, John McDonald, Warren, Herkimer county, 4 Middle Wooled — Over two years. 1st, John McDonald, Warren, Herkimer county, 6 2d, John McDonald, AVarren, Herkimer county, 4 Cross Breed — Over two years. 1st, Richard Gypson, Westmoreland, 6 No. 112.] 53 LoxG WooLED — JSucks Over two years. st, Hungerford & Brodie, Adams, JefFerson county, 3:12 2d, James A. Jackson, Gilbertsville, Otsego county, i 10 3d, Elias L. Barlow, La Grange, Dutchess county, 6 Baches under two years old. 1st, John A. Rathbun, Springfield, Otsego county, 12 2d, John McDonald, AYarren, Herkimer county, 10 3d, Amos T. Wood, Ellisburgh, Jefferson co., 6 Five ewns over two years old. 1st, Hungerford & Brodie, Adams, JefFerson county, 12 2d, Williams Rathbun, East Springfield, Otsego co., 10 3d, Elias L. Barlow, La Grange, Dutchess county, C £Jwes uider two years oJd. 1st, Hungerford & Brodie, Adams, Jefferson county, 12 2d, John McDonald, Warren, Herkimer county, 10 3d, John A. Rathbun, Springfield, Otsego county, 6 Buck jLambs. 1st, Elias L. Barlow, La Grange, Dutchess county, 8 2d, Jacob C. Rathbun, Springfield, Otsego county,. . .Morrell's Shep'd & 4 Fwe Lambs. 1st, Williams Rathbun, East Springfield, 8 2d, Eiias L. Barlow, La Grange, Morrcll's Shep'd and 4 Commended. 1st, J. A. Jackson, Gilbertsville, biick lambs, Trans. 2d, John McDonald, Warren, Herkimer county, lambs, Trans. 3d, Elias L. Barlow, La Grange, Dutchess county, yearling ewes Trans. MiDDLK WooLED — JSucks ovcr tico years old. 1st, Z. B. AVakcman, Herkimer, 12 2 under two years old, Ifit, Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, 12 2d, Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, 10- /^ue iTioes- orer tw > years old. Iflt, J. M. Sherwood, Auburn, 12" 2d, Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, 10 3d, Charles W. Eells, Westmoreland, 54 [Assembly • PiiiQ, Ewes under two years old. 1st, Z B. Wakeman, Herkimer, ^12 2d, Wm. Robson, Westmoreland, 10 3d, Geo. K. Eells, Kirkland, 6 T\ree Back Lambs, 1st, Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, 8 2d, J. M. Sherwood, Auburn, MorrelPs Shep'd & 4 Three Ewe Lambs. l8t, Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, , 8 2d, J. M. Sherwood, Auburn, MorrelPs Shep'd & 4 Merixos — Bucks over two years old. Ist, J. D. Patterson, Westfield, Chautanque county, 12 2d , Sharp & Taylor , Lockport, c 10 3d, Reed Burrit, Burdet, Tompkins county, 6 Cinder two years old. 1st, Sharp & Taylor, Lockport, 12 2d, Arza Gage, De Ruyter, Madison county, 10 3d, Joseph Haswell, Hoosick, Rensselaer county, G Eive Ewes oier two years old. Ist, J. D. Patterson, Westfield, Chautauque county, 20 2d, Sharp & Taylor, Lockport, 10 3d, R. E. Keese, Keeseville, Clinton county, ^. 6 Eive Ewes under two years old. 1st, Joseph Haswell, Hoosick, Rensselaer county, 12 2d, R. E- Keese, Keeseville, 10 Three Back Lambs. 1st, Joseph Haswell, Hoosick, 8 2d, R. E. Keese, Keeseville, Morrell's Shep'd and 4 TTiree Ewe Lambs. 1st, R. E. Keese, Keeseville Clinton co., 8 2d, Arza Gage, De Ruyter, Morrell's Shep'd and 4 WOOL. ist, Fleeces, (none awarded), 2d, N. M. Dart, Harpersfield, Delaware county, - . . . 3 Saxony — Bucks, two years old and over. 1st, Silas B. Crocker, Vernon, Oneida co., 12 2d, S.H.Church, " 10 3d, S.B.Crocker, " 6 No. 112.] 55 Sucks, under two years old. * 1st, S. H. Church, Yernon, Oneida co., ^12 2d, S.B. Crocker, '* . . . ., 10 3d, S.H.Church, *' 6 J^ive Ew2s over two years. 1st, S. B. Crocker, Vernon, Oneida co.,. 12 2d, S.H.Church, " 10 3d, Joseph Haswell, Hoosick Rensselaer co., 6 I^ive Ewes under two years. 1st, S. H. Church, Yernon, Oneida co., 12 12d,| S. B. Crocker, '' lO Grade Sheep — Bucks over two years. 1st, D. S. Curtis, Canaan, Columbia co., 12 2d, D.W.Curtis, '' 10 Sucks under two years. 1st, D. W. Curtis, Canaan, Columbia co., , 12 2d, D.S.Curtis, *' 10 Eive Eues over two years. 1st, Joseph Ilaswell, Iloosick, Rensselaer co., 12 2d, D. S. Curtis, Canaan, Columbia co., 10 3d, D.W,Curtis, '' 6 Five Ewes under two years, 1st, D. S. Curtis, Canaan, Columbia co., 12 2d, D. W. Curtis, . *' 10 Three Buck Lambs. 1st, D. S. Curtis, Canaan, Columbia co., 8 2d, D. ^Y. Curtis, '' .Morrell's Shepherd and 4 Three Ewe Lambs. 1st, Jo.seph Ilaswell, Iloosick, Rensselaer co., 8 2d, D. S. Curtis, Canaan, Cohiml)ia co , Morrell's Shi'jjherd and 4 Foreign Siikep — Long Woolkd — Bucks. [Assembly • • Five Ewss, Ealph Wade, Jr., Cobourg, C. W., , . . , ^10 Tliree Buck Lambs — Loig WooJed. George Miller, Markham, C. W., , 5 Merinos — F'rench Buck, . Daniel Kimljall, Clarendon, Yt., 10 Five French Ewes. 0. F. Holliburd and D. Kimball, Shelburne, Vt., 10 SWINE. Large Breed. — Boar over two years, Isaac W. Currj, South Trenton, Oneida co., , 10 Boar, one year. Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, 10 Boary six months. 1st, Otis Simmons, Madison, ^ S 2d, Morris Hicock, New Hartford, 4 Sows, two years old and over. "^ 1st, Isaac W. Curry, South Trenton, 10 -- 2d, George K. Eells, Clinton, 5 Soio, tne year. John Jeffers, Kirkland, Oneida co., 10 Small Breed — B^ar, one year old. 1st, Almond Barnard, Marshall, Oneida co., 10 Boar, six months. 1st, Henry Dodge, Trenton, Oneida co., 8 Sows, two years old. 1st, L. T. Marshall, Yernon, Oneida co., 10 2d, Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, 5 Sow, 0 ?e year. 1st, A. L. Fish, Litchfield, Herkimer co., N. Y., 10 ^ 2d, Elisha Williams, New Hartford, Oneida co., -■' 5 Sow, six months. 1st, Henry Dodge, Trenton, Oneida co., 8 Lot Pigs. 1st, A. L Fish, Litchfield, N. Y., ^.. 10 • No. 112.1 57 -* < Commended. • • James Plant, Utica, lot of four fine pigs, ^-5 POULTRY. Dor^iings. 1st, D. P. Newell, Rochester, 3 2d, J. M. Sherwood, Auburn 2 Polarids. 1st, Jacob Harper, New Hartford 3 2d, F." R. Farwell, Watertovra, 2 Black Spanish, 1st, T. Wright, Utica, 3 2d, Thomas T. Pritchard, Queens county, 2 J^uff Shanghaes. 1st, John Dimbleby, Utica, 3 2d, D. P. Newell, Rochester, 2 Shanghaes. 1st, D. P. Newell, Rochester, 3 2d, M. Van Duzen, Vienna, 2 JBanfams. 1st, L. Durant St. George, New Hartford, 3 2d, John Walcott, "VYhitestown, 2 Game F'awls. 1st, Wm. Robson, Westmoreland, 3 2d, Thomas J. Sizer, Buffalo, 2 Turkeys. 1st, 0. Howland, Owasco, 3 Bolton Grey Fowls. 1st, Charles Sanford, Clinton, 3 Small Ducks. lat, John S . Clarke, Throopsville, 3 2d, Aaron C. Johnson, Murcy , 2 Guinea f/rns, 1st, Russell Blackstone, New Hartford, 3 2d, J. W. Granby, Paris, 2 Geese, large. 1st, Obadiih Howland, Owasco, . . . .' 3 2d, Lyman Avery, Clay ville, ••• tiatt* 58 [Assembly Geese, Chinese. St, Wm. S. Potter, Utica, ^3 Lot Poultry. Ist, D. P. Newell, Rochester, 10 2d, E. H. Bliven, Bridgewater, , 5 £lack Shanghaes. Ist, J. F. Ebensperger, Frankfort, 3 2d, Hiram Gillmore, Utica, 2 Pigeons. 1st, John Ross, Ncaf Hartford, 3 Commended. J. W. Granby, Paris, for a lot of six Peacocks, 3 Lyman Avery, Clayville, Poultry, Trans. Wm. M. Ro v. e, Utica, Hamburgh Golden Pheasants, Trans. E. H. Bliven, Bridgewater, white Shanghae Fowls, Trans. E. E. Piatt, Albany, Long-eared Rabbits, Trans. George "^Yaterman, Utica, a lot of Fovrls, Trans . T. J. Sizer, Buffalo, a lot of Game Fowls, Trans. Orin Hassam, Wliitestown, four Ducks, Trans. T. B. Miner, Clinton, a lot of Fowls, Trans. N. Jones, New Hartford, Fowls and Rabbits, Trans. Hiram Rice, Marcy , three Goslings, Trans. Thomas Jones, Utica, Cochin China Fowls, • Trans. D. P. Newell, Rochester, Cochin China Fowls, Trans. PLOWING. 1st, A. D. Grannis, Thomas Williams, plowman, Peter Auid's plow. New Hartford, 12 2d, Samuel Campbell, New-York Mills, Edward Hartness, plowman, Peter Auid's plow, 10 3d, . Charles W. Eells, himself plowman, Peter Auid's Ne Plus Ultra plow, 8 4th, H. B. Bartlett, Utica, Joseph Grinnell, plowman, Ruggles & Co.'s Worcester plow, 6 6th, Erastus Kelsey, himself plowman, E. Davis' plow, 4 6th, A. L. Reed, himself plowman. Lord's plow, Trans. Boys. 1st, James Brydon, (under 21,) Kirkland, Peter Auid's plow, 12 FARM IMPLEMENTS.— No. 1. Harrovj, 1st, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, 6 2d, Z. B. Wakeman, Herkimer, 3 No. 112.] 59 Corn Caltiiaior. Istj J. Rapalje & Co., Rocliester, 2d, J. S. & M. Peckham, Utica, 3 Fanning Mi I. 1st, Jacob Clapper, Fort Plain, . . . . , 10 2d, Samuel Cochrane, Petersburgh, Virginia, 5 Commended'. John Post, Fly Creek, N. Y., .Trans. Corn Stalk Cutter. 1st, Taylor, Thomas & Co., New- York, 10 2d, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, 5 Hay Cutter. 1st, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, 6 2d, H. G. Merry, Ballston Spa., Trans, and 3 Horse Rake — Commended. Jarcd Clark, Unadilla Forks, Vol. Trans. Ox Yoke. 1st, S. E. Beard, Andover, Mass., Chase's patent, 2 2d, ^Y. M, Mason, Elbridge, N. Y., 1 Jtoller, 1st, James H. Sherrill, New Hartford, 10 2d, Bradley & Roman, 5 3d, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, Garden Roller, Vol. Trans. Grain Separa'or. G. B. Salmon, Elmira, J. L. Booth's Patent Grain Separator, Dip. Trans. J. N. & D. Elmore, Elmira, do., . Trans. Single Farm Wagon. 1st, R. Lewis, Dcerliold, Trans. 2d, David Nelson, Deerlield, donlde and single farm wagon, Trans. Single Lumber Wagon. Cady & Brothers, South Trenton, Trans. Implkmkms No. 2 — Plow Harness. 1st, M. II. Lines, Utica, * 5 Carriage Harness and Single Hancss. 1st, M. 11. Lines, Utica, 5 60 [Assembly Chums. 1st, J. B. Norton, Albany, '' Quaker Churn," ^5 2d, Cuj'ler Tanner, Skaneateles, 2 ♦ ^ Cheese Press. Isfc, M. A. Hackley, Belleville, Jefferson county, 5 2d, Charles Taylor, Little Falls, 2 Twelve Milk Pans. 1st, J. «Sb J. B. Larkin, Russia, Herkimer county, » 3 Grain Cradle. 1st, J. G. Burritt, Catlin, Chemung count}', 3 2d, Charles Clowe & Co., Port Byron, 2 Hay Forks. 1st, Paris Furnace Co., Clayville, Oneida county, D.J. Millard, agent, . . 3 2d, Chester Clark, Skaneateles, 2 Grass Scythes. 1st, Paris Furnace Co., 3 Cradle Scythes. 1st, Paris Furnace Co., 3 Scythe Snathe and Handle. 1st, Charles Clowe & Co., Port Byron, 3 2d, Nichols & Boley, Van Buren Center, Onondaga county, 2 Manure Forks, 1st, Paris Furnace Co., 3 2d, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, . . .-. , 2 Hay Rigging. 1st, Benjamin Plant, New Hartford, 5 Wire Brooms. 1st, Charks H. Toll, Schenectady, 3 T\joinc Brooms. 1st, Charles H. Toll, Schenectady, , 3 2d, John Richardson, Utica, 2 Dickh Jlnti-fridion Lever Cheese Press. This press having been overlooked by the committee, in con- sequence probably of the absence of the exhibitor, who was engaged on a committee, the Executive committee appointed a special committee to examine it, who, considering it superior to No. 112.] 61 anything they have ever seen in the way of a press, have awarded a Diploma and Silver Medal to Joseph E. Holmes, Holyoke, Massachusetts. HigJdy Commended. Paris Furnace Co., for Straw Forks, Bramble Scythes, Lawn ditto, Hay Knife, Trans. John Richardson, Utica, 1 doz. Shaker Brushes , Trans. BroTm & Bahcock, Unadilla Forks, extra Cast Steel Hoes, Trans. J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, six Potato Hoes, Trans. iMPLEiifEXTS Xo. 3 — Portable Saw Mill. 1st, E. W. Badger, Fly Creek, X. Y., S'lO 2d, Emery & Co , Albany, 8 3d, E. W. Badger, Fly Creek, 5 Corn Shelkr — hand-pov^er. 1st, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, 6 2d, Zenas Wright, Utica, 4 Vegetable Cutter. 1st, J. Rapalje &, Co., Rochester, 6 Portable Grist Mill. 1st, Edward Harrison, New Haven, Ct., 10 2d, Hart & Munson, Utica, 5 Farm Scraper. 1st, Zenas Wright, Utica, 5 Dog Power Churning Machine. 1st, A. H. Randall, Verona, X. Y., 5 Pump. 1st, Hinnian, Iligley & Co., Utica, 5 2d, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, 3 Horse I foe. 1st, Pierpunt Seymour, East BluomlicUl, 20 Agricultural Implkmkn'ts — Afust vumrrous and best collection. \si, J. Rapalje & Co., Roclicsler, 25 2d, Th mas Foster, Utica, 15 yfgricultural /mplemcn'8 made in S cite — best collect on! 1st, J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester, 25 62 [Assembly Commended. Portable Cider Mill, W. R. Lamphear, Lancaster, Pa., Trans. Portable Cider Mill, D. F. Phelps, Ashland county, Ohio, Trans. Floui' Packer and Improved Mill Spindle, John T. Noyes, Buffalo,.. Dip. and $3 MACHINERY. Drain Tile and Chimney Top. J. W. Gregory, Clinton, Oneida county, 5 Commended. Patent Portable Hydraulic Press, R. Dudgeon, N. Y., Sm. Sil. Med. Iron Curb for Chain Pump, Do^wiis & Co., Seneca Falls, Dip. Pumps and Garden Engine, Downs & Co., Seneca Falls, Silver Medal. Model of Vertical and Horizontal Hay Press, L. Dederick, Albany, Silver Medal. Machine for crushing, grinding and pulverizing ores, &c., E.]^& J. Bussing, New-York, Dip. Steam Engine, D. A. Woodbury & Co., Rochester, Silver Medal. Iron Farm Fence, M. P. Coons, Troy, Dip. and 10 Patten's Leather Splitting Machine, A K. Northrop, Deansville, Dip. Farm Implemexts, Trial at Geneva, Julf, 1852. Grain Reapers. 1st, T. D. Burrall, Geneva, Burrall's Reaper, Dip. and 50 2d, J. H. Manny, Wadham's Grove, Illinois, Manny's Convertible Reaper j-^ for grain or grass, 30 3d, Seymour & Morgan, Brockport, .' 20 Mowing Machines. 1st, J. H. Manny, Wadham's Grove, Illinois, Dip. and 50 2d, Howard & Co., Buffalo, Ketchum's Mowing Machine, 30 Grain Drills. 1st, P. Seymour, East Bloomfleld, N. Y., Dip. and 25 2d, Bickford & Huffman, Macedon, N. Y., 15 3d, S. R. Tracy, Newark, N. Y., 10 r Horse Power on the lever principle. 1st, J. A. Pitts, Buffalo, Dip. and 25 2d, Eddy, Dyer & Co., Union Village, Washington county, N. Y., 15 Horse Power , endless chain principle. ■ 1st, Emery & Co., Albany, Dip. and 25 2d, E. W. Badger, Fly Creek, N. Y., 15 •Iron Horse Power. 1st, B. H. Wakely, McLean, Tompkins county, ."...... .Dip. and 25 2d, Eddy, Dyer & Co., Union Village, N.Y., 15 3d, J. A. Pitts, Buflalo, 10 No. 112.] 63 Thrashing Machines y with cleaning apparatus. 1st, J. A. Pitts, Buffalo, Dip. and $-10 2d, Hall i Thompson, Rochester, 8 Thrashing Machines^ without cleaning apparatus. 1st, Eddy, Dyer & Co., Union VUlage. X. Y., Dip. and 10 Seed Planters. 1st, Joshua Woodward, Haverhill, N. H., Dip. and 10 Cultivator, f.r general purposes. 1st, S. R. Tracy, Newark, Wayne county, Dip. and 10 2d, Henry Howe, Canandaigua, 8 Broadcast Sower. 1st, Pierpont Seymour, East Bloomfield, Dip. and 10 DAIRY. Butter — Thcenty-five pounds in June. Est, Amos Goulding,.Le Ray, Jefferson county 15 2d, "William Robson, Westmoreland, Oneida county, 10 3d, Mrs. James H. Dunbar, East Hamilton, Madison county, 5 4th, L. E. French, Warren, Herkimer county, Trans. Fifty pounds at any time. 1st, James Parker, Trenton, Oneida county, 20 2d, Amos Goulding, Ee Ray, Jefferson county, \o 3d, D. M. Crowell, Rome, Oneida county, 10 4th, Mrs. James H. Dunbar, East Hamilton, Madison county, Trans. Girls vnder 21 j/ears (f age. 1st, Mi.ss Su.san H. Parker, Trenton, Oneida co., 17 years old,. .wSilver Milk Cup 2d, " Fanny H. Denio, Rome, Butter Knive.s 3d, ** Alice Gale, Piffard, Livingston county, Tea Spoon.s 4th, ** Surah E. Cummings, Verona, Small Silver Medal CiiEESK — Over one year old. 1st, Moses Eamcs, Rutland, Jefferson county, 20 2d, A. C. Clark, Henderson, JetFerson county, 15 3d, S. & D. Bonfoy, AVinfield, Herkimer county, 10 4th, D. Richard.'^on, Schuyler, Herkimer county, 5 5th, Daniel Fells, New Hartford, Oneida county, Trans. Under one Year. 1st, Willard Green, ^fartinsburgh, Lewis county, 20 2d, Willctt Vary, Harris^ urgh, Lewis county, 15 64 [Assembly 3d, R. Bamber, Minden, Herkimer county, $10 4th, W. A. Peebles, Martinsburgh, Lewis c: unty, 5 6th, Anson R der, Litchfield, Herk mer county, Trans. Half dozen Cheese Boxes. Ist, E. ^Y. Wilcox, Winfield, Herkimer county, 2 Best Six Dairies. » From Lewis cou" ty, Edwin Pitcher, David Pitcher, Moses B. Pitcher, "W^illiam George, Warren A. Peebles, L. D. Mason, 50 Best Three Dairies. From town of Schuyler, Herkimer county, Warren Richardson, 'Duane Richardson and Jeremiah Tanner, » 20 Two cheeses, weighing over 1,000 pounds, exhibited by Jesse Williams, Rome, Oneida county, were of most excellent quality, having been cured as perfectly as those of smaller size, and same age — a premium is recom- mended of .' 25 SUGAR. 1st, Joel Woodworth, Watertown, Jefferson county, 10 2d, Almon Benjamin, Centreville, Allegany, 5 3d, Stephen Gifford, Watertown, N. Y., 3 4th, A. Rcss, Preston, Chenango county, .Trans. HONEY. 1st, Curtis Coe, Sprin^port, Cayuga county, 5 2d, Abraham Myers, Mohawk, Herkin.er county, 3 3d, J. S. Eastman, Deerfield, Oneida county, » 2 / GRAIN AND SEEDS. White Winter Wheat. 1st, Samuel H. Church, Vernon, Oneida county, 10 2d, Luman Shepard, Marcellus, Onondaga county, 5 Bed Winter Wheat. 1st, John Bryden, Ki'-kland, Oneida cou "ty, 10 2d, Abraham Bartlett, Paris, Oneida county, 5 Bed Spring Wheat. 1st, George K. Eells, Kirkland, Oneida county, 10 2d,| S. W. Abbott, Kirkland, Oneida county, 5 Bye. 1st, David Coonradt, Brunswick, Rensselaer county, 8 2d, Gains Butler, Clinton, Oneida county, 4 Commended. D. P. Bigelow, Barre Centre, Oilcans county, Dip. No. 112.] 65 Oats. 1st, Abraham Bartlett, Paris, Oneida county, ^8 2d, David Coonradt, Brunswick, Rensselaer county, 4 Barley* 1st, Wm. Robson, Westmoreland, Oneida county, 8 2d, Obadiah Howland, Owasco, Cayuga county, 4 Indian Corn. 1st, Robert Eells, Westmoreland, Oneida county, 10 Buckwhzat. 1st, Gaius Butler, Clinton, Oneida connty, 5 2d, Obadiah Howland, Owasco, Cayuga county, 3 Flax Seed. 1st, H. Wier, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, 3 Hops. 1st, James H. Dunbar, East Hamilton, Madison county, 10 Timothy Seed. 1st, Luman Shepard, Marcellus, Onondaga county, - . 3 2d, S. J. Keyes, Deerfield, Oneida county, 2 Crops — Samples arranged on wagon or cart. 1st, D. M. Crowell, Rome, Oneida county, 20 2d, James H. Sherrill, New Hartford, Oneida county,. 10 Commended. Daniel L. Barker, Utica, 27 varieties field and garden seeds, imported, .... Dip. Charlwood & Cummins, 14 Tavistock row, Covent Garden, London, samples of wheat, barley, and oats in the ear, beautifully arranged, and a large collection of grain and grass seeds, Small Gold Medal. Wm. Wetmore, Paris, Oneida county, white seed corn, Dip. Joseph Mercer, New-York Mills, Oneida county, sample of bird seed, new variety, Dip. Wm. Robson, Westmoreland, Oneida county, barrel of peas, Dip. L. L. French, Warren, Herkimer county, sample of peas, Dip. John Gilbert, Belleville, C. ^V'., 12 bushels very fine peas, Dip. and 3 VEGETABLES- Celery. Ist, F. W. Boyce, Utica, 3 2d, C. F. Grossman, Rochester, 2 Caulifower. 1st, N. Culver, Arcadia, Wayne county, 3 [Ag. Tr. '53.] E 66 [Assembly Brocoli. 1st, C. Spratt, Utica, 2d, C. Spratt, Utica, 2 White Thrnips. 1st, L. L. French, Warren, Herkimer county, 3 2d, C. Spratt, Utica, 2 Carrots. 1st, J. B. Kaye, Marcy, 3 2d, 0. F. Grossman, Rochester, 2 Beets. 1st, James Hallock, Whitestown, 3 2d, N. Ctdver, Arcadia, Wayne county, 2 Parsnips. 1st, Edward T. Marson, Marcy, 3 2d, J. B. Kaye, Marcy, *. 2 Onions. 1st, J. B. Morse, Cazenovia, 3 2d,- J. B. Kaye, Marcy, 2 Cabbage. 1st, J. B. Morse, Cazenovia, 3 2d, James Hallock, Whitestown, 2 Tomatoes. 1st, Andrew Passenger, Albany, 3 2d, C. Spratt, Utica, 2 Purple Egg Plants. 1st, Andrew Passenger, Albany, 3 2d, J. B. Kaye, Marcy, 2 Sweet Potatoes. 1st, C. F. Grossman, Rochester, 3 2d, N. Culver, Arcadia, 2 Lima Beans. 1st, N. Culver, Arcadia, • • 3 2d, C. F. Grossman, Rochester, 2 Windsor Beans. 1st, C. Spratt, Utica, = 3 Double Parsley. 1st, C. Spratt, Utica, 3 2d, C. F. Grossman, Rochester, 2 No. 112.] 67 Garden Squashes. ^ 1st, J. Hallock, Whitestown, ^ 2d, J. B. Morse, Cazenovia, 2 Large Squashes. 1st, J. B. Kaye, Marcy, ' ^ . ., 3 2d, C. Spratt, Utica, ■. . . 2 I\eld Pumpkins. 1st, C. Spratt, Utica, « 3 2d, C. Spratt, Utica,..., 2 Yellow Seed Com. 1st, 0. Howland, Owasco, 3 2d, E. Williams, New Hartford, 2 White Seed Corn. 1st, J. Hallock, Whitestown, 3 2d, E. Williams, New Hartford, 2 Table Potatoes. 1st, J. Hallock, Whitestown, 3 2d, J. B. Morse, Cazenovia, 2 Best and greatest variety of Vegetables. 1st, J. Hallock, Whitestown, 10 2d, C. Spratt, Utica, 5 12 Uars Seed Corn. Theodore Backus, Rochester, /. 2 New Vegetables. Best new and valuable variety of vegetables, for new varieties of potatoes, of different sorts, to Rev. C. E. Goodrich, Utica,. . . .Vol. Trans, and 3 A special premium to Mr. Goodrich for his seedlings and for his care in their cultivation, 10 Sample Pota'oes. J. R . Miller, Deerfield, Vol. Trans. Sample Onions, Carrots, and Parsnips. Not regularly entered for premiums ; but they are very superior, and enti- tle Charles A. Mann, Utica, to 3 M. Moore, Trenton Falls, very fine Cliinese pumpkin or squash, . . . .Vol. Trans. Yellow Seed Com, Table Potatoes and Seedling Potatoes. John Gilbert, Belleville, C. W., Vol. Trans. ^ Large Cucumbers. Thorpe, Smith, Hanchett & Co., Syracuse, : Trans. 68^ [Assembly Ohio Pinkeye Pdafoes. J. R. Miller, Deerfield, Oneida county, .Vol. Trans. FLOUR. Flour 3 Indian Meal^ 8rc. Floii/r. 1st. M. B. Oviatt, Rochester, ^. |10 Two samples of superior flour were exhibited, one manufac- tured by J. Lancaster, of Salina, and the other by C. H. Hop- kins & Co., Utica; but as the requirements of the Society were not strictly complied with, no premiums can be awarded, but this notice is due to their flour. Farina. J. Lanmister, Salina, Onondaga county, * .Silver Medal Smut Machine. 2d, Pease & Robbins, Floyd, Oneida county, • 10- DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. Reeled Silk. Mrs. Harriet Cobum, Stockbridge, Madison comity, 5 Sewing Silk. 1st, J. F. Gurley, Morrisville, Madison county, .Dip. and 5 2d, Mrs. Harriet Coburn, Stockbridge, Madison county, S Woolen Goods — Blankets. 1st, D. N. Bosworth, Westmoreland, Oneida county, 10 2d, Mrs. Luman Shepard, Marcellus, Onondaga county, 8 3d, Mrs. J. Sweet, Marcy, Oneida county, 6 4th, Mrs. John "Bullard, Kirkland, Oneida county, 4 5th, Mrs. H. Wier, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, .... ^. .... Trans. Woolen Cloth. 1st, Mrs. Ziba Clark, Skaneateles, Onondaga county, 10 2d, Mrs. S. W. Abbott, Kirkland, Oneida county, 8 3d, Mrs. Chester Clark, Skaneateles, 6 4th, Mrs. J. T. Yan Namee, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, 4 Flannel. 1st, Mrs. M. L. Hungerford, Watertown, Jefierson county, 10 2d, Mrs. Joel B. Noyes, Vernon, Oneida county, 8 3d, Mrs. S. A. Bunce, Vernon, Oneida county, 6 4th, Mrs. Almond Barnard, Marshall, Oneida county, 4 Ko. 112.] 69 Woolen Carpet. let, Mrs. Chester Clark, Skaneateles, Onondaga county, ^12 ■2d, Mrs. H. Wier, Pittstown, Rensselaer county 10 3d, Mrs. Freelove Wilcox, Sherburne, Chenango county, 3 4th, Mrs. Amos D. Mix, Camden, Oneida county, : . . 4 Commended. Mrs. Chester Clark, Skaneateles, for stair carpet,. Barry's Fruit Garden. Hcarih Rugs. 1st, "Wm. Connell, Amsterdam, Montgomery county,.. .^ 5 ^d, Mrs. James T. Van Namee, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, 4 3d, Mrs. E. A. Rockwell, Camden, Oneida county, 3 4th, Mrs. D. W. Eames, Turin, Lewis county, 2 jRag Carpet. 1st, Mrs. Nathan Tanner, Willow vale, Oneida county, 8 2d, Mrs. H. Weir, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, § 3d, Mrs. Luman Shepard, Marcellus, Onondaga county, 4 4th, Mrs. Samuel Fuller, Westmoreland^ Oneida county, Sm. Silv. Medal. * Commended, Horse Blankets, Mrs. Amos D. Mix, Camden, Oneida county, Vol. Trans. Horse Blanket, Wm. Greenwood, Auburn, Vol. Am. Ins. Trans. Boys' Caps, Mrs. B. R. Voorhees, Amsterdam, Barry's Fruit Garden. Silk Hose, Mrs. Sylvester Norton, Troy, Barry's Fruit Garden. Flannel Shirts, Mrs. D. E. Mixter, Warren, Herkimer county,. . . .Vol. Trans. Coverlets, &c. Coverlets. 1st, Mrs. S. A. Bunce, Vernon, Oneida connty, 8 2d, Mrs. Lucy Newell, Skaneateles, Onondaga county, 5 3d, Mrs. John W. Lewis, Utica, 4 4th, Mrs. J. Sweet, Marcy, Oneida county, 3 Kersey. Lst, Mrs. H. Weir, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, 8 2d, Mrs. James T. Van Namcc, Pittstown, Rensselaer, county, (J 3d, Mrs. Ziba Clarke, Skaneateles, Onondaga county, 4 4th, S. W. Abbott, Kirkland, Oneida county, 3 Woolen Knit Stockings. 1st, Mrs. C. McKniglit, Syracuse, 3 2d, Mrs. Gaius Butler, Clinton, Oneida county, 2 3d, Mrs. Wm. C. Burritt, MarshaU> Oneida county, 1 Wooli'Ti ffoue Stocking'!. 1st, Mrs. C . McKnight, Syracuse, 3 70 [Assembly Woolen Fringe Mittens. 1st, Mrs. J. T. Yan Namee, Pittstown, ^2 2d, Mrs. J. B. Noyes, Vernon, 1 Commended. Lot woolen hose and yarn, Mrs. Sylvester Norton, Troy, Vol. Trans. Linen r Linen, Ten Yards. ^ 1st, Mrs. James T. Van Namee, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, 10 2d, Mrs. Ziba Clark, Skaneateles, Onondaga county, 8 3d, Mrs. S. A. Bunce, Vernon, Oneida county, 6 4th, Mrs. Samuel Collins, Paris, Oneida county, 4 Diaper. 1st , Mrs. John Bullard, Kirkland, Oneida county, 8 2d, Mrs. S. W. Abbott, Kirkland, Oneida county 6 3d, Miss Emily J. Clark, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, 4 4th, Mrs. H. Weir, Pittstown, Rensselaer county, 2 Tow Cloth. 1st, Mrs. H. Weir, Pittstown, 5 2d, Mrs. E. B. Dewey, Manchester, Ontario county, 3 Cotton Knit Stockings. 1st, Mrs. L. W. Bartlett, Paris, Oneida county, ► 3 2d, Mrs. Chester Clark, Skaneateles, 2 3d, Mrs. H. Weir, Pittstown, 1 Linen Knit Stockings. Ist, Mrs. Marilla Benton, Sherburne, Chenango county, 3 2d, Mrs. E. B. Dewey, Manchester, Ontario county, 2 3d, Mrs. Freelove Wilcox. Sherburne, 1 Linen Wove S'ockings. 2d, Mrs. Catharine McKnight, Syracuse, ► . . . . 2 Linen Thread. 1st, Mrs. Chester Clark, Skaneateles, * 2 2d, Mrs. Catharine McKnight, Syracuse, 1 Commended. Damask Table Cloth and Kersey Toweling, Mrs. Freelove Wilcox, Sher- burne, Vol. Trans, and Barry's Fruit Garden. Kersey Bag, Mrs. Luman Shepard, Marcellus, ^ Vol. Trans. Shirts and Collars, J. W. Browne, Utica, Dip. Linen Horse Dress, Wm- H. Cornell, New- York, Dip. No. 112.] 71 MANUFACTURES. Black Broadcloth. Utica Steam Mill Company, Dip. and Trans. Cotton Shirting, unbleached. J. A. Sherman, Utica Cotton Mills, Dip. and Trans. Woolen Shawls. 1st, James Roy & Co., West Troy, Dip. and Silver Medal. Woolen Printed Shawls. 2d, Globe Mills, Utica, Trans, and Small Silver Medal . Cottonades, Sheetings, ^c. New- York Mills, B. S. Wallcott, agent, Small Silver MedaL Cotton Batting. 0 Joseph Palmer, New- York Mills, Vol. Trans . Cassimeres. Adolphus Morse, Eaton, Madison county, Vol. Trans. NEEDLE. SHELL. AND WAX WORK. Ornamental Needlework. 1st, Miss Mary Wolcott, Penn Yan, Yates county, ^3 2d, Mrs . J. Hackett, Utica, 2 3d, Mrs. E. W. Hopkins, Rome, Oneida county, 1 Oitoman Covers. 1st, Mrs. W. 0. Laird, Floyd, Oneida county, 3 2d, Mrs. M. E. Perry, Utica, 2 3d, Mrs. E. W. Hopkins, Rome, 1 7 able Covers. 1st, Mrs. Henrietta Otis, DeRuytcr, Madison county, 3 2d, Miss Sarah R. "White, Canaan, Columbia county, 2 3d, Mrs. A . Egglcston, Windsor, Broome county, 1 Group Flowers. 1st, Miss R. Denner, Utica, •. 3 2d, Mrs. H. D. Babcock, Marcy, Oneida county, 2 3d, Morris Clark, Utica, 1 Worsted Work. l.st, Mrs. E. W. Hopkins, Rome, 3 2d, Mrs. L. M. Babcock, Utica, 2 3d, Mrs. S. Bailey, Rome, 1 72 [Assembly Pancy Chair Work. 1st Miss Frances Sanger, Utica, $ 3 2d, Mrs. C. A. Glatt, ^Vhitestown, Oneida county, 2 3d, Miss S. R. Vines, Utica, 1 Worked Cushion and Back. Mrs. S. Bailey, Rome, 3 Worked Collars and Handkerchi^s. 1st, Mrs. J. P. Goodsell, Albany, 3 2d, Mrs. W. 0. Laird, Floyd, Oneida county, 2 3d, Mrs. L. "W. Bartlett, Paris, Oneida county, 1 Woolen Shawls. 1st, Mrs. J. F. Jones, Syracuse, 3 2d, Miss E. Pexton, "Westmoreland, (blind) 2 Worked Quilts. 1st, Mrs. L. Convers, Ellisburgh, Jefferson county, 3 2d, Mrs. C. D. Burlingame, New-Haven, Oswego county, 2 3d, Mrs. S. Scovil, Westmoreland, Oneida county, 1 Silk Bonnets. 1st, Mrs. George Kincaid, Utica, 3 2d, Miss A. Sanford, Utica, 2 3d, Mrs. J. W. Brown, Utica, 1 Straw Bonnets. Mrs. Samuel Fuller, Westmoreland, 3 £>ace Capes. 1st. Mrs. L. M. Babcock, Utica, 3 2d, Mrs. J. Sheldon, Richmond, Ontario county, 2 3d, Miss E. Pexton, Westmoreland, (blind,) 1 Lamp Stand Mats. 1st, Miss Vashti Campbell, Utica, 3 2d, Miss jNIai^aret Wilson, Oswego, 2 3d, Mrs. Daniel Eells, New Hartford, 1 Shell Work.' Isti Miss Elizabeth Poyner, Albany, 3 2d, Mrs. Leonard Cole, Chittenargo, Madison county, 2 3d, Miss R. E. Merrill, Glen, Montgomery county, 1 Wax Flov)ers. 1st, Mrs. D. M. Heffron, Utica, 3 2d, Miss C. M. Randall, Utica, • 2 No. 112.] 73 Commended, Miss Eliza Nickinson, New-York, regalia, Small Silver Medal. Mrs. J. Hackett, Utica, a Down victorine, Small Silver Medal. Mrs. Dr. Vedder, Schenectady, worsted fire screen, Small Silver Medal. Master J. Kincaid, Utica, (12 years old,) Swiss cottage,. . .Small Silver Medal. Mrs. Sarah A. Alderman, Canistota, Madison county, ^3 Hearth Rug. Mrs. n. Steele, East Bloomfield, Ontario county, Small Silver Medal. Needle Work. Miss E. Lucas, Kirkland, Oneida county, Small Silver Medal. Miss Louisa B. Post, Boonville, Oneida county, Small Silver Medal. Wrought Suspenders. Mrs. W. C. Brown, Rochester, Small Silver MedaL Embroidered Slippers. Miss E. BuUard, Kirkland, Oneida county, Downing's Fruits. £,ace and Gloves. Mrs. B. R. Voorhees, Amsterdam, Vol. Trans, Bead Purse. Mrs. A. Fggleston, Windsor, Broome county, Thomas' Fruits. Ottomans. Mrs. E. Little, Canajoharie, Montgomery county, Barry's Fruit Garden. Lady's Work Case. Mrs. M . E. Sweet, Marcy, Oneida county, Vol. Trans. Fancy Chair Work, Mrs H. B. Whipple, Rome, Silver Medal. Shirts and Collars. A. P. West, Troy, Dip, Shirts. Miss Ann Swan, Amsterdam, Small Silver MedaL Chair Tidies. • « • • Miss Elizabeth Lucas, Kirkland, Oneida county, Small Silver MedaL Mrs. Chaunccy Dygcrt, New- York, Small Silver MedaL Lamp Mats and Table Covers. Miss Sarah Ann Cole, Floyd, Oneida county, Sm. Silver MedaL 74 ^Assembly Specimens of American Manufactured Linen Thread. American Thread Company, Mechanicsville, Saratoga co.,.Dip. and Silver Med. (See Report of Mr. Delafield.) JSead Purse. Miss Lydia W. Bartlett, Paris, Small Silver Medal. Stocking Yarn. Mrs. Catharine McKnight, Syracuse, Small Silver Medal. Woolen Yarn carded and spun by hand. Mrs. H. P. Coburn, Stockbridge, Small Silver Medal. Woolen Yarn and Stockings. Miss Wealthy Starr, 72 years old, Yernon, Oneida county, . Small Silver Medal. Table Covers and Slippers. Mrs. "Welcome Babcock, Utica, Dovning's Fruits. Embroidered Piano Cover. Mrs. John Disbrow, Rochester, Downing's Fruits. Patchwork Quilt. Clarence A. Hulburt, Utica, (an invalid boy), Small Silver Medal. JSed Quilts. Miss Josephine A. Clark, Brookfield, Madison county, . .Barry's Fruit Garden. Mrs. Thomas L. Bogart, Utica, Norton's Prize Essay. Mrs. Freelove Wilcox, Chenango county, Norton's Prize Essay. ji Quilt of Wreath of Poses. Miss Delia Young, Elmira, Chemung county, Small Silver Medal. Ped Cover. Mrs. D. N. Bosworth, Westmoreland, Oneida county,. . . .Norton's Prize Essay Mrs. L. T. Marshall, Vernon, Oneida county, Downing's Fruits. Worked Quilt, 2,200 letters. Mrs. W. Osgood, Oswego Falls, Oswego county, Small Silver Medal. Whife Quilt. Mrs. L . 0 . Webster, Utica, Barry's Fruit Garden . Quilt . A girl. Auburn, exhibited through T . R . Hussey, Barry's Fruit Garden Mrs. James Ward, Utica, Barry's Fruit Garden . No. 112.] 75 Case Stuffed Birds. C. P. Davis, Utica, , Downing's Fruits. James Conloiij Utica, Downing's Fruits. FLOWERS— PROFESSIONAL LIST. 1st, Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, greatest variety and quality of flow- ers, ^10 2d, A. Frost & Co., Rochester, 5 3d, Thorp, Smith & Co., Syracuse, 3 Roses. 1st, Ellwanger & Barry , Rochester, greatest variety, 5 2d, A. Frost & Co., Rochester, 3 1st, Thorp, Smith & Co., Syracuse, twenty-four blooms, 3 2d, F. Boyce, Utica, 2 Phloxes, Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, best 10 varieties, 3 Verbenas. « ■ Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, greatest variety, 5 A. Frost & Co., Rochester, 2d do do 3 F. Boyce, Utica, best 12 varieties, 2 Thorp, Smith & Co., Syracuse, 2d do, 1 German Asters. A. Frost & Co., Rochester, best seedling, 2 Thorp, Smith & Co., Syracuse, 2d do 1 A. Frost & Co=, Rochester^ best collection, 5 AMATEUR LIST. Mrs. W. Newcomb, Pittstown, greatest variety and quantity of flowers, Silver Medal. F. Boyce, Utica, 2d do, > 3 Dahlias. E. M. Van Alstyne, Greenbush, greatest variety, 5 ilrs. W. Newcomb, Pittstown, 2d greatest variety, 3 E. M. Van Alstyne, best 12 dissimilar blooms, 3 Mrs. W. Newcomb, 2d do, •, 2 Mrs. W. Newcomb, 2d best G varieties, 1 Roses. Mrs. t\'. II. Grinnell, Aurora, greatest variety, Silver Medal. Mrs. E. B. Morgan, Auburn, best 6 dissimilar blooms, Silver Medal. Phloxes. Mrs. J. C. Hastings, Clinton, best G varieties, 3 Mrs. J. C. Ilastings, do 3 do 2 T6 [Assembly Verbenas, ^ Mrs. S. D. Childs, Utica, greatest variety, 1 Mrs. J. C. Hastings, Clinton, 2d greatest variety, 3 Mrs. S. D. Childs, Utica, best 6 varieties, 3 German Asters, Mrs. W. Newcomb, Pittstown, best collection, . - 5 Mrs. J. T. Van Nameej Pittstown, 2d best collection, 3 Pansles. Mrs . S . D. Childs, Utica, best and greatest variety, 3 GENERAL LIST— OPEN TO ALL COMPETITORS. F. Boyce, Utica, best collection of green house plants, 5 Thorp, Smith & Co., Syracuse, 2d do, 3 A. Frost So Co., Rochester, best floral design, 5 Thorp, Smith & Co., 2d do., '. 3 Mrs. W. Newcomb, Pittst )\vn, best floral ornament, 5 Mrs. Jane Dudgeon, IJew Hartford, 2d do, 3 James Wilson, Albany, best hand bouquet, flat, 3 Mrs. J. C. Ha'stings, Clinton, 2d do., 2 James "Wilson, Albany, best hand bouquet, round, 3 Mrs. Wm. Tracy, Utica, 2d do., 2 Mrs. W. Newcomb,' Pittstown, best basket bouquet, handle, 3 Mrs. C. E. Goodrich, Utica, for the most beautifully arranged basket of flowers, 3 Mr. Falnestock, Syracuse, best exhibition of dried specimen of p'ants. Silver Medal. Mrs. Gloriana Dering, Utica, a fine collection of dried marine plants. Small Silver MedaL Ward's case filled with a fine collection o^ green house plants, Mrs. M. Moore, Trenton Falls, Small Silver MedaL Rustic work seats, picture frames, &c., from the Oneida community, by J. R. MUler, Jr., very faithfully and substantially constructed, Small Silver MedaL Garden vases in bronze and cast iron, from Janes, Beebe& Co., New-York, Silver MedaL F R U I T— AMATEUR LIST. Apples — Twenty varieties. 1st, N. & E. S. Hayward, Brighton, Monroe county, , 10 2d, James H. Sherrill, N. Hartford, Oneida county, 7 T6n Varie'Aes. 1st, H. R. Ilart, Whitestown, Oneida county, 8 2d, James II. Sherrill, New Hartford, 5 No. 112.] T? E. G. Studley, Claverack, Columbia county, for a very choice apple, cul- tivated by him as a seedling, but on examination is believed to be the same as Duchess of Oldenberg, Downing's Fruits . W. D. AYalcott, Whitestown, lot of very fine bow apples,.. .Downing's Fruits. N. & E. S. Hay ward, Brighton, Monroe county, for their superior collec- tion of apples, in addition to the first premium, Downing's Fruits. Pears — Twelve varieties. 1st, Henry Tail, Troy, #8 2d, P. Brintnall, Utica, - 6 Six varieties. 1st, W. R. Coppock, Buffalo, 5 2d, Wm. Tracy, Utica, 3 3d, Henry Vail, Troy, 2 4th, Wm. C. Johnson, Utica, Thomas. Collection of Pears. Henry Tail, Troy, 70 varieties, cannot be too highly commended, Dip. & Hovey's Fruits. H. G. Dickinson, Lyons, Wayne county, Tdoz. Bartlett pears, and 6 varie- ties of pears, very fine, Barry's Fruit Garden. Oapt. Wm. Mervine, Utica, 4 varieties, Barry's Fruit Garden. Six varieties, very fine, entered after the awards were comple- ted by the committee; on examination they recommended that a volume of Hovey's Colored Fruits, be presented to the exhibitor, Lewis Eaton, Buffalo. T\oelve Peaches. H. G. Dickinson, Lyons, Wayne county, 3 Six varieties Peaches. H. G. Dickinson, Lyons, Vol. Trans. Plums — Collection of Plwns. 1st. C. S. Wilson,! Utica, 5 2d, Wm. Tracy, Utica, 3 3d, W. C. Johnson, Utica, 1 Four vaielies. let, Capt. Wm. Mervine, Utica, 3 2d, J. T. Stevens, Utica, 2 3d, Wm. Tracy, Utica, Trans. 7\celvc Plums. Henry Vail, Troy, 2 78 [Assembly Ttcelve Quinces. 1st, N. & E. S. Hay ward, Brighton, Monroe county, $3 2d, A. D. Grannis, Kirkland, 2 Grapes — Collection of native, grown in open air. 1st, Daniel Ayres Amsterdam, 5 2d, Capt. Wm. Mervine, Utica, : 3 3d, C. P. Williams, Albany, 2 7%ree varieiies, native or foreign, under glass. 1st, H. L. Suydam, Geneva, Ontario county> remarkably superior, 5 2d, John Greig, Canandaigua, 3 3d, Henry Vail, Troy, 2 Foreign Grapes. Silas D. Childs, Utica, , .Downing's Fruits. Sweet Water Grapes. L. Cozzens, Utica, Downing's Fruits. Foreign Grapes. W. R. Coppock, Buffalo, Barry's Fruit Garden. Minerva Grapes. N. & E. S. Hayward, Brighton, • Vol, Trans. Watermelons — Specimens. Wm. Gray, Marcy, Oneida county, ; 3 MusKMELONS — Specimens. 1st, Levi Cozzens, Utica, 3 2d, Wm. Gray, Marcy, 2 3d, Silas D. Childs, Utica, 1 Cullection. 1st, Wm. Gray, Marcy, 3 2d, T. P. Hart, Mohawk, 2 3d, H W. Rockwell, Utica, Downing. 4th, J. T. Stevens, Utica, nutmeg variety, Thomas. Best town collection of Fruit. Town of Kirkland, Oneida county 10 FRUIT— PROFESSIONAL LIST. Apples — Twenty varieties. 1st, A. Frost & Co., Rochester, Dip and 10, 2d, T. C. Maxwell & Co., Geneva, 7 3d, John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, : . . 5 4th, J. J. Thomas, Macedon, Trans. No. 112.] ~ 79 Ten varieties. 1st, John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, 2d, Thorp, Smith, Hanchett & Co., Syracuse, 5 3d, A. Frost & Co., Rochester, 3 4th, T. C. Maxwell & Co., Geneva, '. Downing. Basket standard JTruit. John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, 6 Pears — Twelve varieties. 1st, Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, 8 2d, John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, 6 3d, A. Frost & Co., Rochester , 4 4th, Thorp, Smith, Hanchett & Co., Syracuse, Barry. Six varieties. 1st, T. C. Maxwell & Co., Geneva, 5 2d, John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, , . . 3 3d, Thorp, Smith, Hanchett, & Co., Syracuse, • 2 4th, J. J. Thomas, Macedon, Thomas. Best collec'io.i of newly introduced Pears, Thorp, Smith, Hanchett, & Co., Syracuse, Dip. and Hovey's Colored Fruits- Peaches — Six varieties. Istj John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, Dip. and 5 2d, do do do 3 3d, do do do 1 Three varieties. 1st, John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, 3 2d, do do do 2 3d, do do do Trans. Twelve Peaches. 1st, John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, 3 2d, N. Culver, Arcadia, Wayne county, 2 Plums, &c. Collection. 1st, C. Reagles & Sons, Schenectady, 5 2d, Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, 3 3d, S. II. Ainsworth, West Bloomfield, 1 jTour Varieties. 1st, Thorp, Smith, Hanchett & Co., Syracuse, 3 2d, John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, 2 3d, Henry Freeman, Richfield Springs, Trans.' 8Q [Assembly Twelve Plums. John Morse, Cayuga Bridge, ^2 Grapes. Colhcti:^n — Native, open air. S. H. AinswortH, "West Bloomfield, best dish, Trans. S. H. Ainsworth, commended for ^' Golden Chassclas," Barry. Watermelons. iSpccimens. 1st, C. F. Grossman, Kochester, 3 2d, A. AYeaver, Deerfield, Oneida county, 2 3d, John Morse, Cayuga Bridg .', 1 Collection. 1st, C. F. Crossman, Rochester, 3 2d, N. Culver, Arcadia, Wayne county, 2 MUSKMELONS. ^^ " — ' Specimens, 1st, James Hallock, Whitestown, 3 2d, A. Frost & Co., Rochester, 2 3d, N. Culver, Arcadia, 1 Collection. 1st, N. Culver, Arcadia, 3 Commended. J. B. Kaye, Marcy, for two large rough-skinned melons, Downing. FOREIGN FRUITS. Hovey & Co., Boston, Mass., 104 varieties of pears, Small Med. & vol. Trans. PAINTINGS. « Painting Parm Yard. Abner Willis, New-York, Dip. Daguerreotype. D. D. T. Davie & Brother, Utica, Silver Medal. Eleven frames of proof impressions of wood Engravings. Wm. H. Green, Utica, Dip. Mono- Chromatic Paintings. A. G. Shaver, Geneva, Dip. COOKING STOVES. Wood S Ores — Half- Moon Imp. 1st, Warren, S wetland & Co., Half-Moon, Saratoga, Silver Medal. No. 112.] 81 Charter Oak. 2d, J. S. & M. Peckham, Utica, Small Silver Medal- Coal Stove — Golden Gate. 1st, J. S. & M. Peckham, Utica, Silver MedaL Phznix. 2d, G. W. Wood & Co., Utica, Small Silver Medal. Cooking Range. 1st, J. Dimick, Troj, Silver Medal. » • Furnaces. 1st, Giles & Walker, Ptome, Oneida, Silver Medal. 2d, J. S. & M. Peckham, Utica, for iron cylinder ring coal furnace, Small Silver MedaL PARLOR STOVES. Hall Stoves 1st, "Warren, Swetland & Co., Saratoga coal burner, Saratoga county,.... Silver Medal. 2d, R. B. Thompson, New-York, Small Silver Medal. Hollow Ware, W. B. Durkee, Syracuse, Small Silver Medal . Stoves — Commended. Mallery Sc Ingalls, Troy, Trans. G. W. Wood &Co., Utica, Trans. Warren, Swetland & Co., Half-Moon, Trans. SILVER WARE, &c. Ames Manufacturing Company, Chicopee, Mass, Silver Medal. do do for sword belts, Dip. Silver Ware. Hall &c Brower, Albany, Silver Medal. Table Cutlery. South River Cutlery Company, Conway, Mass., Otis Childs, agent, Dip. American Pocket Ca lery. Watcrvillc Manufacturing Company, Silver Medal. Razors. Fine sample, manufactured by the Gilchrist and Ramapo Razor Company, Jersey city, Silver Medal. [Ag. Tr. '53. J F 82 [Assembly REPORT OF COMMITTEE, No. 63. Discretionary. In making tlieir report, your committee feel the responsibility resting upon them. The class of articles to which their attention has been drawn, are of the highest importance, and we can but wish the duty of examinii:g and awarding upon their merits, had devolved upon others much more competent and able lo do justice to all. However, your committee have patiently and closely ex- amined all articles submitted them, and have made their awards fairly, and" according to the merits of articles passed upon. The exhibition in this department has been highly satisfactory ; not an article have we found but what is worthy of notice, while the great majority show a perfection of workmanship and finish it would be difficult indeed to excel. We will now to the subject matter ot our report : One model working steam engine, B. II. Wright, Rome, N. Y.,. . Dip. & Medal. One card of brass and iron American butts, two models self-shutting gate, hin- ges and fastenings, one model patent blind butts and fasteners; Seymour Brothers & Co., Westmoreland, Oneida county. These articles comprise a beautiful variety of specimens of Oneida county manufactures, very credita- ble and ingenious, which have already acquired great celebrity, Dip. One Metallic Plumb Level, Bevel and Dividing square, comprised in one article very ingeniously and beautifuly made, and well adapted; William R. Stone, Utica, Vol. Trans. One Metallic Lightning rod, (Pratt's patent,) Johnson & Brothers, Clockville, N. Y. It is claimed for this rod, that its attachments, connections and points are entirely different from those commonly in use, making it much more du- rable, beautiful and complete. Your committee have no reason to dispute these '* points/' and award Vol. Trans, and $3. Lot of Brass cocks, Erastus Stebbins, Chicopee, Mass., excedingly well made, Vol. Trans. Two setts Pipe boxes and skeins, A. E. Pettee, Clayville, N. Y.; a good article for which improvements are claimed Vol. Trans. One case Bolts and Nuts, Whitesboro' Bolt Co., N. Y.; superiority claimed for strength and finish Vol. Trans. Morse's Patent Sash and Gate fastener, attached to model, Orrin Morse & Co., Rochester. This article seems well adapted and well worthy of notice by the public. One Wertz's Cast Iron water wheel, (submerged,) P. W. Siebert, Cham- bersburg, Pa.; a good wheel on the most approved principles. Claims to af- ford 20 per cent more power in proportion to water used than any other cast iron wheel, the power or action being direct, and at the same receiving the No. 112.] 8S .• benefit of the re-acting power of thrf water. Being submerged it is protected from ice and frost Small Medal and Vol Trans- Darling's substitute for Cow Catcher, Cook Darling, Utica. This is claimed to be a decided improvement upon the article now in use, but your committee not being able to perceive its practicabilitj'' refer it to the notice of railroad men generally. 'One Pratt's patent Automatic Apple parer, J. Sargeant, Shelburne Falls, Mass. ; a very ingenious and perfect contrivance to avoid personal labor; works expe- ditiously, evenly and surely, Thomas^ Fruit Cult, and ^2, Five Horse Shoes, Michael CRourke, Utica; very good specimens, well made. Vol. Trans. One Pipe box and arrangements for attaching hubs to axle of wagons, G. Da- vis, Syracuse; a good invention which comes well recommended, $'3. •One Sun dial, Henr}' Simmons, Paris ;an improved article, claimed to be more per- fect in its operations than ordinary ones; can be put out on uneven surfaces or hill sides as well as upon level ground; in this particular a decided improve- ment, Vol. Trans. One case of Breech loading and Self-cleaning fire arms, Marston's patent, W. W. Marston, N. Y. These Fire arms are exquisitely finished and capable of terrible efficiency, Small Medal. Six cast steel Draw knives, Wells & Kendall, Clinton, N. Y. These knives, manufactured in Oneida county, are a very superior article, both in quality of material and finish, and are well worthy a Vol. Trans, and ^3, Seven Horse shoes, Matthew Sullivan, Mohawk, N. Y.; variety of patterns well made Vol. Trans. One card Plane irons, John A. Beriill, Waterville, N. Y.; good article, Vol Trans. ^tanely & Co.'s Car wheels, (Atwood's patent,) Mallory & Ingalls, Troy, N. 1 . Your committee cannot too strongly recommend the attention of railroad superintendents and the public generally, to these wheels* The variety of patterns, peculiar adaptation of the wheels to the rail, together with the strength and superior quality of the material used in their manufacture, make them probably the best car wheel now in use. They have attained a high ce- lebrity, and are in use upon many of our most prominent raihoads, and give entire satisfaction. The majiufacturers use none but the very best materials in their manufacture, and use untiring in their efibrts to make an article that hereafter shall much lessen the number of accidents by the breakage of wheels, and thus avert much human misery. The form of the wlieel appears to be well ciUculated to compensate for the unequal contraction of its dilfcrent j)arts in cooling, and at the same time combine strength with lightness. The manner of cooling the wheels as dcs- -cribed by the manufacturers and which we understand to be a patented process, is such as first to equalize the temperature, and then take off the heat from such part of it as to leave it perfectly free from strain. The specimens of metal as 84 [ASSEMBL^Y shown in the broken partsof wheels, Exhibit great tenacity, •with a property for chilling in an eminent degree; and we are informed by the manufacturers that no pains or expense is spared in the selection of their iron ,and forming such a compound as to embrace all the requisite qualities for a superior wheel. We award a -. ..^ Dip. One Meat cutter, Z. Wright, Utica; a great masticator, Trans. Two Fire Proof and Powder Lock safes, J. M. B. Davidson, Albany. These safes, so highly celebrated, both for their anti-burglar and salamander quali- ties, are too well known to the public to require notice at our hands. As a fire and thief proof safe, we doubt much if any thing can be brought in com- petition with it; and from the severe tests to which they have been exposed, and in every trial successfully, they well deserve the title of " Fire King."** We gladly award a Diploma and Large Silver Medal. One Chuck for Milling fork handles, A. E. Pettee, Clayville, N. Y., an ingenious invention, deserving much credit, . Small Medal. One Portable water closet, one case Tin and Bronze ware, one model of Chil- son's Air warming and Ventilating furnace, Evans & Chatfield, Utica. The above articles are all well adapted to the purposes for which they were made; very useful and many quite beautiful; of their merits all must know, Dip. One model Railroad brake, James H. Bushnell, Utica; claimed to be an entire new invention, superior to anything in use; of this the committe are not ca- pable of judging, but refer the matter to the different railroad corporations, and award Vol. Trans, and $3. Four Pipe boxes, three iron clamps, one cast iron Hand Sled, one Rigger screw and Coach Door elamps, Downes & Co., Seneca Falls; all nicely made, and well adapted and worthy of notice Small Medal and Vol. Trans- One Wagon skein and box, Julius Bevins, Plainfield, N. Y.; improved cap and coupling .^ .Vol. Trans. One set Locomotive and Steamboat Alarm bells, Brower & Hinman, Syracuse; powerful in tone, well constructed and finished Dip. and Small Medal. One improved locomotive lamp, J. A. Williams, Utica. The improvement claimed for this lamp is its powerful refraction, giving an intensely brilliant light, and the ease with which it can be cleaned ; it is highly recommend- ed... Dip. One job printing power press, one card printing press, Jason L. Burdick, Utica. These presses are very ingeniously constructed and work admirably. The power press has its power applied by a vibrating lever, by which its opera- tions are speedy and remarkably even. The platten is so constructed that it is kept evenly and directly over the type and bed of the press as they pass back and forth, thus giving plain, even impressions. The card press is simple in its construction, working perfectly and making its impressions plainly and without waste of card material Dip. and ^5. Ten varieties of Fairbanks' Patent scales, platform, counter, flour, &c., &c. E. & T. Fairbanks, St. Johnsbury. Vt. The high celebrity to which these No. 112.] 85 scales have every where attained, makes it needless for your committee to say- any thing in commendation. Suffice it, that they as ever are most beauti- fully constructed, most evenly balanced, and exquisitely finished. The weight of the passing breath of air is enough to boar them down. Where these scales are used even handed justice to all is sure to be meted out. "VVe award Dip. and Large Silver Medal. Two Car axles, one sample of iron, Smith & Richardson, Utica. The strength of these axles is said to be almost supernatural. Your committee are sa4.is- fied from the specimen of iron exhibited, that there is more truth in these stories of strength than is ordinarily the case, and would respectfully com- mend them to the favorable notice of railroad corporations,. . Vol. Trans. "One patent Brick mill, Jackson, Riddle & Co., D. D, Whitney agent, invented by Jackson and the Riddles, near Cincinnati, Ohio. This mill manufactures bricks by pressure from untempered clay as it is taken from the bank, after passing through the pulverizing process. This mill is claimed to make from 80,000 to 120,000 nice pressed brick per day, requiring only about 15 hands to attend it. It is claimed that this mill will cost to the purchaser only about half what ordinary mills doing not half the work will cost. The specimen ©f brick made by this mill, presented to your committee, was exceedingly good. We award a Dip. and Vol. Trans. Eight patterns iron railing, for fences and balconies, iron gates and window guards, two square fancy iron posts, one iron settee, two iron chairs, two hat and coat stands, four horse posts, .skeins and boxes, umbrella stand, iron spittoons and fire stands ; Dana & Maynard, Utica. The above entry com- prises a large variety of iron work, all useful, beautiful and very ornamental. The taste and ingenuity displayed in these iron constructions, elicited much admiration from your committee, and they commend them to the favorable notice of the Society and the public. We award a. . . .Dip. and Large Medal. Aumock's Cylindrical polisher, for scouring knives and forks, Wm. S. Aumock, N. Y. Your committee have been much pleased with this invention, and think that its general use will add much to the happiness of families and the well being of mankind. It is claimed that this is the only machine extant that will scour forks; every portion of the fork and knife is brightly polish- ed, at the rate of a dozen pieces a minute, by this machine. The friction is slight and uniform, 2iot wearing away the material, but brightly poli.shing. Rapidity of motion d. Lewis. 100 [Assembly LIST OF EI^TRIES : Reapi?ig Machines. J. H. Manny, Wadham's Grove, 111 , Reaping Machine, "Man ny's Patent Adjustable.'^ Byron Deusmore, Brockport, N. Y., Reaping Machine. C. H. M-c Cormick, Illinois, Reaping and Mowing Machine. A. C. Powell, Syracuse, Ragg's Reaping and Mowing Machine. E. Danford & Co., Geneva, Kane Co., 111., Danford's Doubled Sickled Reaping and Mowing Machine 3 also entered by J. Rapalje & Co., Rochester. - A. J. Cook, Enon, Ohio, Reaping and Mowing Machine. T. D. Burrall, Geneva, N. Y., Convertible Reaper and Grass Cutter. Seymour & Morgan, Brockport, N". Y., New- York Reaper. Aaron Palrner,Brockport,N.Y., Palmer's Self-Raking Reaper. John S. Wright, Chicago, 111., Atkins' Automaton Raker. T. R. Hussey & Co., Auburn, Hussey's Reaper. 0. Hussey, Baltimore, Hussey's Reaper and Mower. Mowinc- Machines. . k— ) Howard k Co., Buifalo, N. Y., Ketchum's Mowing Machine. T. Rush Spencer, Geneva, Bronson Murray's Mowing Machine. C. H. McCormick, Chicago, 111., Mowing Machine. A. C. Powell, Syracuse, Rugg's Mowing Machine. T. D. Burrall, Geneva, Grass Cutter. J. H. Manny, Wadham's Grove, 111., Mowing Machine. 0. Hussey, Baltimore, Md., Mowing Machine. Grain Drills. P. Seymour, East Bloomfield, 3 Grain Drills. Huffman & Bickford, Macedon, N. Y., 1 Grain Drill. Rapalje & Co., Rochester. N. Y., Wheat Drill. Foster, Jessup & Co., Palmyra, N. Y., 2 Grain Drills. S. M. Drake, Skaneateles, Gatling's Grain Drill. S. R. Tracy, Newark, 1 l)rill. No. 112.] 101 Horse Power — Siceep or Lever. J. A. Pitts, Biiftalo, N. Y., Pitt's Lever Power. Eddy, Dyer & Co., Union Village, N. Y., Tapliu's Circular^ Horse Power. Daniel Woodbury, Palmyra, N. Y., Lever Horse power. B. H. Wakely, McLean, N. Y., Lever Horse Power. Hall k Tompson, Rochester, do do Horse Power. — Endless Chain or Railroad. Emery & Co.. Albany, Kailroad Power. George Westinghouse, Central Bridge, N". Y., Horse Power. Ezra W. Badger, Fly Creek, N. Y., one and two Horse Power. J. A. Pitts, Buffalo, N. Y., Horse Power. J. Rapalje k Co., Rochester, do Geo. F. Jerome, Hempsted, do Iron Horse Power. John A. Pitts, BufTdlo, Iron Horse Power. Thrashf-rs. Emery li Co., Albany, Thrasher and Separator, Eddy & Co., Union Village, Thrasher. J. A. Pitts, Buffalo, Thrasher and Separator. Daniel Woodbury, Thrasher and Separator. George Westinghouse, Central Bridge, overshot Thrasher and Separator. Ezra W. Badger.. Fly Creek, Thrasher and Separator. J. Rapalje &;Co., Rochester, Thrasher and Separator. Harris Scovill, Tompkins co., Thrasher. Sleayn Engine for Farm Purposes^ Sfc. Hoard & Bradlbid, Watertown, N. Y., P()rtable Steam Engine. Seed Plan^erj for Horse or hand Power. Emery &, Co., Albany, Seed Planter. C. C. Yari Every, Victor, Corn and Bean Planter. Pierrepont Seymour, East Bloomfield, two Seed Planters. Raj)alje & Co , Jiochester, two Planters. Foster, Jessup & Co., Palmyra, Corn Planter. John Woodward, New Plampshire, Corn Planter and Manure Depositor. 102 [Assembly Cultivator for General Purposes. Pierrepoint Seymour^ East Blooinfield, enters Horse Cultivator. Kapalje & Co, J Rochester, 4 Cultivators. L. L. Whitbeck, Arcadia, 1 do ^ S. R, Tracy, Newark, 1 do ICillam& Yalleau, Rochester, 1 do Bradleys & Romaus, do 1 do . J. W. Hamilton, do 1 do H. H. Howe, Canaiidaigua, I do • Broad Cast Soioera. Pierrepont Seymour, East BioomSeld, two Broad Cast Sowin Machines, or 9 Early on the morning of Tuesday, the 20th of July, the mar- shal (Wm. Johnson^ Esq., of Ontario,) announced that the Mow- ing Machines were on the ground, ready|for trial, lumbers cor- responding with the lots surveyed and marked on the meadow were drawn by the exhibitors, and each machine was directed to its station according to the number drawn. A view of the field at this time, with the array of Mowing Ma- chines of varied construction, claiming to save labor, and accom- plish better work than had liitherto been effected by the farmer, presented a scene of interest, not only to the agriculturist and mechanic, but also to every man whoes views extended to the advancement of his State and of the nation. It could not escape the observing mind, that, in this State, producing annually about four millions of tons of hay, there was on that field, machines hav- ing the capacity to add, by their use, an annual income to the farming population of more than a million of dollars; and ex- tending these views beyond the limits of our State, applying them to the Union, whose surface gives annually more than thirteen TOi/Zion^ of tons of hay, how important becomes the invesiigation of this class of machines, thereby exhibiting to the agriculturist their powers, uses, and advantages.* •EstimatiDg the hay crop of the United States, a.? per the census of 1850 at 13,605,384 tons, lshosU the manual gaia would be $3j4Jli34S, No. 112.) 103 The duty of the judges might have been confined strictly and fairly to a report of the successful machines, yet as agricultural machinery may be esteemed as being in its youth, immature, as ingenuity and skill stamped their features on most of the ma- chines presented, it seems alike due to the mechanic and farmer, to present a notice of the unsuccessful as Vv'ell as of the more favor- ed machines. The annexed table exhibits, in a condensed form, the distinctive characteristics of the several Mowing Machines, and embodies the essential facts needful for a generally correct estimate of their respective merits : 104 [Assembly 00 ,5^ Co o « • "to H H Clogged frequently Clogged twice. No interruption. Clogged frequently Clogged frequently Clogged frequently Clogged frequently K •a^qqn^s oq; jo q^Suax aS^Ay ^ >0 M OO lO • CC "^ •^no uaqAS. ssbjS aq:) jo nopipuoo ri O O C 5S o o •aq^A'os aq^ jo >{,-av ^oajiad SB gg pu-B '^joajiad sb 05 2ai -ranssB 'jiJOM. aq:j JO ii^ix^nf) §5 > t~ -^ CO ?o lO o t- tH CO K3 1— 1 1— . M rH •pai oq:j jo japm'BiQ -bj pi^ o cs o o • • • c . . c s o o •q^TJAVs aq; JO q^piAi «3 O CXJ <=> O 'O ■>*• o • • • • • • • • • > l-l •paq-ii 2.Aup aq:^ jo uor:^n[ -OA9I ano o; saopujqiA JO o^ ^ *< OSC<) • • •!jjBjp a^niosqy 1-5 o => o o lO ^ lO lO c:) -rjl -^ CO o o> un CO • •Sa.IOB 0A1(^ Saldino nt paransnoo aniix a • • •a:jnuiui jadantqoT3ra aq:j jo aou-BApy . 1 r^ r-i OC' i^ -ta 1 <=: lO CC -^ Pq \ C^ (M r^ CS cc o •a^uara aad jaaqAv gnTATxp aq^ jo saopnpAa'jj o c^ o -^ r- CO C. laaqAV SaiAup jo SDa.uinojTQ 1— ( o' ■^' co~co lO 05 ^- 00 . CI o 'laaqAi SoiAup jo ja^auiiBiQ C' 00 O O CO ^ O0(M • CO CO •sasjog M M e^ c a o ca O o m o a No. 112.] 105 It will be perceived, from the data set forth in this table, that the chief competition rested between Manny, No. 2, and Ketchum, No. 3. * Tiie judges did not feel entirely satisfied with the trial thus far, as the grass did not present the resistance to be encountered in average crops. The exhibitors were notified to present their machines on the following morning at 8 o'clock on the farm of Mr. Sherman, when a second trial would be made in heavy grass. At the appointed hour the judges were on the ground, and caused each machine to take its station as it arrived and was adjusted. The Ketchum Mower led off handsomely, opening a double swath. Mann^ 's Mower entered in the same manner and opened a dou- ble swath. So well was the grass cut by both machines, that no decided preference could be given to either — and it was manifest that no labm* with a scythe could perform the work as well. Both machines then entered upon the low grounds, encounter- ing high and thick grass, portions being lodged and tangled, lying in all directions ; they were directed to cut double swaths through this grass, and then to follow each other laying their swaths side by side. Ketchum's machine performed the task without inter- ruption; Manny's machine was stopped by cutting through a hummock, which lodging on the knives, pressed down the stand- ing grasSj preventing a free cutting action ; a second interruption occurred when entering the swath, from inattention to clearing the cutting knives. Aside from these casualties the work was well performed. The quality of the work accomplished by both machines could not fail to satisfy any farmer, and was better done than could be performed by the most expert mower with a scythe. Manny's Machine is peculiar in its construction, by a facility of raising or depressing; the cutting apparatus while in motion, at 106 [Assembly the pleasure of the driver, giving to it the capability of cutting the heads of grasses for seed, and afterwards the straw or stems and leaves for fodder ; it runs on wheels ; is easily moved from place to place; is strongly braced, and by an ingenious arrange- ment is capable of being contracted into a small compass for hous- ing when not in use. Another peculiarity common to both Mr. Manny's and Mr. Murray's knives, is a cutting edge at the base, intended to prevent clogging. A reel is used with this machine, which has a tendency to lay the grass in waves, and not of uni- form thickness over the surface of the field. Ketchum's Machine is remarkable for its compactness and sim- plicity of construction, also for the perforation of the knives, which, it it is claimed, renders impossible to clog in the cutting operation; the knives cut with a blant edge at this perforation, necessarily consuming more power to effect the object than if it be a sharp edge. A curved iron elbow connects the knife or cutter bar with the running parts of the machine, bringing the knives close to the ground. It needs perhaps more strength and uniformity in mechanism — it works without a reel, performing its work admirably, McCormick's Machine cuts with knives of a peculiar form, being broad at the base, short in length and having a sickle edge working between spear-shaped teeth or lingers. The construc- tion of this machine is too fragile for useful purposes, the knives yielded after a few swaths were cut, needing to be replaced by another set; these yielded also. The stubble was left long and uneven. Burrall's Machine was presented for trial direct from the work- shop, and now first subjected to its intended w^ork. It is ingen- No 112.1 107 ious in mechanism, pree^nting a longer vibration of tlie cutting knives than any other machine ; a fly wheel is attached to over- come variable resistanc/e^ :-ind equalize movements, and certainly the Burrall Machine mc>ved over the ground with less noise and more smoothly than any other subjected to trial. Without pretending to question the theory, it seems at first sight that a wheel of so small diameter and weight, could not efficiently or profitably collect power sufficient to overcome any sudden resistance to which a mowing machine is usually liable ; certainly at this trial it did not prevent very frequent intermp- tioDS to its progress- More experience may show the value of this^appendage. The ingenuity and excellent workmanship of this machine is worthy of high commendation, and we cannot doubt that under impovements which the present trials will sug- gest to the proprietor, he will at an early day perfect a Mowing Machine to stand in the foremost rank. In its present condition it choked frequently and needed oft adjustment. « II Murray's Macbune arrived at the trial grounds from Illinois at the close of the day ; it was not properly adjusted for work, and^no one conversant with its use was present to work it. Un- der these circumstances the work was badly done. There are however in this machine points of ingenuity and excellence' of arrangement which will probably place it when perfected among the favored implements of the agriculturist. RuGG's Patknt Mow e;r retains in a great degree the form of the earliest Heaping Machine as patented by the Rev. P. Bill iu England ; the horses are attached to the rear of the machine pro- pelling it, while the driver guides it by a stc^ering wheel ; he can also elevatf or depress the cutting knives at his pleiisure. The advantages cldimid for this patent were nf H C/J O CJ 5:^ <1 a:; ■^ *«»» C •«>* >.. "to ^ Quality of the WORK* sfqqn^E oqi jo c^prpaoQ good, good. §g8 8| 1 •i?taiiBS oxj} JO ooi'jTpaoo •aipiBJo ^ JO :5[J0M aq^ gz •a»d S.oq o? '5pA ^% jo i^n^ • ^jQA^ap JO dpoyi side, side or back side, back, side, side, side, back . side. •183J aq^ JO jaiatnmd • O • 9 •q:}Bi4S ^^'^ JO q^pi^ en U4 •|9«qM gaiAUp 81^ JO •A3J wio 0^ saoiqwqw jo -ojjj •aop'BJqiA 9q; jo qiSuarj e^ «o o C4 o o * «c -^ ec c» 00 ec ec CO > cq ee,Mr.ie» ""le^r* —109 "^oo o eo CO c^ t-i N.i-i CO >-• •seBqaqn^q^PTAV < • P *^no 9X[% JO qom aad •eqi SuTAiS '^j^ip pav>8-'-^OD n lO to i« C5 «D • 00 CO tC lO :0 . tC «« •jjBjp d^nioeqv CO''* o o o . o o — CA o • lO C^ ^ -* -rtt • -^-i* • •Sai^^no aioqM aq^ 2uLrap ©^nuioi aad aouKApv • 1— «cosoocaoioj •aou^ Exhibitor, or Agent. . *» rj . - . • cS S) ■ • • £ 0 C. J,, C ^ en C •2 i: — ^-^ ►:; Q (^ = = -.=: S • CJ . • . >» M 2 V o t • O 3 • . . •*' : a :::::: : 73.. C-' "OJT."* a Z "' Z; ■zr: S.*-* • o H i-i. •c s> -.^ Si a a o ® X > O •2 £: c o "* 2 112 [Assembly 1. McCormick's Machine cut the wheat straw with accuracy, and called forth commendation at its first movement : the entire lot was not however cut evenly. In the barley field it did not work to advantage, particularly, in the lodged grain ; the gavels were well laid ; during the action of the machine the horses were subjected to a heavy side draft. With various and many good points, this machine has to con- tend with inferior workmanship and want of firmness. %m- UnTtZ-.i'-r. lyO '£r»«r-* ■jt.-ili^..-.^ i- 2. T. D. BuRRiiLL's Machine performed its work in the most admirable manner j the gavels were well laid, though from the manner of delivery at the side a twist was observable : the work- manship and materials were excellent : the circular apron for side delivery — the balance wheel — and an arrangement to elevate the exterior edge of Vat apron, are valuable features. 3. Atkins' Automaton Machine, entered by Mr. J. S. Wright, attracted much notice, not for the work performed, that was in- different; but for the ingenuity displayed in the mechanism, whereby an arm was made to rise from the machine, descending with a rapid motion, it seized the cut grain on the platform, car- ried it to the side of the machine, and laid it in a tolerably well formed gavel, beyond the track of the reaper ; this action was re- peated in measured intervals proportioned to the advance of the naachine, and deposit of grain on the platform. It is due to Mr. Atkins, the inventor, to state that he is a crip- ple, and was confined to his bed during the whole period occu- No. 112.] 113 pied by his men in the construction of this machine ; in pain and sickness he conceived the design for a Self-Raking Reaper ; his instructions were carried out imperfectly in the selection of materials and distribution of strength ; the absence of the master mind permitted errors of adjustment and arrangement, conse- quently it yielded in various parts during the trial. Yet when in motion, the action of the human arm and hand did not fail to find a surprising imitation in tliis ingenious machine. Upon this occasion the inventor was largely indebted to Mr, Wright, for his indefatigable efforts to remedy the many difficul- ties arising from mal-construction — difficulties which may l>e easily obviated, because they are due to the builder and not to the inventor. These remarks upon an imperfect machine are due to tlie inventor and to our agricultural interests, for it seems to contain the germ of one of the most useful implements which mechanical ingenuity can present to the farmer. 4. Danfgrd & Co.'s Machine. — This machine has the peculiar arrangement of the knives deer jbed under the division of mowing machines ; the edge of the knives cut against each other, acting like scissors or shears. It performed the cutting satisfactorily, yet the position of the knives, as now arranged, presents a for- midable difficulty in a liability to clog as soon as their keen edge is lost. The motion of the wheel was not duly adjusted, a too rapid motion beat the grain and scattered it along the track j the workmanship of this machine was admirable. 5. Seymour a^d Morgan's Machine. — The work was well done, the gavels well laid; the draft was light and of rapid speed, but it is liable to the objection of side drafL G. J. H. Manny's Machine. — This Reaper cut admirably in wheat and barley; the merits of construetion were manifest in the barley field, where the driver could raise or depress the knives as the standing or lodged grain might demand ; the water courses also were easily passed ; those are valuable features. The delivery is not perfect, owing to an elevation of the apro.'i or platform which rises about eight inches above its lowest plane. £Aff. Tr, '^X] II 11 J [Assembly The necessary consequence is, an uneven or disturbed condition of the gavels. (See cut of mower, ante page 105.) 7. Rugg's Machine — Having cut a portion of grain appropria- ted for the trial, was witlidrawn. 8. T/ R. Hussey's Machine. — A compact well built machine;^ cuts well except where the grain was thin, in such, places it over- rode the grain w^hich Escaped the knife. The gavels were toler- ably laid. The construction of this reaper avoids all side draft; yet the direct draft, as indicated by the Dynamometer, was greater than any other machine. . . 9. Densmore's MAcmKS. — This is an ingenious self-raker, the grain being swept from the platform by fingers, with a motion more rapid as it passes the center of it, throwing the gavel from the side. The driver has the power of regulating this action by his foot gathering more or less grain into a gavel, at his option. _ This clever machine seems not yet perfected, the stubble is left uneven, and the gavels are not smoothly laid for binding. In this machine may be seen the useful efforts of genius struggling to surmount difficulties, and it seems to present an object where success is within reach. Numbers 10, 11 and 12 did not arrive in due season fur triaL The machine of Mr. Obed Hussey , of Ealtimore, reached the depot at Geneva the day after adjournment. The established principle in the science of mechanics in regard to cutting tools, that an acute angle is the most effective on sub- stances of woody fiber, seems to hold good in the form of a reaper knife ; this is apparent upon comparing the angles of the several knives, as for instance the height of Mr. McCormick's knife from its base line to the apex is five-eights of an inch, the base line being 4| inches ; the power required to cut a swath six feet wide, ad- vancing at the rate of 101 feet per minute, was five pounds y|i for every inch in width of the swath. The height of Mr. Bur- rail's knife above the base is 3^ inches, the base being 3 inches; in this case the power consumed to advance 103 feet in a minute ^ is six pounds f •?^, the swath being five feet wid^. No. 112.] 115 The grain grower must not yet expect to be entirely indepen- dent of the cradle , for the tracks and avenues must be opened in grain fields for the entrance of reaping machines, as well as to re- move occasional balks, or the grain protected from the knife by large stones or tree stumps. The advantage obtained by the use of Reaping Machines, will appear from the following comparative estimate of manual and machine labor : Wheat yielding thirty bushels per acre, can be cradled at the rate of two acres per day by an expert cradler, and few men can cradle more that three acres of oats or barley in a day. Rye will require more time than wheat, yet in this estimate it may be classed with wheat. Farmers may differ in these estimates, but it is believed the number who can cradle the acres named, include the great mass of men ; those who can exceed the spaces here adopted are few, and form the exceptions only to a general rule. The average value of cradling labor is one dollar and a half per day with board and lodging, engaged for the harvest season. Job work costs about one dollar per acre. At this last rate, a field of fifteen acres will cost for cradling only, the sum of fifteen- dollars. The expenses of reaping the same area by a machine, may be thus estimated : A team and driver, $1 75 A man to rake oil" the grain, 1 00 Interest on cost of the machine at a value of $120, and at 10 per cent to cover wear, is $12, one quarter of this sum a|)plied to wheat, the balance to be divided among other crops, gives 3 00 sf) 75 Note. In nearly {ill the Reapers presented for trial, a decided improvement was exhibited in workmanship; there waa a finish in many which may be viewed generally aa proof of dura- bility ; a symmetry of form, and beatiful correspondence of various part?, were observable in the best machines. In others!, coarse rough work dimmed and obscured their excellences, and caused defects, where existing mechanical principles indiciitcd better results. * 116 [Assembly The cost of cutting fifteen acres of wheat in one day is§5.75; which exhibits a saving of $9. 25 in favor of the reaping machine on an area of fifteen acres. It must be evident that to accomplish the cutting of these 15 acres with cradles, in one day, seven men at least must be em- ployed and as many more to bind the grain into sheaves — ma- king a force of 14 or more men. The machine requires tv/o men to control it, and needs 7 or at most 8 men to rake and bind the grain, and shock the wiiole in the same day, making a further advantage by saving the labor of four men, equal to four dollars. Thus it appears that the Reaping Machine offers a considerable advantage over manual labor, say to the extent of §13.25 on every 15 acres, or 88 J cents per acre. The number of acres appropriated to the culture of wheat in this State during the year lS44-'45, according to the State cen- sus, was 1,013,665. The census of the United States for 1850, shows a diminution of the wheat crop in this State ; yet in the absence of sufficient official returns, we may reasonably assume the number of acres of wheat as being equal now, to the area cultivated in 1845. If so, it will be seen that the use of Reaping Machines applied to the whole crop, would effect a saving to the State of about $89,540 dollars per annum. These estimates are presented with the intent to draw the at- tention of cultivators to the economy of machinery, and to in- vite every person interested in the inquiry to a more minute in- vestigation for himself. DRILLS. The practice of sowing and planting seeds in regular rows or drills, has found so many advocates in the United States, as to encourage mechanical ingenuity in the attempt to improve ma- chines derived from English and Scotch cultivators. Until with- in a short period, the Drill Machines have been cumbrous, and uncertain in the performance of the work desired ; hence there use was for a long time confined to sowing the seeds of vegeta- bles, and small areas of corn. Many successful trials with im- proved drills led to the construction of a very good machine by No. 112.] 117 Pennock of Pensylvania, by which wheat was deposited in the earth with regularity and at uniform depth ; it planted corn also when desired at equal distances ; the use of this machine gave an impetus to drill husbandry, inducing the belief of utility and economy. The advantages claimed for these machines, are : 1. Regularity in delivery of the seed. 2. It is deposited at the proper depth. 3. Facility of destroying weeds during the growth of the plant. 4. No loss of nutriment by feeding weeds. 5. Free admission of sun and air. 6. Economvof seed. 7. Less loss from winter-killed grain. These and other advantages are strongly claimed, probably upon insufficient proof for adoption in all the States of the Union. Yet it cannot be reasonably doubted that in the soil of the U. S., covering an area of one hundred and eighty-four millions of acres of improved fields, large tracts can be economically seeded by well constructed drills, especially in the corn growing region?, and wherever the cost of labor will permit the crreful farmer to eradicate weeds from his wheat fields. Recent improvements in this department of agricultural me- chanics, have brought into use several machines, simple in con- struction, more perfect in their performance, and less expensive in cost than the complex drills of other days. Such is the char- acter of the Drill Machines presented for trial to your committee, to whom it seems evident that the simplicity of construction now achieved has reduced the application of physical eflbrt and the lia])ility to become deranged ur worn ; this improvement, though last named, is not inferior in importance to many others, as it too often has tested severely the patience of the farmer, when the aid of the mechanic is needed by repeated demands during the plan- ting of a crop. The following table contains such facts as could be derived during the investigation and trial. The work performed by the 118 [Assembly various drills was upon ground very imperfectly plowed, and upoi? which neither harrows or cultivators had much effect ; consequent ly the drills were in action upon a soil in w^hich no farmer would permit grain to be deposited. The field was visited for examination on the 13th of August, being twenty days after the trial of the drills, when, in no instance could a perfect drill or row of grain be discovered -, in fact, two thirds or more of all the seed drilled by each machine had per- ished. The failure in this respect is not attributable to the drill machines, but to the imperfectly tilled ground, and a continued drought from the day of seeding until the 20th of August. No. 112.] 119 00 ;:^ JS ^ •■ a ?H ^ ^ o ^r-l <5 ^♦*^ « "'W ■H cc <1 •^^ fH ^ Oi (^ ' 1 ! I t r«; aj '»-« fl s c 2^ o 1 oa tfi w ^ C? 1 c ..s .a^^'-i . 1 0 1 osprtos-ors > 1 ^^•^^-a>^^ ;=! 1 : ^•■t; ^-:i. ^'^ - ^ 3 13 1^ pw (-4 -^ ^^ r-> L^ -*J "4-^ », 2 M S y; 2 M-g o 5 S •- • H H H ^-^1 g 1 "^ -»^ -»* • 1 - o O . k' . . 1 s •i!a9AI[3(I cu & fcx) ^ tc to fcc ■ m 3 2 "^ 11 >€ ■• .^H 1 "* 1 *v • 'S3SJ0JJ e^ c^ M M c^ c^ c- ^1 0 s * ^ p ^ 0 Jm •uaj\[ ^ H ^^ ^^ r^ ^^ I" H ^ cc lo cc c. C' - 1 'ii 1^ •p3:jitO(l3p spsas sq? jo q^doQ; OQ MO o o o ^ -»* O -tJ *-• *s . '-; 1 1— ■ -^ Q C^ ii ^ t-H 1 ? Uj 1 O «— e« bfi •^JBdlS 80aT3^Sl(J Cl ir^ 00 OO 00 i:- C S S C "^ (— 1 •r* *^ •£IIHaJ0-i9qi""iM X:^ C5 O O Ci CS ?I 'i - -a fc C<« C-1 1 ^ •eaqti'^ jo SAvoy[ r-< (-1 *-> r-l C^ C • ft • 1 -J 1 c •30li(J > O »0 0 iT Ci CO X- C.1 . 'w> • • • 1 » • • « 1 0 • • • 1 K. • • • 1 A •N , •^ ♦s * 1 ? ■ o • • 1 j' « o : ^ c^ ! % o H ^ o c % n - ^ i ^ -^ p\ 9^ H c C > ^ ^ c ^ I iC •id i "" r I i ! -S s .= d ^ S ^ wj yj tf 0 .0 o .s . • 1 b« n O4 0M o: ) ce • 1 ^ '^ ,_^ ; 6 1 -S : 0 1 0 4' : "^ r i Sr • a 0 ^ ^ • W iJl i, », «s H C : 1 -a 1 g • : s • 5 C 2 4: «2 ^c;* S" X, Z! ^ Oi OQ a r w 0 e c 0 — &« c/ 5 PL, pq ft, ;i. ^ 5 e 9 < ^ c4 M ■^ "^ »-' • • 5 « • » s I 120 > [Assembly SEED PLANTERS. Planting Machines are closely allied to drills ; tlie former be- ing intended to deposit and establish in the soil various seeds at certain distances from each other, the latter intended chiefly for small grains, placed in the earth in close contiguity, and there- fore the action may more properly be called sowing. Many of the Grain Drills aie convertible into Planters, and used as such ; and the Planters now under consideration are con- structed for the deposit of small seeds also, though intended or used for the seed of esculent vegetables only. Six competitors appeared in this class of machines, viz : Eme- ry & Co., of Albany; C. C. Van Every, of Victor, Ontario co.; P, Seymour, of East Bloomfield, Ontario co.; Rapalje & Co., of Rochester; Foster, Jessup & Co., Palmyra, Wayne co.; and John Woodward, of New Hampshire, The Planter presented by Emery & Co., has been used in this State during several years. Many acres of corn have been drop- ped in rows by it, each grain being placed from four to eight or ten inches apart; when horse power is applied, this implement will plant seven or eight acres per day, the rows being usually three feet apart or more, as the proprietor may desire. All other seeds are deposited by this Planter, and when planted on small areas, hand labor only is necessary. The cost of this ma- chine is $14 to $16. The mechanical construction might be improved, the frame and castings are generally too light for farm work. The Planter oftered by C. C. Van Every, of Victor, plants two rows of any grain at the same time, the rows being three and a half feet asunder. The peculiar claim of this machiiie is, the ca- pability of depositing seed in each row at any required distance apart, from li inches to 3 J feet; tlie widest distance making exact squares. There exists a simplicity of contrivance in this implement which promises well, inducing a belief that with more attention to workmanship, the inventor will present a useful labor saving machine to the farmer. The cost is stated to be thirty dollars ; it is worked by one horse and one man to guide it. No. 112.1 121 PiERpoNT Seymour, of East Bloomfield, entered a maciiine as a seed Planter, which pei forms good work ; yet as this machine acts as a Drill, it has been noticed in that division. Rapalje & Co., of Rochester, presented two Planters, one of which was Emery & Go's., or identical with a Planter offered by Emery & Co., some few years ago, for which he obtained a pre- •mium, and similar to the same machine offered by Emery & Co., for trial. A small Planter, fit only for garden purposes, was also exhibited by Rapalje k Co.; among horticulturists it would pro- bably be esteemed, but its capacity is not adequate to a farmer's wants. « A Planter, patented by Dickey, of Pennsylvania, was presented by Foster, Jessup & Co., of Palmyra, and so constructed as to drop three grains of corn at the distanceof every eighteen inches. This instrument did not fulfil the claims made on its behalf; the cost is $20. Woodward's Planter was introduced and excited much hope as appearing to combine almost every qualification for 'a useful planting implement. It was tried with corn on the surface and found to drop four grains with accuracy at equal distances of three feet. Gypsum or plaster was then placed in the hopper next to the seed box ; when in motion it dropped the corn with precision, and deposited about a gill of plaster on the corn. This machine was then worked in a piece of plowed or culti- vated ground and planted several rows ; upon examination, and upon removing the earth, it was found that not more than five and never less than four grains were dropped with remarkable exactness in each specified distance. It was moved by one horse, guided by one man, it cleared away all lumps fr(»m the track or row, leaving a smooth surface on wljich and directly over the corn, was about one gill of plaster. It seemed evident that no manual labor with a hoe, could per- form work so well. An arrangement exists, but was not exhib- ited for working two niachincs by one horse, thus planting two rows at once. 122 [Assembly The cost of a single machine, is $20 ; when arranged for two rows the charge is $30. Moveable cylinders are applied and so constructed as to plant every variety of seed down to the most minute in size. A Machine for sowing all seeds and grains broad cast^ was pre- sented by PiERpoNT Seymour. It has been much improved since its first introduction a few years ago. The indexed arrangemen^t for graduating the delivery is good ; the oscillating motion given to the shaft which distributes the seed is derived from the off wheel while a slower motion is given by the nigh wheel to metal levers when used for distributing plaster, bone dust, lime, ashes or any other special manures. Another excellent feature in this machine is the additional box from which clover or timothy seed can be equally distributed, while at the same time manures can be distributed from the larger box. Thus any combination of seeds and manures may be effected during the deposit of the seeds on the soil. This implement is usually moved by one horse, the driver has a seat above the grain boxes, and it sows a breadth of ten feet. The advantages of Brill Husbandry have not yet been decided, except only the evident benefit of w^eeding drilled fields by the hand or hoe. Broad Cast Sowing has prevailed throughout the world, and possesses the .advantage of greater expedition, and as many believe a greater product from an acre, and grain of more uniform quality. The perfection to which both Drills and Broad Cast Sowers has arrived, must ere long settle the claim of prefer- ence among cautious observing farmers. CULTIVATORS. Instruments for stirring the surface of the earth have long been extensively used in the United States ; they were for a long time confined to the corn and potato crops, taking place of the plow for clearing or destroying" weeds. Their form and mode of ap- plication were derived from the English grubber, scarifier and extirpator, neither of v/hich were found sufficient for the desired operations on the fields of this country. The corn cultivator maintains its place under many modifications, but the working of No. 112.] 123 fallows has enlarged tlie cultivator of 1834 to an implement bear- ing a value about equi-distant between the plow and the harrow. Eleven cultivators for general purposes were entered for trial; among them was an implement presented by Mr, Howe, of Can- andaigua, denominated " a field cultivator:" it has seven teeth in a square frame supported on wheels, these wheels are within the frame, permitting the teeth to cut about two inches in depth. It is a compact strong implement, the front teeth are set directly before the wheels ; a good arrangement, as it was evident the cultivator maintained a more steady course, the wheels running in the track of the teeth, and therefore less liable to be raised by lumps or other obstructions. An objection exists, however, to its action in the present mode of construction : it takes so slight a hold of the earth that it does not effectually disturb the grass and roots, neither did it work the entire surface over which it passed, leaving about one-fourth undisturbed ; nevertheless, there are merits in this machine whicli will probably lead to one of the most perfect of its class. The price is $24. Draft is 350 pounds. Seymour's Wheat Cultivator is an implement unused as yet by farmers, being now for the first time introduced. It consists of a set uf 9 teeth applicable to his drill frame after removing the tubes, thus converting the wheat drill into a wheat cultivator intended to pass between the rows of drilled grain whenever a growth of weeds indicates a necessity for their removal, or it may be used fur stirring the earth between the drills. The teeth are charged at $10 for the set of nine. The draft of this implement ;s 300 pounds, and is drawn by tw^o horses. L. L. WiiiTEECK, of Arcadia, presented his ^' Universal Plow." It is a light implement, consisting of three shovel shaped plows in a square frame, working the soil about 2 J inches deep or more, according to the mellowness of the earth. It may work with advantage on light sands or loam soils but can rarely be service- able in the wheat soils. The draft was 230 pounds; worked by one horse and a driver. The price is $10. 124 [Assembly Ides' Patent Cultivator was offered for trial by S. R. Trac^, of Newark, Wayne county. This implement has been extensively in use for several years ; it has 7 teeth 13 inches long below the beam ; this beam rests on wheels and so arranged as to be raised by levers, elevating the teeth above the surface of the earth, ren- derino- its transportation from place to place as easy as any light two wheeled carriage ; the levers work in notches on cast iron ratchets whereby the teeth are elevated or depressed at the plea- sure of the driver ; at this trial they worked at a depth of 2 J inches, disturbing the whole surface to the width of the frame. The draft was not acertained as no means existed for attaching the dynamometer. The price is ^ Root's Cultivator was introduced by Rapalje & Co. This implement has seven teeth with steel edges on a strong cast iron shank twelve inches long ; the wheels are so disposed as not to incline the cutting edge of the teeth to hold firmly to the soil- The consequence was this cultivator did not perform its work well. It was worked by two horses and a (5river ; the draft indi- cated was 325 pounds, and the price Avas stated at §28. Killam k Valleau exhibited a Gang Plow which was entered in the class of Cultivators. This implement consists of a frame to which is firmly attached four small plows ; the frame is jointed and so constructed as to allow it to turn in a small compass, this is peculiar and well contrived, It is worked by three horses and a driver ; on trial the furrows were cut 2 J inches deep, and nine inches wide; the draft indicated was 450 pounds. The work performed was good, even and free from balks. This implement does not belong properly to the class of Culti- vators, for upon a recently plowed field, the work would proba- bly be ragged and imperfect, not stirred and mixed as by the usually formed cultivator teeth. It was regretted that no such ground could be had for a trial. The implement appeared how- ever to possess so much merit as to need this notice ; the price is $30, No 112.] 125 In the construction of Cultivators, a defect was observable in several, which doubtless was noticed by agricultural mechanics ; we allude to portions of surface soil in the track of^the imple- roents not stirred ; the edges of the cutting tooth made a concave excavation, leaving ridges between the concaves, reaching nearly to the surface. This defect was confined to a tew only of the Cul- tivators presented for trial. THRASHING MACHINES. The early history of Agricutural Mechanics as applicable to the separation of the grain from the straw, has even now become a matter of speculative doubt and inquiry. Looking to southern Europe, it seems strange that science has not more decisively overthrown the system of thrashing by treading out the grain from the ear by the feet of cattle ; this seems more strange when we know- that, before or at the Christian era, thrashing was done not only by treading, or by the flail ; it was also performed by subjecting the sheaves of grain to -' a sharp threshing instrument having teeth^^^* which was something resembling a cart drawn over the grain by horses or oxen. - In northern Europe, where the arts and sciences have made great advances, we find even at this day, the early systems of thrashing, as practiced by the ancient Arabs, Syrians and Egyp- tians. In this country, the feet of cattle and the flail gave way to well constructed and effective machines about twenty years ago. Since their introduction they have been steadily and quietly superce- ding the use of the flail, expelling its musical notes or exchanging them fur the hum of the rapid-moving and toothed cylinder. We see from the quotation above given that a toothed instru- ment was used for thra>hing, two thousand years ago ; and it is claimed that the first thrashing machine of Great Britain wag patented by Michael Menzies of East Lothian in 1732. This seems to have been tlie germ of modern thrashing machines, for it was not until the year 1780 that a successfbil thrishing machine was invented. •Isaiah, 41; 15. 126 [Assembly These historical memoranda are alluded to, that a fact connec- ted with this country may be preserved among our farmers, as interesting, at least in connection with the advance of agricultu- ral mechanics. In the year 1650 a volume was published in London purport- ing to describe the machinery used by the planters and farmers of Virginia. This work was compiled by Ed. ^Yilliams, w'ho states that a saw-mill was in operation, which he describes, and which could be easily converted " to thrashing wheat ^ breaking of hemp or flax." iN'o pretentions are or need be founded on this curious agricul- tural and historical fact, yet it shows that thrashing wheat by ma- chinery was thought of~in this country at a very early period. It was hoped, and the endeavor of your committee has been, to test the comparative merits and excellences of the thrashing machines, with a close approximation to accuracy, by comparing the quantity of wheat obtained by each, from a given quantity of sheaves of grain. With this view, one hundred sheaves of wheat were appropriated to each competitor ; each parcel was carefully weighed ; and a weighed portion being submitted to the action of each machine, the following results were obtained: EXHIBITORS. Character of machine. CO > o ui O O Woodbury, Separator and cleaner, ! 861 Scovill, I do I 710 Westinghouse, jSeparator, j 954 Jeromej | do j 489 Hall, Separator and cleaner, [1000 Badger, Separator, | 850 Eddy, iThrasher only, 1080 Pitts, ISeparator and cleaner, I 934 Emery, jSeparator, | 840 CO t> c3 o .a en Cm O U S o a 100 137 102161^ 103 200 50' 85 100:192 1011156 100174 100194 102169 o o ^'3 .a ■ «—( 15.9 22.7, 20.9' 17.4! 19.2 18.4: 16.1 20.8 20.11 1300 1700 1450 1600 1650 1600 1500 1350 1550 o 10 5i 134 8" 8 174 10| O2 lOi o o .£3 ■a B o o Cm O 6 is.* 8 jS. 2 E. C. 1 Ie. c. S 0} o o o Cw ^ ^'cm o "IS j3 OQ 8 2 2 IE. C. IS. 8 IS. 2 'E. C, 6 6 5 4 6 5 5 7 5 If the relation between the wheat and straw had been equal in the several parcels, the fifth column would have determined the comparative values of the machines so far as their ability to sepa- In the lOth column S. means sweep principle, E. C. endless chain power. No. 112.] 127 rate all the grain was concerned. Eut throughout these trials the constant aim has been to avoid a reliance upon opinions: an earnest endeavor has been used to ascertain and record facts in relation to each machine with the nearest practicable approach to mathematical accuracy, and from such premises to determine merits and excellences. It would mislead the farmers of this State, and do injustice to the inventors, if the results exhibited in the above table were al- low'ed to stand as a correct exhibit of the ability of the several machines to separate the wheat from the straw. It was obvious when inspecting the various parcels of wheat, that a difference existed with respect to the quantity of grain and straw in each ; some were free from grass and weeds, while oth- ers were materially affected by them : another portion was much injured by the wheat fly or midge, w^hile a part was free from this insect. It seemed clear, therefore, that the table would present an im- perfect test ; an incidental occurrence proved the truth of this position. Messrs. Hall and Westinghouse were of opinion that their machines were not accurately tested in relation to iime^ and they were allowed to make a second trial. It was evident there could be no difference in tlie ability of each machine to thrash clean on the firsc and second trial, yet Westinghouse during his second trial obtained 1G4 pounds of wheat from 748 pounds of straw, equal to 21.9 per cent., and being one per cent, more than on his first trial ; while Hall obtained 100 pounds of wdieat from 1000 pounds of straw, e(jual to 16 per cent., being 3.2 per cent. less tlian on his first trial. Sucli discrepancies in macliines when tried against themselves impair confidence in the test, although we obtain useful matter for judgment and establishing compa- risons. Tlie following table brinf]^s to view various interesting particu- lars respecting the thmshing machines exhibited at Geneva : 128 [Assembly Exhibitors. Length of cyl- inder. Diameter of cylinder. Weight of cyl- inder Weight of the machine. • © Length of tooth. • ion. Inches. Inches . Pounds. Pounds. Dollars. Inches. Inches. B Woodbury-s, . . . Scovill's Westinghouse, . Jerome, Hall , 32 32 24 22 30 28 23 32 2^ 15 14 14 14 14 16 16 14| 204 180 125 • • • • * • • • 135 175 100 110 1000 1300 300 300 1200 300 350 1200 400 145 150 40 35 150 35 40 150 35 -•a c • • • 1| 2i H 3-16 3-16 3-16 3 \ \ 8 5 8 Undershot. Undershot. Overshot. Overshot. Unrlprshot. Badger, Eddy, Pitts, Undershot. Undershot. Tin d pr cVi of". - Emery, Overshot. These machines are so similar in their power of separating grain from straw, that any preference must arise from other con- siderations. The cylinders all revolve at so high a rate of speed it becomes important to protect the journals from the gritty particles of dust which are always flying in profusion while thrashing ; thorough lubrication is also essential. To secure these desirable ends, in- ventors have provided special contrivances ; they cover the ori- fices for lubrication with close fitting tin covers to exclude grit and dust. In some instances a candlewick passes through a tube in the box which at one end touches the journal, and at the otber communicates with a cup-shaped cavity on the box, filled with oil, from which cup it passes to the journal by capillary at- traction. This contrivance was used by Westinghouse and worked well, while the machine was under examination. Tal- low was used on Pitts' machine, being placed within a collar on the upper box, covered by the tin cap ; a straw is thrust through the tallow to the journal. Through this hole thus made oil is poured for lubrication. If by neglect the supply of oil is defi- cient, the journal becomes heated, melting the tallow, and for the time perfect lubrication ensues. These contrivances are among the best presented, to guard against negligence ; but the farmer must esteem them only as expedients never to be relied on for the preservation of his machinery : due attention and uni- form application of substances to lessen friction, are not to be omitted with impunity. No. 112, 1 129 Pitts' machine is furnished with an open cylinder : this is deemed objectionable as some of the heads of wheat or other grain are lost by falling through the open spaces. This loss was particularly noticed when the Pitts machine was working with the endless chain power, at which time it was divested of the cleaning apparatus. When," however, the cleaning apparatus was attached, it made clean work, as the falling heads were carried back by elevators and thrashed over until they were clean. A marked difference in value exists, therefore, adverse to the use of open cylinder?, unless accompanied by apparatus for re-con- veying the loose-falling heads to the cylinder. Westinghouse's cylinder moves upon steel journals ; moveable tin curtains are supplied to keep dust and stones from the face of the operator; in other respects there is little, if any difference, from other machines. The plan and construction of Eddy & Go's machine recom- mend it for durability and ease of repair. The cylinder is formed by a series of iron rings on an iron shaft passing through their center; two wrought iron arms pass from near the center of each ring through the circumference, and by their projection be- yond it, form the teeth of the cylinder, which is hollow, not liable to burst or fly apart, and in case of fracture may be repaired with great facility. It will be noticed in the table that with the exception of Sco- vilPs, Eddy's cylinder is the heaviest, and therefore at equal speed would have the greatest momentum, and if the resistance was uniform, would absorb the most power ; but in tlirashing, when motion is obtained from horse power, the resistance is ir- regular, and we apprehend the weight of the cylinder will not, in fact, require more power, but in effect operate like a fly-wheel, equalizing motion. The simplicity of construction of this machine, and its general excellence, obtained commendation from every member of the committee. [A«. Tr. '5;il I 130 [Assembly In relation to the teeth of cylinders, a difference of | of an inch is observable in the various machines. (See the table.) No speci&l difference in the performance of their work was observa- ble, as derived from the length of the teeth ; the prevailing opin- ion is, therefore, that the shortest are to be preferred, as by their smaller leverage they are less liable to fracture. 'For many years grain was thrashed by portable machines and left in the chaff, to be cleaned at the convenience of the farmer. The inventive genius of our people next presented to the agricul- turist a combination of parts whereby the grain was thrashed, winnowed, and delivered clean for the granary, at one opera- tion. These latter machines are fast increasing in number, and four of this class were presented for trial, while five simple thrashers were exhibited ; all in competition for the same premiums. The class of thrashers with separators and cleaning apparatus, con- sisted of machines presented by Pitts, Scovill, Woodbury, and Hall. The simple thrashers were those of Emery, Westinghouse, Eddy, Badger and Jerome. These distinct classes cannot be compared with each other: and your committee have viewed them as unconnected. The great difference in weight and cost of these classes is distinctly noticeable in the table. For the purpose of comparing the cheapness of thrashing by these two classes, it may be assumed that 4500 sheaves (or any other number ) is the average quantity of work per day for Pitts' machine ; and that 360 pounds of clean wheat is the yield from each 100 sheaves: these 360x45. crives 270 bushels of clean 6 0 ^ wheal per day. The machine requires eight horses at 50-100 per day each, and seven men at one dollar each, making an ag- 11 gregate cost of $1 1 per day, or 4 cents and 7 mills per bushel. The table shows- that Emery's machine requires twice the time to perform the same work that Pitts' machine will accomplish : therefore Emery will thrash 135 bushels per day. To perform this work Emery requires five men and two horses, the aggregate cost of which is, at rates before stated, $6 per day, or 4 cents 4 mills per bushel. No. 112,J 131 The difference \s^l mills per bushel in favor of Pitts' ma- chine, which is increased by whatever the cost may be of win- nowing the grain thrashed by Emery's machine and left in the chaff". This difference will pay the extra interest on the cost of the larger machine, the expenses of keeping it in repair, and the cost of an elevator to remove the straw to the stack yard. These advantages belong alike to. all the machines of the class of which Pitts' is the representative. Not a ftarticle of thrashed grain passed over with the straw of Pitts' thrasher, neither could any heads be found from which the grain was not thoroughly thrashed out. While, however, great and well deserved credit is due to this machine for thoroughness of work and its facilities for repair, it is to be regretted that more attention has not been given to durability and solidity of struc- ture: it is worthy of the best workmanship, which in the speci- men exhibited is in a ratio far below its merits. • The same negligence and inattention seem to prevail generally in machinery and implements for the farmer's use, inflicting se- rious injuries upon the cultivator, and discredit upon the me- . chanics who prepare them. In Hall & Thompson's machine it was discovered that a little yet a very little wheat passed over with the straw; and the heads were not as perfectly thrashed as by Pitts'. Yet on the whole the performance was very satisfactory. Woodbury's machine is novel in its construction, and the ad- justment by which the horses can be stopped immediately isvery useful in practice. The belt being carried above the horses, re- lieves them from the necessity of stepping over it : it is very por- table, but it did not thrash well — a constant streani of grain was passing over the ay)rnn with the straw, and the hj^ads seemed im- perfectly thrashed. Scovill's machine also wasted the grain t(^o much to be used with advantage. In the class of Thrasiiinii Machines witliout any cleaning appa- ratus. It iias been remarked that hut little actual difference exist- 132 L Assembly ed in respect to the mere power of separating the grain from the straw.: hence the chief difference between them is in durability, workmanship, power required to work them, and cost. Emery & Go's machine is thoroughly built, the journals run in Babbett metal boxes, and consuming no more power than others of its class, has the advantage of economy in the first cost. • Badgers Thrasher and separator did not entirely fulfil the ex- pectations formed by many. The differences, however, between this and the more perfect machines on the ground, need not pre- vent its use," for these differences are slight though palpably suffi- cient to make a discrimination. HORSE POWERS— swEEF or levier. The following table exhibits the most' important facts in relation to Horse Powers on the sweep or lever principle. Bddy 3 ^ «j T3 a ^ ^ g-9 , K 1 240 250 91 150 So t« ei o *- c c a> '^ 5 "^ "O o "^ J- o C o ^,o fill 10 7 14 10 a.s "o w •"^ i^ Im 3 ^ t^ • •5 >- ^ IK 3 5 ■*' d es > . ..i S -ii t: .— a,°5 ^^ a %. ? t; « a x> o a J3 C.5 Leng one 0 o-o Weig per spa 207 46.56 208.80 152 34.19 208.80 106 23.84 208.80 125 2.M.12 •HS.>^[^ M to c .a ^a 925 926 926 925 134 (Assembly This test did not furnish a comparative value of the machines as close as desirable ; for the thrashing machines attached to the powers were of various sizes, with unequel momenta, nnd subject to various degrees of friction. The committee endeavored to correct this source ot differeace, at Utica, during the Fair, by testing each horse power with the sa,me thrashing machine. Upon this occasion, five men, weigh- ing in the aggregate 714 pounds, were placed on the platform, of «ach machine, elevated as before to 13 degrees, and the follow- ing comparative results were obtained : BXHIBITORS. Emery & Co., Westinghouse, . Badger, .... -a a O .2 bo . +j C —J 259 217 360 o o ^ g S fl a> o -a « tijo 2 2 ^ a 1-5 5'^ lOi 10 1 o 1 "^ ' 01 c3 jS a) £ s ^ ^^ a> ^.2 -»J -kJ ns 'y r of ft. d on onii. dicular n. . raised perpeii pace. ® S ^ O c> « (U c« fl s T^ "^ 3 a ^ — 1 +-> rU 1— ' *•"< a's^ &■=« b02 i^ ^ >^ 3 ;> P< 224 50.39 160.62 1996 129 29.02 160.62 1390 300 67.48 160.62 2160 Cm O 714 714 714 Mr, Pitts was not present at Utica with his machine. It is obvious from the foregoing tables, that*Badger°s machine works wKh the least friction ; or, in other words, gravity gives to his machine a greater amount of useful power than to either of the other machines on trial, having the advantage in regard to the revolutions of the cylinder of seven and a half per cent, over Emery and Co., and a still greater advantage over Westinghouse. In regard to the power exhibited by the weight descending the platform, it appears that the same weight moved Badger's plat- form 300 feet, and Emery & Co.'s 22 1 feet, the difiference (76 feet) being 25J per cent in favor of Badger's power. Badger's power is well made, and in this respect deserves much credit; yet in this excellence he is exceeded by Emery & Co. The platform of Badger's horse power rolls over frictron wheels of unusually large diameter. It is a rack and pinion power, the lugs being connected by strong iron links, and the rack, though straight, is provided with teeth increasing in depth as they ap- proach the exterior edges of the pieces into which it is divided, No. 112.] 135 and is perforated in the center of each piece to accommodate the convexity of the pinion while passing over it. This perforation weakens the pieces and increases their liability to fracture ; from their structure, a rubbing action seems to be inevitable, causing rapid wear. The platform of Emery & Go's power rolls over reels furnished with clutches so disposed that the action of the rods is ever nearly in a direction of a tangent to the circle, and therefore acts to the best advantage. This arrangement seems less liable to wear than any other, and the entire contrivance and perfection of the work gives to it a marked superiority^ Three one horse powers were next submitted for trial. Two men weighing together 317^ pounds were placed on the platforms, and to each power was successively attached the same thrashing machine. The following results were obtained : Emery & Co. produced 950 revolutions of the cylinder. Badger " 630 " " Jerome " 595 " " STEAM ENGINES FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES. One engine only for agricultural purposes was presented for trial. No sufficient arrangement could be conveniently made on the trial ground to secure the engine in a solid position and to avoid vibration ; hence a difficulty occurred preventing the use of a dynamometer of rare excellence, procured from the Hadley Falls Company. Under these circumstances it was determined to have a more perfect trial of Messrs. Hoard and Bradford's port- able steam engine, at Utica, during the week of the State Fair. The attention of the society and of farmers of this State has been invited to several attempts within a iiew past years to em- ploy steam in the place of animals, as a motive power for thrash- ing, sawing, and all farm work which may be accompli^hed by fixed or portable engines. We are not informed that any farmer in this State has adopted them, though much interest has been felt in the improvement of engines and their nearer approach to perlection. Extended in([uiric3 are necessary, and njany well eetablished evidences will be demanded to shuw that steam can 136 [Assembly be employed in our farm operations with economy, prudence and safety. The farmer will compare the cost of an engine, the fuel and wages for working it, with cost, food and care of horses : the wear of the engine must be computed, as well as the depreciation of animals by age and hard labor. It is not necessary to enter into these estimates now, yet they are mentioned to draw the at- tention of farmers to an auxiliary highly esteemed and exten- sively employed in other countries. It is regretted that Messrs. Hoard & Bradford did not present their engine at Utica for further trial, as your committee was pre- pared to devote much time to its examination : they had purposed to lay before the farmers of New-York an account of existing im- provements in this branch of agricultural machinery, as a motive power for their uses, and to have examined the comparative values of fuel whether of coals or wood ; thus leading the mind to in- quiries which at an early day will probably be forced upon our consideration. Messrs. H. & B- were prevented from attending by the sickness of the men in their employ. Among other important questions, even now claiming our care, is the relative value of portable and stationary powers. It is a question which should earnestly engage the consideration of the farmer who uses the power of horses with machinery, for it ma- terially atfects the economy of the farm, in the disposition of the buildings and various means for the protection of grain crops .^^ Knowing that steam power is employed in British husbandry, and that it is claimed to be a source of economy and profit, it seems to be a fair field for American enterprise and ingenuity, to seek a result as successful in the application of steam to farm labor, as has been achieved on our rivers, our roads, and on the ocean. PRICES OF MACHINES. Before closing this report your committee ask attention to the column of prices or marketable values, in the table, as declared by the several proprietors of machines presented for trial. It has long been a source of annoyance to the farmer to be urged No. 112.] 137 and pressed to purchase agricultural machinery at exorbitant prices, under the plea that the patent right expenses forbid a less selling price. But aside from all excuses thus offered, there is sound reason to believe that the farmer usually pays more than twenty-five per cent beyond a reasonable compensation for the machinery purchased by him. To illustrate this position in part, your committee were informed by Manny, the proprietor of the Illinois patent adjustable reaper, that " his price in Illinois was $135, but with increased facilities for manufactui'ing had reduced the price to $125 ; and with far greater facilities for manufactur- ing here, (New- York,) materials being only about one half the cost J and labor easier obtained and cheaper ^ my price here would be reduced to $100 without the platforms, and with three extra knives, with platforms,. $105. You will understand the machine exclusively for mowing, $100; for mowing and reaping com- bined, $105." In addition to ihe foregoing there is reason to believe that these Illinios machines may be constructed for $60 to $75 each. We would by no means interfere with rights or privileges in any form ; but we deem it a paramount duty to guard the interests of the farmer. When all parties are well informed in regard to labor applied, and its products in articles not of agricultural ori- gin, then demand and supply will fairly regulate each other. The continued duties of your committee at Utica, in relation to the machines presented for trial at Geneva, prevented an exami- nation of many excellent machines and implements presented at the annual fair : it was due to the exhibitors that a more extended notice should be taken of them, than could be accomplished. A roughly made grain reaper, and evidently a first experiment, attracted notice by the novel action of the knives ; tlie blades forming a triangle, and the cutting edges inclining at an angle of about 40" with the base. These knives are attached to an endless chain, each one passing tlirough a fiiipjer. against the edge of which it operates with an oblique or ■ "^ r motion. By this arrangement there is no vibration and no t.ca'» points to overcome. The base of (lie knife is 4. \ inches, the perpendicular being 3J inches j each blade moves 18 feet lor every revolution of the 138 (Assembly driving wheel. There are points about this machine deserving encouragement. We liave thus presented such facts derived from the trials of Implements and Miichinery, as will we trust meet the desired ends of the Executive Committee. We have combined therewith remarks which may not be deemed strictly relevant, yet they flow from the subjects treated, and may be acceptable and useful to the farmer, as well as conducive to our agricultural advance- ment. After mature deliberation, we adjudge and award the premi- ums oflered by the society, as follows : AWARDS • Oif THE Trial of Implements and Machinery at Geneva. To T. D. BuRRALL, of Geneva, New- York, for the best Grain Reaper — Diploma and $50. J. H. Manny, of Wadham's Grove, 111., for the second best Grain Reaper, (convertible lor grass mowing) — $30. Sktmour & Morgan, of Brockport, N. Y., for. the third best Grain Reaper — $20. -as v Mowing Machiries. J. H. Manny, of Wadham's Grove, 111., for the best mowing Machme, (convertible lor reaping) — Diploma and $50. Howard & Co., of Buffalo, N. Y., for the second best Mowing Machine, Ketchum's Patent — $30. No. 112.] 139 Grain Drills. PiERPOiNT Seymour, of East Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., for the best Grain Drill — Diploma and |25. BicKFORD & Huffman, of Wayne Co , N. Y., for the second best Grain Drill— $15. S. R. Tracy, of Newark. Wayne Co., New-York, for the third best Grain Drill— 110. Horse Paver., on the Lever Principle. J. A Pitts, of Buffalo, New- York, for the best Horse Power for general purposes — Diploma and |25. Eddy, D^ek&Co., of Union Village, N Y., for the second best — $15. Hor^ie Poirer, in the Endless Chain Principle. l-i(» ( Assembly Off Side View, Emery & Co., of Albany, New-York, for the best Horse Power, Endless Chain — Diploma and $25. E. W. Badger, of Fly Creek, Otsego C' ., N. Y., for the second best— 115 Horse Power — Iran. B. H. Wakkly, of McLean, TorDokins Co., New-York, for the best Iron Horse Power — Diploma and $25. Eddy, Dyer & Co., of Union Village, Washington Co., N. Y., for the second best — i$i5. TRANSPORTABLE HORSE POWER. J. A. Pitts, of Buff'.tlo. cvv- York, for the third best — $10. Till ashing MQ(.h^nes^ with Cleaning ./Apparatus . J. A. Pitt . of : iiilciL' N. Y., for the best Thrashing Machine, with CleHuiij^ Ap| aratus — Diploma and $10. Hall & Thompson, of Rochester, N. Y. , for the second best — $8. No. 112.] 141 Thrashing Machines^ without Cleaning Jipporatus. Eddy, Dyer & Co., Union Village, Washington Co., N", Y., for the best Thi-ashiug Machine, without Cleaning Apparatus -$10. Seed PlnrUers Joshua Woodward, of Haverhill, New-Hampshire, for the best Seed Planter — Diplowa and .$10. Cultivators J^or general purposes. S. R. Tracy, of Newark, Wayne Co , for the best Cultivator for general purposes — Diploma and $10. Henry Howe, of Canandaigua, Ontario Co., X. Y., for the second best — 18. Broad Cast Sowers. PiERPOiNT Seymour, of East Bloumfield, Ontario Co., New- York, for the best Broad Cast Sower — Diploma and $10. J. DELAFIELD, RAWSON HARMON, ANTHONY VAN BERGEN, JONATHAN EDGECOMB, J. STANTON GOULD, SANFORD HOWARD, E. i' PIJE.VTICE, (JEoHiiK 01:DI)ES, JOHN MAIJ.OHY, ANDREW J. HEERMANCE. JOSEPH E. holmj:s, Committee. REPORTS AT UTICA. DEVON COWS. The committee on Devou cows, heifers and heifer calves, respec- fully report, that they have had great difficulty in awarding the premiums ; the animals of this class being not only numerous, but of superior excellence, uniformity in this respect rendering selec- tion a work of no ordinary kind. Your committee in following instructions have been zealous to discover the true age and purity of all the animals submitted, and the only case in which' any diffi- culty has arisen in this respect, is the two years old heifer in No. 8,3, (to which we have awarded the second prize) having the mouth of a three years old ; your committee took much trouble in this case> and after a full investigation came to the conclusion, that it was a case of premature development. PATK. ROSE WRIGHT, JOHN WADE, ROBERT C. KEESE. AGES OF STOCK. An application having been made to the Executive Committee to examine the awards of the committees on Devon cattle, the same was dul)^ considered, and the annexed report of the proceed- ings of the Executive Committee, wall show that the matters were fully inquired into, and that the awards in tlie respective cases were made in strict conformity to the regulations of the Society : State Agricultuhal Society, ? Utica^ Sept. 9, 1852. ] At a meeting of the Executive Committee. September 9th, a re- monstrance signed by .Josepli H Eastman and others, was presen- ted; in relation to the award of the committee on Devon Bulls on No. 112.] 143 the bull "May Boy,'' owned by Mr. Wainwright, who was award- ed a premium as a one year old bull ; and also in relation to the age of the Devon heifer '<■ Red Bird." The rules of the Society require that all animals three years old or under, shall have their ages determined by the time of their birth. The evidence in the case of the bull " May Boy," was furnished by the owner to the judges, at the time he was examined. The bull was dropped on the 30th day of September, 1850, and could not compete in any other class than that in which he was entered as a one year old bull. The heifer " Red Bird," entered as a two years old, was calved February 14th, 1850, and was properly pas- sed upon as a two years old. Mr. Wainwright presented to the committee, the record of the age of the bull, as received from his breeder, Mr. George Turner, England ; and the bull is duly registered in the English Devon Herd Book, as calved September 30th, 1850. The heifer was proved, by the certificate and affidavit of Mr. Wainwright, to have been dropped February 14th, 1850, and competed last year as a one year old, without question ; and the Executive Committee, are unanimously of the opinion, that the award of the committee, so far as the ages of the animals are concerned, is in strict conformi- ty with the rules of the Society ; which were adopted at the sug- gestion of gentlemen interested in Devon cattle, who desired that evidence should be adduced, of the acres of animals, dating from their birth. B. P. JOHNSON, Sec'y. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON HEREFORD CATTLE. After giving the awards the report proceeds : The committee had the pleasure of examining a herd of fifty head of Hereford grade cat- tle, of ditferent ages and conditions, exhibited by George Clark, of Springfield, Otsego county. Tlie highest praise is due to Mr. Clark for this most excellent and interesting display, furnisliing as it does, afar better oportuuity to judge of the merits and demerits of any particular course of breeding, than the almost universal practice of culling out and exhibiting of a few choice animals. Poor indeed must be the farmer's stock of cattle, if he cannot pick out some few really good ones ; but those tew should not be taken as stand- 144 [Assembly ards by which to form an estimate of the whole. Let breeders bring forward their whole stock, and we shall soon be able to form an opinion as to what breed and w^hat grade is the best adapted to our soil and climate. Mr. C. has something yet to ac- complish before he produces a perfect animal, but knowing his zeal and perseverance, we have great confidence in his ultimate success. The committee would most cordially recommend to Mr. Clark a discretionary premium of a large silver medal, and as cordially recommend his example to be followed by others here- after. On the subject of condition, your committee would further re- mark that while they consider certain animals in No. 84, to which they have awarded premiums, were somewhat too high in condition, they also must regret that other animals in No. 94, were decidedly too poor to do themselves justice, w'hile they beg leave to suggest that the whole of the stock No. 110, shown by George Clark, were in exactly the best and most healthy condition for store cattle, and for a fair exhibition of their points and quality. We were gratified again to see on the ground, those excellent models of Herefords, " Victoria," the property of E. Corning, Jr., and her produce, " Lilla," the property of William H. Sotham. Both these cows having on former occasions been awarded first premiums, }^our committee most respectfully suggest that, as a distinguishing mark of excellence, a diploma be granted to each of these. GEO. SHEFFER, JAMES REES, FRANCIS ROTCH. No. 112.] 143 To the Executive Committee of the JV. F. State Jig. Soc: The undersigned, the Com. of the Society on Hereford cattle, would state, that upon an examination of the stock on the ground, they find that although two bulls were entered on the books as thre-e years old, only one was found on the ground, and of the three entered as two years old, two were, in the opinion of the commit- tee, from their general appearance and the usual age marks, de- clared to be three years old, and not entitled to compete as two ymrs old. The committee, not deeming it proper to alter the entries as made upon the books, would respectfully refer the matter to the Executive Committee of the Society for their action, GEO. SHEFFER, JAMES REES, Sept. Sth.—^At a meeting of the Executive Committee, Resolved^ In relation to the matter contained in the foregoing re- quest, that it be recommitted to the committee with directions, that if, they are satisfied that the bulls referred to, or either o^ them, are not three years old, taking the time of birth as estab- lished by the whole evidence before them, then that they be passed upon as two years old-, otherwise that they be passed. By order, B. P. JOHNSOJ^, Sec'y. AYRSHIRES. The committee on Ayrshire cattle at the Annual Show at Utiea, owing to the excitement usually created upon all that feel an in- terest in an exhibition eo important to the farmers of this State, and country, they then merely awarded the premiums to the animals tliat were in the opinion of your committee, entitled to them, with a promise to report more fully. Ttie one-year old bull and the cow (of late importation) exhibited by James Bro- die, Esq., of Eliisburgh, Jefferson Co., were two animals certain- ly of remarkable beauty in all the fine points that seem to be ne- cessary to make a perfect dairy animal. The citizens of Jefferson, as well as of the State, may well be proud of having two such animals introduced, and it is to be hoped, tliat they will ap- preciate their merits, by exhibiting in due time their offsprings. The two-years old bull exhibited by E. P. Prentice, Esq., of Mount Hope, Albany Co., is an animal of many fine points, the mark« £Ag. Tjr. '53] K 146 [ASSEMBL\« of a good constitution, fine handling qualities, animated but do- cile with all the merits of a thoroughbred animal, and sustains the high reputation of his pedigree. The cows ^'Red Lady" and '' Jenny" are very fine, and exhibited verj strongly the points- necessary for the dairy cow, in fact all the animals exhibited by Mr. Prentice carry the features of thorough breeding, and sustain the reputation which his success in the breeding of cattle entitles him to. It would we apprehend be presumptuous in your com- mittee to report the favorable statistics heretofore published^ both in the Old Country and the United States, in regard to the superior merits cf this breed of cattle for the dairy, it has become upon undoubted and reliable authority as much a distinct breed as any other improved breed of cattle, and from the best authori- ty they originated from as valuable stock as any existing, par- ticularly for the dairy, (the Teeswater and Alderney.) " The Ayrshire breed of cattle" says Mr. Alton ^^ is the most improved breed of cattle to be found in the Island, not only for the dairy in which they have no parallel, under similar soil, climate and- relative circumstances ; but also in feeding for the shambles. They ar6 in fact, a breed of cows, that have by crossing, coupling, feed- ing dnd treatment been improved and brought to a state of per- fection, which fits them above all others yet known, to ansAver almost in every diversity of situation, where grass and grain can be raised^ to feed them for the purposes of the dairy or for fatten- ing them for beef" ^^ In a w^hole herd of forty or fifty there will not be two of them alike in color, in this respect exhibiting a diversity, not unlike a bed of tulips, and of as many hues and shades, in an endless variety of beauty. The usual produce of butter from these c-ows, is ascertained to be about half their weight (meaning the four quarters,) in a year, but this requires that the pasture be good, the season over." (Robertson.) The qualities of an Ayrshire dairy cow " are of great importance, tameness and docility of temper, greatly enhance the value of a milch cow ; one that is contented, feeds at ease, does not break over fences or hurt berself, and such cattle will always yield more milk, and are easier to manage thaa those that are of a tur- bulent dispositioa. No. 112.] 1.7 ^- Ten Scotch pints is in no way uncommonj several cows yield for some time twelve pints and sometimes thirteen or fourteen pints per day. Another quality of the dairy breed of Ayrshire, is that after they have yielded large quantities of milk for seve- ral years, they are as valuable for beef as the Galloway cow or any other breed of cows known in Scotland; they fatten as well, and their beef is not inferior to any other breed of cattle in Britain," (Alton.) Tour committee are strongly impressed in the belief from the evidences before them, and the most authentic authority, both at home and abroad, that this breed of cattle must be- come of great value to the country. It is not to be denied that some importers in this as well as in other improved breeds are sometimes unfortunate in their selections, but from the selections presented to us, they must regard the owners as being particularly fortunate ; they certainly possessed as many points of excellence for the dairy as any stock that ever came under our observation, and we should think, a correct drawing of many of them w^ould make a picture that would satisfy the most fastidious, without attaching the parts of the one to the other to make it what it should be. The farmers of this State are under many obligations to the several importers in the differ- ent breeds of cattle, and it is fortunate that their taste leads them on in this age of progress. Unfavorable prejudices are more easily impressed on our minds than favorable ones, and they are as apt to prevail in the improvement of stock as in any other improvement in the science of agriculture ; farmers as a general thing are very conservative in their movements and are apt to think the cows of our breed are good enough because our folks have had the breed as long as any body can remember; and see, they will say what large beautiful horns they have, and then again they will say, they will live on the picking from a straw stack all winter, and if they dont die in calving will give milk all sunuuer. These qualities they say are of the highest consideration, so let well enough alone ; l>ut with all these prejudices and the tardiness in appreciating the improve- ments that are yearly exhibited at our State and county societies, both in stock and implements, it must be apparent they are all 148 [Assembly matters of the greatest interest to them, and if "all is not gold that glitters," there is every opportunity to improve their stock through the advantages of the societies in every county in the State, at a very small expense. Mr. Howard says, and his remarks are always reliable in matters interesting to the farmer ; f' From a fair consideration of the Ayrshire stock, it is believed, that their adoption for the dairy would secure the following advan- tages over the stock commonly kept for that purpose in this country: 1st. A greater quantity of milk, butter, and cheese, for the food consumed : 2d. Greater uniformity in the general character of the stock from its inherent or hereditary qualities : 3d. Better symmetry and constitution, and greater tendency to gain flesh when not giving milk." B. B. KIRTLAND, . T. E. FOSTER, J. A. NORTH , Ccmmittee. MILCH COWS. The Executive Committee have made efforts to obtain reliable information as to the breed of cattle best adapted to the dairy. Their regulations, which are annexed, if they had received atten- tion, to any considerable extent, would have resulted in some ap- proximation at least to the kind of cows best suited to the pur- poses of the butter dairy. The requirments are, that, " The cows should be kept on grass only during the experiment and for fifteen days previous to each period of trial." "The time of trial from 10th to 20th June, and from 10th to 20th August. " Statement to he furnished^ containing :" " 1st. The age and breed of cow, and the time calving. "2d. The quantity of milk in weight, and also of butter during each period of ten days." " 3d. The butter made to be exhibited with the cow, at the Fair, and the statement to be verified by the affidavit of competi- tor and one other person conversant with the facts." No. 112.] 14^9 The premiums offered have been from $20 to $25, which it was supposed would have induced our dairymen to give their atten- tion to the subject: but it is a matter of regret that so little re- gard has been paid to it. There have been but a very few^ instan- ces in w^hich the requirements of the Society have been complied with, and not sufficient to form any general opinion as to the breeds best adapted to the purposes of the dairy. We give the report made by Moses Eames, Esq., a leading dairyman in Jefferson county, at the last Fair, at Utica, in the hopes that his suggestions may lead, hereafter, to more attention to the subject, which is one of no ordinary importance to the far- mers of our State. " Your committee regrets that so little attention is paid by some that have taken the time and trouble to get their cattle or ariicles to this State Fair, to inform themselves of the requirements of the regulations to entitle them to premiums on milch cows. " We have no correct account before us by which to govern or guide our opinions. One of the applicants has a common state- ment, at random, of the keeping of a red heifer calf, and that she was two years old last winter, &c. The whole is but a guess at what she might be for a dairy cow. " The other competitors had no statement, and could answer no questions, as to the quality of milk or butter, as required by the regulations of the Society. Now^ the conclusion of your com- mittee is, that each of the exhibitors should (if you think pro- per ) have a volume of Transactions ; and we hope that, by the careful reading of these volumes^ they may, at a future day, be bet- ter prepared for exhibitions. ^'This committee deem it very important that the requirements in this department should be fully carried out ; for there is, at the present day. much difference of opinion as to which is the best breed of stock fur the butter and cheese dairy, and it is, therefore, important that the Society insist on a full compliance with the requirements which are made. ^' MOSES FAMES, Chairman:' 1^0 [Assembly THOROUGH BRED HORSES. The committee report that the number of horses entered for premium was twelve, but for reasons unknown to them only six were brou<^ht forward for examination. This your committee exceedingly regret, as they feel assured that in the great State of New-York, there must be very many superior thorough bred horses, and it is highly desirable that they should be seen and known. A thoroughbred stallion, Consternation, owned by J. B. Burnett, Esq., of Syracuse, eleven years old, was in the opinion of your com- mittee a very superior animal, and to say the best horse exhibited would indeed be faint praise. His pedigree, as shown to your com- mittee, was not only ;?er/(2C^ but hrilUant^ and his stock of which quite a number was shown, is a sufficient guarantee of his character as a "ge^/er"of superior stock. Having taken the first premium heretofore, excludes him from receiving a premium. In regard to the other horses, your committee very much regret that there were no others produced which in their estimation were entitled to either of your Society's premiums. All of which is respectfully submitted, THOS. MOTLEY, Jr., West Roxhury, Mass. Wx\I. R. GRL\NELL, Levajia, Cayuga County. JST.Y. EDWARD BRUXDIGE, Pokeepsie. MIDDLE WOOLED SHEEP. It is not necessary for your committee to oifer any decision on the utility of the sheep commonly known as South-downs. Even among us there is a friendly difference of opinion, as to their intrinsic value, taking into consideration the yearly cash product of their wool. We have no doubt, as to their superiority over all others as mutton sheep, their hardihood, and their unri- valled symmetry and beauty. No sheep is more ornamental upon the lawn or field in summer, none presents so singularly comfort- able and contented an appearance, as with the quietness of its nature, it cranches the crisp dry liay among the snows of winter. No. 112.] 151 Where a few sheep only are kept, for the pleasant and legitimate pride of ownership, for the supply of the family table, and for such wool as is needed in a farmer's household, we regard the South-downs as the best sheep. No other distinct breed has been offered to us in this class, but under the title of " middle-wooled," we have, after reference to the proper officers of the Society, included such cross-bred sheep -as possessed wool neither coarse nor fine, long nor short. In no case did we consider any such sheep were entitled to precedence over the South-downs. In some cases they were superior in wool, butthis superiority was more than counter-balanced by inferiority in form. These are in one sense "grade-sheep ;" and although the -subject comes more strictly under the consideration of the com- mittee on that kindred class, we would offer the suggestion as arising from facts which fell under our own observation, that it would be well to divide the classes of " grade sheep" into ^coarse-wooled and fine-wooled, since it is most difficult to insti- tute any fair comparison between sheep differing so widely in all respects, as those now competing under the class of "grades." There were few sheep offered for competition as " middle- wooled," and in these cases, where the list of premiums was not 'Completed by us, either there was no competition, or we could not deem the unsuccessful -competitors fully worthy of premiums. ROBERT HADFIELD, Bujj'alo. C. B. MEEK, Canandaigua. VALENTINE H. HALLECK. SAXONS. Your committee on Saxon sheep cannot refrain from expressing their regret that so few of the Saxon wool growers in this State, have manifested their interest in this class of sheep by represent- ing their flocks at this fair. Samples from only four flocks were entered as competitors for prizes. While they take j)leasure in awarding the premiums to those presented for their examination, believing they were justly entitled to them, they are also well convinced that a more exten- sive competition would awaken attention to this truly valuable class of sheep. 1 52 [Assembly It is the opinion of jour committee, that unless Saxon wool growers make some decided manifestations of the estimate in which they hold their sheep, that the wool growers of this State will neglect this class and supply their places with others, and thus leave this desirable style of wool to be grown by other States^ as it is evident that a less quantity is now grown in this State than five years ago, while tlie demand is not lessening but in- creasing. JAMES M. ELLISy ^ H. BLANCHARD, } Com. AUGUSTUS SANFORD, j m FARM IMPLEMENTS.— No. 3^9. Your committee would urge as an excuse for any mistakes that may occur, the hasty manner in which such a multitude of imple- ments must necessarily be examined. The committee would further remark, that they are directed to determine the best pump for farm use. As this is a question that interests about every farmer, and as different situations require different plans, some explanations are submitted. There is no middle aged man, but who has cases in mind of wells of water that were considered excellent as long as the old fashioned oak bucket was swinging in the curb, but after a pump being substituted the quality of the water became materially changed. Reasons have been assigned by some to be the pump stock stand- ing in the water ; by others, the top of the well being closed. Your committee are of the opinion that neither of these causes produce the change, but that the established principle that motion is the life of water has been interfered with, that the often-repeated action of the bucket served the purpose, but that the quiet action of the pump being substituted the change was apparent, therefore your committee recommend the chain pump when the pump can stand directly over the well, but where water is to be raised on an inclined plane, the force and suction pump is recommended. The large quantity of farming implements on the ground by Mr. Emery, of Albany, by Mr. Thos, Foster, of Utica, by J. Ra- No. 112.] 153 palje, of Rochester, the latter, the most extensive assortment, contained many useful and important articles, the utility of which has been tested by many farmers in the State. WILLIAM RISLEY, Chairman, Fredonia. HENRY KEELER, South Salem, Westchester. DAVID M. CROWELL, Rome, Oneida. COMMITTEE UPON MACHINERY, &c., UNDER CLASS 4, NO. 40. Would respectfully report : That there has been entered for their examination a large number of articles, and although not in pri- ority upon the list, still they beg leave first to state, that the plow, an instrument so important and useful to the farmer, in numbers maintained a great preponderance. The improvement in this im- portant implement, and one so indispensable to the agricultural interest, has in a measure kept pace with the spirit of the age. An observer who can cast his eye backward for a period of only forty years, and call to mind the farmer in those days with the huge point of a wrought iron plow, strung upon a stick across his shoulder, on his way to the nearest blacksmith to have it sharp- ened, and then at the moment returning, glance upon this article as to-day exhibited, manufactured and used, will be forcibly struck with the contrast, and the advantage which mechanical skill renders to agriculture, and we trust that mechanical genius will not relax its effort to make the plow approximate still nearer perfection. Among the great number exhibited, there w^as none entered claiming consideration for new principles or arrange- ments. The committee, however, take pleasure in saying that they found among those of Ruggles, Nourse & Co's manufacture, and marked and designated by them as numbers 73 and 73.^, a principle they believe to be correct, and not heretofore in general use. These plows were constructed ui»on true matlieniatical prin- ciples, with the beam plumb and on a straight line with the land- side ; the mold board upon a true lateral and vertical ]dane, making the })r('ssure and wear equal upon both the land-side and mold-board, thereby preventing the speedy wear of the former. 154 [Assembly Under entry no 65, there was exhibited manufactured drain tile and pipe, but no machine for its manufacture. The tile produced was manufactured at Clinton, Oneida county, by J. W. Gregory, and at a cost of from fourteen to forty-two cents per rod, varying according to size, of which fifteen different sizes Vvere exhibited. The pipe varied also in price according to size, from §6 to $12 the hundred feet. Both these articles are from brick clay, hard burnt? and in the judgment of the committee, afford a cheap and durable article of much practical utility. Under the same entry, number, and from the same material and manufactory, was presented " chimney tops" for smoky chimnies at a cost of $1.25. The construction is so adapted in the judg- ment of the committee, as to remedy at a trifling expense that great annoyance, a smoky chimney. The committee would recom- mend a premium to the manufacturer of these articles, of $ There was presented a specimen of drain brick, which can be made at any brick yard, and at a cost equal to ordinary brick, which will not exceed in expense the above mentioned tile, and of no greater advantage except the easy mode of manufacturing. There vvas but a single specimen of platform scales for weigh- ing hay and stock, examined by the committee. They were Fairbanks' patent, and although very correct and perfect for heavy weight, and some improvements to prevent friction and ar- rive at accurate results, still the committee cannot award to it a premium, as " being so arranged as to be readily removed. 7) There was exhibited a number of fine specimens of iron vases, greyhounds, lions, &c., from the manufactory of Janes, Bebee & Co., New- York. The workmanship was neatly and tastefully ex- ecuted, meriting such award as the discretion of the Society may deem proper. (Medal awarded by committee.) A hydraulic ram was entered upon the list handed the commit- tee for examination, but they were informed that it was not upon the grounds. A hydraulic press, in a very compact, simple and portable form, for raising heavy weight and exerting great pressure in the No. 112.] 155 least possible space, marked as entry No. 112. The committee would award to it a small silver medal. P. C. Curtis, Utica. Entry JSTo. 118, was a cast iron curb for chain pumps, which for cheapness of construction and some improvement to prevent an accumulation of ice in winter, and the stop or latch upon the wiieel, the committee consider as the most perfect article of the kind presented, and worthy of the attention and patronage of the public. It is manufactured by Downs & Co. The committee would award for its superiority, a Diploma. There was exhibited from the manufactory of Downs & Co., Seneca Falls, a number of superior iron pumps. The varieties were: 1st. Those styled 'suction, lift and force pumps,' combining the best quality of an ordinary pump, with the forcing power of a fire engine. 2d. The ' lifting pump,' simple in its construction, easily taken apart, seemed to the committee a very perfect article. 3d The 'double lifting pump,' for deep wells, a superior article, and well adapted for the purpose designed. From the same manufactory was exhibited a very perfect speci- men of a garden engine. There was some competition in this machine, but the one manufactured by Downs & Co.'semed to the committee to be the most perfect in its arrangement and operation. For this machine as well as for the above mentioned pumps, the committee would recommend, a Silver Med;il. > Entry No. 147, presented a model vertical and horizontal hay press. The first was low, portable, and exerted the pressure from both sides. They were both good models, and deserve public consideration. S. Dederick, Albany, Silver Medal. Two stationary steam engines were examined, manulactured by D. A. Woodbury & Co., Rochester, N. Y. They deserved con sideration for compactness and superior mechanism, but no new principle was contended for. The committee can only recom- mend tliem as a very perfect and cheap article of the steam en- gine. There was no competition. Silver Medal. Entry No. 122, was a dairy steamer, to generate steam for heating the milk, &;c. It was capable of holding four pails of 156 [Assembly water, and skilfully arranged both for safety and utility to the dairyman. It was provided in a very perfect and simple manner, with a safety-valve, try-cock and collapse valve. It is manufac- tured by J. A Bushnell, of Utica, N. Y., at a cost of $25 to the dairyman. It will heat the milk of 60 cows with facility, is port- able in its construction, weighing in the whole including the heater, 300 pounds. (The estimation in which this steamer is held among dairymen not being furnished no premium is awarded.) * Coon's patent flexible fence, manufactured at Troy, N. Y., was exhibited under No. 127. It embraces a great variety of style and design, and the prices vary according to its plain or ornamen- tal construction. No. 128,was a specimen of iron farm fence for enclosing fields, &c. It was manufactured at the same establishment in Troy, and is furnished at different prices according to size of wire, | inch wire varying from $1.50 to $3 per rod, including the straining pillars and all the intermediate compensating parts. The strain- ing pillars are anchored two feet in the ground, and the wire fastened at the ends by a nut. The pillars are styled self-compen- sating in their arrangement, being so constructed that by the contraction of the wires they are brought nearer a straight line, and upon their expansion to their proper shape. The committee would award to this fence the premium of $10 and diploma, for its best adaption to practical and economical use. The committee were called upon to examine a machine for splitting leather. It was entered as No. 64, class 8. This machine is manufactured by A. R. Northrop, of Deansville, Oneida co. N. Y., and in the opinion of the committee deserves special consider- ation. It possesses some very essential merits over other machines for this purpose, particularly the vibrating knife and feeding roller. This vibratory movement requiring less force to drive the leather through the machine, and obviating an unequal pressure upon the parts which are more or less elastic. It is deserving a Diploma. The committee were also called upon by the president to ex- amine the merits of a churn manufactured by George B. Clark, of No. 112.] 157 LeoBardsvillCj Madison county, N. Y., known as the excelsior churn. It was entered in class No. 4. From the examination the committee gave it, they are disposed to call the favorable atten- tion of the Society to this churn, but fearing that they may usurp the prerogatives of some other committee to whom the examination of this article properly belongs, and where there is competition, they will refrain from expressing their opinion as to a premium. All of which is respectfully submitted. F. B. TAYLOR, F. A. STEBBINS, A. WAGER. Sept. 9th, 1852. The following described machine was on exhibition, and deemed worthy of special notice, and the Society's Diploma awarded by tlie Executive Committee. Cochrane's machine for crushing, grinding and pulverising. E. & J. Bussing & Co, 32 Clifl-street, New -York. THE DAIRY— Butter. The exhibition of butter was quite extensive, and much of it of a character to sustain the high reputation which the butter of central New-York has attained in our country. It is a matter of regret, that all the dairymen in the State do not give that atten- tion and care to the preparation of their butter whicli is shown by the successful exhibitors at the present fair. The Society have felt a deep interest in the subject of proper dairy salt for the manufacture of butter, and have required of exhibitors to state the kind of salt used. Most of the competi- tors have complied with this requisition, and from their state- ments it appears that six use our own salt, manufactured at our salt works in Onondaga, and thirteen use Liverpool, Turks Island, or the Pacitic retined salt. Of the nine persons who re- ceived the premiums on butter, four used our own salt and live foreign salt. This is evidence of the purity of our own salt, and whatever prejudice may exist among purchasers as to the quality of butter made from our own salt, the award of the very intelli- gent committee who passed upon the samples otfered, some of whom are engaged largely in the purcluise and sa'e of butter in 158 [Assembly New-Yorkj is gratifying evidence that as good butter can be made, when our own best salt is used as from any other. One of the successful competitors remarks " that he has used different kinds of salt and finds none letter than the Ono7idaga^ if you get the best." The following notice of a trial of our salt by the government, shows the same result : Washington, Jan. 30, 1853. It is known to the public that the Secretary of War a year ago ordered experiments to be made in packing pork, to test the relative qualities of Onondaga solar salt with Turks Island. Each hog was cut in two on the back, and one half packed with Onondaga solar and the other half with Turks Island salt, the same quantity of each kind of salt being used in each case, and packed in barrels of the same quality. In short the treatment of each kind throughout was the same in all particulars. This pork has been packed for more than thirteen months, and a few days since I saw some of it opened, and it w^as impossible to discover any particular difference between the two kinds of salt, or to see any difference in the quality or preservation of the meat. This pork was put into barrels numbered from 1 to 100, the odd numbers being ot one kind of salt and the even numbers the other. They were sent out, one of each kind, to every military station throughout the United States, with instructions to be opened after a given time, and certain tests of the meat to be made by a board of officers under the direction of the officer in command. Many of these reports have been received at the Commissary's office, and yesterday I took occasion to examine them. The result is that it is almost impossible to discover any difference. The greatest is in the loss of weight, after being boiled for an hour and a half. As a general thing, there is more loss in weight in that salted with Turks Island than with the Onondaga solar salt. In most cases the meat is represented as being uncommonly good. The result of this experiment thus far is a full vindication of the quality of the Onondaga solar salt, No. 112.]. 159 and shows beyond a question that it is fully equal, in all respects, to the best Turks Island brought to this country for packing purposes. The judges on butter were, T. B. White, New-York ; Lr.wis Rayxor, Madison ; Rodger Bamber, Herkimer. There is nothing in the statements of the manufacture of butter the present year materially diiierent from those recorded in the previous volumes of our Transactions. The following statement of the butter made from a native cow belonging to the Rev. D. Skinner, of Deerfield, Oneida Co., in one week, on ordinary pasture, shows a very creditable yield of butter, not often equalled : " The butter exhibited was made during the first three weeks in June, from one cow, (native,) the only one I keep for family use, (though over thirty are kept on my farm by my tenant.) She was raised on my farm, and is eleven years old. She is kept on hay with a few roots in winter and on grass alone in summer Duriog the last season I weighed her milk for seven consecutive days, and it averaged a little over 53 lbs. and 3 oz. per day, and we made from it during the week, exclusive of all the new milk and cream we used in our family of six persons, (and we always use both very freely,) fourteen lbs. of butter." "D. SKINNER." The practice of our best dairymen varies as regards the use of cold water in working the butter. They are about equally di- vided, and among thuse who received the premiums for the last four or live years the practice difl'ers, thus affording, so far as their practice g'>es, evidence that first rate butter can be made both by using cold water and without. The usual quantity of salt used is one ounce to the pound, thoroughly incor])()rated witli the butter. Tlie butter when packed, is covered with a cl(»th and an inch or more of dry salt to thoroughly exclude the air; and butter thus 160 [Assembly packed, when the same has been thoroughly freed from the milk and water, when water is used, will keep pure for any- desired period in our climate. When needed for use in California and other warm latitudes, the kegs are packed in large casks, and filled in w'Kh dry salt, and thus secured, our butter has been opened after being packed for years, in perfect condition. When it is recollected that butter thus carefully prepared is worth from six to ten cents per pound more than the ordinary butter of the country, it is a matter of surprize that so many of our dairymen still continue the practice of preparing their butter with little care and wdthout any benefit derived from the experi- ence of those who have secured yearly not only a ready market, but extraordinary prices for all the proceeds of their dairies. It is encouraging, however, to be assured, that the efforts of the Society to improve the character of our dairies has been success- ful to a very large extent, and that every year adds to the num- ber of our dairymen whose butter takes a place in the first rank. There is scarcely a county in our dairy districts in which may not be found quite a large number of dairies which command in market, from the character of the dairies alone and without exa- mination even, the very highest price paid for butter. If the labors of our Society had been productive of no other beneficial results than those in this department, it is not too much to say that the increased price obtained for our best butter has secured to the farmers of this State a sum more than equal to all the expenses that have been incurred in ihe promotion of agri- culture. But when we add to this the improvement which has taken place in the manufacture of cheese and the very large increase in quantity per cow, the sum swells to an amount that is most gratifying, testifying, as it does, in a manner that cannot be denied, to the great advantages which have resulted to our State by the exertions of the State and county organizations. But if the producer has been largely benefited by the increased price he has received, so also has the consumer been most richly benefited in the superior article which has been furnished him, and which contributes so materially to the comfort of his household. \ No. 112.] 161 We have encouragement then in this department for renewed eiforts to stimulate our dairymen to increase their efforts not only in ihe methods of manufacture of butter and cheese, but also to more care in the selection of animals that will not only give the largest yield, but also the finest quality of the products of the dairy. Cheese. The number of competitors on cheese was much larger than on butter, but it is a matter of regret that the liberal offers of the Society for county and town premiums only elicited competition from two counties and two towns. It is probable that the prac- tice of selling the dairies to agents from the cities on the sea board, who remove much of the cheese as soon as it is sufficiently cured to transport to market, is one of the main reasons of this want of competition ; and although it is very desirable that sam- ples of our best dairies should be exhibited insufficient quantities to give a fair criterion to judge of the excellence of our dairies, still, if the liberal premiums offered will not secure this, some other disposition of the amount appropriated for this purpose may be deemed advisable. The very able committee on cheese, consisting of John A. Sher- man, of Jefferson c.»unty ; Abraham W. Leggett, New-York ; C. L. Kiersteed, Greene county; Lyman H. Babbitt, Wyoming Co., reported. That they examined fifty- tight samples in their respective classes. County Premiums. — The committee regret to report that the competition f«»r the very liberal premium offered to the difft-rent counties throiigli the State was so small, two counties only having competed for the j)iize, viz., Leuis and Jifftrson. The six dairies from Jefferson were on the ground the first day, according to the requisitions of the Society. The competitors from Lewis were also on the ground at an early -hour, but not fully understanding ihe re(|uirements, only .ap[)pared witli two cheeses from the difft rent dairies; but, with most commendable zeal they immediately sent to the different [Ajf. Tr. v>3l L, 162 ' [Assembly dairies throtigh their county, a distance of some one hundred^ miles, and procured the required number in time for the exami- nation bj your committee. And well were they repaid for their exertion, your committee unanimously awarding to them the premium of fifty dollars. The principles by which your committee have been governed in the award of tlie above premiums is, first, their superior quality, and secondly, their uniformity. It is, however, due to the competitors from Jefferson county to remark, that a portion of their cheese was of a most excellent quality, and the sample from one dairy boing superior to any one sample exhibited from Lewis ; but altogether the samples from Lewis possessed those combined qualities which entitle them to the reward, viz., solidity and firmness of texture, richness of quality, and that clean mild flavor which is so important in the sale of this increased article of consumption. The dairymen who exhibited the cheese to which the county premium was awarded are Edwin Pitcher, Martinshurgh ; David Pitcher, do. ; Moses B. Pitcher, do. 3 William George, do. ; War- ren A. Peebles, do. 3 L. D. Mason, do. Town Premiums. — The competition on town premiums was also limited, only two towns competing ; and your committee were governed by the same principles as mentioned in regard to- county premiums. A premium of $20 being awarded to Duane Richardson, War- ren Richardson and Jeremiah Tanner, of Schuyler, Herkimer county OiiD Cheese. The competition in old cheese, over one year old, was quite fair, and the cheese mostly of good quality. Nbw Cheese, less than one year ou). In new cheese, less than one year old, the competition was quite spirited and the competitors numerous, from different parts of the State, and generally of very fair quality. Some samples, it is to be regretted, however, too poor to offer either for compe- tition or sale. :o. No. 112.] 16; Cheeses weighing oyer five hunt^red tounds each. Your committee also with pleasure report, that two very guperior cheeses, hot?i in quality and appearance, weighing together over one thousand pounds, were exhibited by Jesse Wil- liamvS, of Rome, Oneida county. The samples, weighing over 500 lbs., each stood erect and in as perfect shape and condition as a cheese not weighing over 501bs.j and upon examination proved of most excellent quality, having cured as thoroughly as those of smaller size and same age. A special premium of $25 is recommended to Jesse Williams, of Rome, Oneida county, for this fine production of the dairy, which was an ornament to the show and very creditable to him as a dairyman. Method of manufacturing the two large cheese^ {over 500 Ihs. each^ hy Jesse Williams^ Rome^ Oneida county. These samples of two large cheese, offered for exhibition by the subscriber, were made on the 13th and 17th July, from the milk of about 200 cows ; two milkings, without the addition of cream. The process as follows : The night's milk was strained into two tin vats, placed within two wooden ones, with a cavity of one and a quarter inches between, into which cold water was intro- duced at one end and discharged at the other, at an elevation sufficient to float the tin vats, and kept running thro' the night, stirring the milk occasionally until cooled to about sixty degrees. The morning's milk being added, the temperature was raised to eighty-five degrees, when a small quantity of annatto and suffi- cient rennet to coasjulate the milk in about fifty minutes were added, and the vats covered with cloth to retain the heat. When sulficiently hard, the curd was cut into s^^uares of one and a quarter inches and allowed to stand until the surface was covered witli whey, when it was gently broken with the hands ; at the same time the temperature was raised to about ninety-five de- grees, by forcing steam into the water between the vats ; when the curd was made fine it was allowed to settle, and the whey drawn from the surface witli a syphon, when it was again broken with Iho hand aiul the heat raised to ninety-eight or a hundred 164 [Assembly degrees^ and kept at that temperature, being stirred occasionally to prevent packing until sufficiently hard for the press, when it was dipped into the sink, drained and salted, with three pounds Ashton's Liverpool salt to 100 lbs. curd. Pressed forty-eight hours in a screw press, being turned once and bandaged in the time. Then removed to the cheese-house, greased as often as necessary to prevent cracking, and turned and rubbed daily. The rennet, when taken from the calf, was cleaned of its contents, salted and stretched on a stick to dry, and when wanted for use, soaked in strong brine until the strength is w^ell drawn and the liquor only used. Swiss Cheese. This article is being manufactured in various parts of our coun- try, and is supplanting to a considerable extent the imported article. Two cheese, weighing fifty pounds each, were exhibited at the fair by Gilgian Egger, of Annsville, Oneida county, a Swiss farmer, who is deriving a very handsome profit from his cheese. It sells readily in New- York market, for sixteen cents per pound. Mr. Egger' s method of manufacturing Swiss cheese.. The two cheese exhibited, were made from twomilkings (f twenty cows. No addition was made of cream. The cream was taken away from one milking of one of the cheeses. One pint of rennet to fifty pounds of cheese, of strength so that one teaspoonful thick- ens half a cup of milk. I blow up the rennet like a blister, so it will dry quick, then take a little piece every day and ^oak that three days, (not over that.) I press it as quick as possible after it is made. I use the common salt, of any description. I set the milk at eighty-two degrees, Fahrenheit's thermometer. The curd is broken very fine. I scald the curd at 120 degrees of the ther- mometer. After the cheese is pressed, it is put in cold spring water for five or six hours. JVo salt is put in the curd, but it is salted on the top after it is made, through the summer, until it is four or five months old. It requires from four to five quarts of milk for one pound of cheese. No. 112.] 165 REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON NEEDLE, SHELL, AND WAX WORK. Your committee have had in charge that portion of the exhibi- tion which represents the skill and industry of the ladies of New-York. A very great variety of useful and ornamental work, (the pi-oduction of home industry,) has made it a difficult task to come to a right decision. From the common patch- work quilt, to the embroidered spread ; work in beads, in thread, in silk and in worsted ; needle work for all uses, in all shapes, and of all kinds; flowers ; caskets and cases in shell and wax, we have found, in every class, articles most beautifully wrought, some of which were worthy of those days of needlecraft when the dainty fingers of queens wrought tapestries for the palace. To all the exhibitors we tender our thanks, for so much of ex- cellence and so little subject to blame. It is not out of our just province; as your committee, to speak well of the handicraft of women. Needle work and its kindred pursuits are not useless accomplishments, they are not mere genteel ways of spending the gude man's "siller," but belong to all art, venerable for antiquity, older than painting ; they date back to the days of Patriarchs, and we i^ay believe, are heir-looms which mother Eve gave to her daughters. History tells us of the skill of Jewish maidens. Its high artistic effect may be known from the fact, that needlework was the crowning decoration of the tabernacle, and also of the dress of the high priest Aaron ; poesy has sung its honors and even mingled its praises with the holy song. '' She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework. Psalms, xlv. 15." Even Solomon withholds not praise from the wife '*who layeth her hands to the spindle, and whose hands huld thedistatf," even rejoicing that *€£tiy.'' 166 [AsSE2»iBLY In days gone by, it was deemed 'bright noble work/^ and many an English and French queen became a teacher of embroidering to maidens of her household,. But we need not tell of the Gobe- lin tapestry of France, or the dainty work of our Norman and Saxon dames, our exhibition speaks for itself and vindicates its worth ; we may be permitted to rejoice, that your society cares for an art which was a household treasure in the past, and express the hope that a land which finds noble blood in every home, shall also find queenly work the product of their inrlustrious hands. All of which is respectfully submitted, CORNELIA D. MILLER, MARY E. WAGER, ELIZABETH WAGER, ANTOINETTE HUNTINGTOX, PHOEBE E. SMITH, RACHEL M. THOMAS, MARY WOLCOTT, MARY G. HARISON, '2. . ELIZABETH W, WAGER, EMILY S. MILLER. REPORT OF COMMITTEE— CLASS 8, No. 65. DISCRETIONARY. Your committee report that they have endeavored to do jus- tice to all parties conc-erned, but from the number of articles to which their attention has been called, and the different materials used in their structure, the time allowed was not sufficient to gire them that close examination to which many of the articles brought to their notice were entitled, consequently a full descrip- tion of the articles with their qualities is not fully set forth in this report. The exhibition in this department has been highly satisfactory to the committee. A great majority of the articles exhibited show a perfection of workmanship and finish, it would be difficult in- deed to excel. No. 112.] 167 Johnson & Goodbll, New-York> a large assortment of Ameri- can porcelain J the manufacture, workmanship and finish of which is far superior to anything of the kind your committee have seen of American manufacture) and are of opinion that the articles on exhibition here will favorably compare with any thing of the kind imported. Silver Medal. Elisha Waters, Troy, New-York, Case of atmospheric breast cups and cupping instruments; the peculiarity of the instru- ment consists in exhausting, (when applied to the surface) a suffi- cient quantity of air to allow the milk or blood to flow freely, and when skilfully applied, it being elastic, as the glass fills with fluid the air is expelled in the same quantity, making a continued even pressure upon the surface, which cannot be done with the common air pump. The ease with which it is applied, and manner in which it operates, far exceed any instrument of the kind known to the committee, and they feel warranted in recommending said instrument to all persons who may have use for instruments of the kind. We award a Silver Medal and Vol. Trans. • Charles P. Davis, Utica, Stained window glass; the gla-ss has various shades, neatly executed, and in the opinion of your com- mittee holds a prominent place among the many fancy articles of the day. We award a Diploma. Henry Basto, New Hartford, Oneida Co., New-York; sam- ples of Cotton Rope ; your committee find it well manufactured, from a good material, and the beauty of the article exceeds those manufactured from hemp or flax, and it is believed for many purposes is far preferable."^ We award a Diploma. P. D. May, Utica; Penmanship and Card writing; a great variety was presented to the committee, which for neatness and elegance of style, would favorably compare with any other pro- duction of the kind known to your committee ; many specimens w^re very beautiful, showing a lii^li order of talent in the art of penmanihip. We award $5 and Dl])loma. OwKNs k Nkwland, Utica; Marble raonnmenl and olLerspeii- meus of tholr mechanical skill ; the ornamental work and letter- 168 [Assembly ino; were done in a superior style, and^the polish and elegant finish attracted the particular attention of the committee. We award a Diploma. Charles Cable & Son, Poughkeepsie ; Mineral water ; an article of superior quality put up in elegant style, the committee are of opinion that the article when examined, would sufficiently commend itself to all persons who are accustomed or may l>e disposed to partake of this kind of beverage. We award Silver Medal. JM. Stocking, Utisa; case of Hats and Caps, made in a good style, and the quality fair ; the exhibition was highly creditable to the manufacturer. We aw^ard Vol. Trans. F. W. Buckingham, Remsen, Oneida Co. ; twelve sides finish- ed kip Leather ; received the favorable consideration of the com- mittee. We award Vol. Trans. A. OsBORN, Watervliet, Albany, Wind Mill, constructed on a new principle, the shaft standing vertical ; the wind that moves the wheel comes from below and passes up through the wheel, instead of coming directly upon it in a horizontal position, as in the former construction of the wind mill. We award Vol. Trans. H. T. Sheldon, Buffalo, Oil water-proof Blacking. We award Diploma. C. F. Grossman, Rochester, 4 rolls Cloth Belting. Vol. Trans. Pix:K & Bangs, Clinton, ^Oneida county. Calf Skins dressed. Vol. Trans. E. W. Fitch, Litchfield, N". Y., Mineral Paint, well manufac- tured, and in the opinion of the committee it is valuable and will take the place of more expensive materials. Vol. Trans. CkjRTis CoE, Springport, N. Y., Fruit Seperator. Vol. Trans. Peck & Bangs, Clinton, Oneida^county, 4 sides Top Leather, finished in a beautiful manner, lugbly creditable to exhibitor. We award Diploma. No, 112.1 169 Isaac S. Bronson, Amsterdam, N". Y. 5 lot of fancy wired Broom Brushes. Vol. Trans. ^ G. H. Lamberton, Waterville, Oneida county, 2 Plants of To- bacco. Vol. Trans. J. T. Johnson, New-York, Chemical Erasive Soap and patent Starch polish. Vol. Trans. McDouGAL & Fenton, case of Boots and Shoes, for the neatness, elegance of style, and the superior fancy work displayed by the manufacturer, the committee are induced to believe they are fully warranted to award the 1st premium of $5.00 and a Diploma. Samuel Gardner, New- York, Magnetic Sepera^or gold washer. Award Diploma. Palmer & Co., Springfield, Mass., improved Artificial Leg. The committee are of opinion that this is the best substitute for the natural limb, that has ever met their observation. It very nearly resembles the natui'al limb in form and general appearance, has the various motions as nearly as can be expected from any artifi- cial machinery, and can be used with perfect ease by those who have had themisfortune to loose a limb. We award Diploma. White & Metcalf, Utica, case of Dentistry. This case contain- ed several articles manufactured in good style, and apparently of good material, among them several full sets of teeth of superior workmanship. The committee had an opportunity to examine them adjusted to the mouth of the person for whom they were intended, they seemed to be used with perfect ease and without the least incon- venience, and were a very good imitation of nature. We award a Silver Medal. William 0. Laird, Floyd, case of Dentistry. We award a Silver Medal. Blakbslee k SwAKTwouT, Utica, case of Dentistry. The speci- mens presented by Dis. Blakesly &. Swartwout were of good sub- stantial workmanship, appeared to be fitted for service, and from the perftct adaptation in the mouth of the ])atient for whom they were designed, and which the committee had ihe opportunity to inspect, ihey were creditable to the manufacturer and the profes- sion. We awuxd a Silver Medal. 170 [Assembly Ambler k Avery, New-York^ case of Dentistry. A large num- ber specimens, in the opinion of the committeej were manufac- tured more for show than for actiial use. But, in consequence of the number and variety of the articles, the C/ommittee think them- selves warranted to award a premium. A Silver Medal. Vernon Potter, Utica, Sewing Machine. We award Vol. Trans. Allen E. WiLsoN,Conn.,Sewing Machine, called '^Patent Sewing Lathe." It is a very ingenious piece of mechanism, and sews with great rapidity, performing as much sewing as several hands could do in the same length of time, the stitching is performed with an accuracy which cannot be attained in the ordinary way by hand, and the committee are of the opinion that it will, when brought to a more perfect state, supercede the common use of the needle. We award a Silver Medal. Benj. H. Shaw, Canal -St., N". ¥., beautiful Ladies^ Shoes. Di- ploma. Boy of Linus Pardee, West Edmeston, Toy Wagon, very hand- somely made. $2 00, Clark & Gillman, Rochester^ Hat L>odies, very superior. Di- ploma. Rradford RowE; Albany, Leather Stretcherj a valuable article. Diploma. All of which is respectfully submitted, SIMEON ^mV^ y Chmmutn. ANNUAL MEEETING, FEBRUARY 9, IS 53. The AiiDual Meeting of the New-York State AgrJcultural Society was held at the Assembly Chamber. At 12 o^clock the Society was called to order by B. P. Johnson, the Secretary of the Society, who stated that the President of the Society, Mr. Wager, was absent in Florida, on account of ill health. . On motion of Mr. Johnson, ' Hon. J. P. Eeekman, Vice-President, was called to the chair. The report of the Executive Committee was then read by the Secretary of the Society. Mr. Monroe moved to have the report referred back to tlie Executive Committee, for the purpose of having struck out of the notice of Kossuth, all after the word President; which was as follows : " The resolution in relation to Gov. Kossuth was duly attended to on behalf of the Society, by the Secretary, in the unavoidable absence of the President; and tlie proceedings were of a most in- teresting character : Gov. Kossuth expressing himself highly gratified at this unexpected notice from the Society, assuring those present that nothing Iind given him greater pleasure since he had l>een in tliis country; c-alling to mind so vividly his country, and leading him to h )j)e that the desire of liis heart miglu be gratiiied, wlicn his countrymen miglit be permitted to enjuy, as did our citizens, the op|X)rtunity of engaging in peaceful pursuits, and cultivating their own soil, without any to molest or make afraid.** 172 ' [Assembly Mr. Johnson stated, tliat what had been done by the Executive Committee, had been done in compliance with the express direc- tion of the Socitty. Mr. Faxton seconded the motion made by Mr. Monroe. Mr. Barroughs moved to lay the question of agreeing with the report of the committee on the table, and the motion prevailed. The annual report of the Treasurer was then read as follows : 1S52. Receipts. Jan. B^ilance from last year, , , ^4,544 14 Cash members, annual meeting, 120 00 Life member, Horatio Seymour, 10 00 " William Kelly, 10 00 « Wm. B. Campbell, 10 00 " George Dickey, 10 00 Tickets sold, winter exhibition, 38 75 Majj From State Treasurer, 700 00 Aug. Members at Geneva trial, 35 OO Sept. Fair Utica, Badges, $5,175 00 Tickets, 2,931 78 Premium lists, 8 63 Life member, G. Geddes 10 00 8,125 41 Oct. Memhers, 2 00 1853. Jan. Life do., Ledyard Lincklaen, 10 00 ReoMveJ for intarest on invested funds, , 412 06 Tenpo^ary loans,. 1,869 83 Mjhawk bonds, 3,000 00 $18,997 19 la^ance due Treasurer, 75 71 $19,0:-2 £0 tfi' !li. I— 1. No. 112.] 173 Expenditures. By premiums paid, « $6,354 26 Expenses fair at Uiica, . . . . ^ 2,014 91 Expenses of county surveys, 439 00 Trial of implements at Geneva 733 08 Library and museum, 461 13 Postage, 219 10 Incidental expeuses, 318 49 Miscellaneous, 675 48 Salaries, traveling expenses, &:c„ 2,640 93 Printing, advertising, &c , 234 35 Expensesoffair of 1851, 877 67 " of winter meeting, 1 04 50 Loan account, ^ 4 ,000 00 $19,072 90 Invested funds, $6,000 00 Medals and premium plate,. 165 00 X^b 00 >' On motion of Mr. Corey, ordered that said report be accepted. Mr. H. C. White, of Monroe, moved that the delegates from each district select three members of their delegation, as a com- mittee to nominate the officers of the Society. The following names were selected and appointed : From the First — Russell Smith, Richard L. Allen, Charles M. Saxton. From the Second — S. S. Smith, E. S. Sutherland, William Kelly. From the Third — J. P. Beekman, £. P. Prentice, George Vail. From the Fourth — James M. Cook, J. T. Blanchard, Le Roy Mowry. From the Fifth — Eli Merriam, T. S. Faxton, ITarvey Baldwin. From the Sixth— \Y. W. Jackson, IT. P. Putter, F. Botch. From the Seventh— John Delafield, William Buell, Joseph Wat- son. 174 [Assembly From the Eighth— Theodore C Pe(ert5, Lewis F. Allen, Silas M. Eurroughs. A communication was received from the Rensselaer Coaatj Agricultural Society, tenderiag the use of their grounds and fix- tures to the State Society, for its Annual Fair. On motion of Mr. Peters, ordered laid on the table. And then the Society adjourned to 7 o'clock, P. M. Seven o'clock, P. M. The Society rnet, and James Monroe, Vice-President, was called to the chair. Mr. Delafield, from the committee on nominations, reported, recommending the following gentlemen for the offices designated. President— LEWIS G. MOPvRIS, Westchester. Vice-Presidents — -ist district, Richard L. Allen ; .2d do, Wil- liam Kelly ; 3d do, Geo. Vail ; 4th do, John Beekman Finlat ^ 5th do, George Geddes ; 6th do, R. H. Van Rensselaer 3 7th do, Joel W. Bacon • 8th do, Silas M. Burroughs. » Corresponding Secretary — B. P. Johnson, Albany. Recording Secretary — Erastus Corning, jr. Treasurer — B. B. Kirtland. Executive Committee — Theodore C. Peters, J. T. Blanchard, William Buell, Charles Morrell, John A. Sherman. Oq motion of Hon, T. C. Peters, the Society proceeded to bal- lot for the officers, in conformity with the Constitution of the Society, and the officers named in the report of the committee were duly elected. Mr- Corey moved to request the Executive Committee to locate the next Annual Fair at the village of Saratoga Springs ; provid- ed the citizens of that place comply with the terms presented by the Society to the citizens of Utica, as the same were arranged at the last Fair. Motions to amend by substituting, in the place of Saratoga Springs, Utica, Syracuse, LansiDgburgh, were also made. No. 112.] 175 Mr. Gould moved to lay the resolution on the table, and the ayes and nays being ordered, the motion of Mr. Gould prevailed, ayes 65, nays 43. Mr. BuTTEHFiELD moved to refer the subject of the location oi the St^te Fair to the Executive Committee, to report immediate- Mr. Blanchard moved that the committee on nominations do re-assemble, and recommend a location to the Executive Commit- tee, which motion was accepted by Mr. Butterfield in place of the motion made by him. After debate, this motion was withdrawn, And Mr. Butterfiei,d renewed the motion made by him, And on motion of Mr. Gould, this motion was laid on the table. Mr. White proposed the following amendments to the Consti- tution : Sec. 2. The officers of this Society shall consist of an Executive Committer, which may be known as the Board of Agriculture, to be composed of one member from each Senatorial District in the State. The term of servic^e of one-half of the number to expire at the end of one year, and that of the other half at the end of two years ; the number so expiring to be elected in each year after the first, to hold office two years. The Executive Committee to be chosen at the Annual Meeting of the Society, which shall, for this purpose, consist of the Presi- dent of, or one delegate from e^ch County Agricultural Society in the State. The Executive Committee, when chosen, shall, from their own numl)er, elect, each year, a President, one Vice-President, a Treasurer, a Corresponding and Recording Secretary. Mr. White moved to refer this to a select c Dressed Hogs. Over 350 lbs : I. E. Corning, jr., Albany, $5. 2. C. Rapp, §3. Under 350 lbs : Jurian Winne, Bethlehem, 1st and 2d prem- iums, 1 5 and §3. Fowls. £. Turkeys: 1.0. Rowland, Owasco, $2. 2. 0. Howland, $1. Capons : 1. 0. Howland, $2. 2. E. S. Bliss, $1. Geese: 1. E. S. Bliss, $2. 2. 0. Howland, $1. No. 112.] 187 Chickens :.l. E. S. Bliss, $2. 2. 0. Howland, $1. Ducks : E. S. Bliss, |2. 2. E. S. Bliss, $1. Lite Hogs. Very superior ones were exhibited by Geo. Schwartz, C. Rapp, and Lewis G. Morris, vol Transactions to each. MEETING OF THE NEW BOARD. February 11, 1853. Present — Lewis G. Morris, President ; Geo. Vail, Geo. Ged- DEs, William Kelly, Vice-Presidents ; W^illiam Buell, J. A. Sherman, Executive Committee ; B. B. Kirtland, Treasurer f E. Corning, jr., B. P. Johnson, Secretaries; John Delafizld, L, F. Allen, E. P. Prentice, Ex-Presidents. The resolution of the Society, recommending Saratoga Springs as the place of holding the next Fair, having been presented and considered, it was Resolved^ That the next Fair be held at that place ) provided the requirements of the Executive Committee be complied with at the next meeting of the Executive Committee, on Thursday > the third of March. The days designated for the Fair of 1853, are September 20, 21, 22 and 23. ADDRESS OF HON. HENRY WAGER, PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY. [Delivered at the Annual Meeting, February 10, 1853.] To the officers mid Members of the JVew- York State Agricultural Society : Gentlemen — I enclose herewith some remarks which I had pre- pared as the basis of an agricultural address, at the close of my official term of service. While engaged on a committee of the Society, as a delegate to the Annual Show of the Eastern shore of Maryland, I contracted a severe cold, which has made me an invalid, and has constrained me, under the advice of my physi- cian, to seek a change of climate, in hopes that my health may be restored. It was my most ardent desire to have been present at your Annual Meeting, but Providence has ordered otherwise. Had I time and strength to review what I have written, I might have enlarged upon some topics, and have abridged others. You must, however, under the circumstances, receive it as it is. I ask only, that you give me credit for a deep and abiding interest in your welfare, and in the continued success and prosperity of youj* Society, in wiiich I have ever felt a deep interest. Wherever I shall sojourn, my memory will dwell upon the many interesting scenes of the past, and though absent from you ' at your annual meeting, I shall be present with you in spirit. Be pleaded to accept my warmest and most heartfelt desires for the prosperity of the Society, and my highest regard for its mem- No. 112.J 189 bers, for the honor they have conferred upon me, in electing me their presiding officer. With sentiments of the highest respect, I remain yours, &c., HENRY WAGER. ADDRESS. Gentlemen — Custom, coeval with your existence as an Agri- cultural Association, makes it the duty of your presiding officer, at the close of each fiscal year, to address you in relation to the condition and progress of the Society, and the dignified and enno- bling pursuit which your organization is designed to promote. In addressing you, as a plain practical farmer, I have no apolo- gies to make. You know me as a farmer; as such I have ever met with you, and I therefore desire to speak to you freely. The remembrance of the past year, your kindness, your ready and valued assistance in every labor and work required, gives me the feeling of home. I take courage to talk to you, as a man by his own fire side. The close of another year has again brought us to one of those resting places in our history, w^hen we may look back upon the past in review of what has been done, and look forward to the future, anticipating what may be our progress for time to come. As individual farmers, we need some period to take note of our success or of our failures, in order that we may profit thereby ; so also, as a Society of farmers, it is profitable for us to remember our past history, and lay out our plans for future work. Twenty years since, a few si)irited citizens organized this Society; their plans were general, but they {jroceeded like men in earnest, wlio had laborious and important work to perform, and whose only hope of success, rested in willing and earnest hearts. Like all American etforts at that time, it seemed an ex- periment. It was an untried field mainly, and may with truth be said to have been an expenmad. Of details and j)recedeuts they had nunc before them. Their one great object was to elevate the profession, and ennoble as it deserved the labor and 190 [Assembly toil of the tiller of the soil. One great idea appeared in all their thoughts, to render pleasant as well as profitable the labors of domestic husbandry. The most sanguine had but limited ideas of success at first, still, in the prog, ess of time, the efforts of those connected with this Society have been crowned with an abundant harvest. Although mistakes have been made, and at times things have not in all respects been as might have been desired, still as a whole, I think I may with safety say, that no institution of the kind has done more for the true interests of agriculture, than lias been accomplished by this Society. It may not be unprofitable to draw a brief contrast between agriculture as it generally prevailed in our State twenty years since, and at the present time. Perhaps the minds of many who hear me may call to mind a rural district as it then existed : a half cultivated country would seem to indicate that chance had vastly more to do with farming, than system, skill, and judg- ment. It was an occupation in which but little improvement was observed, from the practice of olden times. The practice of the father was followed by the son, without investigating whether there might not be improvements, the same tools were used, the same method of operations observed; even the very rude dwel- lings were in too many instances occupied, as if with religious veneration, until absolute decay drove the occupants to find other shelter. It was not then a day of progress, of advancement, to any considerable extent. Failures and defective crops were con- sidered as necessary evils for. which there was no remedy; they were placed in the same connexion as pestilence and famine, visitations from Providence. The inquiry was seldom made as to the reason of these failures, it was a matter of coarse, and must be borne with patience. The farmer's dwelling w^as then too often, a frail unpainted house by the way-side, without shrubbery or yard, his scattered and defective outbuildings were of a character both as to con- struction and situation, often most inconvenient. The way-side and hedges were covered with noxious weeds and shrubs, and the fields plentifully supplied with thistles and other injurious weeds. His stock, exposed to the pelting storms of the severe No. 112.] 191 winters, and half starved, was of little value ; and in every department, it may with truth be aflS.rmed, that after making every reasonable allowance, there was a very manifest deficiency, that needed correction. The dairy, if so it might be called, pre- sented such abundant evidence of lack of skill and attention, that if the products, as then too often prepared, could now be brought before us, the surprise would be great indeed, that there ever could have been a time when such materials as these were digni" fied with the names of butter and cheese. But I do not desire to dwell on the deficiencies of the past. There was then enough of toil and more labor often, even than now; but it was unregu- lated, because not directed by that skill which science has since brought to the aid of our farmers, and enabled the observing and the inquiring mind to profit by, and thus realize immense bene- fits in all the operations of the farm. Agricultural chemistry had shed but feeble light upon the far- mer's pursuit, upon the nature and food of plants, and of the soil, or of the value of particular manures for particular crops. Farming had not been reduced to a system. As one of the most important pursuits in our country, in fact the foundation upon which all other pursuits rest for their success, it was in reality most sadly neglected, and far in arrear of other pursuits, in the way of improvements. The first necessary work to be done to arouse the farmer, was to enkindle within him an ambition to improve and excel, and to convince him that this could be done by vigorous and determined ellbrt. All this, your Society has done for the farmers of New- York. It opened its awards to all upon equal terms, it spread before them the results of the labors of those most intelligent and successful in their operations, thus enabling the unsuccessful to profit and improve. Informatii^n gatlierod from a thousand sources, has been scattered abroad; science and practice com- bined have year by year contributed to help forward the work, and the firniers of New York have made most creditable advan- ces. Farming is no longer that uncertain, profitless work, which it once was. It is now reduced to a system, securing returns far more certain in tlieir character, and at the same time as remune- rating as any investment in any other pursuit. 192 [Assembly Look around you aud see what has been done, and tell me if any portion of our State can boast of neater dwellings and hap- pier homes than are to be found in the rural districts of our State. There are farmers' homes that rival in beauty the man- sions of the wealthiest, and there are charms connected with his well cultivated and neatly arranged farm which the city or the town can never reach. The debt-burdened farmer has become the man of manly inde- pendence, and everything around him gives evidence of a culti- vated and refined taste. His buildings bear evidence of design ; they tell of home-comforts and home-convenience too, and are arranged in such a manner as best to secure the convenient dis- patch of every portion of labor required. The substantial and well made fence, the clean fields, the drained swamps, the lux- uriant herbage upon the hill-side, the waving crops of every variety, the well-filled barns, all testify of the farmer's in- dependence. The most fastidious can now find attraction in the farm yard. Fine herds of cattle, well fattened swine, the finely formed South Down or the finely fleeced Saxon or Merino, the choice poultry^ the cultivated fruit of every choice variety, all testify that an interest has been enlisted in this noble pursuit, most creditable to the farmer and most gratifying to every friend of his country. Gentlemen — I claim that much, very much of this is due to the efibrts of this Society. A generous rivalry hcis been aroused, which has penetrated to the remotest part of your State. Each man becomes a competitor ; choice varieties of grain are sought for, choice breeds of animals are secured ; experiments in rota- tion of crops are carefully made, and we are beginning to realize that labor and toil have their reward. Improvement, however, has not stopped here. The desire to do everything better than has heretofore been done has caused a demand for improved implements for the farmer's use. He asks that his plow, his rake, his wagon shall compare with the im- provement of his residence ; that his axe, his hoe and his scythe shall equal, if it do not rival, the far-famed Toledo blade for its temper and its keenness of edge. H^is not satisfied with this No. 112.] 193 even ; he asks that inventive genius shall provide for his every want. The result of this is that things which, a century ago, would have been deemed the creation of magic, are now sober matters of fact. Those of you who had the pleasure and satisfaction of witness- ing the trial of implements at Geneva will bear witness to all I say. It would be departing from my design to express my own opinion as to the relative merits of the machines which were there tried ; there was much, very much entitled to the highest praise. It is enough that I refer to the general results of that trial. What would our fathers have said, could they have seen their sous riding leisurely through the harvest field, having a reaper to do the harvest work, or to have witnessed the grain drill or broadcast sower dropping seed more perfectly than human hands could do it 1 Gentlemen — Had these things happened a century earlier, I am not certain but some sagacious man would have suspected a league with the old serpent, and atrial for witchcraft might have been the result. The careful estimates made by the very intelli- gent committee have furnished us mathematical proof that economy as well as comfort require, and will, doubtless, insure their general introduction. I should be pleased to have given you the statistics of our Society, but time forbids that I enter upon their recapitulation. These, liowever, are detailed in the journal and Transactions of the Society. From 1832 to 1811 the society had an existence, and but little more. In 1811, upon the passage of the act for the encouragement of agricultu e, so creditable to the Legislature of our State, the society was remodeled and placed upon a sub- stantial basis. With hope and fear alternately prevailing, the first fair was decided upon to be held at Syracuse. It succeeded beyond the most sanguine expectations of the society. The ex- hibition called forth the admiration of thousands, and was one in which we took an honest pride; but now there are single farmers that can boast of better stock and c:reater improvements in crops than the aggregate of all then on exhibition. If you [Aj?. Tr. '53] If 194 [Assembly will contrast the entries and receipts of the fair twelve years ago with those of this year and the two previous years, you have abundant proof of the progress made. Gentlemen — To understand it in its full extent, you must estimate the increase of the agricultural products of the State, and also mark the improvements in the quality as well as quan- tity. These results have been secured by systematic toil and laborious eifort, by adopting crops fitted to the soil, by careful selection of stock, in a word, by having definite instructions for the guide of the farmer. Although much has been already done, for which we should be truly gratified, the objects of the Society are unaccomplished, and will be until our country puts on the garb of perfection in all that relates to the pursuit of the farmer. Our Society has still a most important work — the advancement and perfection of agriculture. The interests of agriculture are identified with the true prosperity of our whole country. I do not speak of the farmers merely as producers. I go farther. To a great extent the character of our country will depend upon the intelligence and standing of the agricultural population. They form a strong conservative element in our political frame work. They are removed from scenes of excitement, and living amidst nature's noblest works, they can look upon all the varying scenes of pub- lic aifairs calmly and dispassionately ; their habits are peaceful, and nothing can add higher dignity to our nation than an intelli- gent and well educated rural population. How shall this end be secured ? I answer, by steadily pur- suing your original plan, to make the profession honorable, while, at the same time, the result of toil shall bring competency with it. One difficulty meets us at every step — the fear that honest labor shall be degrading. This is a fallacy that never for a moment should be suffered to prevail in this land, where rank and title belong only to the most worthy, and thus within the reach of all. The eagerness with which our young men forsake the farm for the office or the merchant's counter, tells us that this evil exists at the farmer's home, in many cases at least. It is a most ruinous exchange, for it gives up the independence of the farmer for the servile life, constantly occupied in attendance upon No. 112.] 195 others. If there is one man who is nobler than his fellow, it is that man who wins his bread from his mother earth by honest toil. We must make labor everywhere honorable. To do this, the public mind must be aroused and directed to the subject. Whatever brings a class forward before the public, is calculated to attract attention and give it position, if entitled to it. Our agricultural associations are exerting, in this direction, a most salutary influence ; they place this interest before the public in its true position, as one of the highest importance, and the public mind is already influenced by it. The retiring statesman and merchant turn away from their life of perplexity and toil to seek for rencAved vigor and true happiness among the works of nature. In this country, where men have seldom an hereditary fortune, but each man builds his fortune for himself, it will be all impor- tant that agriculture, while it is elevated as a pursuit, shall also carry with it a sure competence ; and this, we are satisfied, re- sults from well directed effort in this pursuit more certainly than in any other profession or pursuit in our country. We have changed our relations with the world since we have entered upon the era of economical farming. We are now com- petitors with the world ; our farmers are meeting competition in their wheat from the Black Sea, as well as from our own fertile prairies. Our dairymen of Herkimer and Oneida, when they look for a world's market for their cheese, are met with the com- petition of Cheshire in England. The cattle grower, too, has his rivals abroad. Thus, with all the branches of our pursuit, we have entered the lists with the world. It is a struggle for, the mastery, a trial far more honorable than the tournaments and combats of centuries ago. Those who shall triumph will confer an honor and blessing upon their country and the world. Other lands boast of tlieir rich soils and cheap labor, but in no other land have richer provisions been made tor the industrious than in this free land of ours. What we need, as a people, to meet our rivals, is knowledge in our profession, to enable us to judge wisely as to the character of our soils — of the crops best suited to cultivation — of the means best calculated to secure the largest products; and this will include everything that j^ertains to the thorougli management of the farm in all its varied details. 1 96 [Assembly There is a like necessity to enable our farmers to judge dis- creetly in relation to the breeds of cattle best suited to their locality — the breeds of sheep and swine that will yield them the largest return at the least expense. We have in this State made commendable progress in this direction, and much of it is justly attributable to the influence of your Society ; but as yet we have but entered upon the great field of scientific farming, '^ science with practice." Far be it from me to assume the character of a prophet, when I express my convictions that years to come are to be marked by greater progress than anything to be found in yeai's that have passed away. We need an educated and enlightened body of farmers. You and I may have been successful in days past, without this pre- paratory scientific training ; but such is not to be the fate of the youn<;- man who, with fool-hardiness, rejects the light that is shedding its rays around him because he is following in the footsteps of his father. In a sparse population an industrious man may gain the good will of those around him, and his toil mav secure a measure of success. Home demand will sometimes accept of homely production, but the time has come when the world demands men fitted for their posts. It requires a master mind to rise to eminence in any pursuit : agriculture, surely, is not to be an exception. Our young men ask, and they have a right to demand, that they should be fitted for their position. Much of this work of preparation can be done by the fireside and the influence of right example; much more by the careful perusal of your Transactions and valuable agricultural papers, which ouglit to be read in every farmer's household, and carry their truths to every heart, but after all, these do not and from the nature of the case cannot meet all his wants. Too often the recommendations given are too general in their character, and the directions when followed, result in adding to the list of ex- periments which have proved but failures. Farmers even may try the same course of experiments and yet from unknown differ- ence in soil or climate, may fail and the result prove entirely different. Theories are put forth without sufficient practical tests. Yet our farmers seem to feel that agriculture is a pursuit of which a man can at once become a master, without aid from any No. 112.] 197 quarter, when in truth no pursuit of life needs a more thorough and systematic preparation to discharge its varied duties aright. We would insist that the instruction for the farmer should be based upon competent authority, that the theory shall be fully • illustrated by correct practice, and that the details and results shall themselves testify as to its correctness. Opinions carelessly uttered, are valueless, but if the result of well tried experience, thev are reliable and safe rules for action. It is the opinion of many of our most eminent agriculturists, that to secure such a result, we must be favored with an Agricul- tural School, with a-competent board of professors, an institution upon an extended scale, with a farm attached, comprising the vari- ous soils of our State as far as practicable, upon which experiments suited to each variety can be made. I am not here to give de- tails for such' a school. That is a work for abler hands than mine. I only express my honest convictions that such a school is demanded, and should be made worthy of the Empire State. When the farmers of New-York ask this, they are not greedy beg- gars at the door of the treasury, they ask and claim simply their rights, it is the peculiar province of the Government to foster and encourage education ; already the State has done much, she points with pride and satisfaction to her common schools, aca- demies and colleges as evidences of her liberality ; but while these are in the highest degree praiseworthy and useful, they do not provide for the education of the practical men needed for our work. When the student leaves even the highest of these institutions, is he prepared to discharge his duties as an agricultural chemist ? or can he be made useful in the ordinary work connected with the farm ; in too many instances, the sad reality has been made known that his education has been so directed as not to be appli- cable to the realities and requirements of practical, active life j 1 have a son whom 1 have made a farmer ; I would gladly have given hira a collegiate education, but to have done so, he must havr run the liazard of four year's habits, far diftVrent fn»m wlmt the larmer's son needs, of l»ad associations it might l>e, and after all, might have been returned to his liome ashamed of the raaa- ly lite of a farmer. 1 98 [Assembly It is the unpractical character of the education at our higher seminaries of learning, that has made us feel more deeply the need of a school suited to our pursuit -, this should be the right hand of our society, it is worthy of our united efforts; the students educated there are not alone to be benefited, for truths there learned become common property, and must be scattered broad- cast among the people ; let correct theory, thoroughly tested by judicious practice, be but secured to our practical Anglo Saxon race, and the battle of toil and labor will be well nigh won. It is usually the province of your president, at the close of his official term, to venture suggestions for the future; I enter upon this with diffidence, each year has matured our system of opera- tions, and it seems almost presuming, to offer suggestions. As the sphere of our influence wideas, we should enter upon an enlarged and generous policy. , ? As far as a safe regard to our resources will 'allow, our pre- mium list should be extended, always giving preference to those whose hands have toiled tosecure the returns required; there are many wants which are unsupplied, let our premium list as far as practicable, be so arranged as to meet them ; in reference to our stock, we should endeavour especially to encourage such as is best suited to our State, and which will be most profitable to the far- mer, and in like manner in respect to every department, let a judicious regard be had. Some have objected to the entry of needlework at our fairs ; it would in my judgment be most unwise to neglect or pass by the domestic industry of the household, for these are among the hap- piest associations of the frugal and industrious housewife, and home industry is here encouraged, which is one of the brightest domestic virtues ; I have no fear that these associations, which throw a charm around the domestic hearth, will be interfered with or disregarded, they have hitherto contributed largely to the interest of our exhibitions, and have secured the co-operation of the ladies, without whose approbation and encouragement, man has never been successful. While it is desirable to extend our premiums, it is of the high- est degree important that we have a due regard to our resources No. 112.] 199 and that we do not cripple the operations of the Society, by such a lavish increase as will embarrass its operations. The expenditure of a portion of our funds, for essays and ex- periments upon practical and scientific subjects, has secured to us heretofore many valuable articles, that have amply repaid the so- ciety for the expenditure, and it is to be hoped that a due regard to the interests of the cause will secure a like appropriation for the future. Of the general management of the society I can only say, that my father taught me a proverb ^'let well enough alone ;" it is a safe rule in business life, and not less so here, the means which have prospered us in the past, will be the ground of future hope ; thus far we have steadily pursued our course for one end ; the society has carefully avoided all topics nut connected with its legitimate duties, and this has been its safety, it has left other sub- jects to those connected with them, and thus has avoided those divisions which divided counsels must ever bring with them ; we only need warm and earnest hearts, and united action as heretofore, to ensure us success, wise heads guided our iniimcy, and their precepts and examples will be found the best stay of our maturity and manhood I tender you my hearty congratulations on the success of the year which has past. I rejoice that a fraternal intercourse lias been opened between our Society and kindred ones throughout our land, and even extending the paternal hand across the sea to foreign lands ; and here permit me to congratulate our worthy Secretary, that to his labors we owe much of this result. The success of our countrymen at the World's Fair is, much of it, due to his perseverance and that of his friends, who asked fur them only what was due, and in the end obtained fur them tliat position which left the New Wurld equal to the highest. Gentlemen, may we not hope tliiit (he tin:e will soon come, when there will be a brotherhood of agriculturists throughout the world ; may we nr)t believe the time of prophecy is aj)pro:ich- ing. when the sword shall be beaten intopluw-sliarts, and the spear into pruning hooks. Such seems to me to be the indications of that Providence, which has so kindly blessed the agricultural efforts of the last half century. 200 [Assembly In conclusion, permit me to return to you all my heartfelt thanks, for your kindness in aiding me to fulfil the arduous du- ties of President. The year, with its labors and pleasures, has passed away, but not without leaving me many pleasing and de- lightful reminiscences, which I shall retain among the happiest of my life. I would express my personal obligations to the indefatigable efforts of the officers associated with me, and I cannot forget the kind and most valued advice I have recived from my predecessors in office. To the officers of the Society, and the citizens of Utica, I re- turn my thanks for their untiring efforts, in preparing for and assisting at the annual exhibition. It is a pleasant task to act as your presiding officer, when all things herald success. The time of doubt, of despondency and fear, has passed away. It is the hour of hope, of confidence, the sure forerunner of our triumph. To-day the farmer, thanks to his noble efforts, stands firm in his position ; his vocation among the foremost, his prospects not less cheering than the most successful. Let him ever bear in mind that there is dignity in labor, toil bringeth reward, toil looketh upward, toil shall crown all with success. The fairs of 1852, the agricultural and mechanical, have ex- hibited in a most gratifying manner, the progress which has been made in our country, and which would have excited envy in the bosom of kings. The man of fifty years ago, suddenly placed in their midst, would have fancied himself in a fairy land. What may not be seen in a World's Fair in our metropolis 1 we may, and ought to rejoice together for having witnessed the day, which our fathers desired to see and saw it not. Gentlemen, I close with my best thanks to you all, and with my warmest wishes for your health, happiness, and prosperity. .-?-> No. 112.] 201 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON DAIRY BUILDINGS, Albany, February 9, 1853. The committee on dairy buildings would respectfully report that there were but two plans of dairy buildings exhibited for examination, both of which were of butter dairies. The plan of Mr. Horace Clapp's dairy building, of Houseville, Lewis county, was drawn up with great care and ingenuity, and showed a system of order and neatness in construction, above the ordinary mode of building dairy buildings, and having complied with the rules of the Society, we award him the first premium. The plan of Mr. A. J. Wiukoop, of Chemung county, not being accompanied with such detailed statements, as to cost of con- struction, &c., as the rules of the Society require, the committee do not consider him entitled to a premium. The committee regret very much that so little attention is paid to improvement in constructing dairy buildings. Especially those designed for cheese making. It is a fact well known to the practical dairyman, that the greatest impediment to obtaining a desirable quality of butter, or cheese, from milk, is the variable and unequal temperature that our climate is subject to, which is very annoying to the cheese maker, owing to the length of time and critical changes that cheese pass through in the process of curing, or cheesing •the curd. The committee would therefore recommend as the first object to be sought in the improvement of dairy buildings, such a con- struction as will best control the temperature within^ or in other words, the cheapest and best facilities for creating an artificafl temperature when required, viz., cool and dry, or warm and dry, and cool and damp, or warm and damp, cither^ as the age and condition of dieese may recjuire in the process of cheesing, or curing 3 and secondly, {and no less important,) cheapness and 202 [Assembly economy in building, with adaptation to general and practical use. The above is respectfully submitted, A. L. FISH, ) JOHN WINSLOW, \ Committee. JAMES MACINTYRE, j ^^ brief statement of my Dairy House^ Dairy aparfm,enfs, Outer Buildings y &c., Houstville^ Lewis County^ Jan. 24, 1853. My dairy house is situated on elevated ground, and adjacent to three streams of pure soft water, with which we do our churniug, sawing wood, &c. The upright part of the dairy house is 30 by 20 feet, on the S» W. end, an addition of §0 by 20 feet, on the S. E. end, 30 by 20 feet occupied for kitchen and w^ood house, dairy apartment, under the S. W. part of dairy house, 30 by 20 feet, with three stone walls under ground, three sides connected with cellar under dairy house, whereby cool air can be admitted from cellar by a door if necessary, three windows and outer door attached to dairy room, having enlarged my windows by extend- ing them down to the floor ; (since making my former state- ment,) to admit a current of air luider the milk ; the fixtures, method of churning, &c., I will refer to my former statement in 1850, and plan presented. Dairy house divided into five square rooms, one bed room attached in rear of upright part, pantry attached to kitchen ; aggregate cost of dairy house, dairy apart- ment, and fixtures, ^1,200 ; wash room disconnected with dairy room, 10 feet, wash room 20 by 16 feet, well of soft water with pump, and '^ dairy maid furnace," water conducted from pump into kettle, cost $75. Milk conducted from dairy to pigery by spout, into a vat suffi- ciently large to receive all the milk, and pumped into troughs for the pigs, without wiste. Pigery, 30 by 20 feet, cellar under one side, seven rods from dairy apartment, cost $100 ; horse barn, 8 rods from dairy house, 30 by 24 feet, cost |120 ; cow barn, same distance, 54 by 24 feet, alley in center, and stable each side, §120 ; barn, same distance, 42 by 30 feet, with stable next to floor, bay 10 feet below the floor, lintel added to one end for stabling, cost $200 ; distance between bai'ns, about five rods j No. 112.] 203 calf barn, five rods from dairy house, 20 by 20 feet, cost $75, to rear calves in the spring and winter ; alley in center, and stabling each side ; ice house, 16 by 12 feet, cost $15. In addi- tion to the above, there are on the farm three hay and grain barns, 42 by 32 feet. HORACE CLAPP. Draining. • The committee to which was referred the communications of Robert J. Swan, of Fayette, Seneca county , N. D. Benedict, su- perintendent of the State Lunatic Asylum at Utica, and Jonathan Talcott, of Rome, have had the same under consideration, and re- spectfully report, that by the rules laid down for our government, Mr. Swan is entitled to the first premium, he having laid on his farm, during the last year, seventeen miles and sixteen rods of underground drains, fiom thirty to thirty-six inches deep, and all of it laid with tiles. He states the cost per rod at 28J cents, in- cluding the cost of the tiles. The cost of digging the ditches from two to two and a half feet deep, he puts at the very small sum of 12-2 cents ; a sum that is from 20 to 25 per cent less than the committee, from their experience, supposed it could be done for in common excavation. Mr. Benedict states that he has laid on the grounds belonging to the asylum, during the last year, 943 rods, three feet in depth, with three-inch horse-shoe tile, at an expense of 92 cents a rod, the tile costing 30 cents and the labor being stated at 60 cents a rod. The great difference in the cost of the labor in Mr. Swan's drains and Mr. Benedict's, is calculated to attract attention. If to the price Mr. Swan puts to digging the ditch, be added the cost of laying tlie pipe and filling, we have 15.1 ct^uts against 62 of Mr. Benedict. Mr. Benedict's ditches probably avercige three inches deeper than Mr. Swan's, and as Mr. Benedict puts in the bottom of his ditch a board for the tile to rest uiK)n,it is probable that an allowance should be made on this account ; still there is a large margin, that perhaps may be charged to the fact, that it generally costs the public more to do work than it does an indi- 204 ' [Assembly vidual. Mr. Benedict drained, in 1852, eighteen acres of land, at a cost of over ^48 per acre. We are gratified that the superin- tendent of this institution has given to the public an account of his improvements, and we believe, that even at the cost stated, the investment will prove to be a good one. Mr. Talcott has laid, during the last year, 330 rods, three feet deep, at a cost of 35 cents a rod for tile and 30 cents for stone drain. His statement contains some useful suggestions, but the form that he gives to his drain that is laid with stone, we think quite objectionable. The second premium, the committee suppose, would be due to ^ Mr. Benedict, if the drain had been laid at his own expense, but as it is upon grounds belonging to the public, the committee do not feel authorised to award the premium. All of which is respectfully submitted. • GEO. GEDDES, T. G. YEOMANS. Statement of R. J. Swan, of Seneca County. My farm is situated on the banks of the Seneca Lake, in the town of Fayette, in Seneca county, containing three hundred and forty-four acres, and is about three miles distant from the village of Geneva. The soil is a clay loam, forming a part of the ridge which extends from the Seneca river to the southern borders of the county. This ridge, which rises gradually in its whole ex- tent to the south, has given a character to our farms as highly favorable to wheat, yet it has been noticed, that its summit every where indicates an excess of moisture. The benefits derived from draining this soil, by a thorough and judicious system, were too strongly marked on an adjoining farm to escape notice ; the crops of wheat, corn and clover, prove to me, clearly, that thorough draining had increased both quantity and quality. To participate in these advantages, I determined to carry out the system of thorough draining on my farm, and commenced opening the trenches in August last, continuing my operations No. 112.1 205 until the first of this month, (December,) in which period! laid seventy-two thousand five hundred and fifty drain tiles, (72,550,) in trenches varying from two and a half to three feet in depth ; the tiles being fifteen inches in length, the whole extent of my drains made this year is five thousand four hundred and ninety- six rods, (5,496 rods,) or seventeen miles and fifty six rods ; of this distance, about forty rods are laid with double tiles of large size ; a large proportion of the tiles used by me are of the horse shoe pattern, rising two inches ; a proportion of one inch pipes are laid also. The whole cost of the tiles is six hundred and seven- ty dollars^ equal to about twelve cents per red for the tiles. The cost of preparing the trenches was tw^elve and a half cents per rod, and the expense of laying the tiles in the trenches and fill- ing them, was three cents per rod. The drains are laid in nearly parallel lines, from thirty to forty feet apart, draining the water direct from the highest to the lowest parts of my farm; at the bottom of the drains, or at the depth of thirty to thirty-six inches, I found a hard compact bot- tom on which the tiles are laid, no other preparation being neces- sary. I w'ould here remark, that from the natural declivity of my fields, the water did not often appear on the surface of the ground, yet the excess of w^ater, even on the highest grounds, almost ev- ery year destroyed portions of the crops, by winter killing or freezing out. In the year 1851, I laid 16,000 tiles, which witli the quantity laid this year, completes the drainage of about 200 acres of my farm. I deem it to be thoroygh, and it is so esteemed by others who have preceded me in this essential system of farm manage- ment. One important feature, discernable, is the rechiiming twenty- four acres of soil which had never been tilled, producing only coarse aquatic grasses unfit for hay or i-asture ; this portion of the farm has hitlierto been charged with the interest of cost and also taxts, without any return, a portion which hereafter will yield crops of any grain or grasses, equal to any other land. I 206 [Assembly feel warranted in this assertion, tlius early from results actually obtained, from precisely similar circumstances on an adjoining farm • with a view to future observation , and test of this system, I transmit • herewith an actual survey of the reclaimed portions, duly certified. The economy of draining land thoroughly, so far as relates to construction, may be better understood by the following figures : Cost of digging trenches, per rod, $0 12 J Average cost of tiles per rod, 0 12 Cartage of tiles from the kilns at j\% per 1000, 0 1 Laying the tiles and filling trenches with plows,. 0 3 Cost of drains complete, per rod, $0 28^ I am not aware that any verification of the foregoing facts is required, yet I notice that it has been practiced in regard to farms presented for premiums ; and deeming it proper on all similar occasions, I have caused this statement to be duly verified.. ROBERT J. SWAN. Rose Hill, Seneca county, 29th Dec, 1852. State of New York, } / ss Ontario County^ J ' On this 6th day of January, A. D. 1853, before me came Robert J. Swan, and being by me duly sworn, he said that the above statement is true according to his belief. Charles J. Folger, Ontario County Judge. At the request of Mr. Swan, I have surveyed the swales on his farm, which he has reclaimed by draining ; the portion of the land on which only coarse aquatic grasses grew, \^as never plow- ed, and in spring and fall was so wet that a person in attempting to cross them, would mire. And this is to certify, that by accurate measurement he has gained twenty -four acres of land, in the different swales, which will be fit for cultivation in spring. HERBERT F. CONRAN, Engineering Surveyor and Draftsman. Geneva, Dec. \st^ 1852. No. 112.] 207 State Lunatic Asylum, Utica Feb. 7th 1853. B. P. Johnson, Esq'r, Sec. of State Agricultural Society : Dear Sir.— The farm belouging to this institution is as you may be aware, situated on high ground iDclining to the north -, the soil near the buildings is sandy loam, underlaid by quick sand ; the buildings stand on piles. Immediately in the rear of the buildings the land is nearly level, the quick sand near the sur- face, in a part of which water springs up ; and from the whole of which the surface water disappeared slowly ; standing in pools at wliich the cattle found drink in the summer when the streams were dry. and making a large portion of the plot of about fifteen acres too wet for plow or meadow land. In the fall of 1851 we laid in these 15 acres ( 855 ) eight hun- dred fifty-five rods of tile drain. The drains were dug three feet deep at the head falling: to their termination in an open water course, six inches wide at the bottom, in which is laid a board, on the board the horse shoe ( ^ ) tile 3 inches in diameter, the joinings cased with sod ; over these, pine shavings, and filled up with earth. The tile cost us here $21 per thousand, the cost of laying 62 cents per rod, equal to about 92 cents per rod. These drains discharged copipusly during the past dry summer, keeping the water plot entirely dry. The land which was before almost usehss, was plowed to the depth of twenty inches with a sub- siol plow; laid out and cultivated fur garden purposes, from wliich we ol)tained crops. It being inconvenient to obtain manure last S])ring none was used. Cress or pe])per grass, CO bunches, Paisley, 100 Lettuce, 1,155 Summer squasl?, 997 dozen, Winter do 175 Melons, 320 Cabbages, 8,172 Celery, 3,500 String Beans, 185 bushels. Green Beets, ^3 " 208 [ Assembly Green Beets, 647 bushels. Green Peas, •. ". 120 Tomatoes, 279 Radishes, (buds,) 3 Peppers, 2 Lima Beans, " 19 Salsify, 40 Seed Peas, 6 Corn, 125 Potatoes, 700 Rutabagas, , 500 Turnips, 326 Carrots, 91 5 Parsnips, 175 . Onions, 267 Cucumbers, (pickled,) 18 barrels. Pumpkins, 12 loads. In the fail of the year 1852, we laid 943 rods of drain to the same depth, in the same manner as in 1851, a part on similar land in front of the building, used as meadow, wet and boggy, where common forest trees refused to grow ; part on a clay swamp before uncultivated, in all about eighteen acres. The result on this land remains to be seen ; we have .no doubt of the entire success of the enterprise. I am very truly yours^ ^. D. BENEDICT. Oneida County, ss. — N. D. Benedict, Superintendent of the New-York State Lunatic Asylum, being duly sworn, saith, that the foregoing statement is true, according to the best of his know- ledge and belief. N. D. BENEDICT. Sworn to before me, ? Feb. 7th, 1853, ] P. S. Root, County Judge of Oneida County. No. 112.] 209 STATEMENT OF JONATHAN TALCOTT, Rome, Oneida Co., Feh. 1, 1853. To the committee of the New- York State Agricultural Socie- ty on draining, the following statement is respectfully submitted : 1. Situation of the land previous to the process, was very un- like in different places ; the first piece operated upon was in thfe form of an oval circle, quite high, rather above the surrounding surface in the same field : the soil gravelly, with an occasional vein of blue clay intermixed, and so firm as to require the use of the pick before the spade in most places, thereby increasing the expense of the operation ; the quantity of land in said piece is about two acres The second piece was about one half clay subsoil, with a rich black mold of one foot in depth for the soil, and the other half gravelly, very similar to the first mentioned piece, containing about 1-J acres, also lying quite high, fully equal to the surrounding sur- face The third piece was about equally divided between muck,clay and gravel, with an occasional vein of quicksand ; lying rather low on the north, and rising towards the south, just enough for a good descent for the water to run off, containing about four acres in the form of a' parallelogram. The soil on the first piece was very thin, being what is commonly termed a wet gravel ; the sub- soil being so compact that the surface was always covered with stagnant water in time of copious showers, and in spring and fall was perfectly saturated with water, so that a good crop of grain could not be grown on the piece, and the grass crop was poor and wirey, showing conclusively the deleterious effects of a superabund- ance of water. The second piece was quite similar to the first in regard to crops : and tlie third piece was quite boggy in places, and covered with bents and other coarse grass, having never been plowed till this fall, and then one-(|uarter of an acre was a good day's work for a man and team, the work was well don% however, the roots were all picked up and laid on the surface of the ground where it had been i)]()\ved,an(l the surface all reversed in the operation, intending to fit it for })lanting in the spring and had determined to have it well done this fall, so far as plowib'g could go to complete the same for that purpose. [Ag. Tr. \'^3.] O ■ 210 [Assembly 2. The method pursued was the same in all three of the pieces operated upon : the first thing was to look for a good outlet to discharge the surplus water that should accumulate in the drains, and then to reach the fountain head, w^hich is as necessary as to have a good outlet ; the depth of the drain is also important, it should be deep enough to be out of the way of frost, and also of the subsoil plow, as I think that implement will be used on drained 8oils to advantage and with profit to the farmer. I have sunk my drains three feet in all cases where the fall would admit of so doing, some cases to the depth of 4 feet; I think from experience and observation on my farm, that 3 feet is about the right depth for profitable draining, in some cases four may not be any too deep, but that will be determined by any judicious person after a trial or two, better than any rule that can be laid down on the subject. After having examined the grounds to be operated upon and located the places for the drains, I took a team and plow and turned a furrow from the ditch each way, like a dead furrow when plowing, then had the loose dirt thrown out that remained wdth a shovel, then took the team and plow, and sunk another furrow in the bottom of the first ; by so doing quite a saving is made in the expense of digging for the drain, the remainder is thrown out with the shovel and spade of the operator, if the ground is firm, the ditch should be as narrow as it can conveni- ently be, six inches at the bottom is wade enough for stone or tile, in a firm subsoil, and it need be no wider on the top than is ne- cessary to perform the operation. If the subsoil is very close, 3 or 4 inches at the bottom is wide enough where pipe tile is used ; but on my farm, where I have experimented, 6 inches at the bottom of the ditch is about the right width for either stone or tile. I have used pipe tile of two-inch capacity, horse-shoe of 3 inch, and stone, for the past two seasons, in draining, but give the pre- ference to pipe tile over all other material that I have used ; I have also used timber for the same purpose, which was my firs trial ; it operates well, having been laid two seasons. No. 112.] 211 After the ditch is dug, I take a hoe and begin at the upper end of it and clean out all loose dirt, and commence laying the stone or tile ; it the latter is used, I lay one and then stand on it, and then put put another as close tc the fi^^t as possible, and then step on that and if it is firm, proceed in like manner to the last ; if any inequality is in the bottom, it is removed till the tile will lie. firm and level ; if the bottom is too soft, as is sumetimes the case, fiat stones are laid in under the tile till tliey will fit firmly in their places; a row of • stones are then placed along the sides, care being taken to have them fit close at the joints of the tiles to keep them in place; a few strips of cedar bark are then laid on the top of the tile, and the whole covered with a team and plow, by turning the fur- rows towards the ditch, as in the common method of backfurroW- ing, until it is completed. If stones are used In filling the ditch, my method ol cleaning out is the same as for tile. I then commence as in the case of tile, at the upper end, and fit a flat stone close at the side of the ditch, then another side of the first, and then along the side of the upright ones thus placed at the side of the ditch, we set about two rows in the form of an A , as is shown in the annexed diagram ; and the row of flat stones is continued at the side, and the other in the manner shown, to the end of the ditch ; small round stones are placed on the top of the flat ones, and all covered in like manner as where tile is used which completes the operation. I i)Ut about 15 or 18 inches of stones where they are used in depth in the efore you drained it, and now you can raise just what you please here, let the season be viet or dry.*' • 3. The result, in all cases operated upon, is very favorable ; there has not been a failure yet with me ; I have not cropped any that was operated upon the past year but a small portion of one piece mentioned in this statement; but judging this by preceding oper- ations, I think that no outlay of money on the farm, of like sum, will be as beneficial and lasting as this. In doing what I have done, about $20 per acre has been ex- pended as an average. The last piece mentioned in this state- ment is not yet fully drained, although what was commenced is- oomplete ; but more drains will be necessary to a thorough drain- ing of the soil ; and as I have done the most of what I have done on the parallel system, more can be done a-s opportunity shall oifer; I think w^hen it is completed, that |50 per acre will? not be too high to estimate the increased value of the last piece mentioned in this statement, and that §25 or $30 will be abou^ the increased value of the two first pieces per acre ; although a few years of cropping will better test the correctness of the esti- mate of the increase in value of all of them. I will here state, that my draining the past year was about equally divided between stone and tile, as to number of rods of each, using the stone where the ground was firm, and the subsoil free from quicksand and quite hard, as I think a stone drain more likely to fill in a. porous subsoil than tile, and then become use- less, thereby disappointing the expectations of the operator, and becoming a hindrance to any farther experiments in draining. I think that when the subject of draining is better understood in this State, that all the operations in that line will be better performed, and, as a consequence, will pay better on the invest- ment, as in very many instances at present it costs more than it need to perform the work ; for instance, many work at it too late- No. 112.] 21S in the fall, and are retarded in their operations by heavy rain« and freezing nights ; this ought not so to be ; the ditches should all be dag, and the tile or stone laid before freezing nights and hea\iy rains come, as the banks are very liable to slide in and cause delay and unnecessary expense vrhcn the operation is per- formed so late in the season. If the operation is performed sooner, the covering settles and becomes firm, and as the rains come, the drains are performing their work of silently carrying away the surplus water, and the soil will be in better condition for a crop the following year. Very respectfully, &c., JONATHAN TALCOTT. DAIRY STATEMENTS. Butter. — Joskua Ballard 2l>, Homer, Cortland County. Method of Manufacture. The sample of butter presented to your committee for your in- spection, Vv'as manufactured by the undei'signed in the following manner : After the process of milking was over, the milk was strained into tin pans, and set away on what is commonly called milk racks, and was permitted to stand there until it began to thicken ; as to the length of time it stands, depends entirely upon the state' of the weather. The cream is then taken off, and kept -as cool as possible until the next morning, and then churned in a dash churn, when it begins to have the appearance of souring^ cold well water is apj)lied in small quantities, until the butter is sufficiently gathered, it is then put into a bowl and washed usually twice in cold water, then salted in the proportion of about ■one ounce of salt to a pound of butter, and then worked as little a« possible, or suflirient to mix the s:ilt well through the butter. The butter is worked witli a h'Vtr, then it is set in the cellar until the nexUmorning, when it is again worked liglitly, then put into the cellar again until the next morning, then worked again and packed in tubs, a cloth is thtn spread over the butter and cover- ed with about half an inch of salt moistened with water, and a tea spoonful of saltpetre dissolved in tlie water for each tub, after which it is kept as near air tight as possible. ^14 [AsSExMBLT The three tubs presented were made between the first and fif- teenth days of October last past. All of which is respectfully submittedj JOSHUA BALLARDj 2i>. Bated Cortlandville^ Feb, 5, 1853. H- WoRDENj Lee, Onexda Co, Mtthod of ^lanufacture. I milk ten cows, and give them only grass and hay, summer and winter. The milk, as soon as taken from the cow, is strained into pans, and set in the cellar. The cream is skimmed as soon as there is appearance of souring, and churned with a dash churn. The milk is worked out with the ladle without washing^ and packed in white ash tubs. I salt at the rate of one ounce to the pound, with Ashton Liverpool [ salt, a fine cloth is put on the top of the butter, when the tub is filled and covered with wet salt, H. WORDEN. Cheese, — Moses Eames, Rutland, Jefferson County. Method of Manufacture, The three cheeses on exhibition were made from the milk o forty-six cows, on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of June, 1852, My manner of manufacture is thus i the milk drawn at night is placed in a tin vat, around which is one of wood, with a space of one inch, into which cool water is kept running all night. In the morning the cream is removed from the surface, and steam is applied through a pipe to the water, by which the milk is warmed to eighty-eight or ninetydegrees, the morning milk being put in with the same. The cream is now warmed, and put into the milk. The ren- net and annatto is then put in, and the whole suffered to stand for one hour or more ; then it is cut with a wooden kfiife into^ small pieces, and left to harden for thirty minutes, it is then care- fully broken up by hand, and is again warmed to ninety-four degrees, and left to settle for fifteen or twenty minutes, the whey' No. 112.] 215 is then taken oif to the curd. Then I commence to break it fine by hand, using a gentle pressure to separate the whey from the curd, and after it is evenly and finely broken, the steam is let on and the heat is raised to 102 or 105 degrees, the whole is kept moving while heating ; the steam is now taken off, and the curd remains in the scalding whey for thirty minutes, or until the whole is sufficiently scalded, which is known by feeling or tast- ing; the remainder of the whey is then taken from the curd, and the curd is left to cool for ten or fifteen minutes, then it is taken into the sink, where salt is worked in at the rate of one pound of salt to fifty of cheese ; it is then put into the hoop, and pressed for twenty-four hours, with a pressure of seven to eight tons weight to each cheese. When taken from the press, it is placed on a table in the cheese room, and a slight coloring of annatto is put on the outside ; it is now to be turned every day, and oiled with whey oil when required, to keep it from checking. Yours with respect, MOSES EAMES. Rutland, Jefferson Co.^ J^evo-Yorkj Feb. 5, 1853. GRAIN STATEMENTS. Winter Wheat. — Ira Apthorp, Riga, Monroe County. Cultivator'' s Statement. The kind of soil, on which my crop of wheat, as mentioned la the annexed certificate, was grown, is gravelly loam. The previous crop was wlieat. Amount and kind of manure to pre- vious crop, clover plowed in. Time and freciuency of plowing, harrowing, &c., in preparing for the crop ; latter })artofJune. plowed once only. Time and manner of sowing, thirteenth day- el September, oroad-cast. Kind of SQt^d, and (piantity per acre ; white Hint, two busliels per acre. Time and manner of harvest- ing ; cut witli reaper, the last days of July. The wliole expense per acre of producing and harvesting the crop, as near as can be stated, including the value of the manure and seed, the labor of men, and teams at coat, or at current rate of wages, 216 [Assembly Plowing, §2 50 Harrowing, , 1 00 Cultivating, 1 25 Seed, 2 00 Harvesting, 2 50 Thrashing, 4 25 Sowing, 0 25 §13 75 I certify that the above is a true and correct statement, accord- Ing to the best of my knowledge. IRA APTHORP. Sworn to and subscribed before me, } this 14th day of December, 1852, ( 0. Tvi,LAB.j Justice of Peace. Surveyor's Certificate. This is to certify, that on the 13th day of December, 1852, I measured and staked off a piece of land, on which was grown a crop of wheat belonging to Ira Apthorp, of Riga, in the county of Monroe, and the same contained two acres and eiglity one rods, and no more. M. M. HOWE Sworn to and subscribed before me, ? this 14th day of December, 3 852, ] 0. TuLLAR, Justice of Peace. Harvesting and Measuring Certificate. This is to certify, that we assisted to harvest the whole of the crop of wheat grown on the above piece of land, as staked off by M. M. Howe, and on measuring the same fairly and correctly, we found the yield to be 7,973 lbs., or 132 bushels 53 lbs., esti- rnatins: 60 lbs. to the bushel. Which is at the rate ot 53 bushels 9 lbs. per acre. IRA APTHORP, Owner. JAMES E. APTHORP, Assutant, Sworn to and subscribed before me, ? this 14th day of December, 1852. \ 0. TuLLAR, Justice of Peace. No. 112. 1 217 Spring Woieat. — Charles W. Eells, Westmoreland, Oneida. Cultivator's Statement. The land upon which my crop of wheat was raised^had been a meadow for several years previous to 1851 . In the spring of 1851 , I plowed the field with a Michigan double plow, ten incliesdeep by twelve wideband planted it with corn without manure, the field of four acres averaged about 75 bushels per acre. I think the great se- cret in raising good crops is in plowing well and deep, we may look in vain for large crops by plowing after the old fashion, just skim- ming off the surface of the soil three or four inches. Some of my neighbors thought when I was plowing ten inches deep, that I should spoil my land and not get half a crop, and that the sward or surface of the soil was buried so deep that it would never see day light again ; but in spite of all their prophecies, I plowed the same field last spring ten inches deep, and brought the old sward up to broad day light again, well rotted and mixed with the other soil, (and if some of the subsoil is brought to the surface I have no objections) which left it in good condition for a crop of wheat; thesoil is a fine gravelly loam and in some places a lit- tle sandy. The farm is situated in the town of Westmoreland, in the southern part, about three miles north of Clinton, and one mile south of Lardsville, P. 0. There has been no manure used on the field for several years, and the crop was raised in my usual course of cultivation. On the 15th of May I sowed four bushels of spring wheat broadcast on the piece ; two bushels of Siberian wlieat and two bushels of Tea wlieat prepared by soak- ing in strong brine, and mixing as much slacktd lime as would adhere to it, the day previous to sowing; I do not hyrrow my land bt fore sowing, after sowing I use a large two horse steel tooth cultivator tlie first time over, and then a fine tootlu-d harrow ; in this way the seed is covert d de('per and I always get a better crop. The wheat was harvested Aug. 20th; about one fourth was reai»ed with a sickle, the rest cradled, was bound in bundles and set up in stooks to dry a few days, and then carted to the barn, 218 [Assembly was thrashed with a machine Oct. 2d, and cleaned in a good fan- ning mill ; the product was sixty-four bushels and thirty pounds on the piece, the piece contained two acres and eighteen rods and averaged thirty bushels and thirty-one pounds per acre. Expense of Cultivation. 1 1 days plowing, |3.00 J day harrowing, 1.00 4 bushels seed, 6.00 4 days harvesting, 4.00 Thrashing and cleaning, 5.25 Interest on land at fifty dollars per acre, 7.00 Total expense of crop, $26,25 Value of straw, _. $10.00 By 64^ bushels wheat at 9s 72.56 Value of crop, $82.56 Total expense of crop, $26.25 Profit, $56.31 Westmoreland, Dec. 28, 1852 CHARLES W. EELLS. (Proofs aa rectuired by Society.) Oats. — E. M. Bradley, East Bloomfield, Ontario Co. Statement of Management of Land ^ ^c. (Proofs as required by Society.) The field upon which this crop of oats was grown, was in the spring of 1851 manured with abf»ut 40 loads of common barn yard manure per acre, plowed and planted to corn, and yielded 9-^ bushels of shelled corn per acre. The soil is a gravelly loam about 12 inches deep, and rests upon a subsoil of red clay. A few apple tree^ stand upon one side of the field, the ground lies gently undulating. No. 112.] 219 - There was no manure applied to the present crop, 3 bushels of common white and black oats were sown to the acre. The land was plowed the first of May, with single horse teams to the depth of nine inches, thoroughly harrowed and sown the 5th of May, broadcast and well harrowed in. No further culture. Ripe and cut the first of August with a common hand cradle, and tied up in small sheaves, and set up in stooks and capped. When thoroughly cured, they were hauled into the barn and thrashed with a machine the 16th of August, and found to yield three hundred and f jrty-one bushels of good merchantable oats, equal to 93 bushels and one half per acre. The expenses of the crop, were as follows : Three days plowing hand and team, at 16s. ..$6 00 One days harrowing, 1 6s 2 00 12 bushels seed at 3s 4 50 4 days cutting and putting up at 10s 5 00 Hauling to barn, 1 6s 2 00 Thrashing and measuring, 1100 Interest on land at 75 dollars per acre, 19 25 Whole amount of expenses, 4975 Cr. By 341 bushels of oats at 40 cts $136 40 " 8 tons straw, at 16s 16 00 152 40 Leaving a balance in favor of crop of, §102 65 Equal to 28 dollars and 12 cents per acre. ELISHA M. EKADLEY. Clov tu Ckop. — Fked. N. Tobev, East Bloomfield, Ontario Co. The field on wliich said crop was grown, is a clay loam, and a crop has been taken from it annually lor more than thirty years, without any apparent diminution of its pruductivenoss, but rather an increase. A uniform system of rotation of crops is pursued of corn, 2d barley, 3d wlicat, 4th clover; remaining in clover two or three years. Manure from the barn yard is uniformly iq)i'lied to the 220 [Assembly corn crop, at the rate of thirty loads to the acre, plaster is also used upon the corn and clover, at the rate of one and a half bushels per acre. For many years this field has been plowed, uniforraly eight and nine inches in depth. The manure is spread upon the clover sward, and plowed under the depth above mentioned. This field was in vrheat in 1851, and sown with cloverseed in the month of March, at the rate of six quarts to the acre. The last of June, 1852, a heavy growth of clover was cut from the field for hay, cut between the 25th of June and 4th of July ; the after growth was grown for seed, and cut in the month of Sep- tember following. Expense of cultivation : One and a quarter bushels seed at |5 per bushel, §6 50 Sowing the same, 75 Four days mowing, $1 per day, 4 00 Three hands and team, one and a half days, curing and hauling to barn, 6 00 Thrashed by a machine at an expense of $1 per bushel,. . 30 00 $47 25 Value of crop : By 30f I bushels cloverseed at $7.50 per bushel, $227 75 " value of hay after thrashing, 15 00 $242 75 Deduct expenses, ,,..,.......,....,...,. 47 25 Profits, $195 50 or $29.54 per acre. =- The field contains, as attested by the surveyor, six acres and one hundred rods of ground, and the yield four bushels and thirty-five pounds per acre. FREDERICK N. TOBEY. East Bkomfield, Feb. 1, 1853. (Proofs as required by the Society.) No. 112. J 221 Estimating the crop of liay at two tons per acre, vvhicli is be- lieved to be less than Ihe actual amount, The value of the hay, at §8 per ton, is $10G 00 Expenses of securing hay at $S per acre, 20 00 Interest on land at $100 per acre, 46 00 $66 00 Total value of the products of six acres and one hun- dred rods, $34§ 75 Total expenses including interest on land, 113 25 Nett profits, $235 50 or per acre, $35.56. ===== F. N. TOBEY. Potatoes. — Peter Crispell, Jr., Hurley J Ulster Cotinty^ on one acre and ,'/„■ of an acre. Ulster County, ss. — Peter Crispell, jr., being duly sworn says> that he raised a crop of potatoes the past season upon land sur- veyed by Edgar B. Newkirk, and that the quantity of potatoes was 554 bushels, measured in baskets which had been measured by a sealed half-bushel ; and that he was assisted by Patrick Seney in harvesting and measuring said crop, and that the state- ment annexed, subscribed by this deponent, as to the manner of cultivation, expense, &:c., is in all respects true to the best of his knowledge and belieJ', and that the sample of the potatoes exhib- ited is a fair sample of the crop, the smaller ones having- been sorted (»ut PETER CRISPELL, Ju. Sworn l)el'ore me, this 22d i day of Dec. 1852, ] Corn's Newkirk, Jr., Justice. The croj) previous to tlie potatoes was corn, whicli had beea manured before plantiiii^ with about tliirty-tive loads of barn- yard manure to the acre, and about one hundred and twenty Lusliels of leached ashes to the acre after planting the corn ; no manure was used on the land for the potatoe crop, tlie land was 222 [Assembly >» plowed and planted the first week in Maj ; planted in hills about three feet apart, it was worked by passing through both ways with a cultivator, as soon as the rows could be followed; and when the tops were sufScieutly large it was cross-plowed and hoed, and the crop was gathered in October. Expense of cultivation : Plowing land, $1 00 Furrowing and planting, 2 25 Cultivating and plowing, 1 50 HoeiDg, 1 25 Digging crop, 18 75 $24 75 To this to be added the interest on land, and a proportionate expense of the manure applied to corn crop the previous year. The potatoes w^ere of the yam variety, and the land adjoining that planted with the yam, I planted three different varieties, the best of which did not yield more than at the rate of 300 bushels to the acre. P. CRISPELL, Jr. FRUIT. The committee on fruit report that there were on exhibition from Messrs. Ellavanger & Barry, of Rochester, forty varieties of winter pears, including among their number Winter Nelis, Easter Beurre, Beurre D'Aremburgh, Glout Morceau, Doyenne D'Hiver Nouveau, Vicar of Winkfield, and others of the standard as well as of the newer varieties, all in very fine, and many in edible condition, giving to the society and its committee a better oppor- tunity of judging of the relative merits of the varieties than was ever offered to them before. For this interesting as well as use- ful display, they award to Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, a large Silver Medal. Also from Messrs. Ellw^anger & Barry, thirty eight varieties of Winter Apples, in very fine condition, to which is awarded a Diploma, and a copy of Downing's Fruits. No. 112.] 223 From T. G. Yeomans, of Walworth, Wayne County ; six varie- ties of Apples, to which is awarded a copy of Barry's Fruit Garden, also, two varieties of Pears. From J. H. W^atts, of Rochester, five varieties of Apples, to which they award a copy of Thomas on Fruit. From A. Frost k Co., of Rochester, twenty varieties of Apples, including very fine specimens of the standard winter varieties, to which they award a copy of Downing's Fruit. From John S. Goold, of Albany, three varieties of Winter Pears, and two varieties of Grapes, all in good condition, to which they aw^ard a copy of Barry's Fruit Garden. From P. BARBER,Homer, New-York ; ten varieties of Apples, to which they award a Yolume of DowDing's Fruits. From Charles Kingsbury, of Homer : three varieties of Apples, to which they award a copy of Thomas on Fruit. From N. & E. S. Hayw^ard, of Brighton, Monroe County; twenty-six varieties of Apples, in fine condition, to which they award a Diploma and a copy of Downing on Fruits. From Messrs. Wilson, Thorburn, & Teller, of Albany ; three varieties of Apples, to which they award a copy ot Thomas. From Isaac Merritt, of Penfield, Monroe county ; three varie- ies of Apples, to which they award a copy of Thomas. From F. W. Lay, of Greece; ten varieties of Apples, to which they award a copy of Downing. From N k E. S.ITAY\vARi),of Brigliton ; two varieties of Grapes, in finely edible condition, kept in cotton and sawdust, both equally good, for which they award Barry's Fruit Garden. From Robert Brown, of Greece ; twenty varieties of Apples, all in fine condition, to which they award a Diploma, and a copy of Dr)wning's fruits. From David Coonuad, Brunswick, Rensselaer county ; one variety of Apples. 224 [Assembly From Hart Massey, of Watertown, JefFersoD county ; five varieties of Apples, in fine condition, to which they award a copy of Downing's Fruits. From J. J. Thomas, of Macedon, Wayne county; twenty varie- ties of Apples, in fine condition, to which they award a Diploma and a copy of Barry's Fruit Garden. N. Crittendex, Ithaca, 6 different varieties of Apples, Di- ploma and Earry. VoLNEY Burgess, East Chatham, Isabella Wine, five years old. Diploma. Mrs. J. Denio, Rome, Apple Jelly, very fine, S. S. Medal. From C. Goodrich, of Burlington, Vermont ; specimens of a Seedling variety, supposed by some growers in Vermont, to be identical with Norton's Melon, but which is not Norton's Melon, and though not by any means equal to it, is nevertheless con- sidered by the committee a good fruit ; the committee award to Mr. Goodrich, for his attention, and for the opportunity offered to correct the mistake, a volume of the Society's Transactions. HERMAN WENDELL, M.D. ^ CHARLES DOWNING, 1 Committee P. BARRY, ^ i^ommiuee. A. SAUL, Fattening Pigs, by Jurian Winne, Bethlehem, Albany Co. The pigs exhibited were dropped in May 1852. They ran to grass, and were fed with five others of the same litter, on the milk of three cows, with feed enough to keep them thriving until fall, when they were fed with boiled pumpkins, mixed with shorts and other feed then soft corn, and afterwards hard corn in the ear, until the 13th of January, 1853; commenced weigh- ing and measuring feed) and weighing pigs. Jan. 13, No 1 weighed 299 lbs. From Jan. 13tli to 21st, 8 days, No. 2 *' 261 <' fed 56 lbs. corn meal boiled, ■ and 1 bushel corn in the ear. S60 Valueoffeed -. $150 No. 112.] 225 22, No. 1 weighed 313 " Fedfrom 21 Jan to 1 Feb, lldays, No. 2 *' • • • 271 57 lbs scraps boiled and mixed • with 57 lbs com meal, ^ bushel 584 corn, 1 peck of corn in ear 2 SO « Gained in 9 days, 24 lbs. i 31, No. 1 weighed 325 " Fed from Feb 1 to Feb. 11, 8 days, 1^0.2 " 290" li bushels boiled com 120 — :— Their drink was milk, about four 651 quarts per day 1 80 Gained 9 days 31 lbs. Whole expense of food in 25 days $6 80 Feb. 7, No. 1 weighed 347 No. 2 " ■ 306 633 Gained 7 days, 38 lbs. Feb. 8, Pigs killed. No. 1 weighed 290, shrunk 57 lbs. No. 2 " 254, « 52 " Gained in 25 days 93 lbs. JURIAN WINNE. [Ag. Tr. '53] 226 [Assembly 05 P5 P5 H H V. P^ ^ O 1 P-i S ^ cj CO O Co P o o o cs o o C^ O vO Jt- <=; «0 O O .-( •\ *\ CS0JOOrHr-lrJi'^05C0?0k0O ■>*-^Oeci-icico'00'-<#t--^o (M Ti< ^M^ s O ■1-2 S^o o - .^ ^w '^ • a> o ^ tC ID'S CQ u s o 1-3 -^ 13 C '«!i£l^ si I is u t- o o o o O ^aH;3fS^sscga:fS^^ W3 -l O a sa m n o •S ® 4J .-J ■^ P4 t> d §^ ■"^OO^OOiOOO I— fOC5. a © -* O T-" ■o «o CO o O <0 00 'O O (>» <3> O tH T-H eo ;^ Til Ci O i-i 00 a - c o *^'a eS E^l"a-2 > o a o 00 e«5o O 1:^ O O >« 1— I CO <=> 1>- CO i-l r-l C5 o a © a ^> © © ® M -2 o ■ -^ c ::2 ^ a <» c3 Oi OJ © s o © 5 © o H I— I O V, © '^ Q © a s to©-g © «2 ffl to o © - ^a o en © •a © a o © Ah Cm O c3 o © © ^ a TO © Cm a © 3 -Zi 13 -© o a. a ^^ © "ii - Oi r-l o l-l i>- Ci !>. lA C<1 C5 X^ 1-- Oi o «\ r\ CO Oi tH rH Cm O o H © a © a © a I-" O m -• 'T3 u O S^ ^ e3 © r4 -M O a^ 2 »-• o eS © o O o o (3 la \« V* \* CO S2 »*% bo^* v» ^» \* ^ S<1 © o — I g c 03 t-3 © a o o o ei o o © a a ci Cm © ;-! a o o > a © a -M -M tH © 00 CO 1^ ^** No. 112.] 227 (A.) — Premiums. W. A. Mills, fat cattle,.; 4 §25 00 L. Turner, " 5 23 00 Daniel S. Curtis, sheep, 7 10 00 Morison Ford, fruit, •. 8 2 00 E. R. Dix, barley, 9 10 00 Benjamin Aikin, t!ax, 10 10 00 S. J. Gove, swine, 11 5 00 Benjamin Enos, barley, 12 15 00 William Davison, " 13 13 00 €. W. Eells, wheat, 14 8 00 do grains, 15 23 00 E. S. Salisbury, peas and beans , 16 20 00 E. W. Bushnell, ry« and oats, 17 20 00 Israel Denio, butter, 18 15 00 Moses Eames, plan for dairy, , 19 25 00 Peter Crispell, Jr., oats, 20 15 00 J. Mc D. Mclntyre, sheep and oats, 22 13 00 William Rathbun^ " ^3 8 00 E. M. Bradley, corn, wheat &c., 24 40 00 Milton Knickerbocker, fat ox, 27 10 00 Abram Laurence, corn, 28 3 00 Douw Van Vechten, grass seed, 29 5 00 Mrs. Holt, dom. man., , 30 2 00 Moses Eames, " 31 4 00 B. Hodge, fruit, , 32 2 00 Daniel Deusler, implements, 33 2 00 James Lyon, fruit, 34 2 00 Luther L. French, butter S.C., 35 23 00 W. H. Richardson, poultry, 36 3 00 Herman Osborn, swine, 39 3 00 P. Downey, fat sheep, 40 10 00 Paris Barber, plan of dairy 41 25 00 Ricliard Gregory, swine, 42 5 00 €. Rapp, <* 44 8 OO • J. D. Li'dyard Jr., cattle, 45 8 00 Charles Suowden, sheep, 46 8 00 David Coonrad, buckwheat &c., 47 18 00 B. McNeil, cattle and sheep, 48 49 00 \ 228 [ASSEMBLF. D. R Jerauld, horse, ! 56 $10 00- Daniel S. Eaker, fat stock, 57 25 Oa- Thomas A. Smith, tobacco ►.......%...... 59 5 00' H. E. Smith, farm implements, 62 13 00 Miss L. D. Wheeler, dom man, C9 2 00 Jacob H. Holt, wheat, •. .- 70 5 00 Sanford Howard, essay, 71 20 00' B. B. Westfall, plowing, 7a> 5 00 H. G. Dickinson, fruit, , . 74 2 00 CJark& Gilman,hats,. 76 5 00- S; Rr-Mott, geese, 77 2 .00 Edwards & Piatt, honey, 78 5 00 J. Upton, cattle, 80 12 00 W. C. Watson, Essay, 81 20 OO A. H. McLean, sheep, . 82 13 00 Clark & Oilman, furs, 83 5 00 Joseph Harris, Essay, 84 20 00' Visscher Mix, let'g medals, 90 5 50 J. Howland, barley & corn, 93 8 00 H. B. Bartlett, oats, 1 99 10 00 William Webb, flowers, 105 3 00 Sepmour Foster, rye, 107 1 5 00 William Strever, horses, 115 5 OO A. & S. D. Freer, cider mill, 118 3 OO Brown & Mills, agricultural implements, » . ..... 122 5 OO G. Waterman, let'g medals &c., 132 51 00 V. Mix, lettering, 142 2 50 Robert Lovett, medals, 156 112 50 William Osborn Jr., cattle, .^. ^159 18 OO R. H. Van Rensselaer, cattle, .* 160 23 OO I. M. Sherwood " 161 116 OO Seth Miller, " 162 8 OO William Robson " .163 3 OO Lewis F. Allen^ " 164 13 00 .M.D.Bailey, " 165 10 OO S. P. Chapman, '' 166 88 00 William N. Brown, " 167 10 00 H. N. Carey, " 168 5 OO A.R3SS, " _. . 169 $16 oa No. 112.] 229 tJ. F. Clark, Cattle, 170 §45 00 -S. K. Williams, " 171 30 00 J.S.Eastman, " 172 33 00. D.M.Browne, « 173 8 00 R. M Hart, * <• 174 20 00 J.W.Collins, " 175 3 00 Wm. H. Sotham, " 176 105 00 Eawson Harmon, " 177 20 00 Marcus Zeh, " 178 15 00 John Freemyer " 179 30 00 Wm. R. Miller, " . .' 180 15 00 John Browne, " 181 30 00 S. H. Church, " 182 15 00 L. H. Colbey, " 183 43 00 Luther Comstock " 184 5 00 •J. H. Sherrill, " '. . 185 10 00 Gains Butler, ^' 186 10 00 Z. B. Wakeman, " 187 • 20 00 H.P.Potter, ." ...188 24 00 •J. H. Caswell, " 189 20 00 John Capron " 190 10 00 €. S. Wainright " 191 73 00 J. C. Tilfaney " 192 33 00 JohnMuirSr., <« 193 10 00 S. H. Hammond, i^ 194 6 00 J. B.Tuckerman, " 195 10 00 F. D. Blackstone & Co., " 196 25 00 Charles Mason, '' '. . . 1 97 1100 S. M. Mason, " j 98 40 00 Charles Downer, " 199 10 00 John Oliver, " ... 200 20 00 Bickford k IlulVman, " 201 1 5 00 E.H.Morgan, " 202 15 00 C.G.Poole, " 203 20 00 John W. Williams, '' 20 1 3 00 M.C. Remington, " ...205 20 00 J. B. Burnett, Horses, 206 15 00 Clark & Jeroleman, '^ 208 1 p 00 Wm. A. Willoughhy, " 209 10 00 John Brydec, O.Gould,..., H. B. Moore, William R. Kirby, J. N. Holmes, M. Ley den Jr., R. S. Tracy, Horatio Curtis, M. G. Barneys- Silas Hale, Barnes Davis, F. A. Spencer, D. W. Cristy, 0. G. Pennelly Samuel Baker, Cornelius Schoby, Charles Peck, C. W. Ingersoll Mark Gill, Obadiah Howland, S. M. Mason, Truman B. Derrick, Ira Carrier, Daniel North, L. R. Proctor, John C. Wilson, J. M. Gillett, John F. Hager, Jl. Adams, BeDJamin Ashley, H. Gould, Holliburt & Kimball, John Me Donald, Daniel Kimball, William Robson, Richard Gypson, J. M.Slie wood, Chas. W. Eells, J. Haswell, Horses, 210 " 211 ^« ...... 212 « 2ia ^ 214 '^ 215 « 216 ««■ 217 ^^ . 219 ^ ' 220 " 221 « 222 " 122 **■ 224 « 225 *^ 22e " 227 *^ 228 '^ ........... ,... 229 " 230 '^ 231 " 232 '^ , 233 « ,... 234 '<^ 235 « 236 " 237 « 238 " 239 ^^ ..o 240 Sheep, 211 " 242 « .243 " 241 « 245 « ...,., .. 248 '' 247 *^ , 248 [Assembly 20 OO 15 00 8 OO 5 00 15 00 15 00 10 00 20 OO 10 00 15 OO 10 00 5 00 6 OO 25 00 30 OO' 30 00 20 00 10 00* 10 OO 35 OO 25 00 20 OO 5 00 30 OO 8 00 15 OO 12 00 12 00 15 00 20 OO 8 00 10 00 20 00 10 OO 10 00 6 OO 20 00 10 OO 6 00 No. 112.] 231 Z. B. Wakeman, Sheep, 249 $88 00 . S.H. Church, « 250 50 00 W. Eells, « 251 6 00 J. Haswell, « 252 20 00 Sharp and Taylor, " 253 32 00 John McDonald, " , . . . 254 20 00 William Miller, « 255 20 00 Ralph Wade Junr., " 256 2a 00 E.S. Barlow, « 257 20 00 James J. Jackson, " 258 10 00 Reed Burritt, " 259 6 00 A.Gage, " 260 14 00 S.B.Crocker, " 261 50 00 A.P.Wood, « 262 6 00 R. E. Keese, « ' 263 28 00 William Rathbun, " 264 22 00 D. S. Curlis, " 265 56 00 James Haswell, " 266 26 00 D. W. Curtis, " 267 33 00 A. L. Fish, Swine, 268 20 00 Z. B. Wakeman, " 209 15 00 H.Barnard, " 270 10 00 C.W. Eells, ^< 271 5 00 Levi T. Marshall, " 272 10 00 J.W.Curry, « 273 lu 00 J. H. Curry, " 274 10 00 Henry Dodge, " 275 16 00 Morris Hecox, " 276 4 00 Joseph JelYers, " 277 10 00 Otis Simmons, " 278 8 00 S. 11. Williams, " 279 5 00 William Robson, Poultry, 280 3 00 T. J. Sizer, " 281 2 00 J. M. Sherwood, " 282 2 UO John W. Granby " 283 5 00 E.ll. Bliven, " 284 5 00 L. D. IT. George, " 285 3 00 R. Blackslone, " 286 3 00 Hiram Gilmore, '' 287 2 00 232 [Assembly Jacob Harper, Poultry, , , 288 3 00 John Dimbleby, " ' 289 3 00 Charles Saiiford, " 290 3 00 John Ross, "" 291 3 00 H. R. Farwell, " 292 2 00 D. P. Newell, " 293 18 00 F. P. Ward, Jacks, 294 30 00 H. H. Kellogg, Males, 295 25 00 N. Culver, Fruit, 296 6 00 David Gray, " 297 8 00 C. Reagles, " 298 5 00 T. C. Maxwell, & Co.," 299 12 00 John T. Stevens, '« 300 2 00 J. H. Sherrill, " 301 12 00 D. Ay res, " :.., 302 / 5 00 N. & E. S. Hayward," ! 303 10 00 P. Brentnall, " , 304 6 00 N. & E. S. Hay ward," 305 3 00 Thorp, Smith, Hanch- ett, &Co., " , 306 21 OO Morris Clark, Flowers, 307 1 00 S. D. Childs, " - 308 12 00 C.E.Goodrich, " 309 3 00 Charles Spratt, Vegetables, 310 22 00 James Hallock, " 311 23 00 J. B. Kaye, " 312 12 00 N. Culver, « 313 8 00 C. E. Goodrich, " 314 3 00 F. W. Boyce, " 315 15 00 Almond Benjamin, sugar, 316 5 00 Joel Wood worth, -' 317 10 00 Stephen Gifford, " 318 3 00 Curtis Coe, Honey, 319 " 5 00 J. S. Eastman, " 320 2 00 Willet Vary, Cheese, 321 15 00 Willard Green, " 322 20 00 W.A.Peebles, " 323 5 00 S. D. Mason and others, 324 ' 50 00 ('S. ^ D. mihj,' CJheesej ••:;;;;,.......;' ''M; '' "tO^OO 00 S TBS ' '' .eaomlfO miiiilx Q « « * 6 • / No. 112.] 233 A. C Clark, Cheese, 326 15 00 Moses Eames, " 327 20 00 James Parker, Butter, 328 20 00 AmosGouldiDg, « 329 30 00 William Robsbn, " 330 . iO 00 A.H. Randell, Churn, 331 "5 00 J. P. Norton, « 332 5 00 Charles Taylor, Cheese press, 333 2 00 M. A. Hackley, " 334 5 00 J. H. Manney, Farm Implements, 335 80 00 B. H. Wakley, " 336 25 00 D.S.Millard, " 337 12 00 C. H. Toll, " 338 6 00 S.R.Tracy, " 339 20 00 Thos. D. Burrell, « 310 50 00 J. G. Burritt, «* 341 3 00 Joshua Woodward, « 342 10 00 Jacob Clapper, ^ « 343 10 00 Sam Cochran. « 344 5 00 Seymour & Morgan, " 345 20 00 Z. B. Wakeman, " 346 3 00 J. H; Sherrill, « -.. 347 10 00 E. W. Badger, « 348 25 00 Chester Clark, " . 349 2 00 J. Rapelje & Co., « 350 90 00 Hart & Mann, " 351 5 00 P.Seymour, • « ' 352 35 00 Samuel Fuller, Dora. Man., 353 3 00 M. L. Ilungerford, ^" 354 10 00 S. A. Burton, " 355 3 00 W.A.Jenkins, " 356 3 00 S.Bailey, " 357 3 CO C. D. Burlingame, <^ 358 2 00 E.B.Dewey, « 359 5 00 Harriet Coburne, " 3G0 8 00 Elizabeth Pexton, " 361 2 00 Freelove Wilcox, " 3(i2 100 John Bullard, " 363 4 00 234 [Assembly Lucy Newell, Dom. man-, 365 $6 00 John Bullard, « 366 8 00 S. A Bunce, «« 367 20 00 Freelove Wilcox, " 368 • 8 00 Mrs. Gains Butler, " 369 2 00 A. Eggleston, " 370 100 Samuel Collins, " 371 4 00 Amos D. Mix, " 372 4 00 Sarah K. White, « 373 2 00 S.W.Abbott, « ; 374 17 00 Chester Clarke, « 375 22 00 Ziba Clarke, " 376 12 00 Luman Shepard, " 377 12 00 William C. Burrett, " 378 1 00 Jeremiah Sweet, « 379 3 00 Nathan Tanner, * " 380 8 00 Mrs. I. Kincade, " 381 3 00 Eliza Poinier, Shell work, -. . 382 3 00 C. M. Rundell, Wax work, 383 2 00 Dr. S. Heffron, « 384 3 00 Mrs.S.P. Goodsell, " 385 3 00 E. W. Hopkins, Needle work, 386 5 00 Francis Lawyer, " 387 3 00 A. Lanford, " 388 2 00 Daniel Eells, " 389 1 00 J.W.Brown, " 390 100 E.Lewis, Plowing, 391 4 00 Thos. Williams, " 392 12 00 C.W.Eells, " 393 8 00 John Brydon, " ^ .' .' 394 12 00 O.Howland, Seeds, 395 7 00 David Conradt, " 396 12 00 Jas. H. Sherrill, '' 397 10 00 Chas. W. Eells, " 398 10 00 S.W.Abbott, " 399 5 00 John Gilbert, " 400 3 00 S. H. Williams, '^ 401 4 00 John Brydon, " 402 10 00 S.H. Church, " 403 10 00 No. 112,] 235 Chas. W. Eells, Seeds, 404 §10 00 Wm. Robson, " 405 8 00 LumanShepard, " 406 8 00 Edward Harrison, Grist mill, 407 10 00 M. H. Lines, Harness, 408 10 00 G. L. AclTerman, Car brake, 409 3 00 S. S. Hitchcock, Scales, 410 3 00 0. HoTvland, " 411 3 00 J. H. Bushnell, Discretionary, 412 3 00 S. V. Tilton, " 413 3 00 Silas Dimick, « 414 3 00 Wells & Kendall, « 415 3 00 Joseph Swannell, « 416 6 00 J. & J. B. Lankton, Milk pans, 417 3 00 J. W. Gregory, Drain tile, 418 5 00 N. M. Dart, Wool, : • 4ly 3 00 McDougall & Penton, Boots and shoes, 420 5 00 G. Davis, Pipe box, &c., 421 3 00 J. L. Burdick, Printing, 422 5 00 M. L. Hungerford , Dom man, 455 100 Elon Sheldon, Cattle, ; . 462 52 00 George Sheldon, " 463 10 00 Vashti Campbell, Needle work, 467 3 00 Mrs. J. F. Jones, " 468 3 00 Jesse Williams, Cheese, 469 25 00 William H. Hill, Horses, 470 0 00 Mrs. C. McKnight, Dom man, 471 9 00 J. F. Ebensperger, Poultry, 472 3 00 H. D. Babcock, Needle work, 473 2 00 Mary Wolcott, « 474 3 00 Mrs. J. Sheldon, ^ 475 2 00 Mrs. J. Harkott, ^ 476 2 00 John Foster, Farm implements, 477 15 00 Hutchinson k Co., Dis'ct, 479 3 00 P.D.May, " 480 5 00 Mrs. I. H. Noyes, Dom man, 481 9 00 E. I^ Prentice, Cattle, 482 91 00 E. M. Van Alstyne, Flowers, 486 8 00 Mrs. J. T. Van Namee, Dom.man., 487 28 00 236 [Assembly Mrs. J. T. Van Namee, Flowers, " 488 P. Seymour, Agr. implements, 500 Hinman, Higbj & Co., " 501 Johnson & Bros., Discretionary, 502 Boyce k Avery, Morses, 503 M. P. Coons, Discretionary, 489 S. H. Ainsworth, Fruit, 5t)4 D. Richardson, Cheese, 505 A. Frost & Co., Fruits and flowers, 506 H. B. Bartlett, Plowing, 507 William Rathbone, Sheep, 508 D. M. Crowell, Butter, 509 T. Wright, Poultry, 510 C. F. Crossman, Vegetables, 1851, 511 " " 1852, 512 E. Taylor, Thomas & Co., Straw cutter, 513 J. S. & M. Peckham, Farm implements, 514 D. M. Crowell, Farm products, 515 A. Bartlett, " 516 Mrs. Lydia W. Bartlett, Dom man, 517 Mrs. L. W. Babcock, " 518 D. N. Bosworth, " 519 Mrs. W. 0. Laird, Needle Work, 520 William T. Aumuck, Discretionary, 521 A. C Baird, " 522 M. B. Oviatt, Flour, .' 523 William Newcomb, Flowers, 524 A. Frost & Co., " 525 W. M. Bullock, Cattle, 539 Elias L. Barlow^, Sheep, 569 Mrs. Henrietta Otis, Needle work, 570 J. F. Gurly, Sewing silk, 571 F. Weir, Dom man, j . 572 J. B. Morse, Vegetables 573 Howard & Co., Mowing machine, 574 Mrs. E. N. Rockwell, Needle work, 575 J. C. Hastings, Fruit, ; 576 "^ Flowers, 577 A.'Van BergenJ Cattle,'. 578 13 00 2'} 00 5 00 3 00 00 10 00 1 00 20 00 40 00 6 00 18 00 10 00 3 00 11 00 11 00 10 00 O 00 20 00 13 00 4 00 5 00 10 00 5 00 3 00 2 00 10 00 23 00 2 00 20 00 8 00 3 00 5 00 35 00 10 00 30 00 3 00 10 00 10 00 5 00 No. 112.] 237 Mrs. S. Bailey, Needle work, 579 $100 S. A. Aberman, " 580 3 00 Zeiias Wright, Agr. implements, 581 9 00 Mrs. Ziba Clarke, Dom man, 582 10 00* W. E. Coppock, Fruit, 583 5 00 Lewis King,. Discretionary, . . 584 3 00 Eddy.Dyer &Co., Agr. implements, 585 40 00 E. P. Marson, Vegetables, 587 3 00 A Weaver, Melons, 588 2 00 Mrs. J. T. Van Namee, Dom man, 595 2 00 Abraham Myers, Honey, 596 3 00 John W. Lewis, Dom man, 598 4 00 William Tracy, Fruits and Flow^ers, 599 8 00 H. L. Suydam, Fruit, 601 5 00 M. Van Deusen, Poultry, G02 2 00 D. Richardson, Cheese, C03 5 00 E. W. Wilson, Discretionary, 604 2 00 Andrew Passenger, Vegetables, 605 6 00 Theodore Backus, Grain, 606 2 00 Miss S. R. Vines, Needle work, 607 100 Cuyler tanner. Churn, 608 2 00 R. H. Pease, Premium expenses, 611 40 00 ■ " C' 612 14 50 James Hallock, Vegetables, 614 4 00 C. Van Benthuysen, Printing labels, &c., 618 329 81 S. L. Thompson, Wheat, 619 20 00 Visscher Mix, Lettering medals, 626 9 00 James II. Parker, Discretionary, 627 3 00 C. E. Goodrich, Expert, with potatoes, 628 100 00 Mrs. C. A. Glatt, Needle work, 629 2 00 Henry Vail, Fruit, 630 14 00 James Cantine, Cranl)erries, 631 8 00 C. F. Crossman, Melons, 632 6 00 Jauics Wilson, Flour, 633 6 00 John W.Taylor, Cattle, 631 10 00 A. 1). Grannis, Fruit, 635 2 00 Pease & Rnbbins, Smut macliine, 637 10 00 C. E. Goodrich, Potatoes, (33 10 00 Miss K. K. Merritt, Shell work, 639 1 00 238 [Assembly Wm. Connell, Needle work, 640 $5 00 V. Mix, Lettering medals, 648 2 00 George Waterman " 649 17 00 W. S. Potter, Poultry, 650 3 00 Erastus H. Pease & Co., Books for premium,. . . . 656 201 45 Jeremiah Sweet, Dom man, 657 6 00 C. S. Wilson, Fruit, 658 5 00 N. Brand & Co., Implements, 1851, 96 2 00 Levi Cozzens, Fruit, 659 3 00 William Mervine, " 660 6 00 J. D. Patterson, Sheep, 661 24 00 J. H. Dunbar, Hops and butter, 662 15 00 E. W. Badger, Implements, 663 5 00 John Bettridge, Sheep, 664 5 00 Henry Howe, Implements, 665 8 0(f A. C. Johnson, Poultry, 667 2 00 Lyman Avery, " 668 2 00 $6,354 26 (B.) — Expenses of State Fair. Charles Kittridge, Expenses at fair, 1851, 97 §2 00 J. F. Strain, Refreshment tent, 423 25 00 Anson Benjamin, Dairy hall, 424 10 00 J. B. Burnett, Supt. horses, 425 9 00 I. Denio, at Dairy hall, 426 13 50 N. Stevens, at Vegetable tent, 427 1 50 Lyman Sherwood, Supt. sheep, 428 15 00 Perren & Fowler, use of table and sofa, 429 5 00 James H. Leddy, at Floral hail, 430 9 00 George Rhodes, " 431 3 00 E. B. Jones, " 432 10 00 C. & E. Comstock, Printing, 433 4 00 E.H.Roberts, " 434 . 7 50 Beardsley & Lyon, " 435 15 00 Dudly McCluskey, at Floral hall, 436 10 00 D. G. Bates, at Manufacturers' hall, 437 5 00 M. P. Coons, candles for night watch, 443 2 25 R. Northway & Co., Advertising, &c., 444 17 25 No. 112.] / 239 T. R. McQuade & Co., Advertisicg, ^c, 445 6 25 Alfred Walker, expenses at Floral hall, 446 11 88 M. Leyden, Junr., Treasurer's office, 447 3 00 A. T. Snow, " 448 3 00 A. L. Johnson, " 449 6 00 W. C. Colling, " 450 3 00 W.H.Perry, " 451 25 00 L.H.Tucker, " .: 452 25 00 L. Tucker, sundry expenses, 453 5 25 George Lord, services at south gate, 456 9 00 M. Savage, « 457 9 00 James Avery, services at entry gate, 458 6 00 E. W. Hopkins, Domestic hall, 459 18 00 John Carter, at Floral hall, 461 94 J. F. Strain, Refreshments, 466 125 00 D. H. Davidson, Printing, 478 1 50 John F. Strain, Refreshments, 484 248 06 J. W. Osborn, clerk bus. office, 485 14 50 N. S. Wright, expenses at plowing match, 490 8 00 E. S. Rarnum & Co., expenses of speaker's tent,. 491 62 R. S. Doty, expenses of manufacturers' hall,. . . . 492 31 50 W. A. Groves, clerk, 494 16 25 A. Little, " 495 3 00 D. G. Bates, " 496 4 00 H. W^ager, incidental expenses at fair, 526 1 38 Cornelius Veazie, sprinkling niachine, 527 47 00 M. P. Cuons, superintendent of machinery, 528 18 00 E. E. Plait, superintendent at fair, 529 15 00 John Holmes, cartage books, 530 2 00 Charles King, clerk hire, 510 20 50 S. A. Bunce, " 5U 21 00 Daniel Dunne, " 512 14 50 John Parsons, " ^^^43 40 UO John Springsteed, " 544 20 00 W. H. Bogart, " 545 25 00 E. A. GMge, « 5t6 30 00 A. B. Roberts, " 517 4 00 T. S. Morris, at gates, 548 10 00 H. N. Bill, clerk, 549 25 12 240 [Assembly N.H.Williams, clerk, 550 $4 00 L.L.Lewis, " 551 25 50 W.M.Colburn, . " 552 22 12 J.S.Reynolds, « 553 22 12 Thos. W. Valentine, clerk, 554 23 00 G.W.Piatt, " 555 22 12 A. F. Chatiield, " 550 23 50 Eugene Stearns, « 557 ' 16 00 A. E. Warriner, " 558 15 00 E. L. Comstock, « 559 16 00 Samuel Parsons, , " 560 12 00 J. McLean, « 561 16 00 H. Tutliill, " 562 15 00 U. Thompson, " 563 14 12 Thomas J. Hyde, « 564 31 00 L. T. Marshall, « 565 30 00 A. White, expenses for clerks, 566 5 00 Robert Conway, " 567 3 00 J. F. Strain, refreshments, 568 149 55 J. Whiting, expenses at floral hall, 589 6 26 John Holton, " 590 8 50 Seward & Thurber, stationery, 597 16 00 C. Van Benthuysen, printing for state fair, 615 246 39 John Butterfield, expenses of fair, 641 141 63 John Butterfield, expenses of w^ater hydrants,. . . 646 13 75 Hugh Williamson, use of team on sprinkler, .... 647 20 00 Erastus H. Pease & Co., entry books and cards for State Fair, ' 655 55 60 (C.) — County Surveys. Gurdon Evans, County Survey, 1 J. Delafield, 133 J. H. Salisbury, Analyses, Essex county, 386 J. H. Salisbury, do do 609 Gurdon Evans, Survey of Madison, 116 §1,728 41 $150 00 50 00 ; 49 00 40 00 : 150 00 $439 00 • No. 112.] 241 (D.) — Expenses Trial Impleivients. Vouchers.— No. Ill, 127, 144, 145, 146, 147, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 460, 483, 497, 498, 499, 531, 554, §733 08 (E.) — Library and Agricultural Museum. Vouchers.— No. 49, 67, 85, 87, 102, 109, 119, 121, 123, 130, 152, 153, 154, 535, 536, 538, 617, 620, 625, 645, 652, 653, §461 13 , (F.) — Postage, &c. Vouchers.— Nos. 68, 86, 100, 113, 124, 138,149,158, 534, 594, 622, 643, §219 10 (G.) — Incidental Expenses. • Vouchers.— Nos. 66, 88, 89, 101, 114, 126, 129, 140, 150, 553, 593, 610,624,642,651,... $318 49 • (11.) — Miscellaneous Expenses. Vouchers.— Nos. 43, 50, 51, 64, 92, 98,101, 112, 117, 454, 493, 600, 94, §675 48 (J.) — Salaries, Travelling Expenses, &c. .-' * Vouchers.— Nos. 60, 61, 65, 75, 79, 95, 103, 106, 108, 110, 120, 125, 131, 135, 137, 139, 143, 148, 151, 155,157, 532,537, 591, 592, 613,621, 623, 636,614, 666, §2,640 93 (Iv.) — Printing. Vouchers.— Nos. 52,53,616, '. §234 35 (L.) — Expenses of Rocukstkr Fair, 1851. Vouchers.— Nos. 2, 3, 6, 72, 123,136, $877 67 [As. Tr. '53.] ^ 243 [Assembly (M.) — Expenses Winter Meeting. Vouchers.— Nos. 21, 25, 26, 37, 38, 54, 55, 58, 63,. ... $104 50 (N.)— Loan of §4,000. Vouchers.— Nos. 91, 141, 464, 465. SCIEiXGE AND AGRICULTURE. Prof. John P. Norton's latroductorv lecture before the Scientific Department af the Albany University^ on Wednesday evenings January 14, 1853. The Professor commenced by saying, that in delivering the intro- ductory lecture to the proposed course before the Scientific De- partment of the University, he was assuming an important posi- tion, a position which might with more 'propriety perhaps, have been awarded to some one more experienced than himself. But there was this assurance to comfort him, that the subject to be treated, was one of the highest interest and importance, commend- ing itself to the attention and consideration of all who felt any anxiety in the advancement of the cause of science connected with agriculture. Before proceeding to the consideration of the subject to which this series of lectures is to be devoted, a few words upon the general nature and ends to be attained by this Institution, are proper and called for. And first, what is the object to be attained? Our system of common schools is one upheld, admired and eulogised by every civilized nation. We liave advanced to a point never before known. Our motto is "universal eles by the aid of science, and not trust to individual experience. A change is now coming over the minds of farmers. They are bef?iiining to see that a scientific knowledge of the soil, is neces- sary. And as this truth becomes more and more impressed upon then), as they introduce more and more practical results among them, the faruier's ])rogress will be sure. He will become a think- t/i^rjHS well as a working man. His character will grow, as well as theprofitsof his land, lie will be candid, inijuiring, and disposed to leceive the truth. He will not nj»'(t anything, .•-imply because it i& new. And, by this, the i)leasure of the business will be in- creis.d. As we understand, so do we enjoy, just in tliat pro- portion. 'Jhe farmer's life, as it generally is at the i>restnt day, is a mat ter-of- fact business, promising little attraction for a mind whieli loves to search fur truth and seek out knMwled«:e, but wh< u rrismatic colors, all is confused and indistinct. But lie who from the beginning of time has never failed in the construction of anything, lias given to man and animals a perlect 254 I Assembly achromatic glass, by which all these difiiculties are obviated. We have visual organs, by which we are able to see day light as suet ; we see it white. And we can distinguish all the various colors, the one from the other. We do this by a power resident in man, through means of the optical instrument, perfect in its construction, which the creator has given us. A glass which pos- sesses the power of obviating this difficulty of the prismatic spec- trum, is called achromatic. This is derived from two Greek words a (signifying ivithout,) and chroma (signifying color. ) The word microscope is also from two Greek words, meaning to view small things. 9 In 1773 a poor but well educated and enlightened English gentleman, thought to experiment, in endeavoring to consauct an optical instrument after the form of the human eye — for this is the most perfect optical instrument of which Ave have any knowl- edge. That it is one, may be seen at once by examining the eye of an ox. You find imprinted upon the retina, which is the expan- sion of the optic nerve, a beautiful picture of surrounding objects, just such as are seen in the daguerreotypist's camera. (The Pro- fessor her? drew a diagram of the human eye upon the board, and showed the manner in which the rays of light fall upon and are conveyed through it until they reach the retina, where they form the picture already alluded to ; they pass through six media in going from the outside to the retina.) This gentleman in carrying out his idea, took common flint glass, and crown glass, their densities and hence refracting power being differ *it, just as are the media of the eye, and placed them together so- that they should fit accu- rately the one to the other. . He took a double con^^ex lens of one material, and then fitted to each side, a plano-convex lens of another material. So that he had three media through which the rays must pass, and these media fitted closelv, as thev are in the eve, making them as it were, solid. This was the construction of the first object glass ever made. In those days the wants of the naturalist were never thought of; he must succumb to the astronomer. It was out of the ques- tion to get any man to spend a moment of time, much less any No. 112.] 255 thoughtj upon the construction of an achroniatic g'ass for a mi- crobcope. Not until later days has this important instrument been regarded in its true light ; an instrument of even more value to man than the telescope. The latter is a very inquisitive in- strument, it asks the stars a great many questions, but the stars do not answer ! And the moon too, but we know but little con- cerning her ! So does the microscope,, this little tube we have here, ask questions, but it does not ask them in vain. It will have an answer. It asks most pertinacious questions, and persists and perseveres, until it does get a reply, until it gets the truth, the ihhole truth and nothing hut the truth. Provided you use the microscope and not a microscope. Ihat is, the microscope which is made in imitation of the eye. The Prof spoke somewhat in detail of the various instruments constructed by different individuals, concluding that subject by remarking that to say the least, those manufactured by our coun- tryman, Mr. Spencer of Canastota, Madison Co., were equal to the best ia the world. ( This was received with renewed cheers. ) He did not know what principle they were constructed upon, for he had never asked, because he did not wish the secret. It that gentleman had made a discovery by which he could construct glasses, he was entitled to the benefit of that discovery, and he ( Prof. G.) would not wish to know the process for fear he might in an unguarded moment divulge it, and do something detrimen- tal to the interests of the inventor. lie then explained the manner of computing the mafinifying power of a microscope ; which is by dividing 8 inches by the focal distance of the glass; supposing the focal distance to be \ of an inch, it magnifies 32 times. In considering tlie su'»ject of whicli tlio following lectures are to treat, it will be necessary in the first j)lace to pay attention to the general classificatii'U of insects, and shall do so because, a few days since one of the studmls a^ked me what text books would be necessary, I felt completely bewildered; a large number of works have been written,containing a great deal of valuable infor- mation; I told liini I Would defer a reply then. 1 have since exam- 256 [Assembly raed several works with reference to this point, and I now tell him if he is present, and all others of the students that I have been perfectly astonished at the confusion I found; and now with a view to have a foundation for what we are to do, we must have a classification into different orders, and sub-divisions ; we use of necessity what are called technical terms. But this is not confined to the pursuit of this science, or any or all sciences , we use technical terms every way ; here is one family and here is another; the one we call Smith, that distinguishes them from the other family. But perhaps there are a dozen children. So we name one John, another Charles and so on, thus establishing their individuality. And that is what we do here ; we have in the first place our whole family, they are all Smiths. (Laughter and cheers.) And then we subdivide them. Take another illus- tration. You and I go to London to attend the world's Fair ; as we are walking along, you say to me, who is that gentleman just in front of us? An American. An American'? But from what part of America, for that is a great country ; from North or South America '? He is from N^ew-York. From New- York city ? No, from New- York State. Well then, from what part of the State 1 From the city of Albany. But that is a large town containing many inhabitants. What is his name ? His name is Johnson. Yes, but there are a great many Johnsons, what is his given name? Why sir, that is B. P. Johnson ; and there you have our worthy Secretary! ( Cheers long and losd.) The Professor then closed by giving the four divisions or groups into which Cuvier divides all animals, which are, Vertehrata ; or those wliich have a backbone; Molusca^oa those which have soft bodies ; Articulata, or those which have a jointed locomotive or- ganism ; and Radiata, or those which radiate from a center like the s;ar fish. CURING AND PRESERVING BEEF AND PORK. Value cf Solar evaporated salt as compared with the best foreign saltSj determined. Sec. N. Y. State Ag. Soc. : Dear Sir, — In the course of some investigations on the manu- facture of common salt, I have had occasion to inquire into its useS; the adaptation of different kinds to particular purposes, and into some of the injurious effects which are alleged to come from the use of bad salt. Many of these being of a character to inter- est agriculturists, I have thought it might not be improper to pre- sent them to the notice of the State Agricultural Societyc One of the most important uses of salt is in preserving meat, cutter, cheese, &c., and for this it seems indispensable. How it operates to produce this result and the precise changes which it effects in the substances preserved, are not fully understood. Liebig in his work on Agriculture and Physiology, p. 295, says, " salts of mineral acids with alkaline bases, completely arrest decay when added to decaying matter in sufficient (^[uantity, and when their quantity is small, the process of decay is protracted and retarded.-' ^^ Fresh flesh over which salt has been strewed, is found after twenty-four hours swimming in brine, although not a drop of water has been added ; tlie water has been yielded by the muscular fiber itself, and having dissolved the salt in imme- diate contact witli it, and tliereby lost tlie power of penetrating animal substances, it has on this account separated liom the Uesh. The water still retained by tlie flesh contains a proportionally small quantity of salt, having that degree of dilution at which a saline fluid is capable of penetrating animal substances." " This property of animal tissues is taken advantage of in do- mestic economy, for the pur]>ose of removing so much water from [As;. Tr. '53.] n Jp^ ^-wpF-i^. 258 [Assembly the meat, that a sufficient quantity is not left to enable it to enter into putrefaction.'" Liebig in his " Researches on the Chemistry of food and the mo- tion of the juices in the animal body/' in discussing the proper- ties of the juice of flesh, soups, &c., at page 109 and onward, says '- when lib. of lean beef, free of fat and separated from the bones, in the finely chopped state in which it is used for beef sausages or mince meats, is uniformly mixed with its own weight of cold water, slowly heated to boiling, and the liquid after boiling brisk- ly for a minute or two, is strained through a towel from the coa- gulated albumen and the fibrine, now become hard and horny, we obtain an equal wei^^ht of the most aromatic soup, of such strength as cannot be obtained even by boiling for hours from a piece of flesh. When mixed with salt and the other usual addi- tions, by which soup is usually seasoned, and tinged somewhat darker by means of roasted onions or burnt sugar, it forms the very best soup which can in any way be prepared from lib of flesh.'' " The influence which the bvown color of this soup, or color in general, exercises on the taste, in consequence of the ideas asso- ciated with color in the mind (ideas of strength, concentration, &c.) may be rendered quite evident by the following experiment. The soup colored brown by caramel is declared by all persons to have a much stronger taste than the same soup when not col- ored, and y^ the caramel in point of fact, does not in any way actually heighten the taste." " If we allow the flesh to boil for a long time with the water, or if we boil down the soup, it acquires spontaneously, when concentrated to a certain point, a brownish color and a delicate flavor of roast meat ; if we evaporate it to dryiiess in the water bath, or if possible at a still lower temperature, we obtain a dark- brown, soft mass, of which half an ounce suffices to convert lib. of water, with the addition of a little salt, into a strong well fla- vored soup." " The tablets of so-called portable soup, prepared in England and France, are not to be compared with the extract of flesh just mentioned 3 for these are not made from flesh, but consist of gel- No. 112.| -299 M atine, more or ieso pure, only distinguished from bone gelatine by its higher price." ^' From 32Ibs. of lean beef, free from bones and fat (81bs. dry meat and 241bs. of water), there is obtained lib. of true extract^ of flesh, which, from its necessarily Tiigh price, can hardly become an article off commerce, but if the experience of military surgeons agrees with that of Parmentier, accordiog to whom '' the dried extract of t^esh, as an article of provision in the train of a body of troops, supplies to severely wounded, soldiers, a restorative^ or ro- borant, which, with a little wine, immediately revives their strength, exhausted by great loss of blood, and enables them to bear the t^;ansportation to the nearest hospital,"* it appears to me- to be a matter of conscience to recommend to the attention of governments the proposal of Parmentier and of Proust. "Now that the composition of the extract of flesh is somewhat more accurately known,it ought to be easy for every well informed apothe- 'Cary to distinguish the genuine from the false. Of the true ex- tract, nearly eighty per cent is soluble in alcohol of eighty-fit. e per cent, while the ordinary tablets of fX)rtable soup rarely yield more than four or five per cent. The presence of kreatine ana krektinine, the latter of which is instantly detected by the addi- tion of chloride of zinc, to the akoholic solution, as well as the nature of the salts left on incineration, which consists chiefly of soluble phosphates, furnishes sufficient data for jadgingof the quality-of the true extract of flesh." " I consider this extract of flesh as not less valuable for the provisioning of ships and fortresses, in order to preserve the 'health of the crew or garrison, in those cases where fresh meat and vegetables are wanting, and the people are supported by salt meat." *'It is universally known, that in the salting of meat, tlie flesh is rubbed and sprinkled with dry salt, and tliat where the salt, and meat are in C(mtact, a brine is formed amounting in bulk to ^ne-third of the fluid contained in the raw fl<'Sh." •• SffD Prouat, Annttlca de Cbiuiic ct dc PL^rbiquc, third uaics, Vol. 18. p. 177. *^ I have ascertained that this brine contains the chief consti- tuents of a coricentrated soup or infusion of meat j and that, there- fore, in the process of salting, the composition of the flesh is changed, and this, too, in a much greater degree than occurs m boiling. In boiling, the highly nutritious albumen remains in the coagulated state in the mass of flesh, but in salting, the albu- men is separated from the flesh ; for when the brine from salted meat is lieated to boiling, a large quantity of albumen separates as a coagulum. This brine has an acid reaction, and gives with ammonia a copious precipitate of the double phosphate of ammo- nia and magnesia. It contains also lactic add, a large quantity of potash, and kreatine, v\^hich although I could not separate that body from the large excess of salt, may be safely concluded to be present, from the presence of kreatinine. The brine, when neu- tralized by lime, gives, after the salt has been crystallized out, a mother liquid, from which, after some time, wiien alcohol and chloride of zinc are added to it, the double chloride of zinc and kreatinine, so often mentioned in the former part of this work; is deposited." *'It is now easy to understand that in the salting of meat, when tliis is pushed so far as to produce the brine above men- tioned, a number of substances are withdrawn from the flesh, which are essential to its constitution, and that it therefore loses in nutritive quality in proportion to this abstraction. If these substances b% not supplied from other quarters, it is obvious thdt a part of the flesh is converted into an element of respiration certainly not conducive to good health. It is certain, moreover, that the health of a man cannot be permanently sustained by means of salted meat, if the quantity be not greatly increased, inasmuch as it cannot perfectly replace, by the substances it con- tains, those parts of the body wiaich have been expelled in conse- quence of the change of matter, nor can it preserve in its normal state the fluid distributed in every part of the body, namely, the- juices of the flesh. A change in the quality of the gastric juice,, and consequently in that of the products of the digestive process, must be regarded as an inevitable result of the long continued use of salted meat; and if during digestion the substances neces- sary to the transforination of that species of food be taken from «» » No. 112.] 261 other parts of the organism, these parts must lose ther normal condition." " In my experiments on the salting of meat, I used at first a species of salt which subsequently proved, on examination, to contain a considerable proportion of chloride of calcium and chloride of magnesium. I was induced to examine the salt, by observing the brine obtained from meat salted, with it, contained only traces of phosphoric acid. The external aspect of the salted flesh sufficiently explained this unexpected fact ; for 'it was cov- , ered as if with a white froth, consisting chiefly of phosphate of lime and phosphate of magnesia. The earthy salts of the sea salt had entered into mutual decomposition with the alkaline phosphates of the juice, producing phosphates of lime and mag- nesia, of which only very small quantities could be dissolved in the acid brine." "In the use of a salt rich in lime and magnesia, there may thus be a cause which renders the meat salted with it less injurious to the system. For it is plain, that when, along with such meat vegetables are eaten which are rich in potash, (and this is the cases with all esculent vegetables,) the conditions are present which determine tlie reproduction, during digestion, of the defi- cient alkaline phosphates. That these latter salts may actually be formed under such circumstances, is shown by the analysis of milk, a fluid rich in alkaline phosphate, compared with that of the fodder or food of graminivorous animals, which last contains no alkaline phosphates, ])ut phosphates of lime and magnesia, •along with salts of the alkalies, with other acids " The work from which the above quotation is made, is one of great interest to all who study the s ul ject of domestic economy and presents a clearer view of the subjects upon which it treats, than has before been given, although the distingui>hed author says that it is very incomplete, and can only betaken asau intro- duction to the vast field ui)on whicli it has entereil. As illustrative of some of the poiuls in ii, I may state a few of the facts brought out last year * in the report of a committee uf * Xbo iuvcati^tioa comiueoccd Feb. 23, and closed April JOth| 18j2. _ 262 [ASSEMBLT the British House of CommoiiSj " appointed to inquire into the contractSj and the mode of making them, for the supply of meat provisions for the use of Her Majesty's Navy from the year 184& to 1851, inclusive, and to the rejection of preserved meats ; and into the causes which have led to the receiving into the govern- ment stores, and to the issuing for the use of Her Majesty's ships on foreign service, certain preserved meats, which have proved to be unfit for human food ; and into the means by which an oc- currence so prejudicial to the public service may most efiectuallj be prevented." In this examination Thos. T. Grant, Esq., comptroller of the victnalling department of the Navy, testifies that a com- complaint was made in November, 1851, from a vessel on the West India station^, " that the salt meat issued to the crew of Her Majesty's ship Alarm," invariably weighing considerably less than half its original weight after boiling, more particularly the beef, four-pound pieces of which seldom weigh more than front one pound two ounces to one pound and a quarter ; one piece yesterday, with two bones in^ it, actually only weighing nine oun- ees, as noted in the log.j I beg leave to state to you, that every care being taken not to boil the meat longer than is absolutely necessary, the surveying officers, the senior lieutenant and master, are of opinion that this enormous shrinkage is attributable to th« old and inferior quality of the meat ; the beef we are at present using is dated October 1847, and was received from Halifax vic- tualling depot, on the 15th day of September, 1851 ; the pork was^examined January 1850, and was received from the Jamaica victualling depot, on the 28th day of February, 1851, &c.,&c.y Mr. Grant states that this '' must have been vevj old meat which had been left in the depot in Halifax Yard, and had been subject to a tropical climate for a cousiderable time, and we find that un- der those circumstances meat will lose at least one-half, and even: more than that from being exposed to the climate, and being sub- ject to the influence of the pickle, Tlie earliest eomplaint^ so far at I have been able to ascertain, that was made upon this subject, was in 1783, in that year there were several complaints made by the seamen of the different ships, of the shrinkage of the meat after boiling, and the Admiralty of the day directed that experl- menis should be made at the Deptfor d yard for the purpose of as- No. 112.] 263 ^_^ ' cer^ainiug wliat the loss in the meat was at different times and at different ages; and I find from the report that was then made, that meat which was only cured a few days, lost a third in weight, and according to the time that it remained in pickle it lost in proportion. I have here a statement of different experiments which have been made for the purpose of ascertaining what the meat really did lose. According to the present regulations, when- ever the meat loses one-half in boiling, the men are supplied with an additional half-pound. Now we find that that is subject to very great abuse j in the first place the object of the cook is to boil away the meat as much as possible, because he obtains a lar- ger quantity of what is termed slush, for whk*h he is paid, and in some ships he is paid a very large amount, sometimes as much as .£125, and £150, for his slush. On the other hand the seaman if he finds the meat boils away to half a pound, claims the additional half pound, but in fact he does not take up this half-pound, he saves it, and is actually paid at the rate of 4d. a pound for it, and the result is, that during the last two years we find that we have paid the seamen upwards of £50,000 for their savings in salt meat alone. I have also pamphlets which were published by Mr. Cooper, and by Messrs Donkin, Hall and Gamble, in which they state, that on careful experiments the loss of the meat is exactly that which bears out the various experiments that we have made. They say the first experiment was made on the 27th of May 1S13, on a fifty-six pounds keg of captain's beef, which had been about a month in pickle, weighing 5G pounds, It was then boiled by steam and the bones were carefully separated. The meat was suffered to cool and it was then found to weigh 35 pounds, defi- ciency 21 pounds ; being, viz: bones 5 pounds 6 ounces, waste in boiling 15 pounds lU ounces, total 21 pounds; being about iO per cent loss. Tli6 second experiment was made on the 24th of July, 1813, on a half barrel of prime mess beef, weigliing 100 pounds net ; which was salted in October 1812. On weighing the t^ame prior to cooking it was 103 pounds. It is presumed that this increase of 3 pounds, arose from the meat being saturated with the pickle. It was then boiled as in the foregoing experi- ment, the bones carefully separated, and the meat suffered to cool, it was then found to weigh 17 pounds 8 ounces, deficiency 264 [Assembly 52 pounds 8 ounces; being, namely, bones 9 pounds 10 ounces, waste in cooking^ 42 pounds 14 ounces ; total 52 pounds 8 ounces, being more than one-half loss, &c. &c. To the question whether he attributed this deterioration to the admixture of ather descriptions of meat with the British meats, he answered " No ; I think from the experience the officers at the victualling yards have of foreign meat they would be quite alive to that ; they subject the meat to the exarnination which I have described, and they also subject the meat to the test of boil- ing, which is a sure test, but which I must say causes the greatest discontent on the part of the contractors." To the question w^hether salted meats supplied under foreign contracts have been equally good with those supplied under Brit- ish contracts : he answers " I must say the meat supplied from Hamburgh in particular and the Prussian meat and some of the French meat is quite equal to any meat supplied in the United Kingdom. I have my doubts as to the general quality of the American meat ; we have been rather unfortunate with our American meat ; we find now that there are very different quali- ties of American meat, some of it may be considered inferior meat at least not as good as our meat, but some of it is certainly first rate quality" " I may add we have obtained information from several of the large ship owners both at Liverpool and London, Green & Wigram and parties of that description, and they invariably state that tlie merchant seamen prefer the American meats to those of the United Kingdom ; and I must say that our report from ships generally speaking, with reference to Hamburgh meats andDant- zic meats, and French meats, as far as they have come to office, give the preference to those as compared with the meat of the United Kingdom. ^^The first foreign meat was introduced into the service in 1847." "The Hamburgh pork and the Dantzic pork, is said to be bet- ter fed than the Irish ; it is decidedly a better fed, and larger des- cription of meat, and at the same time it does not boil away even No. 112.] 265 • so much as the Irish meat; that is the result of the meat now under delivery, we find that it actually does, not boil away a third, which is the amount which we allow for the receipt of meat. This is the case with pork as well as beef It is to be as- cribed to its being thinner meat, and to its being better fed. The observation we have made is this, that the best looking American meat, that is to say, the finest grown and the fattest meat, loses most in boiling. It is impossible to see finer looking meat,- than that meat as it comes out of the casks, but it will not stand the test of boiling; I suppose on account of the large quantity of fat that is attached to it. We have reason to believe that a good deal of this meat, under certain brands, is fed upon acorns, which gives it that fat appearance, but it has not the solidity which our meat has." Capt. A. Milne, R. N., one of the Lords of the Admiralty, tes- tified tliat 'Hhe average boiling away of meat in the first year is generally about thirty-three per cent., and it goes on increasing the second year to above forty per cent., and in the third year it is generally more than one-half. Has been in the Navy thirty- three years. No more complaint of pork diminishing in boiling, since there has been free trade in provisions, than formerly. The pork is considered remarkably fine, and is looked upon as superior to what we had before. We have had American, and Dantzic, and Ilanibro' and Erittany pork." ''There have been no com- plaints of the pork or beef of any of those countries." James Selfe, Esq., testified that he was ship's husband for Mr. Green, and that he had the entire charge of victualling twenty- seven ships, and had been thus engaged for thirteen years. To the question, whether tliere were many conq)laints of the bulling away of salt meats, his answer was "yes, we find that the cooks boil the meat too much ; we give them the slusli as a perquisite ; there is a great deal in the way <>f boiling meat ; we insist upon the cooks putting the meat into. cold water, but if you don't watch them very narrowly, they will put it into hot water, which destroys th.* meat; if you put the meat into cold water, it gets heated gradually, and the internal part becomes boiled to the same degree as the external i);irt ; but if you i)ut it into hot 266 [Assembly water, the outside is boiled, and the inside remains badly cooked." ^' If the American meat was not attended to, it would boil away more than other meat, because there is more fat."' The shrinkage on the best meat is from 22 to 25 per cent. " inferior " 35 " 40 " " We 23urchase the best salt provisions that can be got in mar- ket, India beef and India pork, and latterly we have given our crews American beef, in preference to Irish or English ; we find it much superior." ^' We have purchased American beef for five or six years ; and latterly when American meat of such a quality as we purchase was not in market, we have sent Irish beef ^ but our people do not like it so well ; they complain of it, in fact the Irish meat is not so good now as it was seven or eight years ago." " The Irish pork is superior to the American, for sea pur- poses." Edward Ede, Esq., assistant storekeeper at the Deptford victualling yard, on his examination stated his opinion of the quality of British and foreign cured meat, that he " preferred Hamburgh meat, up to the examinations of last year ; we have not had any this year, but this year certainly the palm has been carried off by the American meat branded "Abburger." '•' This is beef, not pork ; the best pork we receive is certainly the Ham- burgh pork and the Dantzic, especially the Crasemann's and Koofman's brand, Hamburgh. The best Irish meat, and which is the nearest to the quality of the Hamburgn meat, is cured at Limerick, by Oake, or Shaw and Dufiield." Memoranda of the late comptroller of the victualling, dated in 1846, were also handed in to this committee. The comptroller states that the Deptfurd officers reported that the " experimental American salt beef was equal to the Irish salt beef, &c., &c." He also says, '^ since the alteration of the tariff, American salt meat has become an article of great import into this country, but the pork shrinks so much in boiling as not to be held in estimation. Much of the beef, however, is of a quality not inferior to the best Irish cured meat. There is, at the same time, a much larger quantity imported that is deep colored and hard, and of a very inferior quality, so much so as not to be fit for use in the navy." No. 112.] 267 " Of the American beef imported into this country that from th6 OhiOj Arkansas, &;c., which comes through New Orleans, is gene- rally of inferior quality, while that from the States on the shores of the Atlantic is, on the contrary, of excellent quality, particu- larly that importe i fiom Baltimore. The meat cured at the latter place is gpr.erally from store cattle, driven across the Alleghany m : tains, and fattened in the rich pasture"^ on the coast." Another memoranda dated in 1847 says that "previous re- ports on the quality of American beef were so satisfactory, as to have induced the purchase of 2,000 tierces last year ; and a re- port has been received from Commander Murray, of the ' Favor- ite,' stating ' that the American beef was superior to any that he had ever seen issued to a ship's company, and that it was of a fine quality, and lost very little in boiling.' No report has yet been-received on the quality of the American pork purchased for experiment, except that it was considered, at Deptford, when re- ceived, to be of a superior quality." The test by boiling is one much relied on at the victualling yard at Deptford. When there last summer, the Commandant, Capt. Dundas, allowed a copy of one of their reports of an exami- nation of beef, to be made for me, and as it will give some idea of the manner in which the trial is made, I insert it heie. Extract from the Deptford^ s officers^ report j dated Deptford vic- tualling yard, April 15, 1851 : " We have made three comparative trials of American and Irish cured beef, by boiling each until properly cooked, and the following are the results : Baw. Boiled. Lost, lbs oz lbs oz lbs o» No. 1 , ribs boiled 2 hours, Irish, Wood's Brand, 8 10 5 6 3 4 American, Hough's, " 8 9 4 2 4 7 "2, sirloin," 2 " Irish, Wood's, " 8 1164 27 American, Hough's, << 8 10 4 8 4 2 *• 3, brisket," 2 " Irish, Wood's, " 8 7 63 24 American, ' « 8 4 412 38 268 [Assembly In the above experiments, both sorts of meat were put into cold water when placed on the fire, and the water on reaching the boiling point, was kept in a sim ering state until the meat was dressed. We do not think the American meat requires less time in cooking than the Irish, for en trying a piece of the former, weighing about eight pounds, v;ith an hour and a half boiling, it was almt)st raw in the middle, and when properly cooked, it is harder and not so nice in flavor as the Irish. ^' We repeat what we have already stated in our reports of the 27th ultimo, and 8th instant, that the appearance of the Ameri- can meat in its raw state is excellent, and we have no doubt those^wdio provide for the mercantile marine are pleased with the sight of the article. We would suggest it as being probable, that the cattle from which the meat in question was procured, had been after a severe winter, sent in a lean state into rich pasture, and consequently so rapidly fattened, as to prevent tlie proper consolidation of the muscular liber and fat, so that the process of boiling reduces the weight by evaporation, more than the meat of cattle f^d less rapidly." Edward Ede, Esq., assistant store keeper at Deptford, informed me that in the trials of beef in 1852, the Irish lost moi'fe than thirty per cent., the American twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and Hamburgh and English, twenty-five per cent. The presence of chloride of calcium and chloride of magnesium in salt have generally been thought injurious ; they give to salt a tendency to deliquesce or run in wet weather, and frequently give to it a sharper and more pungent taste. All unite in con- sidering them an inconvenience, but it will be perceived that Liebig in the article quoted, looks upon them as decidedly bene- ficial, and in the Gardeners' Chronicle and Agricultural Gazette for Feb. S, 1845, in a report of the Agricultural Chemistry Asso- ciation, several points of general interest to agriculturists are mentioned as having been inquired into, both analytically and practically. The eighth of these is " practical farmers, in dairy districts, havinsr remarked that certain varieties of salt most favored the storing of their cheese; this subject has been in-, quired into, and those varieties which contain most of the deli- No. 112.) 269 quescent chlorides, have been found to be those which in practice answer best. This is rather remarkable." In the course of my inquiries, I have frequently found the most violent and groundless prejudices against particular varie- ties of common salt, existing in the minds of intelligent and prac- tical men. The distinguished Dr. Samuel Mitchell, of New- York, in 1803, wrote a letter to Dr. Caldwell, on the injurious proper- ties of Liverpool salt. This letter was published in the Medical Repository, vol. 7. He says, '' In the course of trade between America and Great Britain, it has become the misfortune of the United States, to be visited with frequent cargoes of salt from Liverpool. This article is prepared on the western coast of England, where coal for fuel can be bought at a low price, by boiling ocean water or briny spring water, saturated with the rock-salt of Northwich, in large and shallow pans of iron. The native mineral salt of Cheshire, is carried coastwise to Lancashire for that purpose. The salt which remains after the water has been evaporated by force of fire, is called 'pan salt^ and is a med- ley of saline substances. It is very different in its qualities from the pure muriate of soda ; for wiiereas that is the most agreeable of the antiseptics, and ranks among the strongest ; this mixture of impurity and trash is remarkable for possessing the reverse of those valuable properties. Indeed, this artificial salt is exceedingly unlike the salt formed by the evaporation and crystallization, which sea-water naturally undergoes in the warmer latitudes. There is a remarkable difference between that vile and heteroge- nous mass sold in the American ports, under the name oi blcwn salt or Liverpool salt, and the efficacious apd excellent article brought Irora the Canaries, Cape de Verde and Bahama Islands. • "The frequent and intimate connexion between tlie American ports of New-York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, &c.,and the town of Liverpool, has rendered it very convenient, in the course of com- merce and navigation, to throw in salt at the latter place i\>t bal- last, or part of a cargo, to the American market. The cheapness of fuel from the neighljoring coal mines in Lancashire, enables the salt boilers to sell their manufarture cheap ; and lience it hap- pens that sliips about to come to America, either empty, or with 270 [Assembly a light freight, find it worth their while, as they must have bal- last, to buy salt for the purpose instead of stones, sand, iron, or the like. If the salt clears itself, after paying prime cost and duties, it will answer as well as other ballast. If it does more than this, it is preferable." " From this concurrence of ev^ents, it has happened that the sea ports of the United States have been largely supplied witlr British home-made salts, from Liverpool. Almost two-fifths of all the foreign salt consumed in the United States comes from this part of England. And a material more pernicious in its con- sequences could hardly be introduced among our people. The importation still continues, and the time is come to apprise and warn them of the evil. It is highly to be wished that never a bushel more of that mischievous commodity should be consumed in America. The trade in it ought to be broken up. If the con- sumers of salt were aware of the bad quality of that from Liver- pool, there would be little probability of their continuing to use it or of purchasing a bushel more. " Liverpool salt is very imposing to the eye. It is in a fine powdery form, of a tempting color, and possesses all the exterior qualities which allure purchasers, and invite a ready sale. The manufacturers possess in an uncommon degree, the art of prepar- ing their ware most handsomely for market. "It has accordingly been bought with avidity, by the Ameri- can merchants and traders, and transported to many into the interior parts of the United States. The snowy whiteness of the material itself, its ready solubility in water, and the mildness of the pickle which it forms, had brought Liverpool salt into gene- ral use for preserving the beef, pork, and butter, of the middle and southern States. " The loss of property and of life consequent upon the use of this kind of salt, is prodigious. Experience year after year, has proved it to be incapable of preserving our beef from corruption. Often has this important article of food been found to be tainted, the very autumn in which it has been packed in barrels. More frequently has the beef stunk abominably in the maga$;ines and warehouses of New-York and other cities, on the return of warm [No. 112. ^ 271 • weather the ensuing spring. And a more common and lament- able case is. that in the progress of summers heat, aided by a southern latitude, the beef when exported to the West Indies or elsewhere, degenerates with a still more rapid process of putre- faction. ^' The inspectors who repack our beef, the merchants who own it, and the masters of vessels who carry it abroad, are all witnes- ses of these facts. " But the waste and destruction of property are not the worst consequences of trusting the preservation of beef to Liverpool, salt. The exhalations from such masses of animal flesh, as they undergo corruption, and turn to rottenness, are remarkably nox- ious. They poison the surrounding air by their deleterious pre- sence. They have sickened and destroyed repeatedly in New- York, the inhabitants, who were unfortunate enough to be in the neighborhoodof such nuisances, and enveloped in their unwhole- some atmosphere. Pestilence and desolation have prevailed in the vicinity of these putrifying remains of oxen, bulls and cows. ^- The misery endured by cities is also incidental to ships, within the sides, and under the hatches of a vessel, septic vapors are copiously engendered, and most highly concentrated. Exist- ing there in their greatest virulence, they excite fevers of the most fatal -forms that afflict the human race, and thus, from the nature of their cargoes, can it be understood wherefore vessels that carry beef, &c., to the West Indies are commonly sickly, and by the time they get back, are in an odious and intolerable state of uncleanliness. Too pestilential from the venom engendered within them, to be admitted to port, tiiey are proper subjects of alkaline jjurificatim^ by which alone canjhey be reudered sweet, safe, and wholesome. '•Thus, besides the sacrifice of property, we tind tliat tlie em- ployment of Liver[)Ool salt, in pickling beef, leaves it liable to corrupt; and tlie consequences of this corruption are pestilential exhalations, stirring up yellow fevers, and other malignant dis- tempers in the neighborhoods of cities and vessels, where the bodies of thvse herds of slaughtered meat cattle haj»pen to be deposited. Indeed, the mischief accruing to housekeeping, to city police, and to navigation, from this source, almost exceeds enumeration. 272 [Assembly " There is another evil, however, which ought to be men- tioned ; that is, the disorders of the stomach and intestines in- duced by eating semi-septic beef and pork. It is well known to each master of a house, as well as to every master of a ship, that sometimes their salted provisions become tainted or partially spoiled. The expediency or necessity of the case obliges the family or crew to subsist upon this unsound and unhealthy food. Dysenteries, fluxes, scurvies, and similar ailments, are the natu- ral ailments to this kind of diet. Sometimes among the cus- tomers of a country storekeeper, the extent of the sales of his British salt can be traced in the region around ^ by the offensive and disgusting condition of their meat tubs, and the prevalence of bloody fluxes, and other intestinal disorders in those who draw their sustenance thence. ^ ^' The loss of property, health, and life, which results from the vitiated and corrupt state of our beef, whether consumed at home or exported to foreign parts, is likewise consequent upon the use of Liverpool salt, or other British boiled salt, to pickle our j^ork. But as pork, from its nature, is less prone to corrupt and emit venomous gases than beef is, andis brought in smaller quantity to market, there is proportionably less damage sustained from its putrefaction, and less injury from its exhalations. But pork as well as beef suffers all that it can suffer in deterioration, from the weak and adulterated material wherewith it is salted. And thus the vessels in the West India trade grow foul and sickly. Their crews contract yellow fevers from the causes existing within themselves, and then the blame is cast upon foreign dominions. '' The butter of the New-York market has also been rendered worse, if not absolutely spoiled, by the same kind of salt. Be- guiled by its fine and showy exterior, the citizens have used it extensively in our counties, famous for grazing and dairies. In many cases it has supplanted the old fashioned coarse or sun made salt. Wherever this substitution has been made, it has been with a per.:icious effect. The butter so salted does not keep so well, loses its agreeable flavor, and acquires rather a disagreeable scent. It is less prized by those who are nice in selecting this important article of housekeeping, and it consequently brings a lower price to the No. 112.] 273 person who makes it. Thus agricultural industry is deprived of a part of its reward, and this will probably continue until the' buttermakers discontinue altogether this very unfit and unsafe material. The difference between butter put up with this salt, and with the natural chrystallized salt is so great, that our whole- sale and retail grocers can distinguish it at once by the smell, on piercing or opening a firkin. The sweet flavor and nice odor which pure sea-salt gives, is altogether wanting in that which is seasoned with the other, &c., &c." In a report made to the minister of agriculture and commerce, of France, in 1847, upon salt ponds, (les marais salants^) and the manufacture of solar salt ; it is stated that a favorable prejudice has long kept up the character of the salt made on the west coast of France. It was thought preferable to that made on the Medi- terranean coast, about Marseilles, for salting fish. The latter was said to be too active, too corrosive. Now the results of a series of experim.ents made with great care, from 1827 to 1830, by order of the Minister of the Interior, by a commission com- posed of men of the most eminent scientific attainments, M. M. Thenard, Gay Lus.-ac, Berthier, &c., show that in comparative experiments made with salt from Marseilles, from the Atlantie coast of France, and from St. Ubes, all succeeded equally well. They even remarked that codfish prepared with Marseilles salt, acquired new qualities with age, and kept better, and it appeared that the Americans, easier suited, or more knowing than the French, gave willingly the preference to Marseilles salt. They take advantage of the return of their vessels, to load them ; and the strange sight is seen of French fishermen going to St. Ubes for their supplies of salt, while the Americans come to France for theirs. The only possible difference there can be between the two kinds, is that the Marseilles salt is most free fri)m dirt, and foreign substances. Last summer when at Dieuze, in the eastern part of France, where there is an extensive manufactory of salt, and where the salt is of an excellent quality, and very pure, 1 saw a large pile of blue clay, and on inquiring its use, was informed that it was [Ajf. Tr. '53] s 274 [Assembly- for making grey salt. By mixing this clay with the pure white- salt, in tlie process of manufacture, they could produce an article demanded by some of their customers, who seemed to think the excellence and strength of salt depended on the darkness of ita color. ^he amount of provisions damaged, and spoiled every year is enormously large. I have no accurate statistics to show the amount with precision, but both packers and dealers unite in the statement, that the losses from these causes are very great. In the fall of the year, it not unfrequently happens that great quantities of meat becomes tainted after it is salted, and before the salt strikes^ and beef in particular, even when not otherwise damaged,. is darker colored for being packed in warm w^eather. Beef packed in casks made of green w^ood, is sometimes made quite black on its surface, from this cause. Pork packed in March or April, is very liable to rust. And it is not unusually the case,, that with an over anxiety to preserve meat, persons add an extra quantity of salt, this of itself is a serious injury to it, and will give it a black color. But upon these various points, I am glad to be able to present the results of the experience of an inspector and packer of beef and pork, who has been engaged in the business for many years past, and who has coming under his observation annually, from 25,000 to 50,000 barrels. C. Seguine, Esq., No. 518 Washington Street, New-York, has very obligingly furnished to me answers to the following questions. New- York. Feb 15M 1853. Mr. Geo. H. Cook, Dear sir — Accompanying this I send you answers to your que= ries transmitted ahmg with yours of the 19th ult., with which I also received "the report named. I have found it a matter of more difficulty than I had supposed,. to find time to give the subject the attention that its, importance demands, and am fearful that you will be much disappointed in the matter and manner of my replies. The qualities that go far to make a successful business man are not such as w^ould qualify him to generalize on paper, in my own case I have felt it to a painful No. 112.] 275 degree, and I hope that in this case you will take the will for the deed, and be enabled to glean something from the papers that will assist you. It is just twenty years ago since I entered this business, during which period I have inspected annually from twenty-five thou- sand to fifty thousand barrels of provisions, besides cutting, pack- ing and curing many thousands of hogs. My time and attention has consequently been more taken up with the management of a large business than with the chcmutry of the pork traoe^ but as a matter of course, observation has been forced upon me, and what are facts to me would be theory to others of little or no expe- rience. I beg you will use these notes or throw them aside as you tliink best. If I make any request at all it will be that in case you do use them you will put them in better shape. My only hope is that I may be of some use to you or others. If it should prove so it will much gratify Yours respectfully, C. SEGUINE. Question 1. What is the method of salting and packing beef which you approve 7 Jlns. The most approved method of curing and packing beef is lirst to '^ strike" it in open vats or hogsheads, i. e. pack loosely and cover with a pickle only, the pickle to be as strong as possi- ble, and t9 contain saltpetre in the proportion of three ounces to the one hundred pounds of beef. It is in tlds firit i)rocess that the red or cherry ci)lor is given to beef, and if not done in thti first instance, n(; after ap]»lication of saltpetre will sui)ply the deficiency of color. As the nuirket value of the article is greatly influenced by its color, too much care cannot be exercised toob- taiji this desideratum in perfection, and the process indicated above is decidedly tlie be:j^. A week ur ten da}S in the vats i;* suflicient to draw out the blood and fix the color, when it is pack- ed with about twenly-five pounds of salt to the hundred pounds of beef, and pickled with a strong new pickle. Willi proper care beef packed in this njanner will keep fur the longest voyages. 276 [Assembly Question 2. Also of pork ? Ans. Pack with a light quantity of salt say thirty pounds per barrel of two hundred pounds, and pickle with a strong pickle. No saltpeter is required for pork ; repack early in the spring with forty pounds of salt and a neAV strong pickle ; hams should be packed with from seven to fifteen pounds of salt ; the lesser quantity will make the finer ham ; pickle with a strong pickle, adding about a pint of molasses and six ounces of saltpeter for every hundred pounds of ham. All pork intended for smoking should have saltpeter applied to give the lean a lively cherry color ; as also pork packed for the English market, the use of saltpeter being general with the English packers on all descrip- tions of pork. Question 3. Is there more difficulty in preserving one than the other ? Ans. Beef is more readily cured than pork but is less tena- cious of cure, or more liable to spoil by exposure to the heat of summer. That it cures the more rapidly of the two, is I think evident from the fact that it absorbs or dissolves salt with much greater rapidity. The comparatively open or spongy nature of beef, containing a large percentage of blood and watery juices, readily yields to the action of salt which is brought in contact with every particle of the beef. Pork from Its more compact fiber absorbs or combines with salt more slowly. Question. 4. What is the effect of putting too much salt on meat? Ans. By hardening or constricting the fiber, the juices of the meat are expelled instead of combining with the salt. The meat is thus left to the caustic action of the salt, and is rendered hard and colorless ( black ) possessing neither the flavor nor nutritive qualities of meats properly salted. Beef always loses in weight immediately after salting, but if a proper quantity only is used, it regains that loss and afterwards increases in weight by absorption, three or four per cent ; if over salted it will exhibit no increase. This is owing to its hardness causing enlargement of the cells,ii I may use the expression, preventing the meat by capillary attrac No. 112.] 277 tion from holding or retaininsj its juices. Beef properly salted retains its bulk, oversalted it becomes shrivelled. Pork over- salted will not gain so much in weight as if properly salted, i. e. it will not absorb and hold as much pickle. Question 5. Why is saltpeter used and what is the effect of using too much ? ,^ns. Saltpeter is used to fix or give a natural cherry red color to the lean of meats, it has no visible eftect on fat ; too much im- parts a fiery dark red color to beef, detrimental to its sale and in- jurious to its flavor. A French chemist of celebrity asserts that its use in the cure of meats is the principal cause of scurvy in those with whom salt meats are a principal food, as sailors on long voyages. So I will leave this questiorf to the chemist to whom it properly belongs, remarking that my observation has been drawn rather to the effect of saltpeter on the appearance of the article; appearances having more to do with its value as merchandise, than the intrinsic nu- tritive quality. Question 6. Have you ever observed the rind of pork to be partially or wholly destroyed when a^sufficiency of salt had been used? Question 7. What is the cause of this? Is it peculiar to some kinds of salt ? Jlns, The rind of pork as a general rule becomes softened by the action of pickle, it is one of the sure indications of the length of time the pork has been barrelled. I have seen the rind entire- ly decomposed or softened in pork packed with a sufficient quan- tity of salt, after being in barrel two years, but accounted for it on the ground that the pork was packed from very young hogs, such as are known as spring pigs^ which would give an age of nine or ten months, and in which case tliere was an evident want of bone and fiber owing to tlie rapid and extreme fattening. The want of sufficient salt and lying in weak pickle is in most all cases the cause of such decomposition, and pork in tliis con- dition is generally tainted. 278 [Assembly I have not noticed' any difference in the action of different salts in this respect. Question 8. Have you ever observed beef to be blackened by the wood of casks ? Jlns. Casks made of unseasoned wood containing much sap, I have noticed will give a dark color to beef lying in immediate contact against the wood but not extending farther into the cask of meat. I Question 9. Have you ever observed it to take place from an excess of salt being used ? jlns. See answer to No. 4. Question 10. Does the color of the beef depend upon the ani- mal, oXj steer, cow, or heifer, or upon the age, condition, feed- ing &C.,'? Jlns. The color of beef after salting is somewhat influenced by condition and leediiig, but not to an extent to call for remark. Question 11. Have you observed any ill effect from the use of fine salt in packing ? Jlns. Uflderstanding you as meaning Onondaga ^-fine saltp I answer that 1 have observed "Mil effects " from its use. Beef packed with fine salt I have generally found hard and dark color- ed, with a w^hitish deposit on the surface having the appearance of lime. This latter effect is almost invariable and is rendered the more perceptible in the article of smoked beef which is always first subjected to soaking in fresh water to soften it a;-d draw out surplus salt and afterwards hung up and smoked in the smoke house eigbt or ten days ; when taken out, it presents a dry burnt appearance on the surface, a mixture of brown and white, on cut- ting it open it is found to be black and dry possessing little flavor or substance. Kanawha fine salt is liable to the same objections made to the Onondaga fine salt. It is now used principally for dry salting or " bulking" pork in the west. Taking the receipts of pork in New Orleans as a criterion, about one-sixth of the pork packed at the west is ^- cured in dry salt." Pork so treated is No. 112.] 279 generally of an inferior quality, and soon becomes " rusty " or rancid. The Liverpool ground * salt is equal to the best Turk's Island and none of rhe objections made to our domestic fine salt can be made to this. It is not used much for pickling purposes, but is largely employed in the curing of fine hams and bacon in the New-York market. The " fine*" or '^ factory filled" or " blown" is not employed in the curing of meat to any extent. Pork packed with fine salt after a few months is found to have become changed in its appearance, the fat is turned brown and the lean black, and this in so marked a degree as to be confound- ed with rusty pork. Rusty or rancid pork is produced by the article being exposed to the action of the dry summer's heat after the pickle has been lost from the barrel for some time. Question 12. What effect has overheating animals just before slaughtering on the quality of the beef? Ans. No very marked effect ; it is rendered somewhat flabby and rather more difficult to cure. Question 13. What effect has it on meat to pack it before the animal heat is out? Jlns. This is the principal cause of tlie tainting of beef after packing in tight casks, hence the advantage of tlie mode of cur- ing or striking in open vats as recommended in my answer to your fir^t inquiry. Pork the same. Question 1 1. Have you observed differences in salt mea(« whicli could be attributed to tlie kind of salt used? Jlns. See answer to question 1 1 . Question 15 Is tliere any difference perceptible between pork or btef cured witli tlie Onondaga solar eva})orated salt and Turks' Island salt? • LivcriKK)! ground palt is known in KnglanJ as "couiinou s:ilt;" it is ccanicr tl .in lns, and on the powerful prejudices which exist in the minds of men, relative to dillerent kinds of salt, as well as from a careful chemical analysis ut a great many varieties, I conclude that it is not inlVriur to any otlier, and in point of cleanness it is decidedly sui^eriur to all oiliers. My conclusions are sustained by tlie census, reports of the butter and cheese made in this State. The State of New-York furnishes about one-fourth of all the cheese made in tlie United States, and of the 79,000,000 pounds made in 1850, tlie larsjer part was salted with OnoUiiaga salt. The character of this cheese in our ow n and in foreign markets, is of the higliest kind. " In relation to the manufacture of cheese in this State, from an examinati^^n of the various dairymen who have presented cheese 292 [Assembly for exhibition at our various fairs, I am satisfied that niore than two-thirds of them have used the salt manufactured at our own works. The character of our cheese abroad, in England particularly, is such, that our best cheese brings in tlie Liverpool and London markets nearly equal prices to the very best cheese manufactured in the best dairy districts of England. B. P. J." In the preservation of beef and pork I could cite the testi- mony of numbers of packers, but the following from Mr. Slocum, of Troy, is sufficient. It w^as written three years ago, (Assembly document No, 184, page 40, of 1850,) but in an interview" with him since, he assures me that his fui'ther experience has only confirmed him in the opinions then ex[)ressed. • He then testi- fied " that for the last fourteen years he liad been extensively engaged in packing beef and pork in the State of New-York, and for the last five years has packed beef and pork in Ohio and Illi- nois, say more than ten thousand barrels in each year, two-thirds of all which has been packed in the Onondaga coarse salt. And deponent says that he w^ould as soon use ihe coarse Onondaga salt for packing beef and pork, as any foreign salt, and that he knows from experience, that the Onondaga solar salt will save beef or pork as well as any foreign salt, (Turk's Island, St. Ubes, or Bo- naire,) notwithstanding the fact that he could purchase foreign salt as cheap as he could get the Onondaga salt, at Peoria and Chicago, he has used nearly all of the Onondaga salt at those points ; he has packed fifteen thousand barrels of beef and pork at Huron, Ohio, in the last five years, entirely with the Onondaga coarse salt, all of wiiich has kept as well as the same quantity packed in this country with Turk's Island salt ; he has packed more than fifty thousand barrels of beef and pork with Onondaga coarse salt as w^ell as any one could have done wdth foreign salt. My beef has been mostly sold in New-York, some in Boston and some in New Bedford. It has brou^^ht as high a price as any beef of the same quality packed with foreign salt. I have not packed any beef for the English market which is usually of better quality than we pack for the home market. My experience is, that the Onondaga coarse salt does save the beef and pork as well as any foreign salt, and does not discolor the meats in the least." (Signed,) HIRAM SLOCUM.'' No. 112.] 293 The following statement relative to the packing of pork, is quite to the point. It was written by one in whose judgment I have entire confidence, and I can confirm his statement of the appearance of the two kinds of pork from my own observation : "Washington, January 30, 1853. It is known to the public that the Secretary of War, a year ago, ordered experiments to be made in packing pork, to test the rela- tive qualities of Onondaga solar salt with Turk's Island. Each hog was cut in two on the back, and one half packed with Onon- dasja solar and the other half with Turk's Island salt. The same c[uantity of each kind of salt being used in each case, and packed in barrels of the same quality. . In short, the treatment of each kind throughout was the same, in all particulars. This pork has been packed for more than 13 months, and a few days since I saw some of ic opened, and it v/as impossible to discover any particu- lar difference between the two kinds of salt, or to see any differ- ence in the quality or preservation of the meat. The pork was put into barrels numbered from 1 to 100. The odd numbers being of one kind of salt and the even numbers the other. They were sent out, one of each kind, to every military station throughout the United States, with instructions to be opened after a given time, and certain tests of the meat to be made by a board of officers, under the direction of the officer iu command. Many of these reports have been received at the Commissary's office, and yesterday I took occasion to examine them. The result is, that it is almost impossible to discover any difference. The greatest is in the loss of weight, after being boiled for an hour and a half. As a general thing, there is more loss in weight in that salted with Turk's Island, than with the Onondaga solar salt. In most cases, the meat i*; represented as being un- commonly good. The result of this experiment thus far, is a full vindication of the (juality of the Onondaga solar salt, and shows beyond a (piestion that ii is I'ully epriiigs.''* With regard to tin* disrol(»r;ition of provisions spoken of above, it has frequently \nvn ubservcMl, and many persons attribute ic to the salt; Stephen Smith, E.sq., (;f Syracuse, many }tais since as- ser^vd that the color was from the wood <»f casks. A writer in the report of tlie Comini^siomu- of patent"^, for 1813, p. 221, • The (HfTrrcTit namr? arc npjilif'd to the Choshiro salt on account of the different tcnipoi^- imcs at which it u made, and coiunqucnt difference in the size ol giain. ll 296 [As3EiMBlT writing from Liverpool fo direct American provision dealers in packing for the British market, also states that such is the case. A provision dealer of great experience, assures me that he has frequently observed the same fact. To test the matter I salted beef with salt in which oak saw dust had been mixed, and then kept it at a temperature of about 70^ for a few days; it became of an inky black color on the surface j the color was brightened by boiling. The same effect was observed both with foreign and domestic salt. From these facts I cannot but conclude, that much of the pre- judice which exists against Onondaga salt is unfounded. Good salt is unquestionably desirable, and, if the objections which Iiave been made against the present article should lead to the manufacture of a better, both manufacturers and consumers will be benefited. There appears to be some misapprehension as to- the use of the diiferent kinds of salt- many persons supposing that if equally pure, they are equally w^ell adapted to diiferent lises. Such however, is by no means the case ; very fine salt is best for culinary purposes, and that which has the largest amount of chlorides of calcium and magnesium is preferred on account of its sharper taste. That which will dissolve quick is always the safest for salting meat in warm weather, because it strikes quickest. A portion of coarse and heavy salt at the top of a barrel of provisions is desirable, for it keeps the brine strong at the surface and thus hinders it from souring. These and other facts of a similar kind may serve to explain some of the objec tions w^hich have been made to different varieties of salt. The above cited facts it appears to me are sufficient to present the subject of curing and jjreservi/ig lc(f and pork in its true light. Many facts on the curing and priservi?ig butter and cheese^ iiave been collected, but they are not yet as complete as I should like to make them. Should cipporf unity offer I hope to present "-nem more complete at son^e future time. Hoping that these may prove useful to the great interest ta which you have devoted yourself, I remain 7 very respectfully. Yours, Albany Academv, ? GEO. H.COOK. Aihiiny Feb. 9th 18&3. I Errata in the article on Breeding jiniraals. [To face page 297.] Page 298, 6th line from top, read " stocks " for " stock." 21st " " "or" for '-and." 299, 1st " " " observations" for '^observa- tion." 299, 7th line from bottom, read " a " before " domestic." 301,14th " '' quotation marks omit. 302, 17th line from top, read " value" for " virtue." . 303, 12th " " " extent " after " some." 8th line from bottom, read " any " for ^* every." 304, 7th '' " "form "for "forms." 305, 6th line from top, read " varieties " for " varia- tions," end of line. 305, 16th line from top, read "a" after " exhibit." 18th line from bottomjread " selection " for " relation." 306, 8th line from top, read " some " lor " more." 9th , " ^' insert "t" at commencement of line. 9th line from bottom, insert ";" after " eagles." 308, 3rd line from top, read " effected " for " atfeeted." No. 112. 297 BREEDING ANIMALS. Br SANFORD HOWARD. '•Although in all cases the system of in-and-in breeding is not desirable in our domestic animals, yet when animals properly formed have been obtained, it is the only method to retain that form." The above sentence occurs in a paper on the breeding of ani- mals, by Valentine Bar ford, published in the Journal of the ^ Royal AgriicLiltural Society. It relates to a very important sub- ject, upon which our farmers generally possess but little informa- tion. The first question wliich will arise in the minds of most persons, relates to Mr. Barlbrd's conclusions, as expressed in the above quotation. Are ihey correct? In the settlement of this question, however, it is necessary to understand in the first place, -what is in-and-in breeding. It is a term which, tliough often used, is variously understood ; or rather, perhaps, isnot generally understood at all. As applied by most persons, it is evidently intended to signify the coupling of animals of some sort of rela- tionship ; but the same ap])lication of the term is often made to cases diift^ring widely in their degrees of affinity. For instance, if common cows are bred to a Devon bull, and the offspring of that union are bred tcgctlier, the latter is called in-and-in breed- ing ; if oifspring are bred to either of the parents, that is called in-and-in breedin2;; or if offspiing of the same parents (brother and sister,) are bred togetlier, that is called b7 the same term. It is obvious that such a use ol language conveys no distinct idea, and hence a ninr*" strict definition of the terra is required. Sir John S, S(;bjight, in a valual)le pajier entitled "Art of Im- proving the Breeds of Domestic Animals," published several years since ])V the Britisli Hoard of Aixriculture, considered tlie term in-r.nd-in to si^nily laeeding from animals cf frfcisi/i/ the same blord. This definition was afterwards adopted by Bev Henry Berry, a well known writer on lueediiig cattle, as will as by others. It is th(^ only intelligible definition I liave ever seen. If it is received, it follows that none of the cases before alluded 2QS [Assembly to could be deemed examples of in-and-in-breeding, except that of brother and sister, as they are the only ones in which the blood is the same on both sides. With half-bloods, derived from an union of any one animal with animals of alien blood, it is evi- dent there is considerable diversity, owing to the variation of blood in one of the parent stock ; as in the case of a cross of the Devon bull, before mentioned, the half-bloods are only the same in blood to the amount of one-half. This difference exists also, but in a less degree, in most cases where offspring are bred to either of iiie parents. If, for instance, a male and female of dif- ferent families are united, the offspring inherits half the blood of each parent. The produce of this offspring with either of the parents, would be three-fourths of one of the first pair, and one- fourth of the other. This produce, bred to the same animal again, would give the third generation seven-eighths of one of the original stocks and one eighth of the other. The terms breed- ing-in^ and close breedings have been given to this and similar Xiourses. It is obvious, however, that whatever are the conse- quences of in-and-in breeding, thuse of breeding-in must approxi- mate to them in proportion to the closeness to which the practice is carried, and in proportion as the blood of the animals becomes similar. With these remarks in reference to the meaning of the term in-and in, let us return to our text, the first clause of which de- clares that that system of breeding " is not desirable/' The ex- pression indicates that its author regarded in-and-in bretding as fraught with certain tendencies of an injurious nature, an idea by no means uncommon. But what are ti^e injurious results attri- buted to in-and-in breeding? Perhaps the common hypothesis in regard to this subject cannot be better expressed than by the fol- lowing language from, the essay of Sebright, before referred to: •' I have tried many experiments by breeding in-and-in, upon dogs, fowls and pigeons ; the dogs became from strong spaniels, weak and diminutive lap-dogs ; the fowls became long in the legs, small in the body, and bad breeders. Indeed I have no doubt but that by this practice being continued, animals would in the course of time degenerate to such a degree as to be incapable of breeding at all." No. 112.] 299 The observation of many practical men might be cited to show that these and and similar consequences often follow in-and-in breeding. But are they the positive and necessary results of that course? Does iu-and in breeding, per se. tend to degeneracy, oris there a natural iaw to that effect ? The philosophy of the case appears to be this. Domestic ani- mals are subject to certain diseases or defects, which are trans- missible hereditarily. If two animals having an equal tendency to tlic Saine dcicOL ixiki uiiilea, the liability 01 tiife unSpring tO poS- sess the defect is doubly greater than if the tendency had only existed in one of the parents. This consequence does not follow merely because the animals are related, but because they have similar defects. For example, ditferent families of cattle are hereditarily prone to diseases of the lungs, and also of the liver and other organs. Now if two animals are brought together which are entirely unrelated, but each possessing an equally strong tendency to the saaie diseases, there is no reason "why the same result should not as certainly follow^ in the off>pring, as if the parents had belonged to the same family. Eut it should be rememberel that the constitutional tendencies of animals of the same family are generally similar, and that the same defects in animals of remote affinity are less frequent, so that in the ordi- nary course of breeding, the danger of propagating defects is greater with animals near akin, than with those more distant. Such seems to be a reasonable explanation of the consequences "which sonutimes f>llow breeding irom domestic animals of near affinities. It does not appear tiiat degeneracy is the inevitable result ('f tliis course. In a state of nature, it is more than pro- bable that animals of t!ic closest allinitits fre(piently interbreed "witlK'Ut ail} injuri(»us result. In fact we are not without ex- amples of afiimals having been bred in dnnu-stic state, directly in-and-in, for many generations, waliour the hast deterioration. Breeders of pigeon?? have nedigrees of his animals, that he in many instances bred from those of very near relationship. It is true that after he had thus bred for several years, he intro- duced to some a cross with another breed, with a view to giving certain animals in his herd such points as he deemed necessary to effect his original purposes. Other examples of this nature might be referred to. It might be shown that Bakewell in breeding the long-horns, and Tum- kins and Tully in breeding the Herefords, pursued similar cour- ses to that pursued by Colling. It has been said and probably with truth, that Colling studied in the school of Bakewell. The main point, however, in breeding on this or any other mode, is the selection of such animals for propagation as possess in the highest degree the desired properties, and which are at the same time free from defects. Hence the judgment of the breeder and the facilities he has for selection, will determine his success. He must of course be able to know the proper animals, he must have the means of obtaining them, or he cannot accomplish his obji'Ct. The opportunity of choosing from a number of animals, is of great iinjxu'tanre. If the breeder has not this range for Selection, he may be obliged to breed from animals which are deficit-nt in essential points. Hence it is very dilFicult to keep up a stock of every description, where only a few line breeding animals are to be hack All specimens ut any v.iriety of our do- mestic animals are n(;t exactly alike, and comparatively few, in many varieties can be said to be i)erfect enough for breeders ; but such arc the r)nly ones that should be allowed to propagate. While the variety comprises but few animals, the breeder is met with serious obstacles. In reference to over-coming these obsta- 304 [Assembly cles, S^ebriglit makes the following remarks, wliicli are worthy of special attention. " If one male and one female only of a val- uable breed could be obtained, the offspring should be separated, and placed in situations as dissimilar as possible ; for animals kept together are all subjected to the etfects of the same climate, of the same food, and of the same mode of treatment, and conse- quently to the same diseases, particularly to such as are infec- tious, which must accelerate tlie eiiects of breeding in-and-in. By establishing the breed in various places, we may perhaps be enabled to continue it for sometime, without the intermixture of other blood." From a view of the whole subject as presented by the foregoing reasoning, the following conclusion may be deduced: That breeding from animals of near relationship may be properly prac- tised so far as to fix and perpetuate some valuable quality not be- longing to the race in general ; but where no superiority is exhibi- ted in a particular family, or where individuals composing a breed are" nearly similar, there is no advantage in resorting to this system. It has been previously remarked that certain alterations may be produced in the form and habits of animals, by which they are better adapted to the purposes of man. It is of so great importance to the stock breeder to understand the principles on which this improvement depends, that a few further remarks will be made in the attempt to illustrate the subject. It is a law of nature, applicable to both the animal and veg- etable kingdoms, that " like produces like." This however, is only true in a general sense. The idea which it is intended to express, is, that each group, or species of plant or animal possesses certain peculiar characters which are continued by reproduction. Man, for example, has an organization which distinguishes him from every other animal ; but all men are not exactly alike ; there are variations of forms and habits^ though the variations are con- fined to a limited sphere, and are never such as to interfere with the generic boundaries. It is so with other animals, there are cer- tain minor differences within each species, race, or breed. Some- times these differences are of such a kind as to enhance the value of the animal in which they appear, for a specific purpose. The ani- mal may have a color, shape, tendency to fatten, quality of flesh, or No. 112] 305 other property, "wliich is particularly desirable^ and is not usually found. It is therefore an object to multiply this property to the greatest practicable degree, and the progeny of the animal, or those which exhibit the desired properties, are carefully reared and allowed to proj)agate. Now it is obvious that these variations constitute the variations or breed. The animals which possess in the greatest degree the properties which render them valuable for any specified purpose, are selected and bred to2;ether. There is not an exact resem- blance among their progeny ; some have less of the points which are the special object of the breeder, than their progenitors had, and some may have more of them. The proper course will be to select the best for breeding, to seize on those variations which most favor the grand object, and to pursue this from generation. to generation. Thus by the exercise of due judgment, animals are finally obtained, which without change of blood, exhibit mark- ed contrast with the general character of the breed, at the time the relation was commenced. The system above laid down, applies strictly to the breeding of animals without crossing — the stock being wholly selected, Avith- in a particular breed. As examples of this course, we may re- fer to the improvement of the South-down sheep, by Ellman, Webb, and others, of the Spanish or Merino by the Germans, of the Hereford cattle by T.-mkins, Tully and Price; of the Devons by the Quartlys, and Turner ; of the Jerseys or Alderneys by Le Couteur and others. Breeding liy crossing distinct breeds, and rearing a new stock from the prugeny, dilTers of course in the outset fruni the former. After the cross has been made, however, and the ideal standai'd estai)lished in the mind ot the breeder, the selections will be made with reference to this standard. So tliat with the exception of the diverse origin of the parent stock ; the two systems of breeding are similar in principle — the object in both being the production of animals of particular j^rcpt^rties, and the selection being wholly directed to those which possess them. [Ai'. Tr. '53.1 U I 306 [Assembly it It has been shown that vague notions are entertained in regard to breeding in-and-in. Equal confusion prevails in many in- stances on the subject of crossing. Some persons, through fear of the injurious consequences of consanguineous breeding, would cross every species and breed which is capable of intermixture, thus breaking down many of the important natural distinctions by which the adaptation of animals to particular situations and pur- poses is secured. On the other hand, more run into the opposite ex- reme, deny that any improvement has ever been effected by crossing, and contend that it should never be allowed. Perhaps a better illustration of the maxim that " extremes are good for nothing," could not be given, than is presented in these opposite positions. Various examples of improvement without crossing have al- ready been referred to ; it is easy to prove that crossing has in many instances been the means of improvement. The most successful breeders have not confined themselves exclusively to either mode, and it is evident that each has its advantages under certain circumstances. Sound judgment is certainly required to decide in regard to a cross, and to carry it on to a successful result -, but as to the practicability of the object, there need be no controversy, as the thing has been repeatedly demonstrated. It is true that many attempts of this kind have totally failed, and so have at- tempts at breeding by other modes ; but this only shows what we see every day in busine s affairs, that some men fail where others succeed. Proper capacity is required for all operations. The eagle, (as the fable relates) bore away the lamb to her nest; the crow attempted the same thing, but only entangled her feet, and was captured. The Bakewells, the Collings, the Prices, the Webbs, have shown themselves eagles, but how many who fancied they were like them, have found at last that they were but crows. • This subject is too extensive to be discussed in all its ramifica- tions, within the limits to be allowed to this paper. It may be said, however, that where it is desired to combine particular pro- perties in aiiimals, and this combination cannot be found in any one breed, crossing may be resorted to with specimens of such breeds aS; by their union, would be most likely to give the form No. 112.] 807 and properties sought after. The precise proportions of the blood of two or more breeds, proper to be retained in the new stock, must be left to the judgment of the breeder. The cross- bred stock w'ill doubtless present at first considerable tendency to eport, that is, all the specimens will not present an uniform character ; bat this is no evidence that uniformity may not be finally attained. The same tendency is developed in the hybridi- zation of plants. Yet to this principle of cross-breeding we owe some of the most important improvements in fruits and vegeta- bles. Knight, and others, have thus produced valuable and per- manent kinds of apples, pears, cherries, currants, peas, beans, turnips, and various kinds of grain. No greater obstacle is seen in the way of producing new breeds of animals by the same sys- tem, and we have abundant facts to show that this has been iu various instances effected with the highest advantages. Many persons w^ho are violently opposed to all crossing, and are loud in their advocacy of the opposite mode of breeding, do not seem aware of the fact that many of the so-called " pure breeds," were derived from various crosses. Take, for instance, the Berk- shire swine; no one w^ho knows anything of the origin of that variety as it at present exists, will deny that it is a mixture of several breeds. Youatt informs us that it is a cross of the old Berkshire with the Chinese, Siamese, and Neapolitan. In fact it is not pretended by authors, that among tlie present valuable breeds of Britain, there is one that can be considered original and unmixed. It is not intended to assert here, that all crosses of swine have been beneficial, there have been many improper crosses, but who will dare deny that great improvements have been pro- duced from this course? We come now to sheep. Ifere we liave a most striking case in point in the origin of tlie present Leicester or Bakewell breed. Few breeds are more distinct in their characters than this, or transmit tlieir peculiarities with more marked effect, when crossed with otlirr breeds. Indeed, it is well known that tlie Leicester lias bien much resorted to for the improve- ment of others, and lias in part formed the source from which several other breeds have been f)rmed,c)f wliich we may mention the improved Cots wold, or New Oxfordshire, and the improved o 08 [ASSEMELY Cheviot. The Leicester breed of sheep may in truth be said to have attained a world-wide celebrity, and if its originator had affected no other improvement, this wouJd have secured to his name perpetual honors. But how did Bakewell produce these sheep ? It is unfortunate that we hRve no record of his proceedings from his own hand : but there are some authorities who throw light on the subject. Pitt, in his " survey of Leicestershire " has embodied much val- uable imformation on this point, he says : '• Mr. Ferryman, who has conversed with many of Mr. Bake- weli's CO temporaries, states that he had formed in his own mind an ideal perfection, which he endeavored to realize ; and that with this view, he with unwearied perseverance, and at some- thing more than a market price, selected from the flocks around him such ewes as possessed those points which were most likely to produce the animal he wished for." (page 249.) The same authority States that some of the sheep he alludes to, were the descendants of some which, several years before, had been brought from a section of Yorkshire and crossed with the common sheep of Leicestershire. Jobbers were also in the habit of going to the Wolds to purchase sheep, and Mr. Bakewell, it is said, " engaged these jobbers noi to offer their sheep till he had seen, and taken out such as he thought would serve his own purpose. From these droves, or from flocks so bred in his neigh- borhood, and probably from a cross with the large long wooled Lincolnshire, he bred his first short-legged, square formed sheep. " Animated by his early success, he still wxnt on breeding from his own, or crossing icith any others that he judged most like- ly to bring his own nearest to his idea of perfection ; by which means, and ( in the opinion of one of the oldest breeders in the county,) by a cross with the Durham sheep, by slow degrees he produced a form against wiiich he believed no possible objection Could be raised." ( Page 250.) Dickson in his late work* says: " Mr. Bakewell was ever on the alert in picking up any sheep which he considered would improve his own stock. It is said that when visiting an eminent breeder « * Breeding of live stock, by James Dickson, Edinburgh, 1851. 1^0. 112.] 309 in Lincolnshire, he cast his quick eye on a flock of sheep belong- ing to his friend J which possessed fine points and good symmetry, and whose mellow touch and handling pleased him. He must have been a splendid animal to have satisfied such a man j and he prevailed on this breeder to sell the animal, as he stood rather low on the legs. His friend was induced to part with him, as breeders in Lincolnshire prefer sheep which stand high on their legs, while Leicestershire breeders prefer those with rather short legs, provided the carcase be long and well formed. Mr. Bake- well considered tlie tup a prize; and it is said this animal cor- rected many of the wrong points and defects of the Leicestershire, particularly in the wool and the covering of the heads, which they so wanted. The wool of the sheep was of a closer texture than usual, and his head and ears well covered." Robert Smith, an eminent sheep breeder, in an Essay on the ^^ Breeding and Management of Sheep " for which he received a prize from the Royal Agricultural Society in 1847, observes; ^' The crossing of pure breeds has been a subject of great interest amongst every class of breeders. While all agree that the first cross may be attended with good results, there is a diversity of oj)inion upon the future movements, or putting the crosses to- gether. Having tried experiments, (and I am now pursuing them for confirmation,) in every way possible, I do not hesitate to express my opinion, that by proper and judicious crossing through several generations, a most valuable I -reed of sheep n;ay be raised and established ; in support of which I may mention the career of the celebrated Bake well, it?/iO raised a new vanity from other long-ivooled breeds^ which have subsequently improved all other long-vvooled breeds." Let us next look at the origin of some breeds of horses. And first of the Arabian, whose history has been written with great care by the distinguished naturalist, Col. Chas. Hamilton Smith. lie states as the result of his extensive investigations, that it is '* a race of great intermixture?'' But it lias btfU cultivated for ages, till in Col. S's language," it is the most artificial, the first of high- bred horses, and the paient of the noblest breetis in the world." The English race-horse, according to the best authorities, as Low, Youatt, and Smith, was derived from a mixture of the blood 310 [AsSEMBLT of the Tarkisli, Barbary. Arabian, Persian, and Spanish horses^ with more or less of the ancient British stock. ■ The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, and even the most esteemed variety of the Norman, are admitted to have had a mixed origin, though by skilful breed- ing they have attained great uniformity. Numerous examples might be given of the like origin of breeds of dogs, fowls, &c., It is evident that Bakewell combined the system of crossing with that of breeding from one stock ; for his animals, as before mentioned, were in the first place selected from different breedSy but after the cross had been carried to the desired point, and his standard had been attained, he confined his selections of breeding animals to his own stock. This was the course he pursued with horses, sheep, and swine. It was also the course pursued by Col- ling with cattle. And yet, in full view of the success of all these examples, when it has been suggested to breed together some ani- mals of extraordinary value that have been produced in this country, we are gravely told that such a course " would be only insuring uniformity of defects, and making them, in the end utter- ly worthless." Prof. Simonds, in a lecture delivered before the Royal Agricul- ral Society, 1848, observes: ^'crossing is founded on a principle just as secure as Bakewell's system of care in selection, added to the in-and-in system. Every improvement of breed requires the same means to retain it which produced it ; the chief of these is care in the selection of stock, so as to avoid, the tendency to heredi- tary diseases or defects." It has been plainly shown that there have been circumstances under which crossing was expedient, and that it has been prac- ticeid with great advantage. It necessarilj^ follows that in sim- ilar circumstances it may always be useful, if directed by the re- quisite skill. But except in cases where there is a reasonable prospect that the new stock would possess valuable properties not to be found in established breeds, it is not advisable to resort to a cross. Specific rules in regard to it cannot be laid down, the judgment of the breeder must govern him as to the proper course in each particular case that arises. No. 112.] 311 GRASSES. The committee to whom was referred a paper presented by Mr. Delalield, on. the subject of introducing other varieties of Grasses than those in general cultivation in our country, with a view to the improvement of our pastures and hay meadows, re- spectfully report : That although we have in cultivation some extremely valuable kinds of grass, yet they are so few in number, in comparison with the superior grasses of Great Britain, that we must acknowledge this important subject has never received from American Agri- culturists the attention to which its great importance entitles it. We ought to avail ourselves of the experience of the British far- mer, and make, in our turn, careful experiments with his most approved grasses, to ascertain their adaptedness to our climate and soils. Early in the present century the Duke of Bedford instituted, at his estate of Woburu Abbey, under the immediate direction of his gardner, Mr. George Sinclair, a series of careful experiments, on the various grasses of England, with a view to test their pecu- liarities of habit, their productiveness -, and lastly, their nutri- tious properties. T he last point was entrusted to the care of Sir Humphrey Davy, whose table of the comparative value of the diilerent grasses for food was obtained by the most careful che- mical analysis, and must always be of great value to Agricul- tuiists. We are fortunate in having access to the history of these experiments, aud to the experience of British farmers, for for- ty years, as tending to verify tlie results.* It is asserted that upwards of two hundred varieties of grasses are grown in Great Britain, most of them indigenoui. Some idea of the great variety to be found in their natural pastures may 1)0 formed from this fact, that in a single sod, taken from a rich pas ture tield, were found u])uards of thirty varieiii-s of grass. Mr. Sinclair expresses the opinion that in the rich pastures there are usually twenty-six or more varieties. 312 [Assembly If we expect to rival these celebrated pastures, oiiglit we not to imitate nature, in scattering a variety of seeds, instead of con- fining ourselves, as we have heretofore done, to one or two sorts. By careful selection we may have early and late herbage, each grass in its season sending up its leaves and flowers. The sod would be firmer, and the roots of tender grasses more protected from the effect of frosts. But whilst your committee commend the practice of sowing a variety of seeds, they are not prepared to say which are the best grasses for cultivation in our State. This point should be made matter fur careful experiment and comparison ; and we may, by such means, learn what mixture of grasses will probably make the most pasture, and what mixture the most hay or forage. The following described grasses are, by common consent, ad- mitted to be the most valuable now cultivated in England. There are others of great value which might perhaps, be profita- bly cultivated in our climate • but for the experiments now pro- posed, your committee recommend only the varieties here named. Meadow Fox Tail, {Alopecuris prat en sis. ^ This is a very early grass, productive and exceedingly nutri- tious. It is the principal grass in all rich pastures, is a favorite with sheep and cattle, and is one of the most permanent ot the cultivated grasses. The objections to it are these ; that it is slow to establish itself and acquire its full growth ; and in England, does not produce its seeds perfectly — not more than one-third of the seed sown usually germinates. In our climate there might be no difificulty of this sort. ]\Ieadow Fescue, (^Festuca prctensisy) Fibrous root. This is one of the most valuable grasses ; it is nearly as early as the Fox tail, and equally as nutritious, though not so produc- tive. It is found in all the richest natural pastures, is much li- ked by cattle and horses, and is among the most permanent ot grasses. It thrives best in the clay districts of England. It ri- pens its seeds well, but like Meadow Foi tail, is slow at arri- ving at maturity. No. 112.] 313 Rough Stalked Meadoav Grass, (Poa-trivialis.) This is a superior pasture grass ; it has fibrous roots, it loves a nioistj rich soil, in such ^iluaiions is productive and very perma- nent ; but on dry and exposed, its product is inconsiderable, and it soon dies out. It is not remarkable for its nutritive properties. There is no grass of which cattle seem so fond. Fertile Meadov/ Grass, (^Voafertilis.) Is a native of Germany, roots slightly creeping; is productive ; one of the earliest grasses, and is remarkable for the large crop of after-math, sending up a succession of flowering culms, till the frost arrests it ; it grows Avell on any good land, but thrives best in moist ground ; is among the most nutritious grasses, and it ri- pens its seeds well. Sweet Scented Yernal Grass, {^Anthoxanthum odoratum.) This is one of the earliest, as well as one of the latest herbage grasses. Its value is chiefly for its early growth, its hardiness and continued fresh herbage through the summer. It has been extensively cultivated in eastern Pennsylvania, and has been thought to impart the peculiar richness of flavor to Philadelphia butter, whicli many admit it to possess. Perennial PtVE Grass , [Lolimn per enne.) The root is fibrous. It is the most generally cultivated of the herbage grasses in England ; it is adapted to a wide range of tem- perature and soils; reaches maturity soon, and ripens an abun- dance of j^eeds. It is an earl) and productive grass, but is not particularly nutritious. It is thought to exhaust the land more than other grasses do, and the after-math is very small ; yet it is the favorite grass in Great Britain. Care should be taken n*'t to sow the Jlnmial Rye Grass, the seeds of the two sorts being much alike. Of the many varieties of Perenuial Kye Grass, Pacey's seem to be the most approved. 314 [AsSEMBLl Rough Cock's Foot or Orchard Grass, {Bactylus glomerata.) Said to be a native of Virginia. This grass has been cultivated with us, to some extent, but does not rival the Timothy Grass in favor; 3'et in England it ranks very high. It is always sown there in mixture with other grasses ; and, by experiment, is the most productive of all the varieties of grass, yielding a greater weight of forage per acre than any other, though less nutritious than other favorite sorts. Meadow Cat's Tail or Timothy, (^Phleum pratensis.) The valuable qualities of this grass are so well known to all, that a description of it here is deemed unnecessary. The culti- vation of it in England is recommended in mixture with other grasses, but not, as with us, alone j it is there considered very valuably, but is not admitted to be superior, if equal, to some of the sorts already enumerated. FioRiN or Bent Grass: American names are Herds Grass, Foul Meadow, Red Top : Botanical names, {Agrostis vulgaris) and (^Agrostis s:olonifera lafifolia.) The value of this grass is well known throughout this State. From an inquiry into English grasses, it would appear that se- veral varieties are there recognized, the best of which is fioria, or Large Leaved creeping bent ; this is more productive, though not so well adapted to upland, as the common Bent or Herds Grass. Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass, (^Poa pratensis :) American names. Spear Grass, June Grass, Blue Grass. This grass is indigenous, and is the ordinary growth of our roadsides ; it is very early, and continues its growth throughout the Season, until very lat6 in the autumn; it resists drouth, makes a close sod, and is a great favorite with cattle and sheep. As a hay grass, it is not so valuable as many others; is very perma- nent. Your committee recommend that a system of trial and com- parison of the grasses here enumerated be made by farmers, in No. 112.] 315 various parts of our State, whose interest in the cause will induce them to undertake, and carefully to carry out the experiment by sowing not less than one-eighth of an acre of each sort named : and that, to this end, the Corresponding Secretary be directed to procure, by importation or purchase, an ample supply of seeds, and furnish them, in his discretion, to such persons as shall agree to prosecute the experiments, in conformity with directions to be given by the Secretary, and to report the results to the Society^ in such form as may be prescribed. WM. KELLEY, J. DELAFIELD, B. P. JOHNSON. OSIER OR BASKET-WILLOW. lis Cultivatl.n^ TJaes^ Sfc. BY C. N. BEMENT. Almost all the willows are found naturally either in a cold soil or moist climate, are chiefly natives of the colder parts of tem- perate regions of the Northern Hemi;'phere, and are generally found in a cold moist soil, or near water. A few species are na- tives of the Arctic Circle ; and Royle mentions several species as indigenous both to the low lands and mountainous regions of Northern India. The low growing kinds are sometimes found in dry arid soils j but in such soils they are never in a thriving state. It has been observed that willows grown on a dry soil, the young shoots are smaller, harder, tougher, and more compact and dura- ble than when grown in rich nitjist soils. In dry soils also, the growth of the plant is much slower than in moist ones. • The species indigenous in North America, as described by Pursh in 1814, amounted- to 37, as eitlier wild or in a state of cultiva- tion. Since then Dr. Barratt, of Connecticut, has undertaken to describe all the willows grown in this country, whether indige- nous or exotic, numbering 100. Among all the species desciibed by botanists, amounting to 182, only about six species are consi- dered worthy of cultivation for basket-making in the present day 316 [Assembly Osier is the name given to various species of willow, chiefly employed in basket-making. The narrows-leaved willows gene- rally come under the denomination of osiers. It is cultivated for white basket work, producing shoots from six to nine feet long, pliant and tough, even w^hen stripped of the bark, and very durable. Osiers differ from other willows in their long, straight, flexible and tough sprouts. They are divided into two classes; the first is known by their blunt anH downy or mealy leaves, w^hich in others are pointed, smooth and green leaves, resembling the myrtle. The common osier is one of the most abundant species. The sprouts are straight, erect, round, very long and slender, polished, and downy, when young, with fine silky hairs ; leaves on short foot- stalks, almost upright, about a span long, and half an inch wide. Many species of willows are found bordering our rivers, creeks and swamps, the greater part of w^hich are brashy, tender and brittle, and are susceptible of no useful purposes. Osier willows are worthy a place on every farm, because they take up but little room, and flourish best on ground of little value for general cultivation; require very little care after the second or third year, and furnish the best materials for baskets, which are indispensable on every farm. It is a matter of aston- ishment, when such quantities of articles of this description are annually imported, that Americans, proverbial for their industry, zeal and independent spirit, should have thus long neglected to form plantations fully adequate for all the wants of our country. From the best information we can obtain, there are from four to five millions of dollars worth of willow^s annually imported into this country from France and Germany ; the price ranging from §100 to $130 per ton weight. In view of this importation and the large sums expended for willow, would it not be well for some of our farmers to give a little attention to this subject? There are thousands of acres of land in this country, which, in their present state are entirely useless, yielding little or nothing to the owners, which might be planted with willows, and w^ould yield an immense profit. From my own limited experience, I am fully convinced that willow^s may be grown profitably in this country for less than fifty dollars per ton w^eight. No. 112.] 317 There are few soils that will not bear "willows; yet some situa- tions are unlit fur them. Dry and exposed grounds, peat-moss, and land covered with stagnant water or quag-mire are not at all suitable. Completely draining the site of a willow plantation is the first step towards its formation and the foundation of its prosperity, and consequently of the profits to be derived from it. The ground may be formed into beds of a less or greater size, according to circumstances, by open drains of a suflBlcient width and depth to keep the soil dry. The open drains will require to be cleaned out, and the cleanings may be scattered over the general surface of the beds. In preparing the ground for a wil- low plantation, if the soil be poor, it should be as well dressed with manure, as if it were intended for a crop of corn. The manure most proper for willows is stable-dung. In no case should a plantation of willows be attempted but in prepared ground, except where a few rows may be introduced upon the very brink of a river, or the top of the banks of ditches. In short, the soil for basket-willows should be deep, well drained, and thoroughly prepared, and the situation ought to be low, Itvel^ and naturally moist ; and if there is a command of water for irrigation, so much the better. Nothing can be further from being good management than suf- fering grass or weeds to grow among the plants. Having fixed upon the spot, and having carefully prepared the ground, the next step is to procure the plants. The variety of all others, most esteemed and best calculated for basket-making, is the salix viminulis. An acre of this properly planted upon suita])le sbil will yield, at the least calculation, from one and a half to two tons per acre per year. It is of quick and vigorous growth, and the sprouts grow amazingly long and strong in one season from the stools, which characteristic renders it very useful for baskets, &c. ; the leaves arc lonpj and narrow, of a bluish green on the upper, and hoary on the under surface. The cuttings should be of one year's growth, or of sprouts of one year old, of good size, and cut in lengths of from ten to twelve inches;, cut in a slanting direction witli a sharj) knif<'. It will take from twelve to fourteen tliousand cuttings to plant an acre. Every vigorous shoot will afford from three to four cuttings. The upper or small 318 [Assembly end of the sprouts being unripe, should be discarded, because such wood will only produce weak plants, and will not make such good roots the first season. The distances at which the willows ought to be planted, should be at least two feet dis- tant, (probably three feet would be better,) and one foot apart in the rows. The former distance will not be too thick for at least five or six years; but after that period, every alternate plant , may be removed, which will leave the remaining stools two feet apart each way. They should be carefully hoed and cleaned erery year. Nothing conduces more to the raising a good crop of sprouts after due preparation of the soil, than keeping it clean ; besides, no good farmer would care to raise a crop of weeds, which would exhaust the soil, at the expense of the wil- lows. The stools should be carefully attended to annually, in order to keep them clear of rotten stumps, and not to allow them to be over-crowded at the bottom of the shoots. When these become too numerous, they should be carefully thinned out, and also cut down, leaving only one eye or two at the bottom of each, until they be diminished to such a number as the stool is capa- ble of supporting with vigor through the season. A basket- maker finds more service from one shoot of six or eight feet in length, than from four of three feet in length ; and one of the first dimensions will not exhaust the stool or the land so much as four of the others. The proper season for cleaning and thinning the stocks is from the middle of March to the first of May, or they may be cut in autumn, immediately after the fall of the leaf. Immediately after cutting the sprouts, they are tied up in bundles, and if they are not intended to be used with the bark on, they are set on their butt ends in standing water, to the depth of three or four inches. Here they can remain during winter and spring, till the shoots begin to sprout, which generally hap- pens in March, when they are ready to be peeled. The process of stripping or peeling is very simple, and may be performed by infirm old men, or by a boy ten years old. All children are fond of this work, and often make quite a frolic where there are several employed on as many benches, each striving who can peel the greatest number in a given time. No. 112.] 319 The macliine for stripping is also quite simple, and consists of a piece of tough, sound wood, about two inches wide and one inch thick. In the top of two sides of a triangle is cut out, like the letter V, opening about one inch at top, and coming close together at the bottom. This machine may be firmly fixed in the end of a strong wooden bench, something similar to that used by coopers for shavung hoops. Another machine may be made of iron rods half an inch in diameter, welded together, and forming a crotch at top like the wood. The crotch need not be over one and a half or two inches long. This insti'ument may be inserted into the top of a stake or post set firmly in the ground. When the instru- ment is secured and ready to be worked, a bundle of the willows, washed from the mud, the peeler sits down opposite to it, takes the willow rod or sprout in his right hand by the small end, and puts a foot or more of the thick end into the machine, and draws the willows towards him, by which operation the bark will at once be stripped from the wood. In most cases, once drawing the sprout through, the bark will all strip off; if not the sprout should be turned and drawn through where the bark adhered, and the peeling is completed. After stripping, the willows should be spread in a clean dry I)lace, until the moisture has evaporated, to prevent mold or mildew, and then put up in bundles, of from fifty to eighty pounds each, carefully bound at several places with some of the spruuts, to prevent breakage or damage in moving them. After being peeled tlie rods will keep in good condition for a long time, till a proper market is found for them. Sometimes it is neces- sary to boil or steam them before strip])ing, which bleaches them at the same time. They will now be fit fur market, and should command from three to fi)ur cents per pound by the quantity. The followipg comprise nearly all the species of willow most esteemed for basket-making, kc. : Salix Viminalis, or El ropean Grekn Osier — This variety of all others, is best calculated for ba>ket-making. An acre of tliis properly planted upon suitable soil \\ill yield at least two tons weight i)er year. This kind of willow grown in this country, and sent to market free from In-uises, breaks and mildew, will at [ASEMBLY all times command the highest price. It is a tree of low growth, but the shoots grow amazingly long, slender and strong in one year from the stools, which renders it so very useful for basket- making. It is a native of England in wet meadows. According to Pursh, it grows in the United States, introduced from Europe, on the banks of rivers, &c. ; branches straight, erect, wand-like, very long and slender, round and polished ; when young, downy with fine silky hairs. This species is readily distinguished from others of the same class, from its long and narrow leaves, of a bluish green on the upper, and by the white satiny under surface. There is nothing peculiar in the cultivation of this species of willow, but it is a vigorous p^ower, and will make shoots from eight to ten feet in one season. There is a variety called the velvet osier, in which no external difference is discernable, but the sprouts are said to be more pliant, and they v/ill make shoots from ten to twelve feet, and is held in high estimation for baskets. Salix Forbyana, or English Basket-Willow. — A native also of England. The stem is erect, very long, slender, smooth sprouts, very flexible and tough, of a greyish yellow hue, a valuable species for the finer basket-work. When cut down, plants make shoots from five to seven feet long in one season. Salix Rubra, Red or Green-leaved Willow. — A native of» Britain. The branches are long, upright, smootli, greyish or pur- plish, more frequently tawny, and very tough and pliant. The leaves are very long and narrow, and agree in shape with those of the S. Viminalis ; but has not, as that has, dense white pubuscence beneath. When the plants of this species are cut down, they send out shoots from five to eight feet in length 3 con- sequently it is valuable for baskets, &c. Salix Triandra, or Three Stamened Willow. — This is also a native of Britain, in wet grounds, where it forms an upright tree, rising naturally, when not injured, to the height of 30 feet. This is a valuable willow, and is extensively cultivated for the long ;tough rods which it produces when cut down, and used for white basket-work, producing sprouts from eight to nine feet long No. 112.] 321 tough and pliant, even when stripped of their bark, and very durable should be cut every year. Salix Dicolor, or Two Colored Willow. — A. native of the United States, and common in low grounds and on the banks of rivers, from New England to Carolina. According to Parsh, this kind is the one most commonly used in America by the basket- makers. Salix Cordata, or Heart-leayed Willow. — A native of North America. The sprouts are very tough, and are much used for baskets. Salix Alba, or European White Osier. — This in England is called the Huntingdon Willow, and also the White Willow. It is of quick growth, and attains to a very large size, often reaching to the height of forty to fifty feet. It is said to flourish on almost any soil, and forms by its upright growth a fine contrast to the Weeping Willow. It is also a good basket willow, and is used in England extensively for hoop-poles and fencing by the farmers. Tlieir manner of planting wdien for fencing, is by placing the ends or cuttings in the ground, and then w^orking them into a kind of lattice-work, and passing a withe around the tops or ends, so as to keep in shape for the first year or two. They then cut tlie tops off yearly, and sell them to the basket makers ; thus having a fence and a crop from the same ground. The importance of the willow to man has been recognised from the earliest ages, and ropes and baskets made from willow sprouts were probably among the very first of human manufactures in countries where those trees abound. The Romans used tho twigs fur binding their vines and tying their reeds in bundles, and made all sorts of baskets of them. A crop of willows was con- sidered, so valuable in the time of Cato, tliat he ranked the wil- low-field, next in value, to ihe vineyard and the garden. In modern times, the man} u«( s, observes Hooker, '^ rendered to man, by the dilVerent species of willow and osier, serve to rank tliem among the first in our list of commercial plants." In an economical point of view, scarcely anything was added to our knowledge of the cultivation and uses of the willow since [As. Tr. '53.] V 322 [Assembly the time of the Romans till the slight notices of the uses of the willows given by Ray and afterwards by Evelin. The first sys- tematic essay on the subject appears to have been written, by Dr. Walker, about the latter end of the last century, though not pub- lished till 1812. In this essay, twenty two species are described, and an account given of their uses and mode of cultivation. Willows for basket-making and hoops were principally im- ported into England from Holland and France until the year 1808, when in consequence of the war with France, plantations ^ were formed in England, and many associations offered liberal premiums on the best production of willow. The late Duke of Bedford, one of the best farmers of that day^ gave much attention to the subject, which is vigorously prosecuted by his son, the present Duke. The osier for basket-making in this country has been exten- sively imported from France and Germany, cliiefly fron\ France, and sells in New-York from five to seven cents per pourd. It is getting to be extensively used in the manufacture of baskets, children's cradles, and wagon-bodies, and as it grows finely in this country, there is no reason why it should not be cultivated sufficiently to supply the home demand. The uses of the willow are various. Almost all the species being aquatics and of rapid growth, they are peculiarly fitted for planting on the banks of rivers and streams for restraining their ^encroachments, and retaining the soil in its place. It has one jgreat advantage, as it grows readily by cuttings, and does not re- quire the soil to be disturbed by the operation of planting. "As far back as I can remember," says Wm. R. Prince, in the American Journal of Agriculture, " my father, the late William Prince, warmly urged the extensive culture of this useful tree, or rather group of trees ; and in the Short Treatise on Horticulture^ written by myself, under his supervision in 1828, the best spe- cies of the osier were described, and the facility of their culture commented upon, and public attention particularly called to the importance of growing an ample supply on our own soil." No. 112.] 323 The art of fabricating baskets from willows, in the commonest form of the manufacture, for farm purposes, is a very simple operation, and is easily acquired by any ordinary hand, and may be practiced in evenings and stormy days in winter, with little or no expense. In Europe it was formerly understood by every s. of dry or solid mat- ter to the hundred, the remaining 92 ll)s. is pure water. Of the 8 lbs of dry matter, a trace over one pound is inorganic matter, so that there exists only about 7 ll'S. of organic matter in 100 lbs. of fresh plants. 333 [Assembly About 5 tons of fresh plants contain 100 lbs. of inorganic mat- ter, which is made up of Carbonic acid,. 13.80 lbs. Silicic acid, 20.80 " Phosphoric acid, 9 . 90 " Phosphate of iron, 2.95 " Lime, 8.05 " Magnesia, 3.65 " Potash, 8 . 90 " Soda, 27.80 « Chlorine, 1.40 " Sulphuric acid, 2.10 " 99.35 lbs. This plant contains a large percentage of soda, and is rich in phosphoric acid, potash and lime. Proximate Organic Composition. 100 lbs. of the 100 lbs. of the fresh tops. dry tops. Water, 91 .925 Fiber, 1.348 16.386 Sugar and extract, 4.300 52.279 Dextrine, 0.735 8.936 Casein, 0.100 1.216 Albumen, 1.320 16.048 Starch, none. none. Resin, 0.260 3.161 Glutinous matter, 0.055 0.668 Chlorophvl, • 0.052 0.638 Wax, 0.055 0.668 100.150 100.000 Like celery, endive contains a very large percentage of water, and does not differ materially otherwise from that plant rj its proximate organic composition, except that it contains less fiber, and is slightly richer in sugar and albumen. No. 112.] 333 / Ultimate Organic Composition. 100 parts of dry plant, gave of Nitrogen, 2 . 1 70 Carbon, 41.171 Oxygen, ., 40.257 Hydrogen, 5.617 Inorganic matter, 12.507 ANALYSIS OF CELERY, (^Jipium Graveohns.) By J. H. Salisbury, M. D. We have in this case an interesting and remarkable instance of the influence of cultivation upon the size, tenderness and flavor of a plant. Celery in its wild state- is rank, coarse, tough, and untit to eat, but when properly cultivated is sweet, crisp, juicy, and of a most agreeable flavor, and is then highly esteemed as a salad and as a seasoning in soups. The sample of the celery analysed was large, succulent, crisp, and finely flavored. It was furnished by Dr. Herman Wendell, of Albany. Its average height 3 feet ; diameter of stalks at base 3 inches ; average weight of each plant 10 ounces. Percentage of water, 88 . 225 " of dry matter, 11.775 « of ash, 1.375 « of ash in the drvmatter, 11.931 One ton of the fresh plants contains in round luunbers abont 1,7(M lbs. of water, 208 lbs. of organic matter, and 28 lbs. of in- organic matter. 100 parts of inorganic matter contain : Carbonic acid, 20.80 Silicic acid, 5.00 Phosphoric acid, 5.10 Phosphate of iron, 4.95 334 [ Assembly Lime, 13.55 Magnesia, 0 . 90 Potash, 7.25 Soda, 28.80 Chlorine, 1.40 Sulphuric acid, 10.30 98.95 The ash or inorganic matter is rich in soda, lime and sulphuric acid, and contains also a respectable percentage of phosphoric acid, phosphate of iron and potash. The 28 lbs. of ash removed by a ton of fresh plants, contain in round numbers the following bodies in the proportions given below : Carbonic acid, 6 lbs. Silicic acid, 1 J Phosphoric acid, 1 1 Phosphate of iron, 1 ^ Lime, ' 4 Magnesia, ^ Potash, 2 Soda, 8 Chlorine, J Sulphuric acid, 3 These 28 lbs. of inorganic matter are more than returned to the soil by 30 lbs. of ashes, 8 lbs. of common salt, 5 lbs of plaster. » ■ Proximate Organic Composition. 100 parts of 100 parts of fresh plant. diy plant. Water, 88.225 Fiber, 3.168 26.705 Sugar and extract, 5.685 47.923 Dextrine, 0.905 7.629 Casein, 0.115 0.970 0. 112.J , 335 , 100 parts of 100 parts of fresh plant. dry plant. Albumen, 1 . 532 12 . 9M Starch, none. none. Oil, 0.075 0.632 Resin, 0.185 1 . 559 Gluten, •... 0.095 0.809 Chlorophyl, 0.055 0.463 Wax, 0.045 0.396 100.088 lUO.OOO Almost nine-tenths of this plant is water. The dry matter is rich in sugar, albuminous principles, and dextrine. The odor- ous body is a volatile oil. Ultimate Organic Analysis. 100 parts of dry plant, contain cf Nitrogen, 2.121 Carbon, 40.626 Oxygen,.^ 40.352 Hydrogen, 5 . 371 Inorganic matter, 1 1 . 931 ANALYSIS OF THE MUSKMELON AND WATERMELON. ( Cucumis melo and Cxicurhita citrallus^) By J. H. Salisbury, M. D. The varieties examined were the nutmeg muskmelon and the long red fresh watermelon. The fruit only was examined. Length of muskmelon 6 inches ; diameter 5^ inches. Length of water- melon 14 inches, diameter 6 inches. Percentage of water ^ dry matter and ash. Muskmelon. Watermelon. Percentage of water, 90 . 987 94 . 898 " of drynntter, 9.013 5.102 " of ash, 2.771 0.248 (( of ash in dry matter,. .. . 3.007 4.861 336 I Assembly The muskmelon contains but a trifle more water than the beet. The watermelon contains more than the muskmelon and less than the cucumber. One ton of muskmelons has 174.84 lbs of organic matter and 5.42 lbs. of inorganic matter. One ton of watermelons has £7.08 lbs. of organic matter and 4.96 lbs. of inorganic matter. 36,900 lbs. of muskmelons and 40.322 lbs. of watermelon contain each 100 lbs. of inorganic matter or ash. 100 lbs. ash 100 lbs. ash » Muskmelons. AYatermelon. Carbonic acid, 11.55 11.42 Silicic acid, * 2.20 1.21 Phosphoric acid, 25.40 14.93 Sulphuric acid, 3.90 1 63 Phosphate of iron, 2.30 4.52 I^im^j 5.85 • 7.32 Magnesia, 0.60 1.31 Potash, 8.35 23.95 Soda, 34.35 30.63 Chlorine, 5.20 1.81 Organic matter, trace trace • — . 99.70 98.73 The muskmelon contains a very large percentage of phosphoric a^^id and soda and considerable potash; the watermelon has a very large percentage of soda and potash and is also quite rich in phosphoric acid. The occurrence of these bodies in such quantities in these plants, explains to us why dead animal matter, as flesh, bjnss, &c., commonsal t and ashes, have such a marked inflaence in promoting their growth and productiveness. Proximate Organic Analysis of fruit. 100 lbs. Muskmelon. 100 lbs. Watermelon. Fresh fruit. Dry fruit.- Fresb fruit. Dry fruit. Albumoii, 0.918 10.219 0.572 11.403 Casein, 0.442 4.952 0.004 0.080 Dextrine, 1.142 12.800 0.318 6.340 Starch, trace trace none none Sugar and extract, 5.250 58.942 3.020 GO. 267 Chlorophyl, ... 0.004 0.044 0.006 0.120 Fat, wax and resin, 0.038 0.418 0.022 0.440 > No. 113.1 S37 100 Ibg. Muskmelon. 100 lbs. "Watermeloru Fresh fruit. Dry frmt. Fresh fruit. Diy fruit . Citric acid, trace trace 0 . 007 0 . 140 Malic acid, 0.007 0.077 0.009 0.180 Tartaric acid, 0.005 0.055 trace trace Filter, 1.123 12.393 1.058 21.030 Drymatter, 8.929 100.000 5.016 100.000 Water, 90.987 94.898 99.916 99.914 Tlie large percentage of albumen, casein, dextrine and sugar with a small quantity of acid, show us the reason of the peculiar rich flavor of the fruit of the melon. Ultimate Organic Analysis, Muskmelon. Watenneloa. Nitrogen, „ 2 .231 1 .739 Oxygen,...., 43.905 43.187 Carbon, 44.820 43.764 Hydrogen, 6 . 832 6 . 872 Inorganic matter, 3.007 4.861 A mild but pleasant liquor can be made from the melon. ANALYSIS OF THE CUCUMBER. i^CtLCumis sativus.) By J. H. Sj^lisbury, M. D. Two v^arieties only were examined, the Early Long Prickly^ and Wiite Spine. The length of the fruit of the Early Long Prickly Q\ inches, diameter 1;] inches. Length of the fruit of the \Vhite Spine, 5 inches, diameter l.l inches. Perccntngo of water. Dry matter an-i aa^ Long Priekly fruit. White Spine fr Percentage of water, 96 . 364 96 . 605 " ' dry matter, 3.636 3.305 « ash, 362 .382 « ash in dry matter,.., 9.955 11.252 f As. Tr. '53.] W « 338 [Assembly In the fruit of this plant we see a remarkable instance of the extent to which water may exist in a plant. But about 3 J lbs. of dry matter is contained in 100 lbs. of the fresh fruit. One ton would contain but about 70 lbs. of dry matter. Hence one ton of fresh cucumber fruit, contains less dry matter than IJ bushels of wheat. One ton of fruit of the Long Prickly, con- tains of inorganic matter 7.24 lbs. One ton of the White Spine, 7.44. 27,624 lbs. of fresh fruit of the Long Prickly variety,, and 26,178 lbs. of fresh fruit of the White Spine variety, give each 100 lbs. of inorganic matter. These 100 lbs. of inorganic matter are severally constituted as follows': 100 lbs. as. of 100 lbs - as. of Long Prickly. White Spine. Carbonic acid, 13.25 13.26 Silicic acid, 0 . 70 0.80 Phosphoric acid, 18.9a 17.26 ^ Phosphate of iron, 3.10 2.74 Lime, 4.30 4.40 Magnesia,. 0 .20 0 .34 Potash 23 . 20 23 . 30 Soda, 33.75 33.86^ Chlorine, 1.10 1.46 Sulphuric acid, 0.90 1.40 Organic matter, trace trace 99.40 98.42 The inorganic matter, as is seen, is composed mostly of phos- phoric acid, potash and soda. This would indicate that ashes, bones, and common salt, would be an excellent inorganic manure foi them. Froximate Organic Analysis. 100 lbs. Long Prickly. 100 lbs. White Spine. Fresh Fruit. I>ry Fruit. Fresh Fruit. Dry Fruit. Albumen, .356 7.778 ,347 7.699 Casein, 040 0.872 ,062 1.357 Dextrine, 354 7.736- .264 5.894 Sugar and extract, 2.826 67.756 3.036 0.065 Starch, 002 0044 0.003 66.624 Chlorophyl, 006 0.132 0.005 Q.1Q8 I . No. 112.] 339 100 lbs. Long Prickly. 100 lbs. White Spine. Fresh Fruit. Dry Fruit. Fresh Fruit. Dry Fruit. ' Fat, wax and resin, ... . 0.31 0.682 0.029 0.629 Fiber, 9.61 21.000 .826 17.924 Drymatter, 4.576 100.000 4.572 100.000 Water, 95.354 99.921 In the proximate organic analysis I obtained less water than I did when the percentage of w^ater, dry matter and ash were de- termined. This resulted from the fact that portions used for the proximate analysis lost some of their water by evaporation before the analysis was commenced. Besides the above bodies, the cucumber contains a small quantity of malic acid and a still smaller quantity of citric. One ton of the fresh fruit of the Long Prickly variety contains of sugar 56.52 lbs, of albumen and casein. 7.8 lbs., of dextrine and starch 7.12 lbs. One ton of the fresh fruit of the White Spine variety, contains of albu- men and casein 8.18 lbs., of dextrine and starch 5.34 lbs., of sugar 60.72 lbs. By far the greater part of the dry matter of the cucumber, is sugar. Ultimate Organic Analysis Long Prickly. White Spine. Nitrogen, 1.236 1.301 Oxygen, 41.806 41.832 Carbon, 40.984 40.467 Hydrogen, 6 879 6.723 Inorganic matter, 9.955 11.252 The indigestibility f»f the cucumber is almost proverbial. In fact it has scarcely a parallel example in all the cultivated edible plants. In studying its composition, we can scarcely refrain from making the inquiry : what does this much esteemed fruit contain, to unfit it so much for easy digestion ? • ■ One would naturally sujtpose, from the tendency it has topasg through the organs without bein^ materially acted upon by the digestive process, like most other food, that it is coustitu- /'i 340 Assembly ted of bodies, whieli are either deleterious to the system, or are- not essential to its composition. If we refer to the analysis, how- ever, we find that the bodies which compose it, are found in nutri- tious healthy food, and are all quite harmless ; in fact, the most of them go to build up and support the several tissues of the human body, and are necessary to their healthy nutrition and growth. We, hence must conclude that the iudigestibility of this fruit can- not depend upon the kind of matter of which it is composed. Suppose now we examine the relative proportions in which the several bodies unite to form this fruit, to see if there can be anything in this direction which will throw light upon the mat- ter. We find in the foregoing analysis, all the bodies in very small proportions with the single exception of water. The percentage of this in the fresh fruit is equal to about one sixth per cent. May we not infer that this very large percentage of water has something to do in retarding digestion. It is well known that all of those fruits which contain a very large propor- tion of water, such as the watermelon, green apples, currants, cherries, &c., are very apt when taken in quantities, without ad- mixture of other food, to produce like unpleasant symptoms, and pass through the stomach and intestines without being acted upon scarcely at all, by the powerful solvents of those organs. Water, however, does not seem to be the only body in food, which when in great excess, may appear to retard digestion. Other substances, as casein, albumen, fat, sugar &c., when in large proportions, appear to produce like results. For instance, cheese, which is composed principally ot casein, but contains also in small quantity, quite all the constituents of the animal body, when eaten alone and in quantities, produces symptoms somewhat simi- lar to those produced'by the cucumber, and is voided in a simi- lar undigested state. The same may be said of food composed principally of either albumen, fat, sugar, &c. May we not then infer from the above, and numerous other ex- amples, which readily will suggest themselves to every one who No. 112.] 34r observes, that food suited to easy digestion must contaiUj not only the ingredients of Avhich the tissues are composed, but those in- gredients must bear some simple relative proportion to each other. That is, ftiey should be in such proportion as is best suited tc furnish nourishment to the system with the least possible loss of undigested material. ^ 342 [Assembly ^ s ts f^ e^ a a • Q « —1 H • cS >* o w :=: H . "^ * m -«^^ bO C c3 H CO O ra © © l-H s S-^ n V o rH ec Oi -•sXCs CO rH -ti4 . o o ^z> 1-H CO c^ 1:^ lO -^ -* ^ CO lO -^ • 1 1 1 7-H (M rH cs cs Ci I— i c^ rH rH rH l-H r-1 rH r-i. T-t -fi^: ' i N N (^ K N b^ a tS3 e^ • E<3 N M bi • CO 1—1 1 i ij-i o o o a o o O T-H o T— 1 o I— 1 O rH O C. ir- i- CO 00 CO o lO iO CO CO lO ta ' ~ • n3 ra o a a •E ?:3 d A 1 o a « a c a a • rH • i— < f— 4 a Cm V "© 3 l-H © > »-H c2 .a ,a © o • .:a •»H ,a ,a o cd © 2 ra © o ^ i 1 '3 Cm O o -a o O ra l-H o o o 't; o S o S rt >> M Cm O r^ IXJ . to —Z 73 CO TS o 'CJ cZ-S ai3 • es =* ~*~'' y O >- • ^H rs — ? "Zn ^-^ ■ sj a -tJ 13 o ^ 'S (B H B 1 >> o ,_, x: i- -a .'a )H • i-t tS ,_! ra © l-H o O f3 <1 H O ^ •4^ CO C*-| . s a ,a t o © >.' - 03 ^ © fc ^ c3 e« ca O • >-( O G o- k— H-i MH H H H H t-^ l-H 1— 1 H 1 13 a P c e 11 ;2i o r- O © © © a *\ rt • ^ .a ra c3 o o o 1—1 -a u c5 a a a- © • • •-4 .a © . • rH © • rH © • • ra © • • )a3 Cm (q .1-1 ra Cm O Cm m © IH a a c« P4 »v O ^ 1^ <- 2 > ra ,a .a ra o ,a O .a o ^'ra = o-ra o s s r2 H >-. o X o f— -M ^ O "o 'o "o "o H -fi § l-H E ."^ i-a o o o o .a • o .a _. o ra o -2 =5 '5 o .a o.a P^ M 1 13 a ^ 13 -^ •rJ S: 7^ •TS ^ ^ ■^ &: ■^ ^-rs ^'O &: ■^ -tj . c r-< © (— © 'e o © © © ^ a t?; l-H l-H 1 o i a •—^ a — ^ a a a a S8 <1 1 1 o O o o o -O I tM §^ o o a ^ CO I r^ wJ 3 •- 1-5 » • TO en TO • en ra ra ra ra • • ra ra TO I— ( M 1—1 »— ( CO o ,0 f-H CO rS f-H CO rQ CO f-H (-H CO CO CO rO^ CO CO rOrP r— i P-^ CO o 1—4 .a o ^ I'' a c^ a © ti # .a Cm o a t3 •1 •S '■5 • IS 1 a Vk^ tjfj CO © cd c3 ^ >> H • ri J2 © © pa -4^ si =i a • .T3 "ft 3 •§.2 • . © -1^ A •+3 o3 • • 5 o a s- a a cS O CO S • Cm • O 'rf 1— t • l-H » a 5 s c3 a • a " - so a a a c3 a ^a © a CO O a" ra © a. o © H-:> • a z^ > j o o cr< o a l-H a a o a O a => rH .1" 1 Q fc?;M W 1-^ U o v^ H l-H H vSh P^ 1 c o ' ^ "P- 1 j2. . 1 t: >r? 13 b2 *" o 5 a • 1 1 Si o a .2 CO a o a nt manure, ii hill, and n • © a o 2 g © • © a • 1 Cm O © in hill and to 11, after pota are up. O c3 a = are up. m in hill an of hill, afte toes are up. medium an J- • © ?- 0) ^1 a a © © a 1 ra .a ra © O • i>i •■— ' © -^ a *" a o ra © o gp-li; 5a - B s Ph <5 *A O w No. 112.] 343 B C a a 1-1 «J a o o a o S -►J C -^^ « O o o 2§ a p ^ o 3 . t-3 CQ > -J 2 =■ o s = a - 5 s o — ^ ^ 5 S 5 s ■" M 4, >% >-. to a d o o fcfl a - S V S-l O o 1 J « S *H 5 a =^ * o a CO • r-4 I-H ;h o o 0^ [A ?! t3 o o bO S *\ ^q 03 .-^ .^ -2 eg a cr' a c3 o • o a_r>"" a ^^ ^ « to '^ o rt -- ^ ^ ^^ ? t-i a a g >>o ^ fl "^ 3 .^^ "5 ■§ K =3 >< c3 a -S o a* ^^ sTg -^3 i=^ ■73 3 o "^ -S a irj CO 00 t» c^ CO to Oi C^ r-l I— I rH i-H T-I i- OS t— I ec to -co "O lo-.s) lo o >« o •^ir»«0'O.t» :;5 ."^ -H> .S "^ -^ — S3 '^ r^a "3 '3 i s '^ :: <=> o 9 ^ "3 r2 ^ to a S , -to 4> C^ o, 2 a ci a 5 S 2 . . s 2 o g ? 3 ^f^2o --3-^ a a -^ ?^32 i J 1 J ^ ^ J • a a a tsoa—s—a'^o'^a'^G'^G'-^a'^a-^a'^fl'^ a*^ OOP Hti<0 HOfaQOOOOOO O g tq N N N N o o o o o o . orj oo «d oo n m tn o5 w; w n ££ 5 "^ — :2:£:2 -^ -^ -^ -^ "^ "^ -^ -^ -^ "^ ^'-ajs «0<0 O to oo <09>0 O kO o» to to to to to to fO tototo >H I »-l »— I • I hi O SJ ■.-' S S ^ -"5 a rr ^ ^ a SHS* Serf a*-© -5-0 §-=0 ^ «*|--«S 1 1-i 1^ i a II mi h) tA ui CQ O M u « 344 [Assembly p E- z c o 1-5 M a ia ^1 C • zn 4 o -Sa C '-I iform i Eilily. c3 03 >» ^r ® S =2 a « -* S-c o rH « « w & N • > o O o § o C o T-l CO rj( ^ • • cC r3 M 9S nj Q ^ jQ rQ > . i i:a fe 13 a s 5.« ,£5 13 nj 03 =^5 -t-= 1 1 o 1-s ,i3 C cS ■^^ a -^ ^ « fl -*^ o? <1 H < iir p g o o O m P .— CD P ^ O u Cm O fee a "S " o "^ -u O 3 s^ £ ^ o p '-' P S m t< P ^ Odd -»= at3 « O O ^3 03 s- ^ P Sri " o 5 -' S ^ <« ^ .5 a^p p^ a t- Cj a^ rP I- <^ i- O U-, Cm 2 00 t^ hT PS o O s iC = bed ^§a o t-l 2 == p ^ cc' O fe P C ^ C ^ d O^ e 13 d _ d CO 5 P « "^ a) 1 c o o ft ft p « • « • » ^^ Is ^ 3 Ul p d "^ o «> d o -Q -»» -P H • c: m Si ».^ Xfi 0/ & 'jz. S d ^ — < ^ r»: d "•"' V4 >. rP L_. >■ "T" -o tx O -P 5 w O a d o IK o S m C3 C/1 o d 03 ,p t/i -t-A [ "^ ■*^ p ft o O >> o +- o ,Q o TT ^ m o o ^ -*x d i3 O bC a ^ 03 d ^ o c i-t ^ ^. ai ^ ,£3 i^ •-^ o r- ,£» ■ > d p ^: ;- o *\ tt -*— o d a; o 'o U2 ^ -*^ J2 -t-» o ^- O' o ft f— K tJ 0) « 03 !-l "^ r^ Ct s> CO > ^ 0) , 1^ C -u rP o CO C5. c^ ^ ^ d P X — 03 < -<■;>• s o o o d be S j: • 'ft- ft J O cn o Wj <** O" -1^ o ^ >:. d ^ "" c -4-^ J3 CC r; ft rs c>-t >^ •** C» "^ S ^3 d o ,— • p c^ c • fH CG ^ -tx F-H r*^ 03 5 ^ O r- P o P 'ft r—j <» •■ V-i d • -3 o o ;-i d -p "o CJ ^ 'P ^ C 7-n -u» +i a & -3 d o w: d ••■ ' '^ s> ^ 03 03 03 Sx 'C ;^ C-r o r^ >■ 03 d o c Hx 1— i CC O &: CO o o -ta o >^ P • ,£3 _s o -^ -^ "d d o ft- v o c d d &:^ rP -u o A ftrP ri O » >^ a -p <-. C! o (X P o >;- d ft ft d p d r^ i^r^ 03 -tj *"* <; k^ o 1^ Q c p rP CO H o ^ c O) »^ ;- ^^■ , ^ j; cj-c •5 £^ ]>andry best adapted to the diflerent por- tions of the State be secured. 358 [Assembly Every year adds to the opinions heretofore expressed, of the great advantages resulting from the county organizations. In the counties where they have been most fully sustained, the evidences , of the good resulting from them are so manifest, that every year adds to the number of those who are enrolling themselves as members to aid in the good work in which they are engaged. We trust this will continue, until all our counties shall be thoroughly aroused to the importance of systematic and enlarged cfibrt for the advancement of agriculture ; and the time is not far distant, when our whole State will show to all that we have estab- lished a system of husbandry, that developes in a marked degree the resources cf our noble State. ALBANY. CoEYMANs Town Association. Transactions of the Coeymons Town Jlgriculfuial Society ^ held at Coeymans Hullow on the 2dth and dOth days of Sept.j 1852. This being the second annual fair held by the society, it had attracted general notice by the inhabitants of the town and the adjoining towns. The farmers came together en masse, bring- ing with them something to contribute to the exhibition. The varieties, quantities and numbers of specimens of all branches of industry exceeded the most sanguine expectations. It had gen- erally been understood that no premiums would be awarded but through the indefatigable exertions of our worthy President, James W. Jolly, the magnanimity of Judge Vanderzee, and the small initiating fee, the society awarded about one hundred pre- miums. It was estimated that three thousand or more persons attended the exhibition each day, and we have yet to learn that one word of dissatisfaction or disapprobation was heard. Every One appeared to be surprised and elated to see the quantity, quality and variety of articles brought together. Many present "who had never before taken an interest in the society, expressed a desire to see it thoroughly established, and a permanent fund created for its future operations. No. 112.] 359 ■Awards were made uj^on the several varieties of hordes, cattle? sheep, swine and poultry, and upon domestic manufactures, im- plements, fruits, flowers, &c. Now the result of the whole exhi- bition was in the highest degree encouraging, and will not be lost in its influence upon the county. Already has a notice been given for the formation of a county agrj.cultural society, and there is little doubt that an effectual one will be organised. Daniel Spear, Secretary. ALLEGANY. The annual fair and cattle show of the Allegany county Agri- cultural Society was held at Angelica on the loth September, 1852, and was attended by a large number of the citizens of the county, and there appeared to be an increased anxiety on the part of the farmers for the prosperity of the society. The show of bulls, cows, heifers, oxen, steers, fat cattle, calves, shrep,hogs,' fowls, &C.J of butter, cheese, maple sugar, garden vegetables, honey, fruit, flowers, &c., was gratifying to all. The show of •stud horses, matched and working horses, mares, colts, &c., was better than on any former occasion. The show of domestic manu- factures was fully equal to any former exhibition, and showed that the ladies contributed their full share in keeping up the in- terest of the society. The society had funds from last year, $-248 12 Received from voluntary subscription, 133 00 Keceived fur interest, 13 58 Received from State Treasurer, 93 00 $187 70 The society paid premiums in cash, $224 00 Incidental expenses, 5 CI Cash on hand, 2.58 09 ^487 70 560 [Assembly The-saciety have awarded 30 volumes of the Transactions of the State Society for premiums, and has given to each member of the society a volume of Transactions. This CDUuty is best adapted to grazing and stock raising^ and the dairy interest is increasing. There are also large quantities of oats, wheat, corn, potatoes and barley, &c., raised in the county. There is a large lumber business tione in the south part of the county, which with the New-York and Erie railroad, affords a good market for the surplus products of the farmer. Our farmers are now getting from $7 to $9 for their sur- plus hay; 38 to 40 cents for oats; 20 to 25 cents for butter. Large quantities of these articles have been bought and sent to New- York by the Erie railroad. The crops of hay, oats, va heat, barley. &c., will probably average with former years. Corn was hardly as good. Potatoes are much better than formerly, both as- regards the quality and quantity raised. There has been a great increase in the value of iarms and farming lands in this county, owing to the increased value of the products of the farmer and a ready market.' OJicers of the Society for 1853. — Joel Karr, of Almond, Pre- sident; J. G. Osborn, Lewis Utter, E. B. Winans, Stepto Woodruff, Daniel R. Stillman, L^aac Miles, Vice Presidents; Ezra Starr, Angelica, Secretary; James Lockhart, Angelica, Corres- ponding Secretary and Treasurer. JOEL KARR, Preiident. BROOME, BiNGHAMTON, (BrOOME CoUNTY,) ) bt/i Jafiuary, 1853. y Benj. p. Johnson, Esq., Secretary^ Sfc. My Dear Sir — I could not comply with the request in your let- ter of the 16th of October, as early as as you desired, and I could hardly spare a moment now, but for a desire to make some re- No. 112.] 361 turn for your repeated favors, and, if possible, to add a mite to the history of our agriculture. lean not answer your inquiry, " What is the chief production of your county," by a single word. The surface of the county is very much diversified, and the soil, embraces a great variety of sorts and quantities, and therefore its natural and cultivated productions are equally various. Almost all kinds of grains, fruits and vegetables, which are suitable to this latitude, are produced with reasonable ceitaintj and cheapness, and in remunerating abundance. Our county is traversed by the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers, and their tributaries, the Tioughnioga and Ot.-elic, and by numerous creeks, along whose vallies is excellent corn land, and the hilly ridges between them are all tilable, and productive of wheat and other cereals, especially on the oak and chestnut soils, which greatly prevail ; and all of. our land yields abundant pas- turage. Those portions which were originally clothed with beech, m.aple and hemlock timber, are generally esteemed the best grazing farms. The surface of our county is, as I have remarked, quite hilly, but not as momitainous as might be supposed, by a hasty travel- ler on our great thoroughfare, the New- York and Erie railroad. The hills nearest the river, where the road passes, are generally the highest, but seldom rise higher than from 200 to 400 feet above the rivers, and their slopes are gradual, and their summits smoothly rounded off, and often llattened into large tables, all being tilled or tilable land. In no part of this county, with the exception of a very few localities in two towns, is there any rock on the surface, or the landscape disfigured or embellished by a ledge or cliff, or an unsightly acre of land. There is, moreover, but a trifle of marshy or swampy land. In view of these tacts, it must be obvious, that the county of Broome, under good cultiu'c, must support as largo a p ipulation as almost any in the State, in proportion to its acres, and a great deal larger than many of the old counties, nov; standing as the best and richest. The same may be predicted of four ormoreof the counties next west of us, in the southern tier. 362 [Assembly For the purpose of determining what are the chief products of the county with as much precision as I could, I have gathered some statistics of a// the important ones in two towns — one of which is as good a grain growing one as any, and the other one, which is considered rather better adapted to grazing than grain growing, though it has the Tioughnioga running about ten miles through it. I could not well go on with the estimate of the whole county for want of time. THE TOWN OF CHENANGO. I estimate the number of acres of improved land at 24,450 The numbers of farmers 330 Corn crop in 1852, estimated, 32,500 bushels, 6s., $24 44c., 46 8s., 10 6s., 6 43., 6 2s., 15 22c., 33 31c., 3 Oat crop a Wheat crop u Rye, (( Buckwheat, a Potatoes, u Butter, a Wool,' u u 106,650 u a 10,210 u u 8,250 iC u 12,500 t< u 60,000 u (( 160,700 lbs. iC 1 1 ?inn u $145 Value of live stock, 136 $282 Value of animals slaughtered by farmei-s, in 1852, $24 " " " by butchers, " 80 6,600 tons hay, $12, 79 375 926 210 187 250 000 154 503 605 400 005 700 000 000 I estimate the acres, improved land in the town of Barker at 13,900 The number of farmers at 194 The crop of corn, in 1852, at 6,040 bushels, 6s., $4,530 « oats, " 30,800 " 44c., 13,552 « wheat, « 3,400 " 8s., 3,400 « rye, " 2,710 " 6s.,- 2,032 50 No. 112.] 363 The crop of buck wlrt, in 1352 at 2,800 bushels 4s., 1,400 « potatoes, " 21,000 " 2s., 8,250 " butter " 98,600 " 22c., 21,692 « wool, " 7,960 '' 31c., 2,467 60 Value of livestock, 68,510 00 1122,864 10 Value of animals slaughtered by farmers, §13,200 « « by butchers, 4,000 4,600 tons hay, ^8, 36,800 The animals slaughtered in Chenango were, many of them of foreign production. If you desire to know anything more of the condition of the county, and its bu>iness and resources, I would add, that large quantities of agricultural produce, salt, lime, plaster, hydraulic cement, &c., are brought into Bingham ton, its chief business village by the Chenango canal and railroads, and transported to the Delavrare and Lackawanna country ; and also a large amount of lumber and coopers' stuff, is manufactured and sent to market from this county. The Lackawanna railroad, also, brings to Binghamton a con- sideralde quantity of anthracite coal, wliich, after supplying the wants of the immediate vicinity, is sent on the Chenango canal, through the counties of Clienango, Madison and Onondaga, to lake Ontario ; and when the other railroads, which are in contem- plation, are completed, which will be done in about two years, that branch of trade will be increased immensely. There is obviously a difliculty in estimating, with accuracy, the nett income ('f farms, from the above statement. I can not state the cost of ])roducti()n of the several articles, or what por- tion of the value of live stock and slaughtered animals shr.uldbe Bet down as a yearly increase, ur what portion of the hay and grain miiy have been consunu'd in their growth and fattening. I there- fore ^'5.sw7nc, that lhecustof}'r()ducing grain, butter kc , is ecjual to one half the value, as farms in this country are generally let on this assumption — the tenant doing all the work and giving tho landlord half the crops. 364 [Assembly The grain, butter and other productions, of the town of Che- nango, exclusive of hay and stock, is $145,605 In Barker, is 54,324 10 It appears, from the foregoing, that what is called grain lands are much more productive, even including hay, than grazing farms; since the use of manures of various kinds has become more general, it is known that any land which produces grain' well, can be con- verted into good pasturage and meadows. The amount of improved land in this county is rapidly in- creasing, and farms are being improved in the character of their buidings and fences, and farmers are employing a style of more thorough tillage, but are still far below a proper standard ; and but little attention is paid to the improvemjnt of cattle, which are chiefly of the native breeds, with a sprinkling of Devon and Durham blood. The value of farms has consderably advanced within a few years, and is still improving, by reason of the construction of the railroads terminating in the center of the county, and the influx of purchasers, who are "attracted by the comparative cheapness of farms, the productiveness, of the soil, tlie salubrity of the climate and beauty of the scenery. The lumber region of the Delaware river, the coal mining Lack- awanna valley, and New-York, are the chief places where our products are marketed. The cost of transportation to New- York is from twenty-five to fifty cents per thousand pounds. A. DOUBLEDAY. CAYUGA. The annual fair of the Cajuga county Agricultural Society, was held at Auburn on the sixth and seventh of October, 1852. The weather was very pleasant, and the display of the various animals and articles usually exhibited on such occasions, was very good. The horses of all kinds were good, especially the matched horses. The show of sheep wus alT ters to scliools at a distanccj where they have learned the arts and fashions of city ladies and gentlemen ; rendering them discon- tented with the duties of their station, instead of bestowing upon them an education that will make that station honorable for its intelligence and beautiful for taste, shown by the cultivators of the soil. " And to you, farmers of Chemung county, these remarks are especially applicable. The earliest settlers are the best capable of appreciating the fact, that now the means of wealth and im- provement are vastly increased. That wonderful road which passes through our county is as if a great river had suddenly broken through the forests, bearing on it the ships which convey your produce to the best market in the world. Your lands so lately new, are now equal in value to the oldest and best on the Hudson, or the sea-board -, and shall you not take advantage of your improved condition to improve yourselves, to advance the next generation, so that they who coniB after you may know your name, by continuing on the same lands, and in the pursuit of the same profession, greatly advanced from what it was when you entered into these woods and wilds. Let it be the aim of us all wherever Providence has put us, to fill our place as men, and as women, and as citizens ; and this we cannot do unless we try to leave the little world where we live, better than when we entered on it. " That selfish spirit that sees nothing beyond the present day nor above the dollar, as a return, is unworthy of us all as rational be- ings, or as the citizens of this free land. We are indebted to those who preceded us here, in preparing a place for us — we are bound to pay that debt in bequeathing superior advantages to our successors ; and in what way can we do this more eff'ectually than in improving the soil. ^' But live on in your disregard of all but the immediate return of cash in hand, and you will find yourselves, not unlike that man who resolves to take all he can from his land, and in as short a time as possible, without any outlay. He gets his desire the first year and he feels overjoyed ; but the next season is less? .and it becomes less and less until his farm is impoverished, and 1^0. 'in.] -371 he is punislied. There are those who deal with society in the same way ; they grasp at all and give nothing out by way of en- couragement— in public spirit, in time, and in money ; and at the ^nd of a few years they have a pocliet filled with dust, and a heart turned into stone. ^' Nor is that all, for they teach their cliildren to take the same advantage; and they become so apt in their lessons that they skin their own teacher, though he be their father; and could the old man who thus has lived to himself but rise from the grave, a few generations hence, he would not see one of his name or his kin- /ired on the soil that he has wrought so earnestly ; and beneath which he lies without a single pilgrim to shed a tear upon his tomb. Selfishness, carries with it a just retribution. Officers for 1853. President, Charles Huiet, Elmira; Corres- ponding Secretary, E. C. Frost, Catharines; Recording Secretary A. J. Wynkoop, Elmira; Treasurer, W. H. Van Duzen, Horse Heads; VicePresidentj:, Samuel Minier, Big Flatts; J.B. Burritt €atlin; Z. F. Chase, Cayuta ; W. T. Jackson, Catharines; R. C. Wilson, Chemung^ Lewis Sandford, Dix; J. B. Moore, Erin; Lewis ^liller^ Southport; Augustus Latin, Veteran. 'CHENANGO. The annual fair of the Chenango county Agricultural Society was held at Norwich on th<^ 29th and 30th days of September, and was numerously attended, and tlie exhibition as a whole was fully €qual to any previous fair held in this county. At file annual meeting of the Society in January, 1852, the con- 'Stitution was so amended that the executive commitlee could lo- cate the annual fair for a term of years at one place ; at a ;iieet- ing of the executive committee un the lirst Tuesday of June last, they located the fair at Norwich I'u* four years, and appointed a committee of three persons to pi-ocure and lease a piece of ground &r that pur]>ose. 372 ^ [Assembly The said committee obtained and leased five acres of ground i^ear the center of the village, for the sum of twenty-five dollars per annum, and enclosed it with a tight board fence, eight feet high, and erected a building witliin the enclosure forty by sixty feet, for the exhibition of dairy products^ mechanical implementSj. domestic manufactures, &c. The annual meeting was held at Norwich on the fourth instant, when premiums on field crops were awarded. Statements with proper certificates as to measurement of ground, previous crops^ &c., together with samples, were presented. Officers for 1853. George Juliand, of Greenej President, witb seven Vice Presidents ; Jonathan Wells, of iVorwich, Correspond- ing Secretary and Treasurer, and twenty Managers, one from each tpwn^ the whole constituting the executive committee. CALVIN COLE. Oxford J January Ith^ 1853^ B. P. Johnson, Esq., Sec.^ S^c.t In answer to the inquiries in the cireular you addressed to me- in the early part of October last, I have sought for the best in- formation within my reach, and the result is as follows : First. The chief products of our county are butter and cheese. Second. In consequence of the unusually dry season the past Slimmer, there is but a small increase in butter from last year^ while in cheese there has been a decrease. Third. Tiie estimated number of acres devoted to the produc- tion of butter and cheese in this county is 150,000, and the quan- ^ty of butter produced for market is about 3,500,000 pounds, and the quality ranks high among the first in the State. The quantity of cheese is about 1,500,000 pounds, and the quality will com- pare favorably with any other in the State. Fourth. The other important productions of the county ar©= seat cattle, sheep and wool, horses, swine, corn, oats, potatoes,. m. 112.] ^73 &c. Of neat cattle, the average number maybe stated at ^5,006. Of sheepj the average number for the last few years will not vary- much from 150,000, and th^ quantity of wool produced about 340,000 pounds. The average number of horses is estimated at 1 1 ,000. In swine there is probably an increase from year to year; the number is •estimated at 30.000. The corn crop is better this year than the preceding one, and is estimated at 250,000 bushels. The average •quantiiy *ji oais is prubctbly iuuie uiiifuiiii, and is estimaied at €00,000 bushels. , Fift^. The increase or decrease of acres under tillage. The amount of lands under tillage has varied but little for the last few years, and is estimated at 60,000 acres. Sixth. The increase in cows has been considerable in past years, while other neat cattle have varied but little. There has also been an increase in horses and swine, while in sheep there has been a very considerable decrease. The most common breeds of neat cattle are the natives and cross breeds withDuihams and Devons. Among a large portion of our farmers the natives are "Considered the best for the dairy and for market, while a consid- -erable portion prefer the cro^s, some of Devons and some of Dur- hams, for both the dairy and market. Seventh. But little scientific attention is applied to farm cul- tivation, although the subject begins to excite attention. Eighth. Drainage has received some notice, and its results have been satisfactory, JVinth. Lands and farms have steadily increased in value foi the last few years. Tenth. The produce of this cuunty finds a ready market uj>on the line of the Clienango canal, whicli passes through a central portion of the county. From the southern portion of the county S'H [AsSfEBlELT mucli prodace is earned to market upon the New-York and Eri^ railroad. The expense of conveying the products of the county is estr- mated at one per cent on th^ value thereof. GALVIN COLE, Pres. Chen. Co: Jl'g, So. Oxfordy January 1st J 1S53, CLINTON. To THE Executive Committee of the N. Y. State Ag. Society r Gentlemen: Below I hand you an "abstract of the proceed- ings" of the Clinton county Agricultural Society for the year 1852, together with the ^'statements'^ received from successful competitors. At the annual meeting of the society, which was held at Platts- burgh on the 6th of January, the officers were elected for the year 1852, and the usual business transacted. On the 10th of February the executive committee met and agreed upon a list of premiums to be offered for the year 1852,, amounting in the aggregate to |678 in cashy and twenty-nine di- plomas. At an early day the premiums were published in a pamphlet^ containing also the address of the President before the annual meeting of the society, a copy of w^hich is herewith forwarded. The annual fair of the society was held at the show grounds in; Keeseville, on the 22d, 23d and 24t!i days of September. The first day was occupied in the making of entrieSy and the reception and arrangement of articles for exhibition. The second day was devoted to examination by the judges. During this and the following day the grounds were open to the public. The number of visitors in attendance was not so great No. 112.1 375 as last year, though considering the unusual attractions at a neighboring ^-race course," which were continued during the whole of the two days, the attendance at the fair grounds was fully equal to any reasonable expectations. The location of a race course in the immediate vicinity of our fair grounds, is an exceedingly unfortunate circumstance. Aside from its deleterious influence on the public morals, its effect upon the interests of the Agricultural society has been found decidedly injurious. The proprietors of the race grounds, and others Interested in it, will not permit so favorable an occasion as that of an agricul- tural fair to pass unimproved ; and every year, after the hand- bills of the fair are posted, and after it is too late for the time of holding it to be changed, or for the Agricultural society to dis- abuse the public mind of the impression that it is connected with and interested in the success of the ^' races," flaming bills an- nouncing them as appointed to come off " in connection with THE fair," are distributed. The effiect is that a large and influ- ent'al portion of the farmers and citizens of this county, embrac- ing all those who disapprove of public horse racing j on acconntof its immoral tendencies, and who are not advised of the true state of the facts, either stay away, or come only to attend as idle spec- tators. It is not to be denied, that while many who would otherwise take a conspicuous part in the celebration of our fairs, are thus re- strained by motives of principle from participating in them, others of an oj)positc character may be drawn together in greater num- bers, a cii'Cimistance wliich has been urged as an argument in fa- vor of the races ; Ijut tliree or four years- experience lias tailed to prove to us the justness of tlie claim. Few persons who have 60 ftttle regard fur the legitimate (objects and purposes of an ag- ricultural fair, that the attractions of a public race becoiiie ne- cessary as a bait to allure them to the neighborhood, are likely cither to be much beneliled themselves, or to .benefit others, by their attendance. On the contrary, we have found that for every visitor who has been drawn to any of our fairs by means of the 376 [Assembly race course, several times that number, of the honest yeomanr/ of our county, who at any other time would have resisted the temptation, have been dvawnfrom it. So great, indeed, has been the draught in this direction, that the operations of the Society have often been seiiuusly emuaridSScu. In more than one in- stance during the fair of this year, the officers of the society were compelled to suspend operations, until the return from the " races" of a sufficient amount of working material to enable them to pro- ceed with business. These remarks are not made in a spirit of fault finding, but simply as an act of justice to ih« society which I have the honor to represent, and as a warning to other societies which have not yet had the same experience, V On the forenoon of the third and last dyy of the fair, the soci- ety was very ably and eloquently addressed by the Hon. B. P. Johnson, of Albany, the indefatigable Secretary of the State Ag- ricultural Society. The discourse was one of rare ability, emi- nently practical, and most opportunely adapted to the wants and condition of those to whom it was addressed. The af* '^H'^on was devoted to the declaration of the awards, a formal display of the animals which liad received the prizes, and a public sale of stock, implements, kc. Owing to various causes, chiefly of a local or a transient character, among which the increased attractions at the race course may be named as one, and the extraordinary drought of the past summer as another, the exhibition was in some particulars inferior- to that of the pre- ceding year. The display of dairy products and of manufactured articles of nearly all kinds, was quite meager. The show of horses, good ; of cattle, sheep and swine, fair, but not equal to last year. The exhibition in floral iiall, IncludiDg fruits, flowers and vegetables, was fully equal to any which the society has yet made. * The premiums awarded at the fair amounted to ;^219 in cash, and 11 diplomas. Of this amount $52, and 3 diplomas, were awarded on cattle; $45, and 4 diplomas, on horses j $9, and 3 No. 112.] 377 diplomas, on slieep ; $19, on swine -, $6, on poultry ; |15, on the products of the.dairy ; $3, on sugar and honey; |6, on bread; §9, on fruit ; $13, and one diploma, on plants and flowers ; $12 on vegetables, $11, on domestic manufactures; $12, on miscel- laneous manulactures ; and $7, on farm implements. At the Annual meeting of the executive committee, held at Plattsburghj November 30th 1852, the further sum of $11, was awarded on Crops, as follows : To Calvin Everest, of Peru, for the best acre of potatoes, the 1st premium. Yield 567 bushels. Value of crop, at 2 shillings per bushel, $141 75 Total cost of crop, including seed, labor, manure, use of land and taxes, 56 89 Net profits, $84 86 To Silas M. Taylor, of Schuyler Falls, fur the 2d best acre of potates, the second premium. Yield, 302 bushels. Value of crop, at 2 shillings per bushel, $75 50 Total cost of crop, including seed, labor, use of land and taxes, 25 50 Net profits, $50 00 To Silas M. Taylor, of Schuyler Falls, for the best acre of oats, the 1st premium. Yield, 73 J | bushels. Value of crup, at 40 cts. per bushels for the grain, and $8 for the straw, , . $37 43 Total cost of cro]>, including seed, labor, use of land and taxes, 10 00 Net profits, $-27 13 Mr. Evkrkst's Statement. Soil,grav< 1 ; previous crop corn, well manured ; forty loads of barn yard manure applied this season, and turned under, land plowed very dee]), amount of seed 12 busliels, of the '']ieach- blow," or " Moore" variety, and assorted, using only tubers of 378 [Assembly good table size, each tuber cut into four pieces or sets, and four of the sets planted in a hill. The rows 3 feet apart; and the hills 2 feet 4 inches asunder in the rows; the sets distributed in the hills so as to be 6 indies asunder ; planting done on the 10th and 11th days of May; hoed twice; dug in the month of Octo- ber. Expenses of cultivation ^ ^x. Plowing and harrowing, $2 00 12 bushe s seed at 4 shillings, 6 00 Cutting seed, 38 Planting, 1 00 Plowing between rows, 100 Hoeing twice, 2 50 Harvesting done fur 3 cents per bushel, 17 00 Manure, 40 loads, at 4 shillings, 20 00 Use of land and taxes, 7 00 Total, $56 89 Amount of crop, 567 bushels. Value, at ^ shillings per bushel, 141 75 Balance in favor of crop, $84 86 Mr. Taylor's Statement. — Potatoes. Soil, gravelly loam. Had been in pasture since the time of "clearing," perhaps 25 years; plowed first of May, harrowed once ; planted 10th of May, in rows, 3 feet 3 inches apart each way. Seed 12 bushels; variety, pink eyes and English whites; applied a light top dressing of ashes and plaster, as soon as the plants were out of the ground ; cultivated each way once ; hoed once ; harvested the second week in October. Expense of cultivation &c. including seed, fer- tilizers, use of land, and taxes, $25 50 Amount of crop, 302 bushels, of 60 lbs. Value of crop at 25 cts. per bushel, 75 50 Balance in favor of crop, $50 00 • No. 112.] 379 Mr. Tailor's Stapement. — Oats. Soil, gravelly loam ; previous crop potatoes, with 15 loads barn yard manure applied to the acre. Plowed for the present crop, once; sowed the middle of May ; seeds bushels, of the "horsermane," variety; harvested Istof September, and thrashed in November. Expense of cultivation, Sec, including seed at 4 shillings, per bushel, use of land and taxes, |10 00 Amount of crop, 73 bushels : Value of grain, at 40 cts. per bushel,, . 29 43 Straw, estimated at, , 8 00 37 43 Balance in favor of crop, $27 43 Receipts and Expenditures of Society. Balance in treasury last year, §64 63 Amount received from the State, 84 00 Receipts from all other sources, 622 86 $771 49 Paid out premiums and expenses, 763 49 In treasury 8 00 §771 49 All of which is respectively submitted, J. BATTEY, PresidiTit. Officers for 1853. — Richard Keese, President, Keese\ille; E. Harding, Secretary, Keesevllle ; Peter Keese, Treasurer, A usable. 380 [Ass^MBLt Extracts from the address of Jonathan Battey, President. Improvements effected by ike labor and influence of the Society. " Tliat changes more or less important have taken place in the mode of cultivaiing the soil, in the rearing and management of stock, and in various other departments of agricultural practice, must I think be apparent to all. But before we can be prepared correctly to estimate, wherein and to what extent improvement has been effected; and how wC; by our organization, have con- tributed to such improvement, it may be neccessary that we should revert for a moment, to the state of agriculture as it existed here prior to the organization of the Society, and compare it with the state in which it exists at the present time. Deep Plowing, '' Of the numerous points in our husbandry in which improve- ment may be claimed, none perhaps exhibits better evidence in support of its claim, than depth of tillage. Ten years ago, the average depth of plowing in this county, was not probably more than five inches-, whereas now it may be safely stated at seven in- ches or more. Whether or not this constitutes an improvement, your own experience and observation will enable you to deter- inine. Manner of Seeding. " Ten years ago, our farmers ordinarily sowed of spring wheat, only one to one and a fourth bushels of seed to the acre ; and of oats, but one and a half to two bushels. Now, the average rate of seed- ing does not probably fall much below two bushels of wheat, and three of oats to the acre ; and there has been a corresponding in- crease in the average amount of the yield, of probably not less than four bushels of the former, and ten bushels of the latter per acre ; and a similar remark will apply to most other grain crops. At that time also, most farmers here allowed their crops of grain, of every kind, to stand till fully ripe, and many till the kernel was dry enough to grind, before the grain was cut. No. 112.] 381 Cutting Grain before fully ripe. " Now, the advantage of cutting it while the straw is yet par- tially green, appears to be univei-sally understood, and very gene- rally practiced. Then the hilling of corn, at the last hoeing, a practice by which the roots were buried in a position unnaturally remote from the genial influence of the sun, and by which the water falling in rain, and intended for the benefit of the growing plant, was turned off into the farrows, and sent to swell the amount in some neighboring stream, was nearly universal : now it is nearly obsolete. A change scarcely less important and no less general, has taken place in the mode of harvesting this crop. In the old fashioned mode, at that time chiefly practiced, the ^iops^ were ^cut' and cured, the ears, after having become ' dead ripe,' plucked and saved, and the residue of the plant left standing where it grew. By the adoption of the more econo- mical mode of cutting up at the root, while the stalk is yet green, a better quality of grain is secured, and a saving of fodder effected, at least equal in value to a crop of hay on the same ground. Improvement in quality of Plants. " In the variety and quality of the plants we cultivate, there has also been, in almost every department, very decided improvement. For example, the general introduction of a single variety of po tato, the "Moore" potato of this region, or " Peach blow '' of New-England, has gained for the potatoes of Clinton county, a reputation in tlie Boston and New-York markets, which insures the ready sale of all which our farmers can raise, at the very kighest jirices. It has been estimated that the sum of not less than half a million dollars has been received by the farmers of this county, for the single article of potatoes within the past three years, a result, unquestionably, in great measure at least, of the dissemination of this im])roved variety. Improved Fruits. " In the department of fruits, there has also been a very striking advance. The liberal premiums which, f;om time to time, have been offered by this Society, to promote the exhibition of fruit at our fairs, the planting of orchards, tlie nursery propagation of 382 [Assembly trees, and the production of Essays on Fruit Culture, have awakened, throughout the county, a taste for planting, Avhicli amounts T\'ell nigh to enthusiasm. During the years 1850 and '51, there were probably planted out in orchards in this county, not less than 20,000 apples trees, of the choicest engrafted varieties; and in gardens as many as 2,000 pear trees and an equal number of other kinds of fruit trees ; aud still the operation of planting appears to have but just commenced. All this, be it remember- ed, is so much added to the jjroductive capital of the county. If this planting should continue, as there is every reason to believe it willj increasing in the same ratio as during the past two years, for the next ten, the whole number of trees thus planted out, will then exceed half a million ; or even if it should only con- tinue at the present rate for that term of years, the number would still amount to more than a quarter of a million of trees ! ^' Of the immense advantages likely to accrue to the county from this one branch of our agriculture, which may, not inaptly, be styled a new creation of this society, rather than an improve- ment, few as yet have probably any adequate conception. The product of half a million trees, in full bearing, may be estima- ted at t,vo and a half millions of bushels annually, and still leave a wide margin for failures, from the vicissitudes of seasons, in- sects, and disease. Of this amount, after allowing to the farmers of the county, for use in the family and upon the farm, half a million of bushels, or about 250 bushels to each family, a balance would be left for sale^ of two million bushels ! And this quan- tity, at 2 shillings pr. bushel, half the price of good grafted apples now a days, would amount to the nice little sum of half a million dollars ! which exceeds the aggregate annual amount of sales for any one crop, or for any two crops, now raised in the county. Improvement in Fertilizers, ^'Thus, in nearly every department of our husbandry, has im- provement been going on. It was not until within the last few years, that the compost heap was ever seen, or the uss of gypsum as an absorbent introduced, or the value of peat or sw^amp muck known. Why gentlemen, ten years ago the farmers of this county, generally, no more thought of the manuf\ctur£ of maniu'e as one No. 112.] 383 of the regular annual processes of farming, than they now do of engaging in the manufacture of the air they breath. The pre- vailing notion seemed to be, that only animal stock could render any aid in the process of making manure ; and that only those productions of the soil which had been obtained by the sweat and toil of man, as grain, hay or roots, could be made of any use in that process! that all the part the farmer could take in the manufacture . of manure was the feeding and care of his stock , and that when it left the laboratory of his animal chemists, it was not only complete, but indestructible, absolutely out of the reaCh of any of the ordinary agents of decomposition, decay or waste ! But how is it now ? Let your own experience answer. Which uf you, gentlemen, has not come to regard, practically I mean, weeds and all forms of vegetable ruljbish, as well as the suds and slops from the kitchen, worth adding to the manure heap? And which of you that has it on his farm, or within his reach, fails of supplying his barnyards every autumn, with a quan- tity of muck, to absorb the liquid portion of the manure, which would else leach away and be lost? And which of you would not about as soon rnn the gauntlet, as be seen hauling manure from his yards and spreading it out upon his fields in autumn, there to leach and whiten, and waste its volatile parts by evapo- ration, during five or six long wintry months, preparatory to a crop the next season ? Improvement of Stock and Implements. " Improvements no less conspicuous and important, have been going on, in the character of our stock, in the number, variety and perfection of our laljor-saving inplements, in the improved condition and general appearance of our farms, in the convenience and air of neatness and comfort, in the barns, out -houses and dwellings of the farmer, wliicli are every where springing up. *' But I need not stop to expatiate on the evidences of improve- ment. No one with his eyes open, and in his right mind, can fail to s«'e it, in whatever direction lie may look. And he must be a st(»ut unbeliever in the mower of association^ wlio can for a moment hesitate about giving to the agency of this society some i^hare at least of the credit of producing these results. 384 [Assembly COLUMBIA. The executive committee of the Columbia county Agricultu- ral Society met in tlie city of Hudson on the 11th day of June, 1852, and made out a list of premiums to be awarded at the coming fair, to be held on September 29th and 30 ch. The annual meeting of the society was held September 7th, 1852, when the following officers were elected, viz: Elisha W. Bushnell, of Hillsdale, President; Daniel S. Curtiss, Charles W. Hull, William E. Hermance, John D. Langdon, Vice Presidents; F. A. Gifford, Secretary ; Jacob N. Harder, Treasurer, and an executive committee of one from each town. The annual fair and cattle show of the Columbia county Agricultural Society was held at Chatham Four Corners on the 29th and 30th days of September. Our agricultural friends came in from all parts of the county, and seemed to feel very much in- terested ; and were we to judge of the prosperity of our society by the numbers present on the occasion, we should say it was very flattering. The plowing match was held on the first day of the fair. There were seven teams and plowmen presented themselves as competitors for the premiums. The plowing came off with a good deal of spirit and good feeling. The plowing was very well done, considertng the dryness of the grounds. The second day was devoted exclusively to the exhibition and examination of animals and articles offered for premiums, which w^as very exten- sive. The exhibition was one of the best ever held in this county. There was a large display of animals, and many were of superior excellence. The show of farm implements and other articles in the mechanical department was very extensive and attracted much attention. The annual address was delivered by Mr. Solon Robinson, of New- York, to a vast assemblage of the citizens of Columbia county. In the ladies' department there was a very rich display, and such as to have secured the admiration of the multitude in atten- No. 112,] 385 dance. The show of fruit, flowers and vegetables was extensive, and very fine indeed. The fair was one of which old Columbia may well be pr.ud. It. was in truth a jubilee to the farmers of the county. The premiums were awarded to the successful competitors on the first day of October, the third day of the fair. It is evident from the immense number of people at our fair, as well as from the great variety of articles on exhibition, that an Increased interest is felt in the prosperity of the society, and its prospects of usefulness were never more flattering than at pre- sent. Columbia coupty has done nobly. Taking into consideration the^^backwardness of the season, and the almost unprecedented drouth of the whole summer, it is surprising to see to what size and perfection fruits and vegetables have been brought in this vicinity. The show of grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plimis, vegetables and flowers, has never been equalled in this county. We talked with several gentlemen at Chatham Four Comers, who were present at the State Fair, Jately held at Utica, and they all said that only in quantiiy, not in quality, did it excel our coanty,fair. In fact, the speaker, Mr. Ii.,paid us the compliment, in saying that lie had attended a great many fairs in his time, but he had never beheld as nice a string of 10 yoke of oxen as he saw at this fair. There was one yoke of three year old steers on the ground entered by Mr. Pratt, which he said were the best he ever saw in his life; they were, in fact, the admiration of all. .^JTlie volumes of Transactions of the State Society and American Institute, fdi-uished the society, have also been distributed as, premiums, and are very much sought after by the farming part of the community. Tht; financial condition of the society is as follows : Received from members of the society, |236 00 Received balance on hand at last report, 02 00 Curried forward. 328 00 ( At;. Tr. '53,1 X i^S6 [Assembly Brought forward^ ,-....»-.„...♦......,...„. 328 00 Received fro a StAta Treasurer, .„...,. 133 00 • . $461 00 Paid out for premiums, Oet. lf)t, 315 00 Incidental ^Tpenses, .«.,.. , 13 50 1357 50 Leaving a foalanoe of ...... « „ |103 50 ELISHA W„ BUSHNEJX, PresidmL CORTLAND The fourteenth annual fair of the society was held at Cortland Village on the 15th and 16th September. Never since the organ- ization of the society has there been so deep an interest shoi^nas upon this occasion. The out-door arrangements were in fine or- der, and the display «*f animals good. Extensive sheds had been erected, and were filled to overflowing with mechanical products of various kinds. The Messrs. Freers had a large and commo- dious one of their own, where the housewife or the agriculturist might have procured any article their necessity or fancy should have prompted, while Mr. Sanders, and others, also made fine dis- plays of their manufactured articles. Floral hall was more neatly fitted up than on any former oc- casion, and far more attractive, as shown by the amount received, (being double that of last year). The floral exhibition was un- usually fine, and did much credit to the exhibitors. The display of fruits and vegetables was unusually great and veiy fine, and the potato, which for some years past has been so poor in qual- ity and short in product, is this year very fine, and a good crop. On the second day the plowing match was contested with much spirit by numerous competitors, and the work performed by them " hard be to beat." Immediately after the plowing match the so- ciety partook of a dinner prepared for them at the '^ Eagl« Tav- ern," after which they repaired to the Presbyterian church, where an address was delivered. No. 112.] 397 / The receipts of the eociety during the psst j&ai have been as follows : Cash on hand date of last report, $183 37 " Floral hall, 205 00 " Membership and other souices, 165 00 State appropriation, . . . , 75 00 $628 37 Cash paid for premiums, $391 00 " " papers, 20 00 " ^^ incidental expenses,. . » 25 00 Cash balance on hand, 292 37 $G28 37 Officers far 1853. At the annual meeting held December 23, the following ofRcers were elected : President, Paris Barber ; Vice Presidents, Moses Kinne, Josiah W. Rood, Lyman Hubbard, Man- ley Hobart; Treasurer, M. L. Webb ; Secretary, Erasmus Bowen ^ Corresponding Secretary, Amos Hobart ; Marshal?, Oliver Glo- ver, Ira Bowen, A. L. Chamberlain ; Superintendent Floral hall, Wm. L. Sherman; Executive committee, Israel Boies, Geo. J. J. Bart>er, Amos Rice, iNoah Hitchcock, Jr., Hiram Hopkins, An- thony Freer, Joshua Ballard, 2d, Hamilton Putnam, Peter Wal- rad, Francis H. Hibbard, Hammei Thompson. ANTiiONY FREER, PrMidmt. DELAWARE. The annual fair and cattle show of the Sooietj was held in Delhi on the Gth and 7th days of October, and was more numer- ously attended thun any previous festival of the association. The fair of the society for the past three jcars has been held In the town or village paying the largest sum int) the treasury, and 0o« far as our own experience is a guide, is a very satisfactory and pro|>er arrangement. The officers of the Society^ by this plan of locating the annual fair, are relieved from an cmbarassing respon- sibility, while the members and patrons of the society are en- 388 [Assembly abled to express Iheir preference for a fi^vorite locality, at the same time that thej entitle themselves to the privileges attendant upon membership. Since the society has adopted this manner of settling the location of its fair, it has been enabled to extend its premium list, to increase the value and variety of its premiums, to provide increased conveniences for the comfort of exhibitors and the public, and thereby to make the occasion one of real in- terest and importance. The number, of persons in attendance upon our last fair is believed to be greater than was ever called out before, on any occasion, in this county. The enclosure of our exhibition grounds, and the collection of an admission fee from persons not members'^of the society, is another new, and we be- lieve satisfactory feature of the present policy of the society. We find very few persons unwilling to pay a shilling into our treasury for their admission into our grounds, while we are en- abled to shut out the few persons whose intemperance and kindred vices make them unpleasant companions on public occasions Our enclosures are also safe deposits for animals or articles on exhibition. Delaware county, as a grazing region, 'is in no particular behind the most favored locality, and its butter competes successfully in our markets with the renowned " Goshen ;'' and yet we are mor- tified to record that the show of our staple product was meager indeed. Very many of our dairies, delivered at tide water, have brought 30 cents per lb, this season, and yet a stranger in attend- ance upon our fair would hardly have guessed, from any thing he saw there, that we deserved, or were proud of the reputation of our dairy products. The exhibition of cattle was good. Henry Bowie, Esq., of Andes, exhibited a superior Durham bull, out of « Marius." S. A. & J. A. Law, of Meredith, exhibited their Devon bull " Cogniac," and the show of pure bred and grade cat- tle was admitted to be the best ever made in the county. Some good pairs of working oxen wf^T-n on exhibition, but as a whole • this feature of the exhibition \s . not what it might and should have been in a county where good ox t*^ams are so numerous as in this. The exhibition of horses was numerous, and the animals such as are suited to our wants, rathi^r than to the fancy of sport- ing men. Many of them were really beautiful animals. Sheep No. 112.J 3&9 of a superior qnality, of various breeds, were on exhibition. A. R. Dutton, of Meredith, exhibited a beautiful French Merino buck, bred by Francis Rotch, Esq., of Morris, Olsego Co., from which he had taken in June previous, moVe than 20 lbs. of wool, the growth of one year. Messrs. Thomas, of Stamford, and Wil- cox, of Harpersfield, exhibited superior Saxons. Messrs. Laws, of Meredith, and Dart, of Harpersfield, superior Merinos. Messrs. Mable, of Delhi, beautiful South-downs, and the show of *' long wools "£was a meritorious one. The ladies gave great interest to our fair, by an extensive and rich exhibition of their handiwork. The annual address was delivered by the President on the second day of the fair, and was listened to with attention. The officers of the Delaware county Agricultural Society take pleasureln reporting the piosperous condition of the society, and their conviction that with prudent management on the part of its officers, it will soon find fast friends in all, as it do^s now in so large a numher of the farmers of the county. Our account Lt the past year is as follows : "Received from membei ship .^cc, |430 70 " « the State, 106 00 $536 76 Paid premiums and expenses, 448 &0 Leaving balance in treaj-ury, $S8 SO Officers for 1853 Samuel A . Law, Meredith, President ; Mar- tin Keek;-, Jr., Kortriglit, N. M. Blish, Stamford, Alex. Miible, Delhi, Hiram Olmstead, Walton, Henry Dowie, Andes, Geo. D. Wheeler, DejL05it, Silas White, Franklin, Vice Presidents ; Aired Redfield, Delhi, ?e:u.iaiy ; M. L. Farrin^:ton, Delhi, Treasurer. S. A. LAW, Pu^idint, McncHh, JV. K, Ter i.O'h, 1^52. 390 [Jlsskmbly DUTCHESS. To THE SECRETAaY OF THE Sl'ATE AQRICiJLTL-RAL SoCflETY : Dear Sir : — Again duty requires me to report to yon the con- dition of tha Dutchess county Agricultural Society, and I am happy to have it in my power to change the old stereotyped re- port of former years, by chronicling the evidences of a bona fide and substantial improvement in the affairs of our society. Since my last report the society has been enabled, through the liberality of our citizens, and the indefatigable exertions of a few zealous friends of agriculture, to enclose for the use of the society, with a close board fence, eight feet high, abont six acres of ground at Washington Hollow, as nearly in the center of the county as it was possible to have made the location. Of this ground the society have a perpetual lease so long as it is occupied by it for agricultural purposes. Within this enclosure has been erected a building fifty by eighty feet, for the purpose ot exhibiting fruits, flowers, vegetables, and articles of useful and ornamental manu- factures, and near the entrance to the show ground a business office for the accommodation of the executive committee, &c., the whole got up with simplicity, economy and excellent taste. These structures are, of course, designed to be permanent as they were built by the society at an expenee of about $2,200, and are mostly paid for. The success of the enterprise infinitely sur- passed the liveliest anticipations of the most sanguine among us, haviiJg realized that substantial patronage from the public, which, besides paying the premium list of over three hundred dollars paid also at our first exhibition six-sevenths of our whole debt. With such encouragement we entertiiin no apprehensions but what we can pay the entire debt anothc^r year, and at least doa- ble our cash premium list. Indeed we find that we have a nu- cleus now formed, around which the afiairs of the society arfe as certainly destined to center and improve, as will those of a thrifty farmer around the substantial reality of a happy fire-side. The Dutchess county Agricultilral Society is no longer a mere name ; it is an absolute fact that has form and being, wdth e visible, tangible existence, having a "local habitation" and a fair pros- pect.of being able iiercai'ter to offer Riick inducements as will be ^0.11.2.] 391 sufficiently attiactiyo to render the ntmost advantages io the farming interest of Dutchess couniy, instead of being obliged, as heretofore, to advertise a beggarly premium list, of which every member of the society was ashamed, and which oifered no incen- tives to competition or iraprovemtnt. It must not be supposed that this consummation has been effected without some exertion on tliC part ol those who have been entrusted with the interests of the society. Indeed when it is known that not one farthing is paid to a single otiicer of the society, all of whom " work for nothing and find themselves," it is pretty good evidence that the spirit of enterprise is not entirely . dormant in old Dutchess. When it is also known that these structures have not been put up by the citizens of any populous city or village in the expectation of reaping cent per cent upon the investment, some of the diffi- cnlties can be realised, and the spirit of that enterprise properly appreciated. Another evidence of improvement, which is by no means of Rmall importance to county societies, and to which may be attri- buted much of our success, is the observance of more order and system in the business arrangements of the society, which has been rendered partially necessary from the increased amount of business done by tiiC society ; and as a c<)nsequence, the labor has been diminished, and much better satisfaction given the public ; and though there is yet much room for improvement in this res- pect, we feel that we have been so much benefited by our short experience, that it is a duty to recommend its adoption to those of our sister soolcties, if there are any who have not yet tried it. The annual fair and cattle show was held on the show ground of the society at "VVashi/igton Hollow, on the 5lh and Gth days of October, 1853 j and although the fairs of the societies in the neigliboring counties were held during the same week,\\h:ch con- siderably interfered, the attendance was so large, that the accom- modations, large and commodious as they were, were found inade- fpiate to tlie^advantageous display of all tlie articles, and allbrd gulTicitnt room fur tlie thrt^Dgs of visitors in Fioral hall. The exhibition in the hall was certainly very creditable to the farmers of the county 3 the vegetables, grains, fruit and flowers were not 393 [Assembly only numerous J but of excellent quality. The display of useful and ornamental manufactured articles was very fine ; of agriculT tural implements very poor. Of neat caltie and breeding stock, there was a fair representation of Short-horns, and native and cross-blood cattle, but not a specimen of Devons, Herefords, or Ayrshires, (although there are some good one^ in the county,) was on exhibition. The shovr of horses was good, and of sheep the exhibition was very superior, as you will observe by refer- ence to the reports of c^>mmittee8 transmitted with this report. Of swine the display was inferior, but the poultry department evinces a very decided improvement. Owing, probably, to the drouth of the past summer, there were very few^ fat cattle on ex- hibition, and what were, deserved but little praise. The attendance at the December meeting was small, and ap- plications for premiums on field crops limited. Upon an exami- nation of the accounts of the society, it appears that there has been received by the treasurer, from fair and for memberships, during this year, and other sources, $1,092 46 By building committee, on subscription to building fund, 1,169 35 Total amount received by society, ... $2,261 81 Bills paid by the society, $2,182 14 Cash on hand, . $79 67 Due and uncollected on subscription to building fund, 190 50 Available fund, $270 17 Amount of indebtedne^^s of the building committee, . . 497 46 « Deduct available fund, leaves of debt, $227 29 The old board of officers was re-electeil, viz : E. Haxtus, of Beekman, President ; Barclay Kaviland, of Washington, Treasu- rer ^ and Samuel T^ Taber, of Chestnut Ridge, Secretary. Report of Committee on Lon'> Wooli^d Sheep. The committee respectfully, report that they have carefulJyand with much interest examined the long wooled theep in the ^how yard, and do not hesitate to say that they were suix^rior both in No. 112.] a&3 numbers and quality to those exhibited at any previous exhibi- bition, and further that one of our number had the honor of serv- ing as one of the judges on long wooled sheep at the recent fair of the Sta.te Society at Utica, and he stakes his reputation, so far as to say that our exhibition of long wools is not inferior to that. There were many of them so nearly equal that it required the strictest scrutiny to decide upon their respective merits ; but having the duty t-o perform we acted according to the best of our judgment, regardjess of any consequences, pjher than those vs-hieh follow the consciousness <>f having endeavored to do justice to the competitors. Your committee further report that they find themselves re- stricted, by the rules of the society, from awarding premlunig to many which were really meritoriou3 animals. There were several pens of yearling ewes (very fine) which your committee consider highly worthy of commendation, and the spirited breeders of suoii animals are deserving the praise and encouragement of every former of Dutchess county. May success attend their efforts. ISAAC E. HAVILAND, ) STEPHEN HAIGHT, !> Ct^w.mittee. AMOS B. KNAPP, J Kepout of tiie Committee on Fruits. Apples. — The exhibit ioa of apples was quite extensive, and it indicates an increasing degree of attention to the cultivation of this pleasant and almost indisi)ensable kind of fruit Wliile the committee was pleased to observe in the collection specimens of the most recent and favorite kinds, thoy cannot avoid ex- pressing the hope that their pomological friends will not neglect the old varieties, whose excellent qualities should ensure them a prominent place in every c»rchard They regret that, in many instances, sufHcient care was not observed by the contributors to label each variety with its proper name. Without this precau- tion, one of the grOat objects of the society will be frus(rat>E)d. For it is not enough tliat there should be^a n.ere exhibition of fruit in ma?s. It is desirable to know the effects of soil, l-:ititude, and exposure, in nodifyiiig thi' yi-operties of each kind. It i& also important that the identity of each variety should be pre- 304 [ASSBMBLY served, hj harlng the same name to the 8a.me apple, throughout the whole country. Precision of name constitutes a leadjing con- sideration in the selection of good fruit. The committee awards the first premium for the best, not less than ten varieties, Danie] Sands, who exhibited 21 varieties; and the second premium to John Comslock. The latter indefatigable pomologist had a collection of 40 varieties, which far exceeded that of any other contributor; but his specimens were not as fair as those of Mr. Sands; best not less than five varieties, is awarded to S. Haight. Second best to G, Snyder. Many beautiful specimens were deposited by others, but the oommittee cannot notice one without mentioning all. They return the obligations of the society to Messrs. DeForest for 12 varieties ; Gerow, for 21 ; Story, for 36 ; Griffin, for 23 ; Welling, for2S; J. k E. Haviland, for 2t; Thorn k Ferguson, for 10 ; Doct. Smith, for 10 ; a very handsome collection had no label to designate the depositor. Pear;?.-— The committee feels peculiar pleasure in referring to this delightful family of fruits. They well remember the meager and almost worthless display of pears which was made less than ten years ago, in the exhibition of the society. Nearly all, of any value, were then sent by a few amateur cultivators ; but now every farmer who feels an enterprising spirit, looks upon a good fruit yard as an indi?pensal5le appendage to his farm. It consti- tutes, in fact, the evidence of an industrious, intelligent and thrifty homestead. Show us a farm without good fruit trees, and we will show you an occupant who is either dissipated, ignorant and lazy, or who is encased among the "old fogies," of agricul- ture, who can appreciate nothing beyond beans, pork and tobacco. • Dutchess county has never had such a splendid variety of pears on exhibition, as this season has produced. But with them, as with apples, the kinds are so numerous that much time must necessarily elapse before a selection can be made of first rate pears, which are adapted to our soil and climate. The great object in selecting an orchard is not to obtain a great variety, but a regular succession of the best varieties of fruit. No. 1121 Ji95 John Comstock had the greatest ?ariely of pears, in number 25 J from these nine were selected as first rate. Dr. Gibbons, of Poiighkeepsie, had 20 varieties, from which 9 were selected as first rate ; and the latter having the fairest specimens, the com- mittee awarded to him the first premium, and to J. Comstock the second. Dr. Smith exhibited 21 varieties, of which eight were first rate ; the first premium for the second best variety. Thomas Taber exhibited 20 varieties, of which 8 were first rate ; second premium. Messrs. Gerow exhibited 10 varieties; J. & E. Haviland 18; DeForest 5; Beckwith, 10; Snyder 7; Arnold 8; Peters 8; Vail 2; Sackett and some others, not labelled. A superb specimen of the Dutchess D'Angoulerae pear was ex- hibited by Mrs. Snyder of Mabbettsville, which weighed 14 o:k. Some fine p very deficient ; amount of wool and pork much less than formerly. Thcru has been a very great increase in the quantity of milk. 5. There Is a very moderate increase fn the number of acrep under cultivation. 396 [ASSSMBLY a. There has been a gradnal increase in the number of neat •cattle, although at present there is not more than two-thirds the usual number in the county, owing to the unusually short crop of haj; a large dexjre^se in the number of sheep kept. The native and cross with Durham are the most common breeds of cattle ; a few thorough bred ; of she^p we have the Bake well, Leicester, South-down, Saxon, Merino and Native. The most approved breeds are the long and middle wool, comprising the Bake well, Leicester and South-down." 7. Scientific attention to farming is on the increase. 8. Drainage has received some attention, and so far ag tried, is considered profitable. 9. Farming lands for the last few years have not been saleable even at reduced prices. The present appearances indicate a lit- tle better state of feeling, and sales are more easily effected. The products are generally sold in the city of New-York. The expense of producing and marketing probably equal to filty per cent of the value thereof. To No. 4 I am unable to give much if any information. There is a considerable quantity of potatoes and some barley produced, but I have no data whereby I can give the average quantity of either. The other questions are answered according to my l)est information ; and if of any service to the society or the community at large, I shall be fully compensated for the little time I have occupied in doing so. Respectfully yours, E. HAXll^N. No. 112.] 3e7 ERIE. The eleventh annual fair and cattle show of this county was held at East Hamburg on the 29th and 30th days of September ; and, if we cannot say it was the best ever held in the county, we have a very good reason to give why it was not. The day previous to the fair, was one of the most rainy we have had during the season; and the morning of the first day was wet and cold, which prevented very many of the farmers from distant parts of the county, from being present with their stock and other products of their farms. The number of entries made upon the secretaiy's book of animals, articles and other products, was 327. The num- ber of horses and cattle was not as large as we have seen at our previous fairs, but were generally of superior quality. The display of horses was very creditable to our county. Milch cows were thought to be the best ever exhibited in the county, they were generally a mixed breed of native and Durham. Mr. Hamblin of Aurora, exhibited some very fine, specimens of Devon cattle, which were much admired. The show of sheep was not large but there were some very superior specimens of French and Spanish Merinoes, shown by the President, and by Lewis Munn of the town of Alden. There was also some very good I^icesters shown by Mr. Bicknell, of Aurora ; the show of hogs was ordinary. . The products of the county, such as batter, chee>e, honey, &c., were well represented, especially butter, on account of the high premiums offered for the best specimens of tliat article, there was much competition, the committee that examined it reported it all to be good and some very superior : of cheese there was but a single lot exhibited. Domestic manufactures were exhibited in abundance, and con- tributed largely to the interest of the fair, fully establishing the good taste, ingenuity and industry of the ladies of our county. Tlie mechanical productions of agricultural implements were not so numerous as at some previous fairs, but there were some very excellent wagons and other farm implements exhibited The ex- hibition cf grain ai}d root crops was good 3^ [Absfmbly The show of fraiiS and vege tables, was tike best ever exhibi- ted in the county, there has been much improvement made in this important branch of industry in this county within the last few years. Poultry was shown in abundanoo of all shades and colors, from the highest hen J ever vaiiety down to the old speckled hefi. The officers and members of the society have great reason to be encouraged with their prospects, and there can be no doubt that Erie county will eventually do her duty. The farming interest seems, to some extent, to have awakened from its lethargy, and is determined to enjoy the .means of improvement which are placed within its reach, and to do credit to this great and all important industrial piu-suit In the forenoon of the second day of the fair we had a spirited plowing match, in which four teams entered for the prizes, the work was well done by all, and in remarkably quick time, and the best kind of feeling prevailed throughout the contest. / ' In the afternoon the address was delivered by Mr. W. R. Ooppock, which Irom its highly scientific, and. at the same time plain practical bearing, and the very attentive manner in which it was listened to, we may calculate to have a lasting and bene- ficial influence in our county. After the address the premiums were awarder! and paid, and a place agreed upon to hold the next annual fair, and then the ele<^ tion of officers took place» The whole amount of premiums offered was about $400 0©. Our account for the year stands as follows, viz : By balance from last year |;i851 ,) $148 30 Cash for membership in 1852, , 186 00 Ueceived for books sold, 3 25 Due from State (not yet received,) 186 00 Tots,l, „ . $523 55 / No. 112,] 399 To cash paid as premiums, *. . . . 1259 00 Paid for printing and incidental expenses, 57 00 Balance on hand, 207 55 Totol, $523 55 AMOS CHILCOTT, President. East-Hamburgh^ Feb. 1, 1853. \ Cattle. — The breeds most common are the natives. The im- provements in progress are a judicious crossing with the Devon^ (of which we have a few) and the Short-horns. Dairy animals. — The breads of cattle most approved fi>r the dairy so far as they have been tested, is half native and half Durham, for market many prefer a cross with the Devon. There has probably been a decrease in the nnmber of animal stock, during the past year, owing to the high price of meat and short crop of hay. , Increase of scientific attention to farm cultivation. Drainage is beginning to receive considerable attention, and when properly done the results have been satisfactory; the drain tile has been in- troduced in our county within the last year, and considerable of it has been laid near the city this fall, sufficient time has not yet elapsed to fully test the utility of it. The increase of the value of farms in this county within the last year I think has been at least ten ]>er cent. Our place of market is Buffalo. We have good plank roadi leading to the city from all directions. I think the average ex- pense of getting our produce to market does not exceed five per cent. I send you with this a pamjhlet containing a brief account oi ottf county fair, together with the addnss of Mr. Coppock in which you will find the subject of draining and subsoil plow- ing spoken of, as well as other practical and scitntifio farmii g, which will be more interesliug-to }cu than uny thing I can write. Very respect fully y U'S, AMOS CHILCOTT, Late President. 400 [Assembly ERIE. IV/^eGt. — 52 bushels to the acre. Erie County, ss. Truman PatteDglll, of the town of Wales, in said connty, on the 25th day of September, A. D. 1852, personally appeared be- fore me, the undersigned justice of the peace, and made oath that he raised in the years 1851 and 1852, tifty-two bushels of wheat on one acre of land, by weight, and measurement, of which the withiii is a sample; and that he pnt on forty loads of cow and . horse, manure on said acre, (principal part cow manure,) in the month of May. 1851, and cultivated it into the ground; that he then planted the same to corn, and raised a crop of corn on said acre ; that he then sowed it to wheat, (after taking off the corn,) on the 16th day of September, 1851 ; that the probable expense of raising tlie crop of wheat was thirteen dollars and seventy-fire cents ; that he put on said acre of land one sowing of plaster in the month of June, 1852, and that he sowed two bushels and three pecks of wheat on said acre . ' TRUMAN PATTENGILL. Sworn and subscribed the day '( and year first above written, } ^ Stafford Viks.. J. P. Indian Com. To THE President of the Eris County Agpiculturai. Society : In compliance with the rules and regulations of your society, I submit the following statement of the manner of raising a field of three acres of corn, a sample of which is on exhibition at your present annual meeting. The field on which this corn was raised has been in grass for the last three years, and was prepared for the erop of corn by - drawing on to it about twenty loads of unfermented barnyard manure to tlie acre, which was plowed early in May. The plowing was performed with three horses, to the depth of eight or ten inches. The corn was planted during the 17th and 18th days of May, in rows of three feet and a half each way, and from six to eight kernels were dropped in each hill. The corn was cultivated and hoed early in June, and No. 112.] 401 again towards tlie middle of July, when the number of spears in each hill were reduced to four. Immediately after the first hoe- ing a tablespoonful of plaster was applied to eacli hill. A part only of the corn has been husked, which was of an average growth with the whole field, and which yielded at th©^ rate of seventy bushels of shelled corn to the acre. JOHN WOODRUFF. East-Aurora^ Sept. 29, 1852. Extracts from W. R. Coppock's Address. Advantages of Subsoiling. m ^* Upon a piece of land rather less than an acre and a half, that had last been in potatoes, yielding a miserably poor and scanty crop, I had the second season a crop of barlej^ amounting ^to over 60 busliels an a,cre. That is from the one and a half acres we obtained 95 busheb of grain, 70 of which were sold for seed. The balance I again plaiited. The soil varies from clay loam to gravelly loam. It was worked as deep as we could w^ork it, and had about fifteen loads leached ashes, about ten loads refuse hair from the tannery, with about fifteen loads of stable manure. The land was seeded with clover and timothy, which cut tliis season fully three tons to the acre, while the rowen upon it at the pre- sent time ^Yould cut a handsome crop. Upon the other portions j of my farm, with the same deep tillage, my crops of corn, pota- toes, carrots, Sec. ^ have been fuUy equal. • '^ A word or two more about subsoiling. Facts have fully demon- sfrated that if the subsoil can be brought in contact with the atmos- phere, certain chemical clianges take place which render it capa- ble of sustaining plants, and the subsoil plow, while it adniits the atmosphere to percolate the subsoil, d(^es so witlKnit necessarily mixing the sub with the surface soil jaud that most subsoils, after frequent plowings, are rendered fully equal in quality to the su- ]iorincumbent soil. Sometimes surface soils are found to be too thin to contain sufficient i)al)uluni for j)lants, and therr fore they must be deepened; but if this be done by turning up immediately a considerable portion of the subsoil, the mass will not have the tAg. Tr. '53.] AA 402 [Assembly necessary qualities desired ; and therefore it is preferable to pre- pare the subsoil by the admission of atmosphere, before combin- ing large quantities of it with the surface soil ; that after one or two years thorough subsoil plowing, we may then combine the two without fear of injuring our crops, but, on the contrary, we find them greatly improved by such treatment, ^' Sometimes the subsoil is composed principally of clay, and will not permit the surface water to pass freely down, thus causing the surface to be- come acid, too compact by excess of w^t, and the plants from such excess, of moisture cannot thrive. In so'fne localities w^e find a thin surface soil underlaid by a hard pan subsoil, which is so com- pact that the roots of plants cannot penetrate it, and thus for want of being able to adopt their natural configuration, the plants die. In both these cases, subsoil plowing is found to remedy the evil. With the clayey subsoil the cut made in or through it often per- mits the excess of. water to escape, and the hard pan subsoil, by the mechanical disintegration of fhe plow, is rendered permeable to the roots of jdants ; and in both cases the constituents of the ■ atmosphere and gases it contains, can reach the roots of the plants, even to their termini, which could not be the case unless by the assistance of the subsoil plow. Nor do the advantages of subsoil plowing end here. Soils may not only be deepened, sweetened, and otherwise improved by this practice, but in seasons of exces- sive rain or droughts, the crops are more likely to succeed than if the soil had not been subsoiled. Excess of rains may pass down, while in the drought the roots may go down to a lower point to find moisture, and thus the whole plant is sustained." ^^ During the present summer's severe drought, I have had a fair opportunity of observing this fact , while parts of my crops and those in the neighborhood, on soils not subsoiled, died out, the same crops on subsoiled land flourished with exceeding vigor. Corn curled and dried up within a few rods of strong-growing and beautiful plants in a deeper-worked soil. Cultivation of Potatoes. " I would here mention a palpable error so common with us in the cultivation of hoed crops, especially corn and potatoes. I mean the careful hilling up. This practice, like many others^ No. 112.] 403 is ^n important one. English gardening has been adopted into this country with marlied injury. The humidity of the at- mosphere there, and the almost constant rains rendered it neces- sary, to git rid of the superabundant moisture, by hilling up plants and raising and crowning garden beds. While here, during the growing season, we are subject to drought, and require all the moisture we can husband for the sustenance of the plant. ^ Hence we require flat culture and flat or sunken garden beds, with a deep and permeable soil that shall catch and oblige to pass through it every summer shower. * " In the culture of potatoes, after the land is thoroughly plow^ed^ and harrowed smooth, I plant with the spade, thus: Strain aline, if convenient, north and south ; a man puts in his spade spit deep, say seven inches; the first earth he scatters; he then steps back, and at about twenty inches he puts in his spade to the same depth. The soil thus raised covers the first planted, the third covers the second, etc. A boy to drop the cut potatoes, two eyes to a hole, will attend very well to three lines. Thus you will per- ceive they are sure to be at equal depth, at equal width, about three feet, and in perfect line. Tlie field planted, a light harrow is passed over it, and again, in the course of eight or ten days, disturbing the first grow'th of weeds and keeping the surface mel- low. After the plants are up, run a cultivator through once in ten days, until they are in blossom, when, after that, they should not be disturbed. "With such culture I have had great success, and the cost has not exceeded $6 per acre, exclusive of seed, and yielding from 100 to 150 bushels of fine size, sound pink-eye pCK tatoes, most of uliicli were marketed last year at eight to ten shil- lings per bushel. *' The present season I planted two acres of the pink-eyed varie- ties. The seed selected were from the undersized or medium, excepting six rows, whicli were of the snuillest kind, usually called pig potatoes. Being short of seed, I ordereil the cullings not larger than a common marble or hickory nut, to be used to finish out with. The result is, these six rows are equal in every respect, and by the diggers thought to be better than any other p/Drtion of the whole plot. 404 [Assembly ^•Deep planting, abundance of alkali, salt at the rate of one or two bushels per acre, and the exclusion of fresh manures, are the ehief requisites for this crop. Shallow plowing unpi'ojifahle. " There is no error in husbandry that has proved so fatal to progress, and has been so unhesitatingly clung to as shal- low plowing; and indeed, even now, amidst the experience of practice and the assurance of science, the difficulty of per- suading men's minds to try and test for themselves, is met by distrust and unconcern. jMr. Warren Granger, a neighbor of mine, at my suggestion made an experiment on a piece of stiff clay land, having an uneven surface, and a steep side slope, which was selected for a fruit and vegetable garden. This piece of land, wet and cold through the spring, holding water in the depres- sions, and baked bone-dry through the summer, was subsoiled and tile-drained, the drains 30 feet apart, three feet below the sur- face. The soil, since the work was done, looks, and is entirely changed. The rains instead of running over the surface, washing away its fertility, percolates the soil, depositing its ammonia and other matter it contains near the surface, while the superabun- dant water passes through the tile. A remarkable fact connected with draining is the heightened temperature of the soil. Careful experiments have proved this. Even ordinary trenching or sub- soil plowing, renders the soil a week or ten days earlier in the spring, while deep draining, say to four feet, raises the tempera- ture fifteen degrees. Such lands never suffer from drought, they are early, require less manure, are quick and easily worked, and although expensive at the onset well repay the cost." FEANKLIN. B. P. Johnson, Esq., Sec'y of the N. Y. State Ag. Soc. : Dear Sir: — I regret to be obliged to say that I cannot return tc- you any reports or statements, as contemplated by law, to accom- pany applications for premiums. This requisition was entirely overlooked by the executive committee, consequently I have none to transmit to you. I shall look to this next year. It was No. 112.] 405 « a new business to our committee and officers this year, and this must be our apology for this neglect. Our first fair was held at Malone, on the 6th and 7th days of October last. It was regarded as an experiment here, but it has succeeded beyond our most sanguine expectations. Our list of premiums was necessarily- small, because of the uncertainty of raising funds. In this res- pect, however, we succeeded much better than we expected. We have paid off all our liabilities, and have on hand §278 to com- mence the next year with. The fair was well attended from this and adjoining counties, and Canada. The exhibitions in the va- rious departments were highly gratifying for the first year. Our farmers and mechanics were highly gratified with the fair. The institution promises great usefulness to our county society, and I think will fce well sustained. I cannot send you this year such an account of our pri ;ceedings as would be desirable, but hope hereafter to be better prepared to send you a more detailed report. SIDNEY LAWRENCE, President. GREENE. To the Executive Committee of the A^. Y. State Ag. Soc^ The undersigned. President of tlie Greene county Agricultural Society, in pursuance of the statute, submits tlie following report ^ That an agricultural cattle show and fair was held in Cairo, In said county, on the 2()th and 21st days of September, 1852; there was a fdir display of stock, and a large portion of it of fine quality. The exhibition of sheep was large and excellent. The attendance at the exhibition was good, better than usual, and ii very good S})irit seemed to prevail. Thei'e was not so many articles entered fur preiniuiu as there has been in previous yeai*s, owing to the severe drought, but the articles were such as to merit general attention. The attendance at the fair was unusually large, and the ailair went off in a very spirited and hnppy man- ner. Much interest was added to the occasion by the address of Mr. Smith. 406 [ASSEMBLT The whole amount of premiums awarded was $187; of this amountj 182 have been paid out. There is now in the hands of the treasurer $115. All which is respectfully submitted. EDWARD JDHi^SON, President, Durham, FeVy 12, 1853. At the annual meeting of the Greene county Agricultural So- ciety, held on the 4th of January, 1853, present Edward Johnson, President ; H. L. Day, Secretary. The following named persons were duly recommended and unanimously elected. Officers for 1853. — Marcus Beach, President > Stephen Hedges, Lewis Sherill, Peter Dubois, George Robertson, and Hezekiah "Smith, Vice Presidents; Augustus Hill, Recording Secretary; E. B. Fenn, Corresponding Secretary; E. Johnson, Treasurer J. A. Cooke, John T. Quitman, E. P. Smith, Albert Tuttle, Cyrus Smith, N. Clark, Stewart Austin, George Budd, Stephen Steele, George Beach, Collins B. Johnson, Executive committee. HERKIMER. Report of the Secretary.. The annual fair and cattle show of the society was held on the 2Sth and 29th days of September, 1852, at the village of Herki= mer. The attendance was larger than at any previous meeting of the society. The first day was devoted to the entering and ar- ranging of stock and articles for competition for premiums, and although the weather was very bad with a cold rain, rendering it almost impossible to attend to the necessary duties on the ground, the entry of stock, agricultural and mechanical implements, do- mestic and household manufactures, fruits, grains and vegetables, and fancy articles of all descriptions, far exceeded anything of the kind ever witnessed in this county. No. 112.] 407 ; On the second clay the weather was fine, with bright sun, at- mosphere clear and warm, being j iist such a day as one would wish for such an occasion. The forenoon was occupied in examining the several articles entered for premiums. The afternoon was devoted to the address of B. P. Johnson, Esq., Secretary of the Stato Agricultural Society, which was listened to by a large and delighted audience, after which the reports of the several com- mittees were read and premiums awarded. The reports of some of the committees are hereto attached, and go to make part of this report. It is to be regretted that so few of the committees made a report in a shape so as to be printed. It is deemed unnecessary to particularly notice every depart- ment of the exhibition ; it suffices to say that it was unquestion- ably good in all its various departments, both as to quality and quantity, far exceeding any previous county fair ever held in Herkimer county. Our society is in a flourishing condition, and under its present organization, with the aid of its present able and energetic officers, and the hearty co-operation of the men and women of Herkimer county, promises much future usefulness, and that it shall be second to no society in the State. The following are the reports of such committees as were handed to the secretary, with the statements of some of the suc- cessful competitors. » Statement of Rodney Wilcox's Farm and its Management. I tiok possession of my farm, situated in the southwestern part of the county, in Litchfield, in the spring of 1831, consisting of IGO acres of land, at a cost of §10 per acre, with poor buildings, and fence J with rail fence, and that very poor. The soil is a mixed sandy gravel and clay luani, generally termed a sandy loam, lying upon a limestone rock, which in some places conies to the surface, furnishing good material fur ft-ncing and l)uilding. Mj first fdrming operations were clearing the surface of tlie ground from stone, and raising grain, chiefly corn, wheat, barley and oats, which were generally a good crop; but grass was a light 408 [Assembly crop. My ru:e has always been to cultivate thoroughly till the soil was clear of grass and Tvecds, before stocking with grass. In seeding, I sow 2 bushels of wheat per acre ; 3 J bushels of barley, 3| bushels of oats, oDC-quarter bushel of corn. For seeding I wet my grain before sowing, and mix 6 quarts of lime and 6 quarts of salt with the seed for each acre; and for seeding to grass, I mix 8 quarts of timothy and 2 quarts of clover with the seed grain for each acre, and sow it with the grain ; I drag before and after sow- ing, and have never failed in seeding in this w^ay. I give my soil a top dressing of manure, and drag thoroughly after it, which helps seeding very much. I have the befet success in seeding grass with barley ; I mix my grass seed and grain together, and soak them 12 hours and then sow. My attention has been turned more to grazing and dairying for ten years past than for- merly, by which I find my farm improving in productiveness. I practice hauling my manure and spreading it at once, so that a portion of the land where the heaps are diopped, shall not re- ceive so much soakage from the heaps as to cause the grain or grass to lodge in spots and make the grain crop spotted, and ripen unequally. I usually bush the manured portion of my meadows early in the spring after a rain, and again the last of May or first If of June. I have never tried any other than barn-yard manure and gypsum. I think gypsum is good on grass land. The aver- age yield of hay per acre this season on my meadows is estimated at 2J tons per acre. I have cultivated 32 acres of land this sea- son ; \\ to winter wheat ; 3 acres of spring wheat, (black sea wheat) ; 7 acres of barley; 3 acres of oats, and the remainder to corn and potatoes. The average cost of producing and fitting wheat for market is 47^ cents per bushel ; barley 32i cents per bushel; oats 18 cents per bushel; corn 32 cents per bushel. My manner of manuring cultivated land is to apply 30 loads per acre, and plow^ it in and work it in with the soil, and such manure as I can not carry on to the land in the spring, I pile in the yard and haul it out in the fall. My land produces now five times the amount of grass annually per acre that it did when I commenced upon it, and much more of all kinds of grain, and the chief causes I attribute to deep plowing and manuring. The No. 112.] ' 409 cost of improvements upon my farm in building and wall fence is, for building 1,100 rods of stone fence at an average cost of 12 shillings per rod, $1 j600 For building barn No. 1, with basement for stabling, 400 For building horse and carriage barn No. 2, 125 For repairing barn No. 3, 75 For building milk barn No. 4, 32 b7 75, 400 For building corn barn with basement, 1 50 For repairing cheese house, 75 For building ice house 12 by 12, 25 For building dwelling house and yard, 3,100 $5,950 Treatment of Cows. In winter I provide warm stables and plenty of hay, feed twice a day, what hay they will eat ; when the weather is pleasant let them out at 10 o'clock^ and put them up at 4 o'clock ; when un- pleasant let them out only to drink; I estimate 2^ tons of hay per cow to winter them, and two acres of pafcture to each cow for summer, v/ith extra feed in spring and fall. I commence feeding with two quarts per cow daily of corn ground with cob and oats, of equal parts, a few days before coming into milk, and continue so until turning to gfass; and commence again in the same way about the first or middle of August, or feed with green corn stalks, mised by planting 15 by 30 inches apart, and from 4 to 6 kernels in a hill ; feed this until frost comes, then feed as usual again until dried off; I prefer feeding dairy slops to swine, rather than fVed it to cows. R. WILCOX. Although Mr. Wilcox has not been favored in the lay an4 locality of his farm like many ^posed to obtain knowledge on the subject can readily obtain a copy. Those of us who go i-nto the cultivation of fruit beyond what is wanted far home use, do it for profit, and I have no doubt with a little care and attention, can make it so with many kinds. Of apples I would recommend Rhode Island Greening, Swaar, Roxbury Rus- sett, llerf >rdshire Pearmain, (by some called English Pearmain,) Northern Spy, Spttzenbergli, Baldwin, Golden Russett, Tallman Sweet, Blue lN\irmaiiJ, (large kind,'\ Fall Pippiu, Rambo. Lowel 418 [Assembly or Tallow Pippin, Rag Apple, Tart Bough, Sweet Bough and None- such, so far as ray experience goes these are as good if not the best of any we can grow for market or for home use. The Graven- stei", Hubbardston Nonesuch, Porter, Pomme Gris, Early Joe, and many other kinds'I have growing, hut these have not as yet « come into bearing sufficiently for me to test their worth ; they are all highly recomniende^l and are worthy <>f a trial. The Middle apple, a native of this county, is one of the veiy best,,but unless it can be improved by cultivation, wrU not pay to grow for market, is rather a shy bearer and too large a proportion of unfair fruit; so with the Newtown Pippin, (as regards its un- fairness,) so much thought of in some sections. I have cultiva- ted it for several years and have occasionally got some very fair specimens, but in general they are wanting in the high flavor they have when grown on the North river and further south. I would not advise their cultivation for market ; the liigh Iduds in this county, on the south side uf the Mohawk, is probably from eight to ten or twelve hundred feet above tl\e level of tlie Muliawk, consequently I think we don't have quite as long a growing season, nor In general as warm a sun as in the valley. This may, and probably does, in some measure, account for the diiference of many kinds of fruit not growing larger and fairer, or maturing better. T have paid some attention to the cultivation ot the Pear for the last few years, not, however, of a very great variety, and would especially recommend the White Doyenne (or Virgalieu,) and the Bartlett. They, with me, have borne well, been fair, and of first rate quality. I had a few for the first, last season, of the Flemish Beauty, they were large and first rate ; my Louisn Bonne de Jersey, are on standard stocks, have borne well, but have been deficient in flavor; those I have on the quince have not come into bearing ; I had a few the past seas m of what is called the Earl Pear, said to be a native of this county, originated or is now growing on the premises of Samuel and Robert Earl, in the village of Herkimer, From what I have seen of the thriftiness and bearing of the trees, size and quality of the fruit, on these premises, together with the growth and bearing of two years from grafting on my own, I think it highly deserving and would recommend its cultivation ; I have several other kinds growing, some have borne and some No. 113] 419 ^ have not, of which I cannot saj much at present. Of plums I have something of a variet,y; sold last year some forty bushela, mostly of the Green and Blue Gage, some of the Egg, Washington and Scarlet Bleecker, average price twelve shillings per bu^el ; they are all good growers and bearers ; the Green and Blue Gage is generally known in this section, the Washington and Bleecker not so well. The Washington is one of the most beautiful plums that T am acquainted with, if not one of the best, is one oj excel- lent quality. The Egg when well ripened, is a beautiful and good plum, but is so much inclined to rot on the tree before it is ripe, and while in quite a green state, that it is difficult to get anything like a fair crop, and have them well matured ; will scarcely pay to cultivate for market. I had also a few of the Red Magnum- bonum, they were very fine and excellent the past season ; I had a few of the famed Coe's Golden Drop, so much cracked up in some sections of the country; did not ripen well and were worth- less as to flavor; lam of the opinion that they require more season than we have to give them. The cultivation of the peach' is hard- ly worth the time and expense of trying ; I have tried for a num- ber of years ; have never had init a few that were eatable ; do tolerably well for sauce. I have been quite successful in growing the quince for several years past; by paying a little attention to what Mr. Thomas and Barry say on their culture, I think every farmer oould grow theqi for his own use if not ftr the market. The cultivation of the grape in this section, as regards dollars and cents, partly pays the labor and expense they require ; the hardiest varieties I am acquainted with (that are worth cultiva- tion,-) require to be laid down and lightly covered through the winter ; I cultivate but two varieties, the Sweet Water and Isabella ; the Sweet Water bears ^paringly and will mature tolerably well if^the late spring and early fall frost can be kept from them ; I do this by covering with some kind of woolen cloth ; cotton or linen will do if kept a little above the fuliage. The Isabella is a great bearer and good grower, not quite as early as the Sweet Water, but in every other respect is greatly superior in my estimation. I occasionally get very fair crops and very well matured, but have to attend strictly to the covering when signs of frost, by lay- ing the clusters simply between ootton batting. Keep them !n 420 [ASSEMBLT pretty good eating condition, nntil middle of winter ; for myself I am willing to bestow the labor and expense for the satisfaction I take in what I grow. I have cultivated some of the large (or English,) gooseberry, for some years , have done remarkably well and have never as yet been affected with mildew. It appears to me that if farmers would pay a little more attention to the study and culture of more of the choicest kinds of fruit, it would soon excite an interest in themselves and children, that would be pleasing and profitable, and would soon be able to place before their families and friends, many of the luxuries in the line of ftuit, that would very much tend towards making their homes a desirable and happy place. P. H. WARREN. We regret that we have not room fur an excellent report and essay on the cultivation of fruit, by Jonathan Jones. The length of the report, however, prevents its insertion, and an abridgment would not do justice to its merits. JEFFERSON. In conformity with the requirements of the State Legislature, I would most respectfully report : That the annual fair of the Jefferson coifn ty Agricultural Soci- jjCty was held in the village of Watertown, on the 16th and 17th days of September. The weather was as fine as could be desired ; the numbers in attendance, and the interest manifested, have never been equaled since our first organization. Quite a number of* distinguished farmers from adjoiniDg coun- ties and the Canadas were present, and expressed much satisfac- tion in viewing our exhibition of stock, vegetable and dairy pro- ductions, mechanical and fai in implements ; alsG^ domestic manu- factures, in which the ladies of Jtiferson are not easily surpassed. The number of entries were as follows, viz : Of horses, 103 ^ cattle, 102; sheep, 98 ; swine, '^5 ; poultry, 39; vegetables, 190; farm implements, 267. ^ , No. 112.] 421 In the show of hoi-ses we cannot boast of any great improve- ment, the all-engrossing interest of our farmers being turned to- wards the production of the dairy; there was. howeyer^ some good stallions exhibited, together with matched and single horses, brood mares, colts, &c. In cattle there is more interest taken. Some fine animals of the Durham and Devon breeds were exhibited. Also a very fine bull and heifer of the Ayrshire breed,recently imported by James Brodie,Esq.,of the town of Ellisburgh. These animals drew much attention from our farmers^ as the breed is said to be superior for their milking qualities They received, as you will observe, the first premium in their class at your State Fair. No definite ex- periment, however, has yet been made, satisfying the public which of the improved breeds are most valuable for the dairy, many contending that the native breed is equal to any for that purpose. Specimens of both batter and cheese were exhibited in large quantities, and as usual of a superior quality, as the records of your State Society will attest. The second day was devoted to the plowing match, which was most spiritedly contested by some fifteen teams entering the field. The winner of the first prize performed his wcrk y^iih a plow manufactured in our own county by Judah L^^rd, of Watertown ; the second by one from" the manufactory of E. Davis, also of Watertown. At 12 o'clock the throng repaired to the hall, and listened to an address delivered by the president of the society, the reading of the dilTerent reports, and the award and payment of premiuniii. Thns closed the fectfully submitted, JNO. A. SHERMAN, President, B. P. Johnson, Secrdary^ ^'c: Dear sir. In replying to tho circular of your Society, I must first apologize for its delay by saying that it was received iu my absence, mislaid and overlooked, until a few days past. 424 FASSEMELT * 1 . The chief or most staple production of our county is that of the dairy. Beef, pork, and some grain, are also exported to some extent. 2. The number of cows in use for ihe production of the dairy is larger than at any former period ; the whole number employed for that purpose in our county can safely be set down at 50,000. In consequence, however, of the severe drought the past season the yield per cow is, as near as I can ascertain, some 1 5 per cent less than usual- 3. The number of acres occupied for dairy production is near 225,000, or 4^ acres per cow. . The quantity of butter and cheese produced from said cows may be set down atabout 4,000,000 lbs. of each, and the improvement in quality is also keeping pace with the increased quantity, as the records and award of pre- miums by your State Society the past two years will fully attest. I think I can say without fear of contradiction, that our county society has done much towards improving both the quantity and quality of this article, as our premiums have been awarded with especial reference to both, the applicant giving full informaiion as to the number of cows, mode of feeding, and process of mann- lacture, to the traveling committee, who always examine the dai- lies on the farms personally, and report fully to the society. 4. In regard to the other productions of our county, I would, say first that we raise bread sufficient for our own consumption. The average quantity of wheat may be estimated at 280,000 bushels, or four bushels to each person, young and old, the larger pcrtiCn of which is spring wheat, it being the safest on account of the midge; this, together with the Indian corn and buckwheat, is sufficient for our own consumption. The average amount of rye and corn may be estimated at 70,000 brshels of the former and 380,000 of the latter, some portion of which is fed to live stock by our farmers, the balance is used in our distilleries, and not- "withstanding the large amount of beef and pork made by them, is worsQ, than lost. Of barley we raise about 230,000 bushels, a considerable portion of which is fed, the balance exported for brewing. Of oats, some 450^000 bushels^ most of which is oon- So. 112.] 425 sumed bj ourselves. PotatoeSj carrots and tcriiips, about 100,000 bushels, none of which are exported. We cut also annuallj about 130,000 tons of hay, which is consumed by the different kinds of live stock raised and annually kept in our county, which is as follows, viz : Horses, 15,000 ; cattle of all kinds, 78,000 ; sheep, 60,000. Allowing 8 sheep to consume as much as a cow, it would give to each animal fed about 2,700 lbs., or 18 lbs. per day for 150 days, which is abi^ut the average time necessary to fodder in our section of the State. This, together with the straw and stalks saved from our grain cropj will be found as near as may be what is necessary to keep that amount of stock. 5. The number of acres under cultivation for all parposes, is continually increasing ; our farmers are using more economy in the use of fuel, and feel it unnecessary to retain as many acre* for that purpose as formerly ; besides the population of cur vil- lages are increasing rapidly, which furnishes a ready market for wood at from $1 .50 to $3 per cord. 6. I think the number of animal stock is not increasing, our farmers finding it for their interest to keep their stock better than formerly. The native or common breed is yet xhe mosi numer- ous. Considerable improvement is, however, making in a cross with the Durham, Devon and Ayrshires. The Durhams are almost unanimously acknowledged the best for fattening^ arid some prefer them to any other for the dairy. The Devon and Ayrshire each have their advocates, the Ayrshire on the whole having the preference. Some, however, still stick to the native breeds, particularly for the dairy. 7. I think I may be permitted to assert tiiat thrrc is truly an incre?.sed Sitii'Diion to set entiflc culLwaiio?t. Although wc have no well educated scicntifc farmers in our midst, there is many who are arousing from the lethargy of the past and looking with much anxiety to the present and future interest of science in agricul- ture. Our farmers are beginning Uj learn in very deed tha'. old means of culu^ation are failing to produce what they forn^erlj have done, and are anxiously inquiring what il^'^y shall do to re- claim and fertilize their once virgin and productive soils. More agricultui'al book.s and papers aro read, and with much more inter- 426 [Assembly est than at any former period. Greater attention is aJso paid to the making and saving manures than ever before. Little pro- gresSj howeverj can be espeoted without the aid of chemistry in the analyzing of ouv soils. We x? ant to know what properties they contain, and what they lack, to produce the desired crop and cultivate them successfuliy. I trust that we may be permitted to hope that through the aid of our national and State legislators, that aid will soon be derived and administered. That they may be induced for a time to forego the miserable bickerings of party politics, party aggrandisement and party spoils, and turn their at- tentiou to the more important and legitimate means of supporting and sustaining the propriety and independence of our State and nation. 8 Draining is receiving increased attention with the most bene- ficial results. More has been done the past season than ever be- fore. Many acres that have laid for years, entirely useless to its owner, have by the means of draining become the most produc- tive portion of the farm. The open drain is most in use ; some are forming tlie blind drain with the small refuse stones of the field. No drain tile has been used to my knowledge. 9. Oar farms are steadily increasing in value. The(X)mpletion of the Watertown and Rome railroad, terminating on the St. Law- rence river at Gape Vincent, increasing as it has oui* facilities for transporting and marketing our surplus produce, has also in- creased the value of our farms at least 20 per cent the past two years. 10. Tlie products of our county are mostly marketed and deliv- ered at Watertown, our county seat, situate near its center, a rap- idly growing village, containing near 8,000 inhabitants. "Freight is transported from there to New- York at the rate of $7 per ton j live cattle to Albany at an average of $2.25 per head, in cars. In the foregoing I have endeavored to answer your inquiries as correctly as my limited knowledge would permit, and although submitted at so late an hour, I trust may slightly aid you in the information required. Most respectfally and truly yours, JNO, A. SHERMAN, JEb President No. 112.] 427 EXTBAGIS FROM THE AdDRDS3 OF JOHN A. SkEKjVLAN, PRESIDENT. Agricultural Kaowledge necessary. Every man who owns or superintends the cultivation of a farm should at least understand the character and capacity of his soil, the nature and adaptation of the different manures as applied ta the different crops. But gentlemen, how few, yes, how very few, have the least scientific knowledge of those most important requirements ! And how, is it asked, is this knowledge to be obtained? I answer, by establishijjg agricultural schools and experimental farms. Eng- land, Ireland, Scotland and Germany, all have their agricultural schools. France, with a territory about one-third larger than the State of New-York, supports a populatin as to the best modes of cultivation, and of the ^v30 [ASSEMBLT most effectual means of preservii^g and restoring the fertility oi the soil and of procuring and distributing seeds, and plants and other vegetable productions, v/ith instructions in regard to the soil, climate, and treatment best adapted to their growth, could not fail to be, in the language of Washington, in his last anrmal message to Congress, * a very cheap instrument of immense oa- tional benefit.' " In our own State, language and recommendations of a similar character have also been used by her most distinguished sons. One of our governors in his message before our Legislature, says that " the promotion of agriculture is not rmly important, but more important than all other interests combined," and recom- mended it to their especial care and attention. A bill was intro- duced in the House of Representatives at its last session, for the establishment of a bureau similar to the plan recommended by the President, but it still remains upon their table wi!:hout action. Bills of a similar kind have also been introduced in our own State Legislature, and have also met a similar fate. One I will mentioa which was introduced and ably advocated by a Uicmber of our own county, I mean the Hon. Charles E. Clarke, the far- mer of Great Bend. It was for the establishment of a board of agriculture, and defraying the expenses from the Treasury of the State. It passed the House by a respectable majority, but was re- jected in the Senate on the last day of its session, by a motion from a very distinguished member of that body to lay it on th© table, saying he could not in conscience suffer so mischievous and dangerous a bill as the agricultural bill to pass with'Ut fully dis- cussingit. Such, gentlemen, have been the efforts iind such the results in procuring legislative aid in this great and most important branch of national and individual interest. Again I inquire what can be the cause of this stupidity and inaction ? Another reason as- signed besides its being (/angeraM a rich reward for their well-directed labor. Ram- yard manures are the most extensively used. These might be more abundant were better means employed to make and save them. Gypsum is used to some extent. One of the finest beds in the State underlies the southern portion of Monroe county, and forms a profitable trade with our southern neighbors. Plowing in 448 [Assembly clover is now considered indispensable in the culture of our sta- ple crop, -^vlieat. This has been good the past year, though in some localities the weevil has appeared, doiDg some damage. Other crops, includiag hay, have been good. Potatoes were su- perior to any year since the prevalence of the ^' potato disease." We are not advised that strong fertilizers have been used to a great extent. In some instances, near Rochester, guano, to the extent of 300 pounds to the acre, has been applied with good suc- cess, giving an increase of ninety bushels per acre. The method of application, was putting a small parcel in the hill, separating the guano from the seed by a little soil. Those thus treated were more successtul than where the guano was sown broadcast before planting. Experiments of this character, witli different crops, and many fertilizers, should be made under the direction of the different county societies and the State Society. As a whole, our operations for the past year have been of a highly pleasing and useful character, from which the best results may be anticipated. We enter upon another year with renewed zeal, hoping our efibrts will be crowned by accomplishing some permanent good for that best of all causes, the cause of agricultu- ral improvement. H. C. White, Secretary. MONTGOM&RY. B. P. Johnson, Secretary^ &;c.: The Agricultural society of Montgomery county held its An- nual fair and Cattle show in the village of Fonda, on Wednes- day and Thursday, the 6th and 7th days of October last. The attendance '\7as supposed to be larger than upon any similar oc- casion since the formation of our societv. The unusual number of farmers, artisans, professional men, and ladies, called together during the two days of the fair, aifordsa gratifying proof of the increasing desire felt by all classes of our citizens for the promo- tion of those important objects for which our association was es- tablished. The spacious yard adjoining the Court House was used for the exhibition of stock and the more cumbrous articles, Ko. 112.] 449 while those of less bulk were displayed in the interior of the building. The show was very creditable, but was not, perhaps, superior to those of some former years. The exhibition of cattle was fair, there being about forty entries made. Some fine animals of the various breeds were noticed, consisting of Durhams, De- vons, and natives, but mostly grades. The number of cattle upon the grounds would have been considerably larger had the arrangements for carrying stock upon the railroad been better understood in the western section of the county. Some forty head from that quarter failed to reach the fair grounds, by not havinoj been brought to the railroad in time. Eut farmers showed a very commendable spirit in bringing out some of their best horses. Sixty-two entries were made. Some of the animals, for symmetry and action, would bear comparison with any bred in the State. The sheep exhibited were very respectable in num- ber and quaiity. The swine appeared very well, and some good specimens were noticed. The products of the dairy formed quite an interesting feature of the fair. Cheeses of delicious flavor, and butter of golden hue, attested the superior skill of the housewives of Montgomery in this branch of domestic industry. The display of poultry was quite ordinary, both in point of numbers and va- riety. A very few only, merited and received premiums. The show of stoves, although rather limited, showed that our manufacturers in this department are not surpassed by those of any other county. The exhibition of domestic manufactures, farm implements, S:c., was quite extensive, and attracted much attention. Most of tlie articles were of real utility, and many of them displayed superior workmanship, Tlie vegetables a])peartd to excellent advantage, for the collection was large and of all va- rieties. The fruits had tlieirj>lace, also, in the exliibition. Ap- ples, pears, quinces, gra2)es, plums, and peaches,' were so tempt- ingly displayed that some df them fell a prey to those whose ap- petites were evidently much stronger than their iiutiuns of pro- priety or honesty. Tlie great mass of spectators were attraettd }>y, and pleased with that vlepartinent of the exhil>iii«>n, under the supervision of the ladies. The display ofiheir handiwork was large and beau- [IS. Tr. '53.J I>I> 450 [Assembly tiful. Numerous articles, the product of the needle, and the pen- cil, were truly elegant, and elicited many flattering expressions from the admiring crowd. Delicate flowers, also, arranged in bouquets and tasteful floral ornaments, and green-house plants, occupied quite a conspicuous place in this department.. Tlie plowing match, which took place in the forenoon of the second day, drew out a large number of spectators, and excited much interest. The contest between the several competitors was quite spirited ; and their work was so admirably performcvd that the committee found much difficulty in deciding upon their re- spective merits. The old men, also, had a special match, in w^hich none were admitted under sixty years of age. The veteran plow- fiien engaged in the strife with all the ardor of youth. The afternoon was occupied in announcing the premiums awarded by the various committees, and in the appointment of the following ofiicers of the society for the ensuing year : For President, James Lansing, Jr., of Fonda. Vice-Presidents, William S. Shuler, of Amsterdam, and John I. Nellis, of St. Johnsville ; Secretary, Boyd R. Hudson, of Auriesville ; Treas- urer, Richard H. Cushney, " of Fonda. Executive committee, Simeon Sammons, Peter H. Fonda, John S. Haggart, and James Macintyre, of Fonda, and three directors in each town. At the meeting of the officers on the 6th inst., premiums were awarded on field crops. There was not much competition. John Eearcraft received the first premium on oats, 69 J bushels on one acre. R. Hudson received the first on Indian corn, 75 bushels having been grown on one acre. The second was aw^arded to John Eearcraft, for 72 |i bushels off one acre. The crops gene- rally have been very light the past season, owing to the very pro- tracted drought. The next fair is to be held in the village of Fonda. All w^hich is respectfully submitted, RICHARD HUDSON, President, Auriesvilhy Dec. 28, 1852, No, U2.] 451 FoNDAj Montgomery Co.^ Dec. 7, 185.2. B. P. Johnson, Secretary j ^x.: Dear Sir — Your circular of the 4tli October I now answer as correctly as I can. About a year ago I answered similar ia- quiries by J. Delafield, Esq. , Ex-President of the State Ag. Society, and I now make to you nearly the same answers. 1. The chief products of our county, (they being of a general character,) are corn, oats, wheat, rye, barley, butter, cheese and pork. 2. There is an increase for a few jears back in corn, oats, rye, and cheese, and a decrease in barley, butter, wheat, and heavj pork. 3. This and the 2d are best answered by the following 452 [Assembly Eh •^ Oi \n . c^ CO CO • «i Tf GO Tt" • *N #N. rx , O O Tf . O s i> Ci .— 1 * P CO o o . #^ rx r— ( r-M • CO ^ 1-1 . • i> t- o . 1-1 Ci 00 • ^^ r\ r>t f S-^ 0\ —i Oi . O m O 3 J> Ci ^ • w >— 1 (^0 c^ . iO l-H ^ • 1 » O vO ^ . • ^ -^ r-H t> . H a; •^ *^ rv , 1 s^-S xO lO Ci 1 ^ § t- 01 T^ ; « >"< . J> o • r-H ^ ^ . J> c^^ ► lO 5 5f r-t 00 iO 00 • CO 1 ^Xi 1 sg . ^ CO rti , I— I ^M T— 1 O Ci • • . CO 00 Ci . CM iO o) . CN •'N tf^ , U =3 Ci o t^ , «;2 o ^ o . C5 t-^00 , — r -— 1 Ci . O^ 1 CO 00 . -f 1 »^ Ci 00 r— 1 O urs , ^ — — < •rr o . ^ • "^ \C> . Ci O 00 • 1— 1 1 o r> CN » CN ^-^ Ci y—i < . t> pqM o c^ < CO F-i 1—1 < Tt O . iO CO « 1— < O CO « J C-1 CN « O Oi Oi . • -* -t< . 2 (M O^ ; Cm O O CO . ^ o < CO • o > 2 O — 1 • (2; 1 P4 l> c^ . -f 1 CO T}< • C^ • Q '. ^ <« CO CO t> . H^ • •T3 GO ^ C^> • 0) xO lO Oi • ► Q ^s #*fc C*\ • a C^ t H • GO O C^ •• !-H CN ■ • • • • • 9 ^ ; .§ ^ ^5-o GO 00 05 C5 -H .-H -|H ^ fl fl 00 CO 1 H-< t— ( f— f r-) 15 No. 112.] 453 , 4. The other -important products are pig-pork, buckwheat, peas beans and broom corn, with a few acres of hops and tobacco, all of which are on the increase. The quantity of heavy pork fattened is on the decrease, but more than made up by the in- crease in light pig-pork. 5. Answered in the above table. 6. The animal stock numbers about the same for some years back. The breeds of neat cattle most common is the native crossed with the Durham s and Herefords, for the dairy and beef; by the Dcvons mostly for work cattle ; the natives with a slight cross are prefered for the dairy. Our horses are on the increase in size by breeding with the draft or Norman. There are but very few full or foreign blood cattle or horses now owned in the county. Our flocks of sheep are small ; a mixed breed between the fine and coarse wooled. 7. As to agricultural or mechanical science, we have compara- tively none, nor will one in twenty of our sons have any : they are sent to the district school, there to be taught anything but terras- culture and just enough of other branches to make them dislike or despise the dirty work of their father's farm ; his hard browm hands, patched coat, and wool hat Jook too vulgar and contemptible for the young gentlemen. I think all this however might be partial- ly remedied by appropriating a part of the taxes paid by the far- mers, to qualify teachers in agricultural science, one to be placed in each or every alternate rural school district. 8. There has been but little attention paid to draining, until, within two or three years, many of our farmers* have done a little and are well pleased with the result. The method or art of draining is not yet mucli understood, but is fast improving. 9. The price of land has increased from twenty to tliirty j^er cent within three years. 10. Our surplus products are sold and ik-livercd, mostly at th« railroad or canal, at a very small deduction for carriage South and East. 454 ' [Assembly Above I have answered your queries as correct as" I can; a younger and more active person should have been selected; almost my whole life (near three score and ten,) has been occupied in practical agriculture, and but little of it in writing ; but if you can cull or extract from the above scroll, anything that will be of use in agricultural statistics, I shall be well pleased. I am, Dear sir, yours truly, JAMES MACINTYRE, , NIAGARA. In making the annual report of Niagara county Agricultural Society, I have thought proper to preface it with a brief account of the organization of the county, its location and extent, together with some statistics grounded on the census of 1850, but so mod- ified as to give its present probable condition. The county is not wanting in the elements of celebrity. Lying in the extreme north-west corner of the State, its frontier on the Niagara river and Lake Ontario, has made it the scene of many border conflicts of great historic interest. '• The Falls" are, perhaps, unsurpass- ed by any other natural curiosity in this country for grandeur and sublimity, while the foaming river, rushing madly through the deep gorge from the cataract to the village of Lewiston and there gliding on peacefully to the lake, affords every modification of scenery, from the mountain in a chaos of waters to the lawn and the lake. Art, too, under the munificent policy of our great State, here presents us with her noblest achievements. The massive chain of locks at Lockport, and the deep cut through the limestone of the " mountain ridge," are triumphs over w^hat seemed insupera- ble difficulties to the completion of the Erie canal. Although there were only a few hamlets on the Niagara river and around the fort more than a hundred years ago, yet the county, as a whole, is one of the most recently settled in the State; indeed, along the lake towns some portions have scarcely been redeemed Ko. 112.J 455 from the primitive forest, so that the wealth of the virgin soil has not 3'et bf-en exhausted, and in some towns the agricultural products, as dependent upon this primitive fertility, have by no means come up to the maximum yield. This is especially true of some tovrns lying north of the Ridge road, and a section south of the mountain ridge, bordering on the Tonawanda creek. For many years after the canal was cut and settlements had been made along its line and on the Ridge road, the country north* was undervalued and therefore unsought and unsettled, except very sparsely. The county is naturally divided into three great plateaux run- ning east and west. The first terrace extends from Lake Ontario to the ridge road, rising so gradually as to seem to be almost a dead level. This plain is about thirty-two miles long and; on an average, about seven miles wide. Overshadowed, as it was, by a vast growth of forest trees rising from marsh and mire, the whole plateaux seemed unfit for cultivation, and was significantly called the Black nortli ; but at the present day this dismal appellation ill befiis the country, for in fertility and moral beauty and agri- cultural wealth it stands unrivalled. It is a bautiful net-work of orchards and glebe, wood-lands and meadows, with fine farm houses and cottages over it all. Systematic draining has redeem- ed it and made it em])hatically a jileasant land. The second terrace is, on an average, about t]:irty feet liigher than tlie first, and extends south fri'm tlie Ridge road to the mountain ridgj running nearly across the county from oast to west, liaving an average breadtli of about two miles, Init dimin- ishing tart of the town "f Lewiston. T\\v upper terrace is about two hui'dred feet higher than the second at its northern limit, or the mountain, slopiii'^ grarlually southward to TonawafKla creek, distance about eight miles. The soil of the county is mainly clay and loam, fre(|uently mixed with sand. In lertility it is not excelled by any other portion of western Nfw-York. Niagara formerly constituted part of Genesee county, from which it was taken in March, 1808 j Erie county was subse- 456 f Assembly quently taken from this about the year 1821. By this the county was reduced to its present size, containing about 530 square miles divided into twelve towns, though of very unequal areas, some of them being much larger than others. There are in the county about 194,000 acres improved land, and about 1 12,000 unimproved. The subjoined table of statistics is believed to be correct. They will give a condensed view^ of the agricultural products, operations and facilities, and are not wholly devoid of interest as a part cf this report : Population, about 44,000 Families, do 7,850 Dwellings, do * 7,720 Horses, do 9,800 Milch cows, do 9,920 Working oxen, about 2,810 Other cattle, do 12,150 Sheep, do 61,200 Swine, do 22,450 Y^lue of live stock, $1,230,000 Bushels of wheat, 980,000 oats, 327,000 Indian corn, 342,000 peas and beans, 1 5,750 barley, 82,500 buckw^heat, 21,300 potatoes, 171,600 Orchard products, $38,500 Pounds of butter, 816,000 cheese, 73,700 w^ool, 172,200 honey, 12,600 Bushels of clover seed, ^. , , 3,730 flax seed, 325 Tons of hay, 36,400 Value of farming implements, .' $443,000 Though wheat is the staple crop, it will be seen from the table above that other products of great value are raised here and ^0. 112.] 457 quite extensively. I think there is a decided tendency among our farmers to rely less upon wheat (as the weevil is making their appearance in some parts of the county) and more upon other crops for their income than they did five years ago. Agricultural periodicals are exerting a salutary influence by inducing our farmers to practice rotation in crops and to avail themselves of the great natural laws of good husbandry. They are beginning to think farming a science, and they trust more to system and skill than " luck :" deep plowing and thorough culture are producing their work here. They are becoming more particular also to get the best breeds of stock and the best kinds of fruit. Fruit culture is exciting a good deal of interest in this vicinity; Lake Ontario on the north, with its deep waters, so modifies our climate as to favor this department of farm pro- ducts. In the spring its chilled waters keep back the buds and bloom some ten days later than in the inland towns, thus prevent- ing the blight of late frosts, while in the fall the great caldron radiates heat and keeps up the temperature, averting the early frosts that would often otherwise prevent maturity. This local influence is perhaps more felt and appreciated in regard to Indi- an corn than any thing else. The lake bordering on Niagara county is forty miles wide and about six hundred feet deep. The price of farming lands has risen in value from ten to fifteen dol- lars per acre since 1850. The annual fair for the year 1852 was held in the village of Wilson, on the south bank (;f Lake Ontario, on the 6th and 7th days of October, and is universally acknowledged to have out- done any of its predecessors in the convenience of its arrange- ments, in the interest mauil'ested, in the number of entries made, and in the amount of premiums awarded, which results are mainly to be attributed to the fact that the place of holding the fair is annually changed, the trammel of j)ermanency br(>kq., of Cedarville, Herkimer county; both of those gen- tlemen being, well qualified to discourse to the people of the State upon those si;!>ject. • Applhs. The committee on apples have aimed to discharge their trust with discriminating fairness and fidelity. Tf it should bo thought tliat thr claims of any particular sani]de have been overlooked, an excuse for it will be found in the unusual profusion of apples exhibiled. The committee but give echo to the universal senti- ment, when they 'say that such a magnificent display of apples was never before collected in Central New-York. If old Oneida 4'32 [Assembly should ever be called upon to prove herself worthy to be hailed the " Empire county," her intelligent sons ^Yill find arguments by the cart load in their prolific orchards. In order to determine the relative merit of the samples offered for competition, the committee have found it necessary to get to themselves a clear notion of what constitutes a good appU, and what ought to be the characteristics of an apple that claims ad- mission to the highest rank. As with all other fruits, so with the apple, the standard of per- fection has rapidly advanced duiiug the last few years. Some varieties, such, for example, as the Red Giliflower, which thirty years ago passed for excellent and first-rate, would now be set aside as indifferent. Skilful fruit-growers have recently brought into n<)tice new and choice kinds, which are fast crowding out of use all such as are in any respect objectionable. The number of varieties which are intrinsically worthy of cul- tivation is comparatively small. Among the hundreds of names which figure in the fruit books and on the nursery lists, probably less than two score would be endorsed by intelligent and candid nurserymen as really worthy of cultivation. The most successful apple growers are those who have confined their attention to a few of the very choicest kinds. This fact is beginning to be felt among leading farmers. In planting new orchards more care is taken now than formerly to select only those kinds which are admitted to be superior, and which will always command good prices in the market. Old seedling orchards are also undergoing the process of being improved by grafting. It may be that this method of re-juvena- ting an old seedling orchard is not everywhere understood. Cer- tain it is, that in our own county they have sometimes been wan- tonly destroyed. A better course is to dig about and manure the trees, give the trunks a through grooming and soaping, shorten in the branches, and engraft with first class varieties. In this way a large harvesting of apples may be reached much sooner No. 112.J 463 than by the more tedious process of rearing trees taken from a nursery. Mr. E. B. Lucas, of Clinton, owned a large seedling tree which had lived forty years without pretending to do anything more than to furnish passable food fur the swine and the cider mill. He paid twelve shillings to get the trees re-juvenated by graft- ing. Five years after he harvested from it eighteen bushels of " Golden S^N^eets," which were readily exchanged for half as many dollars. The same individual has a.two acre orchard of rejuve- nated trees, which yield an annual profit of one bundled dollars, over and above all the expense of harvesting and marketing. Remove these trees from the land, and it would sell fjr about $100 an acre So that the apple trees give to the land which they occupy an additional value of $100 an acre. In testing the quality of an apple, the first question is as to its texture and flavor ; is it tender, crisp, juicy, agreeable? Will it answer the manifold uses for which an apple is destined in the kitchen and the parlor ? Is it excellent lor eating, for baking, for stewing, for drying, for frying? Will it make good pies, pleasant sauce, delicious dumplings, piquant vinegar, exquisite fritters, ambrosial jellies? Whether the sweet or the sour apple is in its nature the more excellent, would otfer a delicate question. It is supi>osed that the ladies, as a class, prefer sour apples to sweet, owing, probably to some contradictory twist in their make. In apple growing, the tastes of the gentle sex seem to be especially provided for. More acid apples than sweet are raised . Yet for some uses and partialities, the sweet apfde is better suited. The proportion of sweet apples brought into market fur winter and spring consump- tion, would appear to be too small. Inuring thr spring months, when apples are most liighly relfshed, and when the Baldwin, Swaar, Spitz^'hburgh and (ireening are ?o generally bronglit upon the ta])Ie, good sweet a]»ples are apt U> be a scarce luxury. If such varieties as the Ladies' sweeting were more generally culti- vated, this want would be supplied. The second point in a superior apple, is that it be satisfactory as to size and outward a]»pearance. It will be free from<*racks 464 [Assembly and deformities. It will have a smooth and healthy complexion. Like the fruit which ensnared our first mother, it will " solicit the eye" with '-downy smile," and ''smell ambrosial." A small apple may be rich in quality, but for ordinary uses, its littleness is not in its favor. There is more waste in the using of small apples, and less profit in the raising of them. The most desira- ble size for an apple, all things considered, is that of the Lowell and Porter. Monstrous apples, like the Gloria Mundi and De- troit Red, are apt to be fragile and perishable. They are more liable to decay at the core, or to be bruised in gathering and packing. It is well known tliat apples grow much larger on the rich bottoms of the west than in Oneida ; yet the western apples are less positive in their flavor, less firm in their tissue, and less popular in the eastern markets. The third point of a first rate apple is that it be a productive sort; that it be one of a variety which yields large crops The profits of an orchard will depend very much on this point. An acre planted with Baldwins, Greenings and Belle-et Bonnes might yield twice as many bushels as an acre planted with Spitzenburgh. The Baldwin wants no more of soil, or sun, or clime, or care than the Spitzenburgh. It is naturally more prolific; is equally fair, palatable, and saleable, and is therefore to be preferred The fourth test of a first-class apple, if of one of the winter varieties, has reference to its keepmg qualities. Apples which remain longest in perfection, other things being equal, are most to be desired both for seller and buyer. The Northern Spy is a better keeping apple than the R. Island Green- ing. The Roxbury Russet will keep longer than the Baldwin, yet as the former is not mature for the table until spring, the latter must be allowed the preference. Apples which keep until midsummer are more esteemed as curiosities than utilities. After strawberries and green peas make their appearance, a shri^elled-up Russ'et is no great temptation. One wonders over it as he would over a mummy, without longing to taste it. • . / No. 112.] 465 The fifth test of the first-class apple is that it grows well in all soils and situations. It has been objected to the Newtown Pippin, that nobody can raise it in perfection but Mr. Pell and his neigh- bors on the Hudson river. The Swaar and. Vandervere have but this fault, that in heavy cold soils their highest beauty and flavor are never developed. Such varieties have a high local value, and in favorable circumstances will pass for first-rate. Extract from Cheese RtroRT. The committee are aware of the embarrassment they labor under for want of a standard by which to compare the relative merits of the diiferent samples of cheese exhibited. To be governed by our own peculiar taste or appetite for such cheese as we may be accustomed to eat and acquire a relish for, might do great injustice to the zealous competitor, by award- ing superior merit to such a sample of cheese as would at an earlier or laier period be deemed unworthy of award. As but a small portion of the cheese made can reach the con- sumer at a specific age, or stage of maturity, it is deemed unsafe to recommend a character of cheese as a model dairy, containing a large constituency of fermenting properties, such as excess of moi.sture, air in cavities, the presence* of too much rennet, which should have been worked off with the whey, &c., which are des- tined to generate an unpleasant flavor, if kept beyond a certain stage of maturity. We therefure adopt, as a standard of superior excellence, a cheese of compact and buttery texture, free from holes within to contain fetid air and vapor, with a smooth firm rind, impervious to exrernal influences, with sufficient salt for a pleasant relish and to preserve it untainted. The committee do not pn»i)ose to dictate a special or invariable rule to be practised alike, in all seasons of the year, or in differ- ent localities, in the manufacture of cheese; but would advise a strict observance of certain blading principles, such as luating all parts of the milk alike before setting with rennet; Setting at [^iR. Tr. '53 ] EK 466 [Assembly a temperature not exceeding ninety degreees (Fahrenheit) in cool weather, or from eighty to eighty-six in warm weather, breaking curd thoroughly and fine before laising heat to scald, raising heat moderately and uniformly through the whole mass at the same time, breakifig curd fine and even, so that all will cook alike and enough,.) without a degree of heat much above the tempera- ture of the blood ; holding the maximum of heat till the curd is thoroughly cooked or welded, getting whey thoroughly out of curd' before applying salt, while the curd is warm and of a tem- per to take, so that it will not be rinsed away by pressing out the remaining whey, the use of sharp and sweet rennet. It is a fact well known by the close observer, that to salt or cool curd immediately, suppresses the cohering or welding ten- dency introduced and carried on by a combined action of heat and rennet. It is essential, therefore, that the agents first used should finish their work before cooling or salting, as salt is last used as a controlling agent. The more thoroughly the rennet is allowed to do its work, with the aid of moderate and uni- form heat, the less danger of salt holding in solution an excess of moisture, to save and prevent a perfect coherence. The great desideratum in cheese making, is to so extricate the fluid properties of the milk that the curd will cheese and form as near a solid as possible, and still hold, in solution moisture enouo-h to make a soft buttery texture, which is arrived at only by an uniformity of moderate heat and pressure in w^orking the curd, and applying an appropriate amount of salt, at a particular welding temper of the curd. ' - After adding salt enough to make the cheese palatable, the progress of fermentation necessary to follow, should be regulated by the temperature of the curing room. As curing cheese upon the shelf is a very essential and critical part of cheese dairying, the committee feel that -they cannot too strongly urge upon dairymen the necessity of providing themselves with curing rooms, to suit the temperature to the constitu- tion and character of their cheese, and a more perfect under- standing between the maker and purchaser as to a particular character of cheese required to meet the demand, as cheese No. 112.] 457 best adapted to fall or winter trade requires different treatment in manufacturin an early age. manufacturing and curing, from such as are to be consumed at A. L. FISH, Cedarville, Herkimer county, WILLIAM BRISTOL, Utica, BELA PARDEE, Vernon, Committee. Products of the County. The great agricultural product of Oneida county is that of grass, the greater part of which is converted into butter and cheese. Sheep husbandry has been fast giving way for the last five years to the business of dairying, until the produce of butter and cheese in the county has become immense, and constitutesby far the greatest bulk of sales of agricultural products. Farmers generally dispose of their dairy^products at their own homes, to dealers in those articles, with a condition to deliver at gome convenient point on the canal or railroad. There was a great diminution of the product the past year, owing to the severe and long-continued drought, which has been the immediate cause of prices ranging much higher than usual ; and yet the farmers hav-e not realized as much in the aggregate for their butter and cheese the past year, as on some previous years, with a less price and full yield. The cows generally used in the county are, doubtless, a mfx- ture of all breeds, witli no particular traits of any, whicli are mostly denominated native cattle. Althougli we have the pure-bred Durhams and Devons in small numbers, together with many of their grades, and valued highly, which com- mand large prices; and yet tlie great indifference among farmers to improve the general a[)pcarance of their cattle, as well as as to breed in the intrinsic qualities, leaves us with but little credit for any improvement in that important branch of agriculture. There seems to be a prevailing diffiTence of opinion with farmers generally, with reference to the l>est cows for the dairy, although all agree that the cow giving the best and greatest quantity of milk is the one sought for. 468 [AsSEMBLT It is a matter of fact that no race or breed of cattle are all in- variably answering the expectations of their partial breeders, or even approximating such results, as are lauded by their particu- lar favorites. But that there is extraordinary milking qualities developed in all the various breeds, with some particular animals, is also an undeniable fact. And hence, as we are not to look for perfection in any of the breeds, it would well become the farmers of the State to select, breed, and compare their in- trinsic worth for the dairy, until the fact can be established with the utmost exactitude, without a ihmk so, or guess so. The State Society have long since offered premiums v/hich would seem to have induced people to have made sufficient trials and experiments to have established a guiding star. In coming to the point, the writer is of the belief that by tak- ing our best, w^ell-formed grade, or native- cows, which develope great milking qualities (and there are many such), and engrafting the beauties of tlie Devon upon them by a careful selection of a pure bred bull, which originated from a good milking stock, and we have the most desirable cattle that can be obtained for all uses, for the climate of New-York. Corn is usually grown upon most all farms in the county, one half of which is consumed upon the farm for the fattening of pork, in connexion with the wash of the dairy, while the other portion of the corn usually finds its way to the distillery. The crop of the past year was diminished by the drought. Oats are universally raised by most farmers throughout the county, but those late sowm were very materially injured by the drought and rust ; and on account of the scarcity of fodder, the price of both oats and straw rules high. Barley is raised extensively in a few of the southern towns, and the crop the past year an ordinary one, the price of which has ranged at about five shillings at the canal, destined for the eastern markets. Wheat is raised in some of the southern towns for home con- sumption, and wirh good success. Oneida was awarded the prize for the best sample of wheat, at the Utica fair, which was doubt- less equal to any from any clime. No. 112.] 469 Hon. George Geddes, who delivered the annual address, has perhaps truly interpreted our elevation and geological condition in regard to the production of our agricultural products. He says : — " Comparing Oneida with Niagara county, by an examina- tion of your soils and your surfaces, a man of agricultural science would at once determine that Niagara must chiefi^ raise wheat, and Oneida grass and the spring grains. " An occasional large crop of wheat may be produced in Oneida, but generally it will not be the most profitable' crop. Here it is cheese, butter, wool, and meat, and but little wheat, and in Niagara it is wheat, and but little else than wheat. Oneida and Niagara illustrate these advantages, and the canals and railroads combine them." Hops are produced, doubtless, to the extent of about half a mil- lion of pounds in the south part of the county, which has proved . a money-making business to those engaged in their culture fur the past three years, as large prices have been obtained. But like all the lands of gold, too many diggers are engaging in the business to realize their anticipations. Teazles are also raised to supply the neighboring factories, and considerable quantities are sent to the Eastern States. Fruit. Oneida has long been noted for its fine apples, which are grown to perfection, and in great abundance, and thousands of barrels are annually sent to tlie eastern markets. Much in- creased attention is now paid to raising of all kinds of fruit, i»ar- ticularly that of pear5, and in some l(^*alities peaclies. The late intrtxluction of dwarf pear trees has enkindltd new zeal in the cultivation of this delicious Iruit. The old doctrine that those wlio raised pears raised tliem for hciiSjhdS exploded, as may now annually be seen, many an old grey-head, evincing as much zeal with his dwarf pear tnes. as though in pursuit of a new wife, with an evident assurance hut he could reap ([ukk returns liooi the Iruits of his labor. 470 [Assembly The Oneida county Agricultural Society has thus far had a successful career, both in interest and usefulness, and the last exhibition numbered the twelfth since its organization. Officers for the present year are as follows : President — Roland S. Doty, Rome ; Vice-Presidents, George Bristol, Kirkland ; Thos. R. Walker, Utica ; Executive com- mittee, John Thompson, Augusta; Thomas D. Penfield, Cam- den; Daniel G. Drummond, Lee; H. N. Carey, Marcy; Hen- ry llhodes, Trenton; J". W, Jones, Utica; George Benedict, Verona; Jairus Knapp, Westmoreland; James H. Sherrill, New Hartford ; Treasurer, Henry R. Hart, Whitestown ; Secretary, Levi T. Marshall, Vernon, L. T. MARSHALL, Secretary. Extracts from the Address of Hon. George Geddes. I have tried to show that the State of New-York (and no part of it more than Oneida) stands first in position, in soil, in means of intercommunication, in climate and in men; and for all these reasons has higher hopes of the future than any other par.t of this new world ; and if so, of this new world, then of all the world. In 1783, the Father of our Country, impressed with the advan- tages of this very spot, in a letter to the Marquis of Castellaux, said: "Taking a comprehensive view of the vast inland naviga- tion of the United States, I could but be struck with the immense diffusion and importance of it, and ^vith the goodness of that Providence who had dealt his favors to us with so profuse a hand. Would to God that we may liave wisdom to improve them.'' The prayer Jias been granted, and your vast natural advantages have been improved with a vigor and energy never equalled. This is the age of improvement, and everywhere the rapidity of our progress is a subject of congratulation. The great inven- tions in which all classes of men are directly interested are fully appreciated ; but those that pertain exclusively to our ow^n call- ing being of a more humble character, in this age of steam and electricity, are apt to be passed by with less consideration than they really deserve. No. 112. 1 471 Let us look back a few years, and see what improvements we have made, in our business of feeding, and furnishing the materi- als for clothing all mankind. » This generation has seen the introduction of the fanning mill, the grain cradle, the iron plow, the thrashing machine, the horse rake; and now is being introduced into general use a machine that cuts by the power of horses, hay and gr^in ; and from this year may be dated a revolution in tlie practical operations of the harvest and the hay fields. Machines to sow grain with ma- thematical accuracy, either broadcast or in drills, and drawn by animals, are hereafter to relieve us from one of the most difficult of pur labors. It was my fortune to be a member of the committee of the State society that this season gave these machines a full trial, and from what I learned in near two weeks devoted to the subject, I say with the fullest confidence that the grain cradle and grass scythes have had their day, and hereafter will onlj^ be required for very small fiirmersj and for cutting roads for the reaper and mower. More than this from calculations made by the commit- tee, it was determined that the mowei* alone would save in a single year, when fully introduced in the United States, three and a half millions of dollars Tlie change from the toil of swinging the gra^^s scythe or the grain cradle from morning till night, through the long and hot days of July and August, to riding upon a comfortable seat upon a sulky drawn by horses, whose government is all that occupies the master's thoughts or muscles, is very great ; and when wc add to thfs that the work is much better done than it can be by hand, we have some of the ele- ments that are necessary lu unrhrstand the value of this marhine. The change from carrying a bag uf grain across mellow soils, finely pulverised for seed, and ^catu^ring it broadcast, to riding in a c^jnifurtable arm chair on springs, is very agreeable, as I know by some personal exp( rience of both ways ; and wlicu we add to this that the easy way is U(»t only mutli the best way, a« regards the quality of the work, but that we can d'» about twice the amount in a given time, we see tlio value of the broadcast sowing machine. 472 ' [Assembly These, and many other, though perhaps minor improvements in our tools, have added greatly to the value of our farms ; and to the profits of farming ; and to the value of labor ; and by giv^- ing us an impulse, all the world has been moved ; for as a part of the body politic, we stand to the remainder in the position that the driving wheel maintains in every machine. Let it not be forgotten that the only sources of wealth are labor and land, and the farmer represents both these elements, either of which is useless without the other. Land, until man toils upon it, is valueless. Labor, without the soil to till and sustain it, would die; and such is theorderof Providence, that to feed, and furnish the material to clothe man, it is necessary that by far the greatest part of men should apply their labor directly to the cultivation of the soil. So true and resistless is this necessity that there never was in the world, and perhaps never will be, a surplus of agricultural productions, if the whole world be taken into the account ; but there constantly occurs times of scarcity, when large districts suffer for want. With every improvement in agriculture, human woe is allevi- ated, and the poor are made more comfortable; for by improve- ment in raising food, labor is rendered more valuable, and he who has only labor to sell is thereby made rich. Ours is the art that lays at the bottom of all arts ; and with our progress, civilization progresses. If we were to retrograde or to become idle, want and famine would visit the doors of the rich. lu us are the sources of every luxury, and of every ele- gance that adorns the dweilings of the refined and afiluent. Is not such an occupation honorable 1 But it is not a profession that leads men into public life, as politics are now managed ; generally it has the contrary effect. The peaceful and quiet life upon the farm does not fit men for the intrigues of politics ; and generally when a farmer finds himself transformed by his neighbors into an office-holder, he soon retires disgusted from a field where victory can only be obtained by somebody's sore defeat, and very often at tlie price of his own self-respect. No. 112.] 473 Far more agreeable, and in every way desirable, are the victories that we gain upon our farms; for in each victory our neighbors participate, and no one suffers the pangs of de- feat. If by any means we can discover a process by which we can make " two blades of grass grow where but one grew before," how soon we communicate this knowleclge to the public ! ' Thus there grows up in the mind feelings of high honor; and the most successful man among us becomes the most beloved. Few farmers take out patents to secure the monopoly of any in- vention, though most of the improvements ;^U agricultural imple ments are either made directly or at the suggestion of farnrers. It would be but reasonable to suppose that a profession like agriculture, which is at once the "most useful, most healthful and most natural employment T)f man," would require great skill and knowledge to its successful pursuit. So it is in fact ; and that a highly cultivated mind in every branch of knowledge can prove its superiority here, is shown by abundant examples of men, who, having devoted many years to what are called the learned jjrofessions, have afterwards turned their attention to farming:, and l)ccome models worthy of imitation ; not because they under- stood the art of holding the plow as well as men who had never done anything else, bnt because they have brought science to direct their labors. WHiy should not a farmer receive a complete education in lite- ratuie and science, as well as in the art of farming? Before men study law or divinity, or physic, (hey go to college, or to some Ifigh school, and then having by a general course of study expanded their minds, and stored up a largesu])ply of facts, they hegin the study of what may be properly called the ./rMhey are to follow for life. Tliis notion, that fanners rcfiuire an education in something besides the mere use of tools on the farm, is uuw taking deep root ill tiie public mind ; ;iiul G(jveruurs are beginning to talk of an Jl^ricultural Cvftcgc in (heir messages. There is a growing feelinu, that the present institutions of harning, upon whicli the State lias lavibhed millions of money, are entirely inadequate to 474 [Assembly jneet the wants of by far the greatest part of the people. What can a man learn in them that will fit him for either the farm or the shop ] President Wajland, who has had a very large experience as an educator, and whose works are now becoming text books all over the country, and doing us, as a nation, great honor in Eujrppe, has said that West Point has alone done more for the country, in educating engineer >, and has made more canals and railroads than all the colleges we have ever had. The course of study in college was marked out for one particular class of men, men who were to spend their lives in talk? To that end th'^y teach language for nearly the whole course. At West Point the studies are arranged with entirely a different object. Men are there educated for deeds. And allow n^e to add to president Wayland's remark, that West Point conquered Mexico. The time is coming, perhaps has come, to revise our system of education, and if it can be done in the name of an Agricultural College, let it be so. But if our profession is to be connected with any experiment in reforming our mode of educating, let us as farmers have something to say about the manner in wliich it is to be made. It will be remembered that recently a commission was appointed by the Governor to report a plan for an Agricul- tural College, and that no action was taken by the Legislature in favor of cairying the plan reported into execution. The reason, in my opinion, that/nothing grew out of this report, was that the commission entirely misconceived the whole question. Had the object been to educate farriers, the plan would have been quite good ; but the farmers of the Legislature felt that something higher than the art of doctoring horses and cows must be reached, if their names were to be used. The standard was too low and too great an eflfurt was made to have a college that would cost . the State but little, while it appears to me that the resources of the State are ample to give us what we really want. Up to a certain point, all professions require the same prepara- tory study ; and in proposing a reform in the course of liberal education, there is no necessity of disturbing either our excellent common schools, or our academies. These should continue to instruct in the riCdiments and in many of the higher branches. No. 112.] 475 It is the college that is unsuited to this day of the world's pro- gress, and that requires'chaDging. The feeling that a change is ' demanded is so strong, that it has become difficult to procure the usual appropriations from the Legislature, not because high edu- cation is held as of little value, but J)ecause of the settled con- viction that our colleges are not adapted to the times. To meet this whole matter, let the State purchase in some central place, of easy access by railroad, and away from the immediate vicinity of any large town, from five hundred to a thousand acres of land, embraced in the greatest possible variety of soil, having upon it water and stone quarries within convenient distance, suitable for building purposes. Erect thereon the neces ary buildings to ac- commodate a thousand students, with lecture rooms, boarding halls, and all that would be necessary to their living independent of the hotels and villages. Houses for the officers of course would be reqr.ired. Give the government of this institution to a Board of Trustees, appointed by the Regents of the University, or some other competent body, that would keep party politics out of view. To carry on such an institution it would be necessary to have a President, who has a mind capable of grasping the whole sub- ject, and the ability to direct every thing. There should be established professorships of civil and mechanical EngineeFing, of Mathematics, of Chemistry, of Geology and Mineralogy, of 'Botany, of Anatomy and Surgery, of Ancient Languages and History, of the Modern European Languages, of Practical Agricul- ture, and as many more as experience shall determine to be necessary. Probably not less than twelve, including the presi- ^ dent. And these should all be paid by annual appropriations from the State, and to conimand a high order of talent, it is I)robable that an average salary of §;2,0U0 would be necessary. These })rufessors giving their instruction in large and inoperly c6nstructed rooms, may as well address large audiences as small, and by a judicious arrangement of duties, as many iiours of the student's time as can be j)roritabIy spent in the lecture room would be fully emj)loyed, and still leave three or four hours that demand some employment fur the body for its health, and i\>T the proper growth of the intellectual powers. These hours in many 476 [Assembly great institutions are spent in dissipation. . West Point fills them up with military duties. I propose to fill them up in the labors of the farm, and in the management of the detail of tlie fields, the bars, the stables and the shops. The highest order of talents in teachers can only be procured by large institutions, and such only can afford extensive libraries and philosophical apparatus, so it appears to me necessary, tg have colleges on a large scale, when we have any. We now have in the country, at least one hundred small ones. But the objection made to large numbers of students being brought to- gether is, that it is apt to lead to dissipation. This is only true where the time of the student out of study hours, is left at his own disposal. I propose by the farm to keep him busy summer and v.inter. In the summer, in the field, in the, winter, in test- ing by actual measurement of food and results, the proper mode of wintering domestic animals, and the value of the various breeds. Keep them busy in solving the many questions that now perplex us farmers, and which we cannot solve for ourselves. Not one of us can tell which is the best breed of cattle with cer- tainty, for the reason that not one of us is able to test and prove by a sufficient number of experiments the disputed points. We can *guess and that is all we do. « All the cost of such an institution would be paid back to the State abundantly, by the solution of these questions, and I am confidejit, that without an agricultural school and experimental farm, that shall be conducted, not for profit, but for the spread of information, we shall continue to go on in the dark upon many points, from our inability to solve the doubts that hang around them. I have before asked tlie question whether the profession of ag- riculture was not an honorable one, and I have tried to show that whether we consider its objects, the number of people enga- ged in it, or the knowledge necessary to its successful pursuit, that in each of these views it is deserving of all honor. Conscious of this, public men on certain occasions do pay it honor, and court our favor as they would did they really feel the force of all they No.. 112] 477 say, but the very fact of their saying what they do, at the times they take to say it, suggests a doubt of their sincerity. If they are not sincere, and if it is true that we do not exert that influ- ence in the world that belongs to our numbers, and to our calling, it certainly is because, we as a class have not brought to our busi- ness that liberal education that has very justly been held as ne- cessary to other profes:iions. "When a farmer has liberally educated a son, he has too often gone from us, to seek in more exciting scenes for that success in life, that perhaps he thought came too slowly to the farmer, and most farmers themselves estimate at much more than tlieir real value the rewards that occasionally attend upon other occupa- tions, and we are apt to forget the value of the enjoyments that , attend upon our homes away from the bustle of city life. Let us carefully estimate all our advantages and bring up our sons to honor our calling, and having given them that education necessary to its successful pursuit, let us hope to make good far- mers of them. The only aristocracy there is, or can be in this country, is an aristocracy of knowledge. Knowledge is power, and he who owns knowledge, will exercise power. Every revolution in the old world passing through blood, ends where it began, the only change being to rivet more strongly the chains that bind the masses in servitude to tlie few. Every i ail- road and every telegraph is an engine, of oppression there, fur- nisliing tlie means of instantaneous knowledge to the government of every popular movement, and the means of concentrating ar- mies to arrest them before they become formidable. Here rail- roads and telegraphs, are the promoters of the interests cf the million, for they are owned and managed by the people. In this new world man is to be regenerated politically, })y the spret^ of knowledge, and thereby the ditTusion (>f power. We farmers constitute by far the greatest part of the people, and we must become learned and wise, fur in our liands are the destinies of the country. 478 [ASSEIVIBLY If I have succeeded in stimulating the members Ox^ this society ia their efforts to advance the interests of the public, by advan- cing the interests of the farmer, then has the object of my coming been accomplished. i/i^ ONONDAGA. The annual fair of the Onondaga county Agricultural Society was held at Syracuse on Wednesday and Thursday the 22d and 23d days of September, 1852. The exhibition of live stock, farm implements, &c., was upon* the grounds of Larned & Hutchinson, in. the south part of the city, and that of fancy articles, fruits, Howers, domestic manufac- tures, &c., &c., was at the new, spacious and elegant Wieting hall in the center of the city. Though this hall is estimated to hold three thousand people, yet at times it was filled. The whole exhibition surpassed that of any previous year. The society Iiad greatly increased the variety and amount of its premiums, thereby offering additional inducements both for exhi- bition an - attendance. The society also adopted the plan of charging a shilling ad- mission to all who were not members. This added five hundred dollars to the receipts of the treasurer. The total amount of monies received was about one thousand dollars, all of which was absorbed by the expenses and premiums of the society.. The annual address was delivered by the Hon. Horace Greely, of the city of New- York, and it was listened to with the greatest satisfaction. It w^s replete vvith good practical common sense, and the regret was universal that owing to its extempore form of delivery no copy of it could or has been obtained for publi- cation. No. 112.] 479 The following persons were elected officers of the society for the ensuing year : President, David S. Earll, of Salina; 1st Vice-president, Caleb Brown, of Elbridge ; . 2d vice-president, Mars Nearing, of Salina ; Treasurer, James S. Davis, of Syracuse ; Corresponding secretary, Davis Cossit, Onondaga j Recording secretary, H. D. Didama, of Salina. Th3 annual meeting for allotting premiums on farm crops was held at Brintnall's hotel, in the 6ity of Syracuse, on the 18th of January, 1853. There was an unusual amount of competition, and premiums were awarded on a large variety of crops, statistics of some of which are herewith appended : Best acre of Barley, 58 bush.,Thos. Danforth, Lafayette. " Oats, 82 " T. C.Pomeroy, Onondaga. " Corn, 88 " A. H. Allen, Pompey. " Broom corn, 875 lbs., A.H.Allen, " " ^Flax, 2,382 " Ira Bishop, Marcellus. ^' Flaxseed, 18 bush., " " " Carrots, 9G5 " Luther Baker, Lalayette. Best half acre Hops, 913 lbs., Marshall Keith, Pompey. Five delegates were appointed to a State convention, should one be called, on the subjecf of an Agricultural school, viz. : David S. Earll, Seth Hutchinson, William Fuller, Jaij%es M. Ellis, and Mars Nearing. The county society is now more flourishing than at any former period of its existence. It has many steadfast friends scattered over the county, wOio are willing to help it both by word and deed. Its beneficial influence is felt, and though it falls far short oi' what we hope it yet may become, still the good already accomplished by it is not easily susceptible of calculation. Enclosed with tliis I send you the proceedings of the winter meeting of our society, accompanied by a communicati«'n from L. W. Hall, Esq., late treasurer of the society to the Executive committee. SETH IIUTCHIXSOX, Pnsident, • lu the etraw. 480 [Assembly Treasurer's Report. To the Executive Committee of the Ojtondaga County Agricultu- ral Society: In resigning the office of treasurer of this society, which I have hekl for the past five years, there are a few suggestions, the re- sult of that length of experience, which I wish to submit to your consideration. And in the first place allow me to congratulate the society upon the pecuniary prosperity which has attended its operations. Five years ago the annual receipts were compara- tively small^ and the society was obliged to exercise g:reat caution lest it^ annual expenses and list of premiums should exhaust its treasury, and render it unable to fulfil its plighted engagements. Aware that in our society, as well as in every business transaction in this world, abundant pecuniary means were requisite, I took early occasion to impress upon the executive committee the im- portance of increased receipts, that we might be able to offer greater inducements ; and prominent among the means urged for that purpose was the adoption of the system of charging an ad- inission fee to the exhibitions of the society to all persons not members thereof. Those of you who have been connected for years with the society will remember the strenuous opposition made to this innovation by some of our friends. They predicted that it would bring down ruin upon our opera- tions and create general dissatisfaction. But it was evident that the fands of the society must be increased, and, as no one had any better plan to offer, the ex committee, by a sAall majority, ordered the adoption of the present system. Time has shown the wisdom of so doing. The receipts at the door of Wieting hall last September were upwards of five hundred dollars from this source of shilling admission tickets alone. The society now pays annually five hundred and fifty dollars more in premiums than it did five years ago, and I could recommend at this time a still further increase in the amount of our list of premiums. But there is one thing that is highly discreditable to the farmers of this county, and that is the fact, that out of its six thousand No. 112.] ^ 481 farmers only one hundred and forty of them became members of the society the first year, being an average of only seven to a town. The residue of memberships were made up of mechanics, merchants and others not directly interested in agriculture. This is a burning shame to the society or to the farmers of our county, and one that requires immediate reformation. We hear a great deal said by politicians about the honest, intelligent, in- corruptible yeomanry, and other high-sounding phrases, especi- ally as the day of election draws near. As I am no politician, or at least office-seeker, I can aiford and am willing to tell you the truth, which is, that in my opinion too large a number of our farmers are utterly unqualified by their prejudices, their educa- tion, their habits of thought, their excessive narrow-mindedness to appreciate the advantages of being liberal in all things. They are illiberal to their stock in stinting their amount of food, illiberal to their broad acres in denying them abundance ot fer- tilizing manure, illiberal to their families in not b.ying before them the fullness of the fountains of agricultural and general knowledge, illiberal to themselves by shutting themselves out of agricultural societies and other institutions adapted for their own advancement, illiberal to their own souls in not expanding them into some geniality of goodness and greatness. I speak plainly, but facts and observation warrant it, and I often rejoice that some of these men do not cause the sun to shine or rain to fall, for if they did, none but their own limited possessions would receive the warmth of the one and the fructifying power of the other. There is no esj)rit da corps among farmers. Merchants band together for their common good, mechanics do the same. Professional men have their associations ; in fact, every class thinks of helping themselves by helj)ing each other, but the farmers. But to all tliis there are highly honorable exceptions. Scattered over our county are intelligent, upright farmers, who have succeeded in their own case in making their calling honor- able, and devote freely of their own time in the laudable desire of assisting their fellows. Some of them attend punctually the meetings of this society, others contribute to its annual exhi- bitions, not caring whetlier a premium will fall to their lot ;, [Ag. Tr. '53 ] F F 483 I [Assembly others make themselves members, even when unable to contribute, anything to the exhibitions ; and there are a few that, ever since I have been connected with the society, have carefully forwarded the amount of their annual membership, saying they could not attend but wished to keep up the society. So long as such men live there is no danger that the Onondaga Agricul- tural Society will die out ; but 1 stand up this day and plead with the farmers of this county to come up as one man and help those comparatively few individuals. Your interests are one, your efforts should be one, and last of all, your ungenerous sneers at those of your number w^ho are trying to do you a ser- vice can well be spared. Since we last met together I have had the pleasure of witness- ing the annual fairs of Columbia county, at Kinderhook ; ol Hampden county, Mass., at Springfield ; of Hartford, Conn., at Hartford, and the fair of the American Institute. From them I learned many valuable things which I shall take the liberty to recommend to my successor for his adoption in promoting the best interests of the society. I also learned that our exhibitions were in many important respects greatly inferior. We especially lack in the display of vegetables, and though w^e had more of an exhibition this year in that line than at any previous time, still our display was not one-tenth of what I saw at Springfield and at Hartford. This should not be so. Allow me to recommend quite an increased amount in the variety and extent of 'premiums in that department. Our exhibitions compared with those I saw are quite too brief. While it may not be advisable to exhibit livestock but^one day, yet the display of mechanical and manufactured goods, of fruits, flowers and vegetables, and of other articles should be for two days and a half. Increased receipts by this plan will w^arrant greater premiums. The whole list of premiums needs another revision. Though greatly improved from what it was, it is still susceptible of fur- ther improvement. No. 112.] ^ 483 I now tender to you my resignation as treasurer of this society. I will leave it with its debts paid up and a moderate surplus in my hands, to pass over to my successor. I trust I shall never be unmindful of the many tokens of sympathy and ref2;ard received at your hands, and offer as a poor return therefor the assurance, that in all the subsequent doings of this society I shall feel a great interest, and will cheerfully contribute my share of endea- vor to make it what it should be. L. W HALL. ONTARIO. East Bloomfieldj Feb. 23d, 1S53. B. P. Johnson, Esq. : Dear Sir — Yours of the 22d inst. is at hand, asking for returns of our county society foi; 1852, and lists of officers, &c., for 1853. I sent you, on the 2d inst., the list of officers and partial report of transactions, which, it appears, you have not received. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year : James L. Monier, of Naples, President; Henry Howe, of Canandaigua, Corresponding secretary ; Wm. H. Lamport, of Gorham, Recording secretary; F. Murray, of Cananda gua, Treasurer. I am unable to give you much of a report, as the papers have gone into the hands of the secretary, Wm. H. Lamport. Enclosed I send you a printed list of awards at the fall meeting and a short notice of the winter meeting. Yours, witli great respect, E. M. BRADLEY. Ontario Co. Jlgricultural Society — Winter .Meeting. The meeting of this society on Tuesday was spirited, and un- usually well attended. It was unanimously decided to hold the next annual fair and exhibition in that village or town which 484 [Assembly should contribute most generously to the funds of the society, and to ask the town committees from the towns of Bloomlield, Phelps, Seneca and Canandaigua (and any other town which may desire to compete for this privilege) to be ready to report at the next meeting, on Tuesday, February, 22d, what their respective towns will do to secure the benefit thus offered them. ORANGE. To the Executive Committee of the JVew-York State Agricultural Society : The undersigned has the honor to report, on behalf of the Orange Co. Agricultural Society, that said society held its annual fair and cattle show at Aliddletown, on the 29th and 30th days of September last; that they had provided themselves with a spacious tent for ,their accommodation y under which a large as- sortment of agricultural productions and articles of domestic manufacture were conveniently exhibited. The amount of volun- tary subscription was $371. The number of entries for compe- tition and of premiums awarded were as follows : Entries. Premiums. Horses, 39 21 Neat cattle, 76 28 Sheep, 26 11 Swine, 29 7 Agricultural products, .... 120 26 " implements,.. 26 10 "Butter, 14 4 Household manufactures, . . 21 14 Fruits and flowers, 72 5 MiscellaneouSj 30 ' 18 The exhibition of stock animals was universally g od, and the quality and variety of all other animals and products was highly creditable, in fact, the general exhibition, the more than usually numerous attendance of the citizens of the county, and the in- creased amount contributed give evidence of an improved state No. 112.] 485 of feeling in favor of the objects of the society. Owing to a severe drought at th^ time, the competition for the plowing match was not very spirited. Only three entries were made, two only of whom' did their work in the best style, one-fourth of an acre in seventy-five minutes. The annual address was delivered by Daniel C. Moffatt, Esq., of Goshen, an effort eminently fraught with sound and patriotic views, after the delivery of which, the society elected the follow- ing named gentlemen, officers for the ensuing year and adjourned: President, John J. Heard, Goshen ; Recording secretary, Charles H. Wintield; Corresponding secretary, Hamilton Morrison, Mont- gomery; Treasurer, William L. Beakes, Goshen: Executive com- mittee, John C. Wallace, Goshen; Alden Goldsmith, Blooming- grove; Augustus Thompson, Crawford ; Edward L. Welling, War- wick ; Archibald Beyea, Goshen. ISRAEL H. WICKHAM. President, Middletown^ Bee. 29, 1853. ORLEANS. B. P. Johnson, Esq., Sec'^y: Dear Sir — Your circular, bearing date October 6, of this cur- rent year, and propounding certain questions in regard to tlie ag- riculture and agricultural productions of tliis county was duly received. As I in part anticipated the questions by my commu- nication of last year it will be unnecessary for me to give a de- tailed^ answer to all the questions proposed. Wheat, our staj)le crop is much smaller this year than usual This is in part owing to dryness of the ground at seed time, in part to the severity of the winter, and furtlierniore^to the fainiera relying upon tlie use of macliines (i^nod in tluniselves) newly in- troduced, to the neglect of thorougli and seasonable cultivation. The wheat-worm, or midge, lias tbis year made its npiearfince among us, but has not been destructive to iA\y great extent. By 486 [Assembly some it is regarded with alarm, by others, who saw it some eight or ten years ago, it is expected to disappear. The present appear- ance of the crop gives us encouragement to hope that it will be in advance of the worm at the season for its operations, as it never looked finer. Corn and beans have been pretty extensively raised this year, and as the season has been quite warm, they have done well. From 15 to 25 bushels of beans per acre have been raised, and from 30 to 60 bushels of corn. . Potatoes are also an excellent crop ; and we hear but little about the rot. - We have a variety of breeds of horses from the Morgan to the Sampson, wiiich are variously preferred, according to the use for which they are wanted ; but the horse of all work is the favorite with the farmer. Of horned stock, we have the native and the Devonshire and Durham of every grade, and a really good animal of either kind is considered good enough. Sheep are generally considered as the best stock to be kept on a wheat-growing farm. There are a few flocks of the Leceister breed in the county, but most of our sheep are full blood or grade merinos. The French merinos are quit© favorably regarded. The Erie canal and Rochester and Niagara Falls railroad both pass through our county, and as we have Lake Ontario on our northern border, there is no farmer in the county who cannot go to market and return home the same day, while the majority can go twice, or more. The crop of wheat for 1851 was mostly sold at from 81 to 87 cents per bushel. The crop for the year 1852 has the greater part of it been sold at from 87 to 84 cents. This is a low price compared with the price of butter, beef, pork, and w^ool ; and should the present relative value of the above articles remain as it is, it must tend to the production of articles of greatest profit and to the neglect of what has been our staple article. Our lands have appreciated in value twenty per cent within the last five years, which is in part owing to the general improvements in the county, and to substantial betterments on the farms them- No. 112 ] 487 selves, and also to the causes which have made every other species of property (at least nominally,) to appreciate. Our annual fair was held on the 23d and 24th days of September, with its usual interest ; Oliver Barber of Gaines, was elected President for the year 1853, also a vice president for each of the nine towns in the county, John G. Lawyer was re-elected Recording secretary, and John H. White, Corresponding secretary. Balance on hand at the commencement of the year,. . . . §56, 93 Received of members and by sale of tickets, 282 , 90 From Comptroller, 75 , 00 $124,83 Paid for use of tents, $41 00 For rent of land, 10 00 Printing and other miscellaneous expenses, . . 39 00 $90 00 Premiums awarded, ..,...." 181 62 » ' ^ $•271 62 Balance on hand. $1 53 21 A. BYINGTOxV, Vice- /'resident. Extract from the Address of A. Byington, V. President. The United States have been inhabited by civilized man a little more than two hundred years, and in parts of the country that have been longest settled, many fields, once fiiiitCul, are turned to waste, as not worth the cost of fencing and tillage. The county of Orleans has been settled about forty years, and many of its tields show unmistakable signs of lant that the atmospliere is full of the substance adapted to its growth. Tlie true system would seem to be to cut and cure fodder enough to keep our stock until our pastures are nearly full grown, as an acre of well cured fodder will keep more stock than an acre of pasture under the best management. And now, while upon tlie subject of feeding stock,! would like to say a few words on the kindred subject of shelter for stock in winter. A certain degree of heat is necessary in the animal body 490 , [Assembly to preserve life, and as it is like all other bodies subject to the loss of heat by contact with an atmosphere or any thing else colder than itself, death in cold weather would soon ensue from this cause if the material for the production of this element were not con- stantly supplied. This takes place in the lungs of animals by a process similar to that of combustion under any other circumstan- ces, and the result is the same. Oxygen, a supporter of ci»mbus- tion, is inhaled from the atmosphere by the lungs, at the same time the blood is passing through them. The carbon of the i)lood is by contact with the oxygen consumed which generates heat, and the result is carbonic acid gas, which is expelled into the atmosphere and becomes a part of the food of the vegetable world. The amount ol the carbon consumed in the production of animal heat is in proportion to the degree of exposure to cold, and as it is of the same chemical composition with the flesh and fat of animals, is so much subtracted from the material Avhich would have contributed to the thrift of the animal. The inference derivable from the foregoing facts, that good shelter is to a great extent equivalent to food, I hardly need to state, as it will readily present itself to every mind; and here, if a farmer may be allowed to be curious as men of other professions may be, I might state that the cavities in the lungs of an animal, where the air and blood come in contact, are separated by a membrane of so close a texture that the blood cannot pass through it, yet at the same time is sufficiently open to admit of the passage of air, gas or any substance of equal tenuity. Gentlemen, I am here in sight of institutions devoted to learn- ing, endeavoring, in a limited way, to show the connexion between Sience and Agricultiu-e; and for aught that I know have excited the risibility of those whose especial business it is to teach, by the broken and imperfect manner in which I have done it. We far- mers have received but little aid from the fund at the disposal of the Regents of the University, or any other fund, except it be the Common School Fund, (and with this it is supposed our education must end;), but I submit it to the sober common sense of the farmers who hear me, if the knowledge I have here been endeavoring to communicate, or something like it, is jiot as practically useful and as likely to be remembeied as some things that are now taught un- der the auspices of the Regents, such, for example, as the declen- No. 112.] 491 sion ofthe latin word bonus, nominative, bonus arum;genitiveboTi orura,bo.n arum,bon orom: and other like sounds which had their use and meaning a thousand years ago. The subjects of manure and the rotation of crops, are either of them sufficient to occupy the time of a whole address. I will barely state two or three general principles. Whatever has been a vegetable, can become a vegetable again. Manure lying for a long time in the field uncovered, is subject to a loss by evaporation^ and manure lying in piles sufficient to produce fermentation and a degree of heat above one huodied by the thermometer, (as is fre- quently the case about horse stables,) becomes volatile, and the most valuable part of it escapes into the air- and the farmer who manages his manure in disregard of these principles, is guilty of the worst species of agrarianism, and loses more every year than the cost in time and money of a membership of this society. Plants differ somewhat in the amount of the several chemical constituents which they contain, as also does manure; and the period at which different portions of manure are brought in a state suitable for the nourishment of plants, is also various, and the successful applica- tion of the principle of rotation in crops, very much depends upon cultivHting in succession the kind of plant which the manure and soil in their then condition are best adapted to sustain. OSWEGO. Owing to an omission, no report was made by the proper offi- cers ot our society last year to the State society of the doings in this county. It is but pi-oper now to say that it was not deficient in its duty to the agricultural cause. A very spirited fair was held in the city of Oswego, on the 10th and 11th of September, 1851 . which, considering the almost unprecedented heat ofthe weallnr at the time, deterring the driving of stock from any great distmice, was every way creditable. The usual amount of pre- miums were awarded in books solely, which, however, was found to W"i k unfavorably, as well as unsatisfiictorily. Tli*^ Annual fair for the year 1852, was held on Wednesday and Thursday, the 29th and 30th of September, on the east bank of 492 [Assembly • . % the Oswego river, opposite the village of Fulton, on grounds not only well suited to the purpose, but admirably arranged by the Executive committee. They were enclosed by a board fence, on three sides, w^itli the rapid stream on the fourth. The stock were well shaded, well watered, and well provendered, three import- ant considerations in the fitting up for such gatherings. The charge of one shilling admission was made on the first day this year, as also last year, to such as were not members of the society, and found to work well ; nor should there be any doubt either of the expediency or the propriety of making such charge, for surely, those who will not cheerfully contribute that small amount towards the expenses of this object, had better refrain from being present. In proof of its popularity, independent of nearly two hundred members, w^ho, with their families, without minute investigation as to consanguinity, were freely admitted, the receipts at the gate show that the single admissions reached 1,200 on the first day, and the whole number present on both days, is estimated at nearly 5,000. It is desirable to state this, that our sister counties may understand the onward progress of the cause in this northern section of our State. Nor was the exhibition of itself any less indicative of a growing interest in the subject of stock-raising, crop-growing, or manu- facturing, in our section. Of horses, there were 75, against 47 last year. Of horned cattle, G6, against 43. Entries of all sorts, as compared with last season, 497 against 358. As to the charac- ter of the stock on exhibition, it manifested a corresponding im- provement ; nor can there be any doubt of the lively interest felt by our farmers in this regard. The plowing match on the second day of the fair, was alto- gether the most animated scene of the occasion, and beyond com- pare, the best of any that has preceded it in this county. Not less than two thousand spectators w^re present; six "yeomen,^ Cthe youngest sixteen,) entered the lists. The competition was of the closest character, and the judges found itdifiicult to decide on the best workman. No. 112.] 493 The Address was delivered in the afternoon by the President. The subject was " The enobling and compensating properties of the pursuits of husbandry f tlie point being to show that the farmer who is educated as such, is elevated by his pursuit, in proportion as he traces effects to their causes, and realizes the wonder-working influences of those chemical combinations that serve to produce the plant and resuscitate the soil ; and that, however moderately compensated, as compared with other walks of life, his is a mine of wealth and security against adversity pos- sessed by no other class. Much stress was laid upon the importance of incorporating agricultural chemistry into our common school education, urging, also, that legislative action should be had in favor of establishing an agricultural school. That the farmers, as a body, should demand this if they are true to themselves, irrespective of politi- cal biases. It was shoAvn that every President of this country, from Washington down to the present incumbent, has called the attention of Congress to the organization of an Agricultural Bureau, but called in vain ; and that since our existence as a nation, only $29,000 has been appropriated to promote this inte- rest ; and that the same result had followed like appeals from successive chief magistrates in this State. He urged the call of a State agricultural conv^ention, to digest and carry out some plan for the accomplishment of this very important means of retaining to this State the value of her farming lands. According to the provisions of the new constitution of the socie- ty, the annual meeting was held on the third Wednesday in October, and the fallowing persons elected as officers for the ensuing year: Hamilton Murray, of Oswego, President ; John N. Holmes, of Hastings, 1st Vice-President; Samuel' Lewis, of Hannibal, 2d Vice-President; I. A. Place, Fulton, Recording secretary; N. Goodsell, New-Haven, Corresponding secretary; J. I. Wolcott, Fulton, Treasurer; William Schenck, I. E. Button, and Amory Howe, Executive committee. It was decided to hold the fair of 1853 in the town of Granby. The society resulved that the State Society be memorialized to call a State Agricultural Convention, fur the purposes before alluded to. HAMILTOiX MUKRAY, President, 494 [Assembly Extract from Address of Hamilton Murray, President. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. We have only glanced, and that most imperfectly at the compo- nents of the air we breathe, and breathe a life time often, without^ further inquiry. The question now arises how these subjects can be made familiar to the farming community. In my opinion, in but one way. A way by which we will in time raise the standard of education in that class. Carry out the great doctrine ^'as th© twig is bent the tree is inclined." Let works on agricultural chemr istry become text hooks in our district schools-, let our State JVor- fjial school make it a requisite part of the teacher'' s education; let thu young and old pass a few evenings every winter in witnessing som© of those chemical combinations which any ordinary teacher, with a very ordinary and not expensive apparatus, could present. This should be done preparatory and with reference to a more en- larged sphere of education for some, in a State agricultural school^ from whence would go forth those who would become professors of Agricultural Chemistry, instructing our youth and counseling the ignorant in the due management of their farms. This is not Utopian but practical, and must be brought into active operation, if we are to maintain the value of our lands on the eastern side oi this great country, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. - My hope is, that the parent Society ol this State, through its effi- cient, and intelligent Secretary, who has recently witnessed tbe transforming effects of high culture in Great Britain, and could, from his position, concentrate the action of the agricultural portion of our citizens so as to bring about these desired results. Foi one I appeal to him to accomplish this. He has the Chief Magis- trates of this State, in succession, with him. He has the intelli- gence of those active in and giving tone to the State Agricultural Society with liim, and for its accomplishment, he will ever have the thanks of the well wisher of our agricultural prosperity. It is a remarkable fact, that ever since the year 1796, the subject of national action in relation to agricultural information, in the, form of an Agricultural Board, or Bureau, has occupied the atten- tion of successive National Executives, and you all know, that the subject of agricultural education, in a practical and scientific No. 112.] 495 form, under the auspices of the State, has been the theme of our gubernatorial messages. Of the great men who have occupied the Presidential chair, from the time of our beloved Washington, we find message after message, replete on the subject. Washington and Jefferson, were active^Epractical and enterpris- ing farmers, and the correspondence of both, particularly the for- mer, is full of the importance of national action in regard to it. In writing to Sir John Sinclair, that eminent reformer in hus- bandry, in Great Britain, in 1794, he says : " I know of no pur- suit in w^hich more real and important services can be rendered to any country, than by improving its agriculture, its breeds of use- ful animals, and other branches of a husbandman's cares." And again to the same person he' writes : ^'It will be some time, I fear, before an agricultural society with Congressional aids, fwe were then,-you will bear in mind over loaded by a national debt] will be established in this country; we must w^alk, as others have done, before we can run. Small socie- ties must prepare the way for greater, but with the light before us I hope we shall not be so long in maturation as older nations have been." While he kept the subject of encouraging agriculture promi- nently before Congress, in all his annual messages, you will allow me to quote from the last he ever made to that body : '^ It will not be doubted, witl; reference to either national or individual welfare, agriculture is of primary importance. In proportion as nations advance in population, and other circum- stances of maturity, this truth becomes more apparent, and renders the cultivation of the soil more and more an object of public patronage. Institutions for promoting it, grow up, support- ed by the public purse; and to what object can it be dedicated with greater propriety ?" Now who ever thought (»f charging the writer of these senti- ments, with impractical or chimerical views on any subject, and I hesitate not to say, that the diffusion of knowledge in regard to 496 [Assembly husbandry, was among the most important of our national weal, in his capacious, practical mind. I will not tax you with further quotations from his pen ; but Mr. Jefferson must be heard, and in his sixth annual message, he says in regard to agricultural educa- tion : " Xot that it would be proposed to take its ordinary branches out of the hands of private enterprise, which manage so much better all the concerns to which it is equal, but a publici/istitution can- alone stipply those sciences^ which though rarely called for, are yet necessary to complete the circle, all the parts of which con- tribute to the improvement of the country, and some of them to its preservation." I will add an extract from the message of- another agricultural President, I refer to the lamented Taylur, who in the only annual message it was permitted him to send to our Congress, remarks : "No direct aid has been given by the general government to the improvement of agriculture, except by the expenditure of small sums for the collection and publication of agricultural statistics, and for some chemical analyses. This aid is, in my (tpini;n, wholly inadequate. To give to this leading branch of American industry, the encouragement it merits, I respectfully recommend the estab- lishment of an agricultural bureau. To elevate the social condition of the agriculturist ; to increase his prosptrity, and extend the. means of usefulness to his country, by multiplying his sources of in^ formation, should be the study of every Statesman, and the primary object of every Legist at or. '^^ I will close my quotations vrith the views of our present Chief Magistrate on this much neglected branch, so far as the fostering care of our general or State government is concerned. In his first message he says: " More than three-iourths of our - population are engaged in the cultivation of the soil. The com- mercial, manufacturing and navigating interests are all, to a great extent, dependent on the agricultural. It is, therefore, the most important interest of the nation, and has a just claim to the foster- ing care and protection of the government, so far as they can be extended consistently with the provisions of the Constitution. No. 112.] • 497 As this cannot be done by the ordinary modes of legislation, I re- spectfuljy recommend the establishment of an agricultural bureau, to be charged with the duty of giving to this leading branch of American industry the encouragement which it so well deserves. #* * By publishing the results of experiments, with suitable explanations, and by tlie collection and distribution of rare seeds and plants, with instruction as to the best system of cultivation, much may be done to promote this great National interest." In his message last year, after again impressing on Congress the fact that of the large majority of our people, "four-fifths" are engaged i» agriculture, and alluding to the vast extent of land approjmated to that pursuit, he adds : '-And yet it is a singular fact, that wl list the manufacturing and commercial interests have engaged the attention of Congress during a large portion of every session, and our statutes abound in provisions for their protection and encouragement, little has yet been done for the advancement of (igiiculture. It is tvne that this reproach to our legislation should he removed^ An Agricultural Bureau, charged with the duty of collecting and disseminating correct information as to the best modes of cul- tivation, and of the mostefffctual means of preserving and restor- ing the fertility of the soil, could not fail to be, in the language of Washington, in his last annual message to Congress, "a very cheap instrument of immense national benefit." Thus we see that every President of this great agricultural country, in succession, from its greatest and first to its last and universally respected chief magistrate, have rang the same chime on this theme, but to deaf ears. This may be said of our own several State Executives, and whh like results. And why, gen- tlemen, is it thus? Simply and solely, in my oy'inUm^ because ice, the farmers^ are ourselves indifferent and inert. Shall four-fitthsof our populati(jn find no advocates capable of demanding what their chiefs recommend and thry neeil, or sliall three-quarters of a century more roll by and the same tale l)e tuld that Fill.mae ^ declared? Yes, if every other interest is to be represented in our Letrislative Hulls but the acrricultural \ if our farmers have not influence and f »rce enough to send some one to say, we too must [As- Tr. '53] GG 498 * [Assembly be heard, and action must be had. Could we have the same con- centration in regard to this as is had for almost every branch of manufactures when a tariff question is before Congress, we should have not only our Agricultural Bureau at Washington, but anag-, ricultural school in every Stat(\, and the farmer would not be r^ garded as a " clod hopper," but his profession would occupy a position second to no other. It is a remarkable fact that since our existence as a nation, not^t^ithstanding the language of Washington, Jeiferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, and their successors, only $29,000 has been ap- propriated for the advancement of agriculture in 1:hese United States out of its public treasury. How long are Great Britain, France and Russia, indeed all Europe, to patronize schools for agricultural (ducation, and we, the great mass of self-governed people, engaged in cultivating the soil we own, not be able to point to a single one in any State in the Union. Russia has an agricultural institution, with 48 col- lege buildings, occupying 3,000 acres of land, and attended by several thousand students, as established by Queen Catharine. France has 70 school farms, in which professors are employed to lecture on all practical and scientific branches of agriculture, and I learn that that government expends annually, nearly 6,000,000 of francs, or a million and a quarter of dollars, in the advance- ment of these interests. Belgium has 100 agricultural schools, supported by the State; Bavaria 35; Austria 33; Prussia 32; Great Britain and Ireland more than 100. While millions are ex- pended in these King-governed countries, scarce a dollar compa- ratively is devoted to the most important as well as incomparably the most popular branch of national industry. Again, I say, why is this ? I fear the answer is, because our farmers neither appreci- ate their position, their profession, or the necessity of an agricul- tural education. Value of Science. Since I have resided in this county, I have heard this region decried, because of the prevalence of h»rdpan, and that so near the surface as to interfere with the cultivation of the soil. Believing, as I do in the great principle of compensa- tion pervading all the arrangements of nature, and finding that No. 112.] ^ 499 we were emphatically a sandstone region, and wholly destitute of lime, whether carbonate, sulphatic, or phosphate, I was led to think that this said hardpan might possess some.of these elements: I was streugthened in this by discovering that plants grew very rank where it was dug up from our wells, and left on the surface. I urged the attention of this society to this point and under its resolution I have had this same hardpan, in the must concrete state I could procure it, subjected to a rigid analysis. I will now give you the result as transmitted to me by Mr. J. H. Salisbury, of Albany, the analyst of the State Society. " The samples of earth you sent me have been subjected to a rigid analysis, the results are as follows : 100 parts of the earth deprived of all its w^ater gave Silica 71.61 Lime,. 6.69 ? ^^ carbonate of lime 12.04 Carbonic acid, o.35 J Alumina and iron,. . . 9.90 Magnesia, 0.15 Phosphoric acid, .... 0.04 Potassa, ... 0.30 Soda, 0.21 Sulphuric acid, 0.35 Organic matter, 5.05 99.65 Its fertilizing properties, I think, arise from lime, phosphoric and sulphuric acids, potassa and soda. The percentage of lime as you will see from the analysis, is quite large. The deposite is an interesting one, and if of considerable extent, ma/ prove val- uable to the farmer in the vicinity." You thus perceive we have within our reach, a large body of material, twelve per cent and more of which consists of the very property of which our section Is otherwise deprived. Add to this the universal experience of the value of underdraining ; combine with this mode of culture the use of the subsoil plow, whereby this hardpan is commingled with the surface soil, and depend upon it, a great desideratum will be gained, for the mate- rial increase of our crops. I have adverted to this point in order to show how often we forego an advantage witliin our reach, for the want of a little chemical knowledge. 500 [Assembly Is it not high time that this subject had more attention, and will not the husbandmen of Oswego county, bestir themselves to ;show a widely different condition of things during the ensuing decade. Will they not through their influence upon their repre- * sentatives, whether in our general or State government, do what they can to secure the patronage of both, in some eflScient, con- tinuous mode. I would suggest as one of the best means of accomplishing our object, the call of a State Agricultural Convention^ to consider the ways and means to secure the establishment of an agricultural institution, on some basis, and at least make the experiment, if experiment it can be called, and if found inefficient, after a thorough trial, it can but be abandoned. No. 112.] 501 1^ c CO C i/2 O E-. Q t^ P O c ;> ^ o C (/J u 'J o O o -„ t< ^. uo o o OO ^- ^ _o o «■ ^ c c CI iC hS o o o fcJO ,5 '^ pi ^ "T Vj s i W\ V^ yZ. '^^i '^^ <^^ ^ ^^ 1^' t-^ J^H o -t-> oc o o o o ■u^ ~>_l n d — t< '^ #-^ o o o o H c I M K O S w -^ § -^ ;3 ■"* W5 ':? tH V, c ^o -^ -^ O O cj >— ' -ic»Cl O O M *i©^ cc !3 o c o c o "^ '~^ ''2 T^ "^ o CI lo o o rr- -.7 ^-^ ,- a o o . S £ CO O to c 1 o 03 c c o o r;;? "^ '^ 'w si i^ - xr. c ;:4 ci ^ ^. o -^ rT CT — < CI '^ o ►^ -'-^ Ji , . ? 'S ^ ' c/: a •- S ' . '-' ._e'^^ .. ^ !>^2 o"^ >>Sf ^ j^ ji — 2 ^ *- e > ;^ -t :^ t^ CO ' t, X ;h TS "^ ^ '"3 CQ t/3 •'^ C c r; o ? CO o _; c c o o c tZ! :^ ?-- r/: *r-H -f :i T't »o 09 -^ o . - ^ o a > -^ C C fc. .ti c — o ^- <^ OC -— ►- o X co' ^ . . u pa ^1 V. vi es « C5 :/; ^ OT- . :^ '/: 'TT TS S '^ . "o ^- p;-WCIr--'CCC'^0 C S ^^ "" *'_g u J- ^ c 0 c be • J" *■* ^ "^ rt O :- ^ i* ^^ 5 c -, »^ /^ ut *'. ii >. o t o c2 ^.Jr fcOt^ t, ^ « rt O G o <^ «— '- "^ " rs S «i ° O fi ^ S 3i ^ - - <^ ^ 5 "^ "^' ;/, CJ C to — • ^ ^2 Sort's S^-*- Z^^ tf)a. ^ ^ s; y 5 ;r: c c: tx.^ X •- o s s -. ^ i, fc. w;Hc«o2Kfifto;j 502 [Assembly K >— 1 -^ t— I O es o K CO i^ _ rt ^ 3 - ■ s^ i^ ^ CO , d ^^ o CO C/3 OJ o o 1—t p*- C O ?2 t3 o M i; oi ^-^ 3f ^ ^ ^ ^ O O .i-c O 'tn C o t2; ^ o o CL !z o (—1 H o Q U2 H o o o p^ PQ c H 1-3 Q 1^ O o o 02 i-H 5 P5 H ^ o Xfl o ^- t- p t^ ^■^ 5= ;-^'-^'M >o o o Q O r/: w^i— I c-i rN r— I r-t , o o je ^. -d -^ Si 17% •-' ^ -^ o CO 1=1 o o o o o r-H (M r* P-l CO o E s s^ = ^ v_3 P5a)^iot>uJ:2; a. O O n3 '73 O ^3 '„ t: ct -f -^ '^ o o t '— ' -k^ o o TO 60 O C C r- O M O o o • u* o rjl TJ (-) (M O 3 ^ r-i U T3 rH (T* O ^ r^ ;-i S-H -tJ -M rO r-H OO TO TO o o c/: -^ •t-H c^ o O) «3 o o (-1 o a o CO oinh; o o o o to o o CO o X! J >^ LC Pi !2; ^ O CO O rt ■r--?.^ o M '^ o o e ^-^ ;i^_^ -►tj-io o TO o »o c o O O LO r-H (M 'o i:i «-. a xO a: ^ a o o Si o o c: o o .1^ (D :^ >^ >^ >^ o t> J ^ V2 VI O O CO CO CO rt - fS >. - fc^ ;^-C d ^ -^ ^ Z: > ^r-^ -^ o C O O O O ci o r2 Xfl CO re Si C o vC Ol uo O o o (J " -H r_) XT. o oc' e? ^ ^ o « - o • c a: CO a ri ^ O O fl o r3 ^^ CO o CO GO — . , r- CO =:. o O O ct 1— I ^1-,, lo O O yi ^rH TO o CO o o o f- o »n 3 O ' CO 1 '=1 4 eg ^ P5 • 'd '^ n-4 .©or «=^ S 2 £ ?! >< O !^ o ^ ^ ^ WD ^ d • f— 1 cr! > i> c ;-i tH PMQ Xr-5 ^, — ' >.i2 o o u O 5= CO o -*f •"■■—( St >» rt c 'd c/: 5 P:5 o OJ 'r bo - ■— 1 o bv ^ ^ c SJ. ^'^ fc?.^ Cr-j ""•::: o-= C-— r o3-M ^ ^--e-^ br^ H{>!CC!CZ}CC!PPO h-' •• No. 112.] 503 OTSEGO. Report of FRA^CIs Rotch, Chm. Execttiv e Committee. The annual exhibition of the Otsego County agricultural Soci- ety, was tliis year held at Morris, (formerly called Butternuts.) on Wednesday and Thursday the 22d and 23d of September. Its removal from Cooperstown was by arrangements with the local society, known as the " Farmers' Agricultural Society,'' which has for seventeen years existed and held its meetings at Louisville, but which on this occasion relinquished its annual ex- hibition, and the arrangements, as it so happened, fell wholly under their management ; and certainly the long training, experience, and unanimity of its members produced a great and manifest im- provement, compared with all former exhibitions of the county society. Theretofore there had been very little classification of animals and mongrel competed against mongrel without any reference to parentage or degress in purity of blood, or distinction in breed. On the present occasion there was a most thorough classification of the pure breeds, of their respective grades, and of native stock, so that every animal was brought in competition with those only of its own cast, and breed, and though the neighbourhood abounded in pure bred animals yet, in consideration to the practical farmer, by far the largest amount in premiums were given to grade and native stock. The ground was well selected, spacious, level, and dry ; and contained a sufficient number of convenient w.ll built pens fojm- ed of moveable pannels of narrow rough hemlock lioards nailed on to the end pieces of the same and stillenetl by a center sirip, these pannels were secureil by oak pins to square posts driven into the ground, making the cost of a fourteen feet pen, every thing included, not to exceed one dollar and ten cents. Tliey answered the intended purp'^se admirably, not an ei«ca])e of either cattle, >hee}),or h >gs liaving occured ; and wlien taken dciwn, tho pannels met witli ready sale to our farmers, who find tin m very . useful in forming yards &c., for the convenience of dividing and better wintering their stock. Asagricuhural exhibitions take place 504 [Assembly generally when these pannels are not in use, they, in all proba- bility, will frequently serve their original purpose with but little further expense to the society. I have been very particular in my description of the pens, thinking it may be useful to other societies, who have them oftentimes, too rudely and insuf&ciently con- structed. \ In a convenient position on the ground stood tlie large tent belonging, to the society, in which were prettily and tastefully arranged the productions of the spinning wheel, the loom, and the needle j the nicer specimens of the arts and manufactures, also drawings, paintings, casts and models. The fruits of our cli- mate and of the season w^ere to be seen here in most tempting beauty ; and a band of music added to the attractions within. The day was fine, the number of articles numerous and the as- semblage of spectators large; the grounds were well kept by the police, all were orderly and no accidents oecured. It must how- ever be acknowledged that some confusion and trouble arose in the business office from the liberty granted exhibitors to make entries even up to the eleventh hour; an evil however it would be difficult indeed for a county to correct, wdiile the State Society sanc- tions it, and can by a numerous and efficient corps of officials, meet and struggle through the difficulty and confusion, rather than cure it, !^y insisting that entries for premiums shall be ijiade on or before a certain day. The south and south western part of tliis county has produced too many winners at the State exhibitions, for it to be doubted that the general character of the stock was ot a superior quality on the present occasion when it could be so easily assembled within its own borders. Of the Devons, there was a larger collection than had heretofore been seen in the county, notwithstanding the absence of Mr. N". H. Washbon's herd, which had always claimed to be the represen- tative here of Mr, Patterson's stock. On this occasion, animals "were to be seen that had won the first premiums of the State agri- cultural Society on various occasions; animals too of recent im- portation from some of the best herds in Engknd, fine in the Ko. 112.] 505 bone, light in the offal, broad and full on the loin, accompanied by a style and finish that belong more especially to high breed- ing. It is to be hoped that such importations, which of late have been frequent in our State, may so raise the standard of ex- cellence with our breeders, that the large coarse boned, heavy headed, loose built red cattle, heretofore passing under the name of Devon, may find some other and more fitting appellation. It was noticed that the color of the recently imported cattle exhibited here were, as in all the other late importations, lighter than once was the fashion in their native land. Very many pretty specimens of grade Devons were exhibited that well deserved the numerous premiums awarded them. Of Short-horns we had our usual excellent turn out, some good herds having been long established in this vicinity; and their valuable grades amongst the classes of young cattle w^ere very promising. We must however regret, that our farmers are too easily tempted by the drovers' liberal prices to part with the females of this grade ; and these animals, that would become mothers of valuable stock, are driven out of the county, and the goose is killed for the golden egg. A lew very excellent Herefurds were on the ground de^cendants as was understood, from the valuable importations of Mr. Corning and Mr. Sotham. This breed of cattle has only lately been intro- duced into this part of the county and we doubt not, if advan- tage is taken of the opportunity, our oxen will be greatly improv- ed by the cross, and enabled to encounter the stiifest soils, and ultimately bring great weights to the scales; moreover grade Herefords are easily matclied,and the quality of their meat is un- questionably excellent. Tlie farmers of this vicinity are quite inclined to try the cross, as ox labor is much in use amongst us. Specimens of the Alderney imported from the Channel Islands attracted much notice; and perhaps less admiration from the many than the few who knew tht'y were remakable for their dai- ry excellence, and for the large percentage of cream their milk contains; they are small, j-overty stricken, blood-like looking ani- mals, with an eye of uncommon beauty, legs fine as a deer's, light 506 ' [Assembly forehand, thin neck and narrow in the quarters, good points for the dairy, but most unpromising for the shambles. An enterprising dairy farmer, who has an excellent herd of milking Short- horns, is about to try the cross which is said to produce the "Ayrshire." It might perhaps be well were some of onr dairymen to cautious- ly make the experiment with their common cows. How much longer will it take our dairymen to learn, what those of Herki- mer already know, that it is infinitely better to raise a few calves annually from their best milkers, than to supply deficiencies from the poorest cows of another man's herd ? Our show of oxen, which heretofore has always been one of the proudest features of our /ficv// exhibitions, was not on this occa- sion as good as usual. It is said that our oxen are decreasing in size, and of this the drovers complain and pass on. They are as handsome as they are well matched; and more finished oxen in their education are not to be found the world over, but " the mar- ket," say the drovers, " will have size." They are taken to the rich lands of those vrho feed for the city markets, and, after a year or two of labor, are put up to fat, and then it is that they want weight. No county is perhaps better able to proJIuce fine oxen than Otsego. She possesses in an eminent degree the mate- rial, and ox labor being much used within her own borders, the ani- mals readi'y pay their way, from steers up to oxen, by the work they do. To remedy the conjplaint of size, we strongly urge our farmers not to part with their grade Short-horn heifers, but to retain them as cows ; put them to pure bred Devon bulls, to secure color and facility in matching, and the grade Short-horn cow will give them early maturity, size, and weight. The cross between the grade Short-horns and Herefords would probably produce a yet larger aninidl, but possibly not so active. The Hereford bull on the '• native cow "' would undoubtedly pro- duce an admirable working ox, nnd perhaps large enough to suit the market ; this, however, has not yet been tried in ihis part of the ounty. Some very fine grade oxen are owned in its nor- thern divisions, but ihey are, ue believe, of a much high.r grade than the first cross. At all rates, persevere in u^ing a grade Short-horn for the dams, as a security for size and early matu- rity, and either a Devon or a Hereford bull, by way of giving to No. r-2.] 507 « the offspring the nerve and energy necessary to a good working ox. The cross with a bull of either variety will facilitate matching. Of sheep, the exhibition was excellent in Merinos, South Downs, Long- wools, Cheviots, and in French Merino? ; these lat- ter selected and imported direct by the owners. They were animals of most wonderful wool-bearing properties, nothing re- maining unclothed by that material but the tips of the nose and the hoofs. We were glad to see that their fleeces were in a natu- ral state, without resort to the " Cornwall finish," or any other composition by which the weight of fleece in French Merino sheep have elsewhere been delusively increased. We would here take occasion, though aware of traveling some- what out of the record, to inquire wliat is tlie object cf those Vermont flock-masters who load their fleeces with all kinds of filthy mixtures 1 it is not f)r a moment to be supposed that ihe manufacturer mistakes " Cornwall finis k''^ for wool^ or that he will pay the price of wool for that filthy mixture. Not so, however, with the inexperienced farmer, who, lured by the hig/i a\ eights declared and published, and oftentimes respectably vouched for at shearing time, purchases a sheep from which he is assured a twenty-five pound fleece was shorn, or some other extraordinary weight, no matter what. The purchaser pays down a commensu- rate hei vy price, and takes home his sheep ; in course of time l;e shears him ; the fleece is put on the steelyards, and comes up to the repu'ed weight. Another year is passed, and again the sheep comes to tlie shearing bench, but this time the fleece has wufully fallen ofl'in weight, and what was twenty-five, has shrunk to perhaps fifieen pounds. Ilic sheep never was in finer condilion nor JwiUh^ and has been well and evenly shorn. Wluit c^m have occasii^ned tliis deficiency? W'liy, my good, honest friend, you neglected to put on the celebrated " Cornwall fiinish^^^ that golden panacea of the Vermont breeder, which, l)y its virtue, increases the weight of a French Merino yZcccc, though it may not add to it a single ounce of wool. Otsego, now eminently a dairy county, was not long since known as a sheep district, priKlucing a large amount of beauti- 508 [Assembly fully fine wool ; and though the severity of its winters sinks the mercury, oftentimes twenty degrees below zero, and in summer our sun sJiines as hotly as in any part of Vermont, still the flock- masters here have not found it necessary to use the " Cornwall finish," or any other " finish " that should load down their fleeces with an unctuous, dirt-gathering substance: neither has it been their habit to make "black Merinos" out of the tar-bucket. As a matter of sanitary precaution, therefore, those gentlemen of the French Merino school, may in future spare themselves the trouble of" smearing," unless, indeed, their sheep may be more tender than our old breed of Merinos ; and this can hardly be, as the jjock exhibited to-day was in the highest condition and health, with such ample fleeces of wool as nature alone had seen fit to bestow upon them. Neither will the farmer much longer be cajoLd by " black Merinoes," but will be convinced by manu- facturers' prices, that grease and dirt do not fetch the price of wool. The second day was occupied by the plowing match, the exhi- bition of horses, the address, and the payment of premiums. The weather continued fine, but the long drought which had prevailed in this section of the county had baked the earth to a brick, yet our plowmen, nothing discouraged, set in, ten in number, each with a pair of horses ; and two only in the class for ox teams without drivers. With us sjjeed is not made an element of good •plowing; the character of furrow required was cleaily defined and understood. The lands were numbered, and the judges not being on the ground made their awards after the work was done, by those numbers, thus escaping all suspicion of partiality or bias. The horses were then called for ; and amongst the stallions we noticed Prior and Morgan, both winners of first premiums at the State exhiljitions, also a very beautiful horse colt by Prior, and some promising young geldiiigs by American Chief; there were also several pairs of closely matched carriage horses, well bruken and gentle, and numerous single horses of a very useful character. A few good brood mares might have been selected from the many exhibited, but we would recommend those who breed for njarket to obtain those of a rather larger size, when we flatter ourselves that Otsego will, ere long, regain her former celebrity for good No. 112.] 509 and fast horses. It has been urged that since the introduction of the various breeds of imported stock, Otsego has given less atten- tion to horses, and that those siie does raise are under size : there is no duubt that the mistaken and ruinous economy of employing the. services of the one dollar horses that travel the country, without pedigree, without action, oftentimes blemished and un- sound, has been the cause of the deterioration complained of, and had at one time left us with hardly a good stallion in the county. It is nearly four years since some of our most intelligent farmers were roused up to this state of things ; companies of twenty w^ere formed, stock subscribed, and horses of merit were brought into this vicinity ; amongst them the thorough bred horse Prior, and the larger and less highly bred horse American Chief; the former of know^n and tritd excellence, showing extraordinary compact- ness and power, a winner on i heavy con .e, and a w^orthy com- petitor of Blue Dick, but with not quite foot enough to win. American Chief ^s a very lofty showy a.iim/! of ir^ hands high, active and powerful in his movements, and well calculated to give us an increase of size, and a style that makes a good market horse. His colts, now only four years old, have a general character about them that makes it easy to get them together as matched horses, and pairs have already been sold at high prices. The colts from Prior are a year younger, and have hardly yet shown themselves. Great intere-t is felt as to the produce by these two horses, and very opposite opinions strenuonsly maintained ; the one party asserting that a cross from thorough breds on our rather under- sized mares, will i)roduce a weedy light animal, neither suited for market nor available as a horse of all work. Another party in- sists that with so strong and pony built a thorough bred as Prior, who stands 15J hands high, tlit^ie will be no diminution of size or strength, but rathtr an excess uf both, to which will be added activity, light easy movements, courage, speed, and blood like en- durance. The two horses are certainly totally dinVrent in char- acter, and the experiment will now be fairly tried as to which course is best suited to the mares of this Cfunty. Until the American Chiers colts came into market and brought highly re- munerating prices, the greater number of our farmers continued 510 [Assembly to breed their one dollar colts, not profiting by tlie opportunity .. offered ihcm by these corapanies of a better animal, at the still reasonable price of ten dollars ; this last season however, some change has taken place for the better in this particular, and both horses have been more used by those not belonging to the com- panies. The show of Butter and Cheese, considering how thorougly a dairy county this is, was compartively small, owing we presume as far as this immediate vicinity is concerned, to the fact that, there are a number of dairies whose products are known to be so uni- formly excellent and so much on a par w^ith each other that it be- comes, of necessity, more a matter of taste with the judges than a discrimination as to excellence; under these circumstances, when it is considered how few and how small are the premiums, it can well bt^ understood why dairies whose excellence is well establish- ed, should feel not only indiffeient but even indisposed to show. Could the society afford to offer a premium of one hundred or even fifty dollars for the best sample of butter opened and tested after being six months in the keepincr of the committee^ I doubt not it would call forth a strong competition amongst our best dairy- men, and would elicit information relative to its manufacture much more important than can now be obtained, where the dairy- man's object and interest does not extend beyond putting his butter, well conditioned, into market as early as possible afreritis packed. How it may prove throughout the winter is not his affair, but is nevertheless most important to the consumer. Any county obtaining for its firkin butter the reputation of keeping sweet ' and well throughout the whole winter, would have a great ad- vantage in our markets, and we venture to suggest the subject as worthy of attention by those who may hereafter arrange the so- ciety's premiums. « In the evening the members of the county society and visitors generally were invited by the local society to partake of a cold collation at Mr. Yates' Hotel ; when after an hour or two, plea- santly passed in discussing agricultural topics and interests, the party partook of the supper which had been provided with the liberality for which our host Mr. Yates is so deservedly known. No. 112] 511 The show of ST\'ine was small; no wonder, they are most unami- able creatures to have any thing to do with. The specimens were however general!}' of a mongrel cast, a few Suffjlks alone showed purity of blood and were much admired, though consider- ed hardly large enough for the farmer's use. Not a Berkshire was to be seen where once they were so numerous and so famous ! I believe they were thought to have too much lean mf at or muscle for barreling, as it then becomes hard; but for hams and shoulders they were allowed to be unequaled, as in those parts a larger proportion of lean meat than is found in other improved breeds is desirable. Though no premiums were offered for poultry yet seme very good specimens of various breeds were exhibited. The India varieties of fouls curious for their long legs and necks drew much attention and comments, but were considered by no means a de- sirable bird lor the farm-yard, being great consumers and no workers. The round, full bodied short legged Dorking reigns par- amount in this vicinity as a fancy variety. The annual meeting of the Otsego County agricultural Society was held at the Empire House in Cooperstown on the 23d of De- cember 1852, when the several awards for crops and winter pro- ducts &c., &c., were made and the premiums paid ; we regret how- ever to say that claimants for crops had scarcely in any instance sufficiently complied with the requisitions necessary to entitle them to j>remiums, which were consequently withheld. Under the head of winter fruits Mr. Freeman of Riclifield dis- played a valuable and extensive assortment of aj-ples, large btau- tiful and perfect specimens of their kinds, to which the Society's first premium was awarded. Mr. Davidson also shewed some very fine large and perfect si)ecimens of aj^ples, a few c>f which were even larger and mijre attractiv e in appearance than tliose on Mr. Freeman's table, Init the varieties were nut as numerous though equally well gr(»\vn and }>reserved. The attention of the society was particularly drawn to these fruits, as showing thevaMous kinds which are well adapttd to and will come to jxrfectiou in this severe climate uotwitliblandiug 512 ' [Assembly our short seasons ; a thing not to be lost sight of where farmers are planting out new orchards, or replacing their okl w^orthless wild trees with grafted ones of the best varieties, and to such it is strongly recommended to get their trees from the nurseries of our owai county rather than take them from a milder climate. The Treasurer, A.. C. Moore, Esq., presented ths following ac- count w^hich w-as audited and passed : To cash paid expenses of fair, $156 00 Cash premiums paid, 455 00 Balance on hand, 114 21 * - 725 41 By cash from former treasurer, $27 94 " ^' 3 members, 30 00 " " 14 " $5, 70 00 " " 10 " 3, 30 00 " '' 20 " 2, 40 00 " ^' 233 " 1, 233 00 " " State Treasurer, 148 00 " " taken at tent door, 123 43 " " 1 copy Transactions sold, 1 00 " " fence sold, 22 04 $725 41 Officers for 1853: — President, Horner Colman; Vice Presi- dents, Alex. H. Clark, L. Proctor, Z. Martin; Executive com- mittee, Mr. Davidson, I. W. Ball, Philip Potter, Thos. Higby, David Biindy, Roht. H. Van Rensselaer, A Barnum, J. A. Cheney, J. Chamberlain, S. Baker, Richd. Franchot, Wm. Frater, S. G. Cone, George Clark, R. Day, Chas. McLean, J. Rathboue, J. Walker ; Secretary, Chs. J. Stillman ; Treasurer, Henry T. Met. calf. FRAN^S ROTCH. No. 112.1 513 ^ PUTNAM. . B. P. JoHKSON, Es:i., Seer eta y^ &c : Dear sir — Agreeably to t>.e requisions o^ the "Act for the pro- motion of agriculture," I have the honor to lay before you, a re- port of the proceedings of the Putnam County agricultural Society during the year ending December 1852, Balance on hand per last account, §273 60 Cash for memberships and subscriptions . . .^. 206 50 Amount of cash proceeds of fair, 114 93 Cash of State Treasurer, SS'-OO |633 03 Amount paid for premiums, winter meeting, §12 50 Amount paid for pemiums at fair, 140 98 Amount of iucidental expenses, 60 95 ^ g214 43 Balance in hands of treasurer, , • $418 60 THOS. B. ARDENT, President. The condition of the finances of the society says all that is ne- cessary for the success of our association. That is to say our far- mers are evidently convinced that action in some direction has become necessary, which is certainly one great point attained, but we have only commenced marking time, in the next all import- ant step, as to the manner and in what channel to direct these accumulated energies. Autlientic agricultural statistics are now our greatest need. Without them we can d»> nothing, with them we have a tuundation to build upon and I trust your committee will move in tliis question to some cflicient purpose, for we are impatient for a sound move. The funds of the society could not certainly be more legitimately appropriated than to aid in this i^reat end. THOS. B. AKDEX. . [Ag. Tr. '53] II II 514 [Assembly Extract from the Address of T. B. Arden, President a In calling upon you for aid in our common cause, do not under- stand me to refer solely to our financial interest, for however im- portant the dollars and cents may be, they must take a secondary position when brought in contact with that principle which, act- ing upon the nobler man, directs the implement of the farmer^ the analysis of the chemist, the calculations of the philosopher^ or the researches of the naturalist, with the same unerring results. A cultivated understanding, a mind eager to find out the effect of every pause which maybe acting within the circle of any man's farm, is what I would earnestly call upon you to throw into the garners of our association. The wir don of our Legislature, which induced them to embody in the act incorporating the State and county Societies, the one clause requiring competitors for pre- miums in agriculture, "to deliver in writing to the Secretary of the Society an accurate decription of the process in preparing the soil, (including the quality and quantity of manure applied, ) and raising the crops, or in feeding the animal, as maybe, and also the expense and product of the crop, or of increase of value in the ani- mal, w^th a view of showing accurately the profits of cultivating the crop or feeding the animal," is worthy of our highest respect;, for every practical and common sense man must at one glance see, that without these statements we have no data to make up our conclusions from; and. therefore no common medium to com- municate either our successes for the advancement of our cause, or our failures, to warn the farmer of the shoal that wrecked a whole season's labor. Whereas, let any man keep a journal of his farm transactions, and unhesitatingly commit to paper tLe various, operations of his farm, and let them, through the medium of the county paper, or a committee report, be presented to the com- munity, and the time is not far distant when thorough culture will replace what I fear is now hardly ordinary tillering; at least such are the means by which our operations will be reduced to a system, and from the habit of recording the various details of the farm, will grow a methodical routine of farm accounts by which^ at the end of the year, each farmer will not only be able to tell what are his stores, but the amount of each, together with what each load of hay or bushel of grain cost him, and kaowing this he No. 112.] 515 may come somewhat near the value of his farm stock at the end of a long winter, besides being able to give a satisfactory account to a higher power of the many days of labor and toil alloted him in the past year. How much preferable and liov/ much more worthy of intelligent beings, would such an odrer of things be, to the present systen of guessing, which, to a great extent now pre- vails among us. I am aware that there are many who esteem en- lightened agricfilture as the offspring' of enthusiasm, and though willing to admit that something is necessary to be done for the poor farmers, are still reluctant to walk in the wake of the al- ready developed light of science,and tenaciously cling to that glo- riously alluring ignus fatuus or will-of-the-wisp, called "common sense," or " practical men." Would they only adopt the latter in its legitimate sense, I could see no objections; but they take them altogether in a one-sided view. The man who from year to year plods on, industriously to be sure, but still in the dark> with sometimes a good crop and sometimes a bad one, the reasons for either alike concentrated in the season or the moon, is their practical man. Why? Because he practices or exercises on the farm I suppose, for I can see no other reason. No, gentlemen, this is short of the aim. Interpret a " practical man " to be one who, from his cultivated understanding, brings the light of science to verify his practice in the field of that science, and I will cheerfully concede to you that theirs is our best example. What makes the practical navigator? — the mathematician combined with the sai- lor. What makes the statesman ? — the science of government com- bined with a knowledge of mankind. What makes the military commander? — the science of war with the covp d'oeilot the gener- al. What makes the architect ? — ^the science of mechanics com- bined with the several arts of masonry, carpentering and drawing. These, gentlemen, are practical men, each in his particular calling; and show me a practical man (in thi.s sense,) in agriculture, and I will cheerfully join his standartl — that is to say, a man who has been instructed in the various sciences of chemistry, botany, geo- logy, mineralogy, meteorology and {diysiology, or the science of the pri)j)ertie3 of the functions of aniiULils and plants, and at the same time is conversant with the various manual operations of the farm, is one whom I should call a "practical farmer." 516 [ASSEMBLT Again, let us glance for a moment at the ^-common sense" rule •0 often held up as the surest guide in our benighted calling. In the first place, can any gentleman in the ranks of its advocates (and'thej are ma'ny,very many^) tell me what is common bcnse 1 and how is it applied to the accomplishment of the various ne- cessities of life, and particularly to the farmer's wants'? Not but I am a strenuous advocate for this same common sense, but I am still more earnest in my desire that we should all Aderstand how this brilliant is cut which radiates so much light, and possesses these wonderful powers of attraction, for I fear, like its brother brilliant, '^ practical men," very much depends upon the setting. In the transactions of the ordinary business of life, few of us have been so little observant as not to have noticed the various grades of aptitude ex'hil ited by our fellow beings, each in his par- ticular calling. That I may, however, be Letter understood, and arrive at my point sooner, I will confine myself to the various ope- rations of the farmer. Take the woodman; what constitutes his skill, and how has he become possessed of it? To the first you, of course, will answer — a man perfectly used to the use of the axe. Now how has he become possessed of it ? You, to stand to your doctrine, reply — why, common sense teaches him that. But gen- tlemen, pause a moment and ask yourself, has this man been labor- ing any length of time to acquire this amount of skill in the use of his tool, or did he occur as some geological specimen ? Doubtless you will all answer with me, that this man, being naturally endow- ed with reason, applied to it a severe,and peculiar training through a period of years, by which he acquired a sound degree of judgment on this point; mark you, by his study or labor he acquired the exer- cise to perfection of one peculiar art, and that this common sense which we all value so highly was nothing more or less than a cufti- vated reason or enlightened understanding — a principle by which we are enlightened on the most abstract truths. It follows therefore, that this common sense will aid no uneducated man a jot fur- ther than his experience extends. Permit me to quote a passage from a celebrated divine on this subject — ^' By common sense is meant, I apprehend, (when the term is used with any dis- tinct meaning, ) an exercise of the judgment, unaided by any art or system of rules; such an exercise as we must necessarily employ No. 112.] 517 in numberless cases of daily occurrence, in which having no estab- lished principles to guide us — no line of procedure, as it were, dis- tinctly chalked out — we must needs act on the best extempora- neous conjectures we can form. He who is eminently skilful in doing this, is said to possess a superior degree of common sense, But that common sense is only our second best guide — that the rules of art, if judiciously framed, are always desirable when they can be had, is an assertion for the truth of which I may appeal to the testimony of mankind in general, which is so much the more valuable, inasmuch as it may be accounted the testimony of adver- saries. For the generality have a strong predilection in favor of common sense, except in those points in which they respectively possess a knowledge of a system of rules; but in these points they deride any one who trusts to unaided common sense. A sailor, 6. g., will perhaps despise the pretensions of medical nera, and prefer treating a disease by common sense ; but he would ridi- cule the proposal of navigating a ship by common sense, without regard to the maxims of nautical art. A physician, again, will perhaps contemn system^s of political economy, of logic or meta- physics, and insist on the superior wisdom of trusting to common sense in such matters^ but he would never approve of trusting to common sense in the treatementof diseases. Neither, again,would the architect recommend a relianre on common sense alone in building, nor the musician in music, to the neglect of the system of rules which, in their respective arts, have been deduced from scientific reasoning, aided by experience. And the induction might be extended to every department of practice. Since, therefore, each gives the preference to unassisted common sense only in those cases where he himself has notliingelse to trust to, and invariably resorts to tlie rules of art wherever ho possesses the knowledge of them, it is plain that mankind universally bear their testimony, though unconsciously, and often unwillingly, to the j)rpf{r.i!)hness of systematic knowledge to conjectural judgments. Now, gentlemen,! trust enough has been said to satisfy any rea- soning mind that every science, art or pr.ictice, however humble its i)ret('nsions, must look alone to education for its successful prosccutioi; and that the farmer, whose calling now engages one tenth of the population of our State, will never reach the position 1 518 [Assembly his suffrages entitle Mm to, until her protecting arm is extended over us, and a large proportion of her means devoted to the direct training of young men for the profession of agriculture. It is high time the farmer became aroused to his necessities, and spreading his banner to the breeze, proclaimed his privilege, nay, his rights, before the body that owe their existence to his bone and sinew. Send such men to your public councils as not only know your wants, but appreciate their bearing, and actuated by a love of truth, will conscientiously set themselves to work to meet your necessities, and leave self-aggrandizement to smaller minds and more appropriate spheres. ESSAY On the injtuence of rural life and its pursuits on the human mind. For which a silver Goblet was awarded to tbe auth:>r, Hugh C. Wilson, of Putnam Valley, by the Putnam County agricultural Society, 1852. Going back through long ages, the early history of the world tells us of a garden filled with fruits and flowers, and in it a man was placed to tend it. Two things unfold themselves to us while contemplating that history, rural life and labor, God's first ordina- tions to man. Labor is twofold, physical and mental. Physical labor however intense can never achieve much without the co- operation of mind ; nor can mental labor alone bring to its votary, that sound body and mind whjch belongs to the proper blending of the two. These things,! belive are truisms, fixed facts in na- ture, which as they have been noted by all men, of even limited powers of observation, I presume need jiot again be argued out at length. The question may perhaps arise with some, why was Adam our great progenitor made a gardener. The answer is plain. It is obvious that constituted as he was, he could have been nothing else and lived. He was formed to eat and drink ; without foo..l his body must have perished. His labor was not that severe bodily toil to which so many of us are subjected at the present day, it was essential to his sound physical and mental well being. In the garden of Eden was no clergyman, for Adam No. 112. 1 519 'Communed directly with his God. In that garden was no lawy^ for in following out the peaceful duties of his vocation, Adam had no claims to settle. In that garden was no doctor, for the labor of his hand gave health and strength to Adam, and the invigorat- ing influence of rural pursuits gave a tone to body and mind that rendered the occupation of the doctor useless. Thus it will be seen that what are now considered by many, the noblest -and greatest occupation, had no place in the early day of man. First was the agriculturist, next the mechanic. First the producer, then the consumers, in the thousand varying branches of society, as the world became peopled, from the small shop keeper to the king upon the throne. And alas ! some have been consumers indeed, idle bees in the great hive of men, living upon the accumu. lated kbor and toil of past generations, the few wresting by the sword and the bayonet, the hard earnings of many handed labor. But to return. As rural life was the first of God's ordinations to man, we are led to look to it as containing the germs at least of many valua])le things. Let us endeavor to trace out some of its influences; and first its influence on health. The efifect of rural life upon the health of man has been so often made a subject of panegyjic, and has l>ecome so settled a point that I presume little need be siid in support of it here. We need but point to the in- habitants of the great cities, flying to the country for health and strength, for rest and repose ; we need but compare the p^le faces of the city children with the ruddy countenances of our country boys and girls, to satisfy ourselves that the general opinion is true that rural life is most conducive to health. But more than this, recent statistics show that while with many occupations the aver- age length of life is about forty-five, that of farmers, who foriu a large part of the rural population is sixty-five. If long life is gene- rally the result of steady liabits, regular h i rs, active exerci t and a (pact mind, tliese statistics iH'ove much for a rural life. We pass now tu the influence of rural life upon character, and hero I must he understood to moan by character, the development of the physic. il, intellectual, and moral qualities of man. There are certain tendencies in the coarse of human events true alike of nations and of individu.ils ; these tendencies history unfolds to us, and he wlio has read the history of the past carefully and at- 520 [Assembly tentiveljj will be enabled , to a great extent to cast a horoscope dver€uture events. Rural life has ever furnished, and will ever continue to furnish those qualities of mind which are essential to true greatness. As in the physical world from yonder mountain's side is hewn the rough block of granite or of marble, that is trans- ported to the distant city, there to be polished by the hand of art/' and to become a part of some stately edifice, so in the world of mind, the young man reared among the hills and valleys of rural scenes and accustomed to the hardships of a toilsome life, leave§ those hills and valleys to become after years of study and im- provement, a pillar in the edifice of the' nation's councils. It is a fact worthy of note that few of the great statesmen of our na- tion were born in large cities or of parenta occupying high posi- tions in society. Reared amid hardships and toil, in early youth they acquired the habits of thinking and acting fur themselves^ and those habits once formed they carry through life. Nor is it alone to the great statesmen of our nation that these remarks will apply. Look around us, who are the great lawyers, the great divines, the great doctors, the great merchants of our cities at the present day. They are men, many of them men, who, but a few short years since, were unkown. In this country (thanks to our republican institutions, ) talent accompanied by a proper de- gree of laudable ambition, is ever sure of success ; we have here no hereditary distinctions to struggle against, no class of society vs'hose favor we must buy. The progress of the man of talent here is ever onward, he may be a simple clerk in a banking house, he may occupy but the place of a copyist in an attorney's ofiice,he may follow the plow through the long summer's day, he may be crushed for a time beneath the withering influence of poverty ■-and misfortune, but these things are not his destiny. Not many years will pass away ere he who was a clerk, is at the head of that banking house. Not many years will pass away ere he who was copyist rises superior to his calling, and the halls of justice echo with his eloquence as a lawyer. Not many years will pass away when he who followed the plow through that long summer day will plow out for himself and his fellow laborers such thicgs as will enrich their minds and render easier their toil of the body. Not many years v/ill pass away ere he who was crushed beneath chill penury and misfortune will rise above the lurid cloud, and No. 112.] 521 those hours and days of sad depression will be but incentives to wake his soul to the noblest action. Such has been and such ever will be the progress of talent, and the reasons are obvious. Man was made for action, his powers gain strength by use, they crumble and decay beneath disuse. Now in the rural districts few men comparitively speaking are rich ; property is generally much more evenly divided than in cities and to those pursuing rural occupations labor is the law of life from which few can escape. From the earliest dawning of the mind, the boys and girls of our rural districts begin to learn something of the useful and practical of life : and they learn too that most useful and practical of all things to wait on themselves. No retinue of servants stand ready at their bidding, no nurse fol- lows them to watch over their footsteps. In the days of their in« fancy, a mother's love watches over them and amid her thousand household cares, she finds time to attend to the wants of her lit- tle ones. But no sooner are those little ones able to totter about than they begin to take care of themselves, so that at the age of six, the little inhabitant of the rural district knows more of the actual and practical of life than the city boy at nine. Thus early does character begin to develope itself and often times when the youth of the city is yet in the leading strings of the nuise and dependant upon his parents for supplying every want, the little country boy is thinking of earning his own bread by the laCor of his hand. Onward, ever onward is his watchword,, and erelong w^e find him toiling to obtain the means of giving himself a more liberal education than his parents are able to give or the district school can bestow. Numerous are these instance. Let us now for a moment trace out tlie tendencies of rnral and city life, first however let me say that I wish to draw no invid- ious comparisons between the two : they both have their ad van- tastes and disadvantages, and are lx>th parts of the i^rrat allotment of Providence to man. I only wish to speak of tendencies c^jm- mon to both and to present a few fact*, which I tliiuk will be al- lowed to be such by all candid seekers after truth. But to return ; this country boy we left had educated himself, he has grown to manhood, he has souglit the srreat city to find scope for his talents and he has made himself a name. The principles of thrift ccono- 522 [Assembly my, and industry which belong to his early life still cling to him and amid the cares of business and the desire to accumulate wealth, the luxuries of the great emporium of fashion and art have little lure for him ; but he is rsaring a family who are gradually becom- ing entangled in its web ; they grow up satisfied with the name and talents of their father, they enshrine themselves in the fortune he has made and J'est their greatness upon that. Not knowledge, but wealth with them, is power, and on the scale of intellect they .degenerate faster than their father rose, till in the next generation their greatness, and alas! too often the wealth they had boasted of is gone, the high places that knew them, know them no more, they are swept away in the current that is passing and their places are again filled by the men of energy and industry fropi the rural dis- tricts. I know that there is here and there an exception to this rule that only more strongly proves the rule. There must be an incentive to talent. Genius and talent pine away beneath v»^ealtli and luxury. Do we ask for proof of this ; look back at the ages past and see the hero men of the world. Not in the sunshine of prosperity did they rise to glory's height, the storms of life gather- ed thickly over them ; obstacles that would have seemed to pre- sent insuperable barriers have been met and overcome, dark hours of trial have been passed through and the mind gathering strength in its course has like a mighty giant triumphed over all. But it is ijot talent and genius in their mightier manifestations that we are most concerned with here, these are the exceptions, not the rule in men. But there is a quiet talent, a quiet genius that makes but little noise or show in the world. I mean that every- day talent, that is ever lending its aid to build up the great fabric of society. Like the busy little ant it works by slow but sure de- grees until its daily labors cover a vast field. It is that talent up- on which society is dependant for its numberless blessings. This may not be generally felt and acknowledged, yet it is nevetheless true ; the working man whether in the capacity of lawyer, doctor or divine, whether in the capacity of farmer, mechanic or trader, is indispensible to the welfare of a nation. We are all parts of a great whole, weak when taken alone, strong when united in the bonds of social brotherhood. Let no man therefore laud his own calling above that of another, still if any one occupation or mode No. 112.] 523 of life is superior to another, it is that, which in its very nature furnishes the motive power ihat gives the impetus to all others^ and this we must accord to rural Ufe. But we must leave this part of our theme to notice briefly the influence of rural life up- on some of the sciences. Astronomy — It w^as- amid the scenes of rural life while the shep- herds of the early ages of the world tended their flocks by night, that their eyes naturally turned to the contemplation of those starry worlds that shone so brightly over them. There through the long night when the fair scenes of earth were hidden from their view they gazed in wonder. Little did they dream of tlieir significance, they thought the sun and moon and stars were but attendants of this little world, they watched their motions on the vault of Heaven, they named and classed them into constellations and by them strove to read the destinies of men. The rude theories and wild imaginings of those ruralists have disappeared beneath the march of modern science, but the names they gave tho^e constellations yet remain a tie to bind us to those early times. I Botany — health giving and enticing study, not within the cities din can we pursue thee in perfection, but amid the scenes of rural life, where nature strews the hills and vales with objects for our research, there in rich magnificence, the flowers bloom, rearing their bright forms to ihe sunny light, or like the modest violet hide tlieir heads in grassy bowers. Chemistry — especially what is called agricultural chemistry, commends itself peculiarly to the attention of the ruralist. It opens to him new and vast scenes for research. It enters into all his daily lousiness though lie may scarcely be aware of it. It teaches him tlie nature of soils and their proper combinations to produce results required. The manufacture of his butter and cheese, the fattening of his animals, the raising of his crops, all present problems for chemistry to solve. Geology— 'Wvdi fascinating science called by a master niind <' The world's history <>f itself.'' What a charm it lends to the dust on wh'ch wc tread. Beneath its mngic influence, each stone. 524 [Assembly each rock, each boulder, that else had been unsightly things, be- come objects of the deepest interest. Where shall we go to study out its hidden wonders ? To« the granite mountains, to the coal deposites, to the vast regions of the tall ferns, now locked in the ice of the frozen north and bound by the torpor of death, but showing signs of a life once active as that of the torrid zone. What a field for thought does it present to the mind. Those • granite rocks upheaved from the depths of the earth ; those coal deposites once miles of dense forests, now condensed by heat and pressure into a more concentrated form for the convenience and benefit of man. Yes, the examination of all these great truths belongs to rural life, for amid the duties of that life we are brought in constant contact with them. And Poetry too — Wliere shall we go for food for the poet's soul, but amid the wide expanse of nature. From what did Bunis, the plow boy poet, draw his sweetest strains, but from the scenes of rural life. And the noblest, the most sublime passages of Byron owe their orign to the cloud capped mountains and lovely lakes of Switzerland. There he caught the echo of the distant thunder, there he saw the sunbeam gild the gentle wave, there he listened to the insect tribes chirping their notes that broke with pensive- ness upon the bright, clear evening air. Yes, there hecaughtthat inspiration that breathed itself forth in those pages of Childe Harold that will live when every other memory of its author shall be buried in oblivion — the knowledge and perception of the beautiful in nature and in art. The world around us teems with beauty and our creator has placed within us a sentiment capal^le of responding to that beauty. The utilitarian asks why should we trouble ourselves about what is not strictly useful in its most practical sense 1 we answer ; God has made " every thing beauti- ' ful in its time," and this is no weak argument for the cultivation of the beautiful. Look abroad over the wide field of nature, a thousand varied shades blend in exquisite harmony over the mountain's brow and the lovely valley. Mark their sweet flowers with the rich colorirg — see the tints of gold, vermilion, crim>:on, purple, that clothe the world of vegetables and of fruit. The rose, could have been made to smell as sweet wrapped in a dress of somber hue, and fruit and flower 'every where might have present- No. 112.] 525 ed all that was useful without one single trace of that beauty which enshrouds theai j but God in his goodness has made them otherwise, that they might be ministers in his hands to purify our hearts. Show me a man whose soul is dead to the sentiment of beauty, who feels no joy in communing with nature, who toils on without once turning his thoughts to the contemplation of what is around and above him, and you will show me a man, sordid, mean, and selfish. He may possess the faculty for acquiring dol- lars and cents, but he will be dead to every holy and lofty trait of humanity. To the inhabitauts ot the rural districts then we would say, cultivate the sentiment of beauty, adorn your dwellings with such emblems of rural taste and rural art as may be within your means ; they will tend to make home happy to yourselves and to your children, they will tend to refine the feelings, elevate the affections, and purify the heart, and they will minister to a high and holy patriotism ; for what is there that a man looks back to from the scenes of struggling life with purer and holier feelings than the happy home of his childhood. Rural life, peaceful and happy, free from the corroding cares and anxieties of trade and commerce, free from the harrassing toils of professional life, con- ducive initself to virtue and religion, containing in itself the germ of usefulness that gives an impulse to all other modes of life ; shall we not strive to elevate it to the high position to which its merits entitle it? How shall it be done, I answer in the words of Lord Bacon " knowledge is power j" knowledge may be acquired amid many difficulties and just in proportion to the amount of our knowledge will we gain power to triumph over the physical dif- ficulties that lie in our path. We who live amid the works of nature should pa^=s notliing unlieeded by. Tliere is no plant but botany has classed it somewhere, there is no stone Bo rude and rough that geology has not exhibited its use. No combination of earth, but chemistry lias been able to analize. No change in the changeable elements but one day meteorology may be able to fath- om. Let us train our minds then to habits of thouiiht and rcfiec- tion,tliey will not interfere with, but will lend, a deep enduring pleasure to cur calling; and no merchant prince or wealthy pro- fessional miin, surroundeel by the luxuries of other laiuls, and reposing in cushioned ease on downy j-illows, shall be happier 526 [Assembly than we, canopied by the blue sky of the eternal Heavens, while with manly arms and resolute hearts we are exploring the hidden depths of nature's mysteries. QUEENS. The eleventh annual exhibition of the Queens County agricul- tural Society, was held at the pleasant village ol Flushing, on Wednesday, the 29th day of September, on the grounds of Thomas Legget, Esqr. About noon, a large number of persons assembled in the method- ist church to hear the annual address. The proceedings were opened with prayer by Rev. Mr Strong. John A. King, President of the society, made a short address, in which he congratulated the society upon the exhibition of the day, which was far superior to any ever before held. ALthough the fair at one time had almost died out, it is now a memorable event in the annals of our county. It could hardly be otherwise, in such an exclusively agricultural district as Queens county. He was sure success would henceforward be a matter of course, and their fairs become celebrated throughout the neighboring country. He encouraged his hearers to adhere to and improve this good old practice of agriculture. The officers of the society were satisfied, that Queens was well awake to her true interests, and their labors amply repaid by the successful results of this auspi- cious day ; he would now introduce to the audience his kinsman Charles King, L.L. D., President of Columbia College, who would officiate as orator of the day. Dr. King, being thus introduced, proceeded at once to deliver a most able address. At the conclusion of the address, which was received with marks of approbation, a resolution of thanks by A. G. Carll, Esqr. was voted to the orator, Dr. King, and a copy of his address solicited for publication. ^ The annual distribution of suitable premiums and rewards for excellence in the products of agriculture and horticulture, by No. 112.] 527 means of valuable books, so as to provide food for tlie mindy has received general approval. Agriculture left in a great measure to its own resources, has continued to improve, and has obtained great results. Whoever compares the United States of tl^e present day, -with that which was occupied by the Indians, a country covered with forests and marshes, where the inhabitants were chiefly employed in hunting or petty warfare, will scarcely deny that mind has had something to do with the change. The facts and rules of action by which the change has been ef- fected, form an important part of human knowledge ; that know- ledge which the agriculturist acquires from his ancestors. Eut it is not now, however lately it may have been the practice, when farmers of the first order of intelligence will be satisfied with knowing and following the mere mechanical routine of time, and of the former modes of culture. An impulse has been given to the mind — its faculty of curiosity, the mother of knowledge, has been excited, and men who were content to know, how much will ^do, now demand to know the way in which it woyks. Tell us, say they, how it ac^5, and we shall better understand all the details of practice, and be better prepared in case of disappointment, to ier- ert out the reasons of failure, and to guard a^gainst its recurrence. Hence it is, that a new awakened spirit of enquiry is busy to find out the true science of all things that come within the compass of the farmer's calling. To meet these exigencies, the society early in the season an- nounced a large number of valuable agricultural books as pre- miums, viz : /. 231 volumes of books, and about 100 diplomas; 7 medals; 6 butter knives ; making, together with cash premiums, nearly ifSOO. Cattle. — The exhibition of tliorough bred and grade stock, was much larger than had been anticipated, and some dilficulty was experienced on the nnjrning of the fair to find suitable ^tands lur all. John C. Jackson, of Newtown, received prenilunis for his short horn bull, Astoria, by Duke oi Exeter, out of Crcnm-pot 5tli ; heifer, Nymph 2d, by 3d Duke of Cambridge, out of Nymph 1st ; 528 " [Assembly bull calf, Prince of Wales, by Wolviston, dam Cream-pot Gth ; and grade heifer. Beauty, by Lamar tine. R. E. Thorne, of Alanhasset, for bull Washington, by Bonaparte j John A. King, Jamaica, cow Ruby. The grade stock of Gen. A. Macdonald and A. H. Mickle, of Flushing, and Wm. J. Mott, of Manhasset, were especially fine. Horses. — The show of horses was large, and as remarked by a good judge, " though not so numerous, of truer form and points, than most of those exhibited at the State Fair." This was, how- ever, expected from the descendants of Eclipse, Messenger, Engi- neer, Mambrino, Abdalla, &c. Of full-blooded stock, Caleb T. Howell's Clarion, by Monumental Eclipse, out of Van Mater's Oscar mare, and David Garretson-s Mayfly, by Trustee, out of a Messenger mare, were the best. The exhibition of horses not thorough bred, showed that we possess a particular breed of horses not to be found in many other countries, made up in the county, the root whereof is not necessarily to be looked for in the English Stud Book. Of this class, Jackson Nichol's George Wash- ington, by Cassius M. Clay, and Alexander Jackson's Hamilto- nian, by Young Almac, received the first premiums. Twenty-one premiums were awarded to horses, including ten silver cups. She&p and Swine. — The land in Queens is too valuable for sheep pasture, consequently this department was not large. Wm. J. Mott and J. R. Burtis, of Manhasset, and Edward A. Lawrence, of Flushing, exhibited very fine middle-wooled bucks and ewes. Judge Haviland, of Roslyn, fine long-wooled, and Edward A. Lawrence, of Flushing, the best Merino. The show of swine and pigs was extensive, nine premiums were awarded. The improvement of domestic animals has been mucli retarded by the vulgar persuasion, that the largest males should be selected, for the purpose of procreation. This fallacy is the source of the mortification experienced by many farmers, wJio, either in selecting from their stock, or in purchasing, give the largest price for overgrown bulls, boars, or rams, without respect to form or family, or excellence in particular points ; and too often give the preference to stallions blazoned in handbills, for No. 112.] 529 , \ being "full sixteen hands and upwards." One of the eminent English professors, on the art of breeding, remarks, " The strength of the animal does not depend on the size of the bones, but on the muscles ; many animals with large bones being weak, their muscles being small ."'"^ It is, however, pleasing to the lover of the h(ft'se, to find that our horse of all work is rapidly improving by breed, feed, and education. Dairy. — There were nineteen competitors for premiums on butter; quality first rate, and well handled. Six silver butter, knives were awarded, three of them to young girls under twenty- one years of age. The statements mainly agree, that early in the morning is the best "time for churning in warm weather, the butter freed from the milk with a wooden ladle and Liverpool salt, (Ash ton's) at the rate of one ounce to the pound of butter, well worked in ; no saltpeter or any other substance used ; keeps best in stone pots free from air. Plowing Match. — The company at the plowing ground was large, with a good attendance of ladies. Robert Willets, of Xe^v- town, received the first premium; ground plowed, one-eighth of an acre of green sward ; time, 26 minutes, with Mayher's plow, " Eagle F." The ground was in good order, and the work well done. Morris Kelly, of Jamaica, second best; time, 29 minutes, " Scotch iron plow." At most of our plowing matches, it seems the greatest rivalry is to plow against time. One hour is allowed for the work. .One competitor finished his work in 20 minute*; his team, on coming out, was more distressed than by a fair day's labor, and his work badly done. Vegetables and Roots. — This department exceeded our anticipa- tion*. From the severe dn^uth of last summer a very slim show was expected. Never at any of our exhibitions was a liner dis- play, especially from Flushing and Newtown. Mr. Thomas Leg- gett exhibited 30 varieties ; Edward E. Mitchel and Charlts Kneelaud, nearly as many. Poultry. — The principal exhibitor was a young man deserving great credit, Mr. Richard C. McCormick, of Jamaica, having on the groUid 15 varieties. Edward A. Lawrence, uf Flubhing, re- ceived first premiums lor turkies ajid geese. [As. Tr. '53 ] II 530 [Assembly Fruits and Flowers. — The exhibition of fruit was very superior, fis might have been expected in such a remarkably fine fruit dis- trict. Messrs. Parsons, of Flushing, received the first premium ; their d sjday of apples was very large ; we regret not having been, furnished with a list of the varieties. D. F. Manice, of Oaklands, exhibited 1 5 varieties of fruits, among them 135 varieties of pe^s^ 14 of grapes, and 14 of apples, all fine specimens. Capt. J. Briggs, of Jamaica, 92 varieties of pears; Jacob Williams, North Hemp- stead, 57 varieties of apples. Jacob B. Boerum. of Flushing, re- ceived the first premium for the finest display of flowers, and W. E. Burton, of Glen Cove, for the best dahlias. f. Taking into account the superior character of the stock, the ex- 4jellence of agricultural products, variety, size and luscious rich- ness of fruits, beauty of flowers, excellence of dairy products, in- ventive genius and enterprize of mechanics, the variety and beau- ty of domestic manufactures, and articles of taste from the fair hands of the ladies, the fair may be considered to haye been the most successful one the society has held. Indeed, rapidly as our population is increasing ; as industry and skill develope the rich resources of our soil ; as an increase in the value of land calls for better and more successful tillage ; as truer taste and more en- lightened economy lead farmers to raise choicer qualities of live itock; as the intense activity of our age, an earnest rivalry with the artizans of other countries, and juster views of the dignity and importance of labor develope and increase constructive talent, we should be false to tlie great idea of progress if we did not make every such exhibition superior to all former ones. The financial condition of our society is as follows : Balance on hand, 1851, |3012© Cash received from members, ^c, 869 22 Cash from Comptroller, 91 00 $1,261 42 Expenses for premiums, printing, &c., 909 17 Balance on hand, $352 25 The annual meeting was held at the Court House, Hempstead, on the 16th day of September, 1852. The following oflacers were elected for the ensuing year, 1853 : No. 112. 1 531 President, John A. King, Jamaica. Vice-Presidents, "bnvid W. Jones, Oyster Bay ; William L. Laing, Hempstead ; Robert M. Bell, Flushing; Joseph Tompkins, Newtown; George H. Horsefield, North Hempstead; Benjamin I. Doughty, Jamaica. Managers, Timothy Carman, Oyster Bay ; Micajah M. Petit, Hempstead; Edward A. Lawrence, Flushing; George Hulst, Newtown; William J. Mott, North Hempstead; Rernardus Hen- drickson, Jamaica. Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer, John Harrold, Hempstead. Recording Secretary, Lendal F. Pratt, Flushing. The Sf^cretary read a communication from t'le president of the Oswego County agricultural Society, suggesting the appointing of five delegates to a convention, to be called by the State Agricul- tural Society, for the purpose of considering the necessity of ap- plying to the Legislature for the passage of a bill, making the necessary provision fur a State Agricultural School. The follow- ing delegates were appointed: John A. King, President; John Harrold, Secretary ; Hon S. S. Smith, George F. Jerome, Benja- min T. Kissam. An increased and interesting correspondence has been held during the past year, with t'le members of this society and otht^rs, to whr)m we are iudehted tor many suggestions contained in this report. By these tokens of amity the labors of office are greatly decreased; we trust they will C'>ntinue. The prospects of the society vvere never so encoViraging as at present. JOHN HAROLD, Cor. Scc'y. EXTRACT FROM THE ADDRESS. Mr. Puksiucnt and (;k.nti.kmkn ok THK Queens Coi nty Ac^KiciLri hal Society : When honore ,ni\ tirst impulse wastodecline upon the principle that in all j)ursuits and av«>cations, those only or chietiy are to be listeiU'd to, who are expert in the rn^itterg wher»'ot they are to treat ; and my knowledge and experienee of agriculture are limited indeed. 532 . rSsSEMBLY / But then, again, the request came from Queens county, with which many of my earlier recollections and associations are close- ly identified ; a county, too, which holds in its bosom in sacred trust the ashes of some of my nearest and dearest kinsmen and connections. Under the influence of these feelings, and because all knowledge is related — and hence that he who has made progress in some studies cannot fail entirely to interest his hearers, even though he be not specially conversant with the particular pursuit of those he is to address — I decided to accept the invitation, and am now here, gentlemen, to claim your indulgence, while I present such general, thougli rather rambling and disconnected considerations, as may seem to me not altogether inapplicable to the occasion. And first, gentlemen, of the importance of such societies and such anniversaries as this. The principle of Jissociation^ w^hereby men intent upon a common object, and interested in a common pursuit, may, by combining, greatly multiply their power, increase Iheir skill, and extend their influence, is one that emphatically belongs to free countries, and springs from free institutions. Hence, among us all classes associate — the merchants, the manu- facturers, the lawyers and mechanics, all have these societies — their Chamber of Commerce, their Board of Trade, their libraries, their lectures, their anniversaries ; but it is only recently, and it may also be said, reluctantly, that the farmers, the tillers of the earth, have seen the advantages of such associations ; and even now how few comparitively of the great agricultural population of this State do actively participate in the doings of Agricultural Societies. Yet, upon mere principles of self-defence, and of asserting for his class a proper share of influence in shaping the polity and laws of the country wiiich more or less affect the welfare of each and all of us, the farmer should encourage associations of which the object is to improve the process of his art — to bring science to the aid of practice ; and hardlj less important to bring together at stated periods those engaged in a common pursuit, that they may exchange opinions, and by comparing notes, as well as by counting noses, be always in a condition to make their voices No. 112.] , 533 heard and their iofluence felt on all questions of policy essential- ly touching their interests. Other classes, numerically smaller, understand the value of such concerted opinion and action ; and the more numerous body of tillers of the earth, scattered over wide surfaces, and each pursuing his separate path, have less opportu- nity of intelligent, united action. Agricultural societies and ag- ricultural anniversaries, and the intermediate meetings, furnish the means of readily concentrating the views of the agricultural population, and of giving to these views their full and proper ef- fect. But the higher point in which to regard this association, is that of a school of instruction^ where what has long been practiced as a mere empirical art, is considered, discussed and explained as a comprehensive science — a science in which astronomy, chemis- try, vegetable physiology, botany and geology all claim a part, and which lies at the base of all. individual and all national prosperity. It is only within a comparitively recent period, that this view seems to have forced itself upon the cultivators of the soil • and even now it is not universally received, and a majority perhaps of all those engaged in the pursuits of tlie farmer carry on those pursuits in old traditional ways, without concerning themselves to know^, or to inquire, whether or not, in an age of progress like this, in all other branches and departments of human indust;y, the business of the farmer alone remain^ stationary. It is cer- tainly not the best characteristic or' valuable trait of a farmer, that he is prone to keep to old ways and to hold fast to ojd cus- toms; fur dir^tly opposite is the tendency of the more fickle and excitable population of cities and towns, always ready to run af- ter novelties, and eager for change ; and safety and benefit to all arise from the countervailing tendencies of these two classes. But as there is undoubted error in the indulgence o^ inconsiderate de- sire to change, so there is mischievous obstruction in the unwise conservatism whicli will not relax its hold upon old usages, even- where the advantage of change is made manifest. Agricultural societies, fairs and premiums have done much, and are doing nuich to promote wise progress ; and eminent men of science have turned their attention to the needs oi' this prima , 534 [Assembly industry of man, and have published works which dignify, while they point at the means of advanc ng agriculture as a science. it is a well considered arrangement of your society, that among the premiums to be awarded for the best products of the farm, the dairy, the orchard and the garden, are some of these approved and useful works. They will not fail to extend the knowledge of new and improved processes in farming, and to explain to many a one the nature and the causes of the success which commanded the premium — but which success may have been looked upon rather as a happy accident, than as the result of well applied skill and care. In truth, gentlemen, it is in your business, as in every other business, that knowledge is power ; and, other things being equal, that he who best understands the nature of the soil he cultivates, the manure best adapted to its peculiarities, and to the crops he designs to raise, will succeed best. Startins;, then, from this point, I would venture to say, that the first step to be taken in bettering the style of farming in any county, is by bettering its common schools. By the wise munifi- cence of the State, education is free and open to all. Schools, therefore, there will be. but the character and practical worth of the schools will depend upon those who, in each school district, shall employ and regu^te the compensation of the teacher. If cheapness be the chief point aimed at: if the man or woman to whom is to be intrusted the training of immortal beings — the fu- ture men and women of the country — is to be chaff^ed with and beaten down to the lowest cent upon which a bare existence can be supported ; if an educator of the intellect and the heart is to be rated, as to compensation, no higher tlian the trainer of the horse or the ox, it must necessarily follow that the instruction will be as cheap as the wages, and that no duly qualified person, possessing conscientiousness as well as knowledge, can be had. It is for you, gentlemen, who constitute the force and sjive color to the sentiments of the rural districts, to give to this suggestion such consideration as you may think it deserves. No. 112.] 535 Entertaining myself no doubts both as to the duty and as to the praciical^ility, at very moderate cosfcomparitively, of so pro- viding competent teachers for the common schools, I arrive with equal certainty at theconclusion,that the liberal thirst for knowl- edge awakened by such teachers, and the habit acquired under them of intelligent investigation, will suivivethe hours of school- ing, and animate all the future pursuits of the learner, whether he be farmer, merchant, lawyer, or laborer. The man or woman once taught in early life the proper use of the intellectual facul- ties, vouchsafed by God to all — tlioiigh not in like degree to all— cannot wholly forget or forego that use in after days. Hence, if from the school the lad goes to the labors of the farm, he will , undertake and discharge them, not me<*hanically merely, n<»r as a dull hut unavoidable daily routine, but wi'h a curiosity all the tinje awake, an observing spirit all the time called into exercise by the phenomena parsing betbre his eyes, and of which he will naturally and perse veringly seek the S(dution. It seems natural to advert to the great changes which time, and especially the construction of the Erie canal, have wr ught in the agriculture of Queens county. Before the revolution, and even; after the conclusion of the peace of 1783, Q.ueeiis county was re- markable for the produce of excellent wlieat and the best HoUJt then made in the State, comparing advjJnthgeously in tlie ujaiket of New Ynrk and in the markets of the West Indies, whither much flour was then exported, with the best Philadel}»hirt Hduf. Wheat and Hour continued to be the staples of this county— tliough much of the flour was from wheat brought in fr<»m else- where— up to the period of the construction of the Erie canal^ the completion of which broujal that it would depreciate all the farms (»n Long Island. Ihfe result has, indeed, l)een far otherwi>e ; but it did entirely put a stop to the manufactur«' of thmr fur exportation in this cendeut on th« tide, such as ihose famous in the day of *irneial C(»les, and J. B. Coles, 536 , [Assembly at Dorsoris, and which, thereforej could only work half the time, could not compete with mills worked by natural waterfalls in the very heart of the wheat-growing country ; and consequently, the mills at Dorsoris have gone to decay, and now, instead of flour and wheat, Queens exports hay, and oats, and corn, and potatoes, abundant poultry, and more abundant garden stuffs. The canal, which was to ruin the county and depreciate its lands, has turned it into a garden, and added two or three times, and perhaps more, to the value of every tillable acre in it. Bathed by two seas, in- dented along eithe.r coast by deep bays, and intersected in its whole length by a railroad, which affords cheap and rapid con- veyance to and from the great metropolis, Queens county cannot be interfered with in its prosperity, as long as there are in that metropolis hundreds of thousands of mouths to be daily supplied, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to be expended for what may be called, perhaps, articles of luxury, early ilowers,-fruits and vegetables, and flowers, fruits and vegetables raised out of season, and by artificial climates ; and herein indeed, as it seems to me. is mainly to consist in the future the profitable employment of the soil and the industry of Queens county, or at any rate, of that large portion of it immediately contiguous to its railroads and its bays. Horticulture, rather than agriculture — the garden rather than the farm — is to be the chief object of attention and culture. But then gardens will come to have the dimensions of farms, and in a great degree, though not wholly, the plow will do the work of the spade. One great staple of agriculture, or farming proper, will still be extensively cultivated ; for a near, safe, and constant market gives it permanent value I refer to hay — which the Queens county farmer knows well how to raise, of excellent quality, and how to withhold from market, until — canals and rivers being- fast locked in icy fetters — he can command his price for it in New-York. It is a humble sounding word this of hay, and the thing itself, as being the food of unreasoning animals alone, is cheaply considered. Yet, as a matter of fact, the hay crop of the United Stated is of more value in dollars and cents than the cotton crop, albeit we hear sometimes that cotton is emphatically the life and wealth of the Republic and the preserver of the Union. It certainly is a No. 112.] 537 most important and precious product — entering largely into our exports as well as into home consumption, and afifording profitable ' employment to navigation. But in money value the hay crop greatly exceeds that of the cotton crop, while it is of more absolute cessity to daily home life. The cotton crop, in the last census of the United States, is put down at a little short of two and a half million bales for 1849-50. Estimating the bales at 400 lbs. eacli,we shall have 1,000,000,000 lbs., which, at 7 cents per lb. — a high average— would produce seventy millions of dollars. The same census returns give, as the yield of hay in the United States for the same year, ('49-50,) nearly thirteen millions of tons. Estimating these at eight dollars per ton, (you are now selling your hay, I believe, for §20, or ■ more, per ton,) we shall have, as the annual value of the yield of the hay fields of the United States, the enormous amount uf out hundred and four millions of dollars. Why, if we add to the cot- ton the value of all the tobacco raised in the United States, (about 2,000,000,000 lbs.,) estimated at 8 cents per lb., a very high aver- age, we shall have the sum of sixteen millions^ making eighty-six millions as the aggregate value of cotton and tobacco, which is still eighteen millions of dollars short of tlie value of the hay crop. Let us add the other chief staple of Soutli Carolina, rice — of which 215,000,000 lbs. are reported fur 1850, being an increase of cig]it}-six millions pounds over the product of 1840. Valuing the rice at $4 the 100 lbs., we shall have th*- sum of §8,600,000, making the aggregate money value of cottun, tobacco and rice, ninety-four millions six hundred thousand dollars^ still leaving the value of the hay cro]) nearly 7iine millions and n half larger ; and hay — I mention it in nu invidious sense, but as an interesting fact — is almost exclusively the product of free labor ; and the State of New-York produces more than one quarter of the wliole crop. But garden products will be the chief staple next tn hay. Aspar:\gus, peas, beans, caulillowers, sweet corn, cucumbers, onions, carrots, cabbages, and beets, strawberries, rasi)Ijerries,and 538 [ASSEMBLT melons, will be cultivated by the acre instead of by the bed or the patch, and flowers, too, will have their place ; and then while the men are doing the hard work, the women and the children can be advantageously employed in tending and gathering the flowers and the fruits. The character of the soil — light, warm, and easily tilled — is exceedingly favorable to such use of it. And with fair play to that soil in restoring generously to it, by appropriate ma- nure, the elements which it parts with in every crop, the return will be sure, and with a ready market and cheap and rapid trans- portation, cannot disappoint reasonable expectation. This charac- ter of the soil i>i Queens county, its general salubrity and its pure water, combined with its proximity to the great city, invite to a residence here. And as there is no desire more universal than that with which men advancing in years, and who have passed ihi-ir days of manhood and maturity in the whirl and tumult of business, long f(*r the quiet, the independence, the repose, and the memories of country life — so it may be set down as one of the permanent elements in the value of Queens county lands, that they are the coveted retiri sg and resting places of many a citizen who looks forward eventually to spend tlie serene evening of his days beneath his own vine and his own fig tree, and last to kDOW the life Led by primeval ages, uncorrupt. When angels dwelt, and God himself, with man. " It is this natural taste," says Lamartine, the poet, philoso- pher and statesman, whom France, in her spasmodic wrestlings after freedom, proved herself incapable of appret-iating ; " it is this natural taste, this sacred relationship between man and a lit- tle plot of ground, more particulatly appropriated, fenced in, cui tivated, planted, sown, watered and harvested by the hand of the gardener, wliich iji all time has made the story of the garden a part of fhe story of the nation, and also given it a place in the reverise as to future life, or the theogony of peoples. ^•Examine all theogonies, ail religions, all history, even all fa- ble, and not one amoi'g ihem all that di es nor iissign man in his origin to an Eden ; that is, a gaiden j there is not one that, after death, does not conduct him to an Elysium ; not one that does not No. 112.] 639 mingle the idea of a garden abounding in living waters and in fruits, with the images and reveries of primitive felicity en earth, of a happj hereafter in heaven. What dies all this prove, gen- tlemen? That the imagination of man. in all its various dreams of a paradise, has been unable to devise anything more charming than a terrestrial or a celestial garden, with living water, s) ade, flowers, fruit, a green sod, irees, a propitious sky, serene stars — a reciprocal friendship so to speak, between man and the soil. So true it is too, that even in his most delicious rev^eries, man has been able to invent nothing more perfect than nature. A spot in the sunshine, protected frum intruders, embellished by vegetation, animated by the birds of heaven, and animals the friends of man, made sacred by the work of his hands, and made hr. again to borrow from our eloquent Frenchman, " there is no need of wealth, of magnificence, of extended d^'Uiain, to enjoy all tliat (o>d has hidden of happiness in the culture or spectacle of vegetable life. There are pleasures which it is not given to for- tunt; to appropriate and ninnopf»li<=»'. N;iture is never aristocra- tir ; she has not endowed the poor with other perce]>tioDS than the lich of natural delig!»t8, nor the idhr than the lalxjring man. Howi ver vjc^t, or however c«»ntracted the s\mve devoted by man ti» thi< j)ursHit, hi^ >( ul (an "id\ receive the same aniount of gra- tiiioatlnn from its pleasures ; the hup.ian soul is thus constituted 540 [Assembly because it is infinite. Yes, the human soul is endowed with such a faculty of extension and contraction, that it can overowfl the universe, and, like Alexander, find it too narrow for its desires ; or it can concentrate, and as it were fold itself up upon a mere spot of earth, and exclaim with the sage of Tifoer, from his half acre sowed with mallows, and watered by a little streamlet^ ' This little spot of earth is all the world to me.' " We regret that we have not space to give the whole of the very able address of Dr. King. RICHMOND. The third annual fair of the Richmond County agricultural Society was held at Richmond, the capital town, on the 14ih of October 1852, and although the day was somewhat unfavorable, yet there was a full attendance. The farmers wilh their products from all parts of the county, assembled at an early hour, and a most joyous feeling seemed to pervade the breast of every honest yeoman, all was animation with the most cordial greetings, each one arranging his specimens with taste, to be shown off to the best advantage. The exhibition of horses and cattle showed a very great improve- ment in both stocks, since the formation of this society; Mr. Landen has lately imported two Alder ney cows and a very fine bull, they were exhibited at our fair, and much admired, and promise to do much in the improvement of our stock for good milkers. Of the difierent kinds of grain, we noticed quite an improve- ment in corn and wheat, several gentlemen have raised 112 bushels of shell corn to the acre. The Australia wheat has been lately introduced and promises a rich crop for the farmer. ^ The horticultural department is doing its work nobly. The Island is becoming covered with beautiful cottages, and the soil being so well adapted to vegetation, the very best fruits have been introduced and cultivated with the utmost care, we had a sample of wine made from the Isabella and other kind of grapes grown on No. 112.] ' 541 the island pronounced by a gentleman from Madeira as a very superior article. An address was delivered by the Hon. Obadiah Bowne, member in Congress from our district ; it was an able, practical address and gave very great satisfaction to his fellow citzens, a copy of which I inclose. • The plowing match came off a few days after the fair. The competitors were eight of our best farmers, for two silver cups, and permit me here to digress a little. Three years previous was our first plowing match, our farmers came together with their old fashioned plows and the best they could do was to* give a furrow about seven inches by five, and that by no means well turned, leaving the ground ragged and unequal. At our present plowing match a number of elegant plows were introduced and a beautiful furrow, twelve inches by seven with much less draft well lapped, and the ground left in a fine state to receive the action of the harrow. This improvement alone speaks well of the formation of agri- cultural societies ; a new impetus is given in the whole department of agriculture; and the noble result is felt and appreciated by every member of the community. Officers for 1853. — President, Ephraim Clark; Vice-Presidents, Daniel L. Clansen, James Guyeu, William H. Vauderbilt, Law- rence H. C or tfcly ou ; Treasurer, Cliarles L. Leveridge ; Correspond- ing Secretary, Fredrick Olmsted, Secretary, C. L. Leveridge. Staten Island, December 20th, 1853. Dear Sir — EncU)Sed I fuiward an account of my corn crop, on a lot less than three acres of land, Dot^or tlie pur])0se of compe- tition, because, before I received yi-ur answer cnutaiuing your rule?, I had proceeded so far in my harvesting that I could not conii)ly. My measuring was done as stated below, and although I believe it would, if all shelled at the time I shelled tlie leed, overrun rather than fall short, I do not expect you to notice it any farther than as I stated to you before ; let you know what 542 [Assembly we can do and are doing here, in the way of cultivating the soil. The lot has been surveyed by Judge Metcalf ; a certificate from him of the quantity on which the corn grew is before me. and contains 2 acres, 3 roods, 31 perches and 194 feet. The lot was marked out in 57 rows ; in harvesting, each 19 rows was cut up and- measured separately ; they were also calculated separately by Judge Metcalf. According to his certificate, the first 19 rows contain*-d 429, 12J square feet, the second 429,99i square feet, and the third 425,1 1 square feet. The corn was measured in the fol- lowing manner : Two baskets, as near of a size as could be, were taken to the field, and none other; the corn was measured with them into the same wagon, which was found to hold 27 bHske<"s. One of the loads was shelled and carefully measured, and yielded 17| bushels clean corn. From the first lot of 19 rows, six such loads and ten baskets were gathered, making, As measured, 114 bush. 00 qts. From the second portion, 6 loads 9 ba^^kets, . . 113 " 11'' From the third " 5 " 13J " ..98 " in " From the whole lot, 325 21 I will now state the previous culture. Six years ago I had corn on the same lot, and reaped as much then as now within 5J baskets, but the corn I then planted was a beautiful white varie- ty, and did not shell over K5 bushels to the same sized load, which induced me to change for the variety I now have. I then ma- nured the lot with guano, in the hill, and broadcast with fish, at an expense of $14 an acre ; followed with oats, reaped 195 bushels ; followed with wheat, with a moderate c<>at of manure, reaped 77 bushels; pastured from that time until last spring, when it was plowed for the present crop. The lot was plowed in"" April, between five and six inches deep ; harrowed and furr'»wed but one w^ay, (I have pursued that plan for many years) a little inside of four f«^et. The average width of lot in feet is 223, marked in 57 r'»ws, planted in the rows dif- ferent widths, ranging from 18 to 24 inches, four grains put in a hill, three stalks left to grow. N"©. 112.| , 543 The variety is a dented, 10 and 12 rows, deep grfin, partly red cobs The manure was from the hog pen, and put in hills, value $20; 29,000 fish spread on broad-cast, cost $21.75; fish applied about the time the corn appeared above grcund ; corn was plowed but one Wcif'', first when the fish was applied, from the hill twice in a row, next harrowed twice in a row, next plowed twice in a row to the hill, then hoed. At the tinje of hoeing the extra corn was not taken out, but was run over about two weeks afterwards for that purpose. Just before harvest the plow was again run through twice in a row ; this was all the cultivation it had. The corn was cut up about the middle of September, had 14. loads of stalks, valued at least $4 a load for fjdder or for sale. I have answered some of your queries as well as I could ; but not at the time of planting, -nor since, in time, did I think of troubling your Society with any statement, althcmgh I determined to be a member. I have but a small farm, nnd have for a num- ber of years been pursuing a plan without reference to competition, by which I could raise the most corn from the acre with least ex- pense. I have entirely abandoned the plan of furrowing both ways, and am satisfied, by the present course, I can do better. My corn crop has varied in yield, for the last ten years, between si,\ty and ninety bushels the acre, a figure I could not reach the usual way, except occasionally ; besides, previous to this year, I have planted a white variety, a beautiful corn, first in the New- York market, but shelled much less per load than what I now have. It is as good grain, but would not command tlie very highest price in the market. If an opportunity occurs I will send you a sample of both kinds. I find a home market for ray corn? and therefore, quantity is to me important. Poultry — I will now state an experiment I tried in the year 1851. It cost me some trouble, but is asourceot'sati6faction,inatem of farming, needs no further proof than is to be had by crossing the Narrows, where land is selling for gardening pur- poses at rates as high or higher than those obtained here in those localities best suited to the demands of taste or wealth. To return; the butter made in the county sells for $34,792; the product of the ladies' department, as is usual, exceeding all others in value, in proportion to the capital invested. Our Jive stock is valued at $81,215, and our farming implements at §46,- 480 ; strong evidence of the enterprise of our farmers ; for we may safely venture the assertion that in few places could be found such perliection and variety in agricultural tools as to render them equal in value to half tlie live stock of the farm. If any are dis- posed to cavil at lliis, or place it to theaccountof idleness, or a de- sire for novelty, we will endeavor to show that we fully under* stand and appreciate that perfect tools and machinery save time, which to us is not only money, according to the proverb, but the means of enabling us to obtain what mone}' alone cannot — taste, knowledge, and a correct appreciation of life and its purposes. \Vith the scientific and mechanical iniproveraents of the day, as connected with agriculture, all now before me are acquainted. In no place are imi>rovements in machinery, in seeds, in stock, in [Ag. Tr '53 ] K K 546 [Assembly the mo(?es of giving increased fertility to the soil, all the concom- itants of good farming at the present time more intelligently adopted than in the county of Richmond ; and to few places are they better adapted. ' Forming, as this island does, one of the out-posts of the great city of ihe new world, and at all times in free and cheap communication with it, feeling instantly, and ready to take advantage of the slightest favorable symptom in its great moneyed pulse ; here, if anywhere on this continent, are we pre- pared to test each new experiment, and practically to illustrate each deduction of science, which points the way to cheapen cul-' tivation or increase the product of the land. * The richi'y endowed European seats of learning may more ad- vatageously labor in the field of theory, and the hardy sons of New-England may bear away the palm of invention ; yet how meager their r ward, hut for that intelligence which appreciates, and liberality which adopts the result of their labor, both \\hich form so prominent traits in the character of the Staten Island farmer. With you, then, gentlemen, I leave these things, their history and their practical appliances, while I ask your attention to the social truths which machinery is aiding to develop. For none may deny, that while labor-saving invention and scientific results, tending to increased wealth, benefit the outer man, another and loftier system of WcXiXs is, by the same means, induced. With wealth comes the desire to use it. As man triumphs over the barriers of nature, comes a prouder sense of his position and stand- ing in the scale of created beings, a more refined taste, a desire for intellectual cultivation, an enlarged philanthropy, a wider charity ; the world becomes his neighbor, and the wants of man, other than physical, claim and receive his sympathy and his aid. It is this idea which should lend the charm which instinctively attracts our attention, and commands our interest, in every com- bination of wood and iron which performs the work of bone and ginew. It is for this we should hail with equal pleasure the Eu- reka of the student, as he announces to the world a new birth of his brain. In this onward march, of which these practical results No. 112.] 547 with which jou are so familiar are but the advancing shadows, sliould we find our clief pleasure. Even the simplest improve- ment, applied to the commonest of our implements, speaks to us of the blight intellect which its new property may help to bring forward. Eacli new grain and flower bears the impress of intel- ligence on its brilliant surface, and gives glad promise of the children of a generation which shall be stimulated to yet further improvement, embracing a wider mental range. And for that I am a farmer, and would see my children in the same honorable <;aning. It is especially grateful to me to watch the rapiod' success. The qualify of the grain was good, and there has been a manifest improvement in selecting clean seed. Hay has nut been two-tldrds of an ordi- nary crop, on account of the want of the early rain, and the se- vere c >ld of the preceding winter. The delicieney in the hay crop is, however, likely to be productive of great good, by coerc- ing the farmer to more economical modes of feeding cattle, and by extending the culture of roots. Oats have been a remaikably fine crop. Potatoes, since the opening of the Ogdensbiirgh rail- road, have become an article of export; large quantites are sent to the east. The crop has been a very large one. Though St. Lawrence is capable of producing all kinds of ce- real grains, yet her agricultural wealth mainly consists in her rich meadows and pastures. The dairy and grazi: g constitute the ivealth of the farmer. The report of the Treasurer shows a cash balance on hand of about 1800 ; the amount of m )ney expended was about $600'^ Including the expense of fencing and fitting np the grounds used for the fair. The society became organized at too late a period in the seasoa to offer premiums on such articles of produce as are mentioned in section 3 of said act, wherein is required certificates from pro- ducers, &c ; but with the exception of the certificates enclosed^ appropriated its premiums to specimen articles of houseliuld ma- nufacture, iarm implements, larm stock, pruducls of the dairyy and specimens simply of roots and seeds. Respectfully submitted, H. VAN KEXSSELAER, President, No. 112.] 551 MassenAj January Ith^ 18j3. H. G. FooTE, Esq. ^Dear Sir: Your favor is received. The two fat oxen that I re- ceived the premium on at our county fair last September, six years okl, I Durham J worth as worliingoxen one hundred dollars. I stall fed them last winter, gave them one peck provender per day each, s.^y 182 days, makes 91 bushels, at 3s. per t)uhel, is,.... ^31 25 four tons hay at $5 per ton, 20 00 pasturing last summer, lu 00 Profit, 10 75 Sold for in December last, $175 00 Two three-year old steers which I have raised, fed them milk until they were six months old, after tliat fed them one quart provender each per day through the winter, the next winter not any thing but h^jy, the winter after two-years old, four quarts pro- ven l>ir through the winter eich, miking about 45 bushels at 33. $16 8S. All the expense in raising a pair of three-year old steers until they are fit for market is about $90. I sold the above steers forSl25. The oxen weighed, when sold, 4,220 lbs.; the steers 3,220 lbs. U. H. OKVIS. REXSSELAER. Dear Sir: You inform me that you have tlie proceedings of our annual meetii g. As thoj^e minutes set furtli ])rt'tty fully the dt)ings and tlie condition of the society during the past year, I can but gh-an a fiw facts in addition for your notice." The meeting was more numerously attended than any previous one, and the best .'Spirit j)revaileti throughout its deliberations, and the renewals of mernbrrship and achlitions to life membership were larger than at any former meeting. 552 [Assembly The advantageous purchase and location of permanent grounds and buiklings for our annual fairs, has infused new energies into the society. The grou:id extents up to the track of the Troy and Boston railroad, thus affording greatly increased facilities for carrying stock and goods to and from the fair. The por- tion of ground enclosed by the buildings is about 250 by 285 feet. The main building is 77 by 125 feet, 24 feet posts, very high in the center, allowing for the display of carpets, oil cloths, and the like. There is one two-story brick building, 34 by 54 feet; one shed, 160 by 22 feet ; one do, 110 by 23 feet; one do, 77 by 23 feet; one 250 by 12 feet; one 1 J stories, 42 by 15 feet. There is a large cistern in the open space, fed through pipes from a never- failing' spring, on the hill east of the grounds. The build- ings are substantial, and kept in good repair, ensuring protection to articles, of whcitever texture, from injury by the accidents of weather. Ample ground for pasturage or other w^ants of the county or State society, in the imaiediate vicinity of the grounds, can always be had at a trifling expense. In view of all the facts and circumstances, in connection with the new impulse they have given the society, we feel confident that nothing but the fickleness of the elements can prevent our future annual exhibitions, both in amount and interest, from being far ahead of the best we have yet seen or known. * The display of fruits, vegetables, and other products of the farmer at the recenX county fair, although not as good as we have seen, was still a very creditable one, considering the very unfa- vorable season for such productions, owing to the long continu- ance of extra dry weather. The display of cattle and horses was a good one ; that of mechanic al and manufactured articles pretty "good. . The unfavorable weather alluded to, discouraged preparation for competition for the premiums on field crops ; and as you will see by the minutes of tlie annual meeting herewith annexed, but little emulation was excited ; two exliibitions of buckwheat, one of flax, and one of potatoes. All of which is respectfully submit- ted. WM. HAGEY, Secretary. No. 112.] 553 Annexed are the Treasurer's report, and a sj^nopsis of the mi- nutes : Rensselaer Couijty Agricultural Society. Annual Meetings January 2b, 1853. Society met at the Court House in the city of Troy, at 10 A. M., Richard J. Knowlson, president, in the chair. The minutes of the last annual meeting were read and approved. B. Staibuck, from the committee to examine the treasurer's accounts, reported that the committee had examined said accounts and found them correct. The treasurer, A. Van Tiiyl, then read his annual report, which is as follows : Troy, January 25M, 1853. Annual Report cf A. Van Tuyl, Treasurer of the Rensselaer • County Agricultural Society. In obedience to the provisions of the constitution of this society, the following report is most respectfully submitted : Receipts. Cash balance on hand January, 1852, §119 18 Cash received of Treasurer of State of New- York, .... 180 00 do for rent of booths, 93 00 do of life members, 30 00 do annual members, 464 00 ' do for sale of gate tickets, 1,211 34 do of Hartford Protection Insurance Co., . . 1,201 79 With amount due the treasurer, 70 64 Malving, $3,369 95 Disbursements . Cash paid premiums, $ 1 ,064 00 paid T. D. Stewart, towards pur. (jf fair grounds, 1 ,0U0 00 paid C. P. Ives for improvements of bu.h!ings £nd fair grounds, 487 00 paid treasurer's note, 229 53 paid B. Hancock, 90 00 paid for printing, 81 00 • 554 [Assembly Cash paid for miscellaneous expenses, 268 43 paid secretary's aud treasurer's salary, 150 00 Making, S3.3e buildings were i'lsurej in the Ilartlbrd Protection Insurance Co. for §! ,200, which has since been [;aid, and appears in a former i)art of this re])ort. It sliould also be s'ated, in. order to have a full uiuh rstanding of the condition and wants of the society at the time, that the 556 [AsSEMBLt lease the society had of the groimd they occupy at BatestowD, expired in two years from last fall, rendering it impracticable to rebuild upon said ground unless the lease could be extended at least five years. An effort was made by the executive committee to procure a lease for a further time, but it was found impossible to accomplish it ; no owner or other person could be found who had authority to lease only from year to year. The executive committee then resolved to erect temporary buildings, and hold the fair upon the old ground, ina much as they had not the ne- cessary funds to purchase them, here or elsewhere. Upon mature examination and estimates made, it was ascertain- ed that the expense of erecting temporary buildings would be very considerable, and they would be entirely unsafe, in the event of a storm of rain or wind during the fair, and nearly the whole amount of said expense be lust to the society. It was finallj^ re- solved that the interests of the society would be promoted by the purchase of ground and the erection of permanent buildings for the accommodation of their annual fairs for time to come. Several pieces of land were offered and examined by the exe- cutive committee, but no one piece which they deemed advisable to purchase until their attention was called to the Novelty Works, or Ives' packinghouse, in the village of Lansingburgh, containing seven acres of land or thereabouts, with buildings sufficient for all the purposes of the society, which was purchased at a price believed to be beloY\'its fair cash value, costing only §4 650, near- ly fitted for the use and accommodation of the society at their last annual fair. It should, be borne in mind that even this favorable purchase would have been entirely beyond the means of the society, had not ths trustees of the village of Lansingburgh, with a liberality worthy of all praise, stepped forward to the relief of the society, and bound themselves and their successors in office, to pay $1,500 of the purchase money, leaving for the society to pay for the whole of the valuable estate, only $3,150. Of this sum the trea- surer has paid i|l,000. There are outstanding notes for the ba- lance of the purchase money amounting to $2,150, with interest No. 112. 1 557 from September last. The rociety are bound to make provision for the payment of this sum, to v. it, $2,150 and interest. It is not the province of the treasurer to suggest in this place the manner best adapted to raising the necess.^ry funds for this purpose. Eut he will venture to urge upon the society the adop- tion of some plan, or measure, that shall secure the end desired, it is of vital importance to the future ^velfare of the society. The true financial condition of the society may be stated as follows: Due the treasurer, .• |70 64 Premiums and bills unpaid, 180 26 Amount of purchase money unpaid, with interest 2,1 50 00 Debt of the society, §2,400 90 The premiums that may be awarded on field crops can be paid with the money the society will receive from the Treasurer of the State. A. VAN TUYL, Treasurer. M. P. Coons moved that the president appoint a committee of one from each of the country towns and four from Troy to nomin- ate officers for the current year. The committee retired and on their return reported the following ticket of officers : For President, John M. Mott, of Lansingburgh ; Vice-Presidents, Geo. Vail, John H. Willard, Benj. Starbuck, John J. Viele,Troy; E. N. Pratt, Greenbush ; J. E. Stearns, Schodack ; Seth Hastings^ Nassau ; D. G. Maxon, Petersbur^h ; C. P. Carpenter, Stephen- town 3 R. J. J\!nowlson, Sandlake; J. E. Wliipple, Lansingburgh; Martin Springer, Brunswick; T. B. Wilds, Grafton; Joseph Has- well, lloosick ; Wm. Newcomb, Pittstown; I. T. Grant, Schagti- coke; Jacob Minick, Poestenkill ; B. Streeter, Berlin: Treasurer, Abraham Van Tuyl, Troy : Secretary, Wm. llagen, Troy. Executive committee; Henry Warren of Troy ; B. B. Kirtland of Greenbush; Hugh Rankin of Troy; Henry A. Mercer, of Lan- singburgh ; M. P. Coons, of Troy. 558 [AssEriBLY On taking a ballot the ticket reported by the committee was unanimously elected. The following resolution was offered. Resolved, That the buildings an-l grounds of the Rensselaer agri- cultural Society be tenderd to the State Agricultural Society to hold their next annual fair; an 1 that a committee be appointed to present the offer to the State society at their next annu .1 meeting. Adopted, and John M. Mott, Geo. Tail, E. N. Pratt, C. P. Ives, H. Rankin, and A. R. Fox, were appointed the committee. A motion to appoint five delegates to a State Convention to be held at Albany in February on the subject of an agricultural school was adopted^ and Wm. N'ewcomb, Henry Warren, Daniel Wright, M. P. Coons, and A. T. Twingwere appointed the delegates. Resolved, That the thanks of the society be tendered to Richard J. Knowlson f )r the intellisrence and zeal with which he has dis- charged the duties of the office of president of the society the past year ; and also for the appropriate address just delivered; and that he be requested to furnish a copy of said address for publication with the proceedings of this annual meeting. Then on motion the society adjourned. WM. HAGEN Secretary, Extracts from Address of Mr. Knowxson, Prest. The business of the society being gone through with, the presi- dent delivered his annual address. Influence of the Society. — It is gratifying to learn, that of late years, there has been a gradual awakening among farmers, to the importance and beneficial results of this society. No one can compare its small beginnings with its present commanding influ- ence, or the backward state of agriculture, at its commencement, with its present prosperous condition in this county, without be- ing favorably impressed with the happy tendency of such an or- ganization. Yet to me it appears that many have so far misconceiv- ed its design and tendency, that a few moments may be properly No. 112.] 559 spent, in directing your attention to the oljects T.liicli we may reasonably expect, through such associations, to secure. There are many enterprises, both individual and associated, the direct object of which is to accumulate wealth, and realize inde- pendent fortunes. But this is not one of them. It is in no re- spect, either for the whole or a part of its members, a mere money-making institution. Nor should a direct tendency to add a farthing to any man's estate, be numbered among the beneficial results that may be aniicipated from it. Its influence is general, diffusive, prospective, and indirect. It is designed not to pour wealth into the laps of the indolent, uninformed, or the mere spe- culator; but to awaken such an interest in, and pour such a flood of light upon agricultural pursuits, thatan intelligent, active, en- terprising yeornanry, may turn their lands with their products to the best advantage, and realize from them, not a bare subsistence, but a competency, and even more than a competency. It does not depend upon the award of premiums, whether the members of this society and the community at large are to be benefited by it. Its best gifts to the public are more intangible, but not less real and substantial, than dollars and cents. The awards of premiums are useful incentives to exertion, to patient toil and careful atten- tion to business ; but they should be regarded as the mere inci- dentals, and not the essential or important features of this society. It performs its great mission and exerts its most salutary influ- ence in exciting a general interest in the pursuits of the husband- man, the great source of subsistence for the human family ; and yet a subject that in all ages has been strangely neglected and un- dervalued, and suffered to langui.-^h for the want of even moder- ate encouragement and intelligent support. The gains of the farmer are slow, and are secund at the expense of lalior, toil, and sweat of the brow. Compared with the sudden affluence, occa- sionally realized from commerce, and the di^tingui^hed position occasi'.nally gained in tlie learned professions, liis occupttion ap- pears to offer few inducements to the intelligent and enterjuising young man. But this is not its necessary condition. Were husbandry pro- perly conducted, it would be tlie most attractive of all avocations. 560 [Assembly But so long as it is conducted without order, system, or regard to neatnesSj without the application of chemistry to the tillage of the soil, or of mechanics to the perfecting of the implements of husbandry, in order to lighten the labor of the producer ; so long we must expect that our aspiring young men will forsake this handmaid of national prosperity and virtue, and wed themselves to satins and broadcloth, to the musty folios of a law office, or even to the offensive nostruras'of a drug shop, rather than inherit the free breezes, the fresh flowers, the limpid springs of their pa- ternal estates. There is nothing to interest one in the life of a mere drudge. If it is a fact, as some will still insist, that it re-- quires no intelligence to till the soil and develop its resources, then its interests must be and ought to be committed to the igno- rant and uninformed. How can we expect that earnest, thinking men, will be satisfied with an employment that affords no play to their energy and intelligence '? It is but a few years since this fallacious impression has begun to disappear. It is now being understood, that in order to the highest, or even to moderate success in farming, a high order of intelligence is requisite. It is no longer a question, whether ag- riculture is worthy of the attention of the most gifted minds, or whether an education adapted to its successful prosecution is de- sirable. These are settled points, at least w^i h the observing and thoughtful. And they have been settled, mainly by the influence of those who have been earliest connected with, and most earnest- ly engaged in promoting agricultural associations. Their connec- tion with and interest in those societies, have stimulated them to devote their best energies to increase the productions of the soi!, to secure the best and most profitable stock, to encourage the in- vention of the most perfect, convenient, labor-saving implements. They have sought information, they have put their lands in the best possible condition ; they have made accurate experiments as to the best modes of cultivation ; they have estimated the art of securing the largest crops, compared with the expense of the meager gleanings of an unenlightened husbandry ; and have pre- - sented the final results of their labors and experiments before ag- ricultural gatherings at the annual fairs. Their results, it is well No. 112.] 561 ^ known, have been fiattering and instructive. They have taught us that we have only begun to realize the profits wliich may be derived from l-^uded property, whei^ it is judiciously and scienti- fically managed. From these centers of intelligence and interest on agricultural subjects, an influence has gone forth, which like leaven, has leavened the whole man. With expansive and liberal views of the wants of the farmer, one of my predecessors, distinguished for his interest in this soci- ety, has thus been incited to lay foreign countries under contribu- tion to increase the quality and value of our stock. By a practi- cal example, he has taught us a truth that ought to have been very obvious ; namely,- that it cost Ho more to keep a good ani- mal, than it does a poor one ; that the poor man that has but one cow^ may just as easily realize $40 a year from it as $20, provided he will take pains to select from stock best adapted to his pur- • poses. It is certain that many a family within our county would be much less comfortable tlian it now is, had no improvement been made in the quality of our stock. * Nor has the influence of such societies been less marked or less important, in inciting ingenious men to exercise their skill in im- proving the implements of husbandry. He who can look back tweniy-five years, and compare the present finished, convenient, labor saving implements, with the rough drafts and uncouth forms that dragged their slow lengths ali)ng over tlie fields, with im- mense labor, both to the farmer and to his burtliened team, will appreciate something of the advance that has been made during that perind. Between the farming utensils of the present day, and those used at that time, there is scarcely less ditlerence than there is between the elegant chairs and sofas in yoiu- parlors, and those primitive seats used by our rude ancestors, when *' Joint stools were first created : on three logs Upborne tbcy stood. Three legs up, holding firm A mu«-lve fllah, in fiUjLion equarc or round." The wonder is that men lived and drudged so long with those • As a,n example in point, I find that a man in my empluy ha< realitcrovement is abroad, and this county may be put down as one of the best agricultural portions of the State in all the branches of that useful, healthful and dignified ( mpl«>yment. Our county society is doing much to stimulate and encourage our agricultural jtopulation. Its animal tairs call toj^ether large numbers who become at once interested in the exhibitions and go home with a fixed determination to enter the list of comj>etitorg for the next year's premiums. They see new invention?, new and desirable productions, hear new suggestions, get new ideas, and 568 [Assembly tlius treasure up a fund of information which qualifies them to be better farmers thereafter. These annual gatherings are a source of mutual instruction and mutual benefit. The first meeting of the executive committee of this gociety^ during the past year, was held on the first day of March last, at which time a premium list was adopted, inviting competition on crops, on horses, on cattle, on sheep, on swine, on butter and cheese, on household productions, on mechanical productions, on plowing, on fruits, flowers, vegetables, and indeed on almost everything grown or manufactured in our county. By a regula- tion of the committee, competition, to a limited extent, was invited from other counties. The money premiums thus offered amount- ed, in the aggregate, to some §700 or $800 ; the third premiums, generally, being the Transactions' of the State Society, a very va- luable and useful work. The judges, or examining committees, were appointed at this meeting, and all the preliminary arrange- ments for the annual fair were here made and perfected. The 15th, 16th and 17th days of September were designated as the time for the annual exhibition. No other meeting of the commit- tee was held till the annual fair. The 12th annual fair and cattle show of this society, was ,held at Mechanicsville at the time above stated, and in point of excel- lence was all that the friends of the society or of the cause of ag- riculture could reasonably desire. By a very judicious arrangement of the society, the first day, as usual, was devoted exclusively to the entering, registering and arranging the animals and articles designed for exhibition. The exhibition of horses was unquestionably better than at any previous show of this society, and the only mistake was in per- mitting any of them to be taken away before 12 o'clock of the last day of the fair. Fifty-four entries were made in the two classes of horses, and premiums were awarded by the judges on horses to about $70. The show of catSle was tolerably good, embracing some 43 en- tries, and drawing premiums in the aggregate of n arly $100. No. 112.J 569 ^7 Only 14 different entries were made in the department of sheep but these were exceedingly good. The plowing match was well contested. In swine, the exhibition was slim in quantity, but of superior quality. In the exhibition of butter and cheese, the effect of the severe and protracted drouth was more apparent than in any other de- partment of the fair. The exhibition of agricultural implements was very good. The farmers of this cour.ty keep pace with the improvements in labor- saving implements, and the collection at this fair was well calcu- lated to stimulate the cultivators of the soil to renewed economy, in seeking to obtain the best labor-saving machines for almos every kind of work required on their farms. In the mechanical department 18 entries were made, and the exhibition in this branch under the circumstances, no specified premiums being offered, and the aggregate of all being limited to $40, was really meritorious. In the miscellaneous department, where everyting is registered that is not provided for under any other class, 45 entries were made. This was in fact one of the best features of the fair, and showed that the exhibitors were not afraid to come forward and take their chances. Thirty-five entries were made under the head of foreign stock and articles; tliat is, animals and articles exhibited from other counties. In the floral department G4 entries were made, embracing just so many varieties or designs of flowers. In this the exhibitors displayed unusual good taste, and too mucli praise caruutt be awarded for the interest they iDanifested, and tlie matchless skill they exliibited, in this branch of the exliibition. The floral de- partment excelled that of the last State Fair at Ttica. In fruit the exhibition was very satisfactory, embracing the dif- ferent varieties. 570 [Assembly In housfh jld proauctions the exhibition was much better than heretofore. The articles in tliis department seem to grow better and better every year. This, lilie the tloral department, belongs to the ladies, to whom all credit is due for the superiority and excellence of the show. The entries numbered 146. The exhibition of garden vegetables was very good. About 70 different entries were made under this head, of superior qualities. The society and assemblage were called to order by the presi- dent of the society, at 2 o'clock on the third day, to listen to the annual address, the report of the committees, and to attend the election of officers. The addreps was delivered by B P. Johnson, Esq , Secretary of the N. Y. State Agricultural Society, which occupied about an hour, and was listened to with deep attention. His remarks were plain, practical and instructive, evincing much thought and re- flection on the part of the speaker, and that familiarity with the subject which gave power and effect to what he said. At the conclusion of his address, the following resolution was unani- mously adt)pted : Resolved^ That the thanks of this society be tendered to B. P. John-on, Esq., for his able and instructive address on this occa- sion, and that a copy thereof be requested for publication in pam- phlet Ibrm. It is a source of regret with the committee, that this request w^as not complied with, that all the farmers of this county might have had the privilege of reading one of the most practical speeches the society has listened to in many a day. Officers for 1853. — President, Silas G. Smith, Stillwater; 1st Vice-President, Samuel G. Eddy, Stillwater ; 2d do, Jesse H. Mead, Galway : Treasurer, Reuben S. Burts, Mechanicsville : Cor. Secretary, Cramer Yernam, Mechanicsville : Rec. Secretary, John A. Corey, Saratoga Springs ; with an executive committee of two in each town. No. 112.1 571 The following persons were appointed delegates to, and ex- officio members of, tile N. Y. State Agricultural Society for the ensuing year : Lewis E. Smith, of Ilalfmoon; Samuel 'G. Eddy, of Stillwater j H. D. Chapman, of Saratoga; George B. Powell, of Milton; P. Burnett, of Mechanicsville ; Tyler Dunham, of Stillwater. The reports of the committees were then read, upon which pre- miums were awarded to the amount of about $700, including about 20 volumes Transactions N. Y. State Society. The executive committee held a meeting during the fair, for the purpose of filling vacacies in the list of judges, and auditing a few bills fur incidental expenses. The regular winter meeting of the executive committee was held at the Court House on the 14th day of December, for the purpose of awarding premiums on crops. The weather was ex- tremely unpleasant, and the attendance slim. There was but one applicant for premium, and his was on two acres of wheat. Of course he w^as successful, and received the first premium. The following are the receipts and disbursements from the treasury during the year: Receipts. Rec'd from Comptroller, State appro., from S. E. Paine, life mem.,. . . from E. McKiniiey, contiibut'u, from B. Badgley, " from 408 memberships (yearly) for registering entries fur exhib. for admission to show grounds, I'Kjm Com[)trol!er, State appro , §713 92 l)ishi:rsments. 1852. Sej't. 17. Paid premiums and incidci.tal exp., §G04 92 1852. July 5. Rec Sei)t. 17. a u a u (( u a Ci li u u Dec. 18. a $121 00 10 00 11 00 8 00 204 00 127 00 HI 92 121 00 Leaving balance in treasury, §109 00 All which is respcclfally submitted, J. A. COREY, Secretary. 572 [Assembly ^ SCHOHARIE. The Sclioharie County agricultural Society held its annual fair at Middleburgh, October Gth, 7th and 8th. Tlie exhibition of stock, agricultural products, and miscellane- ous articles, gave UDmistakable evidence of a growing interest in the improvements of the day. The articles of domestic manufac- ture were extremely creditable to the ladies of the society. On Friday afternoon the society met at the Lutheran Church, when, after prayer by Rev. Mr. Cornell, a very able and interest- ing address was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Lintner, which was listened to with great interest by a large and highly gratified au- dience. The thanks of the society were tendered to Dr. Lintner, and a copy of his address was solicited for publication, and was subsequently published in the journals of the county, and was read with approbation by multitudes who had not the privilege of hearing it. Officers for 1853. — President, John P. Griggs, Schoharie; Vice Presidents, Joseph J. Brown, Nicholas Russell, John Fremire, George Manning, Griffin Whipple, Isaac W. Baird, Frederick Shafer ; Secretary, William H. Davis, Schoharie ; Treasurer, J. A. Lintner, do. ; Executive committee, Jacob Vroman, M. L. Shafer, Wm. Winters, J. S. Waterbury, S. Maham. Extract from tiih Address of Rev. Dr. Lintner. Thirty-three years ago I w^as present at the formation of this society. William Beekman, tirst judge of the county, under the old Constitution, was chosen president, Henry Becker, vice presi- dent, John Ingold, treasurer, and Isaac Barber, secretary. Elka- nyh Watson delivered an address, and I well recollect the atten- tion and interest with which that address was listened to by the concourse of farmers who had gathered from all parts of the coun- ty, and filled the old brick church at Schuharie. The officers of the society, and the speaker who addressed us at the first meet- No. 112.] 573 # are all dead ; and of those who were present on that occasion, and gave the first impulse to the operations of this society, but few remain. Since that time great changes have taken place; one entire generation has passed away, and I now^ see before me the sons and descendants of the hardy and industrious race of farmers who first settled this region, and contributed their share of toil and sufferina: in lavino: the foundation of the civil and re- ligious blessings we enjoy. The anniversary of this society naturally suggests thoughts con- nected with our past history. It carries us back to the period W'hen agriculture was in its infancy — when it possessed none of those advantages which aie derived/rom modern discoveries and improve nients ; when our fathers settfed down in the w-ilderness, and made the first attempts to cultivate those fields which now yield such rich and abundant harvests. ♦ Schoharie was settled by German Protestants, who fled from the oppression of European despotism, to seek an asylum on these western shores, where they might worship the God of their fa- thers, without any one to molest or make them afraid. They were a part of tliat colony who w^ere transported from Germany by the Queen of England, and located on the shores of the Hud- son river, in the year 1709. In 1711, about fifty families emi- grated to Schf)harie, and made the first settlement on the spot where we are now assembled, and its immediate vicinity. This beautiful valley was then a wilderness. There were no cultiva- ted fields, no stately mansions, no temples of wori^hip, no such rich and beautiful landscapes as are now spread out before the eyes of the behokh^r, nothiiig but the wigwam of the savage and the dense forest, the rugged mountain, and the wikl beast pursuing his prey, or fleeing from the shaft of the savage hunter. Into those wild scenes our fathers entered, without anything to shield them from the perils of the enterprise, but the protection of God, in whom they trusted. Like the Pilgrim Fathers, they were driven out by the hand of oppression to seek a refuge in the wilderness. They came poor. They had none of the facilities for agriculture whicli we enjoy, no such labor-saving machines as the genius of the present age has invented. Uut they had the 574 Assembly strong determination and patient endurance of the German race, and this was worth more than all the inventions of modern art. It throws men upon tlieir own resources — it makes them feel that they must rely upon their own eiforts, and when men feel so, they will succeed in whatever they undertake. This feeling was evinced by the pioneers wiio cleared awny the forest, and first cultivated these fields. It was a noble trait in the character of ^the first settlers of Schoharie. Thev had not the education and refinement of those who came after them, and enjoyed greater ad- vantages ; but they were men of strong minds, fearless and reso- lute, wlio could face danger and endure sulfering, without yield- ing to despondency — men of sterling integrity, who were deter- mined to live by their own industry, and sustain themselves by their own exertions. They were a noble, generous-hearted race, w^ho always had a home for the stranger, and from whose door the beggar was never turned away empty. They v.ere true to their country and the interests of the government, wdiich had protected and assisted them in th^ir emigration and settlement. They fought in the French war to sustain the honor of the Queen, whom they regarded as their pktron and friend ; they freely shed their blood in the battles of th^ Revolution. The ^gallant defence of the old fort, which remains to this day a monument of noble deeds ; the battles of Cobleskill, of Duilach and Harpersfield, wdiere the Hagarsand Schafers and Warners and Browns contend- ed against their savage foes, will be held in remembrance as long as the love of liberty is cherished in Schoharie. They were a band of patiots as true as any other in the country ; they render- ed as great services as any friends of liberty in ancient or modern times. They suffered the destruction of their property, the deso- lation of their homes, the cantivitvand massacreof their families, that they might leave to us that precious inheritance which we enjoy. I speak of these things, of the sacrifices and sufferings of the first settlers on this soil, because it is due to their memory. We owe them a debt of gratitude which we can never repay. And while we are in the full enjoyment of the plenty and pros- perity, which, under the blessings of heaven we have dt-rived from them, we should not forget to honor them for their virtues, and the rich inheritance they have transmitted to us. No. 112.1 575 Agriculture is the most ancient and honorable employment of man. It is the employment which his Creator designed for liim, * when he placed him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it. And when man fell from tjjat s'ate, his destiny in regard toagiicullu- ral employment was not changed. The ground, it is true, was cursed — it brought forih tht rns and thistles, and man was doom- ed to eat his bread in the sweat of his bruw, but still it was the will of God, after he w^as driven out of Paradise, that lie should be a cultivator of the soil. This occupation he has pursued in all ages of the world, in all conditions and circumstances in which the providence of God has placed him. It is the employment which is natural to man; and it set-ms that tliere isnootlitT pur- suit for which he is so well fitted by his constitution and habits. Agriculture is the basis upon whicli all the other arts and oc- cupations must depend for support. Without it, mechanics and manufactures, and labor and a]l the useful and ornamental arts in which men are engaged cannot prosper. The earth must 3ieid her supply for all these. The materials must ! e furnished by the cultivators of the ground. If this great motive power, which carries forward all the other enterprises of civilized life ceases, the whole machinery must stop, and universal stagnali respect we are a highly favor- ed nation ; and we owe it to other nations, and the world, to set an example of industry and economy, and virtuous enterprise. SENECA COUNTY. The increasing attention of the farmers of Seneca to improved systems of agriculture, is producing a happy effect, and although adverse causes have for two years past interfered with the quan- tity and quality of the wheat crop, yet an increase of labor has been bestowed on the soil with evident advantage and economy. The ravages of the wheat-fly in central New- York, has decidedly lessened the product of wheat, and if the cause continues, it will draw attention to other and more profitable objects, until the evil may have passed by or been remedied 5 in fact the feeding and fatting of cattle has on several farms superseded the wheat crop, and dairy products have been increased, not from this cause only, but from the fact also that as facilities for furnishing milk and cream to the consumers of the city of New-York from the once famed butter counties of Orange and other river and adjacent regions inciease, the vendors of butter and cheese eagerly seek the more in- land sources, inducing a supply by a large demand. Thus stimu- lated, the dairies of Seneca have been extended and have yielded results equal to the best efforts of Orange as regards quality. The exhibition of cattle at the autumnal show, indicated a great impr'>vemcnt in tlie several breeds and their general condition. One hundred and thirteen head of cattle were entered for pre- miums, very many of them exhibiting points of excellence credi- table to the judgment and management of their owners. [Aj;. Tr. ^53 ] M OT 578 [Assembly The breeding of sheep and wool growingj seems again to have attracted the notice of the Seneca farmer, as no less than 38 pairs of excellent sheep of various breeds were presented at the fair, manifesting a spirited rivalry. The exhibition of horses was among the mo&t attractive scenes of the fair. An omission to register the blood or pedigrees of many noble studs, prevents a notice which is due alike to the county and to the proprietoi's. This region of the State has con- tributed many noble animals to the parade and carriage drives of the city. Sucine are not esteemed profitable, and few farmers breed more than is sufficient to consume the offal of their farms, A few pure Chinese and full blood Berkshires, are carefully preserved^ but beyond these, little care is bestowed upon animals which rarely yield a profit. * Poultry is receiving increased attention ; the various foreign breeds have been introduced by the lovers of novelty, from the zeal of whom, in an exciting and pleasurable amusement, the county will, in a few years, derive a source of wealth; it will be a means of income to the small farmers and occupants of small lots, where a very small capital may and will be made to produce a large profit. An ani mated feature of the fair or farmers' festival, was Ihe ploto- ing match, a scene which has always attracted rivals from our most distant borders^ Upon this occasion, it was a grand spec- tacle ; eighteen plows, with their polished shears glittering in the 8Qn-beam, with thirty-six steeds seemingly impatient for the strife, the steady hand and sparkling eye of the plowman, the thousands of spectators and strong call of the marshal, formed a scene which caused the stoutest heart to vibrate with more than usual activity and a sensation of local endearment for a favored county, to rise in power. Most of the plowmen were our farn;i proprietors, man- aging their own teams and exhibiting a style of work worthy of the agricultural character of the couaty. « It does not seem necessary to record in this report the joyous, happy and prosperous features of the autumnal fair. Yet one No. 112. j ^19 point may here be named for the benefitg which are derived from it. Allusion is here made to the quiet decorum of the thousands who listened devoutly to the sincere offerings of praise and. thanksgiving for the happiness, abundance and eijoyments lavish- ed upon the people of the county. This grateful homage was fol- lowed by an address from Mr. Martin Barton, of Romulus, a far- mer who tills and manages his own farm of 200 acres. The ad- dress was eloquent and sound, intended to impress upon the agriculturists of our whole county the necessity for higher scien- tific attainments, and a more elevated, moral, social and political standard for this class of farmers. Such addresses, delivered with the zeal and force of a man who feels the value of a farmer^s life, cannot fail to inculcate lessons which must yield abundant fruit. The introduction of tile-draining finds increased favor, from the now apparent profitable results derived by those who first adopt- ed it. New machines for making drain tiles have been erected, and the tiles can now be manufactured at a cheaper rate. The county society is prosperous ; rich in the zeal of its mem- bers and of the inhabitants generally, and consequently rich in the funds necessary to meet all proper expenses. The treasureHd report exhibits a statement terminating with the year 1852, as fol- lows : Receipts and Expenditures . Balance in treasury per last report, ^1 36 Cash received from Treasurer of the State, 74 00 received from members, previous to the fair,. . . 667 00 received for admissions during the fair, 550 29 received for use of a tent on the ground, 10 00 received for materials sold (less a loss for a spu- rious note), IM 66 Total receipts, $1 ,3G7 31 Cash paid fur premiums former winter meeting,. ... $10 00 paid premiums at autumn fair, . 357 50 5S0 [AsSEldBLT » Cash paid expenses far enclosing the fair grounds, tentSj &C.5 644 92 JBalanc« in the treasurer's hands. 444 89 $1^67 31 Officers for 1853 c— President, John Delafield ; Vice-Presidents, Abraham Rappeljea, Covert 5 Isaac Covert, Ovid; 0. W. Wilkin- son, Varick; Lyman T. Crowell, Seneca Falls; R. C. Wells, Ju- nius; John L. Eastman, Lodi ; P. J. Van Vleet, Romulus ; Robert J. Swan, Fayette; Arch. Munson, Tyre; Az. Schooley, Water- loo. Se^^retary, Joel W. Bacon ; Treasurer, John D. Coe. Respectfully yours, JOEL W. BACON, Stcreiary. SULLIYAN. The fifth annual fair of the Sullivan County Agricultural Soci- ety was held at the village of Monticello, on the 13th and 14th days of October, 1852. The weather was pleasant, and a large number of persons were present. The number of members had been largely increased since the last annual meeting, showing an increasing interest in the prosperity of the society, and encourag- ing the belief that it is producing a very beneficial effect on the agricultural interests of the county. The first day was devoted to the exhibition of articles and ani- mals, the inspection thereof by the several committees, and the delivery of the annual address. The exhibition of stock was not as large as in 1850, but the specimens were of a superior grade. The working oxen exhibited made a fine show. There were some noble animals among thep-? The number of fine milch cows induces the belief that our farmers fully appreciate the importance of the dairy interest. The number of fat cattle was not large, yet it was quite respectable. The number of fine bulls, shows that our farmers are giving their attention to the improvement of their stock. E. Bennett entered a yearling of the Durham blood, No. 113.1 581 weighing 1,167 pounds. The other neat cattle were creditable to their owners, and show the importance attached to the improve- ment of stock. The show of horses was good, and attracted much attention among the spectators. The exhibition of sheep and swine, although not numerous, was of a superior grade, and showed a commendable desire among ouf farmers for improvement in these animals. The exhibition of agricultural products proves that great inir provement has been made in this department since our society was organized. The exhibition far surpassed any former year. The exhibition of implements was small. Mr. Keeler Norris presented some specimens of peanuts and sweet potatoes, which were grown by him, on his farm in the town of Mamakating. I am not in possession of his manner of cultivation, and therefore have to omit it. His sweet potatoes were equal to any I ever saw, and judging from their appearance I think one would almost be inclined to believe they were grown at the sun- ny south. The exhibition of fraits was good. The early and severe hail storms injured the fruit some, but many fine specimens were pre- sented. The ladies embellished the show with the fabrics of their skill, taste and industry. Their household articles and artificial flow- ers and fruils, attracted unusual interest and attention. They prove that their syn'pathy is with the cause of progress. In the afternoon, Hon. John Delatield delivered the address to a large and attentive audience. It was a protluction replete with interest and initruction. The second day was devoted to awarding the premiums, and the sale of cattle. The olQcers of the society had previously given notice that cattle might be disposed of at auction on that day, and^juite an interest was manifested in this new feature of ^82 [Assembly the fair. It is intended that our annual fair shall hereafter be a fair for the sale as wfeil as the exhibition of stock. This was the first expeiiment of the kind, and the result fully proves that such an arrangement will be of vast importance to the interests of the oountj. A geological and agricultural s'ar\'ey of the county has been made during (he summer and fall. The farmers show a strong desire to leatn all the secrets of skilful and scientific agriculture. The improvements in stock, and the Vastly superior crops of com, oats, buckwheat and potatoes, produced in the county this year, induce the belief that the society lias awakened the inter- est and energy of the farmers, and that it must hereafter benefi- cially afi*ect the wealth and happiness of the county. GAB WALES, S retary. B. P. Johnson, Esq., Secretary. Dear Sir — I transmit to you the following statement in regard to the season and crops of this county. The spring was exceed- ingly backward, making it very late before the farmers commenc- ed their spring* work. The weather continued cold till about the firct of June, when a fine growing season commciLoed. Almost all kinds of crops grew finely until the dry weather came on ; the (iiougi-ii- ail iciot bccaHiC cxocsiive, iiicac*.oV\7S uiiu paSiUiC aIcaClS veiy nearly dried up. The hay crop is at least one-third short. Win- ter grain and summer crops did not appear to suffer as much from drought as hay and pasture. The oat crop has exceeded any for- mer crop for at least six years. Rye was excellent, and so was corn, if we except a few neighborhoods where the very severe hdl storms, one in May, two in June, and one in September, each of these storms nearly destroyed everything before it. Their ex- tent, however, was quite limited. The potatoe crop was unusu- ally good. There were more planted last spring than usual. I have heard but little complaint about the disease. There is pro- bably as many raised this season as there ever was in any former season before the disease made its appearance. No. im] . 583 Buclmhzoi was excellent even for this county. There was more sown than usual . The blue variety is considered by our farmers preferable. Turnips. — This crop is receiving considerable attention in some towns. They grow remarkably well, tht^ugh there seems to be some controversy as to their real value*. Carrots. — Some attention is being paid to this crop. Those who have had the most experience in raising and feeding this crop, think more favorably of them than turnips. I believe there were no turnips or carrots offered for premiums, except specimens. There is a gentleman living in the town of Lumberland, who raised 500 bushels of rutabagas on 91 rods of ground, without manure. Garden vegetables are beginning to be raised in some portion* of the county for the New-York market, I understand, with good snccess. Fruit is receiving much attention at the present time. There is a great number at present setting out young orchards, and many who had old ones of natural fruit, are grafting them. The apple flourishes here very well, and with the same care and at- tention, I think would be equal to most of the river counties. Plums do well here but are cultivated to a limited extent. Peaches, of late years, do very v/ell it set in exposed situations. It was formeiiy a practice to .set them in a sLeicered situation, but it often hajtpened that they blossomed early, and the frnit was cut olf by late frosts. Another reason why they do better in ex- posed situations is, that they ttop their growth earlier in the sea- son, and the young growth gets hardened better to withstand the winter. I never knew a young peach tree that had the bark turn- ed red before the .setting in of winter, to get injured by the frost. Most all kinds of sm.dl fruit du well. Neat cattle i« receiving considerable attention at present. There has been of late years some fine Durham cattle introduced in the county, T\hich will be an excellent improvement to our stocky especiitliy where beef is an object. Most of our dairymen, I be- lieve, preier the native stock fur dairies. The Devonsl.ires are preferred f;r working oxen ; in fact there is no cattle amongst UB 584 [AsSEMBLT that will compare with them. They are almost universally cherry red or mahogony color, with fine clean limbs, smooth slim horns, sprightly in appearance and action, and remarkably hardy. We have no oxen that will out sell a well-matched pair of Devon- shires. I regret that some of our breeders of cattle do not take more pains to introduce pure blood bulls of this breed in our county. I think the A} shires would be a good improvement in our county. I have no personal experience with this stock, but from their appearance, I think they would make valuable milk- ers. They are not as large as the Durhams, and I think would not require as much food as the Durhams, which is an item of im- portance to the dairyman. Horses. — This important animal does not receive that attention I think he deserves, though they are improving. Mules. — Some attention is being paid of late years to raising mules, which, I think, in a county like this, where so much breed- ing is done, will be found profitable. Sheep. — But little attention is paid to this important animal. They are diminishing very rapidly since farmers have been fenc- ing their fields with stone walls. There are many of our farmers who have disposed of their entire flocks. There is, I presume, no better county in the State for raising sheep than this, and I think if farmers would engage in this business, they would find it pro- fitable. Swine. — But few are raised except for home consumption. Of breeds, there are variety and mixture, from the beautiful Berk- shire to the shark and land-pike. There are some, however, very fine breeds. Fowls and eggs are beginning to command some attention, very few except the common varieties are raised. Meadow and Pasture lands. — Timothy is by most farmers pre- ferred for hay, tho' many prefer a mixture of clover and timotiiy. There are many of our farmers who mix clover seed of the large variety with timothy seed for hay. They grow and are both fit to cut at the same time. For myself, I prefer the latter, provided No. "112.] 585 it be sown thick enough, to make the hay fine and be cured in the cock. Composting is beginning to receive considerable attention. A considerable number are beginning to draw muck out of the swamp to add to their farm-yard manures. Some are mixing spent tan with lime for compost, by way of experiment. I regret that I am not informed of many of the various modes that our far- mers are using for composting. I have been shown crops growing on lands where composts had been applied, where the crops pro- mised very abundant. Draining of land is beginning to receive attention . A iiew have commenced blind draining, most, however, make open drains. All agree as to the value of draining. J^ew grasses and grains. — Three years last spring, I received a small package of Italian rye grass seed from the patent office, which I sowed in my garden. The next season, gctthered about two quarts from it. This seed J sowed last spring on ground that had rye on it. The rest of the field I seeded wiih cJover. It all came up well. The rye grass outgrew the clover considerable, and after the hard frosts killed the clover, the rye grass continued green and beautiful for a long time. I think this grass will prove a valuable addition to our other grasses ; it starts before any others do, and grows up quick after it has been cut off. It can be cut at least twioe in a season. I was told by a Scotchman liv- ing in our place, who was a considerable farmer, that before the jye grass was introduced in that country, tlie farmers could scarcely pay the rents, but, after its introduction, they immedi- ately began to grow rich. He said he thought this country admi> rably adapted to its growth. The specimens of imp(»rted seeds you sent me la?t spring, were all sown in a small garden with great care, Init the stvert- hail :Storiu we had* on the 22d of June, cut them all down aud a]jpa- rently destroyed theui ; however, a jH>rtion of tlwrn sprouted up again, and I saved 6ome sex^l. The scotch lluur oats were rt mark- ably fine, the seed being tully equal to that sov\n. It grew about a f(X)t talh.T than the English or FrencJi vaiicty did. The two 586 [Assembly latter varieties, I consider no better than our ordinary kinds. I received a small package of Egyptian Mummy oats from the Patent onice, which I sowed beside the other varieties ; the straw was short, but the oats were remarkably fine and heavy. I raised about four quarts from that small package. The French buck- wheat did very wellj but I see nothing to recommend it above our other varieties. I intend to give it another trial. The Siberian spring wheat, and also the China, did not recover from the hail storm, but I was enabled to save about as much seed from it as you sent me. I intend to give them further trial. I also re- ceived from you two varieties of barley, that the hail entirely destroyed. I am happy to say. that the agricultural improvements of this county are advancing. Our farmers are taking much more pains than formerly, in tilling their lands. 'Deep plowing, with more thorough tillage, and the use of improved implements and labor saving utensils, together with a more general dissemination of science end intelligence, smd the application of the same to the soil. Our farmers are beginning to feel the importance of understand- ing their business better. Agricultural books and papers are much sought after, and are being read with interest. By the way I would suggest the propriety of soliciting our Legislature this winter, to doufele the number of books heretofore distributed to the societies. I would also suggest the propriety of making a new division of the monies appropriated to the county societies : in many of the cQunties, at this day, the division of monies is very unequal. Some new counties have almost doubled the popu- lation since the appropriation and division were made. Officers for 1853. — President, Lotan Smith, Barry ville, Sulli- van CO., N. Y.; One Vice President from each townj Secretary, James L. Stewart; Treasurer, Richard Oakley ; Cor. Secretary, James E. Quinland. It was resolved, that the next fair be held in the town where the greatest sum would be laised, to defray the expenses of the society Ko. lis,] . 587 I On motion, Lotan Smith, Esq., was appointed a delegate by the society, to attend the Agricultural Coi3vention, should the State Society fix upon a time^ to be held at Syracuse, in order to press the passage of a bill making the necessary provision for a State Ag. School LOTAN SMITH, President. TIOOA To B f*. JoHwsoiif, Esq., Secretary , 4c« » The chief pioduct of this county is wheat ^ the inert ase this year estimated at 4,200. The estimated number of acres devoted to wheat is 10,600, and 122,867 bushels.* The yield would have been much larger had it not been for the ravages of the insect, which destroyed some crops wholly. The growth of straw was larger, than I have seen before in a number of years, the crop a little above an average, and a majority of grain beautiful. The varieties raised are the Blue-stem, Hutchinson, Velvet-chaff'. Old Red-chaff, and Soland. The Soland has not been tried but two or three years, and bids fair to be a valuable variety, yielding well, and a beautiful, plump white berry. The fourth of the wheat of this Goui^ty is raised in the south half of the county; in th« towns of Barton, Nichols, Owego and Tioga. The rye crop in this county is constantly on the increase. It is used for horse-feed, with other grain, and makes strong feed. It is also made into whiskey, and considerable sent to distant mar- kets. The estimated quantity raised this year is 11,133 bushels. From the fact of there being no insect among the ryt, the crop will continue to increase. This crop appears to yield much better than in former years. The crop of corn appears somewhat lighter than last year ; it is, perhaps, some five or eight per cent, owing to the ravage of tlie worm and the great thought. There was a large number of heavy, good fields of corn. There a]»p('ars t > be a large decrease of this crop; according to the census betweeu 1845 r.iid 1850, the estimated yield ^>^ \ [Assembly is 135^77 bushels. This crop, like the wheat, is principaUy raised in the southern towns. J The crop of oats is some lighter than last year, owing to the great drought and the grasshopper. This crop appears to be year- ly on the increase owing to the great price which is demanded. This crop often yields 70 bushels per acre ; the yield is estima- ted at 220,105 bushels. The crop of barley is constantly on the increase in this county. A few years since there was hardl}^ a crop raised in the (xmnty. The crop is estimated at 7,421 bushels. The crop of buckwheat is very large this year, and the yield very heavy, although there was a large decrease between 1845 and '50. The yield was estimated at 55,650 bushels. A large amount of buckwheat-is raised annually and sent to ?^ew-York and other markets. The potato; crop has decreased to an alarming extent for the last eight years in consequence of rot ; this year they being in great demand, and last spring the crop not rotting, the yield is four or five times that of former years. The estimated yield is 542,376 bushels of good sound potatoes of unusual size. The crop of flax, within a few years, has dwindled down to not perhaps more than 1,500 lbs. The crop of hay has decreased within a year to not more than 18,000 tons, and if it were not for the corn fodder, not half the number of cattle could be kept through the winter. The yield of butter is constantly on the iacrea9e, owing to the high price it has denmnded for the last three years. Large quan- tities of it are sent to California, annually, likewise some to the em- pire of China. The estimate for butter is 870,108 lbs. While butter has increased, cheese has decreased more than two-thirds within a few years; the estimate is 15,000 lbs. The number of pounds of wool has decreased very much within a few years, owing, undoubtedly, to the former low price. The estimate is 35,500 lbs. No. 112. J &89 The increase of the number of aci*e8 in the county, under tillage for all purposes, is 3,000 annually ; the estimated whole number improved 124,21 8. There appears to be a decrease in the number of animal stock in this county, but in a county where there is so much deal in stock as in this county, it Is hard estimating the number ; the great decrease of fodder has undoubtedly reduced the number of stock very much within a few months. The yearly estimate of the decrease of stock Uj horses 176, cows 245, and other cattle in much greater proportion ; sheep 5,406, hogs 1,530. The breeds of horn-cattle most common, is the natives, and natives with crosses with Durham, and Devonshire. Mr. George Pnm- pelly, of Owego, and a few others, have taken great pains to im- prove the stock of cattle. It is supposed that the Durham, or a cross of the Durham with the Devon, is the best for milk, while others contend that the natives are the best milkers, and the Durham are the best for market. There is quite a variety of sheep in this county, consisting of part bloods of Merino and Saxony, with mixtures of Bakewell and Southdown. It is calculated, for all purposes, that the South- down are the best. Of horses, there is quite a variety ; the breeds most common are the Mambrinoes, with mixture with Dutch Messenger, &c. j by some it is thought, for all purposes, that the Oanistoga is the best. niere is an increase of scientific attention to farm cultivation ; a spirit of inquiry is abroad. Drainage has not received much attention, there not being but little land that needs it ; from what has been drained it has had a good effect. Since the completion of the New-York and Erie railroad, the land of this county has increased form 8 to :50 per c-ent , averaging 20 per cent. The places wliere the products ot the county are marketed are all the depots in the county, beginning witli West Waverly, Smith- borough, Tioga Center, Owego and Cdnipville. * The expense for carriage to New- York is, grain 15 cents per hundred, pork and beef 35 cts., butter 45 cts. per hundred. Tiic general way, where ^^ [AdSEJMBLT much grain is taken, is to hire a car, which will cost $39 from Owego, and other places in proportion. A car will hold from sevep to nine hundred bushels of grain, and $40 for a cattle car, which will hold from 15 to 20 head of cattle, The prices of grain for the last four weeks are wheat Jl, com from 50 to 75 cts., rje 75 cts , oat;? 44 and 15 cts,, buckwheat from 37 to 44 cts. or $1,62^ per hundred for the flour; the price of pork is $7.50 per hundred, beef $3 and $4, butter from 20 to 25 cts. . The price of lire stock is, horses $85 to $100, oxen from $85 to $100, cows from $10 to $15, sheep from $1.25 to $2.50, and the prices of sheep pelts Is from 5 to 2 shillings. I have taken ci^nsiderable pains to get this up. and hope it will be acceptable, and should have answered the circular by the first of the month, had the men in different parts of the countj answered my inquiries ; but I got no answer from them, and had to go to Owego to gain information from men attending court. mchoh, Dec Mth, 1852. ROBERT HOWELL. SrATEMneiRT of Farming m Tioga. Owego Fc6. 25, 1853. Dear Sir —As it must be interesting to all friends of agriculture to hear any account of crops, and the method of obtaining them, I take the liberty of presenting you with a statement of some of my last year's crops ; but it is not my intention to send you an account of immense returns of single acres, as that cannot enrich the grower or consumer, to any extent ; my object is to show that a system may be adopted that enriches the owner and the soil. I sowed ten acres of oats last year, on corn stubble ; about half the ground was manured on the sod, for the corn crop ; the land was plowed the first week in April, and sowed at the rate of two bushels aDd a half per acre, and harvested the last week in August. The re- turn was 600 bushels ; two acres were inferior to the other part ; I believe if three acres had been taken alone, they would have pro- duced upwards of 70 bushels to the acre. I had ten acres of corn, which produced more than 400 bushels , the last two years hdve No. 112.] 591 • not been good foncorn, in many places 3 the crop was not more than half a one ; on the ChemuDg river, so much extolled, the crop was very inferior. My crop of potatoes was good, both as to quality and quantity ; one acre and a half produced about400 bushels of sound potatoes. My hay crop might be reckoned an average oDe ; but in many places it was not more than one-half of a crop ; in 1851 1 had an immense crop — four acres produced fourteen Ioad3..of hay. Mj wheat crop was very light, not more than one-third of a crop -, it grew on good hill land, and was well fallowed ; the land wag broke up in the last week in May, and was sowed the last week in September. My method of cultivation, on the hill farm, is to break up the land in May, and well fallow it, and sow it with wheat the first week in September ; and as soon as the crop is taken off, the land is plowed, and sowed with rye, the latter part of August, and the following spring seeded down, and pastured two years , then fal- low again, and so on. This method is principally to improve the land, as the rye does not exhaust the land in the same proportion as many other crops, although the system of two white crops is, and ought to be, condemned by all good farmers. The new land in this part of the country generally produces light crops, seldom enough to pay the expense of clearing ; but the crop invariably improves as the kmd grows older and is more cultivated, but it never produces crops that are very profitable? as the soil is not well adapted for the growth of wheat. It is very different in many other places, in almost every part of the lake country; the fust crops are the best, as the land deteriorates in cultivating. I was at a person's house in Scipio, a number of yearb ago, and he informed me that his land did not produce as heavy crops as it did soon after it was cleared ; it also became heavy and dilhrult to plow and cultivate. I inquired of him how it had been cultivated'? He told me he had taken a number of successive crops from it, principally wheat. I soon di.^covered how and where the difficulty originated. Had his land been cul- tivated under a system suitable to the land, it would have had a very diflorent aspect. It is a well known fact, tliat it is .mucii easier to keep a good piece of land in a good state of cultivation 592 [Assembly than it is to reclaim an old, worn out piece of land. The land I now have was of this descriptionj and so much reduced that it would scarcely produce a new oat for an old one ; there was a piec« of oats on it, when I took it, that was never harvested^ they were not more than six inches in height. The land is on Cox's Patent, notorious through this State, and perhaps half the United States ; it was occupied by squatters, that destroyed all the tim- ber and partially cleared the land ; their clearing consisted in spots of an acre or two cleared, and as much covered with legs and brush ; their fences were saplings lopped down, three or four rods in width. These small clearings they universally cropped, for fifteen or twenty successive years, always plowing it the same way, so that the part nearest the logs and brush was nearly three feet high, and the part they always finished their plowing in, was eighteen inches deep. It was the worst looking land I ever saw ; but I plainly discovered, the land, in its original state, was good, and on that ground I purchased it, and went to work to endeavor to reclaim it. The first operation was to clear it. so as it could be plowed ; but to clear these spots that were covered with brush and half rotten old logs immediately, was almost impossible -, but it was done enough to plow the greatest part of the land, but such plowing, at that time, was strange to me ; the old logs were chopped, or rather broke in pieces, and exposed to the sun, so that they were principally burned in the fall. The land was plowed several times during the summer, to endeavor to make the surface more even, and in the fall sowed with wheat ; the crop was, as we may suppose, wretched. Grass seeds were sown in the following spring, with but little better success : but poor as it was, it remained in that state for two or three years. During that time I purchased all the straw I could get of the neighbors, which they readily sold me for several years, and thought it a good opportu- nity to dispose of that article, as there was no other market fox it at that time ; but after some years, I suppose they discovered I was applying it to a better advantage than they were, and I could get no more straw 5 but, however, what I had already got, laid the foundation of my future success. The land was lightly ma- nured, plowed and planted with corn, with better success -, the crop was middling. The land, the following year, was sowed with oats ; that crop was also middling. The following spring it No. 112.] 593 was seeded with grass seeds, which took well, and produced good pasture for two years ; during that time, with the straw I had purchased and what I got from the land, with the stock I had, as the straw Y>'as all taken to the barnyard, furnished me with a sufficient quantity of manure for the land. It was plowed again and planted, and produced a good crop. The next year it was sowed with oats ; the crop was good. In the following sprin^it was seeded with grass, and pastured two years. The land was plowed again in May, and well fallowed with three or four plow- ings, and sowed with wheat in the fore part of September; the crop was excellent, it produced twenty-five bushels per acre, of good wheat, the heaviest crop I ever knew in this section of coun- try ; I have heard of crops that equalled or surpassed it, but not with sufficient accuracy to convince me that it was so. I still pursue the same system, with the exception of only manuring every alternate time it is plowed. The land is now in a good state of cultivation, and produces almost as heavy crops as kny in the State, and perhaps in any other State. I have had people from Illinois call on me ; I have often asked them if their crops of corn and oats surpassed mine, and they have readily acknowledged they did not. One of my neighbors, that helped to plant, hoe and husk part of my crop of corn this season, went to Illinois this fall, and returned a few days since ; he in- formed me that he saw no corn, since he left this place until he returned, as good as mine. I omitted my rye crop, as it was not all thrashed until yesterday ; one acre on the farm I live on pro- duced thirty bushels, of the best quality ; one acre on hill farm, twenty bushels; two acres on same adjoining, twenty -eight bushels. A Staten Island correspondent (in one of the Journals of the Society), was peculiarly situated, within the reach of fish for ma- nure ; and only shelled one load of his corn, and computed all the other loads at the same rate, wliicli nii^ht or might not be correct, as the loads might vary. In tlie next place he planted, his corn only eighteen inches apart in the rows, which made con- siderable difference. I recollect some years ago having fifty bushels from three-(|uarters of an acre ; the rows were tliree feet apart each way ; by making tlie rows only eighteen inches apart one way would greatly increase the crop. This was from land [Aff. Tr. '53 J .\ j% 594 [Assembly without the aid of manure ; perhaps this crop I am speaking of was as profitable as the Staten Island one was, as it appears there was more than forty-two dollars expended in manure. My crops, I am treating of, are not peculiar to any situation; the system may be adopted with the same success, almost, on any land or place ; they are common, ordinary crops, with th-e exception of seasons. There are many flattering accounts of crops committed to paper with a view of attracting the notice of the reader, when perhaps, if they were closely investigated they might not exceed the ordinary crops of the country. Competition on a broad scale is likely to be attended with some advantage ; each party endea- voring to excel increases the produce, and consequently enriches the grower. I have seen a flattering account of a wheat crop in Michigan, that produced sixty bushels per acre, but I doubt it would be diffi- cult to find the person that raised it. There was a person, some years ago, that lived at Silver Lake, in Pennsylvania— the rough- est and most uneven surface I ever saw — that published a pamph- let treating on crops and produce of that country ; among the rest was a corn crop of immense magnitude, surpassing all crops of that kind ; his method of computing was to measure the land that supported the stalks, omitting the intervals between the rows, which would be equal at least to four or five acres, so that the produce of four or five acres was reported as only one. This de- ception was used to induce the settlers to take up his land ; and many a poor fellow, unacquainted with the country, was wretch- edly deceived. It is more than probable that this flattering and deceptive account, at a considerable distance from home, attract- ed the attention of many of its readers : adieu to deception ! As crops depend on the state of cultivation the land is in, not only as to fertility but the certainty of getting them, as crops will grow and produce well on land in a good state of cultivation, when on land that is poor and exhausted they Avill often fail, in the same seasons under the same cultivation ; in very dry seasons the one will produce good crops when the other will fail, as the drought does not affect land that is rich and well pulverized, as it imbibes more moisture from the atmosphere and dew. Some people en- tertain a mistaken notion respecting this theory, and will not hoe No. 112] 595 their corn, or other crops, in very dry weather ; but the more they hoe and work among it, and tffectually do it with good and deep hoeing, the better the crop. I believe this has been the case with my crops for the last two years. Last summer and fall was remarkable dry, so that many corn crops failed, and some oats, which plainly indicates that the crop depends on the state the land is in more than it does on the chances of weather — of wet and dry. Thus, barley or o.ats, being sowed on a piece of land well prepared by tillage and manure, will come up and grow well without rain, when the same grain ^sown on another part of the same land, and not thus manured and tilled, will scarce come up at all without rain, or if they do, will wait wholly for rain for their growth and increase. The hoe also, particularly the horse- hoe, for the other does not go deep enough, produces moisture for the roots from the dews, which fall most in dry weather; and these dews seem to be the most enriching of all moisture, as they contain a fine black earth, which will subside on standing, and which seems fine enough for the proper pabulum or food for plants. As a demonstration that the tilled earth receives an ad- vantage from these dews, dig a hole in any piece of land, of such a depth that the plow goes to, fill this with powdered earth, and after a day or two examine the place, and the bottom part of this earth and bottom of the hole will be found moist, while all the rest of the ground at the same depth is dry; or if a field be tilled in lands, and one land be made fine by frequent deep plowings, while another is left rough by iiisufhcient tillage, and the whole field be then plowed across in, the driest weather, which has con- tinued long ; every fine land will be turned up moist, and every rough land as dry as powder, from top to bottom. Mr. Harmon's crop of wheat, grown at Wheatland, was a very extraordinary one, on so broad a scale, and perhaps the name of Wheatland might have originated from its being peculiarly adapt- ed to thafcrop. Ilis system was to sow wheat on his laud every .alternate year. Whether that system will increase the fertility of the soil, without depreciating the crop, is a problem as yet unsolved. Although liis crop appears greatly to exceed ordin- ary crops of the coilntry, there is a considerable deiluction to be made : in the first place there is two years' interest on the land, 596 [Assembly with the expense of clover seed, and all the other ordinary ex- penses attending crops. This uncommon crop, attractive as it may appear, does not equal Mr. TulPs crops of wheat, as his land produced a crop every year, of about eighteen bushels per acre, for eighteen or twenty successive years, on land that was not worth cultivating when he commenced his operations, which plainly indicates that his system improved the land and the crop. The advantage in his method of cropping was to get a crop of wheat every year, from every acre of land ; which on 254 acres, the number of acres on Mr. Harmon's farm, (say 214 acres, al- lowing 40 acres for pasture and hay), would amount to 3.852 bushels every year. From seeing an account of an immense crop of corn, raised by Mr. Walker, of Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, which at- tracted my attention, the crop was raised in the ordinary way, on land not of superior quality, but the figure of the number of bushels is incredible. The method described was to manure the land at the rate of twenty loads per acre ; plant the corn three feet four inches one way, and three feet the other, and not hoe, but scuffle or scarify the land between the rows several times. The method of computing was to count the rows, and the hills in the rows, and husk twenty-six; hills, reckoning it a fair average for the whole, which amounted to 160 bushels per acre, which is one hundred more than we might reasonably suppose, except they computed on the Silver Lake plan. It also appears that Mr. Walker's land produced twelve tons of pumpkins in addition to the corn. I recollect having a piece of corn, about ten years ago, that was of immense growth ; the stalks w^ere between eight and nine feet in height; it was a complete thicket, and was remarkably well eared ; it was the admiration of this section of country, and was allowed by all who came to see it, the heaviest crop ^hey ^ever saw ; the produce of this mammoth crop was under 70 bushels per acre ; it was three feet apart each way. HENRY YOUNG. No. 112.] 597 TOMPKINS, Tompkins County Agricultural Society, not having held a fair sincg 1848, its gratifying to me to be able to report, that we are once more in tlie land of the living, and that our annual festival was held at Ithaca, on the 29th and 30th days of September, two as lovely days as the sun ever shone upon. The exhiljition was far more creditable to our county than v;a8 anticipated. The exhibition of stock on the first day of the fair, was very fine, comprising 250 head of cattle, including speci- mens of Durhams, Devons Herefords,and Grades, some of which could hardly be excelkd at any State Fair. The show of horses has never been surpassed in our county, in- cluding many thorough bred, and equal to any I have ever seen on exhibition ; one and two year old colts in good numbers, many brood mares and colts, which shows a spirit of improvement in this very useful kind of stock. The show of sheep was creditable to our wool growing com- munity, including some of Morrell's, Speed's and others. The display of swine was not such as it should have been, be- ing quite limited, and not such as should correctly represent the condition of this pursuit in this county, at prices ranging from $7 to $8 per hundred ; some with legs resembling old fashioned bar posts, and with snouts almost long enough to extend from one to the other. The show of poultry was better tlian on any former occasion, showing great improvements in breeding, &c. The exhil)ition at tlie vilhige hall, on both days of the fair, wouUl liave done credit to the fair of any horticultural society in the State, showing a greater dis])lay of fruit and vegetables, than ever before exliibited in our county, including over one hundred dilferent variety of aj pies, a great variety of grapes, comjTising many fine specimens in great abundance; also pears, several new and choice vari. ties never before tested in our county. Peaches, quinces, and vegetables, far surpassing any exhibition we ever had. / 598 [Assembly The competition in the dairy seemed to surpass all others. The premiums offered on butter, called out many of our best butter makers, including 45 specimens, most of which were equal to any I have ever seen, and pronounced by the juiumittec, though we can slate from our own knowledge, that all the crops were grown upon " low lands,'' or alluvial, bor- dering upon the Kingston creek. Officers for 1853.- Richard Hardenburgh, Tuthill, President ; Peter Cris])frll, jr.. Hurley, Wm. H. Truiujibour, Saugertios, Jo- sepli Arnnjd, E^o})US, Plulip lluvenbeck, Koihcster, Vice Presi- dents; S S. Honimel, Kingston, Kecording Secretary ; Wm. Cock- burn, Kingston, Corresponding St cretary ; R. A. Chipp, Kingston, Treabuier. RICHARD IIARDEXLURGH, Pr cidait,. 600 [Assembly WASHINGTON. To John M. Stevenson, Esq., ^ President of the Washington Co. agricultural Society ; Sir — In compliance with your request, in answering " inquiries'* of a ^' circular" issued from the " State Agricultural Rooms," at Albany, by B. P, Johnson, Esq., Corresponding Secretary, several farmers have been consulted, their views obtained, and as the re- sult of investigation, the following is submittedfor correction and approval : " 1. The chief product ^^ for 1852, without an actual canvass, is judged to be corn ; farmers of Washington county, by long expe- rience, have found this their most valuable crop. Their farms are adapted to its growth, and they appropriate more land to its cultivation than to any other one variety of grain. Average crop, 30 or 35 bushels per acre. " 2. The increase or decrease of this year^ — Owing to the rava- ges of insects, follow^ed with an unusual drought, as well as other causes, the corn crop is considered one-fourth less than the last year. The autumn was admirable for maturing the product. The stalks were cured in fine order, which increases their value, es- pecially as they are so much needed in the scarceness of other fodder. " 3. The estimated numher nf acres devoted to this production^ a?id the quantity aud quality i^roduced^ — The number of acres devoted to the cultivation of corn has advanced upon the last year but very little, if any. The quantity is one-fourth less, and the quality better. "4. The condition generally of other important products^ and the average quantity oj each?'' — Potatoes have yielded abundantly, of large size and excellent quality, without disease. Farmers have devoted more land to their growth than usual. The varieties raised for market are principally the Early June, Carter, and Peach Blossom. They have commanded fair prices j and it is es- timated that not less than 2,700,000 bushels have been raised, and part sold and sent to markets beyond the limits of the county, No. 112.] 601 and still a large/surpliis remains in the hands of the farmers un- sold. From the town of Hartford, it is estimated 225,000 bushels of potatoes have been raised this year from 1 ,800 acres. Grassj owing to an uncommon drought, and myriads of grass- hoppers, is estimated at one-third, some say, one-half less than the last year. Bat, as a compensation ia part, it is of superior quality, and cut and dried in the choicest manner, without injury by storms. In Hartford, and that vicinity, it is estimated grass lands have not yielded over three-quarters of a ton per acre. Rye has been a light crop, and is not cultivated as much as formerly. Barley has had a moderate yield, and is not extensively culti- vated. # Wheat, in some few fields, has succeeded well in quantity and quality, generally not so good as the last year. About the same number of acres have been cultivated. Buckwheat has been cultivated as usual, an:l about the same number of acres devoted to its growth. The quantity of busliels per acre have usually been less, and the quality not improved ; yet it is estimated that the product has been fair, and adds much to supply the deficiency of other grains. Oats, on some farms, have produced fine heavy crops ; general- ly the straw has been short and the burden lighter than the last year. Usually it is one of our best productions. Flax is a crop growing much in favor with farmers, especially in the southern towns of the county. There is annually an in- creased quantity of acres dev(4ed to its gr^vth ; more lliis }ear than the last. The drouth lessened the (]unntity per acre, with- out improving its (]uality. It is estinuited by Hiram Darrow, Esq., principlal grower and dealer in llax, that tliree thousand acres have been cultivated in the county the last sea.-on. The average yield is eight bushels of j^eed and 225 lbs. of lint per acre. The seed is valueil at $10, and tlie ilax or lint at $22.50 per acre, making the total value of the product $97,500 R r tiiis year. 602 I ASSElSBLT Peas are cultivated principally for home consumption as a garden vegetable and in the field j to be used with other grain in feeding to swine. Very few are raised for market. Beans are not to be slighted and passed in silence ; they are usually placed upon lands conbidered too barren to produce any- thing else, and of course light crops of stinted growth. Few to sell and few to eat. Garden seeds, for many years, have been cultivated in the coun- ty to considerable extent, yielding a fair profit to the gardener. George Robertson, of North White Creek, has the oldest and most extensive seed garden, and may be considered our oldest and most experienced seed gardener. He takes unwearied pains in purchasing and planting foreign seeds of the earliest and choicest selection of European garden vegetables, v;hich enables him to furnish seeds of a superior and reliable quality. There are others also in the vicinity, of an enterprising spirit, who are prosecuting their labors with a commendable zeal, not to fall behind their " elder brother " in the superiority of their products. Seeds from these gardeners may be relied upon as unsurpassed by any in the country. The climate is northern and the soil excellent, com- bining influences favorable for raising seeds for early vegetables and equally good for autumn and winter use, by planting as di- rected upon their bills. Fjuit is receiving increased attention in its cultivation. There are several fine nurseries in the county, of choice grafted fruit. From these and other sources, farmers are improving their or- chards and increasing the variety and value of their fruit. The past season has been unfavorable, and but a moderate quantity produced. At the cowity fair, competitors presented commenda- ble specimens of numerous varieties, for which premiums were bestowed. At the late fair were presented apples, pears, peaches, plums, quinces and grapes, of luxuriant appearance. '' 5. The increase or decrease of the nuniher of acres under Ullage for all purposes " — There is evidently an increase, by the addition of new lands cleared, by the destruction of briar hedges and bushy patches, and by the drainage of swamps and by reclaiming cold, wet, spongy and barren pieces. No. 112.] 603 " 6. The increase or decrease in the number of animal stock; the breeeds most common^ and what improvements are in 'progress^ and what breeds of cattle are most approved for the dairy and far rnar- A:e^"— In consequence of a light crop of hay, farmers have found it expedient to lessen their " number of animal stock" one-fourth or more. " The breeds most common^'' are native, T\'ith crosses of foreign stock. " Improvements are in progrcss^^'' by the introduction of Dur- hams, Ayrshires and Devons, and by a careful selection from na- tive stock. Those ^' most approved Jor the dairy ^'"^ are the native breed ; and ■ also those with a mixture of f.reign blood. They are hardy, easily kept, good breeders, and fine milchers ; excelh nt for butter and cheese. For an example, reference may be had to the cow of Mr. Peter Hill of Jackson, with a mixture of foreign blocd, from which was made 21 lbs. and 3 ozs. of butter in seven days, in the month of June last, on pasture. Those most approved fur market as milch cows, and for breed- ing good stock, aie of the saii;e character. This is also true of our best working oxen — Being short legged, tight built, and of strong muscular texture. For beef, they have a decided preference. In proof of which, reference is luid, for kindness, and strengtli in work, and for easy fattening properties, to those oxen jaised by Mr. John Lee of Cambridge, recently i»ui chased by Geo. F. Hastings of Jackson, and now on exhibitioi: as a sln^w in the city of New-York. They have been estimated to weigh eighty bundled, and aie supposed to be of tlie liutst build, and the lieavitst yoke of oxen in our world. , Shcfp. — Wool growers are numerous. Their flocks hng<^, of tho Merino and Saxon variet}', oi' moderate size, producing lleeces o|fc fine gnidc. Recent ellbrts have been made by some farmers to improve their Hocks. Miij. George W. Melvie of CiiUibridge, within a fcw months, has purchased soiue large Fiench ^Jerino 60-1 [Assembly sheep, from the imported flock of Col. Jewettof Wey bridge, Ver- mont, which will prove a valuable acquisition to the flocks in our vicinity. Other varieties have also been introduced of a valua- ble character, which is evidence that farmers are not slow in efforts to elevate the value of this portion of their stock. Horses have always been in good demand, and farmers have not been slow to learn the value of a good team. Pains have been taken to introduce the best stock for kindness, constitution, speed and strength. The present season, LeRoy Mowry, Esq., of Union Village, has introduced some fine Morgan bloods from Eel- low's Falls, Vermont, with hopeful usefulness to the farmer, and much credit to the introducer. Swine. — No material improvements are noticeable in the raising of swine, or in the fattening of pork. At present the farmers of the county are not in a position to compete with those of the west. The facilities of transportation, having been improved, enables the w^estern farmer to supply the eastern markets at prices lower than it can be made with profit here. 7. '•'•The increase^ or decrease^ or absence of scientific attention to farm cultivation.^^ — It is evident, from various reasons, that know^- ledge is increasing. Our district school libraries furnish a vast amount of reading; our primary schools and academies are wax- ing better, furnishing our youth with superior advantages for mental culture ; periodicals, and especially those on farming and horticulture, have received increased patronage ; the distribution of the " Transactions of the State Agricultural Society," of the American Institute and Patent Office reports, as premiums at our annual fair, together with discussions and the very popular and instructive addresses from distinguished orators on those occa- sions, have produced a combination of influences to awaken inte- rest and excite the entei prising to a scientific attention to the cul- tivation of the soil. t 8. ^'Ha.hel-', which far exceed the number of bushels of any one vari_ ety of ^'rain raised in the county. The product has demanded fair prices, varying at dilVercut periods of this season's crop from 20 cents to 50 cents per bushel. The principal sales have been for 614 [Assembly markets without the county , and shipped from stations upon the canal and railroads. Large quantities still remain in the hands of the producers unsold. On the varieties they would remark that they are too numerous to name in this report, but would mention a few most esteemed and cultivated in the county, viz : The Memo, (Long John or hog potato) has been of tried value among us — is a long, roundish variety, with eyes num.erous and sunken, skin red, flesh marbled. It should be planted early, as it requires the whole season for its growth ; the vines continuing green and growing late in autumn, or until killed by frost. The skin is thin, the tuber tender and easily broken like one not fully ripe. The flesh is brittle and juicy, which renders it a favorite with stock ; and as it yields more abundantly than any other va- riety, may be considered the most profitable for feeding to ani- mals. The Early June has become a great favorite for an early potato. It is round, of moderate size, eyes sunken and bears well. Should be planted early, and in good soil will be rapid in growth and in reaching the period of its maturity. Is good both as an early and late potato, and commands a ready market. The Mercer, or ^Nleshanoch, is a long (lattish potato, eyes sun- ken, skin marbled, purplish, and of a dingy white. Flesh also marbled ; has a good flavor baked or boiled ; is a good bearer and ripens early, and has a ready market at good prices. The While Mercer, is long, inclined to be full in the center, and tapering toward the ends ; the skin and flesh white ; eyes sunken and numerous ; is well esteemed ; has been but recently intro- duced into the county. The Carter potato is of good size ; usually larger at the heel than the toe ; is longer than wide, and a little flattened ; the skin and flesh white ; popular in the market ; commanding the highest price, and is extensively grown in the county. The Fox- eye is similar to the Carter in shape, size and color, and general appearance in growth and yield, and also before and No. 112.] 615 after cooking. This variety has been cultivated for some twentj years past, by George Robertson, principal seedsman of North White Creek, and we are yet to learn if it is not the identical Car- ter, or rather the Carter the genuine Fox-eye. The Cow-horn potato, receives its name from its general appear- ance ; is oblong, thickest in the middle, and curved ; color dark purple ; eyes few, and not sunken, and is valued for its quick hake^ as a baking potato. The Lady-finger is a long, round, cylindrical potato; thick in the center, and tapering towards the heel and toe ends; color white or yellowish white, as is also the flesh; it is esteemed for its easy and quick-baking properties ; the eyes are numerous and deeply sunken ; tubers often branching; those without prongs should be cut and planted. The Early June-kidney is oblong and flattened ; skin smooth, or occasionally with some small scales; color yellowish, or buttery colored ; bakes easily ; of good flavor. When young or unripe, the flesh is rather hard and solid after it is cooked, but when ripe is mealy and much esteemed. Ripens early in July, if planted early, on warm, good soil. A member of your society obtained the seed from Dr. Bethuel Peck, of Glen's Falls, in the spring of 183"2, and has grown jit ever since, as an early favorite variety. The Flour or Bread potato is strictly kidney-shaped; smooth, even surface; eyes elevated and not sunken, and few in num- ber; the color is darker than the early June-kidney; cooks easily, and its name is signilicant of its esteemed quality. It has not been extensively cultivated. We ask, may it not proiitably supply the place of the White Mercer, Cow -horn, Lady-finger, ^nd early June-kidney, to their exclusion ? The large J'/'tvic/i Pink-eye is a round potato; eyes deep and colored, with a purple stripe npon the eye-brow; yields iibun- dautly, and is a profitable variety to cultivate. The l-kirly Pink-eye is oblong, small size, of exct llent flavor ; eyes colored and sunken; not very productive, but much esteem- ed for the table. 616 [Assembly The Peruvian Pink-eye is large, oblong ; eyesj)ut little depressed and colored ; larger at the heel than the toe end, and by some esteemed as a very valuable variety to cultivate for all purposes. , The Leopard has long been one of the standard varieties of ge- neral cultivation in the county ; is round ; good size • eyes sunken ; color marbled with reddish purple and white ; has been produc- tive and much esteemed. Other varieties are lessening its culti- vation. The White French Roan potato, presented for examination at the fair in September last, by Rev. P. Gordon of Cambrige, is large, round ; eyes deep ; color white ; and was pronounced good for the table and very productive. Seed from Havre in France. The Shepherd Red, presented at the late fair by B. C. Schermer- horn, of Union Village, is of moderate size ; round ; eyes depress- ed ; skin red and rough or scaly ; fiesli white ; is said to be a good variety. The Black Warwick has been recently introduced into the coun- ty from Massachusetts ; is of good size ; oblong cylindrical -, eyes sunken; color a very dark purple, nearly black ; flesh dark mar- bled. The color is against it; otherwise it is to be valued as a light, mealy variety for use, and is very productive. The Peach Blossom^ or Western Red so called, is of tried worth; is of good size; shape round and oblong; color red; skin both smooth and scaly ; also dotted ; flesh cream-yellow ; rich flavored and highly nutritive ; matures late; making it a valuable spring potato, and truly may be considered one of the best varieties cul- tivated. Several more varieties are o» hand for description, but let these suffice, with the addition of one more as a test of long experience. The English White is round; good size; eyes sunken; color white ; flesh mealy and of good flavor. This variety has been cultivated on the farm of Harvey Voluntine, in Jackson, for the last forty years or more, almost to the exclusion of every other variety, and without deterioration in quality, yielding its usual good products, commanding the highest prices. No. 112.] 617 The committee would remark that the society is indebted to Rev. E. H. Newton, for the above interesting article upon the po- tato. ASA FITCH, DANIEL McNEIL, JOHN T. MASTERS, Committee. Report of Trial of Implements at Geneva. To John M. Stevenson, Esq., PresH Wash. Co. Jig. Soc. Sir: Holding by your favor an appointment as the society's de- legate to the trial of agricultural implements at Geneva, in July last, I have the pleasure lo present the following Report : A peculiar feature of the present day is the effort of inventive genius to apply the known principles of mechanical philosophy, as a substitute for muscular power, thus facilitating the labors and relieving the toil of man. Most men of my age can well remem- ber the wooden structure which preceded the introduction of the cast-iron plow among us, and an ungainly thing it was, liable to have its woiking properties damaged every time it went to the smith, and which, if worked to the depth common at this day, with a single team, would have murdered them. Scythes, rakes, hoes, hay and manure forks, together with carriages and harness, have all been greatly imjtroved in liglituess and adapteduess to their respective uses, as well as in durability. We well remember ;When the double whilUetree superceded hooks in drawing a sleigh, and when horse-rakes, traverse sleighs, and even the now indis- pensable one-horse wagons were uidcnown. Tlie impiovenicnts of our time have been of progressive gmwth. Inventions seldom come perfect from either the head or tlic hand of the inventor, but are gia'lually improved as experience points out their defects, until they meet all reasonable requirements. The facilities alford- ed by our laws for securing inventor's rights, Iiave greatly encour- aged the inventive turn of our people, and have tended to multi- 618 [AssEaiBLY ply many important articles to an extent almost embarrassing. Stoves and plows may be given as instances in point ; many of the patterns of each article differing only in minor and otten immateri- al points. This seems to have been eminently the case with many of the reaping machines ]a.te]y exhibited to the Committee of the State Society at Geneva. The idea of cutting grain by machinery propelled by animal power, is of quite ancient origin. Machines for this purpose are said to have been known to the Romans. Two of their accredited historians, Pliny and Palladius, mention such a machine as used on the plains of Gaul, and it is stated that with one ox, large fields were cut in a day. The Roman ma- chine is imperfectly described, but seems to have been designed to cut and gather only the heads of the grain. The first attempt at reaping machines in modern times, sofarasxNe are able to trace them, were made early in the present century, chiefly in Scotland. Soon after the trial of Bell's machine \h Scotland, several in- ventors in this country gave their attention almost simultaneous- ly to the getting up of reaping machines. As early as 1832 or 1833, Thomas D. Burrall (whose machine comes off with distin- guished honor in the Geneva trial,) constructed one, professedly after the general model of Bell's, with some modifications. In 1833; the Schnebly's, of Maryland, patented improvements in the reaper; and at the harvest of that j'ear Abraham Randall, of Oneida county, put his machine in operation. This seems to have been the first reaper, drawn by a team harnessed forward, all that preceded Randall having the team in the rear, with their heads to the machine. Soon after this came Hussey and then McCormick, now both names of renown. At the time the early efforts in this country w^ere being made, Messrs. Moore & Haskell, of Michigan, conceived an idea of constructing a machine not only for reaping, but also for thrashing, cleaning and sacking it at one operation. This w^as certainly a magnificent idea, and its concep- tion, at that particular time, affords an illustration of the pro- gressive nature of inventions. Their machine is necessarily com- plicated and expensive, and required long experience to perfect it ; but at last its mechanical arrangements have, by the perse- verance of these men, been so perfectly adapted to their purposes, No. 112.1 619 * that this phenomenon in machinery is capable t)f cuttingj thrash- ing, cleaning and sacking three acres of wheat in one hour. Their first machine was made in 1834. At the late trial at Geneva, near a dozen different reapers were entered, and for all of them it was claimed that they were eciually well adapted to mowing. Ketchum, of Buffalo, alone entered what purported to be only a raowei. From Illinois, McCormick, Manny, Euggs, and WrigY.t, each brought a machine, and so did Seymoift and Morgan of Brockport.Densmore. also of Brockport,andBurrall of Geneva, all of our own State. One of the Brockport machines, and that of Wright of Chicago, each had an arrangement of its ma- machinery for depositinggrain in gavils, suitable for binding, all the others requiring that work to be done by a hand on the machine. The self-raking apparatus is yet imperfect, and is doomed always to encounter a very obvious difficultv. The raachinerv throws off* the cut grain at regular and equal distances, as the reaper advan- ces; but it is obvious that the gavilsthus deposited must vary in size, just in proportion as the grain stands thick on the ground. The machine may be made to do its work with entire accuracy as to dis- tance between bundles, but it must forever lack the judgmen t need- ed to make those bundles of a size. Man may make machines accu- rate, and exact in their performance, but it is beyond his power to endow them with discretion. But this matter, difficult as it seems, may be confidently left to the inventive ingenuity of our countrymen. On the comparatively level lands of the great wheat-growing west, reaping machines are in general use, and are deemed indis- pensable wlien tlie breadth of wheat sown is so largely dis]>ropor- tioned to the nuniljer of laborers. Machines which deliver the cut grain at the side, may be employed to cut a whole crop at the rate of 15 or 20 acres a day, before binding any uT it — obviously a great advantage when labor is scarce. Many of the reapers de- livered the grain, wIk'U cut, imnieiliately in rear of their track, and directly in line of the team track on the nexf naiiul. The ad- vantages in this case are not so obvious. But that the reaper is a labor-saving machine of immense power and value, wlien the face of the country favors its operations, is fairly and conclusively proved by trials without number, not only in tlie far west, but in 620 [Assembly the western portion of our own State. There they are coming into common use among our thrifty and economical brethren. But that they would be equally profitable among us is not quite clear. In much of the grain-growing portion of this part of the State the face of the country is rough and hilly; the tillage of numberless fields is marred both by stones and stuuips; the shape of fields is often irregular, and the amount of grain sown compa- ratively so limited that for one I entertain doubts of the general utility of reaping macliines among us, at least for the present. These remarks, however, do not apply to the machine as a mower. The meadow ground used for the trial at Geneva, was somewhat uneven of surface ; the grass thin, short and shrivelled, and for mowing in the common way, would have been regarded among us as far from first rate ; and 3'et the work was fairly done. The cutting apparatus is from 4 J to 6 feet long, and perfectly straight; it is therefore clear that it cannot adapt itself to the inequalities of an uneven surface. But when meadow lands are laid .down as they should be, in order to fit them properly for the common scythe, there is nothing to hinder a machine drawn by one span of horses, and driven by a boy, from cutting and spreading in the best manner ten acres of the stoutest grass in a day, and follow- ing it up day after day. They are strongly made, and do not seem liable to get out of order on good ground ; and with most of them the mower is converted into a reaper, by attaching a plat- form for the cut grain to fall on — an operation requiring only a few minutes. Their price was from $105 to $135, and I am glad to announce that Mr. Wood, of Hoosick Falls, has commenced the manufacture of Manny's reaper and mower, for the next har- vest. I saw Manny's machine at work, and considered it to be among the very best on trial. But a far better recommendation of it is, it was very generally popular with the great concourse of prac- tical westerii men v/ho had come together to witness that trial ; and by the late report of the committee of the State Societj^, under w^hose inspection the trial took place, I observe that to Manny was awarded the first premium for a reaper and mower combined. Ketchum's mower is already in use among us, and I understand gives satisfaction wherever it has been proved, and with another summer will come the opportunity for placing Manny's in compe- tition, where every man can see and judge for himself. No. 112.] 621 The trial of implements at Geneva, was not confined to reapers and mowers, although for me, these constituted the chief features of interest ; plows, horse-powers and thrashers, seed-planters, ^.c, were also exhibited, and among the competitors our neighbor, Eddy, was found as usual in tlie front rank. The broad and fertile fields of the great west have hitherto been so far from market, and so sparsely settled, that we, so near the great market of the sea-board, had little to fear from unfavorable competition. But now they get the same intelligence, and by the same flash of lightning that conveys it to us, the network of rail- roads over the Avhole country, very nearly annihilates distance; and the improvements in labor-saving machinery, adaj/ted to the culture of the level states, give them an advantage over numbers, and mere muscle exerted on old and worn lands. In order, then, to stand the competition, we must do as our western brethren do, facilitate, and thus cheapen the processes of farm labor by the introduction of labor saving machines, as well as by increasing the productive qualities of our soil by judicious and intelligent culture. « While then we look forward with satisfliction to the day when the muscle, which is now alone employed to perform much of the toil of the farm, shall be aided, and in many cases superceded by mechanical contrivances, we rejoice to know that these advan- tages to the owner of land can never result in injury to the land- less laborer. These all tend by an unerring law to increase the amount, and cheapen the price of ihe means of living, and to dif- fuse more widely through the community, the blessings of abun- dant food and abundant employment. Report of Dr. Asa Fitch, in favor or an Agricultural College, The establishment of an A^'riculliiral College and Kxpurimcn- tal Farm, is a measure of such obvious importance and utility, as scarcely to call for an argument in its support. Agriculture is the basis of our national wealth and prosperity. It is the pur- suit in which a largo majority of our citizens are employed. Its many and various oj^erations and processes are direct application of the principles and illustrations of the facts of dillerent sciences, 622 . [Assembly ■wliich sci-nces are but vaguely, if at all, known to our farmers. Our present academies and colleges furnish but little of that in- struction which the practical agriculturist requires ; nor can our farmers educate their sons at these institutions without their los- ing all relish for manual labor. Assuredly we have need of an institution to which the farmer can send his son and have him return to the parental roof, devotedly attached to the agricultu- ral profession, and eager to put in practice the knowledge he has acquired. We have our theological, our medical, and our law schools, all fostered and sustained by State patronage. To the farming class, an agricultural school is fully as necessary as these institutions are to tlie learned professions. The efficiency which has been imparted to our national defence by an academy, in which the cadet is drilled into a full knowledge and intimate ac- quaintance with everything pertaining to the soldier's profession is well known. And yet it is no more essential to our national prosperity and greatness, that we have intelligent and expert defenders of our soil, than that we have intelligent and expert tillers of our soil. Petitions for such a college have heretofore been presented to the Legislature from this and other counties, and our Chief Ma- gistrates have repeatedly recommended it in their messages. Nor have our legislators manifested any other feelings than those of friendliness to it. Still, the necessary steps for its attainment have never been gone fully through with— solely, as we suppose, because there has been no concert of action, no combination of influence in its favor. We feel that a project of such importance should no longer be neglected by us, therefore, Resolvedj That we recommend to the State Agricultural Society to call a convention, to be composed of five delegates from each county, to be selected by the county agricultural society, for the purpose of conferring upon the subject of an Agricultural Col- lege and Experimental Farm, digesting a plan for such an insti- tution, and presenting it to the Legislature, under such auspices as will tend to secure its attainment. Resolved^ That we regard the city of Albany as the most suita- ble place for holding said convention, and the time, the days suc- ceeding the next annual meeting of the State Agricultural Society. No. 112.] 623 Resolved^ That the following persons be the delegates to repre- sent Washington county in said convention : Asa Fitch, J. T. Masters, J. McDonald, and the President, (J. M. Stevenson,) and Secretary, (Leroy Mowry,) of this society. Officers for I8b3. — Milo Ingalsbee, President; LeRoy Mowry, EecordiDo; Secretary; James S. McLonahL Assistant do.: Rev. E. H. Newton, Corresponding Secretary. ■WAYNE. Report of E. N. Thomas, Pkeside^t. This county held two fairs, one at Wolcott, Sept. 21st and22d, and at Palmyra, Sept. 28th and 29th. The show compared well with former exhibitions. The stoct cattle shown were mostly of the Devon variety, with their grades. Matched and single horses, and colts were on hand, among which were fine specimens of Sampsons, Harveys, Consternations, Morgans, Normans &c.; a fine display of working oxen, was exhibited at Wolcot. There is a growing interest among the farmers of Wayne county, to obtain and rear fine stock, and much attention for the last f?w years, has been paid to this branch of our asjricultural interests, the re- sult of which is, tliat fine specimens of horses, cattle, sheep, swine and poultry, can be shown, wliich will ])e a credit to the county, and gratifying to its farmers. Great interest was manifested at the plowing matches, and jnnch more attention of late has been waked up to this subject. TiioroHgh and deepplowing is becom- ing the order of the day, and a better system of farming is becom- ing fashionid)le, as the county is improving in its railroads, canals, plank roads and highways: it is witli pride that our farmers fix up tlieir buihlings and fences, yards, (.rnamental trees, and being the banner county fur fruit, in this de})artnient our motto is ^- onward and upward" to perfection. The sliipping iijples are well known in the eastern and southern ntarkets, and duly ap- preciated. In the domestic manufactures «nd meclianical branches of business, we are stendily progressing, and inprovement in machinery fur farming purposes, is rapidly on the advance. I 624 [Assembly The drought of the past season lessened somewhat the crop of hay, but in wheat, corn, oats and barley, the crops exhibited their usual good returns. The potato crop is on the increase and but little complaint on account of the rot. The present state of the market has been such as to give the farmer his turn at the good things of this life, and the cry of hard times and poor prices has gone by, and when farming pays well it is not surprising that it becomes popular with all professions, and by the rapid improvement of our soil by the harrow, fertili- zers at hand with due regard to rotation of crops, the time will soon arrive, w^hen the statistics will show a large increase in yield The subject of draining has been wakiEg up in this county, and much has been done, and fully to the satisfaction of those interested, when the w^ork has been properly performed — and for years to come this improvement will still go on, and result in making better farms and more healthy neighborhoods. The show of floral hall and needle- w^ork was truly a credit to the fair daughters of the county, and tlie great variety of fruits and vegetables, and their enormous size w^ere truly astonishing. Excellent addresses were delivered before the society at Wolcott .by John Delatield, Esq., and at Palmyra by S. R. Williams, Esq. In reply to a circular, the following answers were received, showing what has been purchased and shipped, in some of the localities of this county. Purchased and shipped from Rose, 37,143 pounds of pork in the hog; 18,000 pounds of butter; 180 barrels eggs; 25,000 pounds dried apples. The funds of the society, on 28th December were as follows : Funds on hand from last year $165 65 Received at fairs 1852 240 00 From Treasurer of State 126 00 • |531 G5 Expended in premiums and expenses so far, 257 51 $274 14 Some premiums yet to be paid. Fo. 112.] 625 At the anniial meeting hold rccemher 8th 1852, Mr, Fletcher Williams of Newark was elected President; A. G, Percy, Arcadia, RIe, and Cor, Secretar}' ; James D. Ford of Newark, Treasurer. Respectfully submitted, ERON N. THOMAS. F.huaru \Qih 1863. ^dement cf the prrfils of Mr\ Joseph V/utson's farrr.-^ Clydc^ of fifty acrcs^ to which a premium cf $15 was awarded. At the hcginaing of his book is a map of the farm, with its gubdivisions nnmberedj and the area of each designated. With each of those fields an aecouDt is opened, containinp; a double colamn for charges and credits, of which the fcllowing is a specimen : • *.\ I As. Tr. 'Cai I'P 625 [A»8E»tBLy « O D O W o o m 5 - 0 0 0 0 0 ^ 0 0 0 0 0 t— 1 1— « »n C< CO 0 1 00 •oi>ocooo 0 000 VO in 0 0 0 0 0 f 0 0 • Q-^coco^ncO'^o r-» »-^ r— « 1— < CO 00 0 0 1 • • I! C3 O Q> S Jr to 0 tn CO e OS C 60 CO > a '■^ o CO 08 -^ *© "5^ ^ O •*^ eS a. o to O O o o 00 ^ g g .S -t; o 2 w5 A'^ 2 o <^ 0) !S >L S W2 *» '^ :3 cs S2oo ^ <» •-^ pH i-< •o J" » O OJ ^ 00 •♦J *j *e 03 o o ^ f^ .^00-^ -x:; o o o u. t»- 9) a a> XI bO on o« xi 93 on a O oj c en O 0} ^ s <^^ O a»» an QTj 5 03 O o bO b/) 2 a S3 csS 9 o o o 4^ a o 09 <9 1— < OS £-1 O o (TO O Ko. 112] 627 More minuteness in designating the quantity of laid devoted to the separate crops, and separating the amount of labor devoted to each, would make the record more valuable, by showing the relative profits. The balance from each field is carried to the general balance accounfj which exhibits in a summary form the profits of the whole farm. The following is the summary foj< 1852 — and includes the report of the unsuccessful as well as thd successful operations ; or in other words, a complete transcript of tJie whole yearly management of the farm : C2S [AsS£MfiL« fi C4 O O O O CO -f ^'^ ?r) r:^ lO ~ ~ no '^» c^ rr> o ro o 1 oo ^- 1 —1 <0 >^, ;^ i^. O* OO ^ »-=< rr O 4.-^ f— ) C5 *o cc — w wj -T o -rs CJ to 1 >;r. O 1 O 00 O Ot — 00 CO lO Ci '"*^ "** 1 2 »— O O CM Oi OO f-* '^ «o o 1 »o 1 ca J^ . ^_ lid »Ci O »t-i <^^ O rH cr. 00 w "T* C5 O rf« CO H „;— ' ' — l- C^J lO CO -t* o _ 'rff »0 O O -*» C* «o ^^ c^ Ci li^ ^r^ "^ ^^ J/^ 6 CO CC {> v:^ ^O'o" ofifco^- ♦#«»a 30Q9'9O9«^<»*0d*0 « r^ • o p 9 Q o. • o • o : ^ C! 04 o o h I v5 O »-> ei C^ rji 6' wa N^ V^ o 1^ o I I o ^ ^ O « cw « « e • a • e e c= 5 o a3 o f' m ^ fi i> 03 I <3 « . «i^ o ^ o, 2 • • c > g X^ » . ?: g « .1:^ ^^ & g s s 1 ^ :3 3^ .p: g 5 S -3 O ^ -^ ^ ^ T3 ^ f4 s 77,500 Eggs *' no 280,000 Dry apples « lbs 46,000 Dry peaches" " 2,660 Lard " " . , 850 Chee«e « " 1,200 Beam " bu. ....... , 145^ Peas « « ' 15 ^. Plums . « ibs^.. 400 BerriM *^ << 160 Ve, 11$.] €91 PuLTHETTiLLij Jimuary bthy 1853. Mr. E. N. Thomas. Dear Sir : Your letter requesting me to send you the amount of different articles, bought in this market for the past year, is re- ceived. In reply I will give you as near as I can, the amount of . fOAch articles. Rye ^ 50 bu. Oats , 2,000 " Barley none Dried apples 2,500 lbs. Butter 14,000 " Eggs , , . 5,500 do2. Pork (no market) , .', . 3,000 lbs. Wheat no market la«t year. Yours most respectfully, JOHN REYNOLDS. / C33 [AsSEitDL? Q o — . o « CO o O e^ 00 c> ^' *:> CS C-» ITS GO O • » • eCJCOCOCO— '-f e c 6 » CN CO lO O O C>4 • * * • C^ I— « • » • o^> <= • ^^4 O «-? O t^ e e CN lO C^ CN I— « « » (^ O -f :^ c-> e o r^ ex. px ex —< O e ' G^ ^ r-H ■«!7l u:) « • O H CO H ^■: >^ H O U w I CO CO CM o^ o CO c»ODvoc^ot-co -f t> o vrs 00 (X> ^ vO 'rt^ G4 "^ C-( CV r-i o C^ ^r-*!-'^ CQ COC<300 •^{>^krjTi<'?0?OO00 O»^G^C0C0Ot-*O'^OC0u0OQ0O^C0C000C00>1» OOOi-iO'^ :C(»t-O0il>O1<'r*ir-iC)00Oi0*Ot>"«^ C^'S O p-^ — ' f GO C<) r-4 '<;?' iO wr> -^^ O O O i-« C) CO r-< C eS 73 \i ^ 8 0? Wb. 113.] 6345 c^ » a - O So • • • e r% o ^ • ^ ^ • CO V. H i> CTJ a> •^ *-' «/) tj r- !:' ''I ._ to 03 •^ a) ♦_. .— I CO .^-^ s ^ a tv. g g a.^ S ° c p, f^ r*^ p^ .*^ p < W p; # C34 [AssncBiiT WESTCHESTER. The Society of Agriculture and Horticulture of Westchester county, N. Y,, has completed its eighth annual fair, and at no pe- riod since its establishment has its friends had more cause for congratulation and encouragement than on the present occasion. Many persons who for years past have been watching its progreas with listlessness and apparent indifference, have more recently awaked from this state of lukewarmness, and manifest a determi- nation to make such changes in' the culture of their farms as will secure a better return for the labor bestowed. They have also given evidence of their desire for information, by attending our fairs, and witnessing the variety of articles, useful and ornamen- tal, there exhibited. Not a few at our last fair were taken by surprise in beholding such a display of choice fruits as has never before been exhibited in the county of We^tcV.ester, and rarely on any occasion in the State, The vaiieties of beautiful and excel- lent apples, pears, grapes, and other fruits, choice vegetables and flowers, that were crowded into floral hall, were well calculated to arouse a determinntionm the beholdeiiJ, and sticiuJate them to commence tlie work, aod prove to the woild that good examples are contasflou?, and that where .there is a will there will soon be found a way to secure the possession of such valuable treasures^ as are not only iiscfal and bi-autiful, but what is very important to ythe tarmerj give an adequate return for the care and industry be- stowed in securing a bountiful crop. There Is t^videatly a growing taste for choice £ruit^ among ail classes of the community, -ah^ a well fi>unded impression exists, that the free use of them contributes greatly to the promotion of health. To this cause, as well as the delightful adaptation of the taste and appetite for such productions, we m.ust ascribe the rea- son for the great demand^ at fair prices, amid the most abundant harvests, ^ Farmers are more generally placing their manures and bestow- ing their labor on a less number of acres than formerly j and in this manner are making the soil capable of a greater yield, than when they cultivated les^? perfectly a much larger surface. Wo. 112.] 685 This discovery, and an enhanced price, have induced many farm- ers to sell a portion of their lands to the numerous purchasers from the city of New- York, who, from the great facilities afforded by the several railroads that traverse the county, are induced to seek a home among us, and enjoy the pure air, the enchanting scenery, the rich fruits and flowers, and the productive har- vests which a correct system of horticulture and agriculture can secure to country life ; while others, less inclined to part with any portion of their patrimony, adopt the plan of cultivating lesf^ land, doing it in the best manner, and laying down for meadow or pasturage a large moiety of their farms. In this way they can combine the profits arising from the dairy, and fattening stock for the city market, or dispose of their hay instead, with all the other products of the farm. Many of our large land-owner? haye turned their attention still more to the improvement of their breeds of cattle, by crossing with the Durham, Devon. Ayrshire, and other high bred stock fromEur«^pe. We would on this occasion remark, that several of our citizens have latterly bestowed great attention on this subject, in securiTig a superior race for the dairy, and farm stock for gen- eral purposes, which entitles them to tlie tlianks of the communi- ty. We have had annual public sales in this county, for the dis- |)osal of choice animals of pure and parade blood, which have been attended by a large number of purchasers from various parts of the Union. This has greatly increased the dcmawd for fine nni- mals, and made it an object of sriflicient moment with some of otir enterprising breeders of stock, to make nn annujil trii» to Europe to replenish their herds with those, if possible, that are still tinei . The prices of lands in this county have been much enhanced by the great facilities the railroads afford, for rnpid daily and h' »ui~ ly communication with the city of New-York ; villages increasing rapidly, and new ones forming along the borders nf these public thorouglifares, whicli make it self-evident to the farmfr, thnt he «QUSt either adapt his agriculture ano kept. This, it is supposed, will obviate all objections to the timo of eiihlbitlon, asd secuxd a large number aiwther year. Pome fine horses were exhibltcdj espcdalJy matched tcnins. The competidon in the grain crops T^as Eot as spirilcd, nor the exhibitors as numerous as in those st-ctions of country^ where thc*e artic]<^s constitute the principal remunerating products. The raisiog of potatoes, making butter, and furnishing milk for the supply of the city of New-York, are very important operalioiis, for a large number of our farmers. You will observe, among ths reports on field crops, that we have given a premium on potatoep, \\hich was obtained by the grower of tive hundred and twenty six bushels of black mercers on two acr(S of ground, This amOunt would have been considered a very fine crop at a former reriod, before the potato rot made its appearance, this disease however, has b<3en much less serious, for two or three years past. The f.r. tides of domestic raanufitcUire, useful and orn«mentd], were very commendable 3 i\nd give cncouiagemcnt to hope ihat ere long (liese productions will give still greater interest to our fairs. The establishment of iiirmers' clubs, in the different towns, ir* accordance with the provisions of the constitution of our societyj we consider an object of primary impcrlance. Much advantage we believe, has been derived by the farmers in the vlciuity, fi-om one io successful operation, in Louisboro, a town in the north eastern portion of this county, and we hope their example and fiuccess, will not be lost on the inhabitants in other sections. In svirveying the grounds over which we have passed^ we find Close for encouragement and congratulation. That spirit of in- quiry which wc believe the society has done much to awaken among u-f, will lead forsvard to the accompli>hment of the happiest Insults. The deep plowing, with under draining, when necej^sarj, (he enriching; of the hills, by the convejing of the muck and alluvial d*'posits from the vall 04^ [Assembly Upon due consideration, we commend Mr. Watson's work as- sustaining the desires of the State Agricultural Society, and thus producing for the State and Nation, the continuation of a series of works better adapted to develop our resources than has here- tofore been attempted. While thus presenting the views of your committee upon the manuscript survey of Essex county, we would remark that the ehief aim of the Stater Society in pronioting the surveys of the counties of the State, was to develop their agricultural capabili- ties, systems, modes of practice, and the means for improvement. This object was of sufficient magnitude to enlist science in the enterprise, and to awaken a fond taste fur enjoj'ments springing, very naturally from labor applied to the soil, when guided by science. At the very threshold, we find a gentleman of high scientific attainments offering his aid to the society, whose efforts shed a happy influence on the enterprise, at once proving its value, and causing a generous rivalry among the counties of the State for precedence in the order of survey. It may be a matter of con- gratulation to farmers, that from their own class, men stepped forward to conduct the surveys of the three next counties select- ed by the Society — a bold undertaking for men devoted to the plow. Yet they are before us, in all their plainne5S and simplicity, monuments at least of an agricultural zeal, and a compilation of facts and observations forming a solid basis fur a superstructure of practical improvement. It was suon manifest that no survey c:ould be made with utility or truth, unless based upon the broad geological features of the region under examination : a positive knowledge of the soils under cultis'ation ; in order to exhibit ta the farmer the material elements of his profession, and enable all, just entering upon the virgin soils of the country, to judge more accurately of their powers and value. A positive knowlege of the mineral wealth embosomed in the v^st unexamined surfaces of many counties, is important not to the possessor only, but to the revenues of the State. In this re- spect the examination of Essex county by Mr. Watson is pre-emi- nently successful. » Thus the county surveys, intended for agricultural advance- ment, liave incidentally and naturally led the way to investiga- No. 112.] 647 tions strictly connected with the earth and it^ uses, yet resulting in the formation of works exceeding in magnitude the early views of the Society. The committee ask attention to this sub- ject because in each survey thus far made, the fear of exceeding a limited number of pages seems to have operated disadvanta- geously upon the mind of the investigator, and useful facts and suggestions are withheld, whicli might add wealth to the farmer and revenue to the State. With these views, we suggest an ex- tension or withdrawal of the limit. At the same time we would strongly urge a cautious guard against the seductive aad dan- gerous propensities of introducing leading ideas and making tacts subservient to them. These expressions have no bearing on the work before us, and are intended only to suggest wider limits to future surveyors with due caution. In conclusion we congratulate Xhe Society on the acquisition of the survey of Essex county, and commend it for publication in the Transactions of the Society. J. DEL A FIELD, E. P. PEEXTICE, WILLIAM ia:LLY. J» A GENERAL YIE¥ AND AGRICULTURAL SURVEY Of THB ■ COUNTY OF ESSE! TAKEX UXDER THE APP0IXT3IENT OP C'jjE Idem-fork Itnte Slgriniltnrfll Inrirftj, BY WINSLOW C. WATSON, Esq. CONTENTS. Part I. CIVIL AXD POLITICAL HISTORY. Part II. PHYSICAL GEOailAPHY. Mountains. Lakes. Rivers. Natural Curiosities. Part III. NATURAL HISTORY : Animals. Fisn. Fruits. Plants. Reptiles. Climate and Winds. Part IY. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY : Drift and diluvial formations. Native fertilizers. Mineral Springs. Part V. INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS AND PURSUITS : Public Improvements PaktYL agriculture t Crops. Stock. Husbandry Markets. Fruit. Analyses of soils. appendix. PART I. CIVIL AND POLITICAL DISTORY. CHAPTER I. TO THE DISCOVERY. The territory, now distinguished by the general designation, of the valley of Lake Champlain was for nearly a century, a de- batable ground between the powers of France and England. Claimed by each under arbitrary charters or imaginary titles, overrun and subverted in turn by both, and permanently occu- pied by neither, it derived from the presence of their armies, little amelioration of its primitive savage aspect. Earlier than this period, the same region seems to have been the frontier between tribes, or confederacies of tribes of abori- gines, who waged a perpetual warfare of ferocious extermination. These circumstances, it is probable had con.-igned it to desolation and prevented the occupation of the country by a race, which would have been allured to it, by the strong attractions to the savage mind, created by the profusion of its game and lisli. Tlie possessions of the Indians were apparently most extended and permanent on the eastern shores of the lake. Few vestiges of their existence have been discovered, upon its western borders. They appear, however, to have congregated in numerous villages alone sudden apparition of the Euiopeans ; the intrepid Frenchman advancing, alone in front of the Hurons; the awe and consternation with which the Iroquois see the flash of the arquebus, hear the report, and behold their chieftains slain as if by the thunder bolt. The victory in such a conflict was necessarily with the allies of the white man. Champlain places the site of this battle " in 43 degrees and some minutes," and evidently within the vicinity of Ticoude- roga-t It is a singular coincidence, and may it not be regarded as significant of the presence and retribution of an overruling Provi- dence, that the tirst aboriginal blood, shed by the Christian inva- der, and shed ruthlessly and in wantonness was on the soil which in another age, was destined to witness the sanguinary ihuugh fruitless conflicts of the mightiest i)owers of Christendom fur the possession of the same territory ; that both moistened with their choicest blood, and wliich neither were permitted permanent- ly to enjoy. •Documentary Ilutory, vol. 3, page 7. f I confidently assume this position, allhoiigh a aomcwhat controverted point, from Ui» distinct designation of the place upon Champlain's own map. I foci a.isured on the subject by several other ci^nsiderations, which I deem conclusive. IIo probably saw the falls at Ticonde- lOga, in the pursuit which succeeded tho victory. [Ag. Tr '53 J n n 658 [Assembly Champlain looking forth from the field of battle, upon the placid water that laved the spot, and probably exulting in the pride of even such a victory, named the lake, Champlain. His countrymen in succeeding years would have substituted the name of " Mere des Iroquois," but the Anglo-saxon and posterity avert- ed the wrong, (for the latter name was not known to the nomen- clature of the Indian,) and the lake still perpetuates the memory of its discoverer. Champlain entered upon the waters of the lake on the 4th of July 1609, and eleven years before the Mayflower sought the shores of New England. On the retreat of this ex- pedition, Champlain was constrained to witness one of those appalling scenes incident to Indian warfare — the torture of a prisoner. This terrific spectacle occurred, it is supposed, within the present limits of Willsboro'. The sufferings of the victim, inflicted in all the intensity and refinement of savage barbarity, which he in vain attempted to avert, were, in mercy, closed by the arquebus of Champlain. The subsequent career of this extraordinary man, was like the commencement, distinguished and brilliant. We may, with pro- priety, linger a few moments in glancing at his future history. .Returning the tliird time to the New World he embarked again " to satisfy the desire I had, " he wrifes '' of learniDg something about that country," with his former allies and associates, in* an incursion into the territories of the Iroquois. Exhibiting rare, military science and genii^s in this ignoble w^arfare, amid the wilds of Western New-York, he was at length compelled to retreat sorely wound.-d and repulsed from an attack upon an Indian stockade. That winter the intrepid and untiring adventurer spent among the gloomy' and comfortless wigwams of the Hurons, upon the sequestered shores of Lake Nipissing. Again restored to active life and civilization, he erects, in defiance of the g'rovelling cupidity of superiors, the magnificent castle of St. Louis. In 1615 still recuring to his Indian associates and accompanied by Monks of St. Francis, he penetrated far into the recesses of the western solitudes, and the first of civilized men, gazed upon the mighty waves, bounded only by the horizon, which he called " La mer douce," and which another generation, distinguished as Lake Huron. He gloriously defended Quebec, from an assault of the English, ahnost without arms or provisions, by the glory of his name and the energy of his courage, and only capitulated his famishing garrison, when the last hope of relief had failed. Having suppressed the Indian excitements which had agitated his provinces, and amply assented and perfected the dominion of his Sovereign over the empire he had founded, Champlain died ia 1635 and is commemorated in the annals of the country he serv- ed, so ably and with such fidelity, as " the father of New France.'^ CHAPTER XL TO THE OCCUPATION OF CROWN POINT EY FRANCE. I am not aware that any evidence exists that the environs of Lake Charnplain vritnessed the missionary labors of the Jesuits ; but we can with difficulty believe, that a region so neai* and acces- sible, would have been unexplored by the deep devotion and -ardent enthusiasm, which impelled them to bear the cross and to find their neophytes upon the shores of Lake Superior. The policy of Champlain, in farming an intimate alliance witk the Algonquins, although successful in its immediate object, the cherishing the union and affections of the tribes of New France, in its results, excited the unyielding feuds and hostility of the formidable Mohawks, and entailed upon the French more than a century of fierce and bloody savage warfare. The French government, while it maintained the sovereignty of New France, wielded a powerful iiitluence over all the aborigi- nal tribes, within its vast limits. The preponderance of Eng- land, even in the councils of the Iroquois, was often disputed by France and rendered by her machinations, precarious and ineffi- cient. The ^' chain of friends^iip," between France and the con- federacies of the Ilurons and Algonquins never was broken or became dim. The gay and joyous manners of the French won the heart of the savage. The solemn grandeur, and the impo^ing formulas and pomp of the Catholic rituals, attracted his wonder and admiration and fascinated his senses, if they did not subdue his feelingis. His appetites were pampered and his wants supplied with a lavish prodigality, the result perhaps of ,♦ &&0 [Assembly gt)vernmental policy rather than Christian charity. To the mind of the Indian, these traits of the French were favorably con- trasted with the cold, stern and repulsive habits of the English- man— with the unimposlng forms of his religions rites, and with the close and parsimonious guard the British government held over its treasury and store houses. The annals of the bordei*s of Lake Charnplain is a blood stain- ed recital of mutual atrocities. The feuds of the cabinets of Eu- rope and the malignant passions of European sovereigns, armed the colonies of England and the provinces of France, in con- flicts where the ordinary ferocity of border warfare, was aggra- vated by the merciless atrocities of savage barbarism. Each power vied with the other, in the consummation of its schemes of blood and rapine. Hostile savage tribes, panting for slaughter, were let loose along- the whole frontier, upon feeble settlements, struggling- amid the dense forest, with a rigorous elimate and reluctant soil, for a precarious existence. Unprotect- ed mothers, helpless infancy and decrepid age, were equally the victims of the torch, the tomahawk and scalping knife. Lake Charnplain was the great pathway, equally accessible and. use- ful to both parties, of these bloody and devastating fora}s. In the season of navigation, they glided over the placid waters of the Lake, with ease and celerity, in the bark canoes of the In- dians. The ice of winter afforded them a broad crystal high- way, with no obstruction of forest or mountains, of ravine or river. If deep and impassable snows rested upon its bosom^ snow shoes were readily constructed, and secured and facilitated their march. Although this system of reciprocal desolation, impeded the pro- gress of civilization and repelled from the frontier, bordering upon the Lake, all agricultural and industrial occupations, both England and France asserted an exclusive right to the dominion of the territory. France based her claims of sovereignty upon ■ the discoverv of Arcadia, and the sfulf and river St. Law- rence, and subsequently upon the discoveries of Charnplain. Be- Ibre that event we have seen, she had conveyed to De Monts a parchment title to the entire region extending to the meridian of No. 112.] 661 Philadelphia. The original charter of Virginia asserted the claim of England to the 45th parallel of latitude, while other grants extended her sovereignty to the waters of the St. Law- Tence. The ultimate acquisition of the title of Holland, bv the * cession of New-Netherlands fortified these pretensions, whick England alleged were matured by the recognition in the treatj of Utrecht, of her paramount sovereignty over the possessions of the Iroquois. Bluod and treasures were profusely expended in the assertion of these hostile claims, founded on these ideal ■charters to a rude and howling wilderness. A long series of ferocious but indecisive wars prevailed between the French and the Iroquois, signalized by mutual woes and cruelties and by alternations of victory and defeat. To avenge former sufferings as w^ell as to arrest future incursions, the gov- ernment of New France in 1665 determined to attempt the de- struction of the fastnesses of the Mohawks. The annals of war exhibit scarcely a parallel to the daring intrepidity, the expo- sure and suffering of that expedition. The point of contemplated attack was more than three hund- red miles removed, and the season, the heart of mid-winter. That distance was to be traversed by five liundred men, upon isnow slioes, over the icy surface of Champlain and across an untrodden wilderness. Each man, bore liis own provisions and munitions. At uight they had no covering but the clouds, or the buughs of the forest. At length bewildered amid pathless snows, paralyzed and exhausted by cold and hunger, they were pre- served from destruction and restored to their country by tlie -active but ill-requited beneficence of a remote settlement of the Dutch. • A treaty of professed peace, succeeded this event, but it seems to have formed no restraint u})()n the predatory s])irit of eitlier the Moliawks or the French. Two years had not elapsed whtn a second expedition, guided by the venerable De Tracy himself, Iht governor general of New France, had assembled at the Isle de Mottc in Lake Chaaiplaia. Far more formidable than the j le- ed by a long line of patriots and soldiers, organized a volunteer band of about one liundred and twenty ^' Christians and Indians," on a predatory incursion, into the French province. Traversing Lake Champlain and the Sorel-, in silence and caution, he landed without detection in the vicinity of Chambly. Secre- 664 [Assembly ting their, canoes and provisions, lie penetrated,, with singular temerity and no less singular success, to La Prairie, amid numer- ous forces of the French, and far within the line of their fortresses. The merciless storm fell upon an unsuspectinej rural population, engaged and rejoicing in their harvest. In the fell spirit that characterized these scenes, none were exempted from slaughter or captivity. Tne '• scalps of four women folks," were among their trophies. Dwellings, barns, products of the field, " and everything else which would take fire," were remorselessly con- signed to the flames.* The next year, Peter Schyler, a controling spirit in the colony and who swayed a potent influence over the rude affections of the Mohawks, collecting three hundred warriors of the tribe, daringly pursued the track of his brother, and asailed the same region. Intrepid and able, he conducted the expedition with success, de- featiLig the French in battles, and inflicting on them severe calami- ties, and losses. ' The scenes perpetrated at La Prairie, were fearfully retaliated and avenged in the rapine, captivity and massacre that devastated the English settlements, exposed to these barbarous incursions. In the v/in'.er of 1704, amid the most intense frosts, and deepest snows known to a Canadian climate, a band of savages, and French partizans equally ferocious and vindictive, passing over the ice of Lake Champlain, and penetrating on snow shoes through the gorges of the Green Mountains, burst like a destroying tem- pest upon the valley of the Connecticut. To general history, belongs the narrative of efforts for the " con- quest of New-France," protracted for a period of two years from 1709, extending in their field of operations along the entire frontier from Detroit to the Bay of Fandy, and embracing armaments, both by land and sea. Policy, as well as the exasperated passions of the colonies, aroused all their enthusiasm, and enlisted in sup- port of the project, every energy and resource. This zeal was neutralized, or defeated by the apathy, the imbecility or the neg- ligence of the goverment of England. One provincial army, or- •Sohjler's Journal. No. 112.] 665 ganized by the colonies for the. attack of Montreal, was wasted by disease, while awaiting assistance, which was never supplied ; another was disbanded, ^v^ieu the inadequate naval attack of Eng- land had failed. CHAPTER 111. , TO THE CAMPAIGN OF DIESKAU. The valley of Champlain, appears not to have been occupied, until about 1731, either by England or France, with any enduring or tangible possessions. France asserted no other, than an ideal and constructive title. The claim of England, had in the interval, been augmented by the cession of New-Netherland, which conveyed a tenure, uniformly assumed by Holland, to reach the St. Lawrence; and by the fealty of the Iroquois, which had submitted to the sove- reignty of the British King, the. entire environs of Champlain, and the recognition of that title by France, in the treaty of Utrecht. Whilst neither power yielded its dominion to the other, each felt the extreme . importance of securing the ascendancy upon Lake Champlain. The command of that avenue, shed over the colonies of the goverment that held it, a broad and ample protec- tion. As clearly as facts can be adduced from the faint glimmerings of history or tradition, it appears probable that, in the early pe- riod of the eighteenth century English occupation and improve- ment were gradually advancing along the valley of Cliamplain. Crown Point, then distinguished by ils present name,* was recog- nised in 1690, as a commanding and important position. The Common Council of Alhany, instructing their scouting party in that year, directs them to proceed " to Crown Point, where you shall remain and keep good watch by night and by day." This fact appears also from the language of the purchase, by Dellius, of a tract from the Moliawks, extending " more than twenty- miles northward of Crown Point." His purchase was so exor- bitant in its claims, and corapreliended so vast an extent of terri- tory, that the Colonial Legislature, without hesitation, abrogated • Or ita Dutch equivalent. QQQ [Assembly the grant, and thus exhibited an exercise over the region of one of the highest prerogatives of sovereignty. The Crown Point of history is a beiiitiful peninsula, forming a section of the present township of that name, which is disting- uished for its agricultural fertility, and the rare and exceeding loveliness of the landscapes its varied scenery atfords. The pen- insula is formed by Bulwagga Bay, a broad estuary on the west, and the lake upon the east, which, at that point, abruptly chang- es its course nearly at right angles, and is compressed from a wide expanse into a narrow channel. A vast wilderness, extended on either side of Lake Charapjain, from the settlements on the Hudson to the Canadian hamlets, broken by rugged and imprac- ticable mountains and ravines, and traversed by deep or rapid streams. No track penetrated it, except the path of the In- dian. The lake, in its navigation, or by its ice, afforded the only avenue of mutual invasion. Tlie most unpracticed eye, at once perceives that Canada could be the most efficiently shielded by the occupation of Crown Point, that position forming the portals of the lake. Impressed, no doubt, by these considerations, the French Vice-regal government, violating the sanctions of treaties, and the immunities of a profound peace, suddenly advanced througli the lake, and seized by a military force, a promontory directly opposite Crown Point, and immediately after, that posi- tion itself. The government of New-York, at that period fallen into nerveless and ineincient hands, or ignorant of this -daring and impetuous act of French audacity, remained supine, while the formidable f )rtress of St. Frederic arose on the extremitv of Crown Point, and secured to France the dominion of the lake. The protection of Canada from the inroads of the Iroquois, was the ostensible reason and excuse of this measure, assigned by France. Its real purpose, besides embracing the control of the lake, contemplated a still deeper policy. Occupying a position at the threshold of the English po- sessions, they could menace and impede their progress, and at any moment direct against their expanded and defenceless settlements, sudden and destructive assaults. Crown Point w^as W'ithin the conceded possessions of No. 112.] ^667 . ' the Iroquois, and by the treaty of Utrecht, their territory was guaranteed to remain '' inviolate by any occupation or encroach- ment of France." The Governor of New- York was at length aroused from his lethargy, by the indignant voice of Shirley of Massachusetts, to contemplate the arms of France and a formida- ble fortress, far within the limits of his asserted jurisdiction. Massachusetts, always prompt and energetic in sustaining the national glory, and in redressing the wrongs of the colonies, . olfered to New-York to unite at once with her in an expostula- , tion on the subject, with the French functionaries, and in the ultimate necessity, to unite their arms to repel the aggression. The occupation of Crown Point was only a link in the system, by which France was encircling the colonies of England by a cordon of fortresses. The colonies invoked in vain the attention of the home government, to these encroachments. In vain were pro- testations and memorials laid at .the foot ot the throne, urging that -the safety and the colonial existence of New England and New- York were^endangered'by the occupation of Crown Point, The earnest and imploricg voice of the colonies fell on cold and deafened ears. To the vision of the British ministry, Ame- rica was a wilderness, destitute of present fruition and promises of the future. Walpole, whose sagacity seemed to t^ndow him almost with prophetic prescience in the aifairs of Europe, coiihl detect no germ of future empire in the wilds of America. Leading minds in the colonies were at that day suspicious, that sinister and corrupt motiv'es were influencing the Eritislf ministiy, ^' who having reasons for keeping well with the court of France the project" (of occupying the Ohiu) ^' was nut only dropped, but the French were encouraged to build the fort of Crown Point upon the tenitory of New-York."* Such was the dimunciation of Spotswood, of Virginia. England, by the ignoble treat} of Aix La Chapelle, relinquislud to P'rance the fortress of Louis-^ burgh, subjugated by the treasures and blood of New England, but left to that power witliout a jirotest, the j>ossessiou of Crown Point. It was not until 1755, that the British government, with emphasis and decision, d» niandrd fiuui France the demolition of • Got. Spotawood, of Virginia. , 668 [Assembly the fortress of St. Frederic. Diplomacy could not tlius retrieve, after the occupation of a quarter of a century, territory lost by imbecility or corruption. Accumulated acts of neglect and injustice of the mother country such as these, prepared and matured the colonies for indepen- dence. Had they been cherished by the guardian care of Eng- land, they might have rested upon her arm in effeminacy and dependence. Abandoned to the suggestions of their own policy, they were taught by these exigencies high and practical lessons of self-government. Compelled by a common danger, to mutual consultation and concerted action, they were admonished of the necessity and strength of a confederated union. Compelled to rely alone f )r protection and safety, upon their own arms and energies, they were prompt to resist aggressio;i and to avenge injury. The deep fountains of their capacities were revealed to themselves, by the parsimonious policy of England, that con- strained the colonies to resort to their domestic resources in their own protection and defence. » Had Canada been a British province, New England and New- York might have been exempt from the appalling. scenes of car- nage and suffering which are now impressed on their history ; but tile very exposures and dangers of their position, and the assaults and cruelties of a powerful and daring. enemy, endowed them with lofty moral and physical courage ; with endurance in suffering; with boldness and wisdom in council, and promptitude and decision in action.^ These are the elements of freedom. Men, who literally tilled the earth with tlie musket at their sides, w^re ripening for any emergency and prepared to defend the heritage, endeared by their blood and sorrows, against every foe and any wrong. The career of the colonies, neglected, con- temned and suffering, was to them a baptism of blood and sorrow, that consecrated a free and ennobled spirit equal to any sacrifice or any conflict. The wars into which the colonies were forced by this policy of England, and the proximity of the French provinces, afforded the severe schools for their military education. The shores of Lake Champlain formed the nursery of future heroes of No. 112.1 669 the Revolution. The military spirit was here enkindled, that in after 3'ears blazed at Bunker Hill, and Bennington and Saratoga; and here, amid victory and defeat, the science and tactics of Eu- rope were inculcated and diffused throughout the broad colonies. If Washington was taught on the banks of the Monongahela to lead armies and to achieve independence to his country, Putnam and Stark, Pomeroy and Prescott, amid the forests and morasses of Horicon and Champlain, and beneath the walls f Ticonderoga, were formed to guide and conquer in the battles of freedom. Human wisdom, in her philosophy, may pause to contemplate these striking and singular coincidences, and to tiace these causes to their momentous results ; but the eye of faith will reverence them as the hidden workings of an overruling and beneficent Providence, who in these events was unfolding the elements and forming the agents of a mighty revolution, destined not only to sever a kingdom, but to change the course of human events. An ordinance of the King of France had authorized as early as 1G7G, the issuing of grants of lands situated in Canada. In ac- cordance with this power and assuming the sovereignty of France over the valley; of Lake Champlain, the government of Canada had caused a survey to be made of the lake and its contiguous territory, the year succeeding the erection of the works at Crown Point. Many of the names of the headlands, islands and other topographical features of the lake, which are still perpetuated, are derived from that survey. In their descriptive force and beauty, they almost rival the euphony and appropriateness of the Indian nomenclature. A map and chart based upon that survey, was published at Montreal in 1748, and has been scarcely sur- passed by any subsecpiently made, in its scientific aspect or minute- ness and accuracy. Kxtensive grants, under the ordinance of 1676, upon botli sides of tlie lake, are delineated u]K»n that niou- don, and assumed to raise four thousand troops, for the cam- paign of 1757. Theest, which often sweeps the lake at that advanced season, he was constrained to lead back his forces to Crown Point and Ticonderoga. The naval armament continued its advance, pursued and attacked the French fleet. This first conflict, U|>on the waters of Champlain, occur- • Grahtun baI SaoUeb. No. 112. J 679 red almost upon the theatre in another century, of Madonongh'g illustrious victory. ^^.^The works at Ticonderoga were enlarged and improved, and a; new fortress, with an exorbitant expenditure ot ten millions of dollars, erected at Crown Point, near the site of Fort St. Frederic. ' Each of these works, was constructed on a scale of vast and im- posing magnificence. The fort and field works at Ticonderoga^ spread over an area of several miles, and combined all the ele- ments of strength that science and labor could accomplish. The new fort at Crown Point, its trenches cut through the massive rock, and its ramparts elevated twenty-five feet in height, em- braced seven acres within its walls. The remains of these fortresses, now crumbling ruins, still prove their former splendor and strength. They are now guarded and preserved by private taste and intelligence, from the vandal outrages which were rapidly destroying them. We may cherish the hope, that the most extensive and imposing ruins in America, redolent with the brightest historical associations, and becoming shrouded in the venerableness of antiquity, will be perpetuated to excite the admiration and to attract the pilgrimage of future ages. These fields of glory are sow tilled in the peaceful pursuits of husbandry. In the vicinity of Ticonderoga, balls, muskets, swords, and numeroHS other relics of war, aM constantly revealed. At one period, the line of the fatal abattis, might almost be traeed by these dumb but significant memorials of the spot, where Che harvest of death had l>een the most exu}>erant. < The oourr'Cof thecircumvallaiions and trenches, singularly com- plex and interlaced, may readily be distinguished. Part of the battlements rising above the rocky elifi" are almost entire. The line of the r.imparts is still traced ; the ruins of a portion of the barracks remain, although private cupidity has removed much of the l*rick and btone of the buildings. The bakery is in a state of good preservation. At Crown Point the ruin is still better preser- ved, although here thedeepijiti rest that entrances at Ticonderoga, is less prof )Ufid lud excitin^^. The mounds of Fori St. Frederic are yet perceptible, although fallen and dilapidated. The oven, the covered way, and magazine, are easily distinguished. The fort 630 [ Assembly erected by Amberst, might even now be restored. The form of the vast quadrangular barracks, which enclosed the esplanade, may still be distinguished ; one side has been totally demolished, and another partially removed. They formed, until the desecration was arrested by the present proprietors, quarries that supplied building material to a wide region. Two of these barracks re- main in partial preservation, one 192 feet and the other 216 feet in length. The walls yet stand, and although roofless, without floors, and the beams charred and blackened, they are in more perfect condition than any other part of either ruin. The inner walls bear the soldier^' idle scribblings of almost a century ago ^ each room contains a broad and lofty fireplace.. The garrison well, almost one hundred fe^t deep, remains. The direction of the covered way, conducting to the lake, although occasionally fallen in, may readily be discerned. ' How changed the scenes, since the chivalry oi France and Eag- land, and the savage warriors from Acadia to the precincts of Hudson's Bay, were marshalled on these shores. Last autumn, standing on a lofty eminence on the southern limits of Essex coun- ty, I gazed far along the bold banks and tranquil bosom of Lake George. The view was as lovely as in the age of Montcalm and Howe, but not a sound broke the deep stillness of nature, not a form interrupted its solitude. When I stood amid the ruins of Crovrn Point, cattle were ruminating in its bastion, and a soiitaiy robin twittered among the branches of a tree, whose roots were interlaced among the rocks of the ramparts. I saw sheep feeding upon the walls of Fort Carillon, and plucked wild grapes from a vine clustering upon the ruins of its magazine. The English fort at Crown Point was esteemed impregnable to any ordinary attack The deep ditcb, and high walls of ponde- rous masonry, which surmounted it, and the solid work of its foundations, guarded it alike from assault or gradual approaches. Formidable as it then appeared, it is believed that it would be untenable against the heavier ordinance and increased power of the projectiles of modern science. * This campaign of A mherst was marked by only two other events? but of widely different aspects. Tlie one was the construction of No. 112.] mi a military road from the Connecticut river to the fortresses upon Lake Champlain — a measure suggested by wise and beneficent policy. The other incident, was the total destruction, by a de- tachment of Rangers, under Rogers, of the village of the St. Fran- cis Indians, with fire and the sword. While Amherst thus procrastinated, the last convulsive al- though nearly successful struggle for dominion had been made by the French, in the attempted recapture of Quebec. After this failure, the scattered fragments of the French power were concen- trated at Montreal. Haviland conducted an army from Crown Point, for its attack, and united with Amhorst and Murray on the shores of the St. Lawrence. On the 8th September, 1760, Vau- dreuil capitulated, and yielded to England the sceptre of New France. CHAPTER VL THE CX>L0NIZATl01ff. The infereice derived from the subsequent aspect of the coun- try, and the silence of documents and history on the subject is strong if not conclusive that the actual occupation of the Cham- plpin valley by the French, for practical and agricultural purpo- ses, although they maintained their military ascendancy for more than a fourth of a century, did n«t extend far beyond tiie protec- tion of tiieir fortresses. The extent and character of these early settlements is a ques- tion of strong interest, as well in the illustration it affords of the history of the region, as in the antiquarian researches it demands. Whatever may have been the number or situation of the French occupants, they appear to have receded befure the approach of the victorious arms of Amherst, and probably accompanied the retreat of the French forces. The most decisive evidence re- mains of the presence at some former periud of a large aud civil- ized C( mmuuity in the vicinity of Crown Point. The vestiges of their occupation which still exist, indicate a people who knew the comforts and amenities of life, and i»\ssebsed numbers and means to secure their eiijoyment. I do not hesitate to refer 682 [Assembly their existence to the epooJi of the French ascendancy, if not to a still more remote period. The allusions of ancient MSS cor- roborate the traditions preserved in the reminiscences of aged persons, that a population, ranging in the estimate from fifteen hundred to three thousand persons, were gathered around the fortress of St. Frederic, A very important trahc it is known ex- isted between the French and English possessions as early as 1700, and that Lake Champlain was the medium of the intercourse. Several years anterior to that period, Ciown Point, it will be re- collected, was referred to, as a prominent land mark in the pub- lic instructions of the municipal authorities of Albany. May it not have been, previous to the French occupation, an important mart of this commerce? We confidently assume the conclusion, that Crown Point, at an early period, was a conspicuous and flourishing trading post, where the commodities of France and England were interchanged, and where the Indians congregated from widely expanded hunting grounds, to traSc their peltries. We have already briefly sketched the peninsular position of Crown Point — one side resting on Bulwagga bay, and the other washed by the waters of the lake. The clearest evidences re- main, of the ground, for many rods along the margin of the bay, having been graded and formed into an artificial slope, inclining to the water. Ruins of enclosures are still visible. %he frag- ments of a forwer wall, in one kistance, distinctly mark its course. Trees wWch have sprung up, along the line of the wall, kave supported and preserved spaces of it almost entire. This enclo- sure, embracing an area of about two acres, was evidently a fruit yard or garden. Fruit trees were flourishing in it within the recollection of the present owner. An avenue seems to have s^vept in a wide wirvatare along the margin of the lake, in front of the enclosures, and approached a landing place, adapted to the craft which at that time navigated its waters. Still more distinct and palpable indications, are ex- liibited parallel to this avenue, upon the crest of a slight emi- nence, of the former residence of a dense and prosperous popvula- tion. A street may be traced, reaching a long distance towards No. 112.] 683 the main land, raised and covered with broken stone not unlike the McAdam roads of the present day. The ruins of cellars, many of which are excavated from the solid rock, line this street on each side. The compact arrangement of these cellars and the narrowness of the avenue, present a striking analogy to the anti- quated villages in Canada, founded by the French, and leave little doubt that their origin was the same. No vestige of this by-gone age, so thrilled upon my feelings and excited my imagination, as the remnant of the sidewalk along this street. It is formed of flagging similar to that now in use in our cities. The stones are smooth and worn, and remain in the position they were left by the generation who once thronged them in the busy scenes of life. We were assured by the occupant of the ground, that he has displaced many continuous rods of this pavement, in the course of his agricultural operations, which were in perfect preservation. To tread upon the pathway of a people whose name and line- age is forgotten, whose historjr is extinct, and whose very era is obscured, impresses the mind with a deeply saddeniag and so- lemnizing influence. These and equally marked indications, extend over a wide space about the fort and along the shores of the lake. Impressive evidenceg exi>it, near the r^^idence o-f Ool. Tremhl*?, of former extensive habitations. Two large cemeterift^, one near the garriaon grounds and the other upon the last locality, attest that tlie living, in numerous assemblies, once animated these scenes. The worthy occupant of thr. termor, remaiked, without seeming conscious that he was yielding to the dictate of a refined senti- ment, that he had felt conj^trainod in pm (icular spots to arrest the plow, because it so tearfully exposed the relics of the dead. Still another touching evidtnoo i*eraains that man, in an ad- vanced stage of flociety, has left his foot-prints en these scenes, to indicAto his former pre'en<'e. Asparagiis, othn l:ard7 plants and feh rubs, u^sually cherished by the hnnd of human culiure, still nourish, wild and uncared fjr, upon thcfo fields. The set- tlers, who occu] led the territory after the revolution, found, in (i84 [Assembly an area of about four miles from the fort, not a tree or a bush to obs'ruct the view over the beautiful and wide champaign, that had beeu once highly cultivated. Novv' a heavy forest covers half the tract. Rogers, in describing one of his predatory excur- sions, speaks of luxuriant crops waving upon these fields, and on another occasion, he alludes to his firing, in a sudden foray, the village itself. Kalm, the Swedish traveller, saw about the fort in 1749, " a considerable settlement," and ^' pleasant cultivated gardens," and " a neat little church within the ramparts." Persons recently deceased, whose recollection extended to a period beyond the revolution, recalled Crown Point when its business operations were conduAed in several stores. A circum- stance occurring at a later period, which we shall introduce, with its evidences, in a subsequent part of this narrative*, that seems to have contemplated Crown Point as the capital of a projected province, is strongly suggestive of its central position and politi- cal importance. A solitary farm house, now occupies the penin- sula of Cr©wn Point. I have been allured by the pathos and romance of a subject that I believe has no parallel in this countryj to yield an unasual space to its consideration. / Ahhougk Canada continued in the military occupation of the armies of England, the clouds and uncertainties, which shrouiled her future policy in reference to the permanent acquisition of the e©untj.y, retarded the settlement of the environs of Lake €!hani- plain by American emigrants. The officers and soldiers, of botk the regular and provincial line, in their repeated campaigns, had. become familiar with the region, and appreciated its beauty and fertility. The teeming west was still the domain of the savage. , These impediments to colonization were dispelled, when, by the treaty of 1762, Canada, Acadia and Cape Breton, were ceded to England. A proclamation made, Oct. 7th, 1763, by the King of Great Britain, authorized the colonial governors to issue grants of land on either side of Lake Champlain. The reduced ofl^cers and men, who had served in the Canadian campaigns, were especially to be regarded in the issuing of these grants. The holders were em- poweredj by the teiias of their giants, to make locations upon any No. 113] 685 unappropriated lands. This revolution in the attitude of the country, communicated a new impulse to its affairs, and opened its portals widely to emigration. The decade, succeeding the year 1765, exhibited vast progress in its improvement and cultivation. Numerous patents were granted, and locations under them, came frequently into collision with grants issued during the French intrusion. Stimulated by the value of the lands, immensely en- hanced by these evcDts, many grants, utterly fictitious, were as- serted, and others revived that had been abrogated by the French government, or forfeited by a failure in the performance of their conditions. Others derived from France, were preserved by ac- tual tenure, and had been recognized by the government of Great Britain. Many of these classes, were also violated by location of grants, issued in pursuance of iiie ordinance of 1763. No grants, in addition to those already mentioned, appear to have been issued by the French authorities, to any portion of Essex county, except one of Nov. 15, 1758, which compreheDded a large part of the territory, which now constitutes the towns of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. The adjustment of the conflicting rights of the patentees, under these adverse grants of the French and English authorities, was extremely difficult and embarrassing. A proper sense of justice, induced a suspension by the government in 1768, in the issuing of all patents of lands northward of Crown Point, which were claimed under any French grants. These colisions again threw a cloud over the progress and pros- perity of the country. Many of the French claims were ultimate- ly repudiated by England, on account of forfeitures through the neglect of the conditions upon which they were depenchmt ; others were com]>romised by grants, to the claimants of land in Canada of an equivalent value. England exhibited towards the claim- ants of tliese seigniories, great tenderness and liberality, in not assuming tlie ubviuus posilioA,ihat the French held the shores of Lake Champlain alone by an u>urped occupation, whieli could neither create nor convey any rights. These questions agitated and disturbed the colonies f^r several }eurs, and led in the home government to anxious and protracted discussions The multiplicity and extent of the grants, issued under the or- dinance of 17G3, the existence of these conflicting claims, and 686 [ASSEMBLT the repugnance of many of the patentees to the occupation them- selves of their land, combined to depress their value and throw them into market. William Gilliland, a native of Ireland, was at that peri- od, a merchant, residing in the city of New-York.* Endow- ed with great force of character and enterprise, and possessing expanded and sagacious views, he became conspicuous in the early settlement of Clinton and Essex counties, and held, for many years, a controlling ascendancy in the affairs of that region. Patents of rich and extensive Manors, had been, anterior to this time, granted in the southern sections of the province. Actuated by the desire of forming to himself a similar estate, the mind of Mr. Gilliland was attracted to the valley of Champlain,then sur- rounded by the circumstances to which allusion has been made. He employed, with this view, competent agents to explore the west shores of the lake. The larger proportion of the territory upon the eastern side, had already been granted and appropria- ted. He decided upon the result of this survey, to locate his proposed domain near the Boquet river, expanding southerly along the borders of the lake towards Splitrock. The remarkable beauty and fertility of the tract still vindicate the wisdom and tact of his selection. His first location was a sec- tion of two thousand acres, under a grant to Joseph Field. This was situated immediately south of the Eoquet,! and is now de- signated as Field's Patent. Mr. Gilliland subsequently purchased seven additional claims, which embraced in the aggregate more *I am greaOy indebted to Oscar F. Sheldon, Esq., of WiUaboro, for much valuable infor- mation, relatire to the early American settlement of this county. He has been engaged for fifteen years, with great zeal and intelligence, in collecting and arranging materials for its hia- tory. His efforts hare preserved a knowledge of many important facts and incidents, whidh otherwise would have been irretrievably lost. With great courtesy and liberality, he Bubmitted to my use, the very voluminous MSS. he had arranged, and the narrative already commenced. To this source, I refer for most of my authorities. I have also been permitted, by the court- esy of the Messrs. Gilliland of Plattsburgh, to inspect and use the original journal of William Gilliland, their ancestor. This highly interesting and valuable document, waa begun May ICth, 1165, the day his first colony left New-York, and is continued with considerable regu- larity for the two suocceding years, with occasional entries, until 1783. This journal is replete with interest and invaluable information ; I have derived from it, most of the prominent facta relative to tbe settlement of the county presented in my report. t The origin of the name of this river is uncertain. Tradition sAyg it woe thus earned by Mr. Qilliland, from the profusion of flowers on its banks. It is also supposed to have been de- HTed from G«n, Boquet, a» Englieh officer of considerable distinction. No. 112. j 687 than fifteen thousand acres of land. The territory he compre- hended and located under these grants, commencing a half mile south of the river, extended to Judd's patent, which seems to have been previously surveyed, near Splitrock, presenting on the shore of the lake a line of about six miles, and spreading three or four miles into the interior. The purchase of these rights was effect- ed in 1764, and the grants issued and the land surveyed the en- suing year. Impressed by the natural predilections of an Euro- pean to manorial institutions, his policy seems to have designed the creation of an estate in fee, in himself, with subordinate es- tates to a tenantry held at annual leases. The consummation -of a scheme of this character, applied to a wild and uncultivated re- gion, demanded an exercise of extreme skill and sagacity. The inducements presented by Gilliland, to emigration, were conceiv- ed in the most liberal and enlarged spirit. His arrangements lor organizing the proposed colony manifested every regard for its comfort and success. He seems to have secured a body of intel- ligent and industrious emigrants, formed principally of mechanics and laborers, and adapted to endure the toil and privation of a pioneer life. Amply provided with implements, tools, provisions, and all other requisites, he left New-York with his colony on the. 10th of May, 1765, and occupied ten days in the voyage from that eity to Albany.* Deciding at this place, to convey a part of the emigrants and the material by water, to Fort Edward, he was ©ompelled to purchase batteaux at Schenectady, and to transport them over land to Albany. In the laborious toil of eight days, contending with the strong current and dangerous rapids of the Hudson, he reached Fort Edward in safety. A part of the train had proceeded by land, driving with them a herd of forty-one head of neat cattle, destined for the future use of the colony. The oxen were employed in the transportation of the boats and effects to Lake George. Three da}s were exhausted in this operation, "when the little fleet was again launched, and wafted by sails to Tio(jnderoga. Two days more of transporlatiou by land, brought • I h»vo before mo bji original letter, which cxrm|)liC©a tlie dc\tj and tedium of this ioter- eovrau »t ft etill lator period. It ia (iiiird " CoxBackio 2A inilog from Albiuij fr/day 26th Oct 1T92." It mjt, "The Gmt day, all day on the Overslaugh, with a Cce N. W. »md, 2d day a ligbt brccre for a few hours in our favor — then Southerly wind all liwt night &. to day strong jbJo art S E. Wc havo Jout eoojc in to the harbour, from whence I write to icU ytm, that yoo mmfi% iLiikr out tiienc 3 days afl uothii^^ ^ *^ ^°^* .-vllotlcd to my aL«ccaM.'' 688 1 Assembly them to the waters of Lake Champlain One batteau was freight- ed with lumber at Ticonderoga, supplied by saw mills which were erected during the French occupation. Aejain embarking, they arrived on the shores of the Boquet en the 8th day of June, having occupied in their journey thirty days of arduous and in- cessant labor. After the interval of two days, devoted to rest and preliminary arrangement, they proceeded up the river to the point of their ultimate destination, and formed their.encampment upon an island at the base of the falls, which, from that circumstance, still bears the name of '^' Camp Island." With promptness and energy ope- rations were at once commenced. A road was opened to the falls, and by the 15th of that month ground had been cleared, timber prepared, and a house, 44 feet by 22, partly erected. This edi- fice was probably the first dwelling built by civilized man, on the western shore of Champlain, between Crown Point and Canada. The cattle had been driven to Crown Point, and there made to swim the narrow passage. Proceeding to a point opposite to Splitrock, they were ferried over, and from thence driven through the woods to Gilliland's settlement. A part of them were con- fined and fed upon the leaves of the trees, but the largest portion were turned loose to the unlimited range of the forest.* The first great necessity secured, by the erection of a dwelling, the colonists prepared for general improvement. The forest was opened, the vicinity explored, timber prepared for a saw mill, which was erected in the autumn, at the lower part of the falls, and supplied with power by a wing dam, which was projected into the current, turning the water into a flume that conducted it to the mill. Game was abundant in the woods; the most delicious salmon thronged the stream, that almost laved their threshold, and the beaver meadows yielded them sufficient hay for the approach- ing winter. The spontaneous products of a bounteous land were thus within the reach of their industry and energies. Meanwhile, as these efforts were in progress, Mr. Gilliland had visited Quebec, • GiUiUniJ's Jonrnal. ¥&. 113.] 689 and returned ladened with all other appliances to secure the com- fort and safety of his people. "During his absence he had ex- amined the region with a vigilant eye, upon both shores of the lake ; had ascended the navigable streams, sounded their depths, and explored their banks. Twelve grants had now been located by Mr. Gilliland. Eight of these were situated within the pre- sent town of Willsboro ; two at Westport, and two at Salmon River, now in Clinton county. A tier of lots, intended for farms, was surveyed and numbered in this year (1765), ranging along the shore of the lake, from the mouth of the Boquet to Judd's patent. Many of these lots were immediately selected by the settlers, but on account of the advanced season were not occu- pied until the succeeding spring.''* The settlement upon the Boquet was named "Milltown." Mr. Gilliland, in November, left it, with his other interests upon Lake Champlain, in charge of a kinsman, whom he dignified with the European title of " steward." He'passed the winter himself in New- York, engaged in preparations for the removal of his family to his new estate. The cattle which had been turned out upon their arrival, were recovered with great difficulty in the autumn, and in a condition almost as wild as the native denizens of the forests. The first winter of these pioneers in the wilds of New-York, was passed without suffering or remarkable incident. Their time was occu- pied in attending the cattle, cutting and drawing saw-logs to the mill, and in the preparation of timber for the construction of their buildings. " In January, 1766, their hay was drawn upon the ice, from a beaver meadow, two miles south-west from Split Rock, (now Whallon's bay,) to Milltown. In the February of that year, a purpose was formed by a part of the colony to aban- don the settlement. Two men seized a team, and attempted, with their families, to escape into Canada. Through the vigilance of the steward, they were pursued by a guard from Crown Point, and brought back."t At tlie approach of spring, all the eftbrts of the settlers were enli.sted in constructing their dwellings, and making other improvements upon their newly acquired * 0. F. Sboldoo, and th*^ ililliUrd p«p«n. t 0. F. Sheldon, MBS. [Ag. Tr. TiS.] TT 690 [Assembly farms. The first house upon these lots is supposed to have been erected for Robert McAuley, April 14thj 1766, on the north bank of Bachelor's creek. Others rapidly succeeded, until the whole space between the Boquet and Split Rock was studded by the neat cabins of the settlers. During the spring, the provisions of the colony began to fail, but their wants were promptly supplied from the stores of the garrison at Crown Point. In June Mr. Gilliland returned with his family, and bearing supplies for another year. *' His journey had been difficult and disastrous. In passing the rapids of the Hudson, near Still- water, one of the batteaux had capsized, precipitating part of his family into the rushing torrent. One of his daughters Avas lost. They resumed their voyage in fearful forebodings, sometimes draw- ing their boats o^ land, and again launching them upon the water. Worn with grief and toil, they arrived at length at Mill- town, and were soon settled in their wilderness home on the banks of the Boquet.''* 'By a royal ordinance of October 7th, 1763, the parallel of 45 deg. north latitude had been established as the boundary between New-York and the province of Quebec. This ideal line, was, however, indefinite and controverted. In September, 1767, Gov. Moore, of New- York, and Carlton, of Quebec, caused the line to be fixed by careful astronomical observations. The same obser- vations established the latitude of Crown Point at 44 deg. 1 min. 20. sec. On this occasion the munificent hospitalities of Mill town, were extended to the royal commissioners, and their suite. f The return of the proprietor had infused a fresh spirit, and im- parted a new and vigorous impulse, to the little commonwealth. The colony continued to advance in improvement and prosperity. The saw mill was in successful operation, supplying all the de- «0. F. Sheldon. tThe Journal of Mr. Gilliland, under date of September, lOtb, 1766,ha8 tliis characteristic entry, '^proceeded to the Congress for settling the latitude at Windmill point, having bronght three shoats, some salmon and a fat calf, for the Goyernor, who tbankfally received them, heiiig almost out cf fresh provisioc." No. 112j 691 mand for lumber. A smithery had been erected. Various see^ had been sown, to supply culinary vegetables. The goverment, political as well as moral, of the community, was in the exclusive guidance aud control of the proprietor. Its administration, seems to have been eminently patriarchical. The appointment of justice of the peace, which had been conferred on Mr. Gilliland, in his primitive jurisdiction, endowed him with a plentitude of powers, that essentially embraced all the functions of counsellor, judge and chancellor. The ample limits of Albany county, at that period; embraced the whole region of northern New- York. A tract of two thousand acres, lying north of the Boquet, which had been patented to James Ross, was occupied in 17()6, by two persons named Wilson and Goodrich. They established an agency, which they called Burton at Flat 'Rock Bay. The attempt was abandoned in Februaiy ensuing, and no further occupation, north of the Boquet in Willsboro, occurred prior to the year 1790, ex- cept one slight improvement, near the stream. Two other patents were granted at this time. One of which, issued to John Mon- tresor, was located north of Ross, and the other laid west of Field and Ross, to Richard Benson and others who were soldiers in the war with France. These locations still remain, and are designated by the names of the original patentees. The patents to Montrcsor and Benson, were occupied only by '' Squatters," until 1819. In that year they were purchased by Seth Hunt of Keene, New-Hamp- shire. The validity of the original patents, and his title under tliem was soon after established, and his rights judicially enforced. Many individuals, who were innocent purchasers under the spuri- ous titles to these patents, were severe sufferers, in tlie issue of the controversies excited by the conflicting claims. Duriug the winter 17G7, Gilliland made anaccurate aud minute survey upon the ice, of the lake shore, along the entire front of .his locations, and named the prominent topographical features. In the same .season the tirst horse introduced iwto the settlement, was brought out upon the ice, for Mr. Gilliland, from Caiuula. William McAuley, a relative and ouc vi' the prominent nnd most efficient coadjutor* of Gilliland, occupied as a farm, the' fcite 592 [Assembly of the present beautiful village of Essex. James Gilliland, a brother of the proprietor, and in after years a distinguished officer in the American army, settled on a lot on the north bank of the Boquet. This stream, at the time of Gilliland's colonization of its shores, and for a subsequent period of several years, was a conspicuous landmark in tlje country. The site and tlie water power of the village of Port Henry, was granted in 1766, to Benjamin Porter, a miller. It is sup- posed a milling establishment was erected by him and aban- doned or destroyed before or during the -Re volution. When tranquility was restored after that event, he returned to the scene, and in connection with a Robert Lewis, of Albany, rebuilt the mills. The ruins of these structures existed until a recent date.* CHAPTER VII. TO THE REVOLUTION. Ko prominent event, distinguished the annals of these settle- ments for several years. Their agricultural and industrial im- provement continued to advance, the colony gradually increased in population, flourishing mills were erected, and other con- veniences and refinements of civilized life were introduced. Schools were early established. The position of the first school house is still pointed out. Occasional religious services were en- joyed. I cannot ascertain the existence, in the early epoch of the settlement, of the stated administration of religious ordinances, although a clergyman named George Henry, accompanied Mr. Gilliland with the first body of emigrants. Albany county was divided in 1772, and the northern' section, embracing both sides of Lake Champlain, was organized into a new county, which received the name of Charlotte. * Moet of the facts and incident-s in tbe colonization of this region^ for which I am indebted ix) Mr. Sheldon, whose ancestors were among the earliest emigrants after the Revolution, wero derived from them, Mr. Gilliland, the son of the proprietor, and other aged settlers. Many of th&ae facts I hare corrobOTated myself, from equally reliable sources. No. 112.] 693 An event occurred in 1775, which forcibly illustrates the ten- dency at that time^ of public sentiment to democratic institutions, and exhibits its bias towards the doctrines of self-government. This settlement, it has been stated, was in the ideal limits of Charlotte county, but it possessed no tangible and practical poli- tical or social organization. It was too remote to be reached by the protecting arm of government, and too unimportant to receive any specific legislative action. The presence and ascendancy of some civil or political power were demanded, in the changed condition and increased population of the colony, by their com- mon interests, and for their ir.utual protection and safety. Under these circumstances they convened on the 17th of March, 1775,* by common approbation, an assembly of the colonists, and con- stituted themselves in effect, into a pure democracy. At this popular convention it was determined to institute for many prac- tical purposes, a local government. A system of police and so- cial regulations were matured, formally adopted, and ratified by the individual signatures of the citizens. It was made imp: rative upon all, and each was pledged to abide by its provisions ^'by every tie of honor and honesty."! In contemplating this singu- lar and most interesting incident, the mind instinctively reverts to the cabin of the May Flower, where a similar scene was enact- ed, under the guidance of the same spirit and resting upon the same eternal principles. The officers of the association thus constituted, comprised a moderator, two superintendents of roads and bridges, three appraisers of damages, and a town clerk. William Gilliland was elected the first moderator, and Jothaui Gardner the town clerk. The first act of this primitive organiza- tion, was an ordinance, authorizing the construction of a bridge, by a tax to be levied and paid in labor, assessed on the basis of property. A project is believed to have been agitated at this period, • They were chiefly Iri.ih, and Ft. Patrkk'i festival wa* no doibt designedly adopted for tb« oocaKJon. \ Thi« compact, which was renewed the next year, was made "hindin^ for the tipaoe of twelve montha "' fr«m the date, ''and uleo to be equally binding upon euch other persone ac may b«come inhabitants of thia settlement during theynid terra.'' Although tLia organization asFumod no political authority, it clearly cherished the embryo of moh a power a^ li:h«rest xn the people. 694 [Assembly whica in its success would have formed a prominent feature in the annals of this colony, and been an event of grave interest and importance in the political history of the country. A scheme, in which Gill Hand and the elder Skeene, of a family which at- tained subsequent revolutionary notoriety, were the prominent agitators, was discussed and essentially matured, which contem- plated the organization of a new province. Its imagined limits were to extend from the St. Lawrence to the Connecticut, resting at the north on the Canada boundary. In this project Skeene was to receive the appointment of governor of the con- templated province, and Crown Point was to be constituted the capital. I have yielded my own convictions of the reality of this scheme, not alone upon the traditions on the subject, and the assurances of those who professs to have seen and possessed documents which elucidated the whole subject, but upon other forcible con- siderations.* The aspect at that epoch of the controversy, relative to the K'ew-Hampshire grants, rendered such an occurrence exceedingly probable. Cotemporary annals appear to recognize the exist- ence of some project of an analogous character and purpose. f The diplomatic expedient of Allen, by which he asserted a claim to all Northern New-York, may have been suggested by this idea. Skeene, it is known, at this period, visited England on some im- portant political mission, and was on his return to America on the verge of the Revolution, bearing, as he alleged, the appoint- ment of " Governor of Crown Point and Ticonderoga.t In this designation of the limits and title of his government, is it not pro- bable that he merely referred to these fortresses as prominent points embraced within his jurisdiction] Crown Point, it is as- * Mr. Gilliland, tte younger, who, at the commencement of the Revolution, was a schoolboy of fourteen, and died in Plattsburgh in tho year 184T, a,?9ured Mr. Sheldon that this project was 9 frequent and familiar theme of conversation by bis father. That ho had often himself read th s correspondence between his father and Skeene, on the subject, and that he had the letter of Skeene still in bis possession. Mr. G-., who was a gentleman of great intelligence, cn»a-'od to ^^ and submit them to jMr. Sheldon, but he died before the time fixed for tho pur- po90 arrived. With the permifision and aid of the Messrs. <5ijlli!and, his sons, who reside at Siklmoa river, on a part of the original cst^'-.te, I have carefully examined the family papers, but can discover no trace of this document. t WilUaxa's Uist. Vennout. linakia'p do. | Skeone's letter to Hawley, March 16, 1775. No. 112.] 695 serted, was the designed capital of the projected province. This idea strengthens at once the opinion I have attempted to en- force, of the prominence and importance of Crown Point at that period, and attaches form and coherence to the existence of this scheme. Skeene was then possessed of a large landed estate, not only at Skeenesboro, but elsewhere in the environs of Lake Cham- plain. He held a tract in Essex county, still designated " Skeene's patent." The accomplishment of this design might have involved the most momentous and sinister political results, at that peculiar epoch, when the vehement contest between New- York and Ver- mont had acquired its deepest rancour and excitement. It is not probable, had that event occurred, whatever may have been the political consequences, that Northern New-York would now exhi- bit a vast expanse of uncultivated and primeval wilderness. An occurrence of deep import, suddenly dissolved all these visions of political plans and speculations, and for years arrested the progress of this miniature republic, and dispersed widely its population. A blow was struck, within the present limits of Es- sex county, which vibrated not only through the wide colonies, but was felt within the palace walls of St. James. CHAPTER VIIL FROM THE CAPTURE OF TiCONDEROGA TO EVRGOYNS's EXPEDITION. Haldibrand, the commander of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, had announced to the government, in 1773, that the fort at Crown Point was " entirely destroyed," and that at Ticonderoga in a "ruinous condition," and that'l)oth could ^-not cover fifty men in winter." The ai)peal to arms, which in April, '75, had sound- ed from the plains of Lexington, seems simultaneously to have suggested to various patriotic individuals and associations in the colonies, the idea of capturing these important fortresses, in their dilapidated and exposed condition. Members of the provincial legislature of Connecticut, with its secret connivance, but with no public recognition by that body, raised a fund to effect this ob- ject, and appointed a private committee to proceed to tne scene, 696 [Assembly L 4 and if practicable to execute the' plan. In the county of Berk- shire a small force was collected, and at Bennington the daring spirit and powerful influence of Ethan Allen were promptly en- listed in the enterprise. On the 7th of May, 1775, an intrepid band of two hundred and seventy volunteers, devoted to this daring purpose, and all of which, except forty, were from the Green mountains, had assembled in Castleton. At this moment Arnold, invested with plenary powers from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, to accomplish the same object^ appeared upon the stage and claimed precedence in the command of the expedition. The contest which ensued and which threatened a fatal result to the whole enterprise, was terminated by the troops refusing to march, except under the guidance of Allen, their tried and cherished leader. Arnold, constrained to acquiesce in the deci- sion, joined the force as an aid to the commander. Noah Phelps, a name that national gratitude should commemorate, one of the committee from Connecticut, assuming the garb and deportment of a settler, boldly entered the fort at Ticonderoga, and there ex- hibiting extreme ignorance and simplicity, and with the pretence of seeking a barber, wandered unsuspected about the works, and thus obtained an ample knowledge of the condition and forces of the fortress. The garrison was slumbering in profound security. To procure the means of transporting the troops, Herrick had been sent to Skeenesboro, and Baker was to join them from Otter creek, but when the forces, in the night of the 9th, reached Shoreham, oppo- site to Ticonderoga, neither had returned with the necessary boats. Seizing those which could be reached, Allen boldly decided to proceed. The landing was effected at a little cove, a mile north of the fort. As the dawn of morning appeared, only eighty three men had reached the western shore, yet Allen knowing that delay would imperil the issue, determined at once to advance to the assault. The story of the gallant deed, to which the history of the world scarcely presents a parallel, need not here be repeated. The fortress which had cost so much blood and treasure, was won by the little band, in a bloodless triumph '' in the name of Je- hovah and the Continental Congress." Warner was despatched No. 112.] 697 to seize Crown Point, which was occupied by a mere sergeant's guard. That fort and garrison, the ensuing day were captured without resistance. The trophies of this conquest, were two hun- dred pieces of cannon, mortars and howitzers, and a large amount of military stores. Another most desirable acquisition to the patriot cause, was a ware house filled with materials for boat building.* These munitions were of great value and importance in the future operations of the colonies, but such results were far transcended by the moral influence and political consequences of this measure. Remember Baker had been summoned from Otter creek to partici- pate in this expedition, and hastening to the aid of his old asso- ciate happily intercepted boats despatched from Crown Point to announce at St. Johns, the capture of Ticonderoga. Arnold renewed his pretensions to the supreme command, after the reduction of the forts, in the arrogant and dictatorial spirit, that at every period of his career, sullied his character and mar- red his preferment. Although rejected by the troops, Allen in deference to the great intrepidity winch had been exhibited by Arnold, partially acceded to these claims. The Connecticut com- mittee however, justly assuming that the government of Massachu- setts had no relation to this movement, established Allen in the command, with unlimited powers. A course which Massachusetts ultimately approved. Elated with the eminent success of their bold project, it was decided to attempt the capture of an armed sloop, lying at St. Johns. A small schooner commanded by Arnold, accompanied by Allen in a batteau, proceeded to St. Johns upon this errand, and by successfully accomplishing it, secured to the Provincials tlie ascendancy on the lake. Although Congress, on the intelligence of these extraordinary events, advised " the transportation of the various articles to a place of security," they required an inventory of them to be made, in the languasje of their resolution, " in order that they may be safely returned, wlien the restoration of harmony between Great Britain and the colonies, so ardently desired by the latter, ?hall *TbompaoD> History of Vermont. 608 fAsSFMBLT render it prudent and consistent with the overruling laws of self- preservation." Thus shrinking from the responsibility of the glorious deed, Congress refused to ratify the first deliberate and predetermined assault upon British authority. History, in forming its judgment of the character and the services of the men who achieved these perilous and daring ex- ploits, should regard the fact, that they acted under the behests of no legitimate and recognized government, but from the mere impulses of individual enterprise and patriotism ; that their acts constituted outlawry, and that a failure would have entailed up- on them the retributions visited upon treason and rebellion. By a singular coincidence, the Congress that determined to raise an army to assert the civil immunities of the colonies, assembled on the very day that beamed upon the capture of these fortresses. The reduction of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, opened to the colonies the gates of Canada. The prescience of Allen's mind, and his practical sagacity, comprehended at a glance, the magnitude of the consequences which might result from the measure, and which he saw within the grasp of Congress. In urging with the warmest importunity and with irresistible reasoning, an immediate attack on Canada, he foreshadowed a policy, which then rejected, was afterwards adoj)ted, w^ben the auspicious moment had passed. In a commun- ication to Congress in June 7th, he utters this vigorous and em- phatic language " I would lay my life on it, that with fifteen hun- dred men I would take Montreal.'"' Ethan Allen stands out in bold prominence and originality among the extraordinary men, whose high attributes of mind and character were evolved from the crucible of the times. His own age, under the prejudices of controversy, was too prone to regard him as a rude and ferocious adventurer, inflamed by the mere animal impulse of courage, but without the intellectual qualities to guide and elevate their purposes. The intellect that could attain and preserve a mastery over the minds and hearts of such a race as the " men of the Green Moun- tains," and wield that " fierce democracy " to his purposes, had no ordinary powers » No. 112.] 699 At Castleton, when Arnold asserted the command, every man shouldered his musket, and prepared to return to his home ; but with Allen, their leader, they knew no doubt ; they had no fear. It was no common mind that enabled him, with kindred spirits, on one hand, to paralyse the power of New-York, and on the other, by his keen diplomacy to arrest the progress of the British arms. History and posterity are beginning to appreciate Allen, and to award the guerdon long and unjustly withheld. Why should not the magnanimity and patriotism of New- York erect a monument on the cliffs of Ticonderoga, that shall redeem his name, and be a perpetual memorial of his great exploit. Arnold, with indefatigable efforts and zeal, had equipped a fiotilla, which he commanded, and that secured the supremacy of the lake ; but perpetual feuds, which beset his path, led to his resignation and withdrawal from his^ position. No other event in this region distinguished that memorable year, except the organi- zation of the forces for the invasion of Canada. Congress, too late, adopted the plan suggested by Allen and Arnold, of the ijivasion of Canada. An army of two thousand men was assembled at Crown Point and Ticonderoga, und^er the successive command of Schuyler and Montgomery, and supplied with every appliance within the limited capacity of the govern- ment. It embarked at these posts on the 21st of August, 1775, On its impracticable and disastrous campaign. Greneral history amply portrays the fate of this gallant little army, its preliminary victories, its final repulse, and calamitous retreat. Congress, meanwhile, had pressed from the Champlaiu fortresses to the utmost extent of their means, reinforcements and supplies to its aid ; but the severities of a northern winter, and the ravages of a loathsome disease, continued to pursue and waste it, until assailed by a superior enemy, tlie American army was compelled to abandon Canada. Crown Point was evacuated, the buildings burnt, and the mate- rial not capable of removal destroyeil ; and the entire American forces, with their munitions, were congregated around Ticon- deroga. 700 [Assembly A large and perfectly equipped British army had concentrated at St. Johns, and menaced the colonies with a formidable inva- sion. Its advance depended upon the naval preponderance on the lake. To secure that result, each p^ty exerted the most animated activity. Six vessels of a large class, which had been built in England, were taken apart, transported to St. Johns, and there, in the summer of 1776. reconstructed. Boats of various dimensions were built at that place with the utmost celerity, but with all these vigorous efforts of the British commander, the fleet consisting ot thirty-one vessels, ranging in their armament from one to eighteen guns, was not prepared to advance into the lake until the ensuing 1st of October. This formidable fleet was navigated by seven hundred veteran seamen, and armed in addition by an efficient corps of artillery. Congress had been equally alert and energetic, but with means totally inadequate to the magnitude of the issue. The timber required for the construction of a fleet was yet standing in the forest, and was to be cut, prepared, and conveyed by human labor to the shipyards at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. The material for its equipment must be transported a long distance over roads, nearly impracticable. The ship carpenters, who must construct the vessels, are occupied by urgent duties in the yards upon the sea coast. Amid all these adverse circumstances, the indomitable energies of Arnold formed and equipped a squadron of fifteen vessels^ bearing an aggregate battery of fifty-five guns, and armed by three hundred and fifty gallant and determined men, who had, how- ever, little or no experience in naval affairs. The great exigency invoked courage and sacrifices; and notwithstanding this vast dis- parity of strengrli, Arnold fearlessly threw himself across the path of the advancing enemy. The fleets met in the narrow strait between Valcour Island and the western shore, just beyond the northern limits of Essex county. "For four hours the battle raged with unabated and terrific violence. Arnold leveling him- self almost every gun, in his own vessel, conducted the battle with the highest skill and heroism. Night separated the com- batants. No. 112.] 701 The American fleet, shattered and disabled, passing around the northern point of the Island, attempted to escape to Crown Point, enveloped in the fog of a dark and cloudy night. The earliest dawn, revealed their retreat to the vigilant enemy, and an instant pursuit ensued. In the obscurity of the hour, a solitary rock, standing in the midst of the lake, and shrouded in the autumnal mist, was mista- ken by the British, for a vessel of the American fleet, and a cannon- ade was directed against it. The mariner of the lake, still calls that rocky islet, ^« Carlton's prize." Arnold was overtaken near Otter cree-k, by the British fleet, and in covering the retreat of the remainder of his squadron, maintained with his single galley and five gondolas for another four hours, a bloody and glorious combat. Determined to pre- serve his vessels from becoming trophies to the enemy, he ran the six ashore and blew them up. Their blackened fragments, for many years remained upon the beach at Panton, memorials of his gallantry and patriotism,longafter other deeds had stamped infa- my upon his name. One galley only was taken, while the rest of the fleet retreated to Tieonderoga. Gen. Carlton advanced no farther than Crown Point, which he again occupied, and after spending a month in observing the move- ments of the American army, and threatening an attack at Tieon- deroga, returned to Canada with his troops. CHAPTER IX. FROM TIIK TEAR 1776 TO 1784. The colony upon the Boquet, had not remained amid these eventful scenes, undi.sturbed by the tempest, which had swept through the lake. Mr. Gilliland had espoused tlie cause of the colonies with ardor and enthusiasm, and was early marked as an object of ministerial vengeance.* In concert with men of conge- nial sentiments, a military organization, enil)racing both shores of Champlain, liad been formed immediately after the capture of * See hii memorial to OongrMd Lq the Appeodix. 702 [Assembly Ticonderoga. He efficiently aided in the transportation of the American army in the invasion of Canada, and at its retreat from that calamitous campaign, his dwellings and gariaers were thrown open to relieve their necessities. His patriotic and generous mu- nificence seems to have had no limit, but the ability to perform. Seventy head of beef cattle, and fifteen hundred salted salmon, ■were, in one season, among the items of his liberal and free con- tribution. At the retreat of the American army, the inhabitants of this settlement, who had been prompt and decisive in avowing a hos- tility to England, and conspicuous for iheir progress and pros- perity, were apprehensive of attacks from the Indians, and hasti- ly abandoned their farms and dwellings, endeared to them by ten years of toil and privation, most of them never to return. Gilliland, with his family, withdrew to the vicinity of Crown Point, but returned, with part of his tenants, to secure their harvests, and to remove and secrete their property. Ponderous articles were buried or sunk in the lake. ^ Many families, home- less and destitute, embracing Carlton's offers of amnesty, joined the British forces, and in a few cases, adopted the interests of England. Much valuable property, thus secreted, was, by the agency of these loyalists, exposed to the British officials, and seized and confiscated. On the 21st of June, 1777, Burgoyne landed with his brilliant army on the banks of the Boquet. Ten days w^ere occupied in are- connoisance of Ticonderoga, in reorganizing his forces, in drilling his boatmen, in the estuary of that river, in the evolutions inci- dent to their duties, and in holding his celebrated congress with the Indian tribes. The selection of this point, as the scene of so important an event, indicates its prominence. The summons of the British general had been responded to by the savage warriors, in far greater numbers than he had expected or desired. A redoubt, standing on an eminence above the river, and near the falls, wa« signalized by this picturesque and impressive spectacle. The operations of agriculture have now obliterated all vestiges of this work, although, until recently, its lines could be distinctly traced. No. 112. J 70 o These hordes were addressed by Burgoyne, in a speech profess- iEg to restt'ain their ferocity, but calculated In its influence to in- flame their savage passions. A war chief of the Iroquois, replied with equal vehemence, pledging the tribes to an eternal warfare, against the foes of England. A feast was held, the war-dance celebrated, and these merciless savages let loose upon the colonies. Burgoyne, soon after, concentrated his forces at Crown Pointy and there issued a turgid and declamatory proclamation addressed to the American people, which v/as equally unsuccessful in exci- ting their fears or winning their confidence. The interval occupied by these delays, had been vigorously em- ployed by Gen. St. Clair in improving the strength of the origi- nal fort at Ticonderogajand in erecting additional works. A lofty * eminence, named Mt. Independence^ upon the eastern side of the lake, he fortified, by a strong and extensive redoubt. Congress, from inability or remissness, had failed to supply either muni- tions, or a garrison competent to the adequate occupation of the extended works. ^ Compelled by this fact to the course or swayed by a false se- curity, St. Clair had neglected to occupy two other commanding and important positions. One of these, called by him Mt. Hope, to commemorate the higli expectations formed by its capture, was seized on his advance by Gen. Frazer. The other, Mt. Defi- ance, is situated on the south side of the outlet of Lake George. Under the direction of Gen. Philips, the British had surmounted the rugged slope of this eminence, in the night preceding the 5th of July. With dismay and astonishment the Americans beheld at the early dawn, its crest occupied by a battery* bristling with ordinance and gleaming with the scarlet of the British uniform. Neither Ticonderoga nor Mt. Independence was longer tenable, and a council of war decided without hesitation, to abandon both works. These posts were connected by a floating bridge one thousand feet in length. The same night, a division of the American troops were defiling in silence and order over this biidge unsuspected by the enemy, when suddenly the glare of a burning house upon Mt. Indcj»endence shed a brilliant illumina- tion over the scene and revealed their movements and position. • The niioB of tbijj battcrj are still vcrj diBtlD«t. 704 [ Assembly The rojal army was at once aroused, and at an early hour the British flag was again waving over the ramparts of Fort Carillon. The Americans retreated in general confusion and disorder, to Hubberton, and there recovering their discipline and assuming a favorable position, awaited the attack of Gen. Frazer, by whom they had been closely pursued. Here was fought one of the most bloody, ablj' contested and disastrous battles of the Revolu- tion. It has not acquired that prominence in American history, or that consideration from the country due to the valor and sacri- fices by which it was signalized. Had the issue been favorable to the American arms, as was probable at one period, its results would have anticipated the consequences and the glory of Ben- nington. St. Clair, embarking the main division of the garrison with the stores, munitions and provisions which it was practicable to re- move, in batteaux protected by* the galleys, retreated towards Skeenesboro. The booms and bridges which had been constructed with the labor of many months, were at once burst asunder, and the British squadron bearing several regiments of troops, was soon in rapid pursiMt of the retreating flotilla. Two of the galleys were taken by the enemy, the rest were destroyed by the Americans. Burgoyne acquired by the capture of Ticonderoga a vast amount of stores, ordinance and other military supplies. I leave to public history the recital of the subsequent progress and fate of Burgoyne. A bold and spirited scheme was conceived in the following September by Gen. Lincoln, then in the military command of Vermont, to assail the base of Burgoyne's operations and to sur- prise Ticonderoga. The plan, which was pursued with great boldness and zeal, had entire success, except in the capture-of the fortress itself Mt. Hope and Mt. Defiance* were recovered, * Capt. Ebenezer Allen, with forty '^ Green Mountain boys," surprised and captured the works on Mt. Defiance, which contained a garrison of two hundred men and fortified with artillery. He subsequently, with a small force, by a ruse, made prisoners of the rear guard of the retreating garrison of Ticonderoga, wi'.h a large quantity of stores and munitions. Thia feat ocourred near the present village of Essex. — Butler's Address. No. 112.] 705 a large number of American prisoners released, several hundred of the enemy captured, with an armed vessel and more than two hundred batteaux. After the surrender of the British army at Saratoga, the garri- sons upon Lake Champlain evacuated and dismantled the various posts and withdrew their entire forces into Canada. Bands of tories, more ruthless than their savage allies, fleeing from the disorganized array of Burgoyne, with passions inflamed and vindictive, left a track of desolation in their retreat. Tradi- tion avers that not a dwelling in thd whole Gilliland settlement, from Splitrock to theBoquet, escaped the torch. No further belligerent mov ments of interest occurred during the war upon the shores of Lake Champlain. Gen. Haldimand advanced in 1780 to Ticonderoga, and again occupied the fort, rather apparently in a diplomatic, than a mili- tary attitude. The armistice established by him and the Vermont authorities, which extended to the Hudson liver, was probably regarded as embracing the Champlain valley. Ticonderoga, in this interval, was the scene of those undefined negotiations between Vermont and England, the character and pur- poses of which have excited so much discussion, and which ar« still enveloped in such profound obscurity. Whether the intentions of Vermont were disloyal to the au thority of Congress, or dictated by a consummate diplomatic sagacity, the direct effect of this armistice was most auspiriuus to the interests of the country. It threw an eflfectual shield over the wh< le northern frontier, and fur a long period arrested the action of ten thousand Britisli troops. The fields which hud been cleared and cultivated on the Bo- quet with so much labor, had been abandoned from '76 to '84, and wlion peace reftored tran(piility and security, and the .'^ettlei'S returned, they found that nature had almost ^e-establi^^hed her [As- Tr. '53,J UU 706 [Assembly empire over the territory. Brambles and weeds infested the land, the roads had become impassable, the fences and bridges were prostrated and decayed. Much of the former tolls of the colony were to be renewed. The personal history of Mr. Gilliland, so intimately interwoven with the settlement and progress of the county, demands atten- tion. In common with an innumerable class of patriots, who had freely lavi:^hed their fortunes upon tlie country in the hour of trial cind effort, the peace of '83 found Mr. Gilliland deeply em- barrasicd in his pecuniary affairs. The acquisition of an estate of 30,000 acres upon the borders of Cliampiain, with the disbursements incident to its improve- ment, had involved the expenditure of a large amount of his means. He had lived in great comparative affluence and splendor, dis- pensing munificent charities and a generous hospitality. Driven from his home by a ruthless invader, his estates were wasted^ and for several years abandoned and unproductive.* In tlie progress of the war he had been reduced almost to indi- gence and destitution. Arnold in^-his progress through the lake, with characteristic rapacity and violence, had ravaged the pro- perty of Mr. Gilliland. He appealed to Congiess for remunera- tion of his advances, and indemnity for his various losses, but the exhausted treasury of the country could afford no relief. Beturning to his wide possessions, he saw them wasted and de- solate. Abandoning his loncj cherished purpose of erecting his property into a manorial estate, he decided to sell his lands in fee. The first purcha?ers were Joseph Sheldon and Abraham Aiken, of Dutchess county, who went into the occupation of their lots in March, 1784, and were the pioneer settlers under the new arrangement, in the limits of the present town of Willsboro. During that spring fourteen other families purchased and occu- pied farms, and several other individuals bought lots, and com- menced im^ rovements. I t ♦oee Memoiial in Appendix. - I No. 112.] 707 The lumber required for their buildings was procured at Ver- geiines. The saw mills at the Boquet, destroyed in the course of the war, had not, at that time, been rebuilt. Meanwhile, other embarrassments gathered around to daiken and accelerate the decaying fortunes of Mr. GiJliland. In sev- eral of the claims purchased by him in good faith, and for valu- able considerations, and regularly located, he had filed the requisite applications in the appropriate colonial offices. The confusion incident to the convulsed period which ensued, imj-eded, and finally prevented the consummation of these grants by patents. An act was passed by the Legislature of New- York, in effect abrogating all such grants, in which the royal functionaries had not formally issued the patent. Havino; studiously performed all the preliminaries exacted by the provincial statutes, Mr. Gilliland had reposed in undoubting reliance on the validity of his titles. Others appropriating, as he alleged, a transcript of the boun- daries of the premises, contained in his documents, had a})plied to the new government, and obtained patents of the teiritory embraced in his previous locations. Litigation ensued. The antagonist titles were sustaiq^d. Costs and expenses followed, which absorbed the remnnnt of his property, and led to his im- prisonment upon the goal limits of New- York. He returned at length to his fi>rmer residence, despondent, and cherishing a disgust at the benrtlessness and ingratitude of muny, whom, in bri:,diter days, he had fostered and protected ; and par- tially ;ilienated in mind, he wandered into the wilderness and ditd. Thus the pioneer of K-sex county, tlie former possessor of baronial domains, p»ri>]ied from hunger and exposure — *' Without a friend to close his cycB." The large estates of Mr. (JiiliJHnd ])ass(d into other Jiaiida. His descendants remain in KNpiopria- ted to them. A delegate bore the respective nominations to the general town meeting, in which they were almost uniformly con- firmed. At the general elections, the polls were held on the two first days, one half a day in a place, and on the third at some central or populous point. These expedients facilitated aiid se~ cured as far ^s practicable, the exercise of their civil rights to the settlers. A claim instituted by the Caughnawaga and St. Regis Indians in '92, to a vast tract of land, embracing nearly the entire terri- tory between the St. Lawrence and Mohawk rivers, was urged for many years with great pertinacity and earnestness. It was resisted on various grounds, wit?iout violating any principle of public justice and private rights ; investigation amply established tlie facts, that these tribes had no original title to the district, but tliat it was held exclusively by the Iroquois, who had alienated it to the whites by sales to individuals and by cessions through public treaties. Charles Piatt was appointed the first judge of the newly orga- nized county, and William MoAuley, of Willsboroj one of the sidt judges. Plattsburgh was made the shire-town of the county. At this period no road had been constructed from Willsboro, north of the Boquet river. The traveller was guided solely by blazed trees over the Willsboro mountain. The route thus indi- cated, extended through the forest to the Au Sable river, which was crossed at the " Higlibrid^e," ab >ut three miles below the site of Keeseville. A wood road had been opened from that point to Plattsburgh. A similar track, it is probable, was the only avenue of intercourse between Crown Point and Splitrock. The settlement at Ticondrroga was about sevmty miles distant from Platt.sburgh ; at which place the inhabitants were compelled o appear, to assert their rights as litigants, or to discharge iheir duties as jurors and witnesses. 710 [Assembly Jay was incorporated as a town in JanuirVj and Elizabethtown in February, 1801. Chesterfield was organized in 1802, and Es- sex and Lewis, April 4th5 1805. In 1790, Piatt Rogers established a ferry from Basin Harbor, and constructed a road from the landing *oa point near Spliirock, where it connected with thj road made in an early period of the settlement. He erected, ia the same season, a bridge o^^er the Boquet, at Willsboro falls, and constructed a road from that place to Peru, in Clinton county. These services fere remune- rated by the State, through an appropriation to Kogers and hig associates of a large tract from the public 'ands. The venerablt) Judge Hatch, who still survives, was one of the earliest settlers in the interior of the county. He moved, in 1792, into that part of tlie town of Essex now known as Brookfield, which was sur- veyed and sold in 1788. This district, he says, " was at that time chiefly in a state of nature." In 1 04, he " removed to the vil- lage of Westport, then called * North West Bay.' The dis- tance was eight miles, and the removal of his family occupied two days and the labor of four men to open a passage for a wagon. At Westport a small improvement had previously been com- menced, and one frame house, three log houses, a saw mill, and one barn, had been erected. No road extended south, beyond thie limits of that town. A track had been opened to Pleasant Val- ley, where an infant settlement had just been furmed. A road which was almost impassable extended to the new colonies in Lewi*, Jay and Keene."* The a-arm and excitement which agitated the wh 'le country at the defeat of St. Clair, in this year, and the ap- prehension of a general combination of the Indian tribes of the west with the Six Nations, extended to these humble hamlets. A block liouse was erected for the protection of the inhabitants, near the village of Essex. In the sub>equent organization of Es- sex county, that edifice was converted into a court house and jail. The enterprise of the pioneer of New-England had penetrated the gorges of the mountains, and his keen eye had fastened upon rich and alluring districts far in the foiest paths I have men- tioned. The table lands of Jay, the fertile valleys of SchrcK)n, • Letter Hon. Charles H»t<5h. No. 112.] 711 and tlie ravines and slopes in Lewis, Elizabethtown and Keene, were all occapied previous to 1798. An exploring party from the east had reached an eminence in Erlizxbe til town, that looks down upon the beautiful vale now oo- cupied by the county seat of EssfX county, embosomed among a lofty group of mountains, and adorneil by the branches of the Boquet, which glide thrcnigh its verdant plains, and gazing in delight upon tlie scene, they pronounced it '' Pleasant Valley." it still preserves, by common sentiment, the name and the same pre-eminence. * Schioon was settled about the year '97, by Samuel Scribner, Thomas Leland, Moses Patee, Benjamin Banker and Simeon Praw- fion, who were all men of Nevv England. Thomas Hinckley, made the first purchase in the town of Lewis, in 1706. The most important measure designed to open and develope the inte- rior sections of the county, was the enactment of laws which au- thoriztid the construction, by Piatt Rogers, and others, of public roads. I have already referred to one. Another was authorized to be consti'ucted from Sandy Hill to the Canada line, and pass- ing along the Schroon valley, through Eliza'.'ethtown and Lewis, -and crossed the Au Sable river at a fording place nearKeeseville. This h'2:hway is still designated as " the old State road." Nume- rous appropriations, at more recent periods, have been made by the State, for the construction of public roads, which traverse the county in various directions. One of these, opened many years since, extending from West- port to llopkinton, traversing Elizabeihfown, the goiges of the Keene mountains, and the plains of North Elba, penetrated what was then denominated, the ^' titty miles woods."' A road, constructed under acts of 1811 and Ml, fr- ni Lake Champbi o to Car harpje, in Jtdferson county, is now in ]»r<'gref5<», and is built by an application of specific road taxes. It pa>se« through the towns of Crown Point, Schroon and Newc«>mb, pene- trating the heart of the Adirondacs. These avenues arc ot the deepest importance in promoting the progress and imi)iovenient of the county. Rogers and his associates, received an enornjouf 712 [AsSEMBLT grant of unappropriated lands, covering an area of about 73,000 acres. It costs, in the construction of these roads, according to the estimates preserved by tradition, " one penny and two farthings per acre." Essex county was organized in 1799, in the division of Clinton county, and is now bounded on the north by Clinton and Fjanklin counties, on the west by Franklin and Hamilton, on the south by Washifigton and Warren, and on the east by Lake Champlain. The area of this county embraces 1,779 square miles, or 1,1:38,500 acres. It is the second county in territorial extent in the^State, being only exceeded by St. Lawrence. New towns, by repeated divisions, have been occasionally form- ed, as circumstances and the convenience of the population re- quired. The county now comprises seventeen incorporated town- ships, several of which comprehend more territory than some of the counties in the State. Nearly all of them are too extended for the convenient exercise of their civil and political functions. The village of Essex was originally constituted the county shire, and the old block-house, mentioned before, was appropriated for the public use, and was occupied for these purposes, until the re- moval of the county seat to Pleasant Valley. By the census of 1800, the combined population of Clinton and Essex counties, was 8,572, including 58 slaves. The next decade exhibits a very decisive increase. Essex alone contained, by the census of 1810, 9,525 population, and Clinton 8,002. The following tabular ex- hibit, will present the progress of the county in population. No. 112.] 713 o H Co t; O bo W H CO CD CO CO o CO CO "^ C^ —I c^ c^ O) Ot (M 0> r-t ,— 1 >^ o G-} ;0 OS CM CO w GO Ci ~ CM O •'» -H t> -r GO ^O -f< CC -H Ci iT^ Ci "^ •*t< -t C» O O Ci 0> Ci 1—1 t> TO O --f OD CO a) i-H ^ C^ i-i CN #V #^ c> l-H C^ (N I-I l> C-") — ^ >-< O O O iO vTi -f c:— •ooo'ocoour^Cit* C^ CM — < I— I C^ »— I C^ O CO CM t> CO o *-o CO ;o (?-» O — ( C5 O C5 ^\ rN .^ rx I— I G^ 1—1 1—1 CO O O OJ CM O 00 ^ CO O CO (VD lO c' CO o vn CO oa "^ O r-1 00 »0 L-' t- CO CO C). 0^ C> f— f 1— ( .— ( CI • CO O T}< CO GO • o-j GO c>-» urs Ci • £> O i> C^ i> • CN CN r^ CN I— « C^ r-H r-H ^H--txriC0Cit-*vO00C>^ c a c ^ a, w aj -" ,-^ •■ '£ ^ N J^ - .G V Vi -r to i. *< — , • ^^ C <-* ^ ^ ^^ •^ "* — -^ -^ ^^ "^ -^ r' ^ ~ - -!> c/i «-i ri P r- f- 1. :? G -r; tJ t. i, a ^ 00 CO CM o CO CM o o CM GO CO i—t •X C5 00 l> 1— < _ _^ • • • • o CO C) ••-s t^ I CO ' • Ift 'NJ CI GO .— f o ^^■ t> lO • • • • Ci CO :>^ O CO cr. r-i «> o C-J c^» t> r— 1 CO Ci • • • ' o^ cc CO r— •o Ct CO »> €> r> »> r> o CN • • • r^ r> r^ *-• r-« r-^ 1— « 1— 1 1—1 1— I 1— 1 r— ( > 1-^ 1— ( F*^ l—t 1 • 1— 1 c>> (M o f c::> t> • -^ • • • • o in • C'O • ! r-l CO GO •o 00 x> t CO • 00 « • « • 00 GO • o • c* , OD s> o CO I— < r— ( •o >o • iTi • • • • o Ci • o • ^Ti i r— ( •^ r> • • • * • • • 71-1 [Assembly Es>es: county voted with Clinton, until after Vae census of ISOO'. Thomas Slower was the first represt-ntative of Essex, when voting independent uf Clinton. Tlie history of the industrial pursuits of the county, early in the present century, attained a predomi- nant interest over its civil and political annals. That is reserved for a distinct department of this report. CHAPTER XI. SETTLEMENT. The war of 1812, although it closed many of the ordinary channels of business in ill's county, accelerated its progress by the new demands created lor all the products of industry and agiicalture, and by the general and abundant diflfusion of money it produced. The enemy appeared on several occasions in the waters of Es- sex county, and in the summer of 1813, entered the Boquet with two gallies and two barges. Landing at different points, and com- mitting many wanton ravages on private property, tliey retired after a slight skirmish with a body of militia near the former en- trenchments of Eurgoyne. Tlie citizens of the county exhibited promptitude and zeal in responding to the calls of p.dtriotism, during the war, and partic- ularly on the approach of the British forces, in 1314 upon Platts- burgh. Many of the volunteers and militia of Essex, creditably participated in the events of that brief, although glorious cam- paign. The masses of the settlers of Essex county, were of New Eng- land origin, and in a congenial soil and climate, familiar to their habits and experiences they implanted the usages and character- istics key, met on the Soil, and " tried their wager of battle." The victor maintain- ed the possession. To correct these evils an association w.:§ f rm- ed, and a system alopied, which required a person de>iriug to occupy a lot, to perfect a survey of the premises, and to file a tj an- script with the secretary of the society. The title thus establish- ed was held sacred, for the purpose of that community."* The venerable author of a communication, describing the prim- itive habits of t'ne county states " that justices' courts, at ih-it pe- riod, were usually held in taverns, the inn keeper himself being the ju-tice The most frivolous diiricultits, were nur.^'cd into law suits, these attended amid intemperance and revelings, hd to assaults, and trifling contruversies which engendered further and debasing litigation. f Essex county presentedin this rude and demoralized class of itscitizens,a stage of society exhibited along every frontier of civili- zation. Wherever I have succeeded in tracing tjie history of (he early settlement of this county, I almost universally have fuund one pr 'mine'it feature developed, and which strongly marks the char- acter and dcbctnt of the people. • The first impulse, and almost instinct ef the settlers, even when th» ir cabins were scattered over a wide area ot several miles, • C. F«nlon, Esq. f Levi lligby, Ejq. 716 [Assembly seems to have been to secure the erection of a school house. For many years in the early stages of the settlements, these schools had no legdl organization and were sustained alone by the volnntary contributions of the people, unaided by the public bounty.* The school house supplied the place of public worship. The missionary at an early day appeared in the midst of these settlements, super- ceding in the religious duties, the humbler offices of the private christian. Churches were soon orgauizfrd in various sections of the county. Many colonies, were accompanied in their emigra- tion^ by their own spiritual guides. f The cold season of 1816, which produced such universal distress and suffering, inflicted a scarcity upon this new country, that visited it almost with the horrors of famine. So close and pressing was the destitution, that the indigent, gathering from many miles about a mill, would crave the privilege of collecting its sweep- ings, to preserve the lives of their families. A few suiriciently provident to cut the corn in the sap, saved it sound enough for planting. In the succeeding spring, many traveled fifty miles to procure this seed.] Partial failure of crops had b.-fure occured, but the^eason of 1816, v»'ill long be memorable, as the only instance in the history of the county, of extreme penu- ry and suffering. In presenting with a rapid sketch, a general outline of the further civil and social progress of the county, I propose, in order to avo:d repetition, and to render the exhibition of its agricultural and industrial pursuits more intelligible, to glance first at the topographical features and soil of the several towns. Ticonderoga and Crov/n Point present, upon the margin of Lake Champlain, a low and beautiful tract, gently undulating »John HoJTnagle. i • ^ I f I applied soon after my appointment from which has emanated this report, to the Rev. Cjrua Comstock, who for near sixty years, had been intimately and with prominence, associated 04 missionary and pastor, with the religious affairs of Essex countj^, for rraterials to prepare an ex- tended sketch of its ecclesiastical history. He engaged to comply with my request, but his sick- ness and death, have disappointed my expectations and extinguished a source of valuable and interesting information on this subject, which I fear cannot be supplied, ^John HoCnagle, No. 112.] 717 and gradually ascending as it recedes, and swelling towards their western limits into bold and abrupt eminences. Clay predominates in these towns in the vicinity of the lake, intercepted by occasional seams of sand, and in the interior ihe soil is generally a gravel or sandy loam. Several eections of these towns are distinguished for the great excellence of their meadow lands. m A view of Westport, Essex and Willsboro, from the lake, pre- sents ranges of highly cultivated and fertile farms, mingled with a combination of hills and plains which beautifully adorn and diversify the scenery. The two former spread into the interior bosoms of choice land, more elevated and which are environed by lofty hills and mountains. Wilhboro' point is a luw^, flat peninsula, projecting several miles^ into Champlain, having the ong estuary known as Pereu bay, on its western side. This portion of Willsboro' affords some of the best farms in the county. A ridge of high, warm and rich land traverses the town of Essex diagonally from near the lake to Whallonsburgh, embracing a territory of great natural fertility and inferior to few sections of the State in the advanced chaiacter and excellence of its tillaee. The soil of these towns is very diversified, although a sandy loam is its prevailing character. Moriah and Chesterfield, both bordering upon the lake, are moie broken and stony than the other lake towns, and contain less arable and cultivated land. The furmer ascends alaniptly and in a series of terraces or high valleys, until it attains an ele- vation of several hunired feet a short distance from the lake. The soil of this tract is deep and strong. Chesterfield contains many rang«^s of sand and rocky districts, but embraces much territory of very superior land. Elizabethtown and Lewis, lying among the gorges of the moun- tains and intersected l>y various branches of the Boquet, expose chietly a light soil, willi some alluvial Hats aiid valleys enriched by the de!)ris of the upland, which forms tracts of tlie choicest Ian I. Paits of tliese towns are managed, in tlieir agricultural afl'dirs, with great skill and sagacity. No town, in the arena of 718 [Assembly our county fairs, has borne off more prizes on both crops and * animals, than Lewis. Many of the citizens of Lewis occupy the first rank, in their position as farmers. Norih Hudson and Keene, while they include seyeral fine fariiis, are in the aggregate, broken and mountainous. The ter riturld limits of Schroon equals ihe area of some counties, and is exceedingly diversified in the face of the country and the nature of tlie soil.* The centre of the town forms a beautiful ricli val- ley of warm alluvial soil, through which flows, along high and even banks, the waters of the upper Hudson. Successful culti- vation has been extended into the ravines and reces^es of the mountains traversed by tributaries of this stream. Fertile and cultivated tracts occur in various other sections of the town. Oil each side of the Schroon valley, lofty and rugged mountain tracts spiead over a large proportion of the territory. The local position of Schroon, remote from Lake Champlain, and separated from it hy a range of high and almost impenetrable mountains, and sequestered from all other natural avenues, is unfavorable to the development of its vast native resources. A plank road extending from Glen's Falls to Chester, in Warren county, approaches its borders, and partially opens an access to market of the products of its industry and agriculture. Strong considerations of general interest are now directed to the subject of constructing a railroad through this important valley. Few public improvements are contemplated, which would evoke more varied and extended elements of business and wealth. The town of Minerva was organized from a part of Schroon, and incorporated in 1817, when it comprised a few log cabins scattered over its wide surface. It is situated in the extreme south-western corner of the county. A very large proportion of this town is still occupied by the original forest. Separated by * This town derives its name from the love'y lal;e which it embraces. The legend is, that the hike was visited by the French in their militaiy expeditions and in fishing and hunting excursions from Crown Point and Ticonderog^, and was named by them "Scaron,"' in honor of "the widow Scaron," the celebrated Madam Maintenon, of the reign of Louis XIV. Col. Andrew L. Ireland, of New-York, has a very beautiful si at on an island in this Like, which he calls '* Isla bella," and which is embellished with great taste. The islands of thi« lake aford sites for elegant and retired villas and country seats, unsurpassed by the waters of Cumberland and Westmoreland, in picturesque beauty and romantic seclusion. No. 112.] 719 a high range of mountains, from other sections of the county, connected with them by imperfect communi^-ation and with litile associations in their business afiairs, this most valuable and in- teresting town has been little known or appreciated. De}.re^sed by a combination of adverse circumstances previous to 1848, since that period a new career lias marked its } rogress. In the general improvement of the town, in the appearance of the farms, the erection of jiew buildings and tlie renovation of the old ones, no part of the county exhibited to my observation, more decisive and gratifying evidences of prosperity and advancement. The physical formation of Minerva is peculiar and striking. The whole territory of the town is elevated, rising in a gradual ascent of a succession of lofty valleys, formed by deep, broad, and sweeping undulations. This formation, viewed from an eminence, communicates a rich rural aspect and great beauty to the landscape. In the language of one of its inhabitants,* "Minerva is a rugged and mountainous town, containing about one/ third mountain, one-third feasible land, and the residue rough and stony." A good road connects it with Warren county, where it would communicate with the contemplated railroad. The soil of this town is chiefly a strong and warm sandy loam. Large tracts of rich and desirable land remain unappropriated. These lands are in the market at exceedingly low prices. The town of Mewcomb, which embraces the mass of tlie Adirondac group of mountains, forms, essentially the great waten- shed, from which flows tributaries of the Hudson, St. Lawrence nd Lake Champlain. It is high, spreading over an elevation, (a j^art from the altitude of the mountains) ranging fiom 150U to 18UU feet, which presents a broken and rocky surface. Yet its slopes and elevated valleys comprise tracts of much natural vigor, with great depth of soil. These qualities of the earth, are exhibittd by the dense and stately growth of its primitive and magnificent hard- wood forests. Isolated farms liave been occupied in dilTerent i)art3 of this town, since an early period of the present centuiy. Newcomb embraces many districts of arable land, which are admirably adapted to meadow and grazing, from the vigor of the • A. p. Morse. 720 [Assembly soil, and the humidity of the climate. The resuscitation of the Adirondac works, will render this neglected mountain tract, for these purposes, a valuable agricultural district. Jay was settled as early as 1 798 ; ] emote, and at that time nearly inaccessible from Lake Champlain, i s great natural fertility and beauty attracted the emigrant, who, passing by lands contiguous to that great artery of the country, penetrated to this wilderness by a mere bridle path, and transported thither, on horseback, his fami- ly and effects. A lar_e porti )n of this town is formed of high and precipitous hills and mountains, and its whole territory is elevated. In the valleys, the soil is light, but usually vigorous. Upon several parallel ridges, which traverse nearly its entire length, ranges of land occur, distinguished by a warm, quick, and highly productive soil. These tracts allured the early emigration to this region almost sixty years ago, and they still preserve their high character for great and enduring fertility. Wilmington and St. Armarids recently separated from it, occu- py the north western angle of Essex county. They are generally, in their topographical aspect, elevated, rough and mountainous. TJie soil is sandy and gravelly, with occasional alternations of loam. These towns comprise numerous bosoms and flats of excel- lent land. The long slopes gradually descending from the moun- tains to the valleys of the streams, present a highly picturesque and beatiful scenery. Settlements commenced in Wilmington in 1800, and in the district now forming St. Armands, not untiJ 1829, by any permanent occupancy.* CHAPTER XII. SETTLEMENT CONTINUED. The town of North Elba is environed, upon all but its western borders, by a lofty Sierra, which separates it from the other sec- tions of the county, by an almost insuperable barrier. It is now approached only by a circuitous route, through Clinton and Franklin counties, or by the State road, which passes through • Ellas Goodspced. No. 112.] 721 the deep gorges, and along the high and broken slopes of th Keene mountains. North Elba has little assimilation to the other towns of the county, either in its topographical arrangement or in the charac^ ter of its soil. The gigantic amphitheatre of mountains, which almost encircle the town, form in its outline an arc of nearly sixty miles in extent, and embraces within this area, a territory of about one hundred square miles. Upon the west, the plains.of North Elba, mingle with that vast plateau, teeming with rivers and lakes and forests, which spread to the shores of the St. Lawrence. The grandeur and imposing beauty of these mountain bulwarks, which singularly blending with a landscape of lakes and rivulets, vales and hills, combine to form a scenery of surpassing loveliness and magnificence. From one position, the eye gazes on the lofty group of the Adirondac mountains. Mt. Marcy stands out in his perfect contour and vast dimensions, Mt. Mclntire, Golden, McMartin, trace their outline upon the horizon, and far towards the south-west, the group of Mt. Seward limit the view; on the north, "the Whiteface" en- velopes the plain, and on the east, tower the dark and rugged cliffs of the Keene mountains. The western branch of the Au Sable river flows through the town, and nearly the whole distance along a wide alluvial valley, almost as broad, and apparently of fertility equal to the flats of the Mohawk river. The soil of this '' intervale " is generally a deep alluvial. Ascending from the valley to the table land, the earth becomes a dark and rich loam, free from stones and rock- The growth of liard wood upon this territory, is in no part of tlie State surpassed in its size, quality and density. Its maple, birch, cherry and beech, are as stately, and form as highly tim- bered woodland as in the most favored sections of the country. Sliirlitly elevated a1)ove the table-land, and receding from tlie river, commence tlu.' plains, wliich expand far into the interior. This tract embraces, in its general character, a warm, rich sandy loam. This land is scarcely inferior to the other soils of the town in vigor, wliile it exerts au early and more impulsive influ- ence on vegetation, and is more easily and cheaply tilled. [As. Tr. '53 ] V V 722 [ASSEJMBLY With a view of instituting a comparison between this rich and beautiful regionjand some of the most highly cultivated and pro- ductive districts of Vermont, and thus to test the adaptation of the former from altitude and climate, to agricultural purposes, I applied to the venerable and distinguished professor of Natural History, in the Vermont University, Rev. Zadock Thompson, for information on the subject. His reply is contained in the very interesting note annexed.* , It will be perceived that the elevations mentioned by Professor Thompson, are from the basis of Lake Champlain, which is itself ninety-three feet above tide water. The plateau, which embraces the arable parts of North Elba, is estimated in the report of Pro- fessor Benedict, as ranging from 1,400, to 1,800 feet above tide. This town contains nearly eighty thousand acres of land, seven- tenths of which, it is computed, are susceptible of cultivation. I shall resume in other branches of this report, the consideration of its industrial resources and agricultural capabilities. In the north-eastern section of North Elba, and spreading into Wilmington, the most extensive and valuable tract of pine, spruce and hemlock, occurs which now remains in the county of Essex. • With regard to ^* the altitude of the highest choice agricultural farms," in Yermont, it may be remarked, generally, that a very considerable proportion, the choice and productive farms, lie at an elevation of more than 500 feet above the level of Lake Champlain, and many excellent ones in the central part of the State, at an elevation of 1,000 feet. Between Jericho Comers and Underbill flat, are several very choice farms, which lie 550 feet above the lake, and, at about that elevation, are a great number of excellent farms, scattered along the wes- tern slope of the Green Mountains, from the central part of Addison county, to the Canada line. The broad and fertile valley of Otter Creek, from Middlebury, to the south part of Rut- land county, has an elevation varying from 300 to 500 feet. The average height of the culti- vated farms lying between Lake Champlain and the summit of the Green Mountains, is about 400 feet. In Franklin, and in the northern part of Chittenden county, there are large tracts of sandy plains, which were originally covered with pines, and which have a pretty uniform elevation of 200 feet. The soil is light, and naturally, not very productive. The lands in all the counties north of Rutland, rise gradually from the lake shore to the summit of the Green Mountains, where they have an altitude of 4000 feet, and some very good farms are cultivated at an elevation of 900 feet. East of the main ridge of the Green Mountains, there are excel- lent farms at a still greater elevation. JChe whole county of Orleans, lies more than 500 feet above Lake Champlain ; and it contains many fine productive farms, and some of the finest and most productive are on the swell of land called " Craftsbury Common,'- at an elevation of 1000 feet. Further south, in the western part of Orange county, there is a similar, but much larger rsrell, constituting the principal part of three townships, viz, Randolph, Brookfield and A\ il- liamstown. This tract is elevated from 800 to 1,200 feet above Lake Champlain, and upon it are many of the most beautiful and most productive farms in the State. No. 112.] 723 While almost the whole timber land in the county has been ex- hausted, this has been preserved, for a field of future enterprise, by its sequestered and inaccessible position. The great beauty of this town, its agricultural capabilities, and its peculiar history as well as the general absence of information relative to its character and importance, seem to require a some- what extended view of its progress and condition.* A few pioneers, near the commencement of this century, with their families, entered into this remote and deeply secluded re- gion. They seem to have encountered severer hardships and trials than the ordinary privations incident to a frontier life. Divided from civilized society by a chain of almost impenetrable mountains, they probably reached the place then known as the Plains of Abraham, by the circuitous route, now traversed by a road, along the course of the Saranac. While they waited in ex- pectation of the scanty harvest yielded by their improvident ag- riculture, they subsisted by fishing and hunting, and from sup- plies transported by their own labor from the nearest settlements. The numerous beaver meadows furnished an abundant supply of fodder and grazing for the cattle. Until 1810 little progress was made either in the agiicultural or social condition of tliis remote colony. The construction about that period of the " Elba Iron Works," by Archibald Mclntyre and his associates, gave a new as- pect to the aSairs of this region. The history of that enterprise I shall narrate in another place. The requirements of these works created occupation for all the population in the vicinity, formed a domestic market, and attracted numerous settlers. Schools were established, religious ordinances observed, and an efficient and benign influence exerted by the benevolent proprietors. Unhappily for the progress and permanent prosperity of the dis- trict, nearly all the land in the township at this period was held • The vestiges of Inflian occupation in North Elba, ami tlic territory around tho interior lakes which remain, leave no doubt that at Home former pcrio o ^ ^ r, ^ ^ '^' ^ P iz; • O CO m i—t t— ( to "Tt^ lO o C^ a r-« C-t CO CO (±; • • • 1— 1 i-H i—t • 1— < • a 00 C^ CO 00 _ CI rH GO '^ '^ s r^ CO "73 XO T? O ■-U CO iZ • r-( -CO • ^ 00 i-H 00 GO CO • GO • ^ l> ^ ^. S ^ :i ^. <>^ I- <^^ i> ;; t- co*^ 'S ^^1> s c^ o^ c>^ c^ • 1^ Xi O to CO CO CO 1—1 i> 1— 1 CO iO o o o o i-s • • • GO 00 CO « 00 1 « c^ c^ c^t c^ <;„ • CO 00 C> CO fcO • • • • CO CO 00 C5 « XO CO CO CO • s 00 00 o 00 ^ r-i . rH , f^ ^H p-* a 12 00 -^ Ci '-«-• CO *-. Ci • ■^ CO ^ Tt< C>< -^ CO Tf o: ed r— < f— 1 r— ( rH w w^ H l< M O • 91 ^—1 PS 0^. u a a ift O 00 • CC' ; B -=^ t- T^ CO 'TU *^ 1- ; ^ ^ o< f-< C( CO ^ ; i »4« & CO t^ t^ Oi fi C. 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M 00 O^ CO in ,1 «> iO C^ VO rj< li''^ r- ( T— 1 1-H r-( cS _. • • • • CO 00 CO 00 ' c* o< c^ c^ <5 ) M • • • ■ a rt VO CO Ci CO rt CO CO .-I xn • a »-< O CO 0 3 j_S ' ••*-»• • a Vj CO '^ ^ c« o ■5^ • K -^^^^^ c^^ U W-( H <4 w o _ . — . X e u a 3 q 00 o o 00 n "^ l> ^ CO 3 '-' 2; " §! >" S --^ 125 • 1 CO O CO "^ M< ->^ 00 1-H «« • • • • t^ in c: "^ m t^ iTi CO « • • • «S 9«t r^ • • 4 • • k^ ^— w_ 1 0^ *^. ^. 1 ^~^ X ♦x ei ^ ^ ^ c 1 O CO C) ^ s 762 [Assembly 00 u o » It < D CQ • O 1-1 C^ CO crag dine 1 . . . xn vO -^ r}< t* Pi-i bO a . • > vaili rinds J2^ ^ 12; • S2; Pi J2; * O 00 o o to 05 CO «0 I— ( § '^ ^ T^ vn A • • • o o o • o • a CO ' -H 00 CO S .^ 00 ^ -* CO r-y 00 e3 C^ OD C-) 00 <^ OD C^ CO • ^ o ^ i> a ;J-i Ci — Ci -*J O -M Ci 1> . O . o . CO . c> t> C) t> C^ i> C^ J> S c^ c^ c^ (^ 1 •« 5- J ©i -rf* CO o c'S CO C5 CO c^ ^-^ (^( y^ 0\ o^ «5_ • • • GO 00 00 00 ^1 C^ C^ (>^ CM >-■ • © tfl a CO 00 c> • » • Tj< CO ^ 00 • CO pc; c^ c^ c^t Tf< • a O i-H r-f y-^ 3 -^ • -^ • X • r^ • .§ ,^ ^ ^ ^ ^ GQ -^ -^ • S •^ ^D rt; o) ^ o '^ 00 a R C^ C> G< CM (d »!-< H ^ M V-l ' c^ Tt r-< 'y^ c^ ^ C^ T}< • r^ r— ( 1— 1 lir-l t^ • to O 'r^ CO CO g XO Tf CO «o <1> • ■ • • > CO ^ 'O o in i> lo «o • • • •N *N '^ • • ^ • s § s *: i r 5 . 1 •4-- E -4 -1 ^ ^ s o o O Ci r-» si No. 112.] 763 00 • CO p O P CI e3 . . , ^i . . .c^i— ( C^ ♦ . • .OO • . .C^r-( ' <^ • • • ^> • • * ^ ^> • • • • • ^^ • • • ■ ^^ ^^ • • • ^ ^^ • ^^ s c O t^ i^ --C "O -^ O to CO t^ t- !■- t- !C O X CO t^ «5 CO CI S. 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CI o «c *^ o c. ^-. o -^ X o »- t~- =1 •« oi X re e^» ~? to cc h-1 cl o C>l o o o c o o o ^c<}coc<'^t--ooo>:ccacc-«c-*»^tD>:to«o«ot-tc«o-«t'Oo>'*'5>ao»H .5 CI Cl : :■• c« CI ;-. r< CM CI CM ci c« ci ci ci ci cm ci cm cm c* ci ci ci cm ci co B H CI CO J» O l~ «- t- O •« C^l C-l O t^ O t- O CM S -'S -■> O CM O "O I- CM I- o O «o U» ^•-1 ^MWC«C>«eo««w*^^cooi»«M^eMeMcv;eMec««e* r-ir-ir-»r-ii-lr-.r-ir- Gi c^ cs es » gCS O CS goo H 'O u^ o M i^. lO ■ • > o o «o CO Oi £i OS >>* -^f • t- c^ eo c c^ o o o o OS OS • s o O Ir-Cs ->i< 1— I CC C3i 05 O M (>» t- i^ C^ M M o o m «^ CC 00 m ?J CS TJ"* to JUNE. • CO • o . • o f£> r-( o OS gcsoes g d o6r-i a H o o gjt-csco ji OS CO -o fcX) • • • • • o • T— 1 O • g s i« M M T}( lO O oi o> o> CS CS (M CS g; CO o CO Ji O OS O .S cocs • a !-> H O iC u^ iC cs t^ • • ■ 1— ' lO CO i>- lO o CO • « o es CO JJ CO CO "O W) T3 • o 1 • • • • • • 1—1 s 0-. CO ov oi 00 • CS «COi^O g CSCO rH • a a: H o 'T3 i • H o a ■< CO • l-( O • lA o • o CS OS r-i • 3 o pq O M ifl O 03 o O Oi C5 c^ cs c^ O OS CS S? «o 1-1 lo ^ CO OS rj< §Oo6r4 .Scoes • a H o o o O O lO 00 -^ c^ C^ CS CO CO CS gosooi- 1852. • TO ft * • . ... • . • ... • • • ... ... »» #» .\ OS O t-H csweo • m a • • • • • « o tn o B^.So SQ tl 9 .£■5-3 4) <*-. ^ 4) ^ ^ OS 'O ?2 S S «co ^ '-■^^ pj OS w S w « 0 o o. 112.] 765 KEMARK AND RECORD--AT THE ADIRONBAC WORKS. BY ROBERT CLARK. 1852. Marcli 1. The instruments from which the observations — the monthly results of wliich I here present you— were made, are the property of the Smithsonian Institu- tion, of Washington. The thermometer. No. 510, and the barometer, No. 360, both made by Jas. Green, of New- York. The observations were made at the hours of 6 A. M., and 2 and 10 P. M., as established by that institution. The depth of snow here has averaged nearly four feet all winter, and on some hills of hard wood, reached six and seven feet in depth. It has been reduced at times to a foot, but was immediately piled up again by successive storms. In testing the tliermometer left by Prof. A. Guyot (No. 160, by Jas. Green), on Jan'y 5th it was broken. I sent down to Mr. Green, and on the 9th Feb-y re- ceived a new one similar to it, No. 510. The morn- ing of the 18th Feb'y was the coldest we have had since then: the thermometer then stood at 30^ be- low zero. The morning of the 16th Jan'y, however, was the coldest this winter; notliaving the thermome- ter at that time, I cannot tell how low it stood, but would judge about 34^ below zero. Birds. — There have been none of the cross bills (Curri- rosira ./]mcnca?ia cf Wilson,) here this winter ; though hist winter tliey were innumrrable, and were here till the end of May. There has also been very i'vw of the snow bird [Frin- gilia Hudsnnia of Wilson,) lierc this winter. 11. Saw a crow (lyinp; nortlnvard. Aurora bortalis Yisible. 12. A flock of small birds flew over the village to the north. 20. A large number of these birds are now in the village; I shot one, and found it to be the Snow Bunting (^Embcriza jYivalis of Wilson). '/66 [Assembly March 31. Thirty-six and a half inches of snow has fallen this month. There is now in the woods a little over two feet of snow, and nearly as much in the clearings. On the 1st April last year, the snow was entirely off the roads, and there was but little in the woods. April 28. First swallows seen. 30. There has been but little " sugar " weather tliis month. On the Sthj 9lh. 10th and llth, sap ran very slowly and but little sugar was made ^ from 25th to 28th, however, it ran well. There has twenty-five and a half inches of snow fallen this month ; there is still in the woods about two feet, though but little in the clearings. Commenced on 26th to pile stumps that were pulled last fall ; this is the only farm work done this month. May 2. Cultivated violet in flower. 3. Sleighing is finished to-day ; we have had 177 days of sleighing this last winter, uninterrupted except by fresh storms. An unusually long winter. 7. Spring freshet commenced to-day from the melting of the snows, and without rain. The frogs " first concert of the season " came off to-day, but proved almost a total failure. 8. Aurora borealis. 9. First appearance of King -fishers. The wild yellow violet in flower. The woods are almost entirely clear of snow, except in sheltered situations and on the mountains. 10. Commenced sowing oats. 1 1 . Lakes Jimmy, Sally and. Mary open to-day ; Lake Sand- ford open in narrow parts, but the body of the lake ■ s, is still closed. 13. Sowing wheat and planting potatoes. 14. Lakes Sandford and Henderson open, they opened last year on 24th April. 18. Aurora borealis. June 11. New snow on the mountains this morning. July 19. A few potato tops killed by frost in sheltered spots. No. 11 2. J 767 Jaly 26. Commenced haying. Aug 10. Found ice at the Indian Pass, in the " Ice House,'' a lit- tle cave formed by the debris of the Pass. Aurora borealis to-night. 26. Commenced harvesting oats. Sept. 6. Cradling wheat. 17. All the potatoes killed by frost. 27. Commenced digging potatoes. I extract the annexed tables from Thompson's History of Ver- mont, and although derived from observations taken at Burling- ton, Vermont, they equally illustrate the advent and progress of the seasons on the western shore of the lake. 768 [Assembly o r\ rv *N #N #X rs r\ .^ -.H c^cooorMC->oco-< c3 a rH C^ ,-1 C^ C^ (^t) c o Commo bloss c3 S ^ 9 w3 o I I riT^rTcTi-rorcror , . C?^ rH CO C< C^ C^ «3 o . CO • • Crab- bios ia cr ^ r-T o o ■73 OT r-li— l0^i-H<>)C^ S tQ c« s i ^ 3 ; c^riTiCcr^rcTc^xTr , i—l I— ( I-H C^ 1— 1 I— 1 C^ » in "73 o • ^ ;S- G3 1 m O Ci Oi C^Triro'ai ■r^r(^5 CO 3 r— 1 1— ( T— 1 C^ i2 a § " >» t4 cS S o IcH *^ . in oT co^ ftcT r-T cT cT o" '-^ fe^ o c^c^c^c^co c^c^c^ ^^ r3 . fe: S n O 1-1 Sx . C< C^ C?^ CO CM C^ C^ 10 I ! ^ fcO ' * a a o :s • E3 *N CN #N rs rs #> ^S . kO CO O CO iTi xn 1> . C^ C^ C^ C^ O^ i-i c^ m a • u -§ • c3 rt :s • P3 <1 W« >^ oT oT oT co^ i>^ ocT oT cT r-T C^C<»COCOCOCOCOTj<'i< 00 00 00 r-t T-i oc l-H 00 GC I— ( l-H 00 2y No. 112.] 769 o bo • -^ So o CO o s l-H l-H r-\ • . . "^ 1 00 I-H 0 P hI Ph S • • • r* 1 Inches. -■CI CI i c:. 1840-41. 6 ^ ^t ': : : i .5 A g ,^5 .... • • • CO a; 1— ' "^ P , Inches. 1—1 i • 1 1 CO CO • < « »— 1 1 1 Inches. l-H ' 00 1 CD ft cT '^^ r" ^ orf 06 irT cT crT ^ crT t^ cP 0* i-T oT cT oP C^l»— <^»-<0*rH^HC<»-^rH.-iC* C^(NCO i». "^ — 1 V-. P 5 Ph S <1 • • '0 C •-H [Ag. Tr. '53.] Y Y 770 [Assembly The following table, also derived from Thompson's '' Vermont," contains the time of the opening and closing ihe broad lake oppo- gite Burlington, and when the steamboats stopped their regular trips through the lake from Whitehall to St. Johns, for several years. YEAR. Lake Champlain closed. 1816,.. 1817,.. 1818,.. 1819,.. 1820,.. 1821,.. 1822,.. 1823,.. 1824,.. 1825,.. 182«,.. 1827,.. 1828,.. 1829,.. 1831,.. 1832,.. 1833,.. 1834,.. 1835,.. 1836,.. 1837,.. 1838,.. 1839,.. 1840,.. 1841,.. 1842, . Feb'y 9, Jan'y 29, Feb'y 2, March 4, Feb'y 3, March 8, Jan'y 15, 24, Feb'y 7, Jan'y 22, Feb'y 9, Jan'y 21, not clos'd Jan'y 31, Fe'b'y 6, 2, 13, Jan'y 10, Feb'y 7, Jan'y 27, 15, Feb'y 2, Jan'y 25, 25, Feb'y 18, not clos'd Lake Champlain opened. April 16, 15, 17, Feb'y — , Mar. 12, April 21, Mar. 30, April 5, Feb'y 11, Mar. 24, 31, April — , April 17, 0, 20, Jan'y 22, April 12. 2i; 26, 13, 6, Feb'y 20, April 19, Line steamboats commenced run- ning. Line steamboatg slopped. April 25, April 15, April 6, 11, 23, 8, 4, 21 25, 29, 19, 11, 11, 28, 13, Dec. 5, ^ov. 29, 29, Dec. 10, Nov. 26, 28, Dec. 1, PART IV. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. The field of researches presented by Essex county, in these de- partments, is so expanded and rich, that the labor of years would be required for its competent examination. Neither the peculiar duties of my survey, nor the opportunities atforded me, have al- lowed more than a rapid and superficial investigation of thes« highly important aspects. A strong and universal public senti- ment of regret and disappointment pervades the county, that the public nuinificence designed to explore and reveal these re- sources, has been so sparingly extended to a region, richer, proba- bly, in its mineralogy, and more interesting in its geological ar- rangements than any section of the State, if not all the other parts combined. Few and insignificant specimens have illustra- ted, in the geological rooms, the vast and diversified elements of its natural structure and resources. More imperative eng^go- ments of those, to whom this duty has been confided, have doubt- less produced results so adverse to the inteiestsof the county. The mineral wealth of Essex county is not limited to iron ore, but comprehends numerous other minerals of great interest and value. Iron, however, in immense deposits, constitutes its pre- donjinant resource. In many sections of the county, it firms the basis of the entire striictiue of the earth, and occurs not njerely in veins, nor even masses, but in strata which rise into nioi.ntains. The surface is often strewn with " holders '' of Iron ore, wtighii^ from u few pounds to many tons, as ordinary rocks are scattered in other districts. The AdirDndac district is ])re-eminent in this county, and is probably surpassed in no region in tlie extent of its deposits of iron, and the higher qualities and varied propertiea 772 [Assembly •of its ores; The ores seem to concentrate in the vicinity of the village of Adirondac, and here literally constitute the formation. The cellars of their dwellings, in many instances are excavated in the massive beds. The discovery of a mineral deposit, extensive and valuable, as the Adirondac Iron District, is an event so rare and important^ that it seems appropriate in a work of this character, to perpetu- ate its minute history.* An Indian approached the late David Henderson, Esq., of Jersey city, in the yeai 1826, whilst standing near the Elba iron works^ and taking from beneath his blanket a piece of iron ore, he presented it to Mr. H. with the inquiry expressed in his imperfect English, "you want to see 'um ore, me fine plenty — all same." When asked where it came from, he pointed towards the south-west, and explained "mo kunt beaver all 'lone, and fine 'um, where water run over iron dam." The Indian proved to be a brave of the St. Francis tribe, honest, quiet and intelligent, who spent the summers in hunting amid the wilds of the Adirondacs. An exploring party was prompt- ly arranged, who submitting themselves to the guidance of the In- dian plunged into the pathless forest. The first night they made their bivouac beneath the giant walls of the Indian Pass. The next day they reached the scite of the present works, and there saw the strange spectacle described by the brave; the actual flow of the river over an iron dam, created by a ledge of ore, which formed a barrier across the stream. The reconnoisance revealed to their astonished view, various and immense deposits of ore, equal almost to the demands of the world forages. A glance disclos- ed the combination in that secluded spot of all the ingredients, and every facility for the most extensive manufacture of iron, in all its departments. In close proximity existed, an illimitable supply of ore, b'jundltss forests of hard wood, and an abundant water power. The remote position of the locality formed the chief impediment to the scheme which was adopted at once by the intelligent explorers. Not deterred by this consideration, they immediately secured the purchase of an extended tract, em- bracing the entire iron district. A road was soon constructed to the scite, with slight aid from the State, at a greatexpense through •A. Ralph, Esq^. No. 112.] 773 a dense, uninterrupted forest of thirty miles in length. The purpose was pursued with untiring energy and strong enthusiasm, by the proprietors, Archibald Mclntyre, Archibald Robertson and David Henderson, Esqrs. A settlement was soon commenced and an ex- perimtntal furnace constructed. Iron was produced, of rare and valuable qualities, rivaling almost in toughness and strength, the best products of the Swedish furnaces. A small blast furnace was soon afterwards erected, together with several forge fires and a puddling furnace. Bar iron has been more recently fabricated to a ct)nsiderable extent. Iron, produced from this ore has proved admirably adapted to the manufacture of steel, and has been ex- tensively used for that purpose by the steel works of the Adiron- dac Comj^any at Jersey cit}'. (See J. Delafield's address, page 14-2, State Agr. Trans. 1851.) I need only refer in addition to the report of Mr. Johnson which exhibits the triumphant display of that steel at the World's Fair. A magnificent blast furnace has recently been completed at the Adirondac works, of the lar- gest dimensions, perfect in its construction and powers and mo^ judiciously adjusted in all its arrangements. Numerous ore beds exist within an area of three miles, and nearly all are comprised within half that distrance from the works. They are singularly distinct in the appearance, nature and quality of tlie ores.* The " Mill-pond ore bed " is situated in so immediate proximity with the furnace erected by the company, that its foun- dation rests upon a section of the vi-in. The length of this bed, ascertained by the actual mensuration of Prof. Emmons, is 3,1 C8 feet, and the width 700 feet. An opening of 40 feet in depth has been excavated, and at that point, the ore is found more free from r.>ck and richer than at tlie nstitutes, tlie hard iron of the mines, nor does it communicate that quality to iron which it yields. It con- tains in common with most of the ores of lliit^ di^trict a small per cent ui' titu/iium^ which renders it to souie extent refractory in tU© furnace. Slight injections ol* serpentine in irregular veins, crystals of green felspar, seams of carbonate of lime, and the common rocIT ai-e mingled with this ore and incidentally small particles of iiul- • I derive muoh of my information relalive to the hintory and mineral? of the AdirondACB, from the raluabl* MSS. prvparoJ at my request by Alex. Ralph and Robt. Clark; "Em^b. 774 [ASSEMBI^T phuiet of iron may be traced, although too minute to injure the quality of the ore. This bed has afforded nearly all the ore used in the furnace. The Sandford bed, is situated about two miles from the former «id occupies the slope of a hill, which terminates upon Lake Sandford. The elevation of the bed is 600 or 800 feet above the lake, but is approached by a gradual and easy ascent. This ore k less coarse than the preceding, and of a dark, black color. It has, when exposed in the bed almost the appearance and form gi SL stratified rock. It possesses great and unusual purity and is almost entirely exempt from stone. The ore may be projected firom the bed to the lake by an inclined plain, or it may be trans- ported by teams loaded within the bed. The width of this vein is 514 feet, and its length along the centre 1,667. At each ex- tremity it does. not terminate, but passes beneath the rock. No cQi'rect or proximate calculation can be formed of the probable contents of this vast deposit. The minimum estimate, exhibits the immense amount of 6,832,734 tons, which may principally be raised without blasting. This would yield 3,000,000 tons of the purest iron.* Personal examination, corroborated by the opinions of highly practical and intelligent men, warrants the conjecture that tliis estimate is below the real amount of ore^. If it were possible to disclose the extent of this vein as it seems to exist, the sum of the aggregate could scarcely be estimated. Ores, exhibiting similar qualities crop out at different points, along an extension of the same course. One of these indications presents a face of S2 rods in length and 1 5 rods in width. Such facts suggest the conclusion, that these veins are a prolongation of the Sandford deposit, and that its true magnitude may embrace a distance of two miles and one half in length, with a proportionate width. Another important deposit, known as Mt. Magnet apparently forms the mass of an eminence directly east and fronting the village. This is distinguished as the " fine grained ore bed." This is very marked and peculiar in its characteristics. Although it is gen- erally firm, with grains closely cemented together, it often be- comes extremely friable when exposed to atmospheric influence. The oxydization makes it appear as if mingled with rock. On the «£aunonfl* Report. No. 112. 1 775 Rurfcice it lias an aspect of leanness, altliougli remarkably rich, free from impurities and probably of more practical value for the furnace than either of the preceding veins.* This vein is remarkably uniform and regular, and extends in length 5,742 feet, and in width about 70 feet.f It exhibits a strong appearance of stratification in the bed. The divisional seams are very distinct at the surface, but like those in thehyperstene rock, they arc the result of a law of nature analogous, if not identical to the principle of crystalization.* A small vein or probablj a branch of this bed, occurs in the same hill and is designated the " Crystalized ore bed." This vein is lined on the sides by a wall a few inches thick, formed of pure hornblende. A rare and peculiar formation. On the eastern slope of the same eminence, another vein of fine grained ore is developed, and probably of equal extent with that already noticed. The Cheney bed, situa- ted about three miles west of Lake Sandford yields the finest grain- ed ore of the district. It occurs in gniess and differs from every other vein in that peculiarity.* Numerous other veins are known to exist in proximity to these, but have only been superficially explored. A supply of ores, that the consumption of centuries cannot exhaust, immediately encompasses these works. Little doubt can exist that the entire district, constitutes one vast form- ation of ores, concealed by a narrow and slight encrustation of earth and rock. I found, in the centre of the " Indian Pass," a specimen of ore, closely analogous to the ore of the Sandford bed» These ores are all varieties of the black oxide of iron, exhibiting a mechanical mixture of the protoxide and peroxide of Iron.* I propose to deviate from tin formal arrangement of my sub- ject, in order to present in one group, the varied and interesting topics, embraced in this important district. An exhibition in one view, of its striking features, of its geology and mineralogy, the peculiar harmony and adai)tation of its resources to sustain its great predominant interest, will enable tlio reader more distinctly to apprehend the nature, the varied ciipaciti«»s, and singular ad- vantug"S of this extraordiniiry region. When appropriate ave- nues, equal to its resources, shall connect it with the marts of •R. a rk. flVof. Kmmot* 776 [Assembly commerce, the Adirondac Iron district, it is judged, is capable of being made, and will probably attain a position amoEg the most extended and wealthiest Iron manufactories of the earth. This strong declaration is predicated upon the facts, that these ores, so singularly and distinctly varied in their properties, that they are adapted to the manufacture of every Iron fabric; that they are inexhaustible and of the easiest access ; that the stately forests which mantle the mountains, encircling these works, are near- ly as boundless as the ores, and that every material, almost es- sential to the manufacture, are embraced within the district'. Clay prevails contiguous to the works, of a quality, it is believed, adapted to the manufacture of the required brick. Lime is abun- dant, and, although partially affected by native impurities, may be converted to the desired purposes. The hydraulic power will ever remain, and be always adequate to every demand. The re- sources of this region, will ultimately compel the construction of several avenues to it, which are already projected. One which will connect it, by an interior water communication, with the coal fields and furnaces of the west, will be described in a subsequent section of this report. Another scheme, proposes to unite it, by the course of the Racquette river, with the St. Law- rence, and a third, will form an intercourse with the Hudson, along the valley of the Schroon. When the thousand forge fires, that the wealth of this ore will one day lighten, shall illuminate the Adirondacs, these projects will be consummated. ■ The upper works and the village of Adirondac, are situated upon the river, midway between Lakes Henderson and Sandford, in a narrow ravine, embosomed amid the lofty pinnacles that sur- round it. This neat little village realizes to the mind our ideali- ty of a Swiss hamlet, its lake, its river, its mountains " crowned with their coronal of snow.'' Lake Henderson, in exceeding loveliness, slumbers in quiet and beauty at the foot of the giant " Santonine," and is almost enveloped in a mountain screen. These works, by the existing circuitous road, are about fifty miles removed from Lake Champlain. A ponderous and costly dam erected by the Adirondac Compa- By, at the lower works, a distance of ten miles, throws back the volume of water to the \tiy base of a new dam recently erected No. 112.] 777 at the upper works, in connection Tvitli the furnace just com- pleted. This fact affords striking evidence of the formation (f the country. An excellent water communication is created by this improvement between the upper and lower works. At tach ex- tremity of the navigation, wharves, cranes, and every other ai-pli- ance, are already constructed to lacilitate the transportation of heavy commodities. A survey has established the existence of a practicable and cheap route for either a railroad or a plank road, from the lower works to the Schroon valley, a distance of only eighteen miles. The wants of an industrious community, and the exigencies of general business, must secure the consti'uction of a railroad through that valley to the Hudson. When this most de- sirable project is accomplished, tlie furnaces and ore beds of the Adirondac district, will be separated by a land transportation of only eighteen miles from New-Y<'rk. Private enterprize will soon surmount that slight impediment to a continuous communication. Few will anticipate the exposition, which the agricultural section of this report will present, of the progress in husbandry that has been already attained in the Adirondac territory, or the favorable nature of its soil and climate to cultivation. The lofty group of mountains which occupy this region are formed almost exclusively of the h}perstene rock, which has been rendered somewhat familiar to the scientific world by the reports of the State Geologists. This rock in different proportions, is dif- fused through almost every section of the county. The minertil hyperstene from which it derives its name, is incorporated in it, in very minute quantities, whilst the " labradorite *' or " o}»ales- cent felspar" constitutes its most ccispicuous element Although essentially granite, the hyperstene does not exhibit tlie ordinary appearance of that rock. Its color as revealed in the quarry is a smoky grt-y. In some quarries it is lighter, and in others it pre seats a strong green tinge, which forms a predominant shade. On the surface this rock is seamy, to so great a degree as to present almost an appearance of stratification ; deeper in the (luarry it is tlirown out in large and firm blocks. Its beauty is greatly en- hancehing slai^s from this rock. If it yields blocks sufficiently lirm and con- 778 I AsSEMBLt solidated for this purpose it will prove a most valuable and desi- rable material for the structure of the delicate and ornamental fabrics, to which the choicest marble is only appropriated. No Egyptian stone surpasses it in its beautiful and variegated colorSj or in the brilliancy of its luster. The hyperstene is equal to the granite as a building material. The '^ Labradorite" is an exquisitely beautiful mineral, rivalling the plumage of the pea- cock in its brilliant irridescence when wet or polished, and ex- posed to the action of the light.* Highly opalescent specimens are not common, although that characteristic is partially exhibited in every crystal. Blue is the predominant shade, at times min- gled with green. The green seldom occurs alone, but is exceed- ingly brilliant and beautiful. Gold and bronze specimens are occasionally discovered, and rarely, crystals are found combining all these colors in a splendid irridescence. At times the crystals are striated, each alternate stria showing the opalescent reflection. Occasi(mally two colors alternate in the same crystal ; buth are seldom seen in the same direction of light. The bed of the Opa- lescent river, which derives its name from the circumstance, abounds in this mineral, and when the sun shines at the cascades through the clear water, the whole rock seems to beam and glow with the refulgence of the beautiful gems.* Bright opalescent specimens, polished and in settings, are highly valued in jewelry. This mineral was discovered by the Moravian missionaries in Labrador, and when originally introduced into England, com- manded most exorbitant prices. There are but few foreign min- erals enclosed in the Hyperstene rock. A small granite vein ap- pears, near the Adirondac village, which is from one to three feet 'wide. Some of the Felspar taken from this vein (a specimen of which is deposited in the Agricultural Rooms,) are peculiarly beautiful ; they exhibit a remarkable glittering, spangled appear- ance. Crystals of iron have been found in this vein, simi'ar to the crystallzed ore. Serpentine is also sparsely mingled in it.* GrajjJdte exists in this locality, but has not been discovered either in sufficient extent or purity to give it value, although often found in very beautiful radiated nodules. It usually occurs in • R. CIvk. No. in.] 779 small quantities at the juncture of the gneiss and primitive lime Stone rocks. A small vein of. Strptntine and caibcnate of lime, occurs in tlie bed of the river. Slight veins of Trcp, are nume- rous, and I may add, to avoid recurrence to the subject, that this rock is prevalent in almost every section of the county, some- times exliibiting extensive Avails, and forming the dyke of most of the Iron ore beds. At. Jay, lower village, it spans the river in a massive dam. The immense and remarkable dyke at Mt. McMar- tin, requires a more particular notice.* It is developed near the center of the mountains, rising abruptly from Avalanche Lake, it traverses the mountain near the summit. The trap is a sienite composed of hornblende, intermingled with grains of felspar and small portions of garnet. It is softer than hyperstene, which constitutes the remainder of the mountain, and has been exten- sively deranged by the action of the elements. A deep gorge has been formed by this disintegration, cutting through the moun^ tain and exposing the whole stratum of the trap. At the en- trance this gorge is 100 feet wide and 150 feet deep, and gradu- ally decreases in both width and depth as it ascends the moun- tain. The trap vein may be traced upon Mt. Mclntyre, in the same course, but less revealed on its bare and precipitous sides. An immense slide nearly parallel with this dyke, has bared the mountain in its terrifiic descent from the summit to the base, leaving a path of naked rock. The debris borne along in its course has nearly filled that part of 'Avalanche Lake beneath its track. This lake, a fountain of the Hudson, is 2.900 feet above its level, and is proba]^ly the most elevated body of water in the State. Its culd waters are only inhabited by- a small lizard. The gneiss rock extends south and west from Lake Sandford over an extensive territory, until it is surmounted by the primitive limestone. In some sections of tlie district gneiss rests upon the hyper^tene. It is inadvertently stated in a State Geological Keport that gneiss does not disclose itself west of North Hudson. It certainly exists in a large expanse in Newcomb.* I trnocd it in Minerva, and funid it extensively disseminated in Jay, iVortli Elba, and St. Armand. The primitive limestone rapidly disinte- • grates* and separates when exposed to the action of the elements. • R. CUrk. / 780 [Assembly ' The Adirondac Company was originally incorporated with a ca- pital of $1 jOOOjOOO. Large sums have been disbursed in the pro- gress of these improvements J in opening the wilderness*, and in a se- ries of experiments upon the ores of this district. The tragic death of Mr. Henderson in the midst of these scenes, which his great en- ergy and spirited enterprise had tended so much to animate and reveal, impeded these efforts. The depression in the iron interest, and considerations of private expediency have induced a tempora- ry suspension of these magnificent works. It is with profound re- egret that we contemplate such immense industrial capacities un- improved, such vast resources lying waste. Not a sound, not a rriovement of business indicates the heart of a region boundless in the bounties of nature. No occupation but agriculture engages the attention of the agents of the proprietors. These pursuits are conducted with great success, and in a highly judicious and in- telligent system. Moriah Iron District. — The tract, thus appropriately distin- guished by the State Geologist, is scarcely subordinate to the Adirondac district in the magnitude of its deposits ; equal in the quality of its ores, and far more eligibly situated in the present medium of access to markets. Fourteen beds are now discovered and partially explored.* They hav^ all been fully tested, and afford ore adapted to every practical use. The Cheever mine, until recently owned by the Port Henry Company, has been opened more than forty years. It is situated about one-fourth of a mile from Lake Champlain, and three miles north of Port Henry. It presents an average breast of about 14 feet pure iron. Occasional pyrites occur in this ore, but not sufficient to impair its quality. The ores of this district are all magnetic. The ore of this mine separates in large blocks and is of peculiar value for the blast furnace. In the past summer, the pillars of iron left to support the enormous burthen of rock and earth above the cham- ber formerly worked, yielded to the weight, and the whole mass was crushed together. The concussion was like an earthquake, rending the earth and dislocating the massive rocks for acres. The Gof Sf Foot bed is a large and valuable bed in the immediate * I am greatly indebted to J. P. Butler Esq., for an elaborate and carefully arranged de- BcriptioQ of the ore beds of Moriah. No. 112.] -^ 781 vicinity of the Cheever minej and very similar in the qualities of the ore. This bed was reached by sinking a shaft 40 feet through the cap rock. The Old Sandjord Mine is a vast deposit. It was discovered about thirty years since, cropping out on the brow of a hill of considerable elevation. It lias been worked with slight inter-^ missions since its discovery, and the aggregation of the ore ex- ported from it is almost beyond conception. The bed seems to have been formed by a vast upheaval. The terrific power of the agency that produced it is indicated by the position of the dis- turbed and distorted rocks in the vicinity. This ore is stratified, easily drilled, and a single blast not unfrequently throws off 30 tons of pure ore. The length of one openiug of this mine is 214 feet, with a breast of ore of 82 feet. The width of this excava- tion averages about 30 feet. Teams may drive into this mine and load directly alongside of the breast. This ore yields 75 per cent, of iron. Large quantities of it, (and indeed most of the ores of this district) are transported to Pittsburgh, commanding at that place $11.50 per ton, where it is mixed with the ores of that region, and is held in the highest estimation. The ore of this mine contains the phospliate of lime, wliich will be noticed in its appropriate place. Another valuable opening of this mine has been excavated, exhibiting a breast of 99 feet, 66 fieet in length, and an average depth of 25 feet. A tliiid manifestation of an important character of tills mine occurs in tlie immediate vicinity of the former. The ^-^ new bed " is situated about one- half a mile from the old Saudf^rd bed. This mine contains the celebrated shot ore, and is nu^re in requisition than an}' ore in this district. It yields 75 per cent, of ]>ure ore. The mine has been excavated a lengtli of 179 fei't, with a breast of IG feet. A block of pure ore, embracing all tlie varieties peculiar to it, has been taken from this mine, weighing 2,175 pounds. The " 7)flr- /on 6e(/" is near the *' New bed.'' Tlie ore is mixed with silex. This is esteemed a highly valuable btnl. The " Old Fis/urhcd^'' is in the same system, and with the ^* Barton bed" is probably a prolongation of the New bed. Tin* ort' in this and the Barton bed is chit-fly arranged in veins. Tiiis series of ore beds is situ- 782 [Assembly ate I in a distance of five to eight miles of the lake. A plank road extends from Port Henry to the Old Sandford bed. The mine situated upon lots No. 23, 25 and 21, iron ore tract, and principally -owned by Mr. Rousseau, of Troy, lies near the old Sandford bed, and is probably a prolongation of that deposit. It was opened in 184vo, and is distinctly manifested over an area of two and a half acres. This mine occurs on the side of a hill, nearly at the same elevation as the Sandford bed. " It would be difficult," Mr. Butler writes, " to obtain an approximation to the quantily of ore in this single deposit, without estimating the con- tents of the entire hill." Extensive explorations fortify this opinion. The first opening was made by sinking a shaft directly into the ore to the depth of sixty-five or seventy feet, and from thence blasting laterally. A tunnel was subsequently construct- ed horizontally through the cap r<)ck from a lower point on the hill side, until it reached the shaft. The design of this work, was to render the ore accessible without incurring the expense of removing the earth. It is believed, however, that the extreme stratified character of the ore will render this imprac'icable, and that the mine must be uncovered to make it fully available. This mine, and several others in the district, are drained by a siphon.* The Butler Sf Spear bed lies about 1 \ mile from the lake. The ore is a magnetic oxide, impressed with a hematite type. The vein has been traced by a mtignet nearly one-half a mile. It has been opened about ten rods in length, and about twenty feet in de{)th, presenting a breast of nine feet, widening as it descends. This ore is very peculiar and of great value from its malleability- and toughness. It is mixed with silex and carbonate of lime; requires separating, but works freely and reduces lapidly in a common forge fire. The bed was discovered in 1848. Its first analysis was made at my reqijest by Proftssor Salisbury, and pre- sents the following results. The tabic also exhibits an analysis of a hematite ore from the same locality. • J. p. Butler, E«q. No. 112.] 783 Peroxide of iron, . ....... Protoxide of iron, Silica, Alumina, Carbonate of lime, Percentage of pure iron in the per and protoxides,. Percentage of oxygen in the per and protoxides, No. 124. Hematite, Moxiah. 76.06 No. 125. No. 126. Butler's Same after ex- Magnetic ore. posure lo at- 22.82 1.08 99 . 96 52.741 23.319 mcsphcre. 56.53 49.11 28.49 21.02 13.81 27.14 1.02 1.43 1.21 99.85 61.202 23.818 99.91 50.289 19.841 Prof. Salisbury makes the following practical and judicious suggestions: " Nos. 125 and 126 should be well roasted before placing them in the furnace for reduction. The roasting should be carried on at a temperature below the fusing point of the ore. The ma«;netic ore melts into a slag at a cherry red heat. Care should be taken not to reduce the ore to a slag while roasting, as this slag is useless and even injurious in the reducing furnace. The heat should be simply high enough to peroxidize the prot- oxide, and dissipate volatile vapor. As a general rule, the higher the state of oxydation, the more readily is the ore reduced. The protoxide is very difficult of reduction. After the ore is properly washed, it should be placed in a blast furnace, with a strong ba?e, as lime, for a llux This base will act beneficially in combning with silica and alumina, and thus prevent the formation of sili- cates and aluminates of iron." The " Hall bed," or "75," as it is usually designated from the nundicr of the li)t upon which it is situated, yields an ore of great excellence, equal if not superior in quality to any in the Moiiah district. It was formerly classed among the " lean ores," but is now judged to afford a larger percentage than has been supposed of i)ure ore. The bed embraces a nunilur of veins of various di- mensions. Several are in close proximity to each other, and very probably, it is inferred from their course, unite beneath the sur- face in Ibrming a single '• breast." This ore when separated is in 784 [Assembly great demand. The deposit is believed to be extensive and very valuable. The bed is situated about seven milts from the lake. The " Conro'* and " Miller" beds are rich and important veins. The former occurs a few rods north of the " Old Sandford bed," and is very similar to that bed in the general appearance and quality of the ore. It has been opened about a hundred feet in length, and presents a breast of about 16 feet. The Miller bed has not been sufhciently opened to fully esiablish its extent and character. It has been traced nearly a mile by the magnet. The ore is said to possess some very distinct and desirable qualities. The ^' felspar iron ore bed" indicates and appears to possess pe- culiar combinations with felspar, that greatly enhance its VMkie. This mixture much facilitates its reduction. The Moriali dis- trict comprehends two other mines of great value, situated near the boundary of Crown Point and Schroon. Both appear to pos- sess inexhaustible quantities of ore. They are of the magnetic type. The Penfield mine was discovered in the year 1824, and has been in constant working from that period, with no percepti- ble exhaustion. This evidence of capacity is indicated univer- sally by every ore bed in this region, which, for a long series of years has been opened. The existence of the Hammond ere bed was ascertained in 1827, but it was not extensively excavated until 1846. This bed lies within half a mile of the Penfield mine. They do not essentially differ in their characteristics and qualities, and are probably an extension of the same vein. These beds are about ten miles in the interior, and are situated upon elevated land, before it rises into mountains. The Penfield ore produces a very superior bloom iron. The Hammond ore pos- sesses the highest qualities, of peculiar strength and softness, and is eminently adapted to the purposes of the foundry and the fa- brication of machinery. The harder parts of ^ the pig metal are particularly calculated for the manufacture of car axels and malleable articles. The extreme fluidity of this iron, and the long time it remains fluid; renders it highly valuable in the manufacture of these fabrics.* The pig metal made at the fur- nace of Hammond & Co., is of the first quality, and is unsur- •C. F. Hammond, Esq, No. 112.] 785 passed. The series of specimens, which I have transmitted to the rooms of the State Agricultural Society, exhibits an amazing advance in the improvement of this fabric. The remarkable specimen, \\hich has been subjected to the refining process re- cently introduced into their works, exhibits the closeness and compressed fiber, the brilliant luster, and the general aspect of the choicest steel, from which it can scarcely be distinguished by the nicest mechanical eye. On the premises of the Messrs. Tread way, in Schroon, and upon tho same upheaving of the land on which occurs the mines of Penfield and Hammond, and in the same course, I examined several veins of ore, of excellent promise, both as to extent and quality. I infer from these indications that these veins are an extension of the former, and that the intermediate territory, a distance of ten miles, may be occupied by a vast formation of ores. Several large and valuable beds occur in Elizabethtown. A part of these deposits, it is asserted by tradition, yielded the first ore wrought in the county of Essex. The '-JLiittle Pond '■ ore bed constitutes the mass, the formation of a considerable eminence. These mines, placed in the center of the county, and surrounded by extensive iron manufactories, are highly valuable and impor- tant deposits. The " Little Pond bed " is among the most remarkable forma- tions of iron ore in this county,' and from the quality of the ore, the apparent magnitude of the deposit, and its favorable position, may be classed among the most valuable mines of the region. This bed is situated ab:^ut six miles from tbe lake, aud near a plank road. It apparently forms the mass of an eminence, prob- ably covering at the l.ase an area of forty acres, and clevaten that these periodical visits have some con nectiun with this Legend and the existence of this ore bed. • TWb map WM brought from Rn^l&ml hj Rlkanah "WaUon, anU wa« loArecl hy bim to • SUItdepi .ujr. All lnu«- of it. It was n n.owt inport.iB| and intercc . . i, uiul hcliovd :, ...v mhule chart cf IjaVc CbriD}Ji»i& extant. 1 ho vlram^r FrutwiM faltaa was nrockod in 1^62, upou a tUght B«e«U0 n«k Uld down OD tku ohaii, but aukuotru Id i of the lake. 7S8 [AsSEJMBLY A highly intelligent resident of North Elba* has communicated In a valuable description of that town, prepared lor my use, a singm- lar and apparenily well authenticated fact of the accidental dis- covery of a vein of silver ore among the Adirondacs of that region, and the loss of its trace. He adduces very strong evidence of the fact, and that pure silver was fabricated from the ore. A quarry of black clouded marble of rare beauty and^softnees occurs upon the garrison grounds at Crown Point. Although more than a century ago the entrenchment of Fort St. Frederick, penetrated a section of the quarry, it has excited no interest until its importance has been revealed by the enterprise of the Messrs. Hammond. Its texture is firm and consolidated, but so soft and free from grit that it may be readily carved by a pocket knife, Ifc opens in large slabs and blocks, receives a high and bril- liant polish, and is adapted to the most delicate fabrics. Another quarry of dark stone, situated upon the bank of the river in Ticouderoga, is extensive, and will, I think, prove of great value. Harder and less delicate than that at Crown Point, it is darker, and appears susceptible of a very high polish. A quarry is situated upon the premises of J. N. Macomber, in Chesterfield, of great apparent extent, and very unlike either of the above in color and structure. It is a light brown, variegated hy a white, with a shelly combination, and receives a brilliant polish. The unusual coloring and appearance of this mar- ble, will probably render it a valuable deposit. An analysis of it will be presented in another department of this report. The geological form.ation along the shore of Lake Champlain, presents an unique and remarkable' alternation of the primitive with the higher structures. The former, in a general inclination, recedes from the lake, but incidentally dislocates the formations of the latter by projecting through them veins and ledges, in lat- eral spurs. At Ticouderoga, a range of sandstone and limestone rock supervenes. Proceeding northward, we meet at Crown Point, a ledge of regular granite, and veins of gneiss, succeeded hj limestone containing fossil remains, and mingled with the • Timothy Ka*, Ksq. No. 112. j 789 black marble. At Port Henry, is exhibited a remarkable and scarcely defined and promiscuous mingliog of various strata of rocks and minerals. Serpentine, mica in large and beautiful mas- ses, gneissoid granite, primitive limestone, are conspicuous. The pure white of the calcareous limestone, spotted by the sparkling black specks of plumbago, form most beautiful cabinet specimens. In Keene, 1 found specimens more rare and exquisitely beautiful of this limestone, dotted by bright green crystals of sahlite. Verd antique occurs in large veins at Port Henry, and is an ex- ceeding rich and brilliant material. An observant gentleman of that place affirmed that a fossiliferous limestone rock, presenting a perfect stratification, might be seen at low water on the mai'gin of the lake, forming a substratum to these primitive rocks. The granular limestone which^ crops out at Port Henry, ap- pears in Ticonderoga, near Lake George, and prevails extensively in Schroon and Minerva. I found but one manifestation of the rock in North Elba, upon the farm of Mr. Hinckley, where it develcpesin a ledge, upon a side hill. It appears usually com- bined with sulphates, phosphates, or other foreign substances. The hypcrslme rock projects from themountainsiu Westport, and, incidentally traversed by limestone, predominates. The primitive rocks prevail in the s(!ruthern section of the town of Essex. Here occurs that very extraordinary exhibition of porphyry so elabo- rately discussed in the report of Professor Emmons. This rook, extending over the surface upon several acres, is peculiarly beau- tiful in its color, structure, a:xl singular dentritic formation. It affords perfect demonstration of an igneous agency, most potent and terrific, that rent asunder the earth, fused and ejected tliis vast rock. The extreme hardness of the porphyry, is a marked characteri::tic. Struck with the steel hammer, it evolves a bril- liant Ci.rruscation of lii^^iit and sparks. My attention was di- rected to another remarkable exhibition of porphyry, upon the premises of Mr. Clark, on Willsboro' point. This vein, about a foot wide, is interjected in a seam of blue limestone, and the rock has been evidently dismembtTcd in the process. Scarcely a frag- ment of tlie disrupted limestone remains, near the porphyry vein, but by a singular coincidence, or as an evidence of the amazing power of this agency, I was informed that fragments of ■790 [Assembly brokeo limestone, about equal in quantity to the rock, thrown off by theporphyric eruption, are scattered upon the top of an hyper- stene hill, two miles distant, and two hundred feet high, and in a direct line with this porphyry vein. Large and produc- tive quarries of limestone, from which valuable exportations of building materials are annually made, are wrought in Essex and WillsI)oro\ Various fossils occur in this rock, and also in the slate or shale which lies contiguous. Many of these remains are of gre^t size, and in unusual preservation. A few years since, a single fossil of a reptile was exhumed by Mr. Clark, measuring two feet in length, and so perfect in its preservation, that the form of the minute scales could be distinguished. The northern extremity of Willsboro' point, is occupied by a slate ledge, identi- cal iu appearance, and its fossiliferous character, with the same formation, upon the Islands and the Vermont shore of the lake. At Mount Trembleau, as in Willsboro', Westportand Moriah, the fiyperstene rock plunges into the lake in a bold, ragged, and per- pendicular wall. A very peculiar and large deposit of stalagmite lies upon the north bank of the Boquet, near, but not subjacent apparently, to a mass of limestone. Several veins of kaolin, de- velope at Mt. Trembleau, upon the lake shore, beneath the hyper- sten@. Similar masses occur in other sections of the county. A specimen from Putnam's iv)nd, in Schroou, was subjected to ana- lysis, many years since, by Professor Eaton* and pronounced by him eminently pure and exempt Irom injurious combinations. I/imestonej and very clear quartz rock, sup]>osed to be adapted to the glass manufacture, and beds of clay, of gi'eat purity, occur in St. Armand.f A long and attractive list of rare and boautitul minerals might be exhibited, which are incorporated with the rocks of Essex county, or imbedded in its earth. Particular localities are pe- culiarly rich in these deposits. The crest of a hill upon the premises of Col. Calkins, near Lake George, aifords a choice field for the researches of the scientific explorer. The avalanches, at Long pond, in Keene, presents a site still more lavishly supplied •Mr. Tread'.rn.y. t Kliaa Goodapccd, Esq. Ko. 112.] 791 V with brilliant gema and minerals.* Auglta garnet, zircon, sahlite, sphene, coccolite, adularia, rose colored quartz spar, epidote, clorite, jasper, camelian, are among the minerals yielded by these remarkable deposits. Veins of colophonite occur in Lewis, Chesterfield and Willslx)ro'. This exceedingly splendid and beau- tiful mineral is found in vast conglomerates, refulgent in the col- oTi and luster of innumerable gems. An interesting substance, the type of a large deposit taken from the farm of William Russell, in Chesterfield, is worthy of notice, and is analysed below by Professor Salisbury. " This material, he remarks, is so interesting from the large amount of sulphur and sulphates of iron, it contains, that I gave it a thorough chemical examination. If the deposit is sufficiently extensive, it may some day, prove a source of wealth to the county.*^ One hundred parts dried, at 212^ gave of So. 16, -'1X4)118. »» Silica, 41.21 Iron, 15 29 Alumina, .• 5.*^ Sulphur, 27. 14 Sulphuric acid, 8.85 Lime, 1 .44 Magnesia, 0.11 Potassa, 0.2a Soda, 17 Chlorine, trace 99.80 *• If this material is In sufliciont quantity, it may be used with profit for the manufacture of sulphate of iron. On heating the i-ock up to a low rfid heat, it takes fire and l)urns for some time, • I h^Tfl b<^o• f»ror»rl bj iho Ker. Mr. ratu**, w'.tb a m-^^ naj-ll.mlar (ind I ' ' " '.'•siting 4mor\pii>v«rT dlri'otiuD. High i:p iht prc- dipie«, a •«>ri«« of carM oocur, whlk>ii are tha pKuli^r d(i^f ihr goms ajii luuMvrBi.^, a::d almoit riral lu boauly and rariotj, tt\v oaiuroj of nMt«rn 0\.orj. ** IIph' arc found large boJ- dora, and oven ledgn of calcajoouj apar, blue, wLitv, asd »oin»liaes bcaulifully rarirgaUnl by oryitals of Apldoto, oooooliu>, and hornblondo. Thej arc oeoaaicmallj found io stiUaotltio and cryftaLin« furm.-(. but more gOQCfalij Lu aiaurpliViu maMe«." '* Tbo ba«ajt is vbiefl/ fou£d ia T«ifi« oAd djrkei." 792 [ASSEMBLT giving ofi large quantities of sulphurous acid." A singular for- mation of natural copperas, exists immediately below the " Wil- mington Notch," on tlie bank of the Au Sable river. The impreg- nated water oozing from the earth, forms a thick concretion upon the rock, which may be removed in large quantities. It is adapt- ed, in its crude state, to all the usual purposes of the artificial sulphate of iron. I submitted a specimen of this ingredient to Professor Salisbury, for examination, whose analysis gives the fol- lowing results : " One hundred parts of dried, at 212'^ contains of Sulphur, 5.10 Iron, 9.05 Sulphuric acid, , 4.68 Silica, 70.90 Alumina, 2.50 Lime, 4.70 Magnesia, 0.70 Potassa, 0.85 Soda, . .. 1.21 Chlorine,. * 0.11 Phosphoric acid, trace 99.80^' •' From the account of the extent of this deposit, Isee^no reason why it may not become valuable for the purpose of manujfactu- ring sulphate of iron, and sulphuric acid.'' Copper ore has recently been disclosed, many feet below the surface, in the '^phosphate mine," and at another locality in Crown Point. These indications cherish the expectation of find- ing the ore in large deposits. Specimens submitted to Professor Salisbury, afford the following very favorable analysis. The re- sults indicate that copper may become an important commodity in the metalic resources of the county. No. 68. No. 86. Copper,.. 44.50 46.70 Iron, 21.30 10.45 Sulphur,. 30.20 It/r^-'-.o^' No. 112.] 793 Carbonic acid, 23.10 Silica, 3.70 19.60 99.70 99.85 <* No. 68 is copper pyrites, containing iron, as it usually does. This is sufliciently rich in copper to make it valuable if found in any considerable quantity. The greater part of the copper of commerce comes from this kind of ore. No. 86 is a carbonate of copper, and will be very valuable if found in adequate quanti- ties.'' The hyperstene rock, occupying a wide range through most sections of the county, abruptly terminates in contact with the Potsdam sandstone in the Au Sable valley. The latter forms for several miles the walled banks of the Au Sable river, and is extensively dilfused over that valley. Lying in a perfect strati- fication, it may be excavated in vast slabs and blocks, and affords an invaluable material for building. A vein of "water cement" in the town of Willsboro', of a very superior quality, has been used for practical purposes for many years, and is apparently of great extent. Other deposits of this material occur in various parts of tlie county. A sample from one upon the premises of Harris Page, of Chesterlield, was examined by Professor Salisbury. Ilis anal3ses of specimens from both deposits are presented in the following table : No. 51. Ko. ZO. Irom WUli?Uro'. II. Pa^jc, rhostcrficM. Silica, 14.36 57.37 Alumina and iron. 7.93 10.36 Carbonate of lime, 00.46 . 17.43 Soda,. ..V 0.73 0.06 Magnesia, 13.40 7.93 Potassa, 0.60 0.10 Sulpliuiic acid, 0.20 0.23 Chlorine, . .' 0.14 trace. f Organic matter. 1.60 • 0.46 -- fc , 99.98 99.88 « 791 [AssEMBLr •' No. 51 , if iu quantities sufficiently large, and uniform in com- position, like the sample alialysed, will prove a highly valuable deposit for the manufacture of hydraulic cement. In composi- tion it has all the materiala present in the requisite proportions for yielding a superior cement. No. 30, although a hydraulic eement, yet the sample analysed is too silicious for forming a sti-ong cement.'^ PainC exists In different sections of the county, in numerous de]x>3its and various colors It is generally disintegrated and pulverized, and is used in its crude state for ordinary painting. When prepared by artificial refinement, it is believed the-se mine- rals will be made useful for practical purposes. An ore occurs in Ticonderoga of a rocky consistence which presents a bright rich Vermillion surface, and it is supix>sed will yield an import- ant paint. It exhibits the following components on an analysis hj Prof. Salisbury. Dried at 212 degrees, 100 parts gave of Seequioxide of iron, 88 . 20 Silica, 10.05 Alumina, 0 . 60 Carbonate of lime, 0 . 65 Magnesia, 0.41 99.91 ^* Thiii rock contains beeides the bodies mentioned above, a very small percentage of manganese. I see no reason why this ore might not he valuable for smelting if it occurs in suflicient quan- tities. It will make a very good dull red or reddish brown paint, if it can be ground sufficiently fine." I selected from the numerous deposits of paint in the county a sample i>om a bed upon the premises of Mr. Robert Cook, of Chesterfield, which I considered to possess qualities of peculiar excellence. The bed lies in a ravine, in an open pasture and is of easy access. The paint appears upon the surface or by the re- moval of a few inches of turf, and is revealed over an area of many rod5, exhibiting evidences of a vast deposit. The follow- Wo. 112.} 79§ rag extract presents th© analysis of Prof. Salisbury, with his (pinions in reference to the properties and promises of the article. *' 100 part8, deprived of water, gave of Organic, 18.35 Oxides of iron, manganese and alumina, G9 . 6 1 Silica, 9.80 Lime, 1 .43 Magnesia, 0 . 43 Potassa, 0.06 Soda, 0.03 Chlorine, 0.07 ^ Sulphuric acid, trace. 99.77 *'• Thia material contains quite a large percentage of organic matter ; aside from this it is composed mostly of the oxides of iron, manganese and alumina, with bilica ; all of these are very durable. It will make a very good paint as it is, but a far more durable and superior one wheu freed of the organic matter which a contains. This can readily be accomplished by burning, which if thoroughly done, completely destroys the organic matter and imnproves the c<:)lor.'' DRIFT AN1> niLUVIAI. KOttMATION. Whilst strong and indubitable evidenc*^s prevail throughout the comnty of P^sex that an igneous power constituttxi the stupendous agency that impiessed u})on this region its peculiar ft-atures and oharacteristics, it U ex^ually manifest that an acjueous action ex- ctXil)Iy convey to other minui elucidations and arguments on this subj«'ct. jg Lake Champlain is only 93 feet above ti«!e water, and a plum- met de.scending in it GOO feet, has nc-t reached bottom. These t facts may be suggeotivo of important consideration.^. Marine shells, forming large deposits of marl, occur in the vicinity of the 796 [Assembly lake, in a state of aach i>r€'Servation that the species may be readily defined, and which induces the belief of their being a com- paratively recent deposit. The tenacious blue clay, surmounted by the yellowish clay peculiar to marine formations, may be traced widely disseminated in the county. Numerous deposits are disclos- ed along the sides of hills and mountains, of large gravel, rounded by attrition and decay, and presenting every assimilation in appear- ance to the line of a beach that has been washed by the surges. The sand drifts are uniformly or nearly so, exposed in long and narrow expanses, occupying the tracts of valley^ or ravines. The recent formation, is perfectly illustrated near the village of Plea- sant Valley, where a slide exposes the stratification of the earth to a depth of some twenty feet. The lower stratum revealed is the yellow clay, succeeded by a coarse and rough gravel; this is sur- mounted by a smaller gravel, clear and abraded; the latter is covered by a stratum of sand, light and washed, and beneath the entire mass projects logs and roots. The lovely valley that bor- ders the Schroon river, and spreads over an area of several milea between Paradox and Schroon lake's, presents equally decisive evi- dences of a recent ibrmation. This plain is fertile, and now gen- erally under high cultivation. In sinking pits for wells and other purposes, logs nearly entire and prostrate trees are constantly found from 12 feet to 17 feet below the surface.* I have before referred to the appearance of ripple marks near tlie base of the " walled banks of the An Sable." In Elizabethtowh, on the browof an eminence, many feet jibove the valley, a perforation in the solid rock, smootli and rounded, may be seen, not unlike in size and general form to a common caldron kettle. I examined tvvO others on the premises of Col. Caikinj, and similarly situated upon the crest of a precipice. I also inspected an- other formation of this kind on the lands of Messis. Treadway,ia Schroon. The half circle of this remains entire; the residue has been apparently destroyed by fragments of rocks, fallen from the cliffs above. The entire circle was probably twenty feet in diame- ter. This also stands upon the verge of a higli and abrupt preci- pice of probably two hundred feet in depth. The appearance, the form, tiie position, the smooth and worn surface of these extra- No. 112.1 797 ordinary structures, all indicate that they have been formed by the abrasions of a rapid and powerful current of water. The existence of " boulders *' formed of every rock, ^nd dis- seminated through the county, equally upon the hills and moun- tains as in the valleys, presents a broad and attractive field for scientific researches and philosophical speculations. Boulder rocks, dissimilar in character and belonging to other formations, worn and rounded, are scattered over the county in utter confu- iion and dislocation. Granite intermingled with sand, sandstone resting upon hyperstene, and gneiss upon limestone, perpetually occur, A gentleman of intelligence assured me, that he had ex- amined a fragment of red sandstone near the summit of a hyper- stene mountain, in the center of the county, and remote from every rock of that description. I saw in Moriah, a Potsdam sand- atone block, lying upon the surface^of a rock of gneiss, many miles from the former in scite. Among the Adirondacs, at an elevation of 1,700 feet, and more than 1,000 feet above any known locality of Potsdam sandstone, pebbles of that rock are found, bearing all the close crystaline appearance of that stone at Keeseville.* They are found in gravel pits, sand beds, and along the banks of the river. The presence of these bouldei-s, varying in size from the mere pebble to masses of many tons, oc- curs in every section of the county. These are among the fact^ and circumstances existing m this region calculated to illustrate theories and speculations on the subject of the drift formation of the country. Fr.nTlLIZVlRS. Phosphafe of lAtne. — The extraordinary deposit of this rare and valuable mineral in Crown Point, has elicited much inter- efit and attention from both the scientific and agricultural com- munity of England. It is a singular incident, that a general knowledge of its existence should have been announced to the citizens of Ks.sex c(^unly, by a report of a discus.^ion on the sub- ject, at an agricultural festival in that country. Tlic purpose I had contemplated of an rlaborato examination of the material, its history, uses, and efl'ccts, h^is been anticipated by the exposo • a. CUrir. 798 [AsSEMBI^T embrac) The spring from which the water marked No. 5 was taken, is situated almost within the shadow of the giant wall of the " In- dian Pass." A fountain of health, sufficient to constitute a t' watering place," within the |)ure and invigorating atmosphere of the Adirondacs, and amid scenes where nature reigns in pro- found seclusion, and in such imposing and terrific grandeur, Avould possess infinite attractions and interest. One gallon of this water gave of solid matter 12.64 grains, and 100 parts of this solid matter gave, Organic matter, 1 9.73 Sulphuric acid, ^ 23.32 Potassa, 20.33 Magnesia, 16.14 Lime, 4.78 Phosplioric acid, 4.18 Carbonic acid, 3.59 Soda, , 2.34 Chlorine, 1.19 Iron, 4.18 SUica, 0.11 99.89 STo. 113.[ 807 '^ The analysis shows No 5 to be a magneseo-potassa water. From its composition I should judge it to be superior to No. 3, in a medicinal way. The magnesia and potassa are probably mostly in the form of sulphates. No. 5 has a slight earthy odor." PART V. INDJJSTRIIL PROGRESS AND RESOURCES. The earliest business associations of northern New-York, were connected with the markets of the St. Lawrence. The illimitable forests of Essex county, presented the first field to the settler for the efforts of industry, and has continued to their successors an inexhaustible source of enterprise and wealth. The lumber trade with Canada, commenced soon after the permanent occupa- tion of the country, subsequent to the revolution.^ Those sur- vive who were connected with it as early as 1790. li enlisted for many years, almost the whole energies of the population. Tlie public lands yielded a rich and unquestioned harvest to those who entered upon them, while the rights of private owners of wild lands were regarded with exceeding laxity. Fictitious sales for taxes and other legal pretences, were often unscrupu- lously, used to palliate or disguise these depredations. The price paid upon real sales of standing timber, was merely nominal. Labor imparted to the material its value. Norway pine and oak were at thaf time principally esteemed for the Canadian trade. White pine had little comparative value, until the construction of the Champlain canal opened a new channel to this commerce. The oak sticks, prepared for the northern market, were hewn. The pines were designed for the navy of England, and were transported to Quebec, round, and of any length exceeding twenty feet. Spars of vast dimensions were exported from the shores of Lake Champlain. and sold to the agents of the British government, probably to form " The jsaet cf Bome tall Admiral." ' No. 112.] 809 • The -winter season was chiefly devoted to preparing and col- lecting these materials, and the whole force of the teams, and labor of the country, was put in requisition for the object. The timber was gathered ia coves or low marshes, protected from the winds and floods of early spring, and there formed into immense rafts. Deals or thick planks of pine, and oak staves were ulti- mately manufactured, and exported to the same market. These articles were arranged in cribs, and transported with the rafrs or piled upon its surface. The rafts were often of great size. They were propelled through the lake by sails and oars, and were borne by the current and tide, down the Sorel and St. Lawrence rivers. In passing the rapids of the former, the rafts were partially taken asunder. The strong current? of the St, Lawrence, impelled them rapidly down that strsam, but the turbulent tides near Quebec, often swept them beyond the havens of that city, with great danger, and at times a total loss. These catastrophes were not unfrequent. The average price at Quebec, of oak timber, was 40 cents per cubic foot, and that of pine, about 20 cents. The timber cost delivered upon the shores of Lake Champlain, from 6 to 8 cents, and the transportation from thence to Quebec, was about 2J cents in addition, per cubic foot.* The profit of this trafic seems to have been exorbitant, yet singularly, it proved to most who engaged in it, unfortunate and disastrous. Similar oak timber, at the present day, exported to New- York, through the canal, subject to far heavier disbursement, is worth only 27 and oO cts., in that market. The magnitude and activity of this business rapidly exhausted the masses of timber conti- guous to tlie lake, and spars and timber were eventually trans- ported from forests fiCteen miles in the interior, to the place of rafting. Small rafts uf spars and dock sticks, formed of the scatterqd relics of the original forests, are still annually collected and carried to the southurn market. No decked vessel, it is stated, navigated Lake Champlain fifty years ago. The insignificant commerce which at that period ex isted upon its waters, was conducted in cutters, piraguas, and batteaux. Few wharves had then been constructed. • I ora lodebUd to Nf r. Jumct PiUIiig, cluofly, for lb« dc U!'i of 'Jb* Icmbcr trmie. 810 [Assembly The emigrants desiring to land their stock, were often com- pelled to approach some favorable position, and throwing the animals overboard, swim them to the shore. In the more sparsely ^ttled districts, vessels freighted with salt would anchor in some adjacent cove, and announce its presence to the i;]habitants, who were often compelled to haul their grain on sleds through the woods, to barter for the salt. In this interchange, a bushel of wheat usually purchased a bushel of salt.* The merchant visiting the southern market for goods, before the introduction of steamers upon the lake, which occurred in 1809, consumed' generally a month on the journey. The return of the merchandize was still more protracted. This journey was often performed on horseback, and occasionally by a chance vessel. The goods were transported in winter by sleighs, and at other seasons by water, from Whitehall. Now, the merchant may visit Boston, make his purchases, and on the third day exhi- bit his wares upon the shelves. The village of Essex, for a series of years, was the important business mart of this entire region. The manufacturing works, for a long period, were limited to grist mills, for domestic use, and saw mills. The latter became numerous, as the demand for deals and other sawed lumber augmented. The construction of the Champlain canal gave a different di- rection and imparted a new character to the lumbering operations of northern New-York. Norway pine became subordinate in value to the white pine. The Quebec trade yielded to the new avenues opened to our own marts. Finer articles of lumber were prepared for the southern markets. The lumber business in its changed aspect again became the paramount occupation of the country. Innumerable saw mills were erected, and the forests of white pine were demolished with as much rapidity as the Nor- way pine had been at an earlier day, to supply the Quebec market. The amount and value of the various fabrics, tjie produce of the forest, which have been transported by the Champlain canal from Essex comity, are almost inappreciable. The manufacture s No.112.] 811 of lumber is in most sections of the county nearly extinct, from the exhaustion of the raw material. A large proportion of the sawed lumber shipped at Port Kent and Port Douglas, is derived from the forests of Franklin county, which are rendered accessi- ble by the plank rgads. The mills at Ticonderoga are chiefly sup- plied from Lake George. The amount of lumber annually ex- ported from Crown Point, is about 5,000,000 feet of sawed lumber, and ten hundred thousand of shingles. 200,000 pieces of lumber were shipped from Port Douglas in 1852 ;* 600,000 pieces from Ti- conderoga ; 1,000,000 pieces of boards and plank, equal to 1 ,G25,000 feet boards from Port Kent.f From Port Kendall 9,227 promiscuous pieces. | Large quantities of sawed lumber are shipped from various other ports in the county, the amount of which I have not been able to procure. The pine in the vicinity of Crown Point affords an article of lumber much superior in quality to that manufactured upon the Ausable or Saranac,and is distinguished by a finer grain, softer fibre, and a more brilliant surface. My attention was particu- larly directed to the circumstance, and I notice it as a curious fact in vegetable physiology. The exhaustion of the forests accessible from Lake Champlain, has constrained the lumber manufacturer to seek his resources in the wilds of the interior. Logs are now floated from the most remote districts of Franklin county down the Saranac river and through a portion of Essex county, to supply the mills on that stream. State bounty has been extended with munificence to aid in opening that wilderness to this policy, by important improve- ments in the navigation of the Saranac, Ka. t C. p. Alln X LeTi Highbf . 812 [.Aj3SmMBL"Y region. It is estimated that this tract may yield one million of Paw logs. Although the Aq Sable river in its various branches, spreads through it a length of perhaps thirty miles, its channel is so obstructed as to render it useless for the floating of logs. These impediments have rendered this tract inaccessible to ordinary private elTurt and enterpiize. A slight application of that patronage which has been lavished by the State, u|>on other lo- calities, "^vould make this stream practicable for the floating of the logs to mills, from whence their products would find a mar- ket by the Champlaiu canal, and thus pour a vast tribute into the public revenue. I witnessed the results of individual exer- tions In the improvement of this navigation, and much has been accomplished: but public policy and justice invoke with the strongest emphasis action from the Legislature, that shall open the latent and inaccessible resources of this secluded territory. The efficiency and value ot this mode of transporting timber are fully illustrated by its successful operation in other parts of the country. The numerous and widely diffused branches of the Hudson are annually appropriated for the transit of a very large amount of logs. Insignificant mountain rivulets, swollen by the spring freshets, are converted into valuable mediums for this purpose, by the adroit management of the experienced lumberman. The following statistics, furnished by a person prominently engaged in the occupation,* exhibits some interesting and import- ant facts. In the spring of 1352, 2,0,000 standard pine logs, 6,t)00 spruce, and 15,000 Lemlocklogs, from the town of Schroon, were rafted at the head of Schroon lake. The expense of getting and driving these logs, was slxty-fivo cents each for the pine and spruce, and fifty-five cents for the hemlock. These logs were worth, delivered at Glen's Falls, $2.25 for the pine. $1.25 for the spruce, and $1,00 for the hemlock. During the last season, 30,000 logs, chiefly pine, were transported In this manner from the town of Newcomb, at an expense of $1.00 for each hundred .logs. At the same time, 32,000 logs of pine and spruce, and 8,000 of hemlock, were floated down the ^^preas river, a tribu- * Mr. Abijah Snuibj of Schroon^ to ^hom I am ir«iebt«d for mort of my infonnatioc on this No. in.] S13 i'&Ty of the Hudson wliicli flows through the town of Minerva. The expense of transporting the pine and sprucOj was sixty cents per log, and that for the hemlock, 40 cents. An additional number of 25,000 logs were transported during the same period to Glen's Falls, from the more remote western districts of Minerva, and at abont the same expenditure. These logs are floated singly or in rafts to mills at that place, and are there manufacturiid for the southern market. In addition to this immense exportation, there was sawed in the town of Schroon'an aggregate of about 600,000 pieces of lumber, measuring more than nine millions of feet. This enormous consumption of timber has nearly exhausted the primitive forest, and the business may be regarded as approach- ing its termination. It can scarcely be conceived, when in the summer solstice we perceive a tiny stream standing in pools along the steeps of a mountain, that a few months before the largest logs had been transported upon its flood. 4 Potashes. — While the county was passing through its transi- tion from a primitive state to cultivation, the forest yielded a highly lucrative and available resource, in the manufacture of potash. Prohibited exportation by the non-intercourse policy of our own government, this traiSc was illicit ; but, stimulated by the exorbitant prices which the exigencies of the British af- fairs attached to the article in the Canadian market, an immense quantity found its way from northern New- York Into Montreal. In the year 1808, and about that period, ])otash commanded in Canada, |300, when the usual price had rauged from $100 to f 120 per ton. This manufacture occupied nearly the whole population in its various connections, while the excitement ex- isted, whibh was alone terminated, by the (inal declaration of war, in 1812. The manufacturt* ot potash existed to a considerable extent, within tlie last twenty- live yemy in some sections of KSsex county, but as a distinct occupation is now abandoned. The vast accu- mulations of leached ashes about the ruins of the ashtries, wit- ness the foruicr magnitude of this business, and are proving, where they occur, iuvaluable depuaits of a highly fertilizing ma- terial to oui* farmers. As an appliance to their light and sandy 814 [AsSSMBi-Y soils, leached ashes are among the most active and useful ma- nures, and exert a permanent physical agency upon the soil, that alters its consistency and modifies its whole character. Tanneries. — Another profitable and very proepeTOUS business, which is sustained by the products of the forest, is becoming the predominant occupation of the town of Minerva and portions of Schroon. Several large and valuable tanneries are established in this district, and the adjacent towns in Warren county. The ex- tensive demands these works create for bark, forms an extensive market, which is abundantly supplied from the woodlands of that region. A eonflagration of the woods presents a scene in the highest degree imposing and terrific, and often inflicts destructive ravages upon the pursuits of the maaufacturer, as well as the products of agriculture. In certain periods of the year, the dried leaves and other combustible materials of the forest form an inflamahle mass, which spreads a fiame with inconceivable celerity. Impelled by the wind which constantly accumulates in vehemence, its progrees is so rapid that neither man or beast is secure of safety in flight. It spreads widely its column of flame as it advances. It seizes upon tops of the loftiest trees, and leaping from object to object, it laps up every combustible substance, far in advance of the body of the con- flagration. Sparks borne by the whirlwind for furlongs, start new fires. Immense amounts of property, comprising timber, lumber, wood dwellings, fences, crops of grain and grass are often in a few hours consumed by these inflictions. The intense heat of these fires, by consuming all the organie elements of the soil, frequently destroys for many years the fertility of the earth. In the spring of 1852, the thriving village of Franklin Falls, just on the boundary of Essex county, was overwhelmed by a visitation of this kind. A fire was noticed in the woods, at a dis- tance of four mileSj without alarm or suspicion of danger. With- in forty minutes from that period the village, comprehending dwellings, stores, valuable mills, and all their appurtenances, with a mass of manufactured lumber, was enveloped ia a sea of flame, and the inhabitants, scarcely escaping with their lives, left to the No. 112.] 815 destroying element their homes, furniture and provisions. No- thing in a few hours remained to mark this site of industry and business, but a single cabin, all else was a black and smoking ruin. The aggregate loss from this calamity amounted to thirty thousand dollars. This is one of the contingencies and ex- posures to which the raanuficturing interests are subjected. Iron Manufactures. — The iron manufacturing business of Essex CTOunty, destined to become an interest of national consideration, was initiated in an humble establishment at Willsboro' Falls. These works were erected in 1801, by George Throop and Levi Highby, connected with Charles Kane of Schenectady, and de- signed for the manufacture of anchors. They held an unlimited contract for the sale of all that article they might make for a term of ten years. The anchors varying from 300 lbs. to 1500 lbs., were to be delivered at Troy. One or two experiments were made in exporting them to Quebec, but the result was unfavora- ble. It is a remarkable circumstance, that the ore used in these works for the first ten years, was principally imported from Ver- mont, with a few loads from Canada. " A bed at Basin Harbor, owned by Piatt Rogers, was the only deposit of iron ore which at that period had been developed in this whole region. Soon after the close of the ten years contract the Arnold ore bed in Clinton county was discovered."* At that period no knowledge, and pro- bably little suspicion existed of the richness and magnitude of the iron ore deposits which were hidden amid the rocks and mountains of Essex county, t The fdundery at Willsboro* in addition to an- chors, manufactured mill cranks, griit mill machinery, and ulti- mately steamboat irons. This property passed into other hands, ami was finally converted into a forge. i JVht/ Plates. — At an Qiirly j»eriud in this century, Mr. W. D. Rose, late of Essex, erected a rolling mill on the B<'(juct, for tb« • Letter of Levi Hi^bbj, Esq. t It ifl evident, bowcrcr, from the CiillilMid [«i«it, ihat llic Idea of Ibe elSl■te^D^f (K iron ore IVM ciciUHJ fct an early \>tz'uA. He refrrw, in 17M, to the f»et of tbr eotnp««9 being Appa- rently affoctod by it* prejenoe. In bin joamal (if July 31, 1780, iji the followirff enti7 : "Jo- fieph Oanler of Scitaate, Kbodc Itland, uffeni 0d. lawful money per ton for iron ore, and rai»o tt at bis own rxjiOiuK-, !>00 to 1000 tc-nj» annually.'' On Marrh \^, 1783, the rtill rrorc definite entry oocum : *' John (lilbert, owner Ikrkrhirt- Famaoc in Ltnoz, propoacv to be eoneemed so iron workf, at Lake Cluunplaio, or to lay the ore at on* thillint; I^^fol ironey per ton, aod nu0e it at bi« expenae. Mem — to write bim a« aoon a/ we may vafaly \\kii. the plaec.'' I diM«rcr no trade of any expkration« ur farther action on the evibjeet. 816 i ASSEWBJLY oonsti'uction of nail plates. These plates were manufactured in large qnantitieSj and sold at $8 per cwt. to the hail factory in Fair Haven, Vermont. About the year 1809 Archibald Mfuntyre and his associates erected iron TTorL^s upon.a branch of the Au Sable river, and in a remote section of ihe county, comprised within the limits of the present town of North Elba. It was a forge of four to six fires, and designated " the Elba Iron Works.'' The ore used at the com- mencement was found in that region, but proving impracticable from the presence of foreign substances, was abandoned, and the works were aftervrards supplied by ore transported from the Ar- nold bed in Clinton county, a distance of many miles, over roads only passable on snow. Tlie products of the forge were export- ed both to the St. Lawrence and Lake Champlaln, but by routes laborious and expensive. I have noticed in the preceding pages the evidences which indicate the existence in North Elba of large and valuable deposits of iron ore, but wdiich remain unexplored. Situated in the midst of dense and stately forests, these works possessed every advantage fjr the permanent supply of fuel. Tlie business fur a series of years was eminently prosperous. The works, however, proved too remote from market, and ineli- gibly situated for enduring success, and in the year 1815 were abandoned. A dilapidated dam, and fragments of broken wheels and shafts, and similar vestiges, are the only memorials of their former existence. In the meanwhile other forges were gradually appearing in the region, and when, in 1820, the Champlain canal had been constructed, the iron interest rapidly expanded, and at once exhibited in the increase of its varied works, an earnest of its approaching prosperity and importance. The valley of the Au Sable river was early distinguishett as the prominent seat of the iron manufactories, and it still maintains that pre^iminenc^. The Au Sable river for many miles forms the boundary of Clin- ton and Essex county. The dams erected to supply the water power to the works, along its course, are necessarily in both counties, although most of the structures connected with them are situated in Clinton These establishments, however/ are al- No. 112.] 817 most eqiiallj^ identified with the industrial interests of Essex county, and from it are derived a large proportion of the raw material, the agricultural supplies and the labor that sustains them. The forges, rolling mills and nail factories of Messrs J. and J. Rogers at Au Sable Forks ; of the Peru Iron Company at Clin- tonville; and E. and J. D. Kingsland & Co., at Keeseville, each of them upon the Au Sable river, may be classed with the most ex- tensive and valuable iron manufacturing establishments of the Union. The aggregate annual product of nails from these seve- ral institutions is immense.* No process in the mechanical arts is more interesting and beau- tiful, than the fabrication of nails, by the improved machinery. The instrument is exact and powerful, and pours forth in its operation an unbroken stream of nails, perfectly executed. A single machine, attended by a boy, makes five kegs of 100 lbs. each, daily. The iron of Northern New-York, peculiar for its exceeding toughness and strength, forms nails of the first quality, which command the highest prices in market. The formation of wrought nails by machinery, has been desired for many years, as promising the highest utility in this manu- facture. This result, it is assumed, has been recently accom- plished in the invention of a machine, by Mr. Daniel Dodge, of Keeseville, which forms the horse nail with great accuracy and beauty. Arrangements are now in progress by Messrs. Kings- land & Co., Ibr the extensive introduction of these machines into their works. Their successful operation, it is considered, will largely extend the nail manufacture in this region. • Tho Messrs. Kingsland & Co. alone consume 140 tons of iron each week. They run 50 machidc?, which manufiicture daily 250 kegs of naild. In the year 1852 there was exported from Tort Kent, according to a etutcmont compiled by C. P. Allen, Esq., as follows: 81,743 kegnof nuilfl; 467, 18.0.6 tons rolled iron; 200, 8. 1 .2 l)loom.«. From Port l>o«gla8 during •amc pericKl, by exhibit, 18,y23 kegs nails; .",600,000 lbs. aggregate uf Iron. (Mr. J. Wal- polo.) Iheso ports form the depots of the Au .^ablo valley. Frum Port Kendall, aUo, in th« town ('f Chc'torfield, there was cx|)ortrd the same period, 189, 5.O.20 tons iron. (L. Iligby.) A henry excess of iron after the daily marufucturo of 250 kegd of nails, is made by th« Messrs. Kingsland into rolled iron of various sizes. The other works upon the Au Sable, i| wiU a[>pcar from tho above returns, also produce a largo amount of rolled ir:in. [Ag. Tr, '53.] II 3 81 S [Assembly Tlie village of Keeseville is a creation of the iron interest. That pursuit has imparted to it the great prosperitj^, and in this section of the State, the unprecedented progress which has ipiark- ed its career. Keeseville is situated upon both banks of the Au Sable river, and occupies an important position in the heart of the iron manufacturing district. Its site scarce thirty years ago, on one side of the stream, was a cheerless and desolate swamp, and on the other occupied by abrupt and barren blufi^ of sand. More, perhaps, than any village in the State, its distinctive and pe- culiar character is manufacturing. In addition to the vrorks, to which reference has been made, a highly valuable foundery and machine works of Goulding, Green k Conro, are of the first im- portance among the manufacturing establishments in the county. The admirable fabrics of these worlishops are widely diffused, and in high repute.^' Two flouring mills, which annually consume about 60,000 bushels of wheat, chiefly the product of the west ; an extensive planing mill, a woolen factory, plaster mill, tannery, carriage and wagon and cabinet works, are among the industrial pursuits of this community. The recent prostration of the iron interest, which menaced extinction to that great staple of this district, bore upon Keese- ville with intense and appalling severity. The favorable change, which has occurred in all the departments of that business, has restored the former activity and vigor of this village, and re-ani- mated its manufacturing pursuits. A first class works, comprising forges, rolling mills, and nail factories™ owned by Messrs. Gould, Ross & Low, are situated at the Boquet falls. The products of these works are very great, although I have not been able to procure any statement of the amount. Another of a similar character, of which James S. • Altliougli these works stand on the Clinton shore of the Au Sable, they are so mingled in ownership, labor and material, with Essex county, as to be essentially connected with this industrial history. "They have executed within the last four years large special orders from Canada, California, Missouri, via New Orleans and Lake Superior. It is a most gratifying fact " that improved fixtures, such as are in common use here, have been ordered from ' hio, Kew Jersey and Pennsylvania. Thus showing, that we, in this section, are far in advance of any other part of the United States in improvements and conveniences in the manufacture of wrought iron." (Letter to author from Henry Grreen, Esq.) They employ a large number of operatives and artizans, and consume annually about 750 tons pig iron, chiefly for machinery. No. 112.] 819 Whallon is the proprietor, is established on the same stream, at Whallonsburgh, and a third in Elizabeth town, which is in the occupation of Whallon & Judd. Other valuable works in which Mr. Whallon is also interested, are situated in North Hudson, upon one of the remote tributa- ries of the Hudson river. By a statement furnished me by Mr. Whallon, it appears that in the year 1852, there was manufac- tured Tons. At North Hudson, . . . 333 .09.2.21 bars and blooms. Elizabethtown, ... G21.00.0.13 do do Whallonsburgh,... 519.10.0.01 bars. Of the latter lot, 187 tons was finished bar iron, nearly or. quite equal in quality and finish to Swedes iron. In ' the town of Lewis, important works are situated upon branches of the Boquet, and are owned by A. Wilder, W. L. Merriam, and others. A furnace was erected a few years since by Mr. F. H. Jackson, in Westport, at a disbursement exceeding one hundred thousand dollars. One of the first furnaces erected in the county of Essex, was built in 1824, at Port Henry, by Maj. Dalliba, foi.-erly of the army. This was a cold blast fur- nace, and in connection with the manufacture of pig metal, it was appropriated to the casting of hollow ware, and agricultural implements. After various mutations in its ownership, and the erection of most spacious structures, these works, as well as those at Westport, have for several years been unoccupied, pre- senting a deplorable exhibition of the waste and decay of an enormous investment. Under the new impulse, which animates the iron interest, these furnaces are about resuming operations. Tlie works at Port Henry, witli several pr(»jected furnace?, to be immediately constructed upon the margin of the lake, are de- signed for the use of mineral coal, which will be brought from the mines of PeiUisylvania and Ohio. Just witliin tlic eastern bounds of Schroon, and in close prox- imity to the ore l>eds wliich I have drscril)ed, Messrs. Hammond k Co.; have erected a very capacious furnace, admirably arranged 820 [Assembly in its dimensions, construction and general economy. A brief description of this structure in the language of Mr. C. F. Ham- mond, will present a distinct view of the plan and management of similar works in this region. The-motive power of this furnace is steam. Mr. Hammond says, '- our blast furnace is about 4i feet in height, and about lOi feet in diameter across the boskers. It contains three blowing arches. Tlie escape heat is taken from near the funnel head, for generating steam, to create the power to bJow our blast into the stack, at the three arches. The escape heat after being used under the boilers, passes directly into the oven, where the hot air pipes are placed for heating the blast. The escape heat is used three times before it passes up the chimney, viz : for reducing the ore, raisiiig steam, and heating the blast. A large quantity of the escape heat that is not required for steam or heating the blast, passes from the stack directly up the chim- ney. Ten, is the average number of tons of pig metal made every twenty-four hours. The consumption per day, is about 1400 bushels of charcoal, with one ton of good clay, one ton of good limestone, and five hundred pounds slag as a tiux. Our ore yields about 55 percent of pig metal, of a very uniform quality." The following is a brief notice of the refining process to which I have before alluded : " Our ore," Mr. Hammond continues, " not being adapted for making hard pig metal, we have the past season, erected wh^t is called a refining fire, for re-melting our pig iron with charcoal, and running it out on to cast iron moulds or chills, which make it very white and hard, and being more refined, better adapted to malleable purposes."* A process for making charcoal in kilns, has been introduced, within a few years, and eminently promotes the ease and economy of that operation. Mr. Hammond thus summarily explains the mode : " We make most of our coal in kilns, which are built of brick, and supported by a strong timber frame, placed outside of the brick walls. The posts are about 14 inches square, and stand only 2i feet apart. The kilns are from 45 to 50 feet in length, 13 feet wide on the inside, and about 20 feet high, arched ♦ Specimens of this beautiful fabric are in the Society rooms. No. 112.] 821 over, and contain from 75 to 85 cords of 4 feet wood. Seven to nine days are required for burnii^, and from six to eight daji more, after closing the vents, for tlie fire to go out, and cool ready for opening. The average yield of coal, is 1000 bushels for every 20 cords of wood." The process of separating the crude ore to prepare it for use or exportation, is an interesting operation, and not generally un- derstood. I have been obligingly furnished with the outline. " A kiln, the walls laid up of stone on three sides, about 30 feet long, 15 feet wide and 10 high, is the most approved size. In this kiln, wood, in logs, is placed on cross pieces, from 6 to 10 inches thick ; on top of the wood, the iron ore is placed, as it comes from the mine, the largest pieces next the wood ; the top of the kiln, when loaded, is covere<^l with fine ore, which confines the heat in the kiln. In twelve hours, after firing, the front half of the kiln of ore is roasted, ready for the stampers. The ore is pulverized by heavy stampers, and then passes through grates on to seive plates, under the stamper trough. That which is fine enough passes through; and is carried, by water, into an adjoin- ing room, whence it is taken, by elevators or cups, from trunking boxes, and dropped near tlie vats or tubs, in which the seives are worked. This separates the silex, and other foreign substances, from the iron ore. The seives are worked in water with a verti- cal motion, by a horizontal gig shaft. One seive, may work through about four tons, of clear ore, in twelve hours."* The works of Penfield k Co., standing on Putnam's creek, in the central part of Crown Point, comprehend a furge of four (ires, capa])leof pro(hi(in2j, annually, one thousand tons of irun, and a foundery, with j>atterns and fixtures, for the manufacture of Ibrge anvils, hammers, husks, and heavy shafts adapted to modern furnaces. I have thus attom[»ted to sketch some of the most prominent iron manufact'trics in the county of Essex. Numerous works of less magnitude, but ♦•ntitlcd to nearly equal consideratioTi, as they affect the great hifln^trinl n-n-rr?*? nf (he country, are disscmina- • Letter Col. C. D. Darton. 822 [Assemble ted through every part of that district. The abstract of the cen- sus returns of 1850, presents the aspect of these establishments, their capacity and products. No occupation requiring an equal investment of capital, and yielding the same returns, is so widely diffused in its operations, or creates to labor more employment, or yields it higher remune- ration, than the iron manufacture. The price of the raw mate- rial in iron fabrics, is a trifling item of its value. That value is essentially formed by labor, skill and disbursements. The term of sis months, and more frequently a year intervenes, between the commencement of these manufactures, and the realization of the proceeds of the sales, and this period involves a perpetual series of expenditures. Upon these facts the manufacturer predicates his argument, that the policy of government should establish a fixed and specific system of revenue, which shall give him data and a basis to form his estimates and calculations in advance of his operations. No one unacquainted with the varied prbcesses of the iron business, can conjecture its vast ramifications, or the multi- plicity of laborers and artizans employed in its various depart- ments. The owner of the wood, designed for charcoal, is bene- fited by its sale. The chopper, the numerous operatives who prepare the charcoal, the teamster who hauls the wood and the coal, the measurer, the stacker, and those who occupy the various intermediate stations in this branch of the operation, find employment. The proprietor of the ore bed, the miner, the sepa- rator, the laborers and mechanics who conduct the various pro- cesses of the manufacture, the teams, t]ie transporter, the wharf- ing^^r, the truckster, and sailors, who navigate the vessels which transport it, are all supported by its disbursements. All these masses are consumers of agricultural products. The iron business is exposed to the most extreme and » ften disastrous fluctuations. Its history exhibits no cliange more sij^nal and uninticipated than that \vhich has just occurred. It has arisen at once, from the deepest depression, to the brightest prosperity. No. 112.] 823 In the spring of 1852, nearly every feeble^ private establishment in Essex county was closed, and rapidly falling into decay and ruin. With few exceptions the ore beds were unoccupied; Iheir shafts and chambers filled with water; the structures dilapidated and wasting, and the property without a purchaser and compara- tively without value. The ore, which had formerly commanded ready and cash sales at §4 the ton, was then sold, wdth a feeble demand, at $1.50, upon long credit, and in barter trafics. One year from that date, mines which had been offered at §10,000, were refused at $40,000. The following table of prices exhibits some of the results which have marked this period ; 1852. 1853. Nails, $2 87J $6 00 Blooms, 25 00 50 00 Bars, 30 00 55 00* A change so vast and extraordinary has invigorated every de- partment of the iron interest, and extended its inspiiations of vigor and activity into all the pursuits of industry throughout the region. In many districts of Essex county, the value of real es- tate has increased one hundred per cent, in this period, and this change has occurred without any specific system for encourage- ment or protection by the national government. It is a subject of surprize and regret, that the manufacture of the finer iron fabrics has not been introduced into Essex county. • No extensive cotton or woollen factories have been established in this county, although the great consumption of their fabrics would seem to render it a highly eligilde position fur these manufactures. Other Mnnvfiictures. — I visited, in the course of my survey a novel but interesting establishment in Crown Point, the door-blind gash and pale factory of the Messrs. Flints. It is of recent ori«>^in hilt nf)W gives employment, in its various occuiiations, to a larlu'd, ihat ihese quarries will soon alfurd & business, secondary alone in magnitude and importance to the iron manufactures of this region. Ship yards. — Several of the first class vessels, which navigat* the lake were built in the }ards of Essex county. This business, 838 [Assembly especially in the towns of Essex and Willsboro', is of very consi- derable importance. The tamarac, cedar and oak timber, appro- priate to this use, is abundanj; in the county, and of the most excellent quality. Sailors. — A large class of the popnlition, contiguous to Lake Champlain, is connected with its navigation. In the ytar end- ing June 30, 1851, there were entered in American vessels in Vermont district crews, .^ 4,700 Champlain district, 4,21 1 Total, 8,911 This occupation forms an admirable school for the acquisition of nautical skill and experience, and has created a bold and ex- pert body of mariners. If the public exigencies should hereafter demand the presence of a national ' fleet upon the waters of Champlain, her own marine would promptly supply daring and efficient crews. Commerce of Lake Champlain. Extract from Andrews' Report on '^ Colonial arid Lake Trade ^'^ House Doc. 136, 1852. " These results are derived and estimated from the canal office, Whitehall. District of Vermont. — The amount of assorted merchandize received into Lake Champlain in 1851, was 125,000 tons, at $1.75 per ton. Average valuation, $21,875,000 Amount of produce received from the lake, 3,515,895 Add for coasting, 1,000,000 Total commerce of the lake, $20,390,895 Ko. il2 ] 839 The Canadian trade for Vermont district, for 1850 and 1851 : 1850. 1851. Exports of domestic produce, §651,677 $4^8,006 Exports of foreign merchandize, 294,182 309,556 Total exports, $915,859 §767,572 Total imports, 607.466 266,417 Total, $1,5525825 $1,033,989 Subtract total of 1851 , 1 ,033,989 Decrease of 1851, S51 9,336 Tonnage in the Canadian trade two years', as follows : ■ Ko. vessels. Tons. No. vessels. Tona. 1851, 788 91,- 35 695 ^1,967 1850, 818 122,813 731 105,359 The aggregate shipping of Lake Champlain, both foreign and coastwise, is represented to have numbered 3,950 entrances, measurement, 197,500 tons, and employing 11,850 men and boys, with a corresponding number of clearances, with the same mea- surement and crews. The enrolled tonnage of this district in June, 1851, was 3,240 tons of steam, and 692 tons of sail. Tonnage. Inward American, 166 steam. 56,421 tons. do do 3S8 sail. 17,490 " TotaL.; 5"4 73,011 " British, 122 steam. 9,566 <' do 162 sail. 10,758 « T.tal, 281 20,324 ^• Outward American, 117 steam. 58,021 •« do do 318 sail. 17,020 " Tutal, 465 75,0 1 1 «^ a 840 [Assembly Outward British, 119 steam. 9,321 tons. do do Ill sail. 7,602 " Total, 230 16,923 « Value of produce imported from Canada in bond, $311,512 « imports from Canada, 251,211 << goods of domestic produce and manufacture exported to Capada, 458,006 <• goods of foreign produce and manufacture ex- ported into Canada in bond, 200,854 « property cleared at Whitehall for the south,. 3^515,895 Champlain District. 1850. 1851. Exports of domestic produce, $322,378 $375,549 « foreign merchandize, 316,843 373,453 Total exports, $639,221 $749,002 Total imports, 435,383 294,284 Total commerce, $1,074,604 $1,043,286 No. vessels. Tons entered. No. vessels. Tons entered. 598 123,229 598 123,229 788 120,294 754 116,931 1851, 1850, The decrease in 1851, it will be perceived, affects only the number of entrances and clearances. The comparative tonnage being an increase on the preceding year. The tonage enrolled in this district, June 30 th, 1851, was Steam, 917 tons. Sail, 3,291 " Canadian Trade. Imports in American vessels, $1,019,039 Exports, 24,246 No. 112.] ' 841 Tonnage. ' Inward. Tons. Outward. Tons. American steam,. .. . 90,436 American steam, 90,436 « sailing,... 8,139 " sailing, 8,135 Total, 98,575 Total, 98,571 British steam, 3,899 British steam, 3,899 » sail, 20,759 « sail, 20,759 Totals, 24,658 24,658 Duty collected on imports in American vessels, $46,639 do do British vessels, 5,210 $51,849 Imported from Canada in American vessels, $228,241 do do British vessels, 24,246 Total, $252,487 Value of domestic goods exported, $375,549 " foreign goods exported, $267,587 « « entitled to drawback, 105,866 Total, $373,453 The whole value of the commerce of Lake Champlain, w^as for 1816, about eleven millions; f>r 1817, seventeen ; and for 1851, about twenty six millions of dollars. PART VI. AGRICULTURE. In describing the topographical features and arrangement of this county, in the preceding pages, I have sufficiently noticed its agricultural capabilities and the soil and climate of its various districls. That review indicates a great diversity and singular combination of soils. They adapt the county to the cultivation of every crop, congenial to its varied climate. The same transitions in its agricultural progi-ess have marked every section of this county. The natural fertility of the soil, when first opened to cultivation, yielded abundant harvests ; injudi- cious tillage gradually exhausted its productive elements; the cause which tended to these results ceased ; new interests in the management of the land were excited, and a general improvement in the farms was produced by an ameliorated system of hus- bandry. The county still exhibits these various phases of its agriculture. Some farms are just emerging from the primeval wilderness ; some are impoverished and exhausted ; others are commencing (he process of renovation ; while many others have attained a degree of improved culture and fertility, scarcely exceeded by any por- tion of the State. The lumber business in every region, appropriate to its pur- suit, captivates the mind of the pioneer, and allures him from other occupations. It has exerted a depressing influence upon the agricultural interests and progress of Essex county. The winter was devoted to this employment. Every product of the farm calculated to return fertilizing elements to sustain and No. 112.] 843 promote its procluctivne=s, were borne into the forests and there consumed. At tlie approach of spring, the settlet* leturned to his farm, himself and his team, prostrated by the severe la- bors of the winter, and illy prepared to perform the recurring duties which pressed upon him. He conducts his forming operations imperfectly and without skill. He has no deposits of manner to apply to his wasting soil. Tlie earth, by con- stant tillage, without renovation, becomes impoverished. Each succeeding year witnesses a decrease in the harvest. The land, exhausted by this improvident management, is denounced worth- less in its soil, and without fertility, and abandoned to briers and desolation, or is sacrificed to some shrewd purchaser, and its own- er, emigrates to new^ scenes, to pass through the same alternations. In this stage of society, agriculture is the secondary and subor- dinate occupation. The lumbering business closed, the farmer resumes his first duties, and yields to the land the labor and care required for its successful cultivation. In a manufacturing district, and such is pre-eminently Essex county, the teaming upon the road, which abstracts so much of the time of the farmer, and the lertilizing riches of the farm, from his land, exercises a similar, although far less disastrous etfect, upon its agricultural prosperity. Other causes of the slow progress in the agricultural im- provement of this County are suggested by an intelligent co> respondent,* in reference to Crown Point, but its traces are ex- hibited in various other parts of the county. " Conflicting titles have cast a shade over some large tracts," and in other districts " much of the land has been occu[)ied under contracts, in their terms liable to constant forfeiture." Tenures of property so frail and contingent in every region, paralyse the dlbrls of industry and enterpiiae. No uniform system of tillage seems to have been observed, immediately succeeding the clearing and burning of the ialK>w8. Wheat, rye and oats were often, paiticuhirly on tie adhesive and clay soil dragged in upon the burnt surface. In other parts of the c( unty, potatoes or corn were the first cro]). This hus!>andry • C. Fcnton, Esq. 844 [Assembly • is called '' the Indian mode," and is derived from their practices. The seed corn was dropped into a hole, formed by the stroke of an axe or hoe, and covered. Beyond this, little labor was required until harvest. The potatoe was planted by a very similar process ; the earth being pulverised sufficiently by the hoe alone, to form a slight liiil. The ledge I have mentioned in Jay, yielded at its first occu] ation, by this tillage, crops of corn averaging fifty bush els to the acre.* The early settlers relied chiefly for pasturage and winter fodder upon the wild grasses and herbage, bountifully . supplied by the beaver meadows, the marslies and gkdes of the forests. The indigenous grasses of this region are very nume- rous, and many of them highly nutritious and valuable. Several rarieties of the ferns, brakes and rushes afford excellent hay, particularly for sheep. The instincts of the deer indicate to the pioneer the most useful of these resources. The " Deer weed," a plant which springs up in great luxuriance where a conHagration has passed through a woodland, is a favorite food of this animal. I was assured by a settler who had deeply penetrated the Adirondacs, that he found this weed an invalua- ble resort for pasturage in summer, and affording a sufficient sub- stitute for hay in the season of foddering. A wuld grass, pro- nounced the Poa compressa of the botanist, and known in populai:^ language as the '• blue joint," I am confident is well adapted for cultivation, and may be rendered highly valuable, if introduced into our low meadows. I understand the experiment has been successfully tested in the town of Minerva. f Its growth is spon- taneous along the margins of marshes, and upon ridges of earth excavated in forming ditches through wxt lands. This grass often attains more than five feet in height, stands thickly, spreads a massive vegetation, and yields, it is estimated, three and four tons to the acre. Cattle eat it with avidity, and in its nutritive qualities is esteemed scarcely inferior to herd's grass. Among the useful indigenous grasses I may enumerate the panacum t agristoides, poa pratensis, calamagrostis inexpansa. Common and numerous, but less valuable, there occur a large list of coarser grasses, various species of the carex family, of the ^ • Mrs. Blbh, Jaj. f Letter of A. P. Morse, Esq. No. 112.] 845 scirpus, and species of the agrostis, of junceae and felices, the rushes and ferns. The panicum crus galli, or "barn yard grass," may almost assume a position with the cereal plants. It is peculiarly analogous in appearance and properties to the millet. Yields an abundant crop, but is only preserved as a cheap and nutritious food for poultry. The " June grass " is a light^ small and delicate grass, that ap- pears early and anticipating the heavier vegetation, is an import- ant auxiliary in the spring pasturage. A native grass, grows intermingled with the ferns and rushes, in great profusion, upon the marshes which abound in the county. It is copious and luxuriant in its vegetation, and afibrds an abundant product. I have not been able, by the specimens I col- lected, to determine its botanical name. This gra?s is congenial to neat cattle and sheep, but is fatal to horses, although they eat it freely. It is armed with inverted awns or barbs. These are in- noxious to ruminating animals, which thoroughly masticate Iheir food before it passes from the stomach ; but the grass with the awns attached, entering into the intestines of the horse undigested, fastens upon the inner membranes, and irritating them, produces inflammation, ulceration, and ultimate death. The very serious losses which have resulted from this cause, seem to require a notice of the fact. A plant thrives in great beauty and luxuriance about tlie gar- rison grounds at Crown Point, and seems peculiar to that locality. It is tritblium procumbens, or yellow clover, and was doubtless introduced during tlie occupation of the Ibrtress by the French or English armies. Useful fur hay, it possesses invaluable (qualities for pasturage, and must be eminently adapted for " ^oiling." It mantles the earth with a heavy, rich, and beautiful covring to the severe frosts of autumn, in a series of the richest crops. I am informed that it is nniarkable for its abundant yield of seed.* It is evident that the cultiva- tion of this clover would ensure the most benificial results. • lion. John C. Uamnaond. 846 [Assembly I hesitate to decide, whetlier I am authorized in classing the white clover, trifolium repens, with the indigenous plants of this region. It is certain that it soon appears, by a spontaneous growth in every opening of theforest, tnd upon soils of sand and gravel forma- tion. Where gypsum has been applied, or sheep have ranged, it is immediately introduced, forming a massive sward, whidi con- stitutes a most important basis for future tillage. The presence of a white clover turf uniformly secures on sandy soils an excellent corn crop with an application of plaster. Red Clover, Herds grass and Red Top are the grasses almost exclusively in use for laying down land. The quantity of seed, the time and circumstances of sowing, are governed by no esta- blished lules, but are controlled by the nature of the soil, the ob- jects contemplated, and the judgment or caprice of individuals. The same diversity of opinion on these subjects exists in Essex county, that prevails in every agricultural community. I think, the " Red Top " grass, has grown in tlie favorable estimation of farmers, and tha": its culture is becoming more generally dissemi- nated. Experience proves it to be better adapted to high and dry soils, than was Ibrmerly supposed. It certainly forms a more en- during turf than Herds grass, and is believed to yield a heavier crop of hay. Wheat. — For a series of years succeeding the first occupation of the county, wheat was the predominant crop, particularly in that section of it which lies upon Lake Champlain. The average yield on new land, w'as about twenty -live bushels to the acre. This culture gradually declined, under the effects of a change of seasons, the exhaustion of the quality of the soil adapted to the production of wheat, and the ultimate infliction of the wevil and rust. It was virtually abandoned, until the introduction of the Black Sea wheat, which has given it a new and successful im- pulse. Winter wheat is rarely cultivated. The Tea wheat, in connection with the Black Sea, are the varieties chiefly approved. The harvests, which immediately succeeded the introduction of the latter, averaged about forty-five bushels to the acre. The product has progressively deteriorated, until at this period, the \ common product will not exceed fifteen bushels the acre. J im- No. 112.] ^ 847 pute this fact to the* use of the seed from the same vicinity for a succession of years. A generiil, althougli I think not uniform exemption from the attacks of the wevil, is chimed for the Black Sea wheat. Spring wheat is usually sown about the 1st of May, but many farmers delay until June, believing by that practice they escape the fly. Tlie cultivation of wht at in several districts of the county, particularly in the towns of Crown Point, Essex and Willsboro', has a second time attained considerable promi- nence. In the former, which embraces, as we have seen, heavy manufacturing works, it is estimated that the production equals the consumption. The sale of wheat from the town of Willsboro', in 1852, w^as computed at three thousand bushels. The culture is now constantly extending. Upon the fertile plains of North Elba, it yields an average crop of forty bushels; on the elevated valley, in the vicinity of the Adirondac Works, the average is about twenty-two bushels. Mr. Ralph obtained, in 1852, a crop, on the company's farm, of thirty-one and a quarter bushels to the acre. Rye. — In many towns of E=sex county, Rje was formerly the predominant crop. Wilmington, for a long period, was almost exclusively devoted to its culture * The towns of Schroon and Lewis, until recently, have made it an important element of their husbandry. It is now very generally abandoned as a prominent crop, except upon light and gravelly soils. In some districts, in which tliese earths prevail, it is still profitably cultivated. In the enhanced demand for horse feed, Rye has, within a few years, come murli more into demand, and it is believed in this connec- tion it will become a valuable and remunerative product. Rye is much esteemed for this purpose, as constituijig a heavy and nutritious feed when ground with oats and corn in the ear. Many observing farmers insist that a bushel of Wheat may be produced on the same soil whirli will yield that quantity of Rye. A decided advantage in the cultivation of Rye, results from the fact that the sandy soils favorable to its proiluclion, are not liable to • I oiniltt'il to st»tp, in the appropriiite plaec, that numerous diitiUcru-i were early esta- blished in this town, anj in other .•i-ctions of the county. During the wnr of 1812, the whiskey manufacture was an extensive and highly luorativo occupation io thia region. No! % Tciligc of thctio workg, I bcliove, rcmaiua. 848 [Assembly be affected by the frosts and heaving of the earth in the winter. This husbandry will always be promoted by the fact that it may be condvicted at a period when the other occupations of the farm are not urgent. A variety of this grain, known as the "Multi- cole Rye," has been introduced in this county within a few years, and promises the most favorable influence in extending this cul- ture. It is distinguished hy its hardy character and vigorous growth. It bears a head and kernel almost twice the size of the ordinary black rye, and largely exceeds the product of the latter. The i.nmense consumption of horse feed by the great teaming oc- cupation of this region, creates a ready and important demand for Rye, Wheat and Oat-straw, which cut and mingled with grain, affords a highly valuable provender. The average product of this crop may be estimated at about fifteen bushels per acre. No grain is more essentially affected by the period of sowing. In Essex county, from the 1st to 10th September is regarded as the season most favorable to this process. When th'is term is passed, the experienced cultivator prefers to delay to the latest hour al- lowed by the approach of winter. The grain, which is early sown, becomes firmly and deeply rooted, and thus protected from the action of the frosts, while numerous sprouts proceed from the same germ. Deposited late, the grain does not sprout until spring, and thus the risk is avoided to which the intermediate sowing is exposed, of an insufficient rooting, sparse and feeble sprouts, and the effects of winter. The pasturage of sheep upon Rye, on light and open soil, alike in the spring and fall, is esteemed highly beneficial to the crops, by pressing the earth about the roots of the plants, and in producing an increased vegetation. This crop is considered in the town of Ncwcomb (Adirondac), alone inferior to oats in its successful culture, yielding usually about eighteen bushels^ to the acre.* Oats. — The amount of this crop, produced in Essex county, ex- ceeds the sum of all the other grains combined, and probably equals it in value. It is cultivated on all varieties of soil, and in every district of the county. The heaviest crops I examined standing in the field, were those in the openings of the forests • A. Ralph. No. 112.] 849 upon the slopes of the Adirondacs. Entire fields I estimated, would yield fifty bushels to the acre. The vegetation of these fields was remarkable for their great luxuriance. The product of this crop in the town of North Elba has been extraordinary, yield- ed as it is, from the native fertility of the soil, with little aid from artificial culture. I received authentic statistics of several crops affording, under these circumstances, over one hundred bushels to the acre; in one instance, in the year 1851, a yield at the rate of one hundred and thirty-two bushels, and in another of one hundred and twenty bushels to the acre, while the average yield of the whole town is at least forty-five bushels per acre. The successful cultivation of this grain in the town of Newcomb, is highly favorable to the future progress of the Adirondac works. The heavy and expensive transportation of hay and grain was formerly a very serious impediment to the prosperity of that esta- blishment. The average yield of Oats in that town is about thirty bushels on new land, and forty bushels on old land. Oats are indiscriminately cultivated on all lands, for seeding down and as a subduing crop. For the former purpose it is less esteemed, however, than some other cereals. Early sowing is desired, as it generally secures a more abundant growth, and a heavier and larger berry. The usual term of sowing is from the 20th of April to the 2(Jth of May, although the time is often ex- tended far into June, and frequently with successful results. Oats and peas, mingled in such proportions as the judgment or experience of the cultivator suggests, is often a favorite crop. This culture is peculiarly succe>sful upon light soils. Oats alone, are found well adapted to rich soils, although the applicaticm of barn-yard manure, especially when green and unfermented, is considered injudicious. Thirty Jnii^hels may be assumed as the average crop of the county. Peas. — The cultivation ot this grain is extending in the county, and is highly esteemed as a renovaiing and subduing crop. Peas are regarded as a valuable substitute for corn, in producing pork. They are peculiarly efficient and useful, as a subduing crop, after the first plowing of new lands, infested with weeds and bushes. They leave the earth clean, extirpate the noxious vegetation^ and LAtf. Tr, '53J I> 3 850 [Assembly leave the ground in an appropriate tilth for succeeding culture. Early tillage is esteemed very important to the success of this crop. The average product is about twenty bushels per acre. Barley. — I found few fields of Barley, except in the town of North Elba, where it is extensively cultivated, and yields valua- ble returns. This crop averages, in that to wn^ thirty bushels, but often reaches sixty bushels to the acre. It supplies for many pur- poses the use of corn. Tiie neglect of this culture is, I think, to be regretted. In a region where animal feed is so much in re- quest, Barley might be advantageously cultivated as a pruvender for teams and swine. Beans are seldom planted in Essex county as a distinct crop. None, I think, would be more valuable and remunerative. This crop is usually cultivated in connection with corn. The straw of the Bean is greatly valued by many faimers as a fodder for sheep. The recent introduction of the planter, which obviates the strong objection to the culture of this crop, the tediius and expensive planting by the hoe, is exerting a favorable influence in promoting its cultivation. The importance of the Bean as a prominent crop, is becoming appreciated by the intelligent farmers of the county.* A Mexican bean, appropriately named ^'Buena Vista," has been recently introduced through the agency of Gen. Churchill, of the army. It is small in size, and of a deep yellow color, is emi- nently prolific, oleaginous and nutritious, and supposed to be exempt from the laxative properties of other beans. Buckwheat and Indian Wheat ^ especially the former, are very largely cultivated, although the majority of farmers, I think, de- precate the husbandry as injudicious and improvident. These grains are used extensively as hog feed, boiled with apples, pump- kins and potatoes. An important advantage is attained by the cultivation of tli^se crops, from their early maturity, which affords a nutritious food for swine, at a season, when on most farms there is a general deficiency. Sown in May, the Indian Wheat may be harvested in August. An esteemed correspondent at Adirondacf * Letter of J. G. Livingston. \ A. Ralph. No. 112.] 851 speaking of this crop, remarks, " it makes excellent pork, and at a cheaper rate than it could be made with any other grain culti- vated here." In that district tlie avt-rage crop of these grains is about twenty-live bushels, which is a higher product than gener- ally occurs in the county. The idea formerly prevalent, of the necessity of sowing Euckwheatat an advanced period of the sea- son, is repudiated in this county. The crop is found to succeed equally well, when sowed simultaneously with the usual spring crops. Potatoes. — This crop has for several years gradually advanced in importance and in the extent of its cultivation, until in the language of an intelligent correspondent* '' it has become, in 1852, the crop of the county." During a series of years the "dis- ease" prevailed to a disastrous extent, impairing and in numerous instances causing a total failure of the crop. This circumstance produced an entire change in its tillage. Heavy, damp an.l highly manured laud, which was formerly deemed indi>pensab!e to its successful culture, has been abandoned in the cultivation of the potato. It is now almost uniformly, planted upon light gravelly and sandy soils. Green and unfermented manures are rejected. Charcoal, ashes, lime and plaster are now the only fertilizers ap- propriated to the crop. These substances are either applied in the hill or to the growing crop. Experience seems to have con- firmed the theory, that they are not only eminently efficacious as manures, but equally so as preventives of the rot. The pota- toes of this region have not recently been atfected by the disease, and although the change in the husbandry may have decreased the productiveness of the crop, it has immensely enhanced its quality. For several years previous to 1852, the potato ciop of Maine, from which the eastern markets are chiclly supplied, had been generally allected. The exemption ff the crop in the Chaniplaiu Valley from the disease, and its great excellence, created an active and extended demand in the Boston market. The railroads, then junI completed, opened an easy and available medium of transportation. A similar demand soon existed in New-York. Stimulated by these causes, the prices of potatoes • A. B. .MacIc. 852 [Assembly rapidly advanced, until in the spring of 1852, tliey commanded sixty two and a half cents per bushel at the wharves and stations upon Lake Champlain.* By a most fortunate coincidence, this new and unexpected re- source to the agricultural community, occurred at a period when the declension of the iron interest had thrown a dark pall over the industrial affairs of Essex county. The large amount of funds diffused by these means into gceneral circulation, afforded an immediate and essential relief to its pecuniary concerns. Ex- cited by these circumstances, many hundreds of acres, beyond the ordinary crop, were planted to potatoes the present season. The foreign demand has ceased, and the article in the spring of 1853, finds no demand except that formed by the usual home con- sumption, and at the starch factories. The market price afforded by thes J mills, does not exceed twenty cents the bushel. It is assumed, however, that this demand, even at such depreciation, will render the potato culture an important and lucrative branch of husbandry, when its proximity will enable the farmer to transport his crop from the field directly to the factory. Various .•modes of tillage have been adopted in the cultivation of this crop, and different practices observed in the use of large and small seed potatoes, the planting whole or in parts, and in the drill or hills. An elaborate and very careful experiment made by a gen- tleman of Westportj with the Carter variety, in which he planted the smallest seed, and which resulted in a bountiful crop of large and excellent potatoes, seems almost demonstrative of the expe- diency of that system with this peculiar variety. f The experi- ment has been useful in another respect. This very choice and de- sirable potato, so often difficult in cultivation, produced equally, or nearly so, with the coarser kinds, while in the proceeds of several boat loads it was found to command in New-York, prices exceeding by one-third those of the common varieties. These • In the year ending in the spring of 1852, Mr. Allen states, 10,000 bushels of potatoes were shipped at Port Kent : and 10,060 bushels at Port Douglass (J. Walpole) . Vast quanti- ties were exported from various other ports in the county, but I have not been able to procure che statistics. t Mr. F. H. Jackson made a series of highly interesting and important experiments in tha culture of this vegetable, on an extended scale, and -with intelligent observation^ I much r&« gret that I have been unable to obtain a detail of the processes and results. No. 112.] 853 facts have excited an enquiry into the propriety of cultivating this potato for the southern and eastern marliets. Tlie exhibition of potatoes at the Essex county fair of the last season, was of the highest character, and jrobably not surpassed in excellence and variety by anv section of the State. The pre- sent average of the potato crop falls far below that which existed at the early settlement of the county. It then more frequently exceeded than fell below an average of three hundred bushels to the acre. The ordinary product, from the existing tillage, scarcely reaches one hundred and ^lfty bushels. The potato culture, near the Adirondac Works, appears to be eminently successful. They plant upon the newly burnt fallow, " and by thorough hoe- ing, once or twice, destroy the growth of cherry or raspbeiry, which invariably springs where the forest has been burnt."* This tillage yields an average product of two hundred and fifty bushels to the acre. The potato in this county is promiscuously cultivated, with lit- tle discrimination in respect to varieties. The " Leopard," and a variety known as the " Moore potato," are the most approved kinds in common culture. The ''Pinkeye," the " Peach Blow," and " Western Red," are extensively cultivated. Potatoes are much plantei^ and with most satisfactory results upon turf drag- ged thoroughly, but without disturbing the iLverted sward. Corn, — This crop, in many of its relations, may be pronounced the agricultural staple of Essex county, and the basis of the rota- tion and renovating system of its husbandry. It has become, with carrots as a slight auxiliary, almost the exclusive medium by which green manures are incorporated with the soil. It is used in the ])relimiuary preparation of the earth for wheat and oats. Corn is generally planted upon green sward, and this is perhaps the most approved process. When the land is deemed not suiRciently pulverized, this crop is occasionally preceded by peas or oats. Barn yard manure is api>lied as the judgment or ability of the cultivator may indicate. Many spread it upon the surface previous to plowing, and turn it beneath the inverted fur- • A. Ilalph, 854 [Assembly row. The more prevalent and esteemed practice is now, how- ever, to spread tlie manure, if not too coarse, after plowing, and to mingle it with the soil by thorough dragging. Plaster alone, or more judiciously united with ashes and a light mixture of lime, is applied, sometimes, in the hill, but almost universally upon the growing plant, immediately after it appears. The effect is most decided, communicating a rank and vigorous growth and healthful color to the plant, and vastly augmenting the product of the crop. No judicious farmer, I think, in the county doubts this result. No practice, novel or peculiar, is observed in the culture of this crop. The small eight-rowed is in general culti- Tation. An improved variety of the Dutton, distinguished by a small cob and for early maturity, has been recently introduced, and is deemed a valuable acquisition. Corn is favorably cultiva- ted in most sections of the county. The to^.-ns of Newcomb and North Elba, and probably portions of St. Armand and Wilming- ton, are not at this period apparently adapted to the culture. It is believed, that this exception will not continue, when that part of the county has felt the ameliorating influence upon its climate which always attends the opening of the forests and the progress of improvement and cultivation. I have no doubt that the warm, loamy and vigorous soil of North Elba, may be successfully ap- propriated to this husbandry. The stalks are usually cut up near the root, although the antiqua- ted mode of topping still has its advocates and folluwers. When cut in the juice they form one of the most valuable ingredients for fodder, and are esteemed very nutritious and peculiarly con- gtnial to milch cows. The use of the straw cutter immensely economizes the consumption of this article. Very productive crops of corn are not unfrequently raised upon old pastures, with no other application of manuie than plaster and ashes. The re- claimed sandy lands, under this tillage, often yield fifty bushels to the acre. Corn is found, in this latitude, peculiarly adapted to these soils. If the harvest is not large, the land is cheaply tilled, the crop matores early and invariably attains the highest perfec- tion. This crop is exposed to the same depredations of its com- mon enemies which universally prevail, and I have derived from the practices of the county no new suggestions for its protection. No. 112.] 855 The introduction of the " corn planter" will tend very essentially to promote the cultivation of this crop, by the vast saving of time and labor it secures. It is asserted by those who form their opinion upon tlie result of actual experience, that the use of this implement reduces three-fourths the expen.-e of the culture of corn. The usual period of planting extends from the 10th to th« 20th of May, It is extremely difficult to assume an average of a crop of tliis character. In the whole county it will probably ap- proximate to thirty bushels to the acre. Some entire towns would far exceed this estimate, while individual farms will exhibit twice that average. Carrots^ beets and furneps. — The ctilture of the carrot is yearly extending, and forms, in many districts of the county, a promi- nent article in the feeding and fattening material for stock. It is often favorably substituted for grain, as a feed for working teams. Beets are esteemed of great value, wherever they have been used as a provender for swine. The succulent leaves of this plant, are highly useful for this purpose. Each of these roots are peculiarly adapted to milch cows, equally as a nutritious food, and as pos- sessing properties, which largely augment the product of milk. The exceeding hardiness of the carrot, which maintains its growth until the earth is frozen, eminently adapts it to the muuntainous regions of the county. Its cultivation in those districts is exten- sive, and of the utmost importance and utility. The "ruta baga" has become an uncertain crop. These fail- ures, and a very general prejudice as to its practical value for stock, have produced nearly an abandonment of its culture. At the Adirondac works, this crop has been favorably cultivated, wiih a general yield of six hundred bushels to the acre. The " English field turnep," is successfully and extensively tilled upon newly burnt falhnvs. Flax is seldom cultivated, and I am not aware of a fi( Id of kempj the last season, in the county, ahhoush formerly, very eneriretic efforts were made to elTect its introduction. In the town of Minerva, ilax is raised to some extent, and yields 200 lbs. to the acre, at the value of one shilling the pound.* It ap])cars •A. P. Mor»o. S56 [Assembly- from the journal of Mr. Gilliland, that this crop was largely cultivated, in bis colony, prior to the revolution. From the tenor of a petition, dated 1st March, 17G5, addressed by him to the ' "Society for promoting arts, agriculture and economy, in the pro^*ince of New- York," it seems that institution was in the habit of " sending out to the poor settlers in the new terri- tories, looms, spinning wheels, and reels," topromote the domes- tic manufacture of flax.* Hay. — I have already discussed, incidentally, the subject of the grass culture of the county, in its various connections. This crop is of the first importance, and always commands a certain marl^et, and at high prices. The product of hay, in the county, falls immensely below the consumption. A large amount of pressed hay, is imported annually, and is derived chiefly from Canada and Washington county. The price of hay is rarely re- duced to [§8, and often ranges from $15 to $20 per ton. The yield, is generally estimated, at an average of about one ton to the acre. The habitual sale of hay from a farm, of which the fertility is not preserved hy other agencies,, necessarily exerts a most pernicious tendency, and impedes, if it does not utterly de- stroy the progress and agricultural improvement of the land. The county embraces many tracts of alluvial and natural mead- ow^s, which are annually overflowed, and their native fertilit} thus preserved, even when subjected to this deteriorating system. Some districts of upland, illustrated by the ridges in the town of Jay, which have been described, and of great original vigor, have been for many yeurs, exposed to this practice of cropping, without ex- hibiting any apparent or essential exhaustion. The application of gypsum, is known to be most efficient in preserving the fer- tility of these tracts. The dust of charcoal, is believed to be still more active and enduring in its fertilizing effect upon tliis land. The aggregate area of meadow land in tlie county, and its rela- tive productiveness, have been largely augmented, under the pressure of the demand for hay, and by the improved skill in its management. * I have, with much interest, examined the original di-aft of this document, embracing highly valuable information in other respects. It contains the only evidence I have seen of the existence of the society referred to. No. 112. 1 857 The hay consumed by the Adirondac company, formerly cost $30 per ton, delivered at their works. The fact is now estab- lished, that their own territory, in immediate proximity to their works, will yield all the hay, and of a most excellent quality, required for their consumption. In the improved tracts of the county, the general estimate, as- signs one-third to meadows, one-third to pasture, and the remain- der to tillage and waste land. Hops, are not cultivated as a field crop, in this county, although a very important one in the adjoining county of Franklin. STOCK. In no department of its husbandry has this county ex- hibited such decided progress, as in the quality and character of its stock. I cannot ascertain that a thorough bred animal was owned in the county, until about the year 1849. Grades of Tees- water and Durham had been introduced probably before that pe- riod. It now contains individuals of nearly every breed, that may almost maintain an equal competition with the stock of any sec- tion of the State. A race of horses almost indigenous to its soil is disseminated througli the countv, which combine properties of rare excellence. The high reputation of the Black lla'.vk horses has become widely diffused, and each year adds to their consideration. In no district have they been more extensively bred, or attained greater perfection tlum in this region. A nei? and wise policy in breeding has been adopted, tending in itself to advance the quality of tlie stock. Tlie liigh prices of choice Black Hawks has mainly dictated this system. I refer to the ap- propriation of the best mares to the most valua])le horses fur the purposes of breeding. Tlie ellect of this custom is now witnessed in tlie prevalence of a family of horses not exceeded, it ((jiialled, by any race in tlie Union. The owners of the original animal of this name, the great progenitor of the stock, claim a pedigree on the side of his sires, wldrh extends to a horse imported by GeH. Delaiicy, in 1701, aiul embraces in his European ancestors, *' Fly- ing Childers," and the ecjually distinguished *Godolphin Arabian." The dam ul" Black Hawk is represented by his proprietors tu have 858 [Assembly been a three-fourths blood English mare, of great speed and ex- cellence. Others assert that the residue of her blood, or a still greater infusion, ^vas of the Canadian or Norman stock. This cross has doubtless communicated to the breed its eminent traits of vigor and endurance. The Black Hawk is himself a scion of the Morgan family. A fact illustrated by the whole progeny of this stock,' seems to assert its pretensions to high blood. The de- cisive stamp of the marked and peculiar characteristics of the stock, uniformly exhibited by these horses, must denote a strong and well defined blood, which thus impresses its qualities upon an entire race ; and not the result of an accidental cross, producing an individual of great excellence. A practiced eye seldom errs in distinguishing an animal of this stock. The original Black Hawk has a jet black glossy color, with a large flowing, wavy mane and tall ; he is of good size, and larger than he appears, from tlie symmetry and almost faultlessness of his proportions. His action is free, graceful and vigorous. The qualities which pervade and distinguish this stock, is extreme docility and great intelligence, admirable symmetry, great vigor and endurance. They are conspicuous for speed as trotters, and immense capacity for the road. The perfect form, brilliant coat, bright and promi- nent eye, a heavy and waving tail, endow these amimals with ex- ceeding beauty. A glossy black is the predominant color of the stock, although far from being exclusive. Almost faultless in their ap{)earance and qualities, the strongest objection to this stock is the want of that size and physical frame that is required in a draught horse. Although the breeding of this stock has become so general in the county, as to almost form a distinct department of hu>bandry, the interest is undiminished, whilst the demand for them increases yearly^ with ascending prices. Colts at four months sell promptly from $50 to |100 ; yearlings, from $100 to $1,000 ; older and choice stallions range in price from $1,500 to $4,500. The rearing of these horses is made a highly remunera- tive and prominent pursuit among the farmers of Essex county. The following is an excellent portrait of Black Hawk, the pro- genitor of the stock : No. 112.] 859 Q'Tr' --u,.i..-.'jpi-'. in. .^ The antagonistic ])ietcnsions of a dilTerent branch of the " Mor- gan" and the "Messenger" breeds, have even here strong advo- cates. A horse of the " Eclipse " stock, and a thorough bred an- imal, the " Leopard,'' that rt ceived the second premium at the State Fair of 1850, owned in Clinton county, near the boundary of Essex, have left a considerald*^ impression of their blood in the county. Fine animals of all ihis stock occur aniung the breeders. Several remarkably fine Short horns and Ilcrefords have been introduced into various sections of the county, and are yearly ex- extending in numbers and growing in popular esteem. A Short- 860 [Assembly horn bull, known as " Alexander tlie Great ," imported from tlie western part of the State, and now in the possesion of Mr. Rich- mond of Moriah, would be distinguished in any herd as a nearly perfect and most beautiful animal. A number of very choice Devons were brought into the town of West Elba, by Mr. John Burn, in the year 1849. Several were exhibired by him at the county fair of 1850, and their rare beauty and remarkable appear- ance produced a strong sensation. The influence of their exhi- bition, led to the immediate purchase and introduction into the county of several superior animals of the breed. I am not aware of the existence in the district of a single individual of the Ayr- shire stock. In the course of my survey, reference to the sub- ject of that stock was continually made, and a strong desire manifested by the most intelligent farmers for its introduction. The important and salutary improvement in the general stock, so conspicuous in the county, is universally ascribed to the influ- ence of the agricultural society. The exhibition of choice and rare animals which the fairs attract, arouses attention to their superior qualities. A competition and emulation has been ex- cited that is introducing into the county a class of cattle, which will soon impress upon its stock the highest character. It is apparent, from the table of the census returns, embraced in this report, that the wool grooving interest of Essex county has already attained very considerable importance. The climate, the physical formation, the soil and position of this region will combine to render tliis territory one of the most eligible and prosperous wool growing districts of the State. Sheep thrive upon broken cliffs and rocky acclivities, where no other domestic animal, save the g< at, could subsist. They browse and fatten upon the scanty bushes that mantle these positions, and upon the coarse herbage that starts from among the fissures of the ro^-ks. The extended tracts of sandy plains, now waste and unproduc- tive, are pcculidrly adapted to ^heep ranges. The light and dry soil is congenial to their habit and health, and they flourish upon the short and coarse vegetation that abounds on these plains, but is rejected by other stock. The term of foddering of sneep, is far shorter than that of other animals. No. 112.] 861 An experiment made by a person of unusual enterprise and sagacity,* upon the borders of this county, the last season, on a pine tract, has been marked by entire success, and will prove, it is believed, the initiative of a new system in this husbandry. He owned a wide extent of unoccupied sand plain, from which the wood and timber had been removed, but had received no subsequent tillage, although covered by a spontaneous growth of shrubs and natural grasses. He turned upon this barren, a thou- sand sheep, under the constant cluirge of a shepherd. The deli- cate sprouts, the grasses, and varied wild herbage, afforded them a healthful and nutritious food. At the close of autumn, the' flock exhibited a thriving and improved condition. They were folded at night, on fields intended for cultivati^-n, and by its fer- tilizing effect upon the soil, this njanagement more than remu- nerated all the expense of their keeping. In five years, meadow lands can be formed by this system^ that will yield all the neces- sary fodder for the flock. The territory of Essex county, embra- ces vast tracts, now worthless, that, by this agency, may be con- verted into productive sheep walks. The sheep proprietors of this region, have generally guarded their flock with great care and vigilance, from every infusion of Saxon blood. They show no trace of its existence, except in rare instances. It is a])parent that most of the wool growers have not exerted an appropriate skill and judgment in promoting the improvement and progress of their flocks. Their sheep have been too much regarded as a sub- ordinate interest. Many flocks, however, in the county, possess the highest qualities. That of the lion. Eli W. Rogtrs, has been managed with great skill and success, and exhibits a combi- nation of the choicest traits. The flock of Mr. lludgkins of Lewis, the basis of which is from \ to \ Saxon, and f )rmed by an infusion of the Erench Me- rino and At wood stock, can scarcely be excelled. This fiuck, as well as that of Mr. Kogers, combines, in a remnrkable degree, weight of fleece, with extreme fineness, and great softness, luster and beauty of texture. They average over four pounds to the animal. Mr. Iludirkins informs me, that he finds his Saxon ewes excellent mothers. •Potcr Coraitock, Eiq. 862 [Assembly Numerous other flocks, are scattered in the county, of great value and superior properties. The characteristics of these flocks are a sufficient fineness of wool for profitable sales, a weight of fleece produced by length of fiber, solidity of fleece, and a full' ness of growth about the extremities, with a purity of wool and freeness from gum. The floek of the Messrs. Murdock, at Crown Point, numbered 1,450 head of fine slieep, when I saw ihem in August last. Other flocks range from 300 to 700 head. Crown Point, Essex and Willsboro' form the prominent wool growing districts of the county. A strong and general distrust of foreign importations has prevailed in the county. Recently, however^ several carefully selected and superior animals have been intro- duced. A Silesian buck, by Messrs. Hammond & Baker, of Crown Point, from the importation of Mr. Sanford. A buck and several ewes from Mr. Jewett, by Paul B. Boynton, of Willsboro'. A buck respectively by Mr. Root, of Essex, Mr. Hodgkins, of Lewis, and Mr. R. S. Watson, of Port Kent, of a cross of the French Merino and theAtwood stock, are among the late acquisi- tions to the stock of the county. The Bakewell, Cotswold and Southdowns, are attracting much attention. They have only very lately been introduced. SuAQl- cient experience has been had with the Southdow-ns, to establish the fact, that they form an excellent cross with the grade Merino, where mutton is the primary object. This cross, is judged more judicious, than a grade between the merinos and long-wooled va- rieties. The issue of the latter, has generally proved light, coarse- wooled, and open flwced, with no proportioned improvement of the size and quality of the animal. The ready and cheap access to the markets of Boston, and the southern cities, will render the production of choice mutton, a business of obvious and great im- portance to this county. A race of sheep, incidentally found in the county, and predominating in Canada, which are distinguished by long and coarse wool, large bodies and hardy habits, seem pe- culiarly adapted to a cross w^ith the long and middle wooled sheep of England. This cross, it is believed, would produce an animal of the highest value for the shambles. No. 112.] 863 Dairy. — This business, has not received the attention that its great importance demands, and which would apparently have been suggested by the peculiar adaptedness of the county to the pur- suit, and the high prices of its products. Numerous small dairies exists in the county, yielding, in mauy cases, excellent articles. That of A. B. Mack, of West^ort, embracing about forty cows, is on the largest scale, and affords butter and cheese of the first quality. He makes cheese from the middle of April, to the mid- dle of October. The smaller dairies devote about four months to that purpose. Butter, in most of them, is the prominent object, and always commands a certain market. The usual price of cheese in the county, is about 7| cents, and the average of butter, about 15 cents. Nothing peculiar occurs in the manufacture of these articles. Native cattle, form a large proportion of the dairies. Various modes of keeping cattle through the winter prevails, but an increasing regard to their comfort and protection is generally apparent. The notes of a very competent judge, and successful' manager, contains the following statement : " I have sometimes kept an entire stock of cattle, upon straw and coarse fodder, with- out a pound of hay, by giving them regularly, about a peck of potatoes each per day. My cows, under this treatment, invaria- bly, come out in the spring in as good condition, as when I feed them hay." * Calvos are raised to some extent throughout the county, but no unusual feature in their management is observed. The great im- portance of the dairy products, and the value of milk in pork making, limits the rearing of calves. Large numberi of cattle are yearly sold for the eastern and southern shambles. Tliis dispo- sition of neat cattle, is considered more profitable and judicious, than slaughtering them fur home consumption. Pork, among the laboring classes, in this region, being much more esteemed than salted beef, as an article of food. Twenty-five dollars is the average value of neat cattle, at three years old. HUSBANDRY. The last t]:rce years, have been distinguished by a more decided progress in the agricultural interests and character • J. G. Livingston. 864 [Assembly of the county, than has occurred within any period of twenty years, in its preceding history. The lumbering business is nearly terminated within its limits. The unprecedented depression, du- ring that term of its great manufacturing staple, which extin- guished nearly all the fires of its forges and furnaces, arrested the ordinary persuits of thousands of its population. This attitude of the affairs of the county, so deplorable and ruinous in most of its aspects, has supplied the laborers required in the operations of agriculture, and created the necessity of their embracing its occu- pations for support. These causes have diverted the feelings, the interests and taste of this community, from other pursuits to ag- riculture. That has now become the permanent and paramount employment of many, who had previously regarded it as only secondary and incidental. The great and auspicious change, which is again impressed upon the manufacturing interest of the county, may remove this necessity, but the influence ol the habit will endure. I should be unjust to the services of the citizens, whose zeal has organized the agricultural society of Essex county, were I not to recognise its inlluence among the potent instrumentalities, which have promoted this advancement in the agriculture of thec(junty. Its effect has been felt in every section, exciting emulation, arous- ing inquiry, creating effort, introducing science, and developing resources, and in elevating the position and character of the farm- ing community. These results have been promoted by various improvements in the system of husbandry, which have been effected by the farm- ers of the county. Rotation of crops is now regarded by every 'judicious manager, as an essential principle in the intelligent and progressive administration of a farm. A gradual, but most salu- tary change has been formed on this subject, in public opinion. Fields were pointed out, in the course of my survey, which, for- merly for more than thirty years, had been devoted to an unin- terrupted succession of corn crops. Most of the fertilizing re sources of the farm, during that period, had thus been absorbed, in the production of one crop, from the same field. Under such a system of husbandry, and which a quarter of a century since was No. 112.] 865 so prevalent, meadows and pastures were equally exhausted and deteriorated. A uniform alternation of crops is now observed among the skilful farmers of the county, upon all lands, with oc- casional exceptions, where a favorable position, or the native qualities of the earth do not require the practice. The mode in this system of rotation adopted in the county, is assimilated to that generally pursued. When a decline in the quantity or quali- ty of the grass on a portion of meadow land, or a tightness of the sward, or the presence of moss occurs, the ground is broken up, usually in the autumn. Upon this ley, a hoed crop is planted for one or two years, depending upon the tenacity of the turf. A crop of small grain succeeds, for one or two seasons, as circum- stances require. With this tillage, the re-seeding of the land is effected. Although the tine grasses are generally preferred for the purposes of hay, the clover culture is associated with this system, as an important element in the improvement and reno- vation of the soil. A rotation of crops is esteemed of the highest importance^ when applied to light, sandy, and gravelly soils.* Many farmers familiar with the culture of these soils, assert that Ihey may be maintained in a constant progression in fertility, by a close rota- tion, connected with a high clover culture. This tillage, when applied to the cultivation of pastures, is attended with the most beneficial results. It is well understood, that pastures, particu- larly those appropriated to neat cattle, become infested with bushes, acrid grasses, and other worthless vegetation. This^fact is eminently exhibited in light sandy ranges. Experience de- monstrates, that a rotation of crops is as efficient and useful when adapted to these pastures, as to meadow lands. Valuable crops are secured, the noxious herbage is extirpated, and not unfre- quently, the amount of the succeeding pa?turage is quadrupled in the process. MANURES. Manures are created and preserved with great economy and care. Upon many farms', the barn yartl and pig-sty, under im- proved managementj yiehl twice tlie quantity of manure, which •Letters of A. P. Mack, and J. G. Livingston. [Aff. Tr. '53.] Ju 3 866 [Assembly was formerly produced by the same consumption of food. These results are attained by practices, familiar to all well regulated husbandry. The analyses, I have introduced, manifest the existence of peat, or swamp mud of remarkable richness. It is diflused through the county in vast deposits. This material is attaining very extensive use, and is esteemed of great value in promoting the permanent improvement and fertility of the soil. It is pre- pared for efficient application to the earth, either when incorpo- rated with barn yard manures, as a constituent of a compost, or after exposure in piles for ?\, season, to the action of the elements. Mingled with lime, it rapidly decomposed, and is soon prepared for use. The first mode combines many important advantages. A prominent and obvious one, is formed by the great absorbent properties of the peat, through the agency of which, the liquid manures and the volatile gases are concentrated and essentially preserved. Many of the appliances formed by a greater advance in agri- cultural science, and m.ore extended pecuniary means, for the creation and preservation of manures, have not been introduced into Essex county. Plaster^ is in general use in the towns contiguous to Lake Champlain, and extensively in those of the interior. It has not been introduced into some of the more remote sections of the county. My own observation, corroborates the opinion of intel- ligent'farmers, which ascribes to the application of this material, the most useful and important results. Broadcast upon mead- ows and pastures, its beneficial effects seldom fail. Light and dry soils, are usually more decidedly affected by its powerful, but mis- terious influences. Wet seasons, are regarded the most congenial to the development of its fertilizing principle. I have, in other places, noticed its application to specific crops. Those to which gjpsum is most successfully applied, are corn, potatoes, beans and peas. -Its use upon grass, in alternate years, is the most usual and approved practice. Several of the responses to my inquiries on this subject, impute to the use of plaster, an increase of one- No. 112.J 867 half, to the product of many crops. Gypsum, in a prepared state, is sold by the local mills and importers, at about $8 the ton. We have seen, that the county contains mineral fertilizers, in inexhaustible quantities, analogous in character, and scarcely in- ferior in efficacy to the gypsum of the West. Charcoal. — Enormous masses of the dust, or detritus of the char- coal, accumulate about the iron works of the county, and create incumbrances and deformities. It has been annually spread in vast quantities, along the highways, constituting an admirable material for roads. An incalculable amount has been cast into the streams. The attention of men of observation and sagacity, has Seen, within a few years, drawn to the use of this ingredient, as a fertilizer. Experience has established its exceeding utility. In the midst of the disastrous drouth of the last summer, while crossing a field in Moriah, occupied by Mr. Richmond, in pursuit of some Durham cattle I wished to examine, I observed a lot, with its surface deeply and singularly blackened. Upon inspec- tion, I found it thickly strewn with pulverized charcoal. The field presented a rich verdure, strongly constrasting with the parched and blighted aspect of the adjacent country. Tlie fol- lowina; detail of this experiment, supplied at my request, attests the value ot this material, as a fertilizing principle : ^^ The soil Is loamy ; the charcoal was applied on four acres of dry land, and one acre of moist soil, by top dressing. The amount used, was about one thousand bushels to the acre, spread over so as to make the surface look black, but not to incumber or obstruct vegeta- tion. It was applied, in September and October, 1850, at an ex- pense, by contract, of forty dollars. It was procured at a furnace, from a mass of pulverized cliarcoal, left as useless, and was drawn one mile and a half. The effect was immediate. The grass fresh- ened, and continued green and luxuriant, after the surrounding fields were blackened by the early frosts. Altliough the last seas<^'n has been so unfavorable for vegetation, Mr. Richmond re- alized one-third more tlian the ordinary yield of hay, and suffi- cient to rejiay the whole outlay. He thinks that he cut nearly double the quantity of grass, on this lot, than upon any similar 868 [AssemSlt meadow upon his farm, and that the quality of the hay is im- proved." * The Hon. J. S. Whallon,has made the most decisive and valua- ble experiments on this subject. His operations extended through several seasons, and were observed with great intelligence and discrimination. The results amply sustain the conclusions de- rived from the preceding experiment. I may add, that a similar application of charcoal has been made, under Mr. Whallon's su- pervision, upon another tract, in Elizabethtown, on a soil of a lighter texture, and with entire success. Jn this instance, the charcoal was chiefly applied to a crop of oats. The action of this substance, seems to be effected by its physical combination and its chemical affinities. It attracts the rays of the sun, and itnites with the fertilizing gases of the atmosphere; it absorbs moisture and combines, as a new constituent, in the formation of the soil. Almost imperishable, it must remain indefinitely, with no ex- haustion of its properties, a perpetual invigorating agent in the earth. The succeeding extract, from a communication of Mr. Whallon, elucidates his experiments and views on this very important sub- ject : " I began the use of it in the year 1846, and first applied it as a top dressing, on a strong clay soil, which was plowed in the fall of 1845; I spread on about fifteen wagon loads of the dust to the acre, after the wheat had been sowed and harrowed one way. I was surprised to find my crop a heavy one, compared with my neighbors, raised on the same kind of land. The wheat was of better quality, and yielding four or five bushels extra to the acre. I have since used it on similar land, sometimes mixed with barn- yard manure, and sometimes alone, but always as a top dressing, and usually on land seeded for meadow. The results were always the most favorable. I find my lands thus seeded, produce more than an average crop of hay, and always of the finest quality." '' I have also used the dust on loamy and intervale land, with the potato crop. During the series of years in which the rot al- most ruined the potato crop, I scarcely lost any potatoes from that cause, and supposed it was owing to the coal dust I used. My • J. p. Butler's letter, DeceinTDer, 1852. No. 112. J ^ 869 manner has be-en to drop the seed and cover it with a small shovel full of dust, and then cover with earth. In this way, I have used all the coal dust I have been able to save from the coal consumed in a forge of five fires, and which amounts to about 250 loads per year." In the colder regions of the Adirondacs, cliarcoal dust has been used with great advantage. The notes of Mr. Ralph present the experiment in the following language : " As a top-dressing for meadows, charcoal dust and the accumulation of ashes and burnt earth left on old charcoal pit bottoms, have been used here with remarkable results ; and I judge from the trials which have been made, that this application hasadded at least one third to the hay crop, where it has been used. It was remarked, (during the past very dry season, when vegetation was almost burnt up by the long continued drought,) that those fields which had been dressed with this substance, were easily distingiiished by the rich green color of their herbage." Lime. — We have seen that lime is disseminated throngh the county in boundless deposits. The various analyses of Prof. Salis- bury indicate a remarkable and rare richness in its combinations and properties which adapt it to agricultural purposes. He pro- nounces it peculiar in these characteristics. The results of the ex- periments I have already noticed, illustrate its great practical utility, although its uses in husbandry have been very liuiited in the county. The recent analjses and di:^cus-ions on the sulject of this material, have given the public mind a strong direction of inquiry into its value and uses. It may safely be assumed that tliis rich and abundant element of agricultural iiij|)rovemeut will no longer slumber, unappropriated, among the rocks of Es'«ex county. The experience of Mr. A. Stevenson, of Wostport, alTords some valuable results and judicious suggestions. \lv reujarks in a cor- respondence on the subjt'ct, ^- 1 luive always n»und thcar- ancc of tlie crop in the vicinity. Observing near his barn, a large coinpo«t heap, I conjectured that I had dctectcil the secret of his success. It was not, however, until I found liira sub- loiling another lot for a wheat crop, that I discovered tlie entire solution of the mystery. Mr. Bean assured me that ** while the leaves of the corn about him were generally rolled together like a scroll," his crop had exhibited no effect of the drought, except slightly on tho extremi- ties of the Ian !, IIo regarded this circurastanco a« affording the strdngest eridonco of the utility uf the system, as io those parts of the field, tho work of sub-soiliog bad been less ef- fectually performed, owing to the natural balking of the team. Although s^mc of Mr. Bcan'f neighbors objected tn his propensity to lxK)k farming, all accorded to him pr* eminent saooeM n procuring superior crops from a soil of ao original iofeiiur quality. 812 [Assembly ordinary circumstances, and is accomplished as far as practicable to advance spring work. This system is more uniformly appro- priated to heavy and tenacious lands. The action of frosts and the elements upon the exposed soil tends, it is supposed, to pul- verize and disintegrate the earth, while the gases formed in the decomposition of the inverted turf are evolved just at that period in the growth of the )^oung plant, when their fertilizing influences are the most required to promote a vigorous vegetation. Many hesitate to pursue this mode on warm and light soils of sandy or gravelly formation, from the impression that the exposure of these soils to the elements will waste their fertility, and that the fermentation from the decomposing sward, which is so beneficial, occurs too early to aid the growing crop. The fresh plowing of stubble land, immediately before sowing, is preferred, as promot- ing a more rapid and vigorous growth of the crop, which antici- pates and chokes the vegetation of noxious plants. MARKETS. The first agricultural products, derived from the labors of the early pioneer, were required to meet the wants of the succeeding settlers. The flouring mills at Vergennes, in Vermont, afforded a mart for the scanty excesses from the harvest of the colony on the Boquet. At a later epoch, when the wheat products of the county had attained some magnitude, Troy, and subscqnent- ly Whitehall, supplied a market for its trafic. It was transport- ed to these places during the winter by trains of sleighs. At the opening of the canal, the Champlain valley had lost much of its freshness and fertility as a wheat-growing district. ' Wheat, for a term of many years, had furnished to the settler the only means of liquidating the store accounts created for the supplies of his family. At times even this medium was refused, when desti- tution and often suffering followed. The price of wheat to the merchant in this tratic was usually seventy-live cents the bushel. Corn was generally exhaustt d by the domestic consumption, al- though it was occasionally exported into Canada in exchange for salt. Corn was worth, at the commencement of the present cen- tury, in some parts of the country, one shilling the bushel, or if transported a distance of thirty milts to Platt^burgh, commanded No. 112.] 873 twice that sum in the purchase of cotton cloth at fifty cents the yard. The construction of the Champlain canal formed a new era in the affairs of this region. The fetters of position and seclusion wliich had bound its energies, were broken, and its native capaci- ty receiv^ed a vigorous and enduring impulse. The exactions and abuses of trade were controled. This new avenue of commerce at once enhanced to the producer the value of those materials which were exported, and at the same time reduced the prices of the articles of consumption which were imported. The canal, if it did not in its influences reveal the magnificent iron resources of the north, infused into their development animation and activity. The immense pro- gress and expansion of this m.anufacturing interest, have cherished and advanced all the departments of agriculture. The progress of the one has essentially preserved an even pace with the pros- perity of the other. The farmer of Essex has enjoyed a high pri- vilege known to few agricultural districts. He possesses at his own tlircshold, a market for almost every product of his farm. The prices of nearly all agricultural commodities in Essex county are graduated upon the scale of New- York prices and often literal- ly exceed them. The extensive manufacturing establisiiments spread along the valley of the Au Sable, create an immense de- mand for every product of the soil. The Adirondac works, Avheu in operation, afford a ready and certain market for all the commodities of the secluded inte- rior towns, and were easily approached by winter roads. Local institutions, diffused in all sections of the county, supi>ly a do- mestic market to every agricultural district. We have contem- plated the beneficial influences upon the agricultural improve- ment uf the county, which resulted fnmi the temporary declen- sion of the iron interest; but it must, in turn, have langui-hcd, if the stimulating influence of the latter, h id been permanently extinguished. The resuscitated manufactories will find their in- creased demands, now met by greatly augmented capabilities; while the agri'Milture of the county will derive fresh impulses, from the renewed prosperity of the manufacturing interest. All 874 [Assembly*' the existing fcirming capacity of tlie region Is far inadequate to the supply of its consumption. A great proportion of the food of man and beasts, must still be imported. May it not reasonably be presumed, under these circumstances, that the vast area of rich and unoccupied territory, embraced in the limits of Essex county, and in the fertile region lying beyond its western borders, will soon be rendered subservient to the wants and industry of man. FRUIT. The Champlain valley is pre-eminently adapted in soil and climate, to the production of most varieties of the apple. The list of apples cultivated in this district, is very numerous, and the quality generally of the highest excellence. Many old orchards still exist, which were planted at the first settlement of the country. The pioneer, usually, brought with his household goods, the bag of apple seeds from his New-England , home, and the young orchard was among the earliest evidences of improvement and civilization. The perversion of this rich bounty of Providence, for a period, created a prejudice which led to the neglect of its culture. The increased facility of intercourse, which has brought the Atlantic markets within a few hours of Lake Champlain, by a cheap and easy access, has created a new demand for the apples of that region, which cannot be exhausted. This fact has aroused the attention of all classes, and the cultivation of the choicest varieties of this fruit, is largely extending in Essex county. It now promises to become one of the most extensive and lucrative branches of husbandry. In the year 1852, five thousand en- grafted trees were purchased from abroad, and transplanted in the town of Crown Point alone. Other sections of the county per- haps, not in an equal degree, are engaging with great energy in the same occupation. It is found that a few acres, often ot rough and untillable land, appropriated to this object, are more pro- ductive than many entire farms. The price of the best qualities of these apples, ranges from |1.50 to ^2.25 the barrel. No. 112.] 875 The common seedling apples are much esteemed by many farmers, as a valuable food for swine, healthy and nutritious, in the first stages of fattening. Several of the best appks of this region, are derived fi'om Canada. The " Fameuse, " the choicest of autuninal table fruit, exquisite in its flavor, and a long keeper; the ^'Roseau" and the " Pomme Gris," have this origin. It is still a problem whether the " Baldwin," the first of New-England apples, will flourish in this region. It would be useless, and treading upon controverted ground with amateurs and nursery men, to designate among the new varieties, the most excellent classes. The standard kinds of former days, however, such as the Rhode Island Greening, the Spiczenbergh, Pippins, Gilli- flower, and Pearmain, still maintain their pre-eminence. The hardier species of the pear, are now cultivated with suc- cess. In the constantly improving skill and science which dis- tinguishes fiuit culture, the pear will,ort. It is taken from the fiirm of Daniel Jjlisli. " The general apj)carance of tliis soil is quite dif- ferent from No. 17 ; it is much Itss adhesive, and has much less ^ 878 [Assembly power for absorbing and retaining moisture. The microscope shows it to be quite silecious, and much less rich in organic mat- ter than Nos. 17 and 18." The analysis indicates a soil of about medium productiveness. One hundred parts, dried at 212^, gave of Organic matter, ". 5.38 Silica, , 82.34 Alumina and iron, 11 .21 Manganese, 0.22 Phosphoric acid, 0.U4 Sulpliuric acid, 0.02 Chlorine, 0.05 Lime, 0.24 Magnesia, 0.13 Potassa, O.U Soda, 0.16 99.96 " The sulpliuric acid, lime, magnesia, potassa, soda, chlorine and phosphoric^acid, of this soil, are in such small proportion, that the greater portion of them will be considerdbly exliausted in the course of a few years, by cropping without tlie addition of manures. The percentage of organic matter is also too small to indicate a soil of great productiveness and retentive power. " The best and most aviiilable manures indicated by the above analysis, for the region where the soil lies, are barn-yard manures or peat mixed Vvith hard wood ashes leached, or better unleached. The phosphate of lime, plaster, caustic lime, and guano, will all be found \5aluable ai)plications." The specimen marked No. 27, is from the ^' intervale" on the bank of the Eoquet, upon the farm of C. A. Wakefield, in Eliza- bethtown, and is a type of the alluvial tracts which occur in the county. Prof. Salisbury says, " No.^ 27 is a very excellent soil. Under the microscope it is seen to be composed of quartz, mica, felspar- and hornblende, with an occasional small particle of calcspar, and a few other minerals. It is quite rich in organic No. 112.] 879 matter, which gives to the soil a highly absorbing and retentive power. It is a superior soil." One hundred parts dried, at 212°, gave of Organic matter, 16.20 Silica, 70.68 Iron and alumina, 10.36 Lime, 1.10 Magnesia, 0.36 Potassa, 0.48 Soda, 0.28 Chlorine, • 0.22 Siilpiiuric acid^ 0^6 Phosphoric acid, 0.04 99 98 Tl:ie following is an analysis of a soil from North Elba, marked No. 31, sandy loam. This sample indicates the soil which forms the extensive and fertile plains in North Elba, whicli have been repeatedly noticed in the body of this report : One hun(iered parts dried at 212°, gave of Organic matter, . /. . 18.16 Iron and alumina, 6.74 Silica, 71 .88 LInie, 0.54 Magnc>ia, 0.36 Polassa, 0 62 Suda, 0.24 Chlorine, 0.08 Sulphuric acid, 112 Phosphuric acid, 0.04 99.78 " Under a microscope this soil is seen to be made up of tlie de- bris oi" }-rimary rocks. Among th<' minerals arr j>]ainly seen quartz, mica, liornblcnde, and fL'lsi>cir. iJy reference to the analy- sis, tlie Soil will be setn to be remarkably rich in organic matter. 880 [Assembly This organic matter is in a finely pulverulent state, and commu- nicates to the soil a highly retentive and absorbent power. Its quantity and state of decomposition imparts to the soil a dark rich brown color, which makes it a fine absorber of solar heat. It also contains a respectable quantity of all the inorganic bodies which enter into the composition of plants. The amount of these is sufficient, considering the fine state of division of the soil at present, to give a good degree of fertility to the soil. A few crops, however, so diminish those portions of the lime, magnesia, potas- sa, soda, sulphuric and phosphoric acids and chlorine, which are soluble, as to decrease perceptibly its fertility. It is, however, a soil which can be easily kept in a high state of fertilit} , by simply adding each year the small quantity of ingredients that are re- moved by the crops. Essex county furnishes all the material re- quisite for this purpose in her phospljate of lime, marl and peat deposits, and common wood ashes." The earth represented by No. 39, is taken from premises in Chesterfield. This soil, with every appearance of fertility, by a casual inspection, is remarkable for an inertness, which manures but slightly stimulate. By the analysis of Professor Salisbury, it contains the following components : Organic matter, 2 . 78 Silica, 84.70 Oxide of iron, and aluminum, 1 0 . 78 Lime, 0.38 Magnesia, 0.16 Soda, 0.26 Potassa, 0.34 Chlorine, 0.18 Sulphuric acid, 0.12 ^ Phosphoric acid, 0 . 02 99.86 The sample, No. 38, is an average exhibition of the elements of the sandy soils of the county, in their uncultivated state. One hundred parts deprived of water, gave of No. 112] 881 Organic matter, 2 . 64 Silica, 90.70 Oxides of iron and aluminum, 8 . 96 Lime, 0 . 44 Magnesia, 0 . 38 Soda, 0.72 Potassa, 0.23 Chlorine, 0.09 Sulphuric acid, 0.11 99.63 No. 13 was taken from the drift formation in Elizabethtown, on the premises of Mr. Nicholson, and exhibits the character of probably the lowest grade of soil. It is a sand, but is far from representing the qualities of the sandy soils so profitably culti- vated in different sections of the county. " One hundred parts of soil dried at 212^, gave of Organic matter, 7.48 Silica, 68.46 Iron, 14.28 Alumina, 3.16 Manganese, 1.46 Lime, 3.14 Magnesia, 0.06 Potassa, 0 . 78 Soda, 0.34 Chlorine, 0.06 Sulphuric acid, 0.12 Phosphoric acid, trace Arsenic, 0.01 99.35 "This soil is very peculiar, on account ot its containing a large percentage of iron and manganese, and a small quantity of arse- nic. The presence of arsenic would indicate, that the soil is not very well calculated to support a vigorous and healthy vegeta- tion." [Aff. Tr. '^3] r 3 APPENDIX. Note A. I insert the following interesting document, which is a literal transcript of the original draft ot a memorial to Congress by Mr. Gilliland, that I found among his papers. I preserve it, be- cause it throws important light upon the colonization of Essex county, and the progress and period of its first agricultural im- provements, and because it is illustrative of the events and suf- ferings of the revolution, but more especially from the exhibit it contains of the conduct of Arnold, and its singular and prophetic comments upon his character. I am able to fix the date of the instrument, as in the summer of 1777. To the Hon'ble members of the Continental Congress The Memorial of William Gilliland late of Willsborough on the west side of Lake Champlain Most Humbly Sheweth. That in consequence of near twelve years, close application, deligence & industry & at very great expence, your memoralist, accomplished his arduous undertaking of forming & establish- ing, the first English settlement ever attempted, in the dreary wilds of Lake Champlain, then almost a hundred miles from any Christian neighborhood. Thati besides his own improvements on three several farms, your memoralist had 98 other Inhabitants on his land, who were very considerably indebted to your mem's.j the preservation of whose crops, being the only prospect of pay- ment which your mem^t had That from some discoveries, which Gen Carlton made of your mem'^ political sentiments in June 1775, he offered a reward of No. 112.] 883 five hundred dollars to any person that would take your mem'* & carry him prisoner to Canada ; that several attempts were made from time to time to accomplish this without effect j sundry par- ties having been obstructed, & the only party who got the lenght, having been made prisoners by your mem' &. sent bound to Gen Schuyler, tho well provided with a blunderbuss & six other fire arms. — they were headed by Sheriff White of Tryon county, con- sisted of 4 Tories & 3 Savages & were to join the enemy at S» Johns, where White was to have raised a company to join Coll McLeans emigrants. That your mem'' has reason to think that he was the first person who laid a plan for & determined upon seiz- ing Ticonderoga, C Point and the Kings armed vessel, & therewith the entire command of Lakes George k Champlain. Tiiat by means of your mem' an unhappy dispute, w^ subsisted between M"" Allen and M^ Arnold (the then rival Headsof our hand full of people on L Champlain) was composed. In consequence of w^^ your mem'^ (besides several other matters) took the Liberty of re- commending to your Honors, the embodying the Green Mountain boys. Coll Allen delivered the letter — That your mem'' property to the amount of several hundred pounds, is stopped by the ministerial troops in Canada, because of his known attachment to the glorious cause of American inde- pendence, now at stake. That your mem'" having entertained good opinion of Mr. Arnold, did his utmost endeavors, with a committee from the congress of Mass., to have him continued in the command at C Point ; and after he was turned out of the ser- vice, your mem''^ was the means of procuring credentials for his being reinstated, by furnishing liini with tlie unanimous voice of the civil and military in the northern department in his favor, by an address which was drawn up by your rnen'^^ and presented to him for that purpose ; w'ch was the cliief friend he had to introduce him to the t'av'r of the prov'l Congress and of Gen. Washington when it was expected by muny, that he would have met quite a different reception. That, by means of your mem''' our army were supjdied with as many water criift as transported several hundred men from C. Point to Canada, whither he conducted Gen. Montgomerey safe, 884 [Assembly from his better knowledge of the navigation, than perhaps any other person then with that Genl. That in testimony of your mem'^' warm attachment to and hearty affection for your north- ern army, he embraced every opportunity of rendering them all the encouragement in his power. From the Gen'l down to the cen- tenel, he has entertained 3 or 4000 men at his own expence — he never charged a shilling for vegetables, salmon, milk or any thing else he had to spare them — has complemented them with 1 500 salmon in one season ; has supplied a numerous company under Capt Lamar with bread and meat as long as he or his settlers had a pound, during a long stay w'ch they were obliged to make at his place, and thereby reduced his and the families of his tenants, to sufferings they were before unused to ; had every deserter that ap- peared in his settlement taken up and sent to the army ; has lain weeks together on straw in a com'n room, that sick and wounded officers and sold'rs that were sent to or stopt at his house might be more comfortably accommodated, sometimes taking them to Ticonderoga (45 miles distant) at his own charge, and had every sold'er who died in his settlement inter'd in decent coffins, with the honors of war. The only association agreement enter'd into ; the only company of minute men formed on either side of Lake Champlain yr mem'*' established on his settlement ; and for example sake, stood in the ranks himself, and did his utmost endeavors to introduce the like among all the other settlements at or near the lake, and finally every 3d man of his tenants enter'd into the countrys service. That, shortly before the retreat of our army from Canada your mem'^' was intimidated by frequent alarms and thereupon re- moved his children and most valuable effects to Crown Point and returned to save his and his tenants crops; intending to have them removed to Ticonderoga as soon as preserved; that in the interim Gen. Sullivan having retreated with the army from Canada, he told your mem''' how much his sick stood in need of our milch cows and beef cattle, that your mem'*'- did not wait for Gen. Sulli- van's compulsive orders (which were afterwards given) to enforce our removal, but had about 100 head removed to C. Point imme- diately, not doubting that he should be paid their value aggreea- No. 112.] 885 bly to the Genl promise ; but was most unexpectedly disappointed by the injustice of the commissarys — one of whom said, that now your mem's cattle were there, 'twas in his power to take what ad- vantage he thought proper in the price of them j and another offer- ing only ^th part of their real value. That, the crops belonging to your mem'st and his tenants, being of very considerable value, and their preservation of much im- portance to our army, he apply^ for, and obtained from Gen. Gates, a small party of men to secure and preserve the same, for which purpose he returned home with the party to prosecute the business; that duiing the time of his stay at his settle', Major Hay, A D Q M G came to his place and made a firm agree't with y^ mem"' for the whole, agreeable to the account herewith, which your mem't has frequently applyed for payment of, to the Gent, wliom your honors have been pleased to appoint commis- sioners for liquidating ac^'^ without effect; by which your mem"^' has obtained very considerable loss ; as by his having hud it in his power to employ that sum in trade, the benefits arising would no doubt have kept pace with the depreoiation in the value of money. Shortly after entering into the above agree't, your mem'^ fully determined to remove himself, his slaves, stocks, crops and such portable furniture and tools as remained behind, to Ticonderoga ; made a kind of cellar in the woods, in which he hid away his saw and grist mill irons, and a great variety of other irons< and some steel; in value at that time, not less than X200 ; loaded two batteaux witli lioiisehuld stuff and other articles, and brought them and his whole family then remaining, to the house of one of the tenants, 3 miles south from where your mem"' then lived ; only waiting for a northerly wind to lavor their pas- i;age to C. Point; for wJiich purpose y'r mem'st had the boats hauled a good way up on the shore, without unloading them, keeping his people in the meanwhile closely employed in har- vesting. ]r<'re y* mcnp' remained 2 or 3 days, not daring to stay at home, being there nuich more dangerously situated should an enemy come; during this period. Gen. Arnold then down the lake with the fleet, in reward for your mem'' zral in the cause, for the manifold services he had rendered our army, and for a 4 886 [Assembly recompense of tlie eminent services he had rendered him, or rather to cancel all obligations due to your memoralist on that score, sent a party of soldiers to tear y^' mem^- away from his property, dignifying him with an ojQicer for their commander, whose rank was so high as a sergeant, with private orders not to suffer him to remove any part of his property, By which means besides 28 dwelling houses, and above 40 other houses, two grist, and two mills, all our gardens, orchard fences, &:c., &:c., now left and exposed to the vindictive fury of ministerial vengeance, y mem^ is for the present divested of other property to the amount of £ ,* as per the annexed ac^^ which he most humbly im- plores your hon'"" to have reimbursed in such manner, as in your wisdom and justice shall seem right. Gen. Arnold is your ser- vant ; all the power and authority he has, is derived from you, and that has enabled him to commit the acts of tyranny and out- rage upon y^ mem*^ and many others, whose complaints have been laid before you. It is not in mine, but it is in your power to bring him to justice. Bursting with pride and intoxicated with power to wh^^i he -ever ought to have been a stranger, but wIf^ he has had art enough to obtain from you, he tyrannizes where he can. If temerity, if raslmess impudence and error can recom- mend him to you, he is allowed to be amply supplied with these qualities and m ,ny people think they ought to recohamend him in a peculiar manner to L'^ North, who in gratitude, for his having done more injury to the American cause, than all the ministerial troops, have had the power of doing, ought to reward him with a generous pension — He used his utmost endeavors to pre- vent y mem^'^ from returning to his place to preserve and remove to Ticonderoga his crops and other property, and when passing yr mem^^ settlement with the fleet, brought them to anchor just opposite to it ; suffering the mo^t disorderly the most licentious fellows on shore, where in a few hours times they carried off or destroyed of my property to near the amount ii besides the outrages committed on our homes. I complain not, that by the breaking up of my settlement I am divested of an annual income of more than a thousand pounds; this is a misfortune, a calamity *In another document verified by his oath, Mr. Gilliland exhibits a schedule, in which the aggregate of his various losses from the causes is estimated at £3,943 15 10. This I infer from collateral circumstances was sterling currency. No. 112.] 887 to which every person is subject whose situation is equally dan- gerous and whose political sentiments are as publicly known as were mine. On your love of justice, on the humanity and ten- derne^ I believe y^ hon^^^ to be possessed, do I entirely rely, on your taking this matter into your serious consideration. I solicit you not for a present pecuniary indemnification on that score, but being now entirely divested of all employment, which to an active mind is very disagreeable, I take the liberty of making you a tender of my services in such situation as I am qualified for in the promotion of the common cause of American Freedom ; ho- ping you will be favorably pleased to honor me with such ap- pointment as will not derogate from my former station ; as shall enable me to support a numerous family of motherless children and in some measure be a compensation for the loss of my in- come. But in a peculiar manner y^ mem^* humbly entreats that y Honers will be favorably pleased to order payment for the crops yr raem^^ sold to the Q"" M"" Gen' for the use of the army and restitution or indemnification for loss of personal property he sustained by means of Gen Arnold. This is the prayer of your mem-' and that your councels may be directed by wisdom, and your endeavours in this grand conflict may be forever blessed with the smile of Heaven WILL GILLILAND Note B. " Expense of transporting a ton weight from N York to the boun- dary line between this State and the Province of Quebec on Lake Champlain. Fret from New-York to Albany, XO 1 Os. Od. Cartage and storage in Albany, 0 1 0 Land cartage from Albany to F^ George — storage, 64 miles, 2s., GOO At F* George, 0 1 0 Fre* across Lake f Jeorge, 0 10 Q Cartage to L Cliamplaiii, 0 () 0 Storage at Lake Champlain, 0 2 0 888 [Assembly Fre* to the Canada line, 1 0 0 Add for loss, wastage and contingencies wh can- not be foreseen, 1 7 0 i^ll 0 0" The foregoing is copied from a document found among the Gil- liland papers, and exhibits an estimate of the price of transporta- tion, as it existed the latter part of the last century, The average expense at this time of transporting a ton weight from New- York to Eouse's Point, is about |3, while the present economy in time contrasts equally with the reduction in the price. Note C. The following exhibits the school returns of the county for 1850. The returns since that year are so imperfect that a tabular exhibit cannot be compiled with accuracy. No. 112.J 889 o 00 =£> O O o <1 •looqos sqjuota JO '0^ aSBiaAy CO 'O iO J> 00 TJ< 1> iO 00 CO -|iO |CTrHi« |-f-<|» H-ihHI )0 CO CO CO CO o t* 1— < •omtjs Sni -pua^^Ti sndnci JO '0^ 3gt;J9Ay o lO vr5 I— 1 o CO C^ Cl rH ^ iH;cii??irt i-H • ^ • • • • • 1^ ^-H I— < • •siooqos 8:j'BAnd puB ^oaps p3:j -■Bjodjooamn -o^^ — ' O T-H C^ f-H -^ • C^ C^ C^ CO • • ■ • • • • • joj sniq 35 B J iCq pasau ;unoniy CO 00 rH O CC O O rt Tt* CC o Ci <— ' i> ^ iO iC Ci o o J> 1> r-( CO rf )iO'-H'fC->C0C0OC0C0C0'ir:oc--^co CO C^ CC xr. (M c^ •COf-HO • • • 'C^vOCO • • r—<»»»» CO • najp^TqD aoqran^ C0(M'^C0*-OmiO'-f*i>ooc^>cocociC^TtCiOOir5:ovryoo OOOO'^iOOOO'CDrHCS CD OOl>C0 •sautjjqi^ 101 J-} sip ui saraniOA *jo 'O^ j-1 ^ ■r^l a IC. 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CO CO CO t^ T" 00 '^ i> i> ?— 1 in CO 00 (>^ t> -i< CO o CO o m 00 o) in o^ CO CO '^ 1—1 CO iT; -^ t '-H 00 Ci in C) i> in -r in c: 00 C^ GO l> 1—1 c3 O "—I '—''—• CO •o> in 1— ' 00 in so CO I— ( "^ C* CO X CO 1— 1 ^-i rv rx CN #^ r^ CN #^' 'S CO C) C^ C^ r-l I— 1 c^ C^ C^ C) I-H l> 1 Q ^= Ol H =^ in C5 GO c^ o o ^^ 00 '-H o -^ m i> • CO CO in o ^ 1 • CO o c< CO in in C) CO t- CO c( in ' in w c; o CO c CO CO ^ CO "^ CI in 4 X> CO c; CO CO in . CO O Ci -^ t CN #N C> tf o 12 c{"t- CO oi -t< CO GO Ci O) T^ • t> ^ (M t-t — ^ u t> C-'t CO CO "^ CO I-H CO CO Tfi o Pi i o CO -^ CO in ^ 00 CO t^ o in CO CO ir: l> c: in o c> 1 c: o t^ CO <^ CJ in f— ( -I* CO o CO in 00 o c: CO O 1 CO t- Ci —1 X ^ 1— 1 GO -r C t^ C^ C* CO in T- X r-f FN #N ffN #N 4 r^ #^ t a .— ( t^ -TO oc c: C5 ^ o C) 00 CO .-H oc ) O X O CO CI 0) O t^ CO CO — ' 00 CD CO 00 in in CO in C; ^ CI in t^ Ph in CO '^ r-i CI t-H cc > (N CO CO CO X CO • U2 r~ * * < 525 • l-H < • s • ^— U- ^ .^ . > • o »x p^ o H f^ f > • i W5 c c : to lis -35 o C > D - r= X -S \ 0. er ; 'x . 1 1 r; r" r" ^ ** : £ > is , C : s ; i ) c > C ■ X 4- 5: 892 - [Assembly The annexed are the statistics of Essex county, as compiled for the Eed Book of 1852: Acres of land, according to Burr's Atlas, 1,138,500 Acres ofjand taxed, 1,024,520 Assessed value of real estate, §4,239,079 Assessed value of personal property, 709,552 Corrected aggregate valuation, §4,942,935 Amount of State and county taxes, §14,515 93 Amount of town taxes, §13,071 32 Total taxation, §27,587 25 Rate of §1 valuation, mills, 5.6 Note E. — Adirondac Iron. Extract from the report of Prof W. R. Johnson^ of experiments made on the Iron manufactured at the village of McLifyre^ Essex county^ Kew- York. After presenting a detail of experiments, by which he tests and confirms '-'• the freedom of this iron from the defects known either as hot shortness cr cold shortness, and its softness and malleability, by the cutting and hammering incident to these experiments," Prof. JohDSon continues, " the next step was to determine the absolute force of cohesion, together with the extensibility, when subjected to longitudinal strain, and the interior structure of the metal under various circumstances, including that of welding in the or- dinary way." For this purpose, five bars were drawn out and prepared from the specimens, numbered I, II, III, IV and V, each about nine or ten inches long one inch wide, and two inches thick. No. I after being reduced to a nearly uniform size, throughout its length, w^as annealed at a red heat and allowed to cool slowly in the air. No. II w^as hammer hardened, or beaten with moderate force throughout its length, until it had been for several minutes black, the hammer being occasionally moistened during the process. No. Ill was forged out and hammered till it was only visibly red in day light, being left at about the temperature at which the No. 112.] 893 workmen cease their operations on many of tlie articles wliich they produce. No. IV after being brought to a uniform size, was upset for about three inches in the middle and was then annealed and cooled slowly. No. V was drawn out, cut in the middle and welded together. This sample was only G^- inches long. All thes^ bars- were then carefully gauged both in breadth and thickness, at every inch of their lengths, before commencing the trials of tenacity. The machine employed in testing them, was the same which had been used in experiments made by the re- quest of the Treasury Department on the strength of materials for steam boilers. The following table will be understood without any other re- mark than that the breaking weights in the 5th column, are cor- rected for friction of the machine. The specific gravities of several of the Iragmentsof each bar, after it had been broken up, are given under the head of observations, and may serve as well to illustrate the general character of the iron in this respect, as to indicate the effect of the several methods of pre2>aration on the density of iron. The following experiments confirm the evidences already ad- duced of the great toughness and ductility of this variety of iron. Besides the facts mentioned under the head of Obscrva- iio7is, in the 7th column, we may add, that after the first fracture on each bar, a measurement was taken between two of the inch marks still remaining on one of its parts, and the following re- sults obtained, viz: No. I. In original length 6 inches, had elongated, .87 in., = 14.5 per cent. No. II. do do 4 do do .2 in., = 5 do No. III. do do 5 do do .6 in., = 12 do No- IV. do do 4 do do .2 in., = 6 do 894 [A SSEMBLY -♦^ o M H !> O 9S eS =3 --^ <^ ^ SI f- _i w r; ." " Ci 5 O !U « W Si 3 « « *\ -*i .2 « C > M CO tiio to o 53 c S-( :2 -k^ Si O fcOtOo G o « ^ 2 •7? " " 2 -• J3 a o »-< ^ o ^ S JO ^ -A 5 « ^ .^ p CJ § Sh tn a m cs .2 a c3 fcc a a - S •' -S^' a^ o JO « c • <^ 2 " ii '^ -C o o ^ ^^ o^ a^4 «^ § ■* S -2 ^ i^^ .a «-c ^ '^ *i i>. "S i^ a «« ?. o ... S O Si ■ ° 0< 'c^ cL^ •'" s ^ "-a I'- ■^ S il "^ -^ !r -^ -^ m a o (M •STodnpxtOAB ''sqi •JUIJ^ 8J0J -aq saqoui aa'Bn'bs Ul U0p03S JO ISBiy -Ti9dxa ^q:^ jo 'Ojsi si' 1§ a jr C5 a h o j" c3 • ii jS o ;-#^ lO Cm O O o E^^-^' ^ o ' o fc CO ai3 o to o D «i S «D .S 32 • Si *- P-c ■ C^O S'XiJS^J .Si j--^ "SS ^e'^^ago^.i^ ©*^co o^-^ta « >rJb Kr,a •O CO H CO a d « a >3 M rn a \t-^ s .a 1-^ g &,co s 2 o lO O lO o o o o in >OC0O'^C^05t-f0C>o'^Q0OOJ0t-M HI I— IC-)COCOCSOa5^COC;"^i>-C5r— iO£-r— liO oooooi— le^coJO^^c^Mc^cococo'Oift ^OiTi)^-oo»ofO!— icoeoeocosoc^-^ CiCqiOOOOOOQOr-IOiCC'OCO'— iCOCOl— lOOiO ccc5050C5^cs^co THC^ecT}.eo.— 1-# m c— I m fOCOC loooo'oocoeoocoooiocoo'noco eo CO CO Si d ©^3 « CJ © a a J bo'ts rC :;: r^: © « 2 a © - •JBq oq:j jo •cjyj o |2i o ^25 i-t 6 12; o {25 o i^ No. 112.] 895 To compare this iron with others, it is proper to assume bar No. Ill as a standard, that having been hammered to a dull red heat. The report already cited furnishes us with abundant data, derived from experiments, made with the same machine, on other kinds of bar iron in a similar state. Thus we have Strength in lbs. per square inch* Iron from Salisbury, Conn., by a mean of 40 trials, 58 . 009 Sweden, " '' 4 " .... 58.184 Centre Co., Penn., ^« " 15 " ....58.400' Lancaster Co., " " " 2 " 58.6G1 Mclntyre, Essex Co., N". Y., by a mean of 4 trials, 58.912 England, cable bolt (E. V.), by a mean of 5 trials, 59.105 Russia, by a mean of 5 trials, 76 . 069 . Hence it appears, that the last only, is essentially superior to the iron of Mclntyre. These are among the best varieties of bar iron in point of tenacity. The fracture is of a light grey color, silky lustre, and generally displays a compact structure. It is worthy of remark, that most of the fractures took place in directions oblique to the line of tension, and making with it, either in the breadth or thickness, one or more angles of about 60 degrees each . The fibrous structure of the metal was very marked in cutting with the cold ciiisel, and was further developed by acids on part of No. Ill, ou tlie surface of which delicate lines were shewn traversing a distance of several inches. The specific gravity, in an annealed state, it appears, was increased 1.2 per cent, by hammer hardening. In conclusion, it may be observed, that as a large and increasing demand for goud iron prevails in tlie United States, in proportion to the increase of finished and accurate machinery, requiring superior materials as wrll as workmanship, there can be no doubt that any quantity whicli could probably be produced, if possess- ing the properties of that above described, would command a ready market and the best of prices." — Johnson^s Report. 896 [Assembly Several other higlily interesting experiments have been made testing the strength and tenacity of the iron of Essex county. That, especially, at the navy yard at Washington, was decisive in establishiag the fact of their possessing properties of great and superior excellence. I have made every effort to procure exhibi- tions of these results, but without success. INDEX. Civil and political history, .* G51 Discovery by Champlain, 652 Eattle with the Iroquois, 657 Crown Point, occupation of, by France, 659 Mohawks captured Montreal, 662 Schenectady burned, 662 John Schyler's incursion to Canada, 663 Dieskau's campaign, 665 Abercrombie's expedition, 671 Abercrombie's and Amherst's campaigns, 675 Colonization of Champlain valley, 681 William Gilliland's settlement, 686 Ticonderoga taken by Ethan Allen, 696 Proceedings from 1774 to 1784, 701 . William Gilliland's personal history, 706 Emigration from New England, . : 708 Clinton county organized, 708 Essex county organized, 711 Increase of population from 1810 to 1850, 713 Settlement of the county from 1812, 714 Physical geography, 727 Mountains, 729 Lakes, 730 Rivers, 735 Natural curiosities j, Indian Pass, 737 Wilmington Notch ; walled banks of the Au Sable, 738 Split Rock, 740 Natural History ; animals, 741 Fish, 745 Forests, 755 Reptiles, 759 Climate and meteorology, 759 Meteorological observations, 764 Mineralogy and geology, 771 Adirondac Iron district, 771 Moriah Iron district, 780 Old Sandford mine, 781 Penfield mine ; Hammond ore bed, 784 Little Pond bed, 785 Dr. Chilton's analysis of ore, 786 Black lead, 786 Black clouded marble, 786 Porphyry, 789 Copperas, analysis of, « 792 Copper, 792 [Aff. Tr. '53.1 a 3 898 INDEX. Water cement, " 793 Paint, 794 Drift and diluvial formation, , , , 795 Phosphate of lime, 797 Marl, 799 Limestone, 800 Peat, 801 Analysis of peat, 802-3 Mineral springs, analysis, 804-5 Industrial progress and resources, » , 808 Forges, rolling mills, &c., 817 Other manufactures, 823 Delafield, John, tribute to, note, 825 Iron ore, 827 Public improvement, canals, &c., 828 Ship canal, 832 Commerce on Lake Champlain, . . . . c. . 833 Plank roads, 836 Railroads, , ^ 837 Marble, 837 Ship yards, 837 Sailors, 838 Commerce on Lake Champlain, 838 Agriculture, 842 Grasses, 844 Wheat, 846 Rye, 847 Oats, 848 Peas, 849 Barley, beans and buckwheat, 850 Potatoes, 851 Indian corn, 853 Root crops and flax, 855 Hay, 856 Stock ; horses ; Black Hawk breed, 859 Sheep, 861 Dairy, 863 Husbandry, , 863 Manures, 865 Plaster, charcoal, 867 Lime, 869 Draining, 870 Implements ; plowing, 871 Markets, 872 Fruit, 874 Analyses of soils, 876 Appendix ; memorial of William Gilliland, 882 Common school returns, 1850, 889 Statistics, 1852, 892 Adirondac iron, 892 ^•- w New York Botanical Garden Librar 3 51 85 00257 5981 111.-: 1 l.tiftK ; tfiUunl r' ; j : ; ^ Jii M ■■■'J al iiriH&Bi !iti|l!||!li|l!!tll|ljlli|IIi|:iil!|IM!!l|!!!!'H't^!!|!iMM!!!l '!li!l|MM(n'(11(ni|l|lll|iinilimilll(llli|lt'!llltMMIIM' t)ti'iiit!iit((i(it|ti!'!|itnni'f,(ititn|.i!|iiiim|t!!iinr • ti ! j !|i liill 11 ;^ IL. ■iin'! ;p! i!'i''!"!!'t!M!t!!!'!!! !l!t!i!n!l!!!iri!t!!!i!!!H!':' I : ' -v '''V, 7r f ."I' l!l!lllilliil:ii ''Ml i i inii ) li! V I ill; ill! Ill II ii 11 ill li l!i llllllli!l||ll!i!||j!l|!!!lilllji!lillilllillllli||l|il]l!lllll!llllliniii|i!ii!;lll|lii! tHtiilt)mMiihuitii)iiiiut>nitiiiik iiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiilii!:iiliiiliillitiilli(lltl