'^ s. !t;l!^ ! I: ^;ii!ii-|lii^''^i''' 4iii^ in I-; f ' \M :"M iTJir ■MM:" ■k \. .-ritiiftirfiy .:^ f 2-^ < 'B a :3 o t/5 C3 J^ e- &: _o E r/) • r-4 -a H TRANSACTIONS OF TIIK WISCONSIN STATE AGRICIILTlfRAL SOCIETY, WITH AN ABSTRACT OF THn CORRESPONDENCE OF THE SECRETARY. LIBRARY VOLUME I.-1851. NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARt>eW- MADISON: BERIAH BROWN, STATE PRINTER. 1852. ' ADVERTISEMENT. . The Report of the Transactions of the Wisconsin State Agi'icultural Society for the Year 1851, together with the Abstract of the Correspondence of the Secretary for the same time, will, it is beheved, be deemed of interest and vahie by the Citizens of this State generally. As the furnishing of the several Papers enclosed has been entirely gratuitous, and as the Society has received no pecuniary aid from any source aside from its own members, it is hoped that its eflbrts to advance the great fundamental interest of the State will be met with that kindness and appreciation which it so justly demands. The interest which has been so generally manifested in the labors of the Society, during its first year of existence, will, it is presumed, induce a careful examination of the present volume; and should it be found useful, in the advancement of Agricultural improvement, the wishes of the Executive Com- mittee will be fully met. To those gentlemen who have so kindly responded to the calls made upon them, the thanks of the Society are most cordially tendered. ALBERT d. INGHAM. STATE AGRICULTURAL ROOMS, Madison, January 1852. CONTENTS t 1. Formation of Society 5 2. Report of the Executive Committee 11 3. Reports of Committees at Annual Fair 60 4. Annual Meeting 92 5. County Agricultural Societies 101 6. Agricultural Capacity and Condition 122 7. Communications 243 8. Climate of Wisconsin 305 9. Appendix 327 I. Formation of Society 9 Constitution 1 Election of Officers 10 11. Report of the Executive Committee 11 Annual Fair 12 Finances 18 Agricultural Library and Museum 18 Agricultural Education 19 VI CONTENTS. Annual Address 20 Premium Lisl 42 List of Entries for Exhibition 51 III. Reports of Committees at Annual Fair 60 Cattle — Short Horns — Statement, D. B. Tears 60 Devons, Natives and Crosses 61 "Working Oxen, Milch Cows, Fat Cattle 62 Horses — Stallions and Brood Marcs 62 Descent of Hambletoniau 63 Matched and Draught Horses, Geldings 64 Horse Breeding — Remarks on, by Hon. W. H. Fox 65 Sheep — Long-wooled 67 Middle-wooled, Merinoes, Saxons 68 Statement, N. B. Clapp's 68 Paular Merinoes, Cross Breeds 72 Swine 72 Ploughing Match 73 Farming Implements 74 Ploughs, Premium — Description of 74 Daily 79 Butter — Statement, J. Cory's 79 Cheese — Statement, Samuel A. Thurston's 80 Grains and Honey, Flour and Corn Meal 83 Hominy, Manner of its Preparation 83 Domestic Manufactures, Ornamental Needle Work 85 Fruit 85 Fruits— List of Select - 87 Flowers, Paintings and Printing 88 Stoves, Silver and Gold Ware 89 Miscellaneous and Discretionary Articles 89 Saleratus — Chemical Analyses of 90 Plough-making Machine 91 CONTENTS. . VU IV. Annual Meeting 92 Resolution defining expiration of Membership 93 Election of Officers 94 Resolution of Thanks to Albert C. Ingham 94 Report of Secretary 95 Report! of Treasurer 98 V. County Agricultural Societies, Remarks 101 CoIuinl)ia 102 Dane 102 Iowa 103 Iowa County, Crops of. 106 Kenosha 107 Kenosha, Hon. Samuel R. M'Clellan, Address of. 109 Racine ; 11.5 Rock 115 Sheboygan 116 "Walworth 117 Waukesha 120 Wisconsin Horticultural Society 120 VI. Agricultural Condition and Capacity, Remarks 122 Geological Formation of Wisconsin 122 Primary District 122 Sandstone District • 123 Limestone District 124 Analyses of Soils 127 Comparison of Soils 128 Agriculture of Brown County 128 Agriculture of Columbia County 133 Agi-iculture of Crawford County 135 Vm . CONTENTS. Agriculture of Dane County 150 Agriculture of Dane County 158 Agriculture of Dodge County 163 Agriculture of Fond du Lac County 165 Agriculture of Green County 168 Agiiculture of Jefferson County 170 Agriculture of Kenosha County 177 Agriculture of Manitowoc County 180 Agriculture of Outagamie County 184 Agriculture of Racine County 187 Manufactures of Racine County 207 Agriculture of Rock County 210 Agriculture of Sauk County ., 215 Agriculture of Sheboygan County 217 Agriculture of St. Croix County 220 Agriculture of Walworth County 222 Agriculture of Walworth County 230 Agriculture of Washington County 233 Agriculture of Waukesha County 234 Agriculture of Winnebago County 235 VII. Communications 241 Breaking Prairie 243 Manures 246 Flax Cultirre 252 Flax Culture.. 261 Culture of Tobacco 264 Cattle 267 Butter Making 270 The North West for Fruits and Fruit Trees 277 Gardening 290 Kitchen Garden 294 Agricultural Education. 295 Agriculture of Noithern Illinois 300 CONTENTS. IX VIII. Climate of Wisconsin, Remarks 305 Meteoroloffical Observations made at Milwaukee, Year 1851 306 Meteorological Observations made at Beloit, Year 1851 307 Meteorological Observations made at Beloit, Year 1850 311 Meteorological Observations made at Emerald Greve, Year 1851 316 Meteorological Observations made at Emerald Grove, Year 1850 317 Meteorological Observations made at Green Bay, Year 1851 318 Meteorological Observations made at Green Bay, Year 1850 319 Meteorological Observations made at Kenosha, Year 1851 320 Meteorological Observations made at Kenosha, Year 1850 321 Meteorological Observations made at Summit, Year 1851 322 Meteorological Observations made at Aztalan, Year 1851 323 Meteorological Observations made at Green Lake, Years 1850 and 1851 324 IX. Appendix 325 State Agricultural Society of 1846 327 State Agricultural Society of 1849 330 OFFICERS OF THE WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR 1851. PRESIDENT. ERASTUS W. DRURY, Fond du Lac. VICE PRESIDENTS. HENRY M. BILLINGS, Highland. ROSWELL C. OTIS, Kenosha. WILLLIM F. TOMPKINS, JanesviUe. RECORDING SECRETARY. ALBERT C. INGHAM, Madison. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. ROYAL BUCK, Madison. TREASCHER. CHAUNCEY ABBOTT, Madison. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. HENRY JOHNSON, Kenosha. ADAM E. RAY, Troy. ANDREW PALMER, JanesviUe. JOHN H. ROUNTREE, PlatteviUe. TIMOTHY BURNS, La Crosse. Anxual Meeting. — On the third Wednesday of January in each Year, LIFE ME3tBERS, BY THE PAYIMENT OF TEN DOLLARS. MARTIN WEBSTER, Fox Lake. BENJAMIN FERGUSON, Fox Lake. ERASTUS W. DRURY, Fond du Lac. ERASTUS FAIRBANKS, St. Johnsbury, Vt. LEONARD J. FARWELL, Madison. I CONSTITUTION OF THB WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. ARTICLE L— OF THE XAME AXD STYLE OF THE SOCIETY. The Style of this Society shall be the "WISCONSIN" STATE AGRICUL- TURAL SOCIETY." Its objects shall be to promote and improve the condition of Agriculture, Horticulture, and the Mechanical, Manufacturing, and Household Arts. ARTICLE II.— OF THE MEMBERS. The Society shall con-sist of such Citizens of this, and other States, as shall signify in -wiiting 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 officio be Members of this Society, The payment of ten dollars, or more, at one time, shall constitute a Member for life, and shall exempt the donor from annual contribution. ARTICLE III.— OF THE OFFICERS. The Officers of the Society shall consist of a President, three Vice Presidents, (one to be located in each congressional district), a Recording Secretary, a Cor- responding Secretary, a Ti-easurer, an Executi\e Committee to consist of the Officers above named and five additional Members, a majority of whom shall constitute a quorum, and a General Committee, to consist of one Member from each county, organized for judicial pui-poses. 2 3 ARTICLE IV.— OF THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS. The Recording Secretary shall keep tlie Minutes and have charge of the Books of the Society. The Corresponding Secretary shall carry on the correspondence with other Societies, with Individuals, and with the General Committee, in furtherance of the objects of the Society. The Treasurer shall keep the funds of the Society, and disburse the same on the order of the President, or a Vice President, countersigned by the Recording Secretary, and shall make a report of the receipts and expenditures at the annual meeting in January. The Executive Committee shall take charge of, and disti-ibute 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 collate, arrange, and publish the same, in such mannei- and form as they shall deem best calculated 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. ARTICLE v.— OF MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS, There shall be an annual meeting of the Society on the third Wednesday of January in each year, in the Village of Madison, at which time all the Officers shall be elected by a plnrality of votes, with the exception of the General Com- mittee, who may be appointed by the Executive Committee, who shall also 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 cj^uorum for the transaction of business. ARTICLE VI.— OF THE ANNUAL CATTLE SHOW AND FAIR. The Society shall hold an Annual Cattle Show and Fair at such time and place as shall be designated by the Executive Committee wlio shall prepare a Premium List, appoint View ing Committees, and award the Premiums at the same. It shall be the duty of all the Officers to attend the Annual Cattle Show and Fair. 3 ARTICLE VII.— OF AMENDMENTS. This Constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members attending any annual meeting. STATE AGRICULTURAL ROOMS, | Madison, Januaiy 22d, 1852, \ I certify that the above and foregoing is a ti'ue and correct copy of the Constitution of the "Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. ALBERT C. INGHAM, Corresponding Secretary. DONATIONS, 1851. B. P. Johnson, Esq. Secretary. Transactions of the New York State Agri- cultural Society from 1842 to 1850 inclusive, 9 volumes. Joseph N. Saunderson, Esq. Lynn, Mass. Transactions of the Essex County Agricultural Society for 1850. TRANSACTIONS. ^ #* TRANSACTIONS OF THE WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY- ORGANIZATION. PRELIMINARY MEETING. Pursuant to previous and public notice, the Members of tbe Legislature, and the Citizens of tbe State of Wisconsin generally, met in the Assembly Hall, at the Capitol, in the Village of Madison, on the evening of Saturday, March 8th, A. D. 1851, for the purpose of taking into consideration, the expediency of forming a State Agricultural Society for the State of Wisconsin. On motion of Hon. Henry Johnson, of Kenosha, Hon. Wm. F. Tompkins, of Rock, was called to the Chair ; and on motion of Erastus W. Drury, Esq. of Fond du Lac, Albert C. Ingham, Esq. of Dane, was appointed Secretary. The objects of the meeting having been explained by the Chairman, the Hon. Henry Johnson offered the following Resolution, to wit : Resolved : That it is expedient to form a State Agriculural Society for THE State of Wisconsin at the present time. After a full and free discussion, and the mutual interchange of views on the part of several gentlemen present, the Resolution was unanimously adopted. On motion of Hon. Adam E. Ray, of Walworth: Resolved : That a Committee of seven be appointed by the Chair to report a Constitution and By-Laws for the permanent goveroment of th« State Agri- 10 cultural Society of the State of Wisconsin ; and that they also present the names of jjersons suitable to fill the various offices of the said Society. The Chairman appointed as such Committee, Messrs. Henry Johnson, of Kenosha; Adam E. Ray, of Walwoi-th; Erastus W. Drury, of Fond du Lac; Timothy Burns, of La Crosse ; Chauncey Abbott, Abram Ogden, and Royal Buck, of Dane. On motion of Erastus W. Drury, Esq., the meeting adjourned to meet at the same place, on Wednesday, March 12th, 1851, at seven o'clock P.M. WILLIAM F. TOMPKINS, Albert C. Ingham, Chaihnail. Secretary. Wednesday, March 12th, 1851. Pursuant to adjom-nment the Meeting was called to order. The Chair being taken by Hon. William F. Tompkins, Chairman of the last meeting. The minutes of the last Meeting having been read and approved, Hon. Henry Johnson, from the Committee previously appointed on that subject, reported the following Constitution, which being read was taken up, article by article, and adopted. — (See Constitution page 1.) The Committee further i-eported the names of individuals suitable to fill the various Ofiices of the Society, whereupon they were severally unanimously elected, as follows : President. Erastus W. Drury, Esq. of Fond du Lac. Vice-Presidents. First Congressional District, Roswell C. Otis, Esq. of Kenosha. Second « « Hon. Henry M. Billings, of Iowa. Third « « Hon. William F. Tompkins, of Rock. Recording Secretary — Albert C. Ingham, Esq. of Dane. Corresponding Secretary — Royal Buck, Esq. of Dane. Treasurer — Hon. Chauncey Abbott, of Dane. Additional Members of the Executive Committee. Hon. Henry Johnson^ of Kenosha. Hon. Andrew Palmer, of Rock. Hon. Adam E. Ray, of Walworth. Hon. John H. Rountree, of Grant. Hoti. Timothy Burns, of La Crosse. II Hon. Henry Johnson offered the following Resolutions, vvlucL were unani- mously adopted, to wit : Resolved : That the Secretary be authorized to procure the necessary Books and Stationery for the use of the Secretary and Treasurer ; and ako to procure the necessary Blank Certificates of Membership for the use of the Society ; and that he cbaw his Warrant on the Treasurer for the necessary funds to defray the expense of the same. Resolved : That the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the President and Secretary, and pubhshed in the several newspapers printed in Madison ; and that the editors of the various newspapers of this State be requested to copy the same. The Society then adjourned. WILLIAM F. TOMPKINS, Chairman. Albert C. Ingham, Secretary. REPORT • OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR 1851. TO THE WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTUKAL SOCIETY: The Members of the Executive Committee, in returning the trust which was confided to them at the formation of the Society in the month of March last, would respectfully Report : That soon after their appointment, a meeting of the Committee was held at the Capitol, in the Village of Madison, at which time, after a free and full interchange of opinion among the members present, it was determined that the attempt be made to hold the fii-st of the Annual Cattle Shows and Fairs of the Society without delay. In accordance with this action, the Village of Janesville was selected as the place, and Wednesday and Thursday, the first and second days of October, designated as the time for the commencement of this Anniver- sary. At this time the Society was without any funds whatever, and the result was, of consequence, looked forward to by the Committee with deep solicitude. u At a subsequent meeting of the Committee a Premium List was prepared and publislied, but there being still no funds the amount to be awarded was not given. At the same meeting the Executive Committee desiring that some more successful measui-e should be undertaken than had as yet been adopted to fill the treasury of the Society, in view of the exigency of the case, directed the Recording Secretary to visit, so far as the time previous to the Fair would allow, the various Counties of the State, and endeavor, by all suitable means, to excite an interest in the objects of the Society and to obtain Members thereto. The wisdom of this policy was rendered clear and apparent at the late State Fair, and too much credit cannot be given to the Secretary for the able and efficient service rendered by him in the discharge of this duty. To him the Society is mainly indebted for the success, so great and so unexpected, which attended that Fair. Durino- its progress, the time of each Member of the Committee was so engrossed by the multifarious duties devolving upon them, that they were unable to devote that time and attention to the obsen'ation of the ground that would be required in order to enable them to present a correct ^•iew of the occasion. They have therefore adopted the following account prepared by that able and distinguished friend and co-laborer with the Society, General Rufus King, of Milwaukee. WISCONSIN STATE FAIR.— FIRST DAY. Janesville, October 1st, 1851. The First State Fair held in Wisconsin commenced here this morning. The beginning is an auspicious one, and when it is remembered how young our State is, it reflects great credit upon the enterprize and intelligence of her Farmers. An area of something over six acres, on the edge of the plateau which looks down upon the rapid and silvery Rock, and enclosed by a high board fence, constitutes the Fair ground. Along two sides of the enclosure are pens for Sheep and Swine, and stands for Cattle. Near the centre is a large and lofty Tent, for the display of Fruits, Flowers, Fancy Articles, Paintings, Jewelry, &c. Hard by is a long shed for the exhibition of Agricultural and Mechanical Products. In the open space between these centre pieces and the Cattle stands on the sides, there is ample room for the exhibition and trial of all sorts of Agricultural Im- plements as well as for the display of Single and ]\Iatched Horses. Such is the general arrangement of the grounds. The filUng-in process commenced at eight o'clock this morning, and by noon the ground was very well occupied. Visitors began to flock in about ten, and from that hour until three P. !M. there was quite a steady rush Fair-wards. I should think that there were five IS thousand persons within the enclosure at half-past three P. M., when the crowd seemed to me to be the largest. The display was such as to surprise many and delight all. The first point of attraction, especially for the Ladies, was the Central Tent. The articles for exliibition there were ranged along the sides, and made a very handsome show. On the right hand side, as you entered, the first object of attraction was a case of Frait from Beecher's Nursery, Milwaukee, containing thirii/ difterent varieties (some very fine) of Apples, and three of Pears. Near by these, was a case of Jewelry, from A. B. Van Cott, of Racine, xevj rich and tasteful. Another one adjoining, from S. Gardiner, Jr., of Milwaukee, contained very handsome samples of his large Stock, and attracted crowds of admirers. Some samples of Wire SQreeneiy, for Flouring and Fanning Mills, manufactured by S. S. Daggett, of Milwaukee, of all sizes and excellent quality, were very much noticed. Around the centre post of the Tent were himg a few of Stamm and Upmann's best Daguereotypes. They were much admired, as well for the workmanship, as for the likenesses. On the left side of the Tent, the display was still finer. Some Paintings of Flowers and Fruits (one very clever one in paiiicular by Miss Goodrich, of Milton,) introduced you to a remarkably promising collection of the Flowers and Fruits themselves. A magnificent Floral Ornament, oval-shaped, with a deep edge of fir, and a filling-in of Dahlias, Roses, Pinks, and a profusion of other Flowers, was the object of universal comment and admiration. It came from the Nursery of Charles Gifford, Spring street, Milwaukee, and found here no competitors. Mr. S. P. Bee CHER, besides his Fruit, had a very handsome show of Flowers, tastefully arranged by some fair hands. !Mr. George 0. Tiffany, of Milwaukee, furnished specimens of Peaches which were unequalled ; and there were Apples from the Gardens of Mr. Harrison Ludington and Mr. Cyrus Hawley, of Milwaukee, Mr. William Sacia, of Concord, Jefferson County, and Mr. Geo. A. Styles, of Beloii, which were greatly admired for their size and color. A box of Apples, Plums, Grapes, and Pears, from S. M. Perkins, Burlington, Racine County, are entitled to special mention. They were very beautiful. Milwaukee showed handsomely in the Printing department. The only articles furnished for exhibition in this class came from our city, but they were highly commended on all sides. From the Commercial Office, there was a large and handsome glass case, containing some fifteen difterent Cards, large and small, executed in Mr. Rounds' neatest style. The Wisconsin Office sent its Sample Book, filled with all varieties of Cards — many of them very handsome. Starr's Job Office was represented by two large Cards, worked in gold on purple ground, and hung in gilt frames — they were much admired. The Sentinel Office had 14 four large and veiy handsome Cards, in gilt frames with plate glass, and a number of neat samples of Book, Pamphlet, and odier Printing. Of Book- binding, and Blank Books, there were two fine samples; one from Charles AYeed, Madison, and the other from Rood «i; Whittemore, Milwaukee. There were many other articles in the central Tent worthy of notice which I must pass by for the present. In the Mechanical Depai-tment the show was small. The most noticeable articles were handsome sets of Single and Double Harness, from Geo. Dyer, Milwaukee; Copper Coffee Urns, with Lamps, fi-om H. K. Egertox & Co., Milwaukee; and some samples of Hardware, from H. J. Nazro 1 It is not strange that the free intellect of the happily born should have luxu- riated in the attractive lield of the liberal sciences, guiltless of any intended bearings on the useful or the practical; that geometry and astronomy had their votaries; that music, statuary and painting had their triumphs; that a literature should have sprung into being, recording the utterings of the genius of history; the inspirations of the poetic muse; and the profounder, though scarcely less imaginative speculations, of a metaphysical philosophy. It is not strange that eloquence should have poured its full tide from the Bema and the Rostrum — or that " the pride, the pomp and circumstance of glo- rious war," should have fired many a gifted mind with the strange ambition, to swell the catalogue of those who have lived only to desolate and to destroy. But while the liberal arts were thus expanding into being through the irre- pressible energy of the free and the governing mind, unencumbered, as it was, by the burden of productive toil ; the Useful Arts, inspired by no such living energy, abandoned to the practice of those whose adequate qualification was deemed to be the strong ann, the bowed and submissive spirit, and the mifur- nished head, were destined to no corresponding development. Roman history hands down to us, indeed, one Cincinnatus, who soiled his patrician fingers with the touch of the plough — but, though careful to record his military glories, fails to inform us that Agriculture was at all benefited by the contact. In the light of the present age, I am afraid we must set down the fabled Triptolemus as a very poor farmer; the Cyclops as indift'erent black- smiths ; and even D.-edalus himself, not very much of a mechanic. Under such conditions of the social system, political and economical, was constructed that high wall and deep ditch, which for long centuries of duration, and through various phases of society, continued to separate, broadly and invi- diously, the Liberal from the Useful Aits — and I need not *add that the traces of this discrimination are not yet obliterated. There lingers in our midst even yet, such a thing as professional pride ; as traditional disdain of the industrial avocations — the tattered remains of that robe of disparagement, which once shrouded the manly form, and embarrassed the strong arm of brown industry. But it is the glory of modem civilization, that its tendency is to exalt every social valley; to bring down from its pride of elevation, every mountain of pri- vilege; to demolish every wall of partition between the Liberal and Useful Arts; to shed the light of Science on the industrial processes, and to bring all the honest avocations of men, productive of social and individual good, into harmo- nious and eflicient action. It proposes, ultimately and forever, to do away with every social distinction dependent on birth, class, or employment — and while it will multiply incalculably the aggregate amount of good wrought out by the improved mechanism of human society, it propo-ses to throw the good thua 20 elaborated opon to equal and Jionorablo comjjetition ; and to make the Bhare eacli may vindicate to himself to depend, not as under the older forms of civilization, on the biilh, rank, or calling of the individual, but on his personal character, and personal merit — on his precise individual value in the social system. In order to fix the destined position, the vahie, and the duties of the Agricul- turist, in the economy of society, it will be needful to glance at the interior mechanism of modern civilization. " In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread," is the Scriptural annun- ciation of the great law of humanity, that Labor is necessary to the acquisition and enjoyment of physical, intellectual, or moral good. The resulting good, however, depends on the degree of wisdom with which human industry is directed. The earth is capable of sustaining but a sparse population, and that at a low standard of physical comfort, as well as of intellectual and moral culture ; where the labor of each individual is directed to the supply of precisely those articles, and those only, which meet his own wants. In the aspects of modern civilization, on the other hand, as has been already hinted, nothing is more characteristic than the very dense population which the earth is able to sustain, at a vastly more exalted standard of physical comfort, and a still higher standard of intellectual and moral cultivation ; and nothing is more essential to the introduction of those invaluable results, than that division OF LABOR AND OF EMPLOYMENTS, wliich WO obscrvc to obtain in all civilized com- munities, with a minuteness and distinctness, corresponding exactly with the type and the degree of the civilization which there prevails. In the production of material wealth, in its thousand departments. Agricul- tural and Manufacturing, by confining skilled labor to its habitual and well- known processes, the aggregate product of human industry destined to the supply of human wants, is increased beyond calculation,, and time is saved, and means furnished to the indi^•idual, for the purposes of intellectual, moral, and social improvement. But, again; tlie division of employments in the variuus departments of the Agricultual and Mechanic Arts, begets the necessity of exchange — and if each producer were bound to effect his own exchanges, at home and abroad, a large portion of his time and means would be consumed, and a large amount be thus subti'acted from the aggregate production of the community. By separating, then, the business of exchanges from the business of production — ^by setting up the class of mei'chants — the producer is no longer withdrawn from the creation of values — ^the increase in the aggregate production of the community pays, in the shape of commercial profits, for the skilled labor of 0'\ the mercantile profession — Iea\ing a balance iu tlie hands of j^roducers far exceeding their whole production, pro^■ided they turn aside to act the merchant for themselves — the physical wants of all are better supplied, and time and means are furnished for an advanced stage of intellectual and moral cultiwation. But our economical analysis of society may be carried still further. In order to the greatest aggregate production of physical values, the health of the pro- ducing and the exchanging classes, including all ages and conditions, nmst be provided for, and thus a demand is created for skilled labor in the healing art. But if each individual were bound to acquire this skill for himself, and to seek out and compound his own simples, production must be suspended the while; the skill comes too late ; the race is <:lying out, not only of disease, but of star- vation. It is sound economy, therefore, to sustain a medical j^rofession, as a distinct and independent employment — for the consequent enlargement of the aggregate wealth of the community, will pay the charges of the profession ; lea\ing the producer with ampler means, and sounder health, and unbroken time, to provide, not only for the gratification of his physical wants, but also for the more exalted purposes of his being. But, again ; it is essential to the progress of a community in physical w^ealth, and other forms of social Avell being, that the rights of men in the civil state, should be ascertained, declared, defended, and vindicated ; and the call for skilled labor in this department must be met, or the law of the strongest will prevail ; \'iolence will take the place of social order, and civilization is at an end. Shall this call for skilled labor in the law, be met by each producer for himself? Or is it sound economy that he should meet it by Attorney? That a profession of those learned in the law should be sustained, to do that service which the individual cannot do for himself without ruinous neglect of the pro- cesses of pi-oduction and exchange ? Civilization and economy return their united answer, that the Bar must be sustained as a distinct and independent profession. Again ; that righteousness exalteth a nation, is the scriptural annunciation of the general principle, that the sentiments of reciprocity and benevolence, per- vading the common mind, constitute the broad and deep foimdation on which reposes the structure of civil society. The sentiment of justice, pervading the common mind, gives to beneficent legislation its vitality and its strength : it lies at the foundation of the right of property : without it, production and accumu- lation ai'e at an end, and civilization is but an empty name. How divinely then is the pulpit adapted to imbue the common mind with that righteousness which exalteth a nation. It inculcates a perfect rule of life, the fountain of all just legislation ; and what is vastly more important, it enforces that rule, not like the human legislator, by sanctions drawn from this present life only, but by those which respect our immortal being, our relations to God, the 24 Judge of all, and to the community of spiritual intelligences throughout eternal ages — the sanctions, namely, of the Christian faith, without which, as the expe- rience of man in all ages has shown, the best constituted and most perfectly balanced social structures have tended uniformly to decay and dissolution. These ministrations of the pulpit require skilled labor. Sound policy and sound economy therefoi-e demand that these ministrations be committed to the clergy, as a distinct and independent profession. Give thyself wholly to these things, is the apostolic injunction. Such is a very brief analysis of the economy of civilized society, as we now see it. The producing classes, throughout the various subdivisions of the agricultural and mechanic arts, create all the values destined to the supply of the physical wants, and to the gratification of the tastes of the whole community. The mercantile classes produce nothing ; but by transfer and exchange make such a disposition of existing products, as to benefit producers, to enlarge the volume of production, and minister to the well being of all. The professions, strictly so called, terminate their industrial processes, not on physical products, but on those conditions of society, which give to producing and exchanging agents the power and the disposition to contribute in the highest degree to the general good, and to their own profit, through the more efficient and beneficial action of the various industrial agencies. The results of jjrofessional labor, are the health, the order, and the morality of the community. But there is another element in modern civilization, which our analysis has not yet reached, whose office it is to qualify, and mould and fashion all the rest — I mean the great work of free and universal education. The agency of the educator terminates not on 23hysical j^roducts, nor yet directly on social conditions, but on the man himself. His raw material is the young mind, the unformed intellect of the community. His resulting product is the finished man, prepared by varied knowledge and intellectual discipline, to act well his part, as an agriculturist, as an artizan, as a merchant, as a physician, as a lawyer, as a divine; to be useful in the varied relations of private life; useful in the civil state, and in those more exalted relations, which (.'oneein him as a member of the human family, and a subject of the universal empire of God. It is quite obvious, then, that the educator, whether of the school or the press, stands at the point of power, and applies the moving force to the mechanism of human society. For the successful action of this mechanism, intelligence is ne- cessary at every point — on the farm, in the manufjxctory, in the counting-house, in the practice of the healing art, at the bar, and in the sacred desk. There is not a single employment, within the scope of our economical analysis of society, whose results would not be rendered, by an increase of intelligence. 25 more beneficial to the community, and more honorable and profitable to the industrial agents concerned in it. Reason teaches us, that the communities which are the better educated at every point, must be the more wealthy, the more powerful, as well as the more respectable. The experience of the civilized world abundantly verifies this conclusion. "We see that the more intelligent the industrial agents, the more ample and valuable the resulting production, throughout the whole economy of society. The way is now prepared, to state with more distinctness, the nature, position, and ofEce-work of Agriculture in the social economy. In the beginning, man was alone with Nature. Without arts, without capital, without implements, he took his sustenance from the bosom of the earth, as the- common mother of the race. Agriculture, in the most restricted signification of the term, implies a departure from this condition. Man was sent into the world with a commission, not merely to share with his fellow animals, the sj^ontaneous productions of nature, but with a charge to search out the physical elements, to determine their capabilities — to make the needful combinations — to bring into action their productive powers, not only to supply the animal wants, and minister to the pleasures of his organic nature, but to render them tributary to his intellectual, moral, and social develop- ment, and his ultimate spiritual elevation and well being. In the discharg-e of this great commission, every avocation of man has its work to perform. It is the province of Agriculture to begin the process, by the tilling of the ground, as the term imports — by stimulating and guiding the productive energies of the physical elements to results infinitely transcending, in quantity and quality, the yield of these same elements, unaided by human agency. The gross results of Agriculture constitute, what, in the language of economy, is denominated rav) material; and they are so called, precisely because, with almost the single exception of fmits and green vegetables, material products do not come from the hands of the agriculturist, prepared for human use. They are gross and incomplete, the proper material which the Arts are to take, and to mould, and fashion into forms of utihty and beauty, adapted in the finished state, to the satisfaction of the physical wants, and the gratification of the tastes of men. In the three great classes of our physical wants, food, clothing and shelter, few indeed are the commodities which come from the hands of the Agriculturist, ready for the consumer I Men want not wheat, but bread — therefore the crop, as raw material, must be subjected to the manufacturing processes of the miller and the baker. Men want not wool, but clothes — therefore the fleece must undergo successive changes, in the hands of the carder, the spinnor, the weaver, tho fuller, and tha 26 dyer, before it reappears in tliu form of cloth. And what does the cloth avail, till the tailor, witli his divine art, finishes — tlie man. So men want not timber or stone, but houses, baras, ships, temples of educa- tion, and temples of religion ; and here, again, the yield of the Agriculturist must be subjected to the almost numberless manufacturing processes, of masonry and architecture. It is obvious to remark, tlierefore, that it is the distinction of Agriculture, tbat it furnishes the material for all the manufacturing and exchanging processes — that there is nothing in the hands of the Artizan, or the Merchant, that has not been in the hands of the Farmer. Agriculture thus hes at the foundation of the economical structure of society. But it is entirely proper here, to submit the caution, that too much of rela- tive dignity and importance must not be assumed to Agriculture, in consequence of this distinction. To him who enjoys the final product, the initial, the medial, and the finishing processes, are all equally important. It is true, that without the raw material furnished by the Agriculturist, the occupation of the Artizan, and the Merchant, is gone forever. But without the processes of art and of exchange, without the Merchant and the Artizan, what would be the value of the raw material? Would it be produced at all ? It Ls tme, that the structure cannot stand without the foundation. But what is the value of the foundation, if no superstructure is to be erected upon it? Would the foundation be laid at all ? It is no disparagement to Agriculture, that it cannot say to Manufacture, I have no need of thee. It is no disparagement to both, that they cannot say to Commerce, We have no need of thee. Neither is it any disparagement of these thi-ee great industrial interests of societj-, that they cannot say to the Professions, We have no need of you. Nor yet, does it disparage all these — aye, it ennobles them all — that they cannot say to Education, We have no need of thee. Tlic truth is, we are members, one of another, with mutual uses and depend- encies. As in the natural body, so there is a divine harmony running through the whole structure of the body economical. One member cannot sufter without all the other members sufter with it. But to elaborate this thought more thoroughly and minutely: I. Agriculture is interested in the prosperity and improvement of the manu- facturing interest, throughout the whole circle of the Useful Arts : In the first place, manufacture takes the raw material of Agriculture, and Agriculture takes in return the perfected product of manufactiu-e. A commercial process may intervene : but the essence of the whole transaction between Agri- culture and Manufacture is, Avhen completed, a barter of the products of the one for the products of the othei\ The existence of the Arts, creates a demand for the products of the farm. Were all men agriculturists, the market would dis- appear, and the surplus of the farmer would lose its exchangeable value. As the number and the prosperity of those interested in the manufacturing and meclianic arts increases, the demand, enlarges, and remunerating prices of Agri- cultural products reward the industry and skill of the farmer. But not only does the firmer thus secure the advantage of an inteuser demand f )r his own surplus, hut the prosperity of the Arts is attended with new applica- tions of Science, the introduction of new machinery, the more minute and methodical division of labor, and a greatly increased facility and skill in the executive processes. All this works a saving in the cost of production, and a diminution of the price of the manufactured article to the Agricultural consumer. The prosperity of the Arts, therefore, works a double advantage to the farmer, in the intenser demand for his o-\vn surplus, and a greatly enlarged reward in the shape of finished products, which he is able to command in return for it — in the enhanced value of the raw material on the one hand, and the reduced price of the perfected article on the other. But again, the progress of discovery and improvement in the Arts, and the increased demand for raw matei-ial, is sure to regenerate Agriculture itself, by prompting to a broader and deeper cultivation, by the introduction of new articles of produce ; by stimulating to the adoption of more approved processes, and to new combinations of the physical elements — to a more judicious division and methodical arrangement of the dilierent departments of field labor, to greater facility and skill in all the executive operations, and finaUy to the habitual improvement of Agricultural implements, from the most simple to the most com- plicated, until the farm comes to vie with the shop itself, in the number of its inventions, and the perfection and productive power of its mechanism. It is in perfect accordance with these views, that England, transcending all other nations in the variety and perfection of her Arts, is uni'ivalled in her Agriculture. It is an equally apt illustration of the truth of our doctrine, that Poland, an annual exporter of grain, but without arts, is the poorest country in Europe. In the early settlement of wild tracts of the earth's surface, by the aggressive march of civilization. Agriculture is not only the dominant interest, but from the nature of the case, it may be said to be almost the only interest. In such conditions, it has not unfrequently happened, that the Agricultural habit and sentiment have been so exclusively and intensely cherished, as to amount to a sort of economical bigotry, scarcely tolerant of the introduction of a disturbing social element, in the form of Manufactures and the Arts. Some of the planting States of this Union have hugged themselves into poverty, while sneering at th{ Apparatus, and the ground necessary for a model farm. 41 Such a Department, suitably endowed by the State, would offer to the young men of Wisconsin, the future cultivators of the soil, without charge, a full course of instruction in the theory and practice of Agriculture ; and the working of the model farm would defray, in part, the expenses of residence. The pupils in this Department of the Philosophy of Agriculture and the Useful Arts, would lia\-e free access to the library of the University, to the col- ]e(.'tions of the various branches of Natural Science, and, in connexion with tlie regular classes, to the lecture rooms of the Professoi's of the other Departments, whether collegiate or professional. From such conditions of culture the young farmer will go forth to his work, with juster views of the relations of the sciences to the arts, and of the arts to each other — he will lind all remains of the middle wall between Agriculture and the Professions removed, his social position more fairly adjusted, his indus- trial agency more effective, better appreciated, and more amply rewarded. But this is not all. The instructors of the Academic or Union Schools, should go from the University to their task, not only with the learning of the Normal Department, but well versed in the 'instructions of the Department of applied science. Such an educational system is now offered to the farmers of Wisconsin. Are you, then, prepared to endow in your University, for your own benefit, a Department of the " Applications of Science to Agriculture and the Useful Arts ?" If so, your bounty will prove to be good seed, fjilling on good ground, springing up and bearing fruit, thirty, sixty, an hundred fold. It is a fact of world wide celebrity, that Wisconsin presents to the settler the j^hysical elements of prosperity, in rich profusion, and in beautiful combination. With its soil and climate unsurpassed — with its capacity for rapid settlement and eai-ly maturity — wath its continued alternations, in just proportion, of wood- land and opening, of prairie, natural meadow, and lake — and with the command of both the Eastern and Southern markets, it needs but the means of professional culture, thus carried to tlie door of the farmer, through the system of Public Instruction, to finish what nature has so tastefully and so bounteously begun. Bring, then, the educational agencies of the State into harmony with the great objects of your Association ; follow up the auspicious beginnings of this day with ample provision for geuei'al professional culture, and you will leave an inhe- ritance to your children, transcending all that you have felt or fancied of the destiny of Wisconsin. Education, Gentlemen, is no mendicant. It Legs nothing from your charity. Its proclamation to you is, " Give, and it shall be given to you again ; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall be returned into your bosom." 4:3 FIRST ANNUAL CATTLE SHOW AND FAIR. The Premium List and List of Entries for the First Annual Cattle Show and Fair are inserted in this volume as a part of the History of the Society, and as something which may be of interest to the members of the Society in future years. No specific sums were named as Premiums, inasmuch as the Society was entirely destitute of funds at the time of the publication of the premium list, and as it was wholly uncertain what amount would be realized from its members and from receipts at the Fair — these being the only sources of revenue to the Society. LIST OF PREMIUMS. CLASS A. No. 1.— SHORT HORNS. Contingent. Best Bull over three years old " " Seconddo " Third do " Bull under three years old " Seconddo " Third do " BullCalf " Cow over three years old " " Seconddo " Third do , 1 " Cow under three years old " " Seconddo " Third do " HeiferCalf No. 2.— DEVONS. Best Bull over three years old " " Seconddo " Third do " Bull under three years old " " Seconddo " Third do " BullCalf " Cow over three years old " " Seconddo " " Third do " Cow under three years old " " Seconddo •• Third do " HeiferCalf N'o. 3.-HEREF0RDS. Coutingent, Best Bull over three years old " " Second do " " Third do " Bull uuder three years old " " Second do «• " Third do " BullCalf " Cow over three years old " " Second do " " Third do " Cow under three years old " " Second do " " Third do " Heifer Calf. No. 4.— AYRSHYRES. Best Bull over three years old " " Second do " " Third do " Bull under three years old " " Second do ' " " Third do " BullCalf " Cow over three years old " " Second do.. " " Third do " Cow under three years old " " Second do " " Third do " Heifer Calf. IS^o. 5.— XATIVES AND CROSSES. Best Bull over three years old " " Second do <• " Third do " Bull xinder three years old " " Second do <• •• Third do " BuUCalf. " Cow over three years old " " Second do « " Third do " Cow under three years old " " Second do <• " Third do " Heifer Calf 44 l^o. 6.— ^WORKING UXEN. Contiiigeul. Best yoke of Oxen over four years old " " Second do " Third do " Yoke of Steers over two years old " Second do " Third do No. 7.— MILCH COWS. Best Milch Cow " Second do " Third do Na a— FAT CATTLE. Best Fat Cow over four years old " " Second do " " Third do " Fat Cow under four years old " " Second do " Third do " Fat Heifer " Pair of Fat Oxen over four years old " Second do " Third do " Fat Single Ox over four years old " " Second do " Third do -- " Best Pair of Fat Steers under four years old " " Second do " Third do " Single Fat Steer under four years old " " Seconddo " Third do No. 9.— FAT SHEEP. Best Fat Sheep over two years old " " Seconddo " Third do._ ■' Fat Sheep under two years old '■ " Seconddo " Third do " Fat Lambs No. 10.— HORSES. Best Stallion fo^ir years old and over " " Seconddo " Third do 45 No. 10.— HOKSES.— Continued. CoutingenL Best Stallion three yeai-s old " " Second do •' " Third do " Stallion two yeans old " " Second do ,. « " Third do " Stallion Colt one year old " " Brood Mare four years old and over " " Second do " " Third do " Brood Mare three years old " " Second do " " Third do " Brood Mare two years old " " Second do " " Third do " Mare Colt one year old " No. II.— MATCHED HORSES. Best Pair of Matched Horses " " Second do " " Thii-d do " Pair of Draught Horses " " Second do " " Third do No. 12.— GELDINGS. Best Gelding four years old and over " " Second do " " Third do " Gelding three years old " " Second do " " Third do " Gelding under three years old " " Second do " " Third do No. 13.— SHEEP.— LONG WOOLED. Best Buck over two years old ., " " Second do •' " Third do " Buck under two years old . " " Second do " •' Third do " Ewe over two years old " " Second do " " Third do ... ♦* 4r, No. 13.— SHEEP.— LONG WOOLED.— Coutiuued. Coutingent. " Ewe uuder two years old " Second do " " Third do " Buck Lamb " EweLauib No. 14.— SHEEP.— MIDDLE WOOLED. Best Buck over two years old " " Second do " Third do " Buck under two years old " Second do -.. " Third do " Ewe over two years old " " Second do " " Third do " P] we under two years old " " Second do " " Third do " Buck Lamb " Ewe Lamb " No. 15.-SHEEP.— MERINOES. Best Buck over two years old " " Second do " " Third do " Buck under two years old " " Second do " Third do " Ewe over two years old " " Second do " " Third do " Ewe under two years old " " Second do " Third do " Buck Lamb " Ewe Lamb •' No. 16.— SHEEP.— SAXONS. Best Buck over two years old " " Second do " Third do " Buck under two years old "' " Second do " Third do 47 jSo. 16.— sheep -SAXONS.— Coatiuued. Contiugeut. " Ewe over two years old •' " Second do " •' Third do " Ewe under two years old , " " Second do " *• Third do. " Buck Lamb " Ewe Lamb No. 17.— SHEEP.— PAULAR MERINOES. Best Buck over two years old " " Second do " " Third do '• Buck under two years old " " Second do " " Third, do " Ewe over two years old " ' Second do " " Third do. " Ewe under two years old " " Secoud do " " Third do " Buck Lamb « " Ewe Lamb " Shepherd's Dogs. Best Shepherd's Dog. — [Evidence to be furnished of the thorough training of the Dog otherwise no premium will be granted] " No. 18.— SHEEP.— CROSS BREED. Best Buck over two years old " " Second do •' " Third do.... " " Buck under two years old '* " Second do " " Third do " Ewe over two years old " " Second do •' " Third do " Ewe under two years old " " Second do " " Third do " Buck Lamb " Ewe Lamb " 48 No. 19.— SWINE. Conliiigeut. Best Bciar over two years old " " Second do " Third do " Boar under two years old " " Second do " " Third do " Sow over two years old " " Second do.. " Third do " Sow iinder two years old " " Second do " Third do " Lot of Pigs under 10 months old. , No. ^0.— POULTRY. Best Lot of Poultry — not less than six of each kind " CLASS B. No. 21.— FARM IMPLEMENTS. Best Farm "Waggon " " Plough . " Harrow " Corn Cultivator " " Fanning Mill " Corn Stalk Cutter " Horse Cart for Farm " " OxCart " Horse Rake " Ox Rake ; " Common Harness " " Carriage " " Chum " Cheese Press " Ij^" Milk Pans, Grain Cradles, Hand Rakes, Hay Forks, Scythes, Manure Forks, Grain Measures, Brooms, and all other Farming Implements and Household Utensils — best of each Horse Power, Thresher, Reapers, Grain Drill, Corn Sheller, Seed Planter — best of each No. 22.— DAIRY. Best Lot of Butter " Second do " Third do " Cheese " " Second do , •' Third do Butter Firkins and Butter Tub,s " 49 No. 23.— GRAINS, SUGAR, HONEY, AND VEGETABLES. Ooutiugeut. Best Samples of Winter Wheat " " Spring " " Rye " Oats " Barley " " Buckwheat " " Indian Corn " Flaxseed " Broom Corn " " Timothy, Clover, and other Grass Seeds " " Maple Sugar " " Honey " Kitchen and Table Vegetables " No. 24.— FLOUR, Ac. Best Barrel of Flour " " Sample of Com Meal CLASS C. No. 25.— DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. Silk, Woollen, and Cotton — embraciug Carpets, Blankets, Flannels, Cloth, Stockings, Gloves, Mittens, Thread, and Clothing and Articles of Wearing Apparel — best Specimens of each " No. 26.— ORNAMENTAL NEEDLE WORK. Ottoman and Table Covers, Worsted Work, Lamp Stand Matts, Quilts, Shawls, Collars, Silk Bonnets, Straw Bonnets, Handkerchiefs, Orna- mental Shell Work and Wax Flowers — best Specimens of each " No. 27.— FRUITS. Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Quinces, Grapes, and Melons — best " Specimens of each " No. 28.— FLOWERS. Dahlias, Roses, Phloxes, Verbenas, German Asters, Pansies and Green- House Plants — best Specimens of each " Best Hand Boquets flat and rouiid, best Boquets, and best floral exhi- bition No. 29.— PAINTINGS, &c. Oil and Water Color Paintings, and Daguerreotypes — best Specimens of each -^ Pamphlet and Card Printing — best Specimens of each 5 50 CLASS D. No. 30.— STOVES. Contingent. Cooking, Box, and Parlor Stoves — best specimens of each " No. 31.— SILVER AND GOLD WARE, &c. Jewelry, Gold and Silver Ware, Britannia Ware, and Table and Pocket Cutlery — best exhibitions of each " No. 32.— MISCELLANEOUS AND DISCRETIONARY DEPARTMENT. This Department comprises all Articles manufactured of Metals, Wood, Leather, India Rubber, Cloth, Tin, tfcc. not heretofore enumerated.. . " Competition for the Preuiiums of the Society is open to all persons, whether residents of this State or not, provided they comply with the regulations of the Society. The days selected for the exhibition are Wednesday and Thursday, the first and second days of Octobei". All persons intending to offer articles and animals for exhS)ition will be required to enter their names, and a list of the animals or articles to be exhibited, with the Secretary, on or before twelve o'clock M., on Wednesday, the first day of October. Exhibitors must become Members of the Society before making their entries. All articles and animals must be brought w ithin the enclosure as early as two o'clock P. M. of the first day, in order that they may be stiitably arranged. The Ploughing Match will be held on the grounds eastward and adjacent to the Fair ground, on the second day of the Fair, at eight o'clock, A. M. The Judges will meet at the Secretary's office at nine o'clock A. M, of the second day, in order to receive the books of entries and their instructions, after which they will immediately proceed to the discharge of the duties assigned them. The Address will be delivered, at the Tent of the Society, at three o'clock P. M. of the second day; immediately after which the award of premiums will be read by the Secretary. No person will be allowed to remove any article or animal from tho gTounds without first obtaining the consent of the President. ALBERT C. INGHAM, Secretary. 51 LIST OF ENTRIES FOR EXHIBITION. CLASS A. No. 1.— SHORT HORN-S. One Durham cow, over three years of age; one Durham heifer, under three years of age; two Durham heifer calves; one Durham bull, under three years of age; one Durham bull calf. D. B. Tears Alden, 111. One Durham calf. Samuel A. Thurston, Burlington. One Durham calf. James Reynolds, Burlington. One Durham bull, over three years of age. Ephraim Perkins, Dodge Center. One bull calf. Sheldon C. Hall, Whitewater. One Durham bull, over three years of age. James Freeman, Whitewater. One Durham bull, over three years of age. H. W. Tallcott, Rockton. No. 2.— DEVONS. One Devon bull, o^'er three years of age ; two Devon heifers, under three years of age ; one Devon cow, over three years of age ; two Devon calves. D. B. Tears Alden, 111. One Devon bull, under three years of age. Benjamin Ferguson, Fox Lake. One Devon cow, over three years of age ; two Devon heifers, under three years of age; one Devon bull calf. Martin Webster, Fox Lake. One Devon bull calf. Worden Matteson, Delavan. 5.— NATIVES AND CROSSES. One yearhng bull; two cows, four j^ears of age; one bull calf. — Daniel F. Melendy, Palmyra. One red bull (cross) over one year old. T. C. Denary, Beloit. Three heifei-s (cross) under three years of age. Benjamin Ferguson, Fox Lake. One bull (cross) over three years of age. A. W. Powers, Palmyra. One bull calf (cross). Martin Webster, Fox Lake. One buU calf (cross) six months old. Joseph Budd, Janesville. One native cow and calf H. H. Simonds, Janesville. One native heifer, under three yeai-s of age ; one bull calf. AVilliam McLoon, Janesville. 52 One native cow, over three years of age. E. K. Bingham, Koshkonong. One hull calf; one heifer, over two years of age; one yearling steer. F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. One native bull calf. J. Cory, Bachelor's Grove. One native cow. S. Antisdell, .Janesville. No. 6.— WORKING OXEN. One yoke of oxen, over four years of age. H. H. Simonds, Janesville. One yoke of oxen, over four years of age. L. D. Thompson, Janesville. One yoke of oxen, over four years of age ; one yoke of steers, over three years of age ; one yoke of steers, over two years of age. F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. One yoke of oxen, over four years of age; one yoke of steers, over three yeai-s of age. Zenas BigeloAA', Magnolia. No. 7.— MILCH COWS. Three milch cows. F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. No. 8.— FAT CATTLE. One yoke of fat cattle. John M. Keej), Beloit. No. 10.— HORSES. One brood mare, over four years of age. Otis "W. Norton, Janesville. One brood mare, with foal at foot. H. K, Belding, Janesville. One stallion, " Hambletonian," over four years of age. R. M. Wheeler, Janesville. One grey horse, over four years of age. Addison Bakei", Racine. One mare colt, one year of age. T. P. Davis, Janesville. Three brood mares. Jackman and Smith, Janesville. One brood mare and colt. E. Wood Cornes, Whitewater. One stallion, three years of age. C. L. Annis, Summit. One pair of geldings, four years of age. J. B. Moon, Janesville. One mare, seven years of age. D. C. Ohn, Waukesha. Three stallions, over four years of age ; one stallion under three yeai's of age ; one brood mare over four years of age. Simon Ruble, Beloit. One stallion, eight years of age. Andrew Aitkin, jr., Waukesha. One stallion, over three years of age. D. Babcock, Johnstown. One stallion, one year of age. N. P. Parsons, Whitewatei'. One bay inare, " Jenny Lind," over three years of age. Simeon Mills, Madison. One stallion, over three years of age; one filly, over one year of age. E. K. Bingham, Koshkonong. One brood marc, seven vears of aj-'e. C. C. Olin, Waukesha. 53 One stallion, over two yeai-s of age. Nelsou Fryei, Whitewater. Oiie stallion, over two years of Jige, James Craig, Milton. One brood mare and foal. A. Henderson, Beloit. Two brood mares, over four yeai"s of age ; one colt. James Helms, Center. One stallion, over four years of age. L. D. Thompson, Janesville. One mule colt. Jonathan Pound, Fulton. One stallion, three years of age. H. W. Talcott, Kocktofii, 111. One mare. G. W. Balsei-, Palmyra. One pair of draft liorses. J. T. Smith, Miltun. Two brood mares, five and six yeare of age ; two mules, three yeare of age ; one jack, six yeai-s of age. H. Allen, Aliens' Grove. One brood mare, over four years of age; one mare two years of age. T. W. Williams, Emerald Gro\e. One grey mare, over four years of age. E. F. Mabie, Delavan. One brood mare, over foiu- years of age. E. K. Bingham, Koshkonong. Two brood niai'es, ONcr three years of age. George 0. Tittany, Milwaukee. No. 11.— MATCHED HORSES. One pair of matched horses. J. P. Dickson, Janesville. One pair of matched liorses. Addison Baker, Racine. One pair of matched horses. Elon Fuller, Waukesha. One pair of matched hoi'ses. Philo Dunning, Madison. One pair of matched horses. Jackman and Smith, Janesville. One pair of matched boi-ses. Edward Bain, Kenosha. Four pair of draft liorees. Simon Ruble, Beloit. One pair of matched horses. B. H. Moon, Janesville. One pair of matched horses. John Kent, Janes\'ille. One pair of matched liorses. John Dates, Beloit. One pair of matched stallions. William Douglass, York. N"o. 12.— GELDINGS. One gelding, over four yeai-s of age. D. B. Tears, Aldeu, 111. One brown gelding, over four years of age. T. Stevens, Racine. One bay gelding, over four years of age. P. W. Dickey,* Janesville. One bay gelding, over three years of age. E. B. Fargo, Lake Mills. One gelding over three years of age; one gelding over two years of age. A. Henderson, Beloit. One gelding over four years of age. G. W. Balser, Palmyra. One bay gelding, over four years of age. E. A. Howland, Janesville. 54 No. 13.— LONG WOOL SHEEP. Seven Bakewell sheep, under two years of age ; one ram ; two CAves, and four lambs. Charles Wardale, Union. No. 14.— MIDDLE WOOL SHEEP. Two Southdown ewes, under one year of age. N. B. Clapp, Kenosha. One Leicester ram, over four years of age. H. S. Harrison, Mukwanago. No. 15.— MERINO SHEEP. Thirty-seven Merino bucks, under two years of age. Edward Bain, Kenosha. Two Merino bucks, over two years of age. Andrew Palmer, Janesville. One Merino buck, under two years of age ; one Merino buck, over two years of age; six Merino ewes, over two years of age. T. W. Williams, Emerald Grove. Four Merino sheep, over two years of age. W. P. Benson, Fort Atkinson. . • . No. 16.— SAXON SHEEP. One Saxon ewe lamb; one Saxon buck lamb. N". B. Clapp, Kenosha. One Saxon buck, over two years old. T. W, Williams, Emerald Grove. Six Saxony bucks ; one Saxon ewe over two years of age ; one Saxon ewe under two years of age ; one Saxon buck lamb. JST. B. Clapp, Kenosha. No. 17.— PAITLAR MERINOES. Six paular merino bucks, over two years old; one paular merino lamb. E. W. Drury, Fond du Lac. One paular merino buck lamb. John A. Fletcher, Johnstown. No. 18.— CROSS BREED SHEEP. Three yearling bucks ; two buck lambs; three yearling ewes; three ewe lambs; thirty sheep- — all from cross breeding. J. Roberts, Janesville. No. 19.— SWINE. One sow and pigs. P. W. Dickey, Janesville. One sow and pigs. A. Haskins, Janesville. One boar under two years old. Alva Blackman, Johnstown. One bari'ow hog, three years old F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. One Berkshire boar, over one year old. C. C. Cheney, Janesville. One boar pig, over ten months old — (Byfield) ; one boar pig, under ten months old — (Leicester.) A. A. Giftbrd, Johnstown. 56 One sow, and pigs three weeks old. E. A. Howlaud, Janesville. One Neapolitou pig, ten months old. A. J. Luckey, Bradfoi-d. One sow and three pigs. David Mills, Union. No. 21.— FARM IMPLEMENTS. One reaping machine ; one seed drill. H. K. Beldlng, Janesville. One fanning mill. Thomas Shaw, Janesville. One 1 horse open carriage ; one 2 horse open carriage and harness. Addison Baker, Racine. One thrashing machine jack. Joshua Davis, Kenosha. One double carriage harness; one single carriage harness; one double team harness. George Dyer, Milwaukee. One fanning mill. Ludim Crouch, Waukesha. One corn sheller. N. B. Gaston, Beloit. One corn sheller. Joshua Davis, Kenosha. One grain separator. George B. Turner, Ohio. Two boxes Crane's soap. E. D. Ladd, Milwaukee. Assortments of wire sci-enery; one Grimm's smut machine. S. S. Dagget, Milwaukee. One Empire straw cutter. John Covell, Milwaukee. One lever thrashing machine; one tread thrashino- machine. J. J. Case, Racine. One pair of draft collars. N. S. Woodruff, Janesville. One 1 horse power thrashing machine. Marvin Hughes, Kenosha. Three hay forks. Keyes, Watertown. Eight ploughs. Sherman, Green and Foss, Watertown. One McCormick's reaper ; one Dickey's fanning mill ; one AVhitney's corn grinder ; one corn sheller. A. P. Dickey, Racine. Two badger reapers. Barker and Love, Beloit. One fanning mill. George A. Stiles, Beloit. One churn. George W. Yearly, Mukwanago. One buggy waggon. Jackman and Smith, Janesville. One grain scythe ; one grass scythe ; one hay knife ; one straw fork ; one manure fork. Adam E. Ray, Troy. Seven ploughs ; two cultivators ; two harrows ; one sett of harrow teeth ; one hay cutter ; one corn sheller ; two churns. Thompson Littell, Milwaukee. One cast iron plough. J. W. Spencer, Watertown. One smut machine. S. B. Newcomb, Madison. One Hair» patent rhurn; one Colby's corn drill. S. D. Baldwin, Adrian, Mich. 56 One scientitic planter, Henry Ingalls, Ellicottville, N. Y. Two setts of double harness; one thrashing machine; one horse power; one straw cutter; one shaking fork; one hand rake; one sausage meat cutter. Simon Ruble, Beloit. One flax puller. S. B. Goss, Newark. One thrashing machine ; one horse power. Charles Gifford, Milwaukee. One fanning mill ; George A. Stiles, Beloit. One sett of diamond harrows. David Henderson, Johnstown. One buggy, and one sett of steel springs, S. H. Hurd, Watertown. One grain cradle. M. W. Hammond, Clinton. Hoes ; garden rake ; corn cutter ; butcher knives ; grain sycle, &c. &c. Parker and Stone, Beloit. Seven steel ploughs ; four breaking ploughs. J. M. May, Janesville. One straw cutter. A. Henderson, Beloit. One dozen brooms. William Mulks, Whitewater. One gang plough. H. Allen, Allen's Grove. One cast steel plough ; one three-horse evener. Simon Ruble, Beloit. One 1 horse carnage. E. A. Howland, Janesville. One portable mill. Miles Millard, Lake Mills. No. 22.— DAIRY. Five pounds of butter. H. K. Belding, Janesville. Tw^o kegs of butter ; thirty pounds of new butter. Hugh Jehu, Harmony. Four cheeses. Samuel A. Thurston, Burlington. Six cheeses. H. M. Allen, Union. Three cheeses. Stephen Faville, Milford. One sample of butter. M. P. Maine, Osborn. One sample of butter. J. Cory, Bachelor's Grove. No. 23.— GRAIN, ient: Alden, III., December 29th, 1851. Dear Sir — ^Your letter of December 1st, requesting a statement of my manner of raising neat cattle, the method of feeding and keeping, the breeds I prefer, &c., was duly received. I have but just commenced the raising of stock, and my opinion may not, perhaps, be worth as much as that of one who has had more experience ; but the httle I know will be -willingly communicated. Had I been longer in the business, I might have been able to benefit others more. My manner of raising stock, does not probably differ materially from that of the majority of stock raisers. The importance of keeping stock distinct and unadulterated, cannot be over- estimated. The birth of the animal, and the name of its ancestors, to the remotest generation, should be put down in a register kept for the pui-pose. Calves are weaned at four months old. I prefer having them come in April or May. Cows should be treated Aery kindly. In this coim try there is no difficulty or trouble in taking care of stock; in the summer they will provide for themselves — but in winter they -will require warm sheds, and an ample supply of provender. As to the manner of feeding : I feed my cattle three times a day in winter. Beets and carrots are better than grain. If grain is fed it should be ground. Cows giving inilk, should be fed twice a day with bran or ground feed. 61 Bulls and working oxen require a little grain in winter. Salt is kept in troughs in my yards or fields where the cattle can have access to it. Care should be taken in winter that cattle are not kept too much confined ; they require plenty of fresh air, and it costs nothing. For working oxen, I prefer the Devons ; they are livelier, and will endure more than any other kind, to say nothing of their beauty, which, to an admirer of matched teams, is an important consideration. For milch cows it is, I believe, universally acknowledged that the Durhams are superior to any other breed ; I know \evy little about other improved breeds, but from the best information I can obtain, I believe that the Devons and Durhams are the best for this country. Yours very truly. To Albert C, Ingham, Esq. D. B. TEARS. Madison, Wis. DEVONS.— No. OF ExTEiES, 12. Judges. — Ephraim Perkins, Dodge Centre ; Pliny M. Perkins, Burlington ; Abel Dunning, Madison ; Timothy Jackman, Janesville ; and H. Johnson, Kenosha. Best bull over three years of age ; D. B. Tears, Alden, 111. Diploma. Best bull under three years of age ; Benjamin Ferguson, Waushara. Diploma, Best bull calf; D. B. Tears, Alden, 111. Diploma. Third best bull calf; Worden Matteson, Delavan. $1. Best cow over three years of age ; D. B. Tears, Alden, III. Diploma. Second best cow over three years of age ; Martin Webster, Waushara. Diploma. Best cow under three years of age ; D. B. Tears, Alden, 111. Diploma. Best heifer calf; Martin Webster, Waushara. Diploma. NATIVES AND CROSSES.— No. of Entrifa 10- Jidges. — J. C. Howard, Milwaukee; 0. G. Ewings, La Grange; H. Rubles, Beloit ; N. P. Parsons, Whitewater ; and A. P. Dickey, Racine. Best bull over three years of age; A. W. Powers, Palmyra. Diploma. Best bull under three years of age; T. C. Denary, Beloit. Diploma. Second best bull under three years of age; Daniel F. Melendy, Palmyra. %l. Best bull calf; Daniel F. Melendy, Palmyra. Diploma. Second best bull calf; Daniel F. Melendy, Palmyra. %1. Best cow over three years of age; E, K. Bingham, Koshkonong. Diploma, Second best cow over three years of age; E. K. Bingham, Koshkonong. $1. 63 Best cow under three years of age ; F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. Diploma. Second best cow under three years of age; Benjamin Ferguson, Waushara. $1. WORKIIfG OXEN.— Xo. of E.vtiues, 7. Judges. — Martin Websteij, Waushara; Joseph Goodrich, Milton; Daniel F. Melendy, Palmyra ; S. G. Colley, Beloit ; and P. M. Perkins, Burlington. Best yoke over four years of age ; H. H. Simons, Janesville. Diploma. Second best yoke over four years of age ; F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. $3. Best yoke of steers three years of age; F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. Diploma. Second best yoke of steers three years of age ; Zenas Bigelow, Magnolia. $2. Best yoke of steers two yeai-s of age ; F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. Diploma. MILCH COWS.— Xo. OF Entries, 1. Judrjes. — Samuel A.Thurston, Burlington; Thomas P. Turner, Eagle; Chas. C. Cheney, La Prairie; T. C. Richardson, Harmony; and J. Milton May, Janesville. Second best cow; F. and J. Hitchcock, La Prairie. $1 The Committee regret that there was no competition for the Premium in this class of stock. The cow entered by the Messrs. Hitchcock, they regard as a very fair specimen of the native breed of cows ; yet they think that many far supe- rior might be found in the immediate vicinity of Janesnlle. FAT CATTLE.— No. of Entries, 1. Judges. — Samuel A. Thurston, Burlington; Thomas P. Turner, Eagle; Chas. C. Cheney, La Prairie; H. Richardson, Janesville; and J. Milton May, Janesville. Best yoke of oxen ; John M. Keep, Beloit. Diploma. The Committee, while they regret the lack of competition, take pleasure in saying that Mr. Keep's yoke of fat oxen are perfect for their class. HORSES.— STALLIOXS AXD BROOD MARES.— Xo. of Entries, 46. Judges. — Henry M. Billings, Highland; Joel P. Mann, Madison; C. C. Olin, AVaukesha ; A. W. Parsons, Summit ; and David Williams, Geneva. Best stallion ovier four years of age ; R. M. Wheeler, Janesville. Diploma. ^'-r^'^^^^V .-M^^^^^^^.s. HAMBLETONIAN; The property of R. M. WiiEELEn, Janesville, The first premium was awardei to HAMBLETONIAN, at the fair of th» WiscCMil St»t« Agricultural Society, held at Janesville, 1851. Engraved and printed at the office of the Wisconsin Farmer^ Janesville. All "who were present at the late Fair of this Society are doubtless familiar with the appearance of this horse ; his pedigree may he seen by the following letter addressed to his owner, R. M. Wheeler, Esq. of Jauesville : Shelburne, Vt. August 20th, 1850. Dear Sir : — I hasten to answer your request to furnish you with the pedigree of your horse " Hambletonian," so far as relates to his sire, which I have carefully gathered for a number of years. It is so difficult to trace the pedigree of stock, after it arrives from foreign countries, on both sides, that I shall only give you the descent on the side of the sire; yet your horse shows some points superior to his sire as regards bone and sinew, which, no donbt, are acquired through his- dam " Messenger Kate." Your horse is descended as follows: IVOO, Darley's Arabian; 1716, Bartlet's Childers; 1732, Squirt; 1750, Marsk; 1764, Eclipse; 1775, King Fergus; 1803, White Lock; 1814, Black Lock; 1826, Voltaire; 1835, "Imported Hambletonian';" 1843, by young Hamiltouian, out of a mare by Brutus, that I purchased in Boston, Mass. The dam of your horse is Messenger Kate, v/ell known in these parts for her ^•reat speed and strength. Up to this time there has only one horse, half-brother to yours, been put through training, which resulted in the following manner in private: while green he trotted his mile in 2.40, was sold for $500; taken to Boston by Mr. Benton, and after thorough training accomplished his mile in 2.26, was there sold for $3,000. I could gi\'e you much other information in regard to their speed, but your horse cannot help but speak for himself. Yours tndy, USUAL PERSONS. To Mr. R. M. Wheeler. Second best stallion over four years of age; — brown ; Andrew Aitkin, jr., Wau- kesha. Diploma. Third best stallion over f(jur , years of age — chestnut sorrell ; Simon Rublee, Beloit. |5. Best stallion three years old ; C. L. Annis, Summit. Diploma- There were two others thi"ee years of tige, but the committee did not thiuk them worthy of a premium. Best stallion two years of age ; Simon Rublee, Beloit. Diploma. Second best stallion two years of age; James Craig, Milton. $5. Third best stallion two years of age ; Nelson Fryer, Whitewater, $3. Best one year old stallion colt; N. P. Parsons, Wliitewater. Diploma. Best brood mare over four years of age — grey; E. F. Mabie, Delavan, Diploma. 64 Second best brood mare over four years of age; George 0. Tiffany, Milwaukee. $5. Third best brood mare over four years of age — brown; E. W. Comes, White- water. 1 4. Best brood mare (Jenny Lind) three years of age — dark bay ; Simeon Mills, Madison. Diploma. Second best brood mare three years of age — bay ; G. W. Balser, Palmyra. $4. Best brood mare two years of age; T. W. Williams, Emerald Grove. $4. Third best mare colt one year of age ; T. P. Davis, Janesville. $3. MATCHED AND DRAUGHT HORSES.— No. of Entries, 14. Judges. — N.B. Clapp, Kenosha; George 0. Tiffany, Milwaukee; J. A. Paine, Madison; Martin Field, Mukwanago; W. P. Burroughs, Janesville. Best pair of matched horses — dapple greys ; Addison Baker, Racine. Diploma. Second best pair of matched horses — light greys; Edward Bain, Kenosha. Diploma. Third best pair of matched horses — black mares ; Jolm Kent, Janesville. $5. Best pair of draught horses — grey stalhous ; William Douglass, York. Diploma. Second best pair of draught horses — bay geldings; J. B. Moon, Janesville. Diploma. Third best pair of draught hoi-ses — sorrel mares; Elon Fidler, Waukesha. 1 5. All of the horses presented to the inspection of the Committee were excellent, both as to quality and appearance. They Avere not only an honor to Wisconsin, but would have commanded admiration in any Eastern State. In the opinion of the Committee they were of a better character than any other new State can produce — every pair was worthy of a premium had not better ones been presented. GELDINGS.— No. of Entries, 8. Jiidges. — Wm. H. Fox, Madison ; H. M. Allen, Union ; James M. Hawkins, Waupun; Harvey Brace, Janes\alle. Best gelding over four years of age; T. Stevens, Racine. Diploma. Second best gelding over four years of age ; D. B. Teai-s, Alden, III. Diploma. Third best gelding over four years of age; P. W. Dickey, Janesville. $5. Best gelding over three years of age ; E. B, Fargo, Lake Mills, Diploma. Second best gelding over three years of age; A. Henderson, Beloit. |5. 65 Remarks on the Breeding of Hoi-ses by W. H. Fox, Chairman of the Committee: Greenfield, Dane Co., Wis., Dec. 29th, 1851. Dear Sir — At the late Fair of our State Society held at Janesville, the short space of time allotted to committees to make their reports, necessarily prevented any very lengthy remarks ; were it otherwise, your committee on geldings would have accompanied their report, with some more extended observations. Howe\'er as a member of that committee and a farmer, I would respectfully oiler a few suggestions, which may possibly be of some benefit to a portion of our farming community. The raising of the horse and his application to labor, must always constitute one of the most important and interesting branches of agriculture ; and already not a few of our farmers are beginning to turn their attention particularly to that business. But it is very plain, even judging from some of the specimens exhibited at the fair, that most of our farmers breed without due regard to proper system, or to the class of animals most desirable for pleasui-e and profit. They seem to think that a mare rendered worthless by vicious habits, or disease, will do very well to raise a colt from, no matter if she is blind, spavined, ring-boned, or splinted, small- sized, or ill shaped — if they can only procure a good, large, fat horse for a sire. This is a very bad system and ought to be eradicated. The great evil is, they pay too little attention to the kind of mare. Both animals ought to be perfect as near as we can judge and get them, or else our breed of horses will never be generally good, but a spurious race will continue, and degeneration progi-ess. If breeders do not pay more attention to the hereditary transmission of disease ; if we do not exercise proper judgment with regard to form, constitution, and freedom from hereditary taint, how can we expect a sound or healthy offspring from either sire or dam ? It is, therefore, ^■ery important that Agricultural Societies should have such judges as are competent and able to discover any hereditary tendency to disease or defect capable of being transmitted to the oftspring. If any disease or imperfection can be detected, such horses should then be declared unfit to propagate their species. The principal maladies in the horse, capable of being developed in tlieir issue, sooner or latei', are — all defective organizations, splints, spa\'ins, ring-bones, curbs, tendency to contraction of the feet, and founder, also disease of the eyes and respiratory organs. Of this we have daily occular demonstration, together with the testimony of the best ^'eterinaly pathologists. The improvements which have taken place in the difi'erent breeds of animals, shows clearly how much we have under command, by judicious crossing, size, form, action, disposition, (fee, and tendency to health or disease. Knowing all this, of what vital consequence it is to avoid all defects in animals 5 66 intended to breed from. Let us not forget the old saying " that like begets hke ;" and not continue to do as too many of us have done, year after year, bi-eed from animals possessing the seeds of disease, and almost every bad quality, evident to the most casual observer. "We should also give our especial attention to the breeding of such a class of horses as combine, in the greatest degree, the desirable quahties of power and speed — add to these, sufficient size, mettle, and docility of disposition, with proper symmetry of form, and compactness — ^strong, clean, hard bone, and tough hoof — and we have the most desirable horse for general busi- ness, and one that will always command a good price in any market. The muscles and tendons should be well developed, for the strength of an animal does not depend so much upon the size of the bones as on that of the muscles. Many • animals with large bones are weak, their muscles being small. How much better for us to take pains and endeavor to raise good horses, than by carelessness to continue to inundate the country with deformed, diseased, worthless scrubs. It certainly costs as much, and even more, to raise poor, inferior animals, besides the mortification of ha^'ing such a drug on our hands. The name "western horse," might be a passpoi't to any market, if we would only pay suflBcient attention to judicious selection in breeding. It is true, it would be difficult to procure animals without some defect ; but our aim should be onward, and we should make use of every reasonable exertion to select such as come nearest to the desirable standard. The first and most important step towards improvement, is to select the right kind of mare, full of health and vigor. Youatt says it is more difficult to select a good mare to breed from, than a horse, because she should possess some- what opposite qualities. In order to improve the form of the ofispring, she should be proportionally larger than the stallion; her carcass should be rather long, to give rooni for the expansion of the foetus — yet with compactness of form, and shortness of leg, chest rooomy, shoulders oblique and deep, withers well I'aised, girth lai'ge, loins broad, and quarters wide, shanks flat and clean. The muscles and their appendages (the tendons) cannot be too prominently developed in the brood mare ; however desirable, or even perfect may have been the confor- mation of the sire, everj' good point may be neutralized or lost by the defective structure of the mare. The essential points should be good in both parents, or any minor defect in either must be got rid of by excellence in that particular point in the other. The careless breeder too often so badly pairs the animals, that the good points of each are almost lost, the defects of both increased, and the produce is inferior to either sire or dam. Another very bad practice, is that of breeding from young animals before nature is wdl developed in form, and every organ has acquired full maturity. G7 As to the stallion, it is a well established fact, that the cross between large, upright shouldered, overgrown horses and small mares, generally produce a race of long legged, small chested, spongy boned animals. It is also a well established fact, that to obtain speed, courage, spirit and bottom, with hardness of bone, we must have what breeders call a strong dash of blood ; and we should aim to get as much blood as we can into the horse of all-work, consistently with the necessary weight. However, in doing this we should avoid the long-legged, narrow-loined, pot-gutted, degenerate class of race horses, and endeavor to select such as are well formed, with sufhcient bone, body and muscle, and shortness of leg, to enable them to bear up under long conti- nued and severe exertion. Diomede, Sir Archy, Medlej^, and other far famed thorough breds, are said to have possessed these very desirable qualities in a • pre-eminent degree, and transmitted them largely to their otispring. It is said that Lee's celebrated legion, in the South, during the Revolu- tion, chiefly owed its great efficiency to these qualities, and the prevalence of blood in his horses. They were i-emarkable for their wonderful endurance of hunger, thirst and fatigue, making them the terror and scourge of the enemy. According to the turf register, the blood of the Lindsay Arabian, once the property of the Emperor of Morocco, entered largely into these horses. With such well authenticated facts before us, we should feel fully impressed that we can count on no permanent supply of desirable horses for saddle or harness, without a portion of good blood, and a judicious and careful system of breeding. Always bearing in mind, that in order to produce the most perfect formed ani- mal, plenty of nourishment is necessary from the first period of its existence until the growth is completed. It is also well worthy of our I'egai-d, to hold out proper inducements to measure the speed, and guage the bottom, and record faithfully the performance of the horse, in order to be able to select from the best, and prevent degeneration. Hoping these hurried remarks may contribute to stir up a spirit of inquiry on this subject, I am, dear Sir, Your obedient servant, To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. WILLIAM H. FOX. Sec. Wis. State Agricultural Society. LOjS"G WOOLED sheep.— No. of Exteibs, 7. Judges. — B. B. Gary, Milwaukee; Worden Matteson, Delavan; E. Newell, Kenosha; Samuel R. McClellan, Wlieatland; B. E\ Pixley, Janesville. Second best buck over two years of age — Bakewell; Chas. Wardlo, Union. $2. Best ewe over two years of age — Bakewell ; Charles Wardle, Union. Di]iloma. Best buck and ewe lambs — Bakewell ; Charles Wardle, Union. Diploma. 68 MIDDLE WOOLED SHEER— No. of Entries, 2. Judges. — B. B. Gary, Milwaukee; Worden Matteson, Delavan; E. Newell, Kenosha; Samuel K McClellan, Wheatland; B. F. Pixley, Janesville. Best ewe under two years old — South Down; N, B. Clapp, Kenosha. Diploma. MERINOES.— No. of Entries, 51. Jvdges. — James M. Hawkins, Waupun; Adam E. Ray, Troy; Samuel R. McClellan, Wheatland; B. F. Pixley, Janesville; G. C. Pratt, Waukesha. Best buck over two years of age; W, P. Benson, Fort Atkinson. Diploma. Second best buck over two years of age; T. W. Williams, Emerald Grove. $2. Best buck under two years of age; T. W. Williams, Emerald Grove. $2. Second best buck under two years of age; Edward Bain, Kenosha. $2. Best buck lamb ; W. P. Benson, Fort Atkinson. |2. Best ewe over two years of age; T. W. Williams, Emerald Grove. Diploma. Second best ewe over two years of age ; W. P. Benson, Fort Atkinson. $2. Third best ewe over two years of age; T. W. Williams, Emerald Grove. $1. Best ewe under two years of age ; W. P. Benson, Fort Atkinson. |2. SAXONS.— No. OF Enteies, 11. Judges. — T. Stevens, Racine ; Jonathan Larkin, Madison ; 0. Fowler, Racine ; Thomas M. Williams, Kenosha ; Samuel R. McClellan, Wheatland. Best buck over two years of age ; N. B. Clapp, Kenosha. Diploma. Second best buck over two years of age; T. W. Williams, Emerald Grove. $2. Best buck under two years of age; N. B. Clapp, Kenosha. Diploma. Best buck lamb; N. B. Clapp, Kenosha. Diploma. Best ewe over two years of age ; N. B. Clapp, Kenosha. Diploma. Best ewe under two years of age; N. B. Clapp, Kenosha. Diploma. Best ewe lamb ; N, B. Clapp, Kenosha. Diploma. The Committee think that this class of Sheep was very fine. Those belonging to Mr. Clapp will equal, if not surpass, any in the State ; and they would recom- mend them to the wool-growers throughout the State. N. B. Clapp's Statement: Kenosha, December 27th, 1851. Dear Sir — Your letter of the 1st inst., doing me the honor of requesting from me a statement of the blood and character of ray flock of sheep, I received by due course of mail ; and although writing for publication is out of my line 69 of business, I will answer the few questions asked by you as accurately as I can, and perhaps besides these add a little moi-e. I am aware that I can give you no new ideas on sheep management, yet I am willing, and will with pleasure give the Society my views of sheep, and my management of them. I have at present five hundred /?^/^ blood Saxony sheep. I purchased the flock with which I commenced in 1844, in Dutchess county, N. Y., and Litchfield county, Ct. ; they originated mostly from the importation of H. D. Grove, of Hoosack, N. Y. ; but of late I have been breeding from bucks of the late import- ations of Charles B. Smith, of Woolcotville, Ct. Mr. Smith was associated with some gentlemen in New York in these importations ; the number imported was .small, I think less than fifty; they were imported expressly for their own farms, and Mr. Smith said selected with much care ; and judging from the sheep, I think Mr. Smith is justifiable in so saying, for, in my opinion, they are about what a fine wooled sheep should be. During the summer, after shearing, my sheep receive but little attention, ex- cept to see that they do not become destroyed by dogs, or wolves, or strayed away, and are salted twice a week ; for this, I keep a boy with my sheep through the day, and turn them in a yard at night ; I pasture my sheep, with the excep- tion of my bucks, on the unfenced prairie, from about the twentieth of April to the first of October ; then I put them on my cultivated grass, and there they remain until I am compelled to sort my ewes in classes, for the buck, which is about the fifth of December, • I always feed them a small quantity of oats, in the sheaf, for at least ten days before I put them in the yard for winter, believing, that one bushel of grain at this time is worth more than two at any other time you can give it to them; for at this time the grass has been fi-equently frozen, and has lost much of its former richness ; and I think one of the great secrets in wintering sheep well, is to put them in the yard in good condition. In winter I keep my sheep in open yards, always providing them with good shelter and plenty of water. I feed them in the common box racks set in the open yard, with as much good hay as they will eat. I feed no grain, or roots, except to my lambs, and occasionally to an invalid. I keep salt and ashes mixed — one part ashes, two parts salt — in a trough under shelter, where they can have free access to it. I formerly salted my hay when I put it up ; a practice which I condemn at present, believing that salt will be eaten, when needed, without compelling them to eat it at every mouthliil of hay they eat; and besides this, I have noticed that in extreme cold weather when they had access to salt they would eat but little, and as the weather moderated they would eat much more; showing that they had a choice when to eat it — and, I believe, that choice should be gratified. 70 " % My sheep do not go out of the yard from the time I put them to hay until they go to grass in the spring, except once a month I drive them out, and dri\e oft' briskly, about forty rods, to try their strength ; the weaker ones fall behind, and in that way I can ascertain if there be any that need a situation in the hos- pital, as I always keep a yard of this kind, and when I find a sheep weak, or in a decline, I place them in this yard, and as they regain their strength by care and good feeding — which this yard always receives — I place them back with their former companions ; and in this way the hospital never has more than a dozen, and frequently not half that number of patients. After the hospital has received its patients in sorting for winter, I next put my bucks, such as I do not intend to use, in a yard by themselves, then the lambs — in another yard the weathers, then the ewes, according to the grade of wool and weight of fleece; and select such bucks as I think best suited to each yard, and turn them in, allowing one buck to forty or fifty ewes. The bucks remaining with the ewes through the day, and are taken out at night, and put in a yard by themselves, and fed plen- tifully with hay and grain. In this way the bucks are kej^t strong and vigorous, and my lambs come stronger than when bucks are allowed to be reduced in strength, Avhich will surely he, if they are allowed to remain all the time wth the ewes. My bucks are put with the ewes about the first of December, and taken away about the first of June. I find by this treatment that my sheep go out of the yard in the spring, in as good condition as they came in at the commencement of the winter, with their wool more rich and perfect in appearance. If sheep in good condition in tlie fall do not receive sufiicient care during the winter to keep them so, of course the wool will show it, and it very much lessens its value. I have been engaged for a few years past in the purchase of wool, and have almost daily come in contact with wool of this character which was very much lessened in value by the bad management of the sheep thi-ough the winter. The other practice, whicli injures much of the wool in Wisconsin, is the beards and chaft' that they get in their wool by running to and eating from straw stacks, a practice Avhich I hope to see less of in future. As my sheep go out of the yards in spring, I tag them of all such wool as would become besmeared with manure as soon as the sheep go to grass, which would render it worthless, and very much check tlie growth of the sheep; this is done at the expense of one penny per head, and the wool saved liy the process is worth throe times the amount. As my sheep go out of the y;ard in the spring, about the first of April, they are turned on my cultivated grass through the day, and driven into the yard at night, and given some choice hay with grain every evening, until the grass has grown sufliciently for them to live upon. As my lambs come, every lamb that comes through the day is taken out at night, together with its dam ; and those that come through tlie night are taken 71 out in the morning, and kept apart from the main flock. Tliis is not neceeeary in small flocks ; but in large ones it is a matter of importance, for when lambs are coming frequently, an ewe, will very often, just before yeaning, take to some other young lamb and disregard her own — thus one lamb has two mothers, and the other lamb is left without one ; this difficulty is very much lessened by the taking out of the young lambs, together with the dam, as often as is convenient. My male lambs are all castrated before they ai-e ten days old, except such as I intend for " stock bucks." I wash my sheep in a large vat of clear running water, and wash them as long as they discolor the water when pressed from the wool. I then put them on as clean green sward as I can conveniently ; and, if the weather is good, shear in six or seven days after washing. I aim to have my sheep shorn as evenly as I can, by procuring good shearers; after shearing, I turn my entire flock together, and let them remain together for about ten days, by this time, the sheep being destitute of wool, the ticks have left them and taken shelter in the wool of the Iambs ; now I dip the lambs in a decoction of tobacco, and in this way rid my whole flock of the ticks, which if allowed to remain in the sheep would materially injure their condition. I have long been of the opinion, that the Saxony sheep, fairly managed, would be per- fectly hardy, and produce more dollars and cents than any other breed of sheep according to the feed they consume. Sheep consume just in proportion to their weight ; and the sheep that gives the most money according to his weight of carcass, is the sheep I should prefer, and not the one that shears the most pounds of wool regardless of the carcass, that is to be supported at great expense to produce this big fleece. Islj object in the commencement of my flock, was to produce a strong, healthy sheep, with a fleece of superfine qua- lity, and good fair weight. In this I have succeeded, I think, tolerably well, certainly beyond my expectations. I had much rather shear my sheep than describe them ; their weight of fleece is an average of three pounds per head — With but few bucks or weathers, mostly breeding ewes and lambs. I have taken from a full blood Saxony buck seven pounds of wool, washed clean, and entirely free from grease and gum, the latter of which frequently forms a great part of those heavy fleeces we hear of being produced. My ewes produce, on an average, about ninety lambs to one hundred ewes. As to the health of my sheep, you can judge a little from my losses in the past two winters. In 1850 I had a few over 500, my loss between fall and spring grass was three; in 1851 it was two. I purchased last fall ten choice Merino ewes, they were brought from Vermont two years since by R. C. Otis, Esq., of this place; they originated from the flock of Stephen Atwood, of Ct. I purchased them expressly for testing their merits with my Saxons, keej^ing the blood of both pure, and treating them 72 alike; and in this w.i}', I tliink, I cin judge rovrectly, after one or two years, which of the two is tlie best. I will say here, that thus far I have had no reason to change my former opi- nion, which was in favor of the Saxons. I have also six pure blood South Downs, five ewes and a buck, which I pur- chased in Dutchess Co., N. Y., from the best flocks there. They originated from the flock of Jonas Webb, in England, and are of a medium quahty in wool, and •will average about four pounds of wool each. They mature very young, and are very much inclined to flesh; and, I think, are more profitable than any kind when small flocks only are kept, for the comfort and convenience of a family, as the wool is of an excellent quality for domestic use, and their flesh is most delicious ; and I believe also, they are the most profitable when they are raised for the butcher. They are also very prolific, more than one half of the ewes bring two lambs, and are excellent milkers. Yours, very truly. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. N. B. CLAPP. Sec. of the State Agriailtual Society of Wis. PAULAR MERINOES.— No. of Entries, 8. Judges. — James M. Hawkins, Waupun; Adam E. Ray, Troy; Samuel R. McClellan, Wheatland; B. F. Pixley, Janesville; G. C. Pratt, Waukesha. Best buck over two years of age; Erastus W. Drury, Fond du Lac. Diploma. Second best buck over two years of age ; John A. Fletcher, Johnstown. $2. CROSS BREED SHEEP.— ITo. of Enteies, 41. Judges. — T. Stevens, Racine ; Jonathan Larkin, Madison ; 0. Fowler, Racine ; Thos. M. Williams, Emerald Grove ; Samuel R. McClellan, Wheatland. Best buck under two years of age ; J. Roberts, Janesville. Diploma. Best buck lamb ; J. Roberts, Janesville. Diploma. Best ewe over two years of age ; J. Roberts, Janesville. Diploma. Best ewe under two years of age; J. Roberts, Janesville. Diploma. Best ewe lamb ; J. Roberts, Janesville. Diploma. SWINE.— No. OF Entries, 20. Judges. — George 0. Tiffany, Milwaukee ; Andrew Aitkin, Jr. Waukesha ; Richard Flack, ; Charles Weed, Madison; Levi St. John, . Best boar under two years of age (Byfield) ; A. A. Gifibrd,- Johnstown. Diploma. Second best boar under two years of age (Neapolitan) ; A. J. Luckey, Bradford. $1. T3 Best sow over two years of age ; J. Spauldiug, Harmony. Diploma. Best sow pig under ten mouths of age; J. W. Dickey, Janesville. Diploma. Best lot of pigs; A. Hoskins, Janesville. Diploma. PLOUGHING MATCH.— TSTo. of Ejtteies, 9. Judges. — Edwaed Elderkin, Elkhom; Frank S.Lawrence, ; Samuel G. Colley, Beloit; Ephraim Perkins, Dodge Center; C. C. Olin, Waukesha. The following named persons entered as competitors for the premiums to be awarded by the State Society : Horse Teams. James West, Johnstown, Rock County. John Brown, Johnstown, Rock County. Messrs. Green and Foss, Watertown, Jefferson County. Messrs. Alexander and Ainslee, Milton, Rock County. J. Smith, Beloit, Rock County. J. M. May, Janesville, Rock County. Robert Taylor, Spring Valley, Rock County. Ox Teams. Timothy Jackman, Janesville, Rock County. Lorenzo D. Thompson, Janesville, Rock County. The Committee marked off the lands into pieces containing one-fourth of an acre each, one rod wide by forty rods in length ; the quickest time was made by J. M. May, of Janesville, being twenty-six minutes. The best work was done by Messrs. Alexander and Ainslee, of Milton, and the Committee have unanimously awarded to Messrs. Alexander and Ainslee, for the hest work done, the Society's first premium, a Diploma ; to J. M. May, of Janesville, the second premium, $3. to Robert Taylor, of Spring Valley, the third premium, $2. The time made by the Ox Team of Mr. Timothy Jackman was the same as that of Mr. J. M. Ma}-, but the style of his work was not equal to his competitor Mr. Lorenzo Thompson, to whom we have awarded the Society's first premium, a Diploma. The ploughs used by Messrs. Alexander and Ainslee, Mr. J. M. May, and by Mr. Robert Taylor, were made by Mr. May, of Janesville; and the Committee have no hesitation in saying, that the May plough is superior to those usually found in this country ;• and is not only creditable to the maker, but to the rising mechanical genius now being developed in our young and vigorous State. 74 FARMING IMPLEMENTS.— No. of Extries, 43. Judges. — No. 1. — John B. Smith, Milwaukee; A. A. Bird, Madison; E. Wood CoRNEs, Whitewater; J. W. Stillman, Milwaukee; Wm. Mulks, AVhitewater. Judges. — No. 2. — L. F. Blake, Whitewater ; D.F.Cogswell, Brookfiel<3; C. Densmore, Janesville; W. R. Higgins, Kenosha; Adam E. Hay, Troy. Best plough, J. Milton ^lay, Janesville. Diploma. MAY'S IMPROVED STEEL PLOUGH. Two of the leading peculiarities of this plough, which was recommended by the Committee for the first premium of .the Society, are these : Fu-st — The post, connecting the plough wnth the beam, passes up the side of the beam, and extends across, or partly across, its upper side, and is fastened by a siuo'le bolt. This mode p'ives several advantages: — 1. The entire streno-th of the beam is retained — the cutting of a mortice through the beam, as in other ploughs, being obviated, 2. The facility it aftbrds in wooding ploughs rapidly, and adjusting the draft with the utmost precision. And 3. In preventing straw and stubble from gathering under the beam and clogging the plough. It is foimd by experiment that the plough-post may be of less length and the beam from two to four "inches nearer the surface of the ground, ^Yhen this mode of fastening is adopted. The action of the furrow, as it is elevated and turned, cari'ies with it straw, &c. without meeting the resistance of the corner of the beam as in the old style of wooding. Second — The form of the mould-board and share : — A better idea of this, perhaps, cannot be given than by a quotation from the specification in the letters patent, in which a semicone is described, by which the conic form of the share and mould-board is illustrated. " For a plough of ordinary size and for ordinary purposes, twenty-eight inches may be the base of the cone, and the height or apex one hundred and twenty inches; although the angle of the cone may vary according to the lightness, or heavy and compact natui-e of the soil. The share and mould-board are placed on the cone in a diagonal position. " A diagonal line is commenced at the extremity of the base of the cone, and departing from the line of the cone two and a half inches in sixteen inches, in- clining this line to the left for a right-hand plough, and to the right for a left- hand plough. Now place the point of the share at the extremity of the base of the cone and the edge of the share on this diagonal line, and let the share and mould-board be made to conform to the cene. The conic form of share and mould-board, gives great ease to the draft of the plough, and great perfection 75 to the work in covering weeds, straw and rubbish, and leaves the ground in good condition for subsequent cultivation." Another consideration of much impoi'tance is, that the front part of the share and mould-board (always subject to the greatest wear) is made of double thick- ness of steel, giving the plough about twice the durability of those made in the usaal manner. When the rules for forming the mould-board, for regulating the draft, for giving the relative position of the mould-board and beam, and the appropriate front angle for adapting the plough to different soils, are carefully obser\-ed, it is con- fidently claimed that these ploughs possess great superiority in their durability, the quality and perfection of the ploughing done, and in the amount of work accomplished in a given period of time. Its present perfection has been attained by a series of experiments from year to year; and their uniformity of shape is secured by the use of heavy machinery in bringing the steel and iron into the proper form in the process of construction. The same manufacturer is prosecuting further experiments with a view of constructing the plough as good, or even better than at present, with a reduction of at least one-third of the expense now required. Experiments, also, during the past season, promise ultimate success in the construction of an improved, cheap corn plough or cultivator, and in adapting a steel subsoil plough to the Western prairies. TRANSFORMABLE PLOUGH, No. 1 The above engraving is a view of this plough in order for breaking prairie with one span of hoi'ses. The foundation is made of light boiler iron, the portions coming in contact with the earth being faced with steel plates. All lateral motion being obviated by this method, it combines lightness with great strength. The furrow is turned by means of three rods which, properly adjusted, reduces the friction at least twenty five per cent. 76 The coulter is made of a single plate of steel, about two and a-half inches in -width, with two points and two cutting edges, and is fastened with a single bolt to the plate post ; and when one point is dulled by use, it is reversed, and a new cutting edge and point is jiresented — thus giving about four times as much cut- ting edge as the common coulter. It will be observed, that the position of the coulter is such that it forms with the base of the plough an acute angle, making an important item in the easy draught of the plough. An ordinary day's work with one span of horses is one and a half to two acres. TRANSFORMABLE PLOUGH, No. 2. This engraving exhibits the same plough, with the wheel, share, coulter, and rods, used in breaking, removed, and a steel share and mould-board, of any desired size and form, applied. It requires the ploughman but a few minutes to make the change, and it is then ready for ploughing stubble, and all descriptions of cultivated lands. The steel mould-board and share, costing about five dollars, takes the place of the oi'dinary steel j^Iough, which costs from ten to fifteen dollars, according to size and quality. Although this improvement is new, it has been thoroughly tested and approved by some of the best farmers in Wisconsin. The usual breaking plough is used for a short time only, in each season, and is useless for the balance of the year — while this plough, capable of being changed for the purposes above described, and being used by the ordinary farm team, instead of thi'ee to six yoke of oxen, supplies a deficiency hitherto unprovided for. Best harrow ; Thompson Littell, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best cultivator, Thompson Littell, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best three horse evener; Simon Rublee, Beloit. Diploma. Best grain reaper (MoCormick's) ; A. P. Diekey, Racine. Dijtloma. 77 Best fanning mill ; A. P, Dickey, Racine. Diploma. Improved threshing machine jack ; Joshua Davis, Kenosha. DiplomS, Best smut machine ; S. B. Newcomb, Madison. Diploma. GRIMES' SMUT MACHINE. These machines are claimed to possess advantages over any ever before offered to the public. The machines are heavier, and have enlarged throats and issues for feeding and delivering the grain. A few of the most decided advantages they possess are these : 78 Ist. They will clean in the most perfect manner the foulest and smuttiest Avheat, and render the same, once passed through the machine, clean grain. 2d. They do the work much quicker, and in a better manner, than other machines. 3d. It takes much less power than any other machine of the kind. The saving to millers in this respect is very important, as it enables them to run (with the same power) five, where they have been able before to run but four pair of stones, which is a saving of twenty-five per cent., by enabling them to grind one-fourth part more in the same space of time, beside cleaning the wheat for the whole jierfectly. 4th. Their durability is of great advantage. The constantly recurring expen- ses of repairs, so heavy in other machines, by using this machine, are saved, as there is nothing to adjust, repair, or renew. oth. There is no waste whatever in cleaning wheat with these machines, and the difference in the weight of any quantity of wheat before and after cleaning, is precisely the amount of dirt, smut, and other foul matter blown out at the top of the machine, without carrying with it a single kernel of wheat, or even those parts of kernels that have been previously broken by the threshing machine. Best corn sheller; Joshua Davis, Kenosha. Diploma. Best corn grinder; A. P. Dickey, Racine. Diploma. Best corn drill ; S. D. Baldwin, Adrian, Mich. Diploma. Best churn ; S. D. Baldwin, Adrian, Mich. Diploma. Best fine harness ; George Dyer, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best common harness ; George Dyer, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best draught collar ; N. S. Woodrufi", Janesville. Diploma. Best Buggy waggon; A. Baker, Racine. Diploma. Best carriage springs; S. H. Hurd, Watertown. Diploma. Best grain cradle ; H. Hammond, Clinton. Diploma. Best hand rake. S. Rublee, Beloit. Diploma. Best garden rake ; Parker and Stone, Beloit. Diploma. Best hay forks ; Adam E. Ray, Troy. Diploma. Best manure forks ; Adam E. Ray, Troy. Diploma. Best grass scythe ; Adam E. Ray, Troy. Diploma. Best grain scythe; Adam E. Ray, Troy. Diploma. Best hay knife; Adam E. Ray, Troy. Diploma. Best sausage meat cutter ; Simon Rublee, Beloit. Diploma. Best butcher knives ; Parker and Stone, Beloit. Diploma. Best grain sycle ; Parker and Stone, Beloit. Diploma. 79 Best brooms ; William Mulks, Whitewater. Diploma, Best threslaing machine ; M. Hughes, Kenosha. Diploma. Best tread power threshing machine ; J. J. Case, Racine. Diploma. Best hay cutter ; A. Henderson, Johnstown. Diploma. Best portable mill ; M. Millard, Lake MiUs. Diploma. Best soap; E. D. Ladd, Milwaukee. Diploma. DAIRY.— No. OF Entries, 7. Judges. — Martin Webster, Waushara ; James Reynolds, Burlington ; Rufus King, Milwaukee ; 0. W. Norton, Janesville; James T. Saxby, Reedsburgh. Best butter ; J. Cory, Bachelor's Grove. Diploma. J. Cory's Statement: Bachelor's Grove, Rock Co., Dec. 21st, 1851. Dear Sir — In compliance with the request contained in yours of the 1st of December inst., that I would communicate to you for publication, the process used in making the butter exhibited by myself at the late State Fair. I will say, that it gives me pleasure to do so, and I will, to the best of \n.j ability, endeavor to perform this service. The cows, fi-om which the samples of butter above alluded to were made, were kept at that time on timothy pasture with other feed ; they are six in number, and are all of what are termed the native breed of this country. The milk, when drawn from the eows, is strained into tin pans, and placed in a cool cellar, where it is allowed to stand until it becomes thick, or " clabbered," when it should be churned immediately, for if it is allowed to stand long after this time, the cream wdll become sour, and the butter will be rancid. We churn the milk and cream together, and usually churn from three-quarters of an hour to an hour; and use a dash churn that ^Yill hold one barrel — fill it about half full of milk, and, in warm weather, add from one to one and one-half pails full of cold water before we commence churning, and add more before the churning is finished, in order to thin the milk so as to get it all out of the butter. If the milk should be too cool during the churning, which may be known by its *' frothing," add a little warm water. We use no thermometer, and therefore cannot tell the exact temperature that may be necessary in making butter. We use " dog power," with the inclined wheel, for churning, and sometimes use a sheep on the same wheel — either answers the purpose well. When the churn- ing is done the butter is taken out and washed through two waters, and salted ; the salt is worked in a little ; it is then set by until the salt has had time to dis- solve, when it is worked over with a hand ladle until all the buttermilk i& 80 worked out of it, then it is ready for packing, except in very warm weather, when it is left until the next morninw before packiu";. The month of June is generally best for butter as to quantity ; but I think as good butter can be made in the month of September, pro\ided the cows have good timothy, or clover and timothy pasture. I consider the native grasses of our prairies equal to the best cultivated grasses for about three months during the season of gi-assing ; but they are not worth much for milch cows after the month of August. I believe that a large share of Wisconsin, as far as I am acquainted, is equally as well adapted in every respect for dairy purposes as any place in any State, not excepting my native place, "old Orange County," N. Y. But to make a good article of butter in any place, some things are indispensible, and among these are good tame grass pasture, especially for spring and fall feed — good well or spring water, and not " slough" water — good cows — a good cellar to keep the milk and butter in — particular care to keep the milk pails, pans, and churn perfectly sweet and clean — a good article of salt — strict attention to churn the milk when it is just in the right condition, and churn just long enough and no longer, and then to work all the buttermilk out. I have kept no account of the amount of butter made or sold the past season. I am just commencing the dairy business in Wisconsin, and have had some little experience in wheat raising ; and hope to make the dairy business at least as profitable as raising hedge-row. If anything herein contained should prove to be of any benefit to the Society, or to my brother farmers, I shall be amply repaid for communicating it. Yours, very truly, To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. J. CORY. Secretary, c&c. Second best butter ; Hugh Jehu, Harmony. $2. Best cheese ; Samuel A. Thurston, Burlington. Dijjloma. Samuel A. Thurston's Statement: Burlington, January 1st, 1852. Dear Sir — At your solicitation, I vidll endeavor to give you a condensed account of my observations and experience in cheese making. I have been en- gaged in the business for several years past, more or less — most of the time in the State of New York, as it is but little more than a year since I came to this State. My location is at Burlington, Racine County. My farm is composed partly of prairie and partly of openings, and contains about three hundred aci'es. I milked the last season sixty cows. I commenced making cheese the first of May with 81 twenty five cows, and it was not until the middle of June tliat I Lad my number complete ; twelve of these were heifers that were never milked before. Some of my cows proved to be bad milkers, those I dried off in September ; this reduced my number to fifty. I made from the first of May to the first of November, nine tons of cheese. The precise amount of butter that I have made in the course of the season I cannot tell, but it will not vai-y much from eight hundred pounds. I have had many and serious difliculties to contend with, the past year, having my cows to pick up in different places, bringing them together entire strangers to each other ; and many of them coming in late, very much lessened the product of the dairy. The inconvenient and improper fixtures which are to be found, in many instances, for making and curing cheese, all unite in convincing me, that any set of rules for making cheese would not be practica- ble even with the most proficient cheese maker. It is therefore necessary that those enjxaofed in the manufacture of cheese should have sufficient knowledge of the science to determine the result of their practice, and this cannot be learned from verbal instruction. It is by practical experience and close observation only, that the maker can learn to adapt his practice to the frequent and extreme changes to which our climate is subject, varying the quality of the milk, and materially affecting cheese in process of curing. There are, however, leading principles which form the basis of operations, and should be closely adhered to in all cases in the process of manufacturing cheese. My usual mode is to take my evening's and morning's milk to make one cheese; the evening's milk is strained mto a tub, and cooled to prevent souring. This is done by setting a tin vessel into the tub filled with cold water; this I usually do when I commence milking. If the weather is very warm and sultry, the water will need to be changed once and sometimes twice in the course of the evening ; for unless the animal heat is extracted, the milk will be sure to sour in the morning. I take off the cream that I'ises, and put evening's and moraing's milk together. — I put a quantity of new warm milk with the cream, stir it well together, and put it into the tub with the rest of my milk, the curdling heat of which should be about ninety degrees. I then put in a sufficient quantity of rennet to produce coagulation in from thirty to forty minutes; while the curd is forming, it should be let entirely alone. After the curd is completely formed, I cut it up with a cheese rake made for that purpose; I then let it stand twenty or thirty minutes for the whey to separate from tlie curd ; I then proceed to break up the curd, and this must be done with the utmost care, and especially if the curd comes soft. After I have gone through with it, and thoroughly stirred it in every part, I then let it stand and settle; a strainer is thrown a\'er the tub, and gently pressed down with the hand into the whey, a portion of which is dipped off", and placed over the fire to heat ; Avhile this is heating, I work the curds with my 6 82 hands until it is as fine as wheat. After this process is gone through with, I commence the scalding process by pouring on hot whey; this should be carried to about one hundred degrees; the curd should be well stirred during the time of scalding. When the curd is sufficiently cooked so that it feels elastic, and will squeak when chewed between the front teeth, it is separated from the whey to receive the salt; this is done by dipping it into a strainer over a sink. This may be done without its adhering in lumps, by stirring it in a small portion of cold whey until cooled to ninety or ninety-five degrees. Here great care should be used, as much depends upon the curds being in a proper state 'to I'eceive the salt. After the whey is sufficiently drained ofi" I salt my curd, putting in a common teacup-full of salt to twenty pounds of cheese; after it is well stirred together, I immediately put it into the press. My mode of pressing is to press light the first ten minutes, after that I turn the screw hard upon it. I press my cheese twenty-four hours, turning once in the time. My opinion is, that we cannot press too hard if the cheese is properly manufactui'ed. After the cheese is taken from the press it is immediately colored, and left to stand until dry, and then thoroughly greased and bandaged. I am not in the habit of using much grease: after this a very little occasionally is sufficient. I find by turning my cheese every day, and rubbing them with the hand, they become smoother upon the surface than they do by using more grease. Oil is obtained for greasing cheese from the whey; after standing twenty-four hours, it is churned till separation takes place like butter, then melted over a slov? fire until it turns to oil. I might say much more, as there are many things connected with the dairy business that I have not even hinted at in this communication. I find that there are many objections raised by farmers in this State to the dairy business ; and one very serious one in the minds of many is, the difficulty of obtaining suitable fcol for cows at all seasons of the year. It is known to us all, that our prairie grass cannot be depended on for fell feed; and it is also known, that it must be some considerable time before we can make much dependence upon the tame grasses. That these are desirable I acknowledge; but I think we can supply the deficiency with a very little expense. Our soil is well calculated to produce a good growth of corn, and this sowed broadcast produces an abundant crop, and can be produced at the very time it is desired ; I sowed a few acres the past season and found that it did extremely well. I sowed it the fore part of June, and put three bushels of seed to an acre. I prefer the eight-rowed yellow corn to any that I have ever seen tned. Any persons unacquainted with this kind of corn will be surprised at the amount obtained from an acre. It is also a well- known fact, that we can produce roots to almost any extent that we choose, our soil being well adapted to their growtli. I prefer carrots for cowp to any roots T 83 have ever tried or seen used ; these we can raise by selecting a suitable piece of ground, from five to eight hundred bushels to the acre ; every bushel of which is worth two bushels of potatoes to feed to cows or to fat cattle, I have never been in the habit of feeding much grain to my cows. I usually commence to feed grain the latter part of February, and feed a little every day from that time until I can obtain a full bite of grass. Yours respectfully, To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. • S. A. THURSTON. Secretary, (&c. Second best cheese ; Stephen Faville, Milford. $2. GRAINS AND HONEY.— No. of Entries, 8. Judges. — Charles S. Hurley, Milwaukee; George C. Pratt, Waukesha; Charles F. Illsley, Milwaukee ; Milo Jones, Fort Atkinson. Best winter wheat ; N. P. Bump, Janesville. Diploma. Second best winter wheat; Allen 0. T. Breed, Milwaukee. $2. Best broom corn ; Jonathan Pound, Fulton. Diploma. Best hops; S. Antisdel, Beloit. Diploma. Best bee-hive ; T. McElhenny, Beloit. Diploma. Largest squash; E. C. Hull, Madison. $1. FLOUR AND CORN MEAL.— No. of Entries, 4. Judges. — C. C. Olin, Waukesha; T. T. Whittlesey, Madison; Ludim Crouch, Waukesha; B. B. Gary, Milwaukee; Adam E. Ray, Troy. Best barrel of flour; Strausberger and Co. Janesville. Diploma. Best sample of hominy ; Williams and Noland, Madison. Diploma. HOMINY. This excellent article of food alike cheap, nutritious, and pleasant, may be prepared in the true Southern style, by any one willing to bestow a little labor upon it. The manner of preparing it in the purest and best style is given in the follow- ing extract from a letter addressed to this Society, by Thos. W. Merriwether, M. D. of Albemarle county, Virginia, written in answer to a letter soliciting the same: " Hominy is of two distmct kinds, large and small : the first is beaten in a mortar, the last ground in a com mill — the mortar is made of wood. Take a 84 white oak log 36 inches long and from 16 to 18 inches thick, sawed square at each end ; set it on end and bore a large auger hole in the centre, say six inches deep ; then place a rim of wet clay around the edge to prevent burning out too near the edge ; then commence a fire in the centre over the hole — corn cobs, stacked like a coal kiln, are used chiefly for this fire — -which is kept burning till the hole is a foot deep ; then dress this hole till the burned portion is removed, and a hard firm surface is left in the shape of a common mortar, the chipping off the burnt surface should be done at sev.eral times during the process of burning, to keep it in proper shape, leaving a rim of one or two inches unbumt around the top. " The pestle in general use is a common iron mauling wedge inserted in the split end of a stick thirty inches long and three inches thick, and an iron ring forced down over the upper part of the wedge to keep it in place. " Take white flint corn and put from one to two quai'ts into the mortar, and pour a little boiling water on occasionally to keep it moist and cause the skins to slip off the corn, and prevent the flinty portion from being beaten into meal; during the process of beating, remove the whole contents of the mortar occasion- ally into a tray, and toss it in a curi'ent of air so as to fan out the meal and bran ; beat till every grain is broken and skinned. If not used soon after it is beaten, it should be carefully dried, or it will be likely to sour. " Small hominy should be made of the same white flint corn, which being a little moistened, is then ground in the same manner as corn meal, except raising the stone about two or three times higher, so as to crack the grain to about the size of wheat ; this is known and sold (at the South) as grits, and is there in general use. It is prepared in the best manner as follows : Sift the flour from the grits, scour it well to get off the husks, &c., put two quarts of water to one quart of grits, and boil imtil the water is entirely absorbed, cover the pot and set it on hot ashes to soak, which will take from fifteen to twenty minutes, after which the hominy is fit for use — salt should not be forgotten. " This small hominy is of far more importance than the large, being much more easily procured, and, when well cooked, is an invaluable dish. " The large hominy is cooked in a similar manner, but before being taken up should be well mashed against the sides of the pot ; a half pint of white beans added to a quart of hominy is considered an improvement. If seasoned with lard, put it in before taking the hominy ofi" the fire; butter may be added at any time. Care should be taken to preserve the whiteness of the hominy, and mixed corn should never be used in making it." 85 DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.— No. of Entries, 14. Judges. — S. S. Daggett, Milwaukee; Rufus King, Milwaukee; Chauncey Abbott, Madison ; A. W. Powers, Palmyra ; H. Richardson, Janesville. Best silk hose ; Wordeu Matteson, Delavan. Diploma. Best woollen yarn ; Worden Matteson, Delavan. Diploma. Best woollen stockings ; H. M. Allen, Union. Diploma. Best blanket ; Worden Matteson, Delavan. Diploma. Best piece of flannel ; H. M. Allen, Union. Diploma. Best piece of cloth ; P. Judson, Kenosha. Diploma. Best linen thread. Worden Matteson, Delavan. Diploma. ORNAMENTAL NEEDLE WORK.— No. of Entries, 23. Judges. — W. Welch, Madison ; S. Gardiner, Jr. Milwaukee ; Mrs. M. A. Allen, Union ; Mrs. H. J. Starin, Whitewater ; Mrs. M. A. Smith, Milwaukee. Best pair of ottoman covers; Miss E. H. Langdon, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best pair of lamp matts; E. B. Dean, jr., Madison. Diploma. Best Odd Fellows' regalia; Samuel Gardiner, jr., Milwaukee. Diploma. Best worsted table cover; Mrs. Wardner, Mlwaukee. Diploma. Best ornamental table cover ; J. D. Browne, Janesville. $3. Best pair of stockings ; Mrs. A. Henderson, Beloit. Diploma. Best rug ; Mrs. A. H. Morse, Richmond. Diploma. Best quilt ; Mrs. W. Hughes, Janesville. Diploma. FRUIT.— No. OF Entries, 40. Judges. — H. J. Starin, Whitewater; Simeon Mills, Madison; J. F. Drake, ; F. W. Loudon, Janesville. Best variety of apples ; Franklin K. Phoenix, Delavan. Diploma. Second best variety of apples ; S. P. Beecher, Milwaukee. $2. Best variety of pears ; P. M. Perkins, Burlington. Diploma. Second best variety of pears ; S. P. Beecher, Milwaukee. S2. Third best variety of pears. Franklin K. Phoenix, Delavan. $1. Best variety of peaches; George 0. Tiifany, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best variety of plums; J. C. Howard, Milwaukee. Diploma. Second best variety of plums; P. M. Perkins, Burlington. $2. Best variety of grapes ; W. Tallcott, Rockton, 111. Diploma. Second best variety of grapes ; Harrison Ludington, Milwaukee, $2. It is greatly to be regretted that the Committee did not give the names of the varieties of Fruit which received the premiums. Report of the Committek : From the limited time allotted to the Committee, it has been impossible to examine the different specimens of fruit presented, with that care and attention necessary to arrive in every instance, perhaps, to a correct conclusion. In awarding premiums they have endeavored to deal justly, but in some in- stances the samples presented have held so strong claims to equal merit, that the Committee have been unable to decide between competitors with perfect satis- faction to themselves. Although the quantity of fruit brought forward was not great, yet its superior size, uniform fairness, and excellent qualities, were such as would have done credit to older and more advanced fruit-growing States; and, taken as a whole, made a display of which. our State, in the infancy of its horticulture, may well be proud. The growing of fruit in Wisconsin can no longer be regarded as problematical; it has now become a fixed fact, and it can only be a source of deep regret that this branch of agriculture should have thus long received so little attention. The difficulty, however, that has heretofore existed in importing fruit trees from a distance, at a comparatively heavy expense, may perhaps be urged as a strong reason why so few of the early settlers, even at this day, are enjoying to any extent one of the greatest luxuries of civilized life. But at present the extensive propagation of fruit trees in nurseries that have already been opened in different localities in this State, obviate this formidable difficulty to such an extent, that the Committee feel called upon, not only to recommend, but earnestly to urge upon every farmer, who has thus far been negligent, to set about it at once, and see that his grounds are beautified, and himself enriched, by an orchard. Nor is it to the farmer alone that the cultivation of fruit should be exclusively committed. Every person being the owner of a habitation, may improve its appearance and value, and increase his comforts, by the raising of a single tree. If ground and means be limited, plant out the less in number, and let that few be of the choicest kinds. No investment of capital gives a surer, or more pleasing return, than that expended in planting and' promoting the growth of trees. Buildings, fences, implements and fixtures of every other kind, from the moment they are com- pleted, are subject to certain and constant waste and decay, involving a continued outlay for improvement and repair. But not thus with the tree; when once its habitation is fixed in a genial soil and climate, with a little judicious aid bestowed, rather as pastime than labor, it continues increasing in size, beauty, and value, during the ordinary life of man, and passes down to the succeeding generation a living monument of the foresight and enliglitened taste of a thrifty and bene- volent predecessor. 87 From the experience of practical fruit growers in different countries, the fact has long since been well settled, that no kind or variety of fruit succeeds equally well in all localities, and from the limited time that fruit has been cultivated in this State, it is at present difficult, nay impossble, to decide with any degree of certainty, what kinds will best reward the cultivator in this soil and climate. But from the size and uniform fairness of the specimens presented, the Committee cannot entertain a reasonable doubt but what the different kinds that have been found to succeed well in the Eastern and Middle States, will be equally produc- tive and profitable with us. The following selection of fruits have been made upon the authority of expe- rienced and practical fruit-growers in ditierent parts of the country, and are recommended by the Committee as prominent among the varieties worthy of a first trial. Experience, however, may prove that some of them will fail to maintain with us their usual good character, and should of course be made to give place to more promising kinds; but of this, nothing short of a thorough trial will justify the entire rejection of any standard fruit of the Eastern or Middle States. LIST OF SELECT FRUITS. Apples Summer. — Early Harvest, Red Astrachan, Early Eve, Early Straw- berry, Sweet Bough. Fall. — Fall Pippin, Gravenstein, Hawley, Porter, Pomme Royal, Rambo, Golden Sweet. Winter. — Baldwin, Yellow Belflower, Rhode Island Greening, Belmont, Peck's Pleasant, Swaar, Esopus Spitzenberg, Roxbury Russet, Newtown Pippin, Northern Spy, Tall man Sweet. Pears Summer. — Madeline, Bloodgood, Dearborn's Seedling. Auhimn. — Bartlet, White Doyenne, Seckel, Urbaniste, Flemish Beauty, Louisa Bon de Jei"sey, Maria Louisa, Oswego Beurre. ]Vinfer. — Winter Nelis, Beurre de Aremburg, Vicar of Wakefield, Easter Beurre. Plums Early Orleans, Bolmar's Washington, Green Gage, Imperial Gage, Jefferson, Coe's Golden Drop. CHERRiES...May Duke, Black Tartarian, Graffion or Bigarreau, Elton, Late Duke. Grapes Clinton, Catawba, Isabella. All of which is respectfully submitted, H. J. STARIN, ^ SIMEON MILLS, ! Committee. J. F. DRAKE, Janesville, October 2d, 1851. F. W. LOUDON, ss FLOWERS.— No. of Entries, 12. Judges. — Albert C. Ingham, Madison ; E. B. Quiner, Watertown ; George W. Crabb, Janesville; E. C. Hull, Madison. Best general display ; Charles Giffbrd, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best floral ornaments ; Cliarles Giftbrd, Milwaukee. Diploma. Second best general display ; S. P. Beeclier, Milwaukee. $2. Best display of dalilias and phloxes ; Franklin K. Phoenix, Delavan. Diploma. Second best display of dahlias and phloxes; J.W. Parker, Milwaukee. Certificate. PAINTINGS, PRINTING, AND DAGUERREOTYPES.— No. or Extries, 12. Judges. — E. B. Quiner, Watertown; Albert C.Ingham, Madison; George W. Crabb, Janesville; E. C. Hull, Madison. Best exhibition of card printing — equal Premium; Rufus King, Milwaukee, Diploma. Best exhibition of card printing — equal premium; Charles S. Hurley, Mil- waukee. Diploma. Best exhibitions of card printing — equal premium; B. B. Cary, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best exhibitions of card printing — equal premium; Elisha Starr, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best specimen of book and pamphlet printing ; Rufus King, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best exhibition of daguerreotypes; Stamm and Upmann, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best specimen of painting in water colors — flowers; Miss H. Brace, Janesville. |2. Second best specimens of painting in water colors — flowers ; Miss Jane Goodrich, Milton. |1. Best landscape paintings; Miss Olive Ketchell, Janesville. Diploma. Best specimen of painting in oils; Oliver S. Clayton, Beloit. Diploma. Card Printing. — The Committee report that the specimens presented were all of the best character, and wei-e pleasing evidence of the height to which this department of " the art preservative of all arts," had been carried. In view of the impossibility of giving the palm to any particular competitor, they have given equal rank to all. Book and Pamphlet Printing. — The specimens exhibited by General Rufus King, of Milwaukee, were of the finest style of work, and show conclusively that "book-making" can be carried on in Wisconsin as well as among "the rest of mankind." 89 Da&ukrreotypes. — The Committee gives the highest praise to Messrs. Stamm and Upmann for their exhibition. The fullness and distinctness of the lineaments of the face, and the life-like expression of the eye, whieh marks these specimens, bespeak the true artist. Paintings. — All of the specimens of painting and sketching were of great beauty and finish, and some evinced a rare talent and appreciation of the beau- tiful that should be encouraged. STOVES.— No. OF Entries, 1. Judges. — Samuel S. Daggett, Milwaukee ; Hamilton Richardson, Janesville ; E. D. Ladd, Milwaukee; N. P. Bump, Janesville. Best economist cooking stove; James Saville, Milwaukee — no competition. Diploma. SILVER AND GOLD WARE.— No. of Entries, 4. Judges. — Samuel S. Daggett, Milwaukee; Hamilton Richardson, Janesville; RuFus King, Milwaukee ; N. P. Bump, Janesville ; Sarah Keeler, Geneva. Best exhibition of jewelry ; A. B. Van Cott, Racine. Diploma. Best exhibition of fancy gold and silver ware; Samuel Gardiner, jr., Milwaukee. Diploma. Best gold watch ; J. R. Treat, Milwaukee. Diploma. MISCELLANEOUS AND DISCRETIONARY.— No. of Extries, 41. Judges. — Martin Field, Mukwonego ; A. P. Dickey, Racine ; C. Fairchild, Madison ; E. A. Howland, Janesville ; S. S. Daggett, Milwaukee. Best pure saleratus ; E. D. Helton, Milwaukee. Diploma. Mr. Holton's Statement: The great merit of my saleratus is its purity, entire freedom from poisonous substances, and the presence of the highest amount of carbonic acid ; as will be seen by the following analysis made by the State Assayer of the State of Massa- chussets. The ' Barnard" parcel of which he speaks, is the celebrated Boston Saleratus. E. D. HOLTON. 90 Results of a Chemical comparison of two Samples of Saleraius. 1, Pine Street, Boston, 6th Sept., 1850. Firat sample, marked " Barnard." — This was a white, mealy, dry mass, com- posed of powder and lumps; when reduced to powder, it presented only opaque, nearly snow-white granicles. It contained besides pearlash, and its salts united to carbonic acid, an odorous body derived from a fermenting val. One hundred parts of this powder, afforded thirty-four parts of carbonic acid. Second sample, marked " Holton." — The same general appearance was pre- sented by this as in the former sample. When reduced to ponder, it slightly attracted moisture, and its powder was hardly as snow-white as the first sample. " Neither sample contained the slightest trace of poisonous metals." The odorous substance from the fermenting vat could not be found in this sample. One hundred parts of this sample gave 34.80 carbonic acid. As in the use of these substances, the amount of carbonic acid is to the con- sumer the point of primary importance, it will be seen that the second sample containing nearly one per cent, more than first, it also absorbs a little water, which by adding to its weight would reduce the per cent, of carbonic acid probably to the same standard as " Barnard." The latter seems to have absorbed all the water it contained, and is therefore dry. Both are excellent preparations, and the first can haidly be distinguished from the second. Respectfully, A. K. HAYS, , State Assayer. Best ease of surgical instruments ; Holden, Kemp and Co. Janesville. Diploma. Best assoitment of wire screnery; S. S. Daggett, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best assortment of ornamental and fancy books ; J. Morrison, Racine. Diploma.' Best supporters (shoulders and abdominal) ; Dr. Wh4ton, Chicago, 111. Diploma. Best platform balance scales ; N, B. Gaston, Beloit. Diploma. Best brass and fancy clocks; J, W. Stillman, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best specimen of fancy book-binding (Harper's Bible) ; Sidney L. Rood, Mil- waukee. Diploma. Best specimen of blank book-binding ; AVeed and Eberhard, Madison. Diploma. Best circular saw and arbor; Barker and Love, Beloit. Diploma. Best specimens of dressed flax; John Galbraith, Mukwonego. Diploma. Best assortment of hardware ; Henry J. Nazro, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best copper coffee urn ; H. K. Edgerton, Milwaukee. Diploma. Best plough-making machine; J. Milton ^lay, Janosvillo. Diploma. 91 PLOUGH MAKING MACHINE. New and improved macbinery for the purpose of cheapening and rendering more perfect the implements used by the mechanic and farmer, are important and vahiable precisely in proportion as they render the article manufactured by their use more perfect in quality, and tlie amount of labor saved in the facihties thus aflforded for rapid oonstruction. 92 The above ecgraving is a perspective view of a machine that, in a large •degree, combines these intrinsic qiiahties. It is used in the construction of those ploughs which were exhibited at the State Fair, and which were tried with so much success on that occasion. The machine is operated by a lever, which when brought to a horizontal posi- tion, brings into line a series of articulated knuckle-joints, forming a column, ■bringing together with great power the heavy matched iron swedges in which are formed the steel j>lates constituting the most essential element of the plough, the plates being regulated \>j sliding adjusting rods during the process ; and the swedges adjuste.i to the thickness of the steel plates to be wrought, by a wedge ■at the base of the machine, directly beneath the jointed column. So unusual a machine as this, being exhibited at a Fair, eUcited many inquiries in regard to the purposes for which it is used, and the manner of working it. It has great power, capable of giving from fifty to one hundred tons pressure, almost instantly — is compact, yet simple in its constmction, and not liable to be out of repair. It is worked by one man, and is of the highest importance " in giving perfection to the form of the steel plates; and multitudes of farmers are .indebted to this mechanical contrivance for the excellence of that indispensable ■and most important of all implements — the Plough. Best show of cabinet furniture ; Levi Moses, Janesville. Diploma. 'Best specimens of sawed and cut stone ; G. W. Taylor, Rock. Diploma. Best specimens of engraving, seal-cutting, and die-sinking ; P. L. Mossin, Mil- waukee. Diploma. l^ew apparatus for raising water from wells ; J. S. Linderman, Manchester, 111. Diploma. ANNUAL MEETING, JANUARY 21, 1852. The Society met in the Senate Chamber, which had been tendered to the Society by the Honorable the Senate, on the evening of Wednesday, January 21st, A. D. 1852, at seven o'clock, a very large number of members being in attendance. The President, Erastits W. Drury, Esq. being absent, the Society was called to order by Hon. Henry M. Billings, Vice President, from the second con- gressional district, who took the chair, assisted by Hon. William F. Tompkins, Vice President, from the third congressional district. The President presented the report of the Executive Committee, extracts from which were read by the Secretary. Mr. Ingham, the Recording Secretary and Acting CoiTespoading Secretary^, presented and read his report. Hon. CHAUNCEr Abbott, 'Treasurer, presented his report, wbich was read by the Secretary. On motion of A. Hyatt Smith, Esq., of Janes\ille, the several reports were- accepted. Hon. E. B. Dean, jr., of Madison, moved that the Society do now proceed to the election of Officers for the ensuing year, which was carried. The President announced that a ballot would first be taken for the election of a President, and appointed Messrs. E. B. Dean, jr., of Madison, and Isaao WooDLE, of Janesville, as Tellers. And the roll of members having been called, and the Secretary having announced that all the members present had voted, Messi-s. Royal Buck and Philo Dunning, of Madison, claimed the right to have their names called as. members, and to vote, on the ground that one year had not elapsed since they became members of the Society. The Secretary explained that all annual memberships ex|")ired on the thirty- first day of December of the year of admission, unless previously renewed,, which those gentlemen had neglected to do as yet. Messrs. Buck and Dunning, in answer, stated, that their understanding of an annual membership was a membership of three hundred and sixty-five days, beginning on the day of admission of the member, and ending one year from that time. And some further discussion having taken place, Hon. Thomas T. Whittle- sey, of Pheasant Branch, offered the following Resolution, which was adopted, to wit : Resolved — That those persons who have paid one dollar for membership, during the year 1851, be allowed to vote by courtesy, at this meeting; but that hereafter, the fiscal year of the Society, begin on the first day of January, and all annual memberships expire on the 31st day of December previous. And several gentlemen having voted, the result of the ballot was announced as follows : Whole number of votes cast, 61 ; necessary to a choice, 31. The Hon. Henry M. Billings, of Highland, having received 58 votes, the same being a majority of all the votes cast, was declared by Hon. William F. Tompkins duly elected President of the State Agi-icultural Society for the ensuing year. Mr. Billings, in a few appropriate remarks, returned his thanks to the Society for the honor conferred upon him, pledging his services and labor in its behalf during the coming year, and giving the assurance that he would lose no opportu- u nity to advance and promote its best interests, and the best interests of the cause for which it was laboring. Hon. Andrew Palmer, of Janesville, moved that the Society elect the remain- der of its Officers viva voce, which was carried ; whereupon N. B. Clapp, Esq., of Kenosha, was nominated for Vice President, from the first congressional district, by S. M. Booth, Esq., of Milwaukee. Orrin Densmore, Esq., of Emerald Grove, was nominated for Vice President, from the second congressional district, by Isaac Woodle, Esq., of Janesville. Martin Webster, Esq., of Fox Lake, was nominated for Vice President from the third congressional district, by Hon. Thomas R. Mott, of Watertown. And the question being put upon the several nominations, they were declared unanimously elected. Albert C. Ingham, Esq., of Madison, was nominated for Recording Secretary, and also for Corresponding Secretary, by Beriah Brown, Esq., of Madison. And the question being put upon the nomination, he was declared unani- mously elected. Hon. Simeon Mills, of Madison, was nominated for Treasurer, by A. Hyatt Smith, Esq., of Janesville. And the question being put upon the the nomination, he was declared una- nimously elected. Messrs. Warren Chase, of Fond du Lac; E. B. Dean, jr., of Madison; S. S. Daggett, of Milwaukee ; H. B. Hawley, of Milford ; and Jacob D. Merritt, of Grant; were several!}' nominated, and declared elected as additional members of the Executive Committee. Hon. E. B. Dean, jr., of Madison, introduced the following Resolution, which was adopted, to wit : Resolved — That the unanimous and sincere thanks of this Society be, and the same are hereby cordially tendei-ed to Albert C. Ingham, Esq., the able and efficient Secretary of this Society, for his labors during the past year, and for the valuable services he has rendered in the organization and carrying out of the objects of the Society. Hon. Andrew Palmer, of Janesville, offered the following Resolution, which was adopted, to wit : Resolved — That the Secretary be, and he is hereby authorized to procure the printing of the Transactions and Correspondence of the Society for the past year. On motion of S. M. Booth, Esq., of Milwaukee, the Society adjourned. HENRY M. BILLINGS, President. Madison, January 21st, 1852. s r REPORT OF SECRETARY. To the Tf^sconsiii State Agricultural Society: The Secretary of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society would respectfully report, that in accepting the office to which he was elected at the fonuation of the Society in March last, he felt great diffidence and lack of confidence as to his ability to discharge the duties which devolved upon him, in a manner that would meet the expectations and wishes, and i-edound to the best interests of the Society. The experiment of sustaining a State Agricultural Society in Wiscon- sin was one of doubtful utility; similar organizations- among us had met with a failure, and by many, any further attempt was regarded as premature, and' injurious to the prospects for the final formation of a Society that should be of permanent and lasting benefit to the agriculturist. In the discharge of his duties, however, he has endeavored at all times to keep in view the important objects for which the Society was organized, and in every suitable manner to advance its best interests. In accordance with this purpose, and acting upon what he conceived to be required by the wants of the Society, immediately after its formation he opened a correspondence with numerous intelligent gentlemen, eminent alike for expe- rience and skill in both this and other States, in relation to the course to be pui-sued and the plans to be adopted by this Society, in order best to carry out and accomplish the great ends of its formation. Organizations in many respects similar to our own, have long had a being in several of the older States of the Union, and to their influence may be traced much that is of value in the improvements so manifest in those parts of our confederacy. To profit from their experience, and to learn wisdom from their example, is the special duty of this- Society. Organized in a new State, with a sparse population, our farmers nearly all in moderate circumstances and of limited means, suftering under the failure of our staple crop for the past three years, and in a time of unexampled pecu- niary disaster, and agricultui-al depression, we have no time to wait for a long preparatory training; and it has become to to us a matter of necessity, that this Society — Minerva like — shall at once step from birth to maturity. This may be accomplished in a great measure by availing ourselves of the labors of others, and to this end ha\e the eflbrts of the Secretary been especially directed. In many instances these eftbrts have met with a hearty response; but in others, the difficulty of obtaining the proper address, and the shortness of the time intervening from the commencement of the correspondence up to the pre- sent time, prevents any adequate results being as yet attained. The carrying 96 out and extension of these plans must, therefore, be left to the Corresponding Olticer for the next year. In our own State the labors of the Secretary have been especially directed to the collection and diffusion of information upon the present agricultural condition of the various counties — their soils and crops — manner of cultivation — adaptation to tillage as compared with grazing — and the various other details of the systems of husbandry practised therein. To this end he has addressed letters of inquiry to various gentlemen in each county, soliciting con'espondence and information, and inviting suggestions for improvement. This effort has met with partial success; hut in many instances the Secretary has to announce with regret, that the efforts of the Society have met with no return. That this is caused by carelessness, or the want of interest, he is loth to concede; but surely the Society, acting as it does gratuitously, has the right to expect from those enjoying the fruits of its labors, that they will impart, not from their purses, but from their stores of experience and observation. The value of these contributions does not end with the present. In future times they will form a portion, and no value- less portion, of the histoiy of the past. In this respect we are possessed of a peculiar advantage — we are young — our State is in its infancy; and, as a distinguished laborer in this common field has remarked, "it is pleasant to believe that when the substitution of highei- and improved systems of husbandry shall enable our country to sustain the dense population which wiU one day inha- bit it, our posterity will revert with gratitude to the labors and efforts of those who were the pioneers in these improvements." " And he who from his superior experience, more extended observation, scientific acquirements, or skill in tracing effects to causes, is competent to point out the steps to such improvements, and ' to show how two blades of grass may be made to grow where only one grew before' — should never refuse to impart the knowledge to those who are less for- tunate, or less sagacious." Many contributions, however, have been received which are of value ; and to those gentlemen who have so kindly furnished them, the thanks of the Society are due. While the papers herewith submitted, may be found w^anting in many points of interest and importance, it is indeed a triumph for us, and one over which we may well rejoice, that we have succeeded as well as we have, amid such untoward circumstances. We may, indeed, confi- dently anticipate, that another year we shall meet with still greater success, and still moi'e encouragement to persevere in the efforts which we, as a Society, have undertaken. As another means of arousing the attention of the agriculturists of the State to the efforts being made by the Society, the Secretary, under the direction of the Executive Committee, spent some time during the psist summer in visiting the various counties of the State, and endea\oring by various means to excite an 97 interest therein, and to secure the active co-operation of intelligent and influential citizens with the Society. The result proved extremely gratifying; and with pleasure the Secretary has it to report, that in no instance did he fail to receive the kindest treatment and co-operation at the hands of all. In some parts of the State, a misapprehension of the objects of the Society seemed to exist ; and, as a consequence, a feeling of coldness was apparent, but this soon yielded before the proper statements and explanations, and the kindest feeling seems now to prevail — indeed the Society has emphatically become the favorite. It is with much pleasure that the Secretary is enabled to announce that he has obtained, through the medium of our Senators and Representatives in C<)ii-!e-;s. the promise of a large supply of native and foreign seeds, of choice varietii;s; these, as soon as received, will be distributed among the members of the Society, under the direction of the Executive Committee. The prosjDCCt of the establishment of an Agricultural department in our State University, is a matter of encouragement; and it is to be hoped that no very long period will elapse, before an opportunity will be aftbrded for those who desire to acquire that instruction which will fit them to excel in the profession they have chosen. The undersigned is conscious of having imperfectly discharged the duties of his position ; but he beaa-s with him the consolation, that he has devoted his best energies to the advancement of the interests of the Society ; and although he has not accomplished all that he has desired, or all that might have been done, yet in all his efforts he feels that he has been actuated by a sincere desire to promote the great interests of Agriculture, those interests which are second to none other in our State. Respectfully submitted, ALBERT C. INGHAM, Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. 98 TREASURER'S REPORT. To the Wisco7ism State Agricultural Society : The Treasurer of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society would respectfully report, that the vvho'e amount of funds received into the Treasury of the Society for the year ending December 31st, 1851, is as follows: From Life Members $50 00 From Annual Members 388 00 From Miscellaneous sources 127 00 From Interest on Funds 5 31 Total Receipts * |570 31 The Expenditures for the same time have been as follows: For Premiums and Diplomas awarded at late Fair ... $140 00 Expenses of the Society incident to the Fair 1V9 00 Contingent Expenses for the year 165 86 Total Expenditures 484 86 Balance in Treasury, December 31st, 1851 ^85 45 By an arrangement entered into with the Rock County Agncultural Society the proceeds of the sale of tickets of admission to the show grounds at the late State Fair, were to be applied, under the direction of that Society, first — to the payment of the expenses of the grounds — and after that, the balance was to be divided equally between the two Societies. By this arrangement this Society re- ceived $127 00 as its share of the receipts. All of which is respectfully submitted, C. ABBOTT, Treasurer. Madison, January 21st, 1852. We, the undersigned, having carefully examined the foregoing Report and the vouchei's therefoi-, do hereby certify that the same is correct, and that the amounts are correctly stated. HENRY M. BILLINGS, ) ANDREW PALMER, \^^ditin 9 Committee. Madison, January 21st, 1852. CORRESPONDENCE, 101 COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. The Reports of the County Agricultural Societies herewith presented, while they are not as full as could be desired, will yet not be found wanting in interest. The newness of the country, the sparseness of the population, and, in many instances, the inexperience of those engaged in these associations, while it has materially lessened the value of their labors, has yet demonstrated that the indus- trial classes of our State are not content to tread in the beaten track of their forefathers, but are earnestly seeking for improvement. In most of the counties wherein Agricultural Societies have been formed, the formation has been of very recent date, and therefore no striking result can reasonably be anticipated. The im- portance of these Associations to the cause of agricultural improvement can hardly be estimated. The operations of the State Agricultural Society, covering as it does the entire State, must of necessity be somewhat general in their character; and from the enlarged field of its labors, but little attention comparatively can be paid to the details of local and neighborhood improvement; these must therefore mainly be left to the fostering care of the County Societies. The County Societies, for the sake of uniformity, adopting the plans recom- mended by the State Agricultural Society, should annually send up full state- ments of their operations and researches, which becoming disseminated througb- out the State through the medium of the Society's Transactions, could not fail to produce a most salutary effect through the information thus imparted, and in the spirit of friendly emulation thus aroused. Another source of improvement arising frbm these Associations is found in the assembling together of the intelli- gent and enterprising farmers of the county. Local feelings and prejudices are thus broken down, a mutual comparison of views takes place, the improvements which have been and are being made in the various branches of husbandry, are carefully observed and closely studied, and the minds and feelings of all become enlarged and liberalized, fitting them not only for improvement in agriculture, but makinw them better citizens and better men. At these meetings the wall of prejudice which has so long separated them from other classes in community is destroyed, and they are made to place a proper value upon their own labors, and to assume their just position in the estimation of others. 102 The State Society is not independent of the County Societies, and neither are the County Societies independent of the State Society. They are co-laborers •with it, and though the operations of the one are more enlarged than those of the others, yet they are all parts of the same system, all having one common object, and all equally important in their respective stations. COLUMBIA. During the session of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Columbia, held at Fort Winnebago, in the month of November, A. D. 1851, it was pro- posed by some of the members of the Board to form a County Agricultural Society ; and for this purpose, after notice had been given, a meeting was held on the evening of November 18th, 1851, at which time a Constitution was adopted, and officers were elected. The officers are as follows : — President, Jesse Van Ness, West Point ; Vice- Presidents, Joseph Kerr, Randolph and T. C. Smith, Columbus; Recording Secretary, John A. Byrne, Otsego; Corresponding Secretary, Henry Converse, Wyocena; Treasurer, F. C. Curtiss, Lowville. No further returns have been received from this Society. DANE. "The Dane County Agricultural Society" was fully organized on the l3th of September, 1851 ; the articles of Association require an annual meeting of the Society to be held at Madison, (unless otherwise ordered,) on the first Wed- nesday of October in each year, at Avhich time and place a Cattle Show and Fair is to be held. Special meetings may be called at any time on two weeks notice. The following is a list of officers of the Society hv the current year, viz. : — President, Thomas T. Whittlesey; Vice-Presidents, N. J. Tompkins, William H. Fox, Jonathan Larkin, Philo Dunning, Charles Wilson, and George Anderson ; Treasurer, Jehu H. Lewis; Secretary, Robert L. Ream; Standing Committee on Premiums, Joseph A. Payne, James R. Larkin, and Philo Dunning. The Society has held several interesting meetings since its organization, and is rapidly increasing in numbers. The Agriculturists of this county, I am happy to 'inform you, are awake to their true interests, and we promise you that our first annual exhibition in 1852 will be second to none in the State. Very respectfully yoiu's, &c. ROBERT L. REAM, Sec. Bane Agl Soc. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wif. State Ag'l Soc. lOlJ IOWA. On the 10th of June, 1851, a number of citizens and farmers resident in the neighborhood of Mineral Point, assembled at that village, in consequence of a public call having been made upon them, in order to ascertain the feasibiHty of establishing an Agricultural Society with an annual Exhibition and Fair, for stock, articles of domestic manufacture, implements of husbandry, mechanical productions and improvements, and all the cereal crops of the agriculturist. At this meeting there were a number of horses and cattle of excellent breed, and in fine order, brought to the ground; and from the general good feeling on the subject of the organization of an Agricultural Society for the county of Iowa, as expressed at this meeting, it was determined by the citizens and farmers then present, that an adjourned meeting should be held at the Court House, in Mine- ral Point, on Saturday, July 19th, 1851, for the purpose of completing an organi- zation of the "Iowa County Agricultr.ral Society," and a Committee consisting of Gen, Wm. R. Smith, Hon. Mortimer M.Jackson, Samuel Crawford, Montgomery M. Cothren, Henry M. Billings, John Hand, H. L. Leffingwell, Levi Sterling and George Goldthorp, was appointed to report " Articles of Association, Rules and Regulations of Premiums, and nomination of officers of the contemplated Society." On Saturday, July 19th, 1851, the first meeting of the Society was held at Mineral Point, at which meeting Francis J. Dunn, Esq. presided ; and General Smith was appointed Secretary. The Committee appointed to report Articles of Association, Rules and Regula- tions of Premiums, and nomination of officers of the Society, made Report by their chairman, Wm. R. Smith, of the " Articles of Association of the Iowa County Agricultural Society," which were severally considered, amended, and unanimously adopted. By these articles the Society was to be organized by the election, yearly, of a President, six Vice Presidents, a Secretary and Treasurer; and their several duties were prescribed. The members were to consist of such persons as should pay into the treasury the sum of one dollar annually : a failure to make such pay- ment would work a forfeiture of membership. All persons competing for pre- miums at any Exhibition or Fair of the Societ}'-, would be admitted as members of the Society for the time, on payment of one dollar into the treasury ; and this payment was made imperative on the person so competing for premiums. Two semi-annual Cattle Shows and Fairs were to be held in each year, at Mineral Point, or elsewhere, in the county of Iowa, as might be determined on by a vote of the Society. The prescribed days for holding such Shows and Fairs are the second Fridays and Saturdays in the months of May and October in each 104 year. At such Exhibitions premiums are to bo awarJod by the several Commit- tees to be appointed fur such purpose, for horses, cuttle, sheep, swine, jacks, mules, farming implements, articles of home manufacture, crops, and the produc- tions of the dairy ; miscellaneous articles not embraced under any of the above heads, were also (-onstituted the subject of premiums at the discretion of the Committees. The several rates of premiums in money were established, and the distribution of diplomas and certificates was provided for. It was also determined that for the second best of any article exhibited, a premium might be awarded at the discretion of the Committees, consisting of an approved work on Agriculture. The same (Jcjmmittee also made report of the nomination of officers of the Society, and the following named gentlemen were unanimously elected: Pi'esident, li. L. Loffingwell; Vice Presidents, Henry M. ]3illings, Levi Ster- ling, Patrick O'Dowd, J(jhn Hand, Francis J. Dunn, George Goldthorp ; Treasurer, Sauuiel Crawford; Secretjiry, William R. Smith. Provision was also made for the delivery of an Annual Address by some mem- ber to be appointed by the Society. F. J. Dunn was aj^pointed to deliver the first Annual Address. The meeting was then adjourned until the second Friday in October. On Friday, October 10th, 1851, the Society held its first semi-annual Fair and Cattle Show, at Mineral Point ; the several Committees on eight classes of premium articles were appointed. On five of these namely, 1. On horses, jacks, and mules. — 2. On cattle. — 3. On sheep and swine. — 4. On farming implements — and 8. On miscellaneous articles. The several Com- mittees made reports, awarding to the exhibitors, in the aggregate, the sum of ninety dollars in money, and also several certificates of merit. The other three Committees, namely — 5. On domestic manufactures. — 6. On crops — and 7. On dairies ; did not report on account of the non-exhibition of articles coming under these heads. At this Agricultural Fair there were sixteen competitors for premiums in the first class, viz., horses, jacks and mules. Six competitors in the second class, viz. cattle. One exhibitor in the third class, viz. sheep and swine. Three competitors in the fouith class, viz. farming implements. Four competitors in the eighth class, viz. miscellaneous ailicles. Several productions of the garden were exhibited, and the Committee deemed all in this class entitled to certificates of merit. The Society then adjourned without day. It was a source of gratification to the friends of tha Society, and the citizens generally, equal perhaps to the satisfa<"tion felt by all the members of the Asso- ciation, to observe at this fii-st exhibition, the very numerous fine horses, mides, and cattle, that appeared on the ground. The very superior stock of Durham jsbort-horns, raised and cxliib'ifed by Mr. Joseph II. \'an Meter, of the town of 105 Waldwick, admitted of no ccoiipetition on tbe ground. He received no less than seven distinct premiums on his stock according to the classification of the Com- mittees. Several valuable grade cows and calves received premiums; and the horses, mares, colts and mules exhibited, would have retiected much credit on "any agricultural and cattle show in any part of the Union. Perhaps in no part of Wisconsin, and in very few parts of the United States, will be found a supe- rior breed of horses for the turf, the draft, or the farm ; and cattle of the full, and mixed Durham, Devon, and other valuable breeds, than is to be found in Iowa county, and particularly in the vicinity of Mineral Point. It was much to be regretted that no specimens of the very superior stock of Mr. Thomas Ansley, and Mr. Francis J. Dunn were exhibited at this time. It is well known, not only in WisGonsin, but wherever a turf register can be inspected, that Mr, Dunn's breed of horses are the best in the United States, and his breed of cattle and swine would confer great credit on any raiser of stock in the country. It is to be hoped that, at a future exhibition of the Society, the whole farming commu- nity may receive the benefit of examining the stock of those gentlemen, and reap the profit of their excellent and deserving example. At some future Show and Fair we may reasonably expect to see many of the various shmbs, fruits, and flowers, from Barnham gardens, the residence of Mr, John Hand, at Dover, in Iowa county, near the Wisconsin river. Mr. Hand is a professed horticulturist, and his productions of fniits, flowers, and garden seeds, have deservedly made Barnham gardens, as well as the gardener, well known to all the surrounding counties. In the county of Iowa, situated in the heart of the lead-bearing region, it might have been expected to see statements laid before the Society, of the mineral production of the soil. As a general remark, it may be observed, that the late emigration to California has, within two years, taken from the labor of the mines more than three hundred industrial producers. Such a deprivation would be felt in any community, where the product of the soil was a great item in the source of wealth. The neighborhood of Mineral Point, and in truth all Iowa county, has seriously been affected in their condition of prosperity by the emigration alluded to, although the mines are in no worse condition than they were two years since, and mineral has commanded an average price of $21 per 1000 lbs. during the past year. But the labor which has left the mines, must be replaced by other producers of mineral, to insure any continued prosperity; or perhaps it would bo more conducive to permanent wealth, that the attention' of the whole cornnumity should be immediately directed to the cultivation of the soil and the raising of stock, as the surest foundation on which an industrious people might build their hopes of ample remuneration. A few observations on the crops of Iowa county during the last year might. 106 witli much propriety, liave been laid before the Association. They may still be •considered as a component part of their proceedings, as they have lately been communicated to me by Hon. Hemy M. Billings, Vice President of the Asso- ciation. Winter Wheat. — This crop has been gradually failing for the last five or six years, owing more to bad cultivation than any other cause. The average crop this year (1851) is fifteen bushels to the acre; a few fields have yielded twenty- five or thirty bushels. The kinds are, the common white, and red chafi" — bald and bearded — the Mediterranean, and Hutchinson ; the two last have proved to be much the best. Our winter wheat is liable to spring kill in the month of March, by freezing, and thawing, and dry cold winds. This may be prevented by proper cultivation — deep ploughing, thorough harrowing or rolling, or by drilling, and by early sowing, the latter part of August, or first part of Sej^tember. Spring Wheat. — The average crop this year (1851) twelve bushels per acre. Kinds grown — black sea, red river, common Avhite and red chafi" — bald and bearded — hedge-row, and Canada club. This last received a premium at the State Agricultural Fair, and is a very fine wheat. The hedge-row was an entire failure; very few of the fields harvested — the}' were aftected by what is called the spot. Oats. — This crop was veiy heavy this year (1851) ; average sixty bushels per acre. Many of our oldest farmers have very much reduced their lauds by con- tinuous cropping ; they have seen their error, and are now adopting the system of rotation of crops. Barley. — This has become quite an important crop ; average thirty bushels per acre this year (1851.) Buck-Wheat. — Few farmere cultivate this grain ; the average crop this year (1851) twenty-five bushels per acre. Corn. — This great and important staple crop of our country, which is depended on for stock feed, is light compared with former years; the usual crop then was, from forty to fifty bushels per acre; this year (1851) the average crop was only twenty five bushels per acre, owing to a cold wet spring, and an extremely wet summer. Potatoe. — This crop was an entire failure from rot, except in the sandy lands bordering on the Wisconsin river, where the rot did not appear. Ruta Baga. — This esculent yields well, and is an important crop; average five hundred bushels per acre. Roots. — These succeed and grow well, of all kinds. WILLIA]\I R. SMITH, Sec. of Iowa County Agr. Society. To the Executive Committee of the State Agricultural Society. 107 KENOSHA. Dear Sir — In reply to your letter requesting the same, I will give you the rise and progress of the Farmer's Club, and of the Kenosha County Agricultural Society, growing out of the same. January 3, 1850, a few of us neighbors (farmers) met at the tavern then kept by Peter Martin, in the town of Pleasant Prairie, (some dozen persons in all,) and formed ourselves into a club known as the " Farmers' Club of Kenosha County," having for its object mutual benefits in Agriculture, by consultation and inter- change of opinion on that subject exclusively. This I believe to be the first aorricultural association in Wisconsin, and it remains still in existence. That Club met, and still meets weekly during the winter months. The meetings usually begin with a dissertation from some member; on each evening two Committees are appointed to visit the farms of certain members previously selected, and at the next meeting report their condition, &c. After these Committees have re- ported, any member may propose a subject for investigation, or ask any question he pleases of the Club, to w^hich any member can reply, &c. The Club is then free and easy, and any or all talk who wish, one at a time of course. The first President was Hiram Marsh, of Pike, (now Somers,) and the first Secretary was Henry Johnson, of the same place ; the latter resigned some little time thereafter, and his son, Hii'am Johnson, was chosen to fill his place, and still holds the office. Leonard Crocker, of Somers, is now President. Tlie fee for membership is one dollar for life, subject to assessments when funds are required. They have a good library, and considerable interest is kept up. At a meeting of the Club in the spring of A. D. 1850, it was resolved " That this Club use all its exertions to form a County Agricultural Society." In pursuance of this resolution, a meeting was called at Jackson's tavern, in the town of Bristol, on the third day of June, A. D. 1850, at which Z. P. Rich, of Paris, was called to the chair, and T. J. Rand was elected Secretary. A Society was then formed ; and twenty-four farmers enrolled their names as members. The following persons were elected as officers, to wit: President, Henry Johnson, of Somers; Vice Presidents, Thomas Slade, of Wheatland, and Lathrop Burgess, of Brighton ; Recording Secretary, T. J. Rand, of Pleasant Prairie; Corresponding Secretary, A. B. Jackson, of Bristol; Trea- surer, George S. Blackman, of Paris. The Society has from that time held quarterly meetings, at which much interest is manifested. The first Fair came off at Jackson's tavern, in the town of Bristol, on the 10th day of October, A. D. 1850, but under very unfavorable circumstances; it had rained for two days, as also on that day, and it was almost impossible to get along for mud. Dri\ing cattle was almost out of the question ; 108 still tliere was a fair show, 'and about six^hundred persons were present. There were at this time ninety-eight paying members. Premiums were awarded ; a farmers' dinner, speeches, &g., filled up the business of the day. The next operation of importance was an Exchange Fair, held at Dalton's tavern, in the town of Paris, on the twenty-fifth day of February, A. D. 1851. The object of the Fair was the exchange and purchase and sale of any and all agricultural or mechanical productions. Grains were sold by sample, farming utensils, cattle, hoi-ses and sheep, were also bought and sold, or exchanged, as the parties might agree. This was considered one of the best and most useful features of a county Agricultural Society ; but here again this Society was unfortunate in the weather, which had been stormy, with very bad travelling. There was, however, an attendance of some seven hundred or eight hundred persons, and considerable business was done. This kind of a Fair rose high in the estimation of all con- cerned, as productive of more real good than any Show and Fair that can be got up, as almost all attend for some real interest, one wishing to sell, and another wishing to purchase. The annual meeting of the Society is held in June. At the last annual meeting the following ofticers were elected for the fiscal year, to wit : President, Samuel R. McClellan, of Wheatland ; Vice Presidents, Nathaniel B. Clapp, of Somers, and Luman Marsh, of Paris ; Recording Secretary, T. J. Rand, of Pleasant Prairie; Corresponding Secretary, Levi Grant, of Bristol; Treasurer, Harvey Durkee, of Kenosha. This Society held its Annual Fair at Wood's tavern, in the town of Bristol, on the twenty-third and twenty-fourth days of September, A. D. 1851, at which time there was a very good show of agricultural and mechanical productions. It was estimated that two thousand persons visited the Fair. On the second day four hundred persons sat down to dinnei', and afterwards listened to a very elo- quent and instructive Address from the President. The premiums were then declared, which closed the exercises. Thei-e were two hundred and thirty-eight offers for premiums. The first premiums varying from two dollars to five dollars; the second awards were paid in agricultural and horticultural books : and I would here remark, that the books, as premiums, gave more general satisfaction than money, the former being kept and preserved as a memento, while the latter is expended and forgotten. Judging from the general expi-ession of those who received these, I am of opinion that good standard works on agriculture, horticulture, and mechanics, would be esti- mated as more valuable than any other award, as it results in placing practical works in the hands of many who would not otherwise have them, and not unfrequently opens a spring whr-'nce flows a stream of intellectual water, that will 109 refresh and irrigate a vast extent of dry and parched soil, aud will give it life and vigor. We have now about two hundred regular members of this Society, and great zeal is manifested. Our meetings are well attended, and interesting subjects are discussed, rendering this Society not only agricultural but intellectual ; and if it were not for the pressure of the times, and the migrating disposition at present prevalent among us, we should muster a Society of five hundred members at least. If you should require any further information I shall be most happy to furnish it. Yours very truly, T. J. RAND, Sec. of the Kenosha Agr. Society. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. ADDRESS OF DR. SAMUEL R. McCLELLAN, PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETV, Delivered before the Kenosha County Agricultural Society, at its Annual Fair, held September 23d and 24th, A.D. 1851. Ladies and Gentlemen: By the by-laws of the Agricultural Society of the county of Kenosha, it is my duty to address you. We have met under circumstances at once novel and interesting ; novel, from the fact that not one of us who are here participating in this agricultural exhibi- tion is a native of the soil we inhabit. We have come not only from the several States of the American Union, but almost every country of Europe has here its representatives. From the green Isle of Erin — they are here; from the chalky cliffs of England — they are here; from the high lands and the low lands of Scotland — they are here ; from the sunny banks of the Rhine ; from the vine-clad hills of France ; yea, and from the ice- bound coasts of Sweden, and of Norway — they are here ; presenting the inter- esting spectacle of a people dissimilar in language, education and habits, hanno- niously uniting for the upbuilding of a sovereign state under the broad banner of. republican independence. A practical commentary, this, on man's capacity for self-government. Our progress hitherto has been unrivalled. — A few short years ago, our fields, now waving with the golden harvest, lay in all the original solitude of Nature, 110 undisturbed by the foot of man, save the occasional stealthy tread of the red man of the forest. Now how changed the scene — oixr hill tops and our prairies dotted all over with comfortable dwellings ; school houses in every neighbourhood ; cities have sprung up along our borders ; internal improvements going on to successful com- pletion ; the magnetic telegraph, the great 2^ar Darjtim of the body politic, has shot across the trail of the savage ; commerce is pouring in upon us the products of other climes, and we are enjoying all the blessings of a refined civilization. "Whence all this prosperity ? These unequivocal signs of progress ? The foun- dation of it all is Agriculture. It is Agriculture that freights our steamboats, swells the sail of commerce, pays for our imports, nerves the ai-m of our me- chanics. Without Agriculture, mankind would be savages, thinly scattered through in- terminable forests. Yet, notwithstanding its vast importance in a physical point of view, to the well-being of the human race, the science of Agriculture has been the last to feel the influence and receive the impulse of our modern crusade after light and knowledge. It is true, poets have sang the praise of agriculture from the time of Virgil down to the present day; politicians have been enthusiastic in their admiration of it, and have taken great pains to shake hands with the hard-fisted yeomanry, particularly on the eve of an important election ; executive messages from year to year are regularly interlarded with eulogies upon it ; and yet, for all this, nothing has been done by legislative enactment to raise it to a level with the other sciences. The State has done nothing for the education of its children for farmers. It is true, we have in prospect an ample school fund, but no law regulating its application. Our children should be educated with reference to the business they are to follow. Chemistry, Geology, Botany, and their kindred sciences, should be taught in our common schools. — The State should lend its aid in furnishing the necessary books and apparatus, and in other ways ; in our University an Agricultural department should be established, this would do much to elevate the standard of ao-ricultural education. I am willing to admit the fault is somewhat our own, for a lack of unity of purpose and of action, and of earnest demands for our i-ights. — Nor do we expect good farmers can be made by legislative enactment; but it is nevertheless ti-ue that the aid and patronage of the State would tend to elevate and encourage agiiculturists, and enable them to take rank among the most intelligent, as they are now among the most virtuous. From our State Agricultural Society a vast amount of benefit is to be antici- pated— their transactions, it is to be hoped, will be liberally distributed ; and there is no doubt but that they will be sought for with a\'idity, and perused Ill with care ; they will create discussions, and lessons of practical utility will be in- culcated ; tliey will Lave a tendency to excite an appetite for agricultural and horticultural knowledge, and induce thinking, reasoning men, to examine more attentively the pages of those works devoted to the interest of the farmer. Although our occupation has in it much of toil and labor, it has likewise much, of pleasure and enjoyment. The inhabitants of cities live in a constant state of feverish excitement — every event that happens on any point of the globe's surface is transmitted to them like an electric shock, the consequence is, a morbid sensibility is generated throughout the whole community ; the nervous system is unstrung ; predisposi- tion to disease ensues, which lays them at the mercy of almost every breath of heaven. Not so with us — in the retirement of our homes we are exempt from the daily shocks which agitate a mercantile community. Necessary labor invigorates our physical constitutions, and we realize, nearer than any other class, the blessings for which the prophet of old prayed for, when he said, " Give me neither poverty nor riches." And if our gains are small, we feel that they are secure, not liable to be swept away by the next arrival from Europe, or the next telegraphic dispatch. The farmer who with a philosophic eye can watch the development and growth of his domestic animals, and trace the progress of vegetation from the bursting of the bulb to the perfection of fruit, is in possession of sources of enjoy- ment to which the denizen of a city is a stranger. In the economy of vegetation alone there is enough to claim our unceasing wonder and praise. Thouo-h discord may pervade human organizations and thwart their ends, it never interferes with the operations of the Deity, whose works are characterized by perfection of movement in all their parts, each atom fulfilling its proper des- tiny. It is the happy province of the agriculturist to watch and study the operations of this mechanism, and when, by the aid of science, he can comprehend its sim- plicity and perfection, there is a charm thrown around his pursuit commanding his most fervent admiration and praise. The infinite variety interwoven in earth's garland, from the' humble lichen that clings to the sterile rock, to the lofty tree whose towering branches shelter us from the noon-day sun, affords numberless examj^les of wise adaptation, all tending directly or indirectly to promote the progress and prosperity of man. And when we reflect upon the great variety of plants, some of which are adapted to the particular wants of each species of animal and insect, during every successive period of their existence, we are overcome with a mute feeling 112 of awe and adoration tliat aaoends upward to the Gr«at iifst Cause; and the farther we investigate, new developments and discoveries are opened out before us, some of which have, and others promise to effect great and beneficial changes on civihzed society. The time was when tliat valuable tuber, the potatoe, which has added millions of lives to the densely populated counti-ies of Europe, grew only in the unknown regions of South Auierica. The time was when that important crop to us, the Indian Corn, was known only to the red man of this western world. The time was when the coffee plant, which now furnishes the civilized world a most deli- cious beverage, grew only on the mountain slopes of Upper Ethiopia and Arabia Felix, its merits all unknown ; and, perchance, there now dwell in obscurity plants that future genei-ations may marvel that we could dispense with. Again, when we reflect upon the improvements already made in the vegetable kingdom by cultivation, we are lost in wonder and admiration. For instance, in the culinary dej^artment, the cabbage, a species of the genus Brassica, that now finds a place in every farmer's garden, was once a nauseous bitter plant growing wild upon the sea coast; and so of fruits, when we feast upon the luscious plumb, or the rich and juicy apple, we should reflect that these are the offspring of scientific cultivation derived originally from the wild stock. I might go on and enumerate, but time would fail me did I attempt even a sketch of the progress of improvements, made by cultivation in the vegetable kingdom. Again, the same law of progress is observable in the animal kingdom, but as it would require volumes to trace it out, I shall not attempt it at this time, it is a subject of interest, and I would commend it to the consideration of every farmer. In view of the importance of these subjects, we feel our mutual dependance ; we see the benefit of associating ourselves together, and lending our aid to Agri- cultural Societies, and should reflect while so doing, we are advancing our favorite pursuit. These periodical meetings of farmers afford a valuable opportunity for an interchange of sentiment, and often hints of great practical importance are thrown out and treasured up to be acted on at our future convenience, the result of which is the upward and onwai'd tendency of the science of agriculture. It is gratifying to reflect that Kenosha County was the first in the State to form an Agricultural Society. 1 looli upon it as an evidence of our progress in the method of conducting our farming operations, and feel confident that the result will be productive of still farther improvement beneficial to ourselves and to the communit}' in which we live, since it is a duty we owe to ourselves and to our profession, not only to keep pace with the improvements of the age, but to add something to the stock of knowledge already acquiied. 11 o Hitherto we have had the benefit of a virgin soil, that yielded its pro- ducts with comparatively little labor, but in the last two years we have received a check that should prove a salutary lesson to us. The failure of our great staple, calamity as it is, may be the means of making better farmers of us — we have followed this one idea until we have literally run it into the ground — we have depended upon one product almost to the entire neglect of all othei-s. Now, if we would place our agricultural interest upon a permanent basis of prosperity, we must retrace our steps, diversify our labor, and direct our energies to the production of eveiy article of value of which our climate and soil will permit; in short, we must pursue a more mixed system of agriculture. It is generally conceded that we have canied our farming operations to an unprofitable extreme ; it is not necessary for us to hack and scratch over our whole farms as an evidence of title. By cultivating well those parts naturally the most fertile, and laying tho remainder down to permanent pasture, we shall thereby derive an annual profit requiring but little labor. The ancients illustrated the importance of thorough tillage by the following apologue : A vine-dresser had two daughters and a vineyard ; when his oldest daughter was married he gave her a third of his vineyard for a portion, notwith- standing which he had the same quantity of fruit as formerly ; when his youngest daughter was married he gave her half of what remained, still the produce of his vineyard was undiminished. This result was the consequence of his bestowing as much labor on the third part left after his daughters had received their portions as he had been accus- tomed to give to the whole vineyai-d. It is a well established fact that all soils lose a portion of their productive powers by constant cropping, unless as much be returned to the soil as is ex- tracted from it. It is true, by a judicious rotation of crops we may succeed for a while, but eventually we shall be obliged to resort to manure or some other method of fer- tilization. Permit me to commend to your favorable consideration wool growing as a rotation and fertilizer that combines favorably with other interests. I know this recommendation is unnecessaiy to many members of this Society, as the splendid specimens of sheep here exhibited will amply testify ; but I would like to have the subject appreciated by the whole farming community. I am fully of the opinion, that a field well sheeped and once ploughed is better fitted for a crop of wheat than with any number of ploughings without the -sheep. 8 114 A writer on this subject, in the Patent Office Reports, says, sheep are to be admired for various reason?, for the warm and healthy artiele of clothing they produce, for their valuable mutton, for their ability to produce two crops in one year, viz., wool and lambs, for their quietness, and for various other reasons. Unlike other animals they have no disposition to injure one another, the stronger will not oppress the weaker, and the stranger may eat at the same rack. In this respect what a valuable lesson is taught the shepherd by his flock, a sheep may die in debt to his purchaser, but it cannot to him who raised it. The reason for this is plain. It pays all charges once a year, and the moment it has settled for arrearages it commences to accumulate at a rate which is sure not to fail where- withal to meet the next annual settlement, and die when it may, it always leaves a fair compensation to its owner for what little it has consumed of hia substance. Notwithstanding the opinion of some men to the contrary, sheep are a greater benefit to a farm than any other stock I have ever kept. They wiU turn thorns, and briars, and noxious weeds, (curses pronounced on Adam and his seed,) into useful substances, and in the end cause them to become extinct and valuable grass to grow in their stead. — Thus do they lighten the toils of man — thus do they turn the curse into a double blessing — yea a treble ; his thorny fields into green rich pastures, into warm clothing for his body, and into wholesome food for his subsistence. One other subject before I close, it is this, I would suggest to you the propriety of petitioning the legislature for a law establishing a State Board of Agriculture ; also an Agricultural Board in each of the several counties, and to provide by law for the collection of the Agiicultural Statistics of the State, through the instru- mentality of the town assessors. The great importance of information to be thus derived must be admitted by all. It would give us the condition of our whole State, and the comparative advantages of each county. By this knowledge spread out before us, we could more readily avail ourselves of the benefits enjoyed by our sister counties, and impart to them any peculiar benefit possessed by our own. From the several town reports a table could be compiled by the county board, and by them transmitted to the state board, exhibiting the principal products of the county, the number of acres devoted to the several crops, the quantity of seed per acre, and the cost of production from these data and others given ; the profit derived from each crop could be ascertained and noted, both per acre and per bushel ; this ta'ble should also embrace the number of horses, cattle, sheep and swine. Vai'ious valuable inferences might be drawn from a careful examination of such a table, which would cost the State comparatively but a trifle. 115 In conclusion, in behalf of tins Society I would thank the ladies who liave participated in this exhibition for their presence and their co-operation with us iu this, our peaceful and honorable pursuit ; we feel that their influence and efibrta are indispensible to our success, and that the education of our daughters is of no less importance than of our sons. And we appeal to mothers to strive to give them an education at once. Solid, useful, and practical, that shall fully prepare them to fill every appropriate station to which they may be called. This is em- phatically a practical age, woman is restored to her natural rights, and is justly esteemed the ornament and refiner of society, the companion and friend of man. Her influence, although not acknowledged, has controlled the acts of man in every age of the world ; in the days of chivalry she presided over the sports of the tournament and bestowed the prize upon the successfid knight ; and at a still earlier period the poet tells us "Tho world was sad, the garden was a wild, " And man, the hermit, sighed tiU woman smiled." RACINE. In this county a Society has been organized and several meetings held, but no direct report has been received of its doings. A Fair was held during the passt year, at which much enthusiasm was manifested, and the promise given that the Society would be well sustained. ROCK. The Rock County Agricultural Society was organized at a meeting held under a call for a convention of Farmers, to be held at Janesville, on Monday, January 6th, A. D. 1851, which call was signed by J. P. Wheeler, Esq. and Hon. Wm. F. Tompkins. The meeting was organized by calling J. P. Wheeler, Esq. of La Prairie, to the chair, and appointing Orrin Densmore, Esq. of Bradford, Secretary. The objects of the meeting having been stated in a brief address from the chair, remarks were made by several gentlemen. On motion of C. C. Cheney, Esq. it was Resolved, that this meeting proceed to form an Agricultural Society for the county of Rock. A Committee was thereupon appointed to draft a Constitution, which was subsequently adopted, and the following officers were elected : President, J. P. Wheeler, Esq. ; Vice Presidents, Messrs. Wm. F. Tompkins, 1U> Auscl Dickinson, Orrin Densiuore, Joseph Goodrich, James M. Burgess, and Anson W. Pope ; Recording Secretary, Josiah F. Willard ; Corresponding Secre- tary, Andrew Pahner ; Treasurer, John Russell ; and a Board of twenty Direc- toi-s, being one for each town in the county. By its Constitution it is provided that the Society shall hold an Annual Fair on the second Tuesday and the Wednesday following in October of each year. Its first Fair was held at Janesville, at which the attendance and display was such as to surprise and delight all. At the Annual Meeting held on the first Monday of December, A, D. 1851, the following gentlemen were elected officers for the' ensuing year : President, Hon. Josiah F. Willard ; Vice Presidents, Messi-s. Z. P. Burdick, John A. Fletcher, James M. Burgess, I. S. Love, John Winston, and Jesse Mills ; Recording Secretary, Orrin Guernsey; Corresponding Secretary, John P. Dick- son ; Treasurer, John P. Dickson ; and a Board of twenty Directors, being one from each town in the county. The Society received during the year 1851, from all sources, the sum of §292 91. Its expenditures for the same time were, for premiums awarded and paid at its Fair, $166 00; for printing, stationery, &c. $40 00; lea^^ng a balance in the treasury of about $86 00 to be carried to the credit of the next year. SHEBOYGAN. On the 9th day of April, 1851, a meeting of the citizens of Sheboygan county was held at Sheboygan Falls, for the purpose of organizing a County Agricultural Society. At this meeting officere were elected, and a Committee of one from each town in the county was appointed to report to the Society upon the soils of the several towns of the county. At a subsequent meeting, held July 4th, 1851, a Constitution for the perma- nent government of the Society was adopted, and the following named persons were elected officers under its pro\'isions. President, Dr. J. F. Seeley ; Vice Presidents, A. G. Dye, of Lima, and Hiram Smith, of Sheboygan Falls ; Secretary, H. S. Anable, of Sheboygan ; Treasurer, L. W. Davis ; Executive Committee, Messrs. Huntington Lyman, of Sheboygan, Reed C. Brazelton, of Scott, S. Lombard, of Greenbush, B. L. Gibbs, of Lima, and N. C. Harmon, of Linden. The Executive Committee subsequently fixed upon Wednesday and Thursday, the 24th and 25th days of September, as the time for holding the First Annual Fair and Cattle Show, and appointed the President, Dr. J. F. Seeley, to deliver the Address. 11 H 111 accordance with this action a Fair was held at the appointed time and jDlace, of which the Executive Committee thus speak : — " The result of the first Fair held in Sheboygan count}^, has more than equalled the expectations of the Executive Committee; the people have responded to their efforts with a zeal worthy of commendation. Another year will, without doubt, treble the number of members, and another Fair will be looked forward to with joyful aiaticipations. Soon we shall be able to take part in the State Fairs, when Sheboygan county will be brought into competition with the older counties of the State, and, with- out donbt, with honor. It is to be hoped that at the Annual Meeting of the Society, in March next, each member will make it a point to be present, to take part in the election of a new board of officers, and be 2)repared to renew their subscriptions. Much inconvenience has been felt by the Executive Committee in not knowing what to depend upon. They published a list of premiums, with but $10 in the treasury, trusting to the interest that might be awakened among the people. They have responded, and the Committee have been enabled to pay seventy-five i^er cent of the published premiums. The whole amount of cash received was eighty-five dollars, the amount of premiums paid was sixty-seven dollars and sixty-five cents, and the amount of expenses incurred for printing, stationery, • &c., was sixteen dollars and thirteen cents; leaving a balance in the treasury of one dollar and twenty-two cents. The whole number of members is ninety-four. The Committee on Soils have not yet reported. H. S. AN ABLE, Secretary, WALWORTH. Elkhorn, December 31st, 1851. Dear Sir — Your communication inquiring as to the origin, jjrogress, and present condition of the Walworth County Agricultural Society is received ; and below I give you a rough and hasty statement of the same, from such materials as I have in my possession. The inhabitants of East Troy, under the lead of Messrs. S. Brooks, J, Burgit, E.Thayer, and others, in the spring of the year 1850, resolved to associate themselves together, under the name of " The East Troy Agricultural Societ}-," to promote agriculture, horticulture, household manufactures, and mechanical work. To carry out the objects above expressed, many citizens of the towns ad- joining East Troy assisted, by subscribing their names to the constitution, paying their initiation fee, and lending their intlufinoe to create a spirit of ambition among the farmers in thf-ir several neighborhoods, to como too-pthcr in the fall, 116 at East Troy, ami exhibit such articles of stock, farming implements, dairy products, &c., as each might have, by way of competition for premiums. The officers of the Society at this time were : President, Augustus Smith, Troy; Vice President, Jacob Burgit, East Troy; Secretaries, Seymour Brooks and C. L. Oatman, East Troy ; Treasurer, T. Mower, jr., Troy ; Managers, Wm. Child, Hiram Brewster, Emery Thayer, Elias Hibbard, Joseph Bishop, William Watt, Samuel P. Cole, James W. Baitolf, and James Mother. The first Cattle Show and Fair of the said Society was held at East Troy village on the 16th day of October, 1850, and was well attended, not only by those living in East Troy and the adjacent towns, but also by residents of almost every town in the count}'. There was a good exhibition of stock, both native and blooded, and premiums were awarded in all the departments of the Society. The day being unpleasant, the ploughing match was postponed to a future day of the same month, at which time several competitors entered their names, and gained for themselves great praise by their skill in ploughing. The Society then met for the election of officers, and several gentlemen being present from different parts of the county, who were desirous of having the " East Troy Society'' (heretofore, in a great measure, local in its character and influence) change its name to the Walworth County Agricultural Society, and those who had put the ball in motion, in East Troy, being desirous to embrace the whole county, and increase the benefits growing out of an Agricultural Asso- ciation, a vote, after much discussion, was had and carried, that the Society, heretofore known as the East Troy Agricultural Society, should take the name of the " Walworth County Agricultural Society." The ofticers elected for the year 1851, were: President, William Child, Spring Prairie ; Vice President, Robert R. Potter, La Fayette ; Secretaries, Edw. Elderkin, Elkhorn, and Seymour Brooks, East Troy ; Treasurer, Sherman M. Rockwood, Lafayette; Managers, Jacob Burgit, E. Thayer, and William Hollins- head. The Executive Committee of the Walworth County Agricultural Society determined to hold the first Cattle Show and Fair of the said Society, at the villao:e of Elkhorn, on the 14th and loth davs of October, 1851. The exhibition of horses, neat stock, sheep, hogs, dairy products, and house- holithem and the Sioux in that direction, until the line was pushed down the river to the Sauk rapids. In 1825, when General Cass, as Governor of Michi- gan and Superintendent of Indian affairs, had a general congress of Indian nations at Prairie du Chien, to settle the boundaries of their respective lands, a dispute arose between the Sioux and Chippewas, as to the line between them. The latter claimed to the St. Peter and the Mississippi rivers, while the former claimed to Lake Superior, and averred that their fathers had always occupied and owned the country to that point. General Cass inquired of the Chippewas " on what ground they claimed the country, the Sioux having occupied it before the Chippewas came to it." Upon this Hole-in-the-day, then but a young man, rose and said, " we claim it on the same ground that you claim this country from the King of England — by conquest.'' "Then," said Governor Cass, "you are entitled to it." One of the most sanguine battles fought between these tribes was at the mouth of the Crow Wing River, as near as I could learn, from Indian tradition, about the year 1768. The battle lasted four days between 70 Chippewas and 400 Sioux, the most of the latter being killed. In 1843, the remains of the fortifica- tions, such as holes dug in the ground, and breast works thrown up by the Chip- pewas, were plainly visible; and the affair was explained to me by William Aitkin, Esq. The next Indian occupants of a portion of the soil in this orig-inal county, seem to have been the Sacs, (Sauks or Saukies) and the Foxes, the latter called Ottigaumies by Carver. At what time they commenced their occupation is uncertain. In 1673, and for some time before, they lived on Fox River, not far from Green Bay. But in 1766, Carver found the Sauks at Sauk Prairie, and the Foxes at Prairie du Chien. And, according to his account of the time of building their village— it being thirty years previous to his reaching the place — it must have been as early a^ 1736, and perhaps eariier. These confederated 140 tribes, who had been like Lshmael, their bands against every body, and, of course, in self defence, every body's hand against them, were driven from the St. Lawrence step by step, until they were reduced in numbers, and compelled to unite their fragments of bands for mutual defence and self-protection, and settle on Fox River, fifty miles from Green Bay, where in l706, they were defeated by the French and some allied Indians, who killed and took most of them prisoners.* It is probable that soon after this event they moved over upon the Wisconsin River, and wrested the country from the Sioux ; with whom and tbe Chippewas ■ they kept a continual war, until, as Black Hawk says, in his life by Le Clerc, they discovered the beautiful country on Rock River, the occupants of which, were weak and unable to defend themselves. Of this country they took possession, driving oft" the former occupants. This being the way this banded confederated tribe got possession of the countries they occupied, we can have the less pity for them, even if their sorrowful story of frauds practised upon them by the whites were true. Some where between 1706 and 1736, they must have moved to the Wiscon- sin; and they were there as late as 1790, as I was informed by Michael Cadotte, who showed me mounds with holes in them for breast-works, about five miles north of the Falls of Chippewa River, which were made by the Sacs and Foxes when warring against the Chippewas. The chief of the Foxes, who was first found by the whites at Prairie du Chien, Avas named Dog ; and the Prairie upon which he built his town, was called his, or Dog's Prairie. After the Sauks and Foxes left the Wisconsin and the country north of it, and took up their abode on Rock River and west of the Mississippi, the Winnebagoes moved from the vicinity of the Lake of their name, to the countiy vacated by the former ; at what date is uncertain. But as the Sauks and Foxes were here in 1790, and not here in 1805 when Lieutenant Pike ascended the river, the Winnebagoes came here probably about the beginning of the present cen- tury. At this period tlie Sioux, Chippewas and Winnebagoes, were the occu- pants of the soil as hunting grounds. The Menomonees claiming a part of the country west of the Wisconsin, and above the Portage. In 1825, the metes and bounds of these respective claimants were settled, in a general council of all the tribes within reach; and continued so until 1837, when the Sioux and Win- nebagoes sold out to the United States all of their claims east of the Mississippi, and the Chippewas sold all that they claimed to it, south of 46" N. latitude. And within ten years the Chippewas and Menomonees have sold out the remainder of their claims, so that the Indian title to the soil is now fully extin- guished. Carver's Travels, p. 45. 141 The first visit of white men to the country within our original limits, appears to have been made by Marquette and Joliet, who descended the Wisconsin River' in 1673; but they do not appear to have made any stop, not even to have aseended the Mississippi four miles from the mouth of the Wisconsin, so as to see this beautiful Prairie — if, indeed, it was then occupied by any one. In 1680, Hennepin ascended the Mississippi from the mouth of the Illinois to above the Falls of St. Anthony, and must, of coiu'se, have passed this place, (Prairie du Chien,) and he could hardly have passed it without stopping. But as there is no mention made by him of any settlement, or even of an Indian village, at that time it is probable that there was none. Hennepin says he was released from being a prisoner to the Sioux at Itasti, on the St. Francis River, by a trader, but does not tell where the trader resided. But as, on being released, he returned to Quebec by ascending the Wisconsin, it seems most probable that this trader lived at or near Prairie du Chien. And if so, he being here in 1680, was probably the first trader here. When Carver visited this place in 1766, he found an Indian village of about thirty years standing, and a ti-ading post of great commercial importance. One of the traders who accompanied him from Mackana, wintered at Yellow River, on the west side of the Mississippi, about three miles above our upper landing. But the site of the Aallage of which Carver speaks, must have been the same as that of our " lower town" at this time. Here we have the tradition of the French, that their fathers first settled and built then" fort ; and, in attempting to dig a well, they left a cotton-wood stick in the shape of a handspike remaining in it, which, taking root, grew, and is now (the well being filled up) a tree of more than a foot in diameter. The first regular settlers at this place, were those who came here in the employ of the traders, and leaving that trade settled to farm, fish, hunt or voyar/e, as opportunity occurred. These regular settlers must have been here previous to the Revolutionary War, at least some of them. For the whole Prairie, including forty-four farm lots, and twenty-six village and other lots, was divided off, and claimed by as many claimants in 1793.* These claims, except two farm lots, lie on this prairie, which is seven miles in extent from north to south ; and in width, one and three-fourths of a mile on the south end, from whence it runs to a point on the north. The original claimants occupied by common consent of the Indians ; it being a kind of common trading and neutral ground, on which all the neighboring tribes frequently, if not annually, met for trade or other interceurse. In 1818, Congress confirmed these claims to the settlers who were in possession in 1793. The proofs of ownership were taken in 1823; and the farm and village lots surveyed by order of Congress, in 1828. " American State Papers, Vol. 4. ' 142 From all I can learn, tLere must ha\e been a trading post established at La Pointe on or before 1722, which was probably as early as any permanent estab- lishment of the kind at this place. But as the immense trade on this river and its numerous branches, brought more voijageurs to this country than to the Lake at that eai-Iy day, and especially as the country here oflered greater facilities for farming than the Lake country, the settlement here became larger and more per- manent than that of the Lake. There were but few Americans in this settlement, previous to the occupancy of the Foi-t by the United States army in 1816. In 1805, Lieutenant Pike found a few Americans here ; but the most of the traders and settlers were Canadian French. When I moved my family to this place in 1836, there were but three or four American families in the place, out of the garrison and the Indian department. At that time the Indian title had not been extinguished to any portion of the country north of the Wisconsin, except to this prairie, as above stated, by common consent. In 1830, or thereabout. Judge J. H. Lockwood, under a heense from the War Department, and by consent of the Sioux, to whom he paid an annual ground rent, built a saw mill on the Red Cedar branch of the Chippewa, at which estab- lishment some gardening, but no farming was done. In 1838, after the treaties with the Indians of 1837 had been ratified, one company ascended the St. Croix to the Falls; another to the Falls of Chippewa; and, in 1839, another company went to the Falls of Black River — all of them to build and run saw mills. But each became the nucleus of more extended settlements, which have been ex- tending themselves wider and wider, until they settled a part of Minnesota, which has been taken from us ; and the counties of La Pointe, St. Croix, Chip- pewa, La Crosse and Bad Ax, which have been organized from the w^estern por- tion ; and the counties of Richland, Sauk and Adams, from the eastern poition of what was originally Crawford County. Leaving the present county to contain 658 square miles; and, in 1850, 2399 inhabitants. But as the tide of emi- gration is rushing in upon us at a rapid rate, there is probably from one-fouith to one-third more inhabitants now than then. " The general formation of the country" is hilly. Some portion of our ori- ginal county is level, but more of it undulating. The level portions of it are at the heads of the largest streams, where it is apt to be swampy and marsh3\ Near the ^Mississippi the hills or blufts rise in some places 500 feet above the river; but as you ascend the streams, the hills lessen down to a gentle undula- tion on the small streams, and to a level or marsh and swamp on the larger ones. In the present limits of the county the land is generally hilly or rolling. The level Or marshy portions are on the margins or bottoms of the great rivers. The whole of the original, as well as the present county, abounds in streams of 143 pure water, and abundance of water power. The purity of the waters in the smaller streams and lakes — those that are fed entirely from springs — may be judged of from the fact that they abound with speckled trout. But those larger streams which rise in swamps and marshes, many of them being tamerack swamps, show the effects thereof in the highly colored state of the water. The Prairie region extends from the Wisconsin, north, by a width of from thirty to fifty miles from the Mississippi, to within ten miles of Lake Superior at its western extremity, with sufficient timber for farming purposes the most of the way. Between the Black and Chippewa Rivers, on the present mail route, the timber is too scarce to encourage a general settlement ; but along the river hills, and also east of the mail route, timber is more abundant. East of the Kickapoo, and on the head waters of the St. Croix, Chippewa, and Black Rivers, and on the western branches of the Wisconsin — all within the original county of Craw- ford— there is no lack of timber ; indeed it is generally a dense forest of pine, mixed with hard wood. Within the present limits of the county, except a dense forest on the east side of the Kickapoo, the country is divided between prairie and timber, and open wood land, so that no portion of it can suffer for Avant of timber ; and except along the precipitous bluffs of the river, there is but little waste land. It can mostly be ploughed, gi-azed, or kept for timber ; and is not more uneven than S2!me of the best cultivated portions of western Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio, along the Ohio River. " The general character of the soil" is good ; within the present limits of Crawford County, in Bad Ax, La Crosse, the western portions of Chippewa, and southern parts of St. Croix, it may be considered as first rate. Indeed, it is hard to imagine how it can be improved. Further east and north, when you reach the pine region, the soil becomes of less value, except in places where the pine does not grow. The soil in that portion of the country fii-st named, is mostly a vegetable mould, formed from the decay of vegetable matter, or its ashes, Avhen burnt over. It is mixed with sand sufficient to give it warmth ; and this seems to increase as we go north, showing that nature, or nature's God has proAided against the vis- cissitudes of the climate. The poorer soils spoken of are, in the pines too sandy, and in the marshes too wet, and in a few instances a cold clay. " Of the crops and the general yield," it would be difBcult for me to speak, because I have not sufiicient data. Much depends on the mode of cultivation and the season ; fifty, forty, thirty, and twenty bushels of wheat to the acre have been raised. So far as I know, thirty of wheat, fifty of corn and oats, and from one to two hundred bushels of potatoes, are considered an average crop. In the cranberry marshes, which are found at the head of the larger streams, the crops in good seasons are said to average several hundred bushels per acre. 144 " Of the Manner of Cultivation, and of lUi defects,'' 1 can say but little. The old French settlers, when the Americans first came among them, wrought things as their fathers did two hundred years before. To yoke oxen, they tied a pole across the back of their horns. They had no waggDns, and their one-horse carts were without tires, boxes, or skenes on the axles. They usually put in only spring crops. Their wheat, oats, bai-ley, and peas, were sown on the ground, with no other preparation than burning off the weeds, stubble, and grass, of the last year's growth, and ploughed in — the ploughing being usually in the same direction — no crossing, and no manuring. The ground cultivated was in a narrow strip at the foot of the bluffs, where was the best soil, say from forty to eighty rods wide, and enclosed in one com- mon field from five to seven miles long, having but one fence on the west side, and across each end — the bluffs on the east answering for a fence on that side. The corn planted was of the early Indian variety, which ripens in the early part of September ; yielding from thirty to fifty bushels per acre, according to the mode of cultivation. The wheat, oats, barley, and peas, being harvested in August, and the corn in September, the field was usually thrown open in October as soon as the potatoes were gathered, as common pasture. If wood was searce in the ensuing winter, or before the ice became good for procuring it from the islands and bottom lands of the river, most likely the fence would be used in their stoves, being dry, and the place of the rails would be supplied before spring by new and green ones. These annual changes of the rails, rendered it of little consequence whether they were made of oak, ash, maple, or willow, the three latter being usually the easiest obtained, composed the most of the fencing mate- rial of the farms. The grain cradle was not known here until the arrival of Americans, the scythe and sickle being the only instrument used for that purpose. The French bind their grain with wiUow withs to this day. In other respeets, they have availed themselves of the improvements introduced by the American immigrants, and some of them are now amonsf our best fai-mers. Most of the new inventions for ploughs, harvesters, and threshing machines, are now in use. " The Markets are good, and also the facilities for reaching them." From the earliest settlement of the country, the military and Indian departments, in- cluding the fur trade, always furnished a good market for our surplus produce, until a short time since when the amount produced has been greater than the demand from that source. To supply the deficiency, the lumber trade since 1838 has kept the demand more than equal to the supply ; add to this, the demand growing out of the immigration ; so that hitherto the demand for every thing, except wheat, in the two last years, has much more than equalled the home supply. And our prospects for a market are good for a long time to come in our 145 own country, and nearly at our own dooi's. The lumber trade; the Indian trade and annuities; the miUtary posts at the north and west of us, together with the continued tide of emigration; to which may also be added the mining interests; all together, bid fair to consume the most of our surplus produce, except, perhaps, ■wheat. Within two or three years past, the produce of wheat has been larger than the demand in the country. But the facilities for transportation by steam-boat on the Mississippi, has supplied us with a market in St. Louis. Our merchants pur- chased the wheat, cleaned it thoroughly, had sacks made of coarse domestic cotton, holding over a bushel each, and sent it to St. Louis, where its superior quality and clean state commanded the highest price, making it pi'ofitable for both the producer and the merchant. The opening of the navigation of the Wisconsin and Fox Rivers, already gives us a choice of markets, between St. Louis and the Lakes, for all we have to spara over and above the up river and home demand. And if, as is expected, the Mil- waukee and Mississippi railroad should reach the river at this point, we should have an additional facility for reaching an eastern market. Nor will it make much difference, if any, whether that road reaches the river at this point, or not, so far as the surrounding country is concerned. The road must reach the river somewhere, but if not, some other one will, within a short distance, by steam; so that before our surplus produce gluts the market on this great river, we shall have the double facility of steamboat and railroad whereby to reach an eastern market, and that too at but a trifling expense. As it is well known, that the average of our crops exceed that of the eastern part of our State, after deduct- ing the expense of reaching the Lake, we shall have equal, if not greater profit, per acre, than will our more eastern neighbors. " Our Stock" is that which is most common to the country. We have no ani- mals of special note, unless it is the pony breed of horses; and not many of them. Our early French settlers came to the country by water, and in bark canoes, or Makanaw boats, and could not bring with them the real Canadian or Norman horse. Indeed I do not remember of seeing one of that breed in this country. If there is one, or more, they must have come by land from some State border- ing on Lower Canada. The original stock of horses here, probably came from the South and West, and were from the stock introduced by the Spanish into Mexico, Santa Fe, &c., and from thence spread among the Indians. Carver mentions an expedition of the Winnebagoes towards Santa Fe, and the capture of eighty horses at one time, which they brought home with them. The French settlers here may have obtained horses from their brethren at Kaskaskia, or in Missouri. But in either case they were onginaliy obtained, most probably, from the Indians to the south and west of them. 10 14G The present bleed of horses, or ponies, are not generally of an extraordinary character. Only a few very great travellers have been found among them. I lia\'e, however, seen one of but moderate size, Avhich is said to have travelled before a light train on the ice, from Mount Trompelau to this place, 120 miles, between sun rise and sun down, in February, and that without any visible injury. But whether any of such bottom can be now obtained I am unable to state. Our stock of horses has greatly improved of late from immigration. The horned cattled in this country, originally came from the States of Illinois and Missouri, and were not of the first quality. Some few of a good quality were obtained from the droves brought up, but generally they were of the ordi- nary character. Immigiation has lately brought some of good quality among us, but I know of none of the imported breeds of the day; though, no doubt, we have some of mixed bloods, which are quite valuable. Sheep have done remarkably ■well, so far as they have been tried ; they are very hardy, and produce good and heavy fleeces. To show their hardiness and the adaptation of the climate to their growth, I will give the following fact : — In 1837 a drove of sheep was brought to this place for slaughter. One of them, a wether, strayed fiorn the flock and took up its abode in the liiHs east of this prairie, and within three-fourths of a mile of my house; and strange to tell, but nevertheless true, he escaped notice of men, dogs, and wolves, through two win- ters, and was discovered and killed in spring of 1839, in good eating order. His hoofs were so worn by travelling over the rocks, that they were but square stubbs. We know that he must have straved from the said flock, because there had been at that time no other such drove on the Prairie from which he could haxe strayed. At this time there are a few small flocks of sheep which do exceedingly Avell, and show, most conclusively, that our hilly and healthy country is well adapted to raising them on a large scale. I have never heard of any disease among them. As for Hogs, we have some Berkshires, but they have become so mixed and crossed with other kinds, that but few of them can be distinguished. Poultry of of all kinds do well. " The adaptation of the country to grazing, as compared with tillage," is a question I am not as well prepared to decide as are those of more experience. A few facts, howerei', may serve to show the gi-azing qualities of the country. The French here who usually own large droves of horses, seldom, and some of them never feed them in winter, except such as they use; and, in the spring, they are in tolerable order. In our low bottoms and ravines, where the wild grasses gi-ow high and rank, they are sometimes beaten down by the fall rains and snow; in which case the snow usually covei^s a large quantity of green substance which the hoises reach by pawing away the snow, if snow is thei"C. If the grass is not beaten down by the tnow, but stands up and reaches above if, then they eat oflf 147 the tops. And what is remarkable in this country, this dry j^-rass, reachino- above the snow, is eaten with avidity by the liorses; and from the fact that they keep in good order on it, it must have considerable nutrition in it, even in that dead and dry condition. There are, however, other means of grazing in the country. On some of the islands and river bottoms, there are not only thickets of under-brush on which the animals browse, but rushes abound in many places on which horses and cattle will even thrive through the winter. These rush beds are not very numerous ; they abound most in the thick timbered regions where the wild grass is thin, or does not grow at all. In the winter of 1842-3, when the hay failed at the Falls of the Chippewa, the cattle not wanted for immediate use were driven to, and watched in, the rush bottoms. In the same winter, a party of us voyaging with horses through to Lake Superior and back, our hay and oats having failed we were obliged to resoi-t to the rushes, on which our horses subsisted three days before we reached the settlement. The quality of our prairie hay is said to be better than the same article further south. Those who have lived in the southern parts of Illinois and Missouri, say that they can winter cattle easier in this region than in the former places. They think the grass here makes more substantial hay, probably from not being so much drenched in summer by the rains. But a principal reason why cattle can be easier wintered, is the character of our winters. We are not one day in mud and wet snow, nor being drenched with rain, and the next day frozen into icicles. Cattle under such sudden and repeated changes, cannot do as well as with us, where but few such changes occur, probably not more than one or two, and sometimes not one through the whole winter. Diy snow, and dry cold weather, even if somewhat severe, when it comes on gradually, and is uniform,, does not effect man or beast, as does the contrary kind of weather. If it requires nnich labor to provide a winter's stock of provender, we have good health and ])hysical strength to perform it. And we are satisfied to woi'k if we have health, rather than get along without it, and shake half the year with the ague and fever. If our cattle cost us more to raise and keep, they bring a better price when raised, than do those that eome up themselves in sickly regions. As between grazing and tillage, I think there is but little to choose, if either is to be pursued by itself. But both togethei- is certainly pi'eferable; because the straw and stalks from tillage go far in wintering cattle, which would be a loss if we had no cattle to eat them. " Of Dairies" we cannot say a gi-eat de county and capital of the State, is situated between the Third and Fourth Lakes, upon a high rolling strip of ground, from one-half to three-fourths of a mile in breadth, and com- mandincr a fine view of the Third and Fourth Lakes. Accordina: to the census of 1850 the town contained 1871 inhabitants, and the population of the county was 16,654. Streams. — The pi'incipal streams in the county are the Catfish, Koshkonong, Black Earth, and Sugar River. These streams furnish sufficient water-power to jueet the ordinary wants of the country, but not adequate to exteiv^ive mauufac- IT)! turiiig operations. Tlie Catfish luis its rise in the northern part of the county, and runs in a south-easterly direction througli the four Lakes, and unites with Rock River, in Rock county. The Koshkouong rises in the eastern part of the county, and runs in a south-eastern direction, and discharges its waters into the Koshkonong Lake. Sugar River rises in the south-western part of the county, and runs in a south-eastern direction through Green and a corner of Rock, and unites with Rock River in the State of Ilhnois. Black Eai'th Creek has its rise near the centre of the county, a little west of the Fourth Lake, running in a north-westerly direction, and uniting with the Wisconsin ri\cr near the north-east corner of Iowa county. These streams and their tributaries, together witli many other streams of less magnitude, Avater most parts of the county abundantly for agricultural purposes. Mills. — There are ten or twelve saw mills in the county, propelled by water, and two propelled by steam, and eight flouring mills, the most extensive of which is that of Leonai'd J. Farwell Ai Co., at the outlet of the Fourth Lake, near Madison. Face of the Country. — The general surface of the country is of a gently undulating character, the exceptions being found in the vicinity of the Wisconsin River, and such of its tributaries as have their rise within the county. In these localities, particularly along the Black Earth Creek, are found the bold, precipitous blurts and deep ravines peculiar to the valley of the W^isconsin, with these excep- tions, there is but very little ground in the county too rough for cultivation. The Blue Mounds are two high hills rising out of a surrounding plain, united at their bases, but terminating in separate peaks at an elevation of about one thousand feet above the level of the Wisconsin river. They are located twenty-five miles west of Madison, and the county line between Dane and Iowa, passes aorth and south between the two mounds. The summit of the east mound, which is the higher one, is the highest point of land in Dane countj^ and may be seen from many positions in the central, northern, and eastern portions of the county, at a distance of twenty-five or thirty-five miles. Prairie and Timber. — With the exception of a narrow belt around the north- eastern shore of the Fourth Lake, there are no nati\e forests in the coui^ty. Ih the northern and western portions of the county there ai'e extensive prairies, and consequently (especially in the northern townships) a scarcity of timber; but in the eastern and southern portions of the county tlie burr and white oak openings predominate, and aftbrd an adequate supply of timber, though not of th<3 best quality for building purposes. Marshes.— With the exception of some irreclaimable specimens about the sources of the Koshkonong, in the east part of the county, marshes are not in- conveniently numerous nor extensive. They are valued for the supplies of hay 15-2 ^ they furnish, which, when propeily oured, is consiilered nearly or quite as gooJ as English grass. It is also observable, that the marshes are gradually being recovered from the dominion of the waters, the drier portions becoming suscep- tible of tillage, and other portions which were formerly too wet for mowing, becoming adapted to that process. This change is being effected, not by the expensive process of draining, but as the natural result of opening the soil of the adjacent land for cidtivation, in consequence of which it absorbs a large portion of the water which the hide-bound soil was wont to shed ofl" into the marshes and streams. And we may confidently expect that this reclaiming efiect upon the marshes will continue to be felt, until the arable land is all brought under cul- tivation. The advantage which the farmer will derive from this fortunate circum- stance, will be, that much of his marsh land, which was once too wet even for the wild grass, will be recovered for that product, while the drier portion will become prepared for the reception of English- grass, which, if not materially better in quality, will excel the wild grass in quantity, in the ratio of about three to one upon the same area. General Character of the Soil. — The soil is generally a sandy loam — the proportions of sand, clay and vegetable mould, of which it is composed, vary in different localities, and with the undulations of the surface, vegetable mould being most abundant in the prairie and bottom lands, sand in the burr oak, and clay in the white oak openings. As the soil is penetrated, clay becomes more predomi- nant, until, at the depth of from twelve to eighteen inches, a subsoil of brown clay is reached. This deposit is from two to five feet in depth, and sufficiently compact to prevent the leaching of the soil. Below it various formations are found in dift'erent localities ; but the most common, so far as observations have been extended, is a sandy gravel of great compactness. As we approach the Wisconsin River, the sandy quality of the soil becomes more predominant. In the eastern part of the county and extending a little west of the center, granite boul- ders of almost every variety abound; but in the western portions these myste- rious strangers disappear. Limestone, more or less mixed with sand and flint, is very abundant in every part of the county, and the soil, of course, is well supplied with lime. In the vicinity of Madison, and in some other localities, sand-stone of excellent quality for building purposes is found. Agrictltural Products. — From the foregoing description of the soil, it will readily be inferred that it produces, in greater or less perfection, all the varieties of grains, grasses, esculent roots and fruits, commonly found in the temperate latitudes ; but as some of those products flourish much better than othei-s, some notice of particular products, and the causes of their success or failure, may be profitable. Wheat. — During the first few years of the settlement of Dane County, (and the remarks which follow will apply to the whole of Southern Wisconsin, (this 1 r.o important staple succeeded well; but for the last four years, it lias proved almost an entire failure. The chief causes of this failure have been three- fold : First, the slovenly and ruinous practice of sowing small grains, and in many instances wheat after wheat, three or four years in succession, upon the same ground, without seedino- or summer fallowing, which gives the infant plant a feeble constitution, choked and poisoned by noxious weeds. Second, the changeable temperature of the winters, and the absence of snow to protect the roots from the destructive effects of alternate freezing and thawing. Third, the further injury of the sickly product by untimely rains during the harvest season. The existence of the two first named causes is shown by the fact, that during these years of failure the crop has generally succeeded best upon sod ground, or ground newly broken up. In such cases the ground is clear, and the wheat gains undisputed possession, whilst the compactness of the soil and the firmness with which the whole mass is held together by the complicated interlacings of the roots of the native grass, prevents the roots from being thrown out of bed by the process of freezing and thawing. It is obvious that the first of these causes of failure may be entirely removed by a more thorough and scientific system of cultivation, which will readily sug- gest itself to every farmer. The effects of the second cause may, to some extent at least, be guarded against. The soil of the prairies and openings is very loose and porous, and the roots of the wheat are, consequently, \erj much exposed, under the most favorable circumstances in respect to season ; and by the alterna- tions of freezing and thawing, this exposure is proportionally increased. The concurrence of these unfavorable circumstances may be avoided by ploughing in the seed, or, perhaps, by the use of the cultivator instead of the harrow, and then comp£icting the soil by the free use of the roller. The repeated failure of winter wheat, has induced many experiments with spring wheat, and a variety called the hedge-row, has been quite popular; but it is found to deteriorate very rapidly in places where it has been tried a few years in succession — the heads becoming shorter every year and the product less. This is evidently a migratory species which will not flourish in a fixed locality. But spring wheat, of whatever variety, is a poor crop to depend upon for expoilation out of the State, as the very best quality cannot compete in the market with good winter wheat. From observation and reflection, I am of the opinion that Wisconsin farmers cannot depend upon the culture of wheat to balance their trade with other States. I have been a careful obser\er of the climate of Wisconsin, and judging from the experience of twenty-four winters, I am satisfied that in two winters out of three there is not snow enough to afford the necessary protection to winter wheat. The product requires a snowy country, a peculiarity which is rarely identified with that uniformity of surface observable in Wisconsin. 154 The coarser grains, adapted to the i-earing and fattening of cattle and liogs, •uniformly succeed well. The yellow deiit Indian corn succeeds better in Dane and some of the adjoining counties, than in most iocalities in the same latitude, and is generally cultivated in preference to other varieties. The quantity of black sand mixed with the soil, in the prairies and openings, has the eflect to bring fonvard and mature this crop with great rapidity, when the warm season an-ives. The soil yields large crops of rye, barley, oats, ften asked. They wili 174 do soiuethiiig; but whether they will bear enough of fruit in ten years to make their culture profibible is a question upon which we have not sufficient data to warrant a reply. Trees have borne here four successive crops, and winter-killed the winter following the last one. If I had a spot of pretty high ground (not rich) sloping to the east, and pevfectly^roteeted on the west from cold winds, I should plant an orchard with the expectation of having fruit once in two or three years. The peach-worm should be looked for in the trunks, at the surface of the ground, several times every summer, and after they are dug out and des- troyed, some ashes should be placed around the tree. The grape does well with me. I have had the third successive crop of Isa- bellas the last season from a vine seven years old, standing in deep, rich sandy loam ; others, who have planted in stiff clay, have not been equally success- ful. The grape seems not to relish a compact soil. The vines should have some protection by laying down and covering with straw or litter the first four or five winters, after which they will do without. My Isabellas have been veiy fine except the crop of last season, which did not perfect its flavor for want of sufficient sunshine. In ordinary seasons they ripen from the 1st to the 15th of September. The Catawba is two weeks later in ripening; it has not yet fruited with me. I suppose it will not perfect its fruit except in favorable seasons in this latitude. I have fruited another variety, inferior to the above, the two past seasons; it ripens two weeks earlier than the Isabella — is as hardy as our wild gi-ape, and a rampant grower. Strawberries do very well with me, producing good crops every year, with mo- derate culture. The large Early Scarlet is the best variety tried here. Hovey's Seedling proves rather unproductive. All fruits, except Heart cherries and the peach, should have a good deep soil, and clean culture until the middle of August. To let trees struggle up among grass and weeds is to throw away the money bestowed upon their planting. Orchards planted on high grounds produce a good crop when the frost kills all the fruit in low grounds. The most elevated sites should be chosen on that account, according to my experience. Too much can hardly be said against the slovenly manner in which trees are often placed in the ground, and cared for afterward. Many seem to suppose that to get a line lot of large trees from the Nursery which have made a tall, slender growth, to get their roots in the ground by preparing a hole just large enough to receive them by crowding — and then to keep them trimmed up to such a height as will admit the free passage of a tall horse under the branches without brush- ing his ears — is all that is necessary to secure, in time, a good bearing orchard. The trees must not ititeifere with the growth of other crops, a full crop of wheat or oat-s is expected to crrow among them : to ofTect which the ground must be 175 ploughed close up to the trees. Some of them get bruised and barked, and others broken down by the team ; to avoid which the land is seeded to grass. Continued cropping has exhausted the soil, the meadow renders it dry and com- pact— the trees begin to look sorri/, and some die — when the owner gravely concludes that " this is no fruit country," the cattle are turned in, and he is soon rid of his unsightly orchard. Trees for transplanting in orchards should not be very large. Thrifty trees three or four years fi-om the graft are safest. (The writer has had the best success with those but two or three years old.) Some set out at two years growth, from root graft the spring of 1847, have borne fruit the two past seasons. One of them lias borne its third crop. All of them have made rapid strong growth, and are now large enough to bear from a peck to a bushel each. They should be taken up carefully with as many roots as possible. If they are to be out of the ground more than a few hours, the roots should be coated with mlid (grouted) ; they now require a pretty severe pruning to restore a balance between the top and shortened roots. When arrived at the place of planting, the roots should be covered with earth to prevent further drying. This done, you are now ready to set out. If the places are not already prepared, that must now be done by taking out and removing the subsoil to the depth of at least eighteen inches, and not less than two feet each way from the j^oint where the tree is to stand, the surface soil removed may now be replaced in the bottom of the hole thus made, filling it half, or two-thirds full. Now set the tree in the center, and fill the space around the tree with rich surface or alluvial soil, filling the outside of the space around the tree until the roots are nearly covered — then dash among the roots a pail of water — fill immediately to the level of the surrounding sur- face— now walk around the tree pressing down the soil, not stamping — throw on three or four inches more of alluvial over the whole space, and the work is done. After-culture must be attended to by those who expect to raise a good orchard, why should not a crop of apple trees receive the same attention as any other crop ? Corn, perhaps, has no equal as a crop in the young orchard. Each tree should be allowed to fill the space of one hill of corn. East, potatoes and root crops are recommended; trees there need all the sun they can get — hence the practice. Here we have often too much burning hot sun, especially in July and August, causing "bark blight" on the naked trunks of young trees, which often destroys them the first year or two after planting. This evil may be avoided without the shade given by the corn crop, after the second year, if the trees are let alone, that is, not trimmed up. But how can we hope to induce farmers to cease trimming up their young trees at once; a system of operations so contrary to all their pre -education and practice on the subject, can hardly be expe<"ted to meet with thoir approbation. 17G We will be content at the present time to meet about, half way, and will agree if you do not like our practice after trying it, to submit to the practice of the old way without grumbling. Now, to our practice. Let the young trees have their own way after being well set; they will throw out branches near the ground to furnish them elaborated juices for the formation of new wood and roots prepara- tory to making a free growth. The lea\es performing the same office for the tree that lungs do in the animal economy; and as the animal cannot flourish without healthy strong lungs, neither can the tree. The young tree will throw out these new branches, covered with lungs, just where they are needed to shade the trunk from the burning rays of our summer sun. Crop them off, and the vital energy of the tree is weakened ; continue the operation, it becomes sickly, and if death does not ensue, the ti-unk does not grow for want of nourishment; a disproportionate quantity of leaves will gather in the top, overloading that part, the trunk becomes j^ermanently bent, and the symmetry of your tree is destroyed. A multitude of facts, bearing upon this theory, may be gleaned in almost any part of our country where the planting of young orchards has been commenced. Two trees can be shown in our grounds of the same variety, and of the same size when set in the spring of 1847; one, allowed to have its own way, formed its head two or two and a-half feet from the ground, and has borne two crops of apples, and has at this time enough of branches, and of a proper size, to support a bushel of fruit. The other, set in the same row, only eighteen feet distant, topped at six feet from the ground, has had the same cultui-e and attention, but has not yet borne an apple, and has not more than half the top to support a crop as the other. The low-headed tree has decidedly the advantage in contests with our strong winds, and comes off unscathed, while the high-topped one is swayed about, bent, and has its I'oots loosened, if not broken, by the increased lever- power given to the wind by its long trunk. Young trees in my nursery generally make a stronger growth, and invariably have more I'oots, when allowed to have nearly their own way, than when the old system of trimming up is applied to them. The ol>ject of having the ground mellow and loose at the surface around young orchard trees, is mainly to prevent the e\"aporation of moisture. A still greater benefit may be conferred by keeping around them straw manure and other litter during the summer; and even in winter if a small mound or hillock of earth was thrown around the stem in November, it would prevent the attacks of mice, and support the tree during winter storms. The spring after setting out, in May or June, those trees which have made a good growth may be trimmed some within a foot of the ground; and within two or three yeai-s, if good cultivation is kept up, the reijuired heiirht may be 177 given to the Leads; but we must here repeat let that required height be as low as possible. The seeming difficulty of working around and under low-headed trees vanishes, as the plan is executed. They will throw their branches upward, presenting the shape and symmetry of a spread fan. Roots and top being brought within hailing distance, they seem to vie with each other in their growth, pro- ducing the most well proportioned, strong growing, healthy orchard tree that can be imagined, in the shortest possible time. The writer is well acquainted with instances where the quantity of fruit borne on low heads was twice that of high topped ones of the same variety, standing side by side, and with the same treatment, the diflference continuing after the trees had become well grown, and had borne several crops. High topped trees will frequently throw their branches downwai-ds, and fill the space prepared by the owner for the passage of his team, forming an um- brella with the eaves near the ground. This is an effort of nature to supply shade to the naked trunk of the tree from the burning rays of the sun ; an eftbrt which would not have been put forth, had the tree been allowed to furnish that shade by producing branches near the ground. I have yet to find a man who has tried low heads who is dissatisfied with them, or who could be persuaded to abandon the practice for the old one. Yours very truly. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. J. C. BRAYTON. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. AGRICULTURE OF KENOSHA COUNTY. SoMERS, December 30th, 1851. Dear Sir — Yours, of December 27th, was received this evening, soliciting information upon the agricultural condition of the county of Kenosha, and I regret exceedingly that the duty has devolved upon one so incapable of furnish- ing correct information upon the various subjects embraced in your communica- tion ; but I will proceed, without further apology, to answer your inquiries to the best of my knowledge. The history of Kenosha county, I presume is pretty generally known, espe- cially in Wisconsin ; it was formerly a part of Racine county, and was incorpo- rated into a separate county at the session of 1850. It comprises the city of Kenosha, and the towns of Southport, (being the fractional parts of two town- ships bordering upon Lake Michigan,) Pleasant Prairie, Somers, Paris, Bi-istol, 12 178 Salem, Wheatland, and Brighton ; being about twenty-five miles in length east and west on the south line, and about nineteen miles on the north line by twelve miles in width. It is bounded on the south by Illinois, on the east by Lake Michigan, on the north by Racine count}^, and on the west by the county of Walworth. If I am not mistaken the first settlement was made in 1836, by the Oswego Emigration Company; the population in 1850 was nearly 11,000 — the exact number I do not now recollect. The face of the country is sufficiently un- dulating to give a good drainage to the surface water, but not hilly. The eastern part of the county is mostly prairie, interspersed occasionally with small groves of timber. In the vicinity of Pike Creek and bordering on the Lake, there is quite a large tract of heavy timber, tall and thrifty, consisting of different kinds of oak, hickory, maple, black walnut, elm, bas.swood, black and white ash, iron wood, &c. The western portion of the county consists more of oak openings or barrens, as it is generally called, interspersed with several beautiful lakes, which abound with fish of various kinds. Our county is watered by Fox River, the two branches of the Aux Plains, and the two branches of Pike Creek, with some few smaller streams which afford water the most of the year. I am unable to state the number of acres of tillable land, but from my limited knowledge of the county at large, I can say that there is but a very small proportion of the county unfit for tillage, and I scarceh' know of any but may be made good tillable land by a little drainage. I hardly know how to describe the soil, not being a scientific man. The sur- face soil of the prairie is black, having the appearance of being formed of char- coal and ashes from the burning of tlie luxuriant and heavy growth of grass with which it abounds, together with the decayed vegetable matter which occasionally escapes the devouring element. The surface soil varies in depth from four to six or eight inches, when it seems to change to that of a lighter color, and more compact, and resembles a species of clay mixed with fine sand and limestone pebbles, and after being ploughed a few years to the depth of eight inches or more, it becomes of a chocolate color ; and the greater the depth of ploughing, the more abundant are the crops of all kinds. This county is well adapted to the growing of all kinds of crops which are grown in the western country. Wheat has hitherto been the staple commodity, but has partially failed for the last three years; the average yield was about twenty bushels per acre. Corn, oats, barley, and the different grasses, flourish when the ground has been properly prepared. Clover and Timothy yield an abundant crop on land which has been thoroughly subdued, and manured before, or at the time of seeding; but whenever an attempt has been made to grow tame grass of any kind, except Red top. on land which has not been well subdued, it has proved a failuie — hence the idea which [)revails in many places at the East, an/. 184 AGRICULTURE OF OUTAGAMIE COUNTY. Applkton, December Slst, 1851. Dear Sir — In compliance with your request of the 15th inst., I have the honor to transmit the following as the best statistical information relative to Outagamie County which I have been able to procure in the very brief space which has elapsed since I received your communication. In reply to your first question, I would say that a few scattered French families settled at various points on Fox River, in Outagamie County, at a very early date — how early is not precisely ascertained. About the year 1837, a Roman Catholic Mission was established at Little Chute, a point on Fox River, about twelve miles from Lake Winnebago; but no settlement of any importance has been made until within the last three years. In the month of February, 1849, a settlement was commenced on Fox River, seven miles from Lake Winnebago, on the present site of the village of Appleton, and since that time the popu- lation has increased so rapidly that the county now contains about four thousand souls. The settlers are mostly from New Ensrland and New York, and are an in- dustrious and thrifty population of a good, moral, and religious character. The county was organized in 1851. The name was an unfortunate one, not the choice of the people — but future legislation, we hope, may remedy this difficulty. The principal place of the business of the county is Appleton, in the township of Grand Chute, where is located the county seat. The villages of Lawesberg and Grand Chute lie on either side of Appleton. The village of Little Chute, five miles below, is inhabited almost entirely by French, Dutch and Germans. The village of Kaukana, nine miles below Appleton, and sixteen from Lake Win- nebago, has risen into importance during the past year, principally stimulated by the extensive State works now in progress at that point. Hortonville is a village in the w&«^tern part of the county, where a great deal of hmiber is manufactured. The general formation of the county is level. About twenty miles in length of the Fox River lies within this county ; while the Wolf River runs with innu- merable windings through the interior portion. The latter is navigable by steam- boats far above any point in this county. For ten miles the Fox River in this county is not navigable, in its natural state, on account of the Rapids. The banks of the Fox River are high and stee}") — they are cut by heavy ravines which run back sometimes half a mile from the river. The land falls slightly as it recedes from the banks, making in some places a sort of swayle in which the ra\'ines take their rise. After tliis the land I'ises again, until at a distance of a mile or so from the river it is dry and undulating. The whole country is well timbered ; it may be said in general that it is covered ^ith a heavy growth of 185 timber — maple, oak, ash, elm, and hickory. The exceptions tu this general remark would be, the patches of openings which lie along the river at many points, (being most abundant in the northern part of the county,) and the mag- nificent and apparently inexhaustible pineries which extend along either bank of the Wolf River. The marshes found in many parts of the county, produce now a fine quality of grass, and are capable of very profitable cultivation, with em- phatically but little expense for drainage. Outagamie county is twenty four miles in length one way, by twenty seven miles in breadth the other way, containing 648 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Oconto county and the Indian Reservation, on the east by Manito- woc and Brown counties, on the south by Calumet and Winnebago counties, and on the west by Waupaca county. I have no doubt that six hundred square miles of good tillable land are to be found in this county. As to its soils, and their constituent elements, there appears to be a bed of limestone rock underlying the whole county — upon this is a bed of red marl, generally about seventy feet deep, with occasionally a streak of blue clay, and very rarely a little hardpan. On the surface of the marl is from three to six inches of decayed vegetable matter, making a rich blue mould. The limestone is less apparent in the western part of the county, and the soil assumes on the surface a drier and lighter character, and of course is a very retentive and extensively productive soil. The farmers have had barely time since taking possession of their land to bring it into condition to I'eceive crops ; and, so far, they have only succeeded in raising what was sufficient for their own use, and the partial supply of a limited though regular home market. A practical farmer who passed through the county during the summer of 1851, mentioned a forty-acre field of winter wheat, three miles west of Appleton, as by far the best he had seen in the course of a journey through the whole southern and western part of the State. Our agricultural existence has been so brief, that the science has as yet assumed no definite form ; and there is not sufficient data to enable me to say anything more, than that all the common crops which have yet been tried here have succeeded beyond the expectation of the farmer. One piece of land which has been regularly planted for many years back by a half-breed family without receiving any kind of manure, now yields abundantly under the worst possible cultivation. The next two years, however, will show the capabilities of the county. The most approved time for clearing land is during the summer months; and the first crop is generally put in without ploughing. Farmers generally have but limited means, and are compelled to get all they can out of their lands, with the least possible outlay, for the first two years. The market for agricultural products is as yet entirely at home — nor is that 18G market fully supplied ; but when productions increase beyond the capacity of the home market, they will find ready access to a foreign one. The Fox River Improvement, now in progress, will connect the county directly with the great Lakes ; and fifty miles water carriage will bring the production of the county to the nearest depot of the Rock River Valley Union Railroad, by which they can reach Milwaukee and Chicago. The manufacturing villages which will naturally arise on such noble water-powers as are found in that part of Fox River which lies in this county, will always afford a steady and extensive home market, and any surplus will easily be shipped either north or south. Our county is altogether too young to have attained much celebrity in the raising of stock. The stock in this part of the country is of a superior character, and a general desire is manifested to obtain good breeding animals. Though, as before stated, all crops that have been tried here have succeeded well, yet the soil seems more expressly adapted to grazing. Garden vegetables have succeeded well here. All kinds of fruit trees live, grow finely, and do much better here than in more open countries. The extreme richness of the soil, and the protection in winter afibrded by the heavy timber, enables almost every kind of fruit tree to do well. The gardens in the various villages yield abundantly all kinds of vegetables; and it is probable that fruit-growing will form a prominent branch of industry in this county. The important point in considering the resources of this county is the water- powers in that part of Fox River which lies within its boundaries. There are falls at four points — at Grand Chute, at Cedar Rapids, at Little Chute, and at Grand Kaukalin. At each of these points the P'ox River Improvement is in a state of greater or less forwardness; and as about fifteen locks, and several miles of canal will be needed in order to overcome the falls, some idea may be formed of the amount of fall at the river between the head of the Grand Chute, and the foot of the Grand Kaukalin. At the villages on the Grand Chute Rapids, are now four saw mills, a lath machine, two planing mills and sash factories. A large edge-tool factory has also been erected at Appleton, and preparations are now being made to build a flouring mill at the same village in time for the next harvest. At Little Chute there is a saw mill, and another at Grand Kaukalin. The Lawi'ence University of Wisconsin, under the patronage of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is located at Appleton, in this county. At present only the Academical Department of the Univei-sity is organized ; but as it Is liberally endowed both witli land and money, it cannot be long before the Collegiate Department will be in operation. It has hitherto labored under some embarrass- ments, but it is hoped that these will soon be removed, and that the Lawrence University will take a high rank among the Collegiate Institutions of our land. 187 With the best wishes for the continued prosperity and usefuhieas of vour Society, and for the advancement of the cause of agricultural improvement, I am, as ever, yours truly, P. H. SMITH. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. AGRICULTURE OF RACINE COUNTY. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. Racine, January 31st, 1852. Dear Sir — Your circular of 1st ult^ desiring me to prepare a paper for the State Agricultural Society, containing " a general account of the agricultural in- terests of Racine County, &c." was duly received. My experience as a practical agriculturist having been extremely limited, and nearly every moment of my time and attention being absorbed in matters foreign to that subject, I had hoped that other gentlemen, more competent than myself to supply the desired memoir, of whom there are very many in our county, would have responded to your circular. But having received your iawov of the 2d instant, in which you say that I am alone depended on " for information as to that particular matter," I felt that I ought no longer to resist the appeal. I have accordingly devoted snatches of my time during two or three weeks past, to the collection of such random facts and statistics as I have been able to {)ick up by the way. These facts I have endea- vored to arranofe in such order as to afibrd a connected and clear idea of the agricidtural statistics and farming interests of this county ; and have accompanied them with such fugitive ideas in relation to the matter, as have either occurred to my own mind, or been elicited from others during my brief investigations of the subject. Area of Racine County. — Under the Territorial organization of Michigan, the district of country now comprising the State of Wisconsin was divided into four counties — Brown and Milwaukee, bounded on the east by Lake Michigan ; and Iowa and Crawford, bordering the Mississippi on the west. A Territorial Government having been organized for Wisconsin on the fourth day of July, 1836, its legislatuie, by an act of the 7th of December of that year, divided the county of Milwaukee, and erected therefrom the county of " Kacine," whose limits were thus defined : " Townships numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 north, of ranges 188 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 east." This included tlie present county of Kenosha, which was set off as a separate county in 1850, and by which Racine was cur- tailed of nearly one-half her oiiginal proportions. As now constituted, Racine county includes the full townships numbered 3 and 4 north, of ranges 19, 20, 21 and 22 east, and fractional townships 3 and 4 of range 23, bordering Lake Michigan on the east — together with the four northern tiers of sections in town- ship 2 of range 19. These boundaries give the county a superfices, by survey, not far from 218,500 acres — or, say 340 square miles. Proportion of Land occupied as Farms. — Of the aggregate of 218,500 acres, I may safely assume, from the data to which I have had access, (the census returns of 1850, and statistical information from other sources) that 150,000 acres are owned or occupied as farms in this county — about 120,000 of which is improved, and say 30,000 in wood-lots and unimproved prairie; leaving 68,500 acres of unoccupied and non-resident lands, including lakes, ponds, marshes, &c. And assuming that the present population of our county is 16,500 souls, (it was about 15,000 eighteen months ago — in June 1850) 9,500 of whom are engaged in farming operations; and assigning six persons to a family, it will follow that 1583 families are engaged in agricultural pursuits in this county. Extent of the Agricultural Interest. — Of these 9,500 people, wlio com- prise the 1583 families connected with farming in this county, there are doubt- less 3,000 (say an average of two to each family of six persons) who are out- door operatives in performing the requisite labor on the farms ; and they will accomplish an amount of labor equal to something like 250 days work each, within the 365 days of the year. Now if we estimate their services at an average of 70 cents per day, it will show that the sum of $525,000 — over half a miUion — is expended annually in the county for farm-labor alone ! Ten dollars per acre would be a moderate average of the value of the 150,000 acres occupied as farms; this will give an aggregate value for the land, of $1,500,000. By the census returns in June 1850, agricultural implements, farming tools and machines, were put down at not far from $130,000; add for increase dui-ing the eighteen months that have elapsed since, say $40,000, and we have an aggregate for that item of $170,000. Besides these, the Stock indispensable on a farm — including working horses and oxen, cows, hog-s, sheep, beef, and stock cattle, &c. — forms no inconsiderable item in the requisite expenditure for the successful prosecution of that all-important industrial pursuit; the census makes this expenditure more than $300,000, for 1850 — say, at this time, (18 months later) $350,000. Allowing $300 to each farm, for dwellings, barns, out-buildings, (fee. and we have $474,900 for this item. It will hence appear, that the total investment in the operations of farming in Racine county, is at least $3,019,900 — over three mil- lions of dollars ,' 189 In view of the suiall amount of capital possessed in so recently settled a com- munity as ours, this is a vast sum to be expended in what I may he permitted to call the mere preparations for farming — and within a county whose area scarcely exceeds twelve by twenty-eight miles. Agriculture the Paramount Interest. — Of the four primordial sources from which the producti\e classes derive subsistence for themselves, and create wealth and power for nations, viz : — the sea, the forest, the mines, and the SOIL — the latter alone, by the aid of agricultural skill, industry, and enterprise, is made to furnish three-fourths of the material that gives existence to the foreign commerce and home-trade of the United States: Our Exports to Foreign countries for 1851, amounted to $196,689,718 Of this amount, the products of Agriculture furnished.. $145,903,778 Those of the forest, the sea, manufactures, &c , 50,785,940 Showing an excess of Agricultural products over all others, of $95,117,838 Thus it is demonstrated that Agriculture is the great cardinal interest of the na- tion. And in this particular region, it is not only the leading interest, but almost the sole reliance of our people, constituting the very ground-work upon which the whole supersti'ucture of our business is built and sustained. It is, indeed, the life- blood of all our trade and commerce, and has become the regulator of the whole machinery of our business transactions; so that when agriculture languishes, trade and commerce, manufactures and the mechanic arts, all droop and decline. IIow vitally important it is, then, that a branch of industry to which all other interests are merely auxiliary, and with which their business prospects are so inti- mately interwoven, should be aided, and fostered, and honored by all classes, and at every sacrifice consistent with a proper regard for the subordinate interests of the community. Agricultural associations, and agricultural publications, are undoubtedly among the readiest means of effecting such improvements in the systems of tillage common in this region, as the advanced state of the art at this day imperiously demands — as w'ell as of diffusing valuable information, and of imparting such scientific knowledge to our agriculturists, as will tend to elevate their " calling" to a rank commensurate with its vast importance. No such dis- tinctions as "privileged classes" can be recognized under our republican system; but if, by some anomalous upheaving of the political and social elements of our country, they were to be, the holders of the plough should unquestionably be our " lords paramount" of the realm, since they are, theoretically and practically, already the " sovereigns" of the land. Producing all that commerce subsists upon, they are the arbiters of the trade and business of our towns and commercial marts ; and could, if they would, hold the political destinies of the Republic in their hands. Racine Agricultural Society. — In connection, it may be appropriate for me to state, that our fanners, fully impressed with the utility of agricultural assc- 190 ciations, organized the " Racine Agrirultural Society'' on the 1st of September last; and by the 14th of October, 234 persons had become members by the pay- ment of |1 entrance fee each, thus constituting a fund of 6234. On the 14th and loth of that month, an Agricultural Exhibition and Fair was held, at which $203 50 was distributed, in forty-six premiums to different competitors, in suras varying from $10 to 50 cents each. These premiums were awarded, respec- tively, for the best cultivated farm — best reclaimed marsh lands — best crops of wheat, corn, oats, vegetables, &c. — several for the best horses, working oxen, milch cows, beef cattle, neat stock, sheep, hogs, and breeding animals — for butter and for cheese — for the best ploughing, and various agricultural implements — for manufactures of cassimeres, flannels, sheeps-gray cloth, cabinet furniture, Hi year to year; ;uid h'.indreds c >nliilently expected to win, bv going it blind, in this veiy unscientific mannoi-. And for a 910 few years it succeeded ; but a short crop or two, with a depressed market, has brought them up all standing. The cry is now heard, what shall we do to be saved? And for the purpose of answering this satisfactorily, an Agricultural Society has been organized in this county within the past year; and we do hope that a different account from this w'ill be given of us in a very short time. For I confidently believe, and it is the opinion of others, that with a system of farming adapted to our soil and climate, scientifically and thoroughly pursued. Rock County can be made to produce an amount equal to that of any other of its size in the State, or perhaj^s in the Union. Its capacity for growing all kinds of grain, roots, and grasses, is, in my opinion, equalled by but few, either in the Eastern or Western States. Rock county is thiity miles in length from east to west, and twenty-four broad from north to south, comprising twenty townships of six miles square, each con- taining thirty-six sections of 640 acres, making 460,800 acres, or 2,880 farms of 160 acres each. Rock River runs through this county from the north, in a south- westerly direction, affording plenty of water-power, and with its numerous tribu- taries, presenting a large field for grazing and dairying. Let me say here, that we have an abundance of lime stone, producing lime of a superior quahty ; also good building stone. For the purpose of showing the capacity of this county for production, we will suppose those 2,880 farms to be properly fenced and under a good state of cultivation, sixty acres in pasture and meadow, forty of timber, and sixty kept under the plough, in the following proportions and estimates of yield: — say 15 acres in wheat, at 25 bushels to the acre — 10 acres oats, at 50 do. — 10 acres barley, at 30 do. — 15 acres corn, at 50 do. — 5 acres flax, at 15 bushels seed and 1 ton of fibre to the acre — and 5 acres roots, at 250 bushels to the acre. Of Stock, say 10 cows, making 350 lbs. cheese to the cow, or 175 lbs. butter — 100 sheep, shearing 3 lbs. wool per head, and avei'aging 25 lambs to the flock — 1 ton of pork — half a ton of beef — 1 horse and 2 head neat cattle to each fann for sale yearly. This calculation gives an aggregate of 1,380,000 bushels wheat, 1,440,000 bushels oats, 864,000 bushels barley, 2,160,000 bushels corn, 221,000 bushels flaxseed and 14,400 tons of fibre, 3,600,000 bushels roots, 10,080,000 lbs. cheese or 5,040,000 lbs. butter, 864,000 lbs. wool, 72,000 lambs, 2,880 tons pork, 1,440 tons beef, 2,880 horses, and 5,760 head of neat cattle, besides poul- try, eggs, fruit, and culinary vegetables, in quantities to suit purchasers. I shall not enter into an estimate of the value of this vast amount of produce, preferring to wait until it shall be grown, and the market value a shade or two higher than it is at present. In estimating the yield per acre in the foregoing calculation I have been guided by the experience of uur best farmers, and have the assurance that they have all been realized, and some of thera much greater; I have therefore no hesitancy, ia view of an improved system of husbandry, rotation of crops, manuring, deep ploughing, improved implements, &c. in saying, that they may be exceeded, with the exception, perhaps, of the wheat crop, and even this has been realized in this county and much more. On the other hand, the average of the root crop is set altogether too low ; if we except potatoes, it may be easily doubled or quadrupled. It was generally believed, until within the last three years, that grasses could not be grown successfully, either on our prairies or oak openings; but within that time considerable attention has been paid to this important branch of farming, and with the most complete success; clover and timothy are the principal kinda of grass which have yet been grown, at least to any extent. In regard to those I have the testimony of several gentlemen who assure me that the yield will com- pare favorably with that of most of the eastern States; one and a half, two, and two and a half tons have been cut from the acre on our highest and driest prairies. Mr. Eldred, of Johnstown, has fully tested the capacity of our prairies for dairying purposes; he has milked the past season 28 cows, making cheese mostly, and of a most excellent quality ; we have been using it on our table for some time past, and finer, or better flavored, I have seldom seen or tasted. His average from each cow, he informs me, is three hundred and fifty pounds of cheese, and a small quantity of butter. His meadows, he assures me, yield equally as well as eastern meadows in the same latitude; his pasture aftbrd as much feed, equally as nutritious, and conti- nuing quite as late in the season. Wool in small quantities is being grown in this county. Sheep do remarkably well, as does stock of all kinds, fattening readily, and yielding an average quan- tity and quality of wool. No country can boast of a climate better adapted to the health of sheep, as well as animals of all kinds. This county is about equally divided into prairie and oak openings. There are no veiy large bodies of heavy timber, the most part is of that kind which requires two trees to make one rail cut ; nevertheless, we manage to keep ten or twelve saw mills in operation the most of the time. A considerable portion of the tim- ber, however, is brought down the river, from Jefferson County, in rafts. There are some excellent breeds of swine in this county, although some of the kind that I'oot up the third row of potatoes through a common rail fence, are yet found amongst us. And that race of Sucker Porkers, called " nine-mile-hogs," which it is necessary to soak in the spring to make them hold swill, is not yet entirely rooted out; but the present laudable effort on the part of our farmers to improve their breeds of swine, will soon place them on the list of things that were. This county must very soon produce large quantities of pork for exportation. * 214 Ynut trees, paiticulaily apples, }>eurs, plums and cherries, thrive well with us, both ou the prairies auJ iu the openings; peaches, apricots and nectarines, are somewhat doubtful ; currants, gooseberries, and strawberries, are pei'fectly at home with us ; and we have only ou)"selves to blame if we have not a full supply of those delicious fruits. We have no orchards of any consideiable size, the attention of our people not having been turned to planting trees until a very late date — growing hedge-row, and money shaving, has been the absorbing business; but recently our folks have come to the conclusion, that planting orchards is of some consequence, and have entered into the business with a spirit and zeal that guarantees at no dis- tant date, a full supply of luscious and health-securing fruit. We have several very respectable nurseries in this county, which is an index of the increasing interest in the fruit-growing business. The past season has been very favoi-able to the planting of trees, they have made wood finely. Respecting the cultivation of the grape, I am not prepared to speak positively, particulaily on our prairies, as there has been, like almost every other branch of horticulture, but little attention paid to it. We have some vines growing in our village gardens; and where they have had the most common attention they grow well. I have tasted some fruit of excellent flavor, and have heard no complaint of that great curse of this fruit, the mildew. One gentleman who has paid some attention to their cultivation, assures me that there is not a doubt but the}- can be grown successfully both on the prairie and opening lands. That the vine grows well 1 know, but mine have not yet matured fruit, so I can say nothing as to their bearing qualities. Manufacturing iu this country is yet in its infancy; not a tithe of \\hat we ought to have, or are cajiable of sustaining, being yet in existence among us. There are at pi'esent in this county, twelve saw mills, six grist and flouring mills, three furnaces, two machine shops, one woollen factory, one oil mill, one flax mill, one platform and counter scale factory, six tin shops, two or three turning lathes for v\'ood, four }>louga-making establishments, two fanning-mill shops, one hat and cap ftictory, three printing ofliccs, with blacksmiths, cabinet- makers, shoemakers, cavriagemakers, harnessmakers, &c., to meet the wants of the community nearly. We have also, one brewery and two distilleries — if that is a mark of progress. There has been no meteorological register kept in this neighborhood ihat I am aware of; and as to the geology of our county, or our mineral resources, we kn^AA as little as Hottentots. No analysis of our soil has as vet been made to mv knowL-doe, iherefoio, of all that relates to its composition, or adaptation to ihi^ om^'* 'h of p«vlii u'lir k!n of I Tops. v.'f are most gloiiouslv ignr.rant, (K 215 • I have just had some conversation with a gentleman, Mr. Thomas, of the town of Newark, who informs me that he has invented and patented a machine for pulling flax, which he has no doubt will do the business to perfection. He has some in process of building, and is so confident of their operating successfully, that he intends to sow fifty acres to flax, this spring, himself, which he would not do, of course, if he had to go through the old fashioned, back-aching operation of pulling it by hand. If Mr. Thomas's expectations are realized, it, with the re- cent improvements in the dressing and manufacturiug of flax, will work a great revolution in the production of this article, and we may expect to see large quan- tities of it grown in Rock County, as well as other parts of the great and growing West. Hoping you may, yet fearing that you will not, find any thing in this commu- nication that will be of service to you, I subscribe myself your friend, and wcU wisher to the cause of General Improvement. JAMES M. BURGESS. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the W??. State Agr. Society. AGRICULTURE OF SAUK COUNTY. Pkaikie Du Sac, December 31st, 1851. Sir — You request to be fui-nished with some account of our county, Sauk, with general information, is received. As to the early history of Sauk County little is known here. When I came to this county, in 1840, it was inhabited by the Winnebago Indians, who said that they had whipped the Sacs oft^ and that when they came here there was a large settlement of the Sacs on the lower end of Sauk Prairie. I have often ex- amined the remains of their tillage there, and should suppose they raised corn in one lot of at least 400 acres ; the town of Westfield is laid out on part of this ground, and the whole quantity of land, tho 400 a^^res, is covered M'ith well formed, regular, corn hills. In the AMcinity are a number of iiregular Indian mounds. In building the Sauk mills, four miles from the villages of Westfield and Prairie du Sac, on the Honey Creek, I had occasion to haul oft" a few of the largest Indian mounds found there for the purpose of making a dam, as I found on opening one of them, that they were composed of a toTigh light colored clay, the rest of the ground surface being sandy, I was surprised to find that the mounds only Avore clay; as soon as I came to the level ground the clay disap- 21G peared, leaving in my mind tbe impression that the clay was brought there and deposited for some purpose. We found the skeleton of one man only, it was entire, but crumbled up soon after exposure. There was nothing else except a considerable number of spear and arrow flint heads very well formed. The population of Sauk county, at the date of the last census, June 1850, was 4,372. Sauk county is bounded on tbe east and south by the Wisconsin river, on the ■west by Richland county, and on the north by Adams county, and contains 1,044 square miles. The soil near the river is generally sandy, but strong and quick, does not leach, bringing forward crops from its natural warmth rapidly ; as the land recedes from the river it increases in strength and richness until black mould, with very little stiff clay soil ; the subsoil is generally sand, and rock composed of mixture of lime and sand ; there is not much clay subsoil, and that is sandy. The face of the county, with exception of the prairie, is hilly, say one-third fine level prairie, one-third handsomely undulating, the rest hilly ; but the hills are principally rich black loam, and a great part of them susceptible of tillage. Corn is the principal crop, avei'age 40 bushels to the acre; oats are a heavy crop, averaging also 40 bushels; wheat in this county fills well, and is a good sample; the corn and oats cannot be surpassed ; agriculture and tools generally good ; cattle and horses plenty, but not much attention paid to improvement of stock; some few have commenced to improve. Three years, out of eleven, only have produced good crops of winter wheat, owing to be killed out for want of snow suflicieut to protect the roots from the February and March frosts and nipping winds; the three good years, there was plenty of snow. The remedy I have tried is early seeding, and sowing rather more seed to the acre than is customary here, say seven pecks to the acre, plough- ing the seed in, if possible, and leaving the ground rough, as the rough sods breaks the cold wind fi'om the small plant; also scattering litter, stable manure, or straw, on tbe wheat field, after the braird is well up ; this I have practised sviccessfuUy. About one-half of the county is well adapted for grazing, especially the hilly part, as the bluffs are well timbered, yielding rich grass, and we have as much marsh land as is necessary to make it a good grazing county ; from the supply of hay for wintering, there can be no doubt of its being a better grazing coimty than cropping, and farmers are generally turning their attention to feeding and dairy stock. The principal streams are the Wisconsin River, the Baraboo River, and the Honey Creek and several minor creeks. The principal Prairies are Sauk and Spring Prairies, both noted for their beauty and fertility. ^211 Horticulture as yet has not been much attended to, but the specimens of flowers and fruits already raised are really fine. The principal market at present is the Wisconsin Piuer}'^, distance sixty miles, which takes all we can raise; but the Wisconsin River will, now that steamers are running regularly in summer, take oiF every surplus. All the potatoes we could spare, amounting to several thousand bushels, went down the ri\ or in arks last year, and found a ready market. I remain. Sir, youi-s very truly, HENRY B. STAINES. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. AGRICULTURE OF SHEBOYGAN COUNTY. Sheboygan, December 31st, 1851. Dear Sir — The village of Sheboygan is situated on a sandy elevation, about forty-three feet above the level of Lake Michigan. The sand extends down in horizontal beds about twenty feet, aud exhibits the same phenomena that we might expect from the combined effects of ice and water — the difierent beds seem to mark great and distinct commotions in the then superincumbent waters. Some of these separate beds of sand are composed of an innumerable number of minor strata, which are bent and contorted in every possible direction; and are quite irregular in extent and thickness, exhibiting the same appearance that is seen in a section of the sand on the present lake shore, in the spi'ing, when the pieces of ice have been melted that were at different times washed on shore, and buried in the sand. Below the sand is a stratified bed of clay, which is here seventy-eight feet in thickness. The strata are generally very thin, and divided by fine sand. Boulders are occasionally found in the clay. This clay makes excellent light- colored brick. Below the clay is carboniferous limestone, which is here ninety- tight feet below the surface of the ground, and fifty-five feet below the surface of t\ie lake. This stone has, at our village, been penetrated one hundred feet with a view of obtaining an artesian well. No remarkable change was observed in the rotk. Leaving our town, and proceeding north, the sand bed becomes more shallow, and, Snally, within two miles disappears, leaving the clay at the surface. At the light-house point, which is about one mile north, the surface of the rock is above the surface of, and extends out into the lake, and is anticlinial, the dip being to the N. W. and S. E. The surface of the rock is here polished and grooved, the 218 scratches generally ranning E. S. E. and W. N, W. The surface of the" rock is again exposed about three miles north of this village, where the Pigeon River has removed the superincumbent clay. Here, too, the surface of the rock (which is about sixteen feet above, and one mile distant from the lake) is polished and grooved, the striaa having the same general direction as before mentioned. The whole noi'thern part of the county, as far as my acquaintance goes, has this same bed of clay for a subsoil. There are no hills of any considerable height; and I do not know of any place where the limestone makes its appearance at the suiface. Going west from Sheboygan, the same sandy loam and clay soil is met, as before mentioned. At Sheboygan Falls, six jniles from the lake, the limestone again makes its appearance in the bed of Sheboygan River. The surface of the rock which is in the neighborhood, of forty-five feet above the level of the lake, is also polished and grooved as at the two other points. The next most notable feature in the surface of our county is best developed in the western part, about eighteen miles from this village, and consists of a range of hills (morains ?) extending north and south, and provincially called " potash kettles." These hills are steep, conical, and from forty to one hundred and fifty feet in height, with deep indentations between, and are composed of a confused mass of sand, pebbles and rounded stone, principallj' carbonate of lime. These hills have been penetrated eighty-two feet in a perpendicular direction for water without success, the sand and gravel at the bottom being scarcely moist. This formation, m a much less degree, is found in various parts of the county, forming a dry limey soil, well adapted for agricultural purposes. Going south from the village of Sheboygan, we cross the Sheboygan River, which is from twelve to fifteen feet in depth. The valley of this river is here about one mile wide, and through its whole extent contains a rich bed of fresh- water marl. Beyond the valley of this river, the same formation, as at our village, extends on the lake shore to Black River, which is about four miles distant. This stream comes from the south, and runs nearly parallel to the lake. The narrow strip of land lying between the river and lake, is either drifting sand or low ground ; west of the river is high ground, not dissimilar to the rest of the county. The county generally is strewn over with boulders of coarse granite, &c. A few boulders of copper have been picked up in the drift, and also a few sped- mens of coral. As to the Agricultui'al condition of the county, the Rev. H. Lyman lia? fur- nished me with the followino- statement: "The first opportunity to make a safe judgment upon the agripulturnl condition of Sheboygan County, vvas pi'esented in September, 1851, when its first Ajrt-icul- tural Fair was held upon that occasion ; and in investigations preliminary thereto. 210 it appeared that while agrieukural interests in all of their departments were in their infancy, yet it was an infancy full of life, a nascent stock foreshowing a sturdy maturity. In connection with the agricultural development of Sheboygan County, it should be remembered that while other sections of the State were found ready for the plough on the first year of settlement, and supplied with meadows rich in grasses, this county, with inconsiderable exceptions, was overcast with a heavy forest. This cause has retarded the introduction and increase of some animals, and rendered the early introduction of small cattle unsafe. " One of the established facts is, that the soil of this county fits it for the pro- duction of wheat — so that Avhile in that staple it surpasses some portions of the State, it is in the same department second to none. Other cereal grains find here a generous soil, and return a generous reward to the cultivator. " Flax is newly engaging the attention of agriculturists; and soil, and all cir- cumstances, are believed to favor its production. " Orchards are numerous, but so young that no supplies are as yet furnished by them. It can only be said that apple trees present a thrifty appearance, and a few fine apples have been gathered. Animals. — " Horses are neither so numerous or so fine as are shown in other parts of the State. "Bovine Cattle, of good blood, are numerous. Several good dairies are estab- lished in the county, though none upon a scale relatively extensive. This branch of agriculture must in future rank among the cardinal interests of the county. " Sheep. — Their forest enemies have kept them back ; yet a few flocks are found, and the best breeds have been introduced. " Swine. — Great interest was excited at the late Fair by the exhibition of these animals; and it may be said that the comity abounds with the best breeds of SAvine. " Poultry. — Attention has been turned to the rearing of Poultry, The Dorking- is tbe prevalent variety; recently, however, the Shanghais have been intro- duced. " The spirit of our agriculturists is hopeful and tesolute in a high degree; they are encouraged by the wide range and abundant product of their industry, and determined to avail themselves of every improvement in machinery, in cheraistiy, and in modes of operating to perfect the branch of industry to which they belong. Agricultural papers have a wide circulation among them." With ray best wishes for the succet^s and prosperity of the State Agricultural Society. I am, yours truly, To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. J. J. BROWN. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. 220 AGRICULTURE OF ST. CROIX COUIs^TY. Dear Sir — In answer to your inquiries I will ])roceecl in the order in which your interrogatories are put, and give you such information I am able to on the subject. Having been a resident of the county but three years, I cannot go into full details. The first American settlements were made in St. Croix county, at St. Croix Falls, on the St. Croix river, for lumbering purposes, in 1838 or 1839. There were, however, a few French families living on St. Croix Lake, at the mouth of Willow River, previous to that time. The present population does not fall below five thousand, and is rapidly in- creasing. It is one of the lai-gest counties in the State, containing about 116 townships, or 1176 square miles, and is bounded as follows, viz.: Beginning on the western boundary line of the State opposite the mouth of Rush River, running thence due east to range line between fourteen and fifteen west; thence due north on said range line to the township line between thirty one and thirty two north ; thence due east on said line to the range line between range eleven and twelve west; thence due north on said range line to township line, between townships forty and forty one north ; thence due west to the western boundary of the State ; thence southerly along said boundary line to the place of beginning. It will be seen by reference to the map of the State of Wisconsin that the western boundary of this county lies along the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers, a distance of about 175 miles, one hundred miles of which boundary is on navi- gable waters for steam boats six and a half or seven months in the year. In addi- tion to this water communication we have abundance of hydraulic power on Rush and Kinnikinuick rivers, in the south part of the county, and on Willow and Apple rivers in the centre ; all running from east to west and emptying into the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. The St. Croix is navigable to St. Croix Falls, about seventy miles above the point where it empties into the Mississippi. The surface is generally imdulating. South of St. Croix Falls it is diversified with prairie openings and timbered land. North of the Falls it is mostly tim- bered laud. The timber in the south part of the county, except upon the bottoms, is mostly white and burr oak ; the timber on the bottom lands consists of the usual varie- ties found on the Upper Mississippi bottoms. In the northern part of the county the timber consists of sugar maple, white and black ash, white and red elm, butternut, white and black oak, red and black birch, some hickory, some tama- rack and cedar. The sti-earas and lakes are mostly belted with pine in strips of from one to three miles wide. 0 01 ^ ^ ^ w I believe that no county in the Slate presents greater inducements for the resi- dence of the farmer than St. Croix County. Probably not a thirtieth part enough is produced to supply the demand, and with the rapid influx of population, and the increase of the lumbering and other interests, we shall be obliged to depend mainly on that part of our own State bordering on the Mississippi River and Upper Illinois, and Missouri, for years to come for our supplies, which will keep up the prices over and above the cost of purchase and transportation. No county in the State is better supplied with pure soft water than St. Croix county, which, together with the healthfulness of the location, the j-emarkable adaptation of soil to climate, and its direct communication with the south ; and being, in fact, the head of steam boat navigation. Its abundance of game — its fine streams and beautiful lakes, well supplied with the best varieties of fish — its home market, at good prices, for every thing the farmer can produce — make it one of the most desirable counties for a permanent residence within the limits of the State. At some future time I will give you a more elaborate detail of facts. Yours, OTIS HOYT. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Ayr. Society. AGRICULTURE OF WALWORTH COUNTY. Geneva, December 30th, 185L Its Settlement and Inhabitants. — The first white settlements in this county were made in the year 1836, at Geneva, Spring Prairie, and Troy, by immigrants principally from New York and New England. In the next follow- ing year settlements were commenced at Delavan and Whitewater, on Bigfoot, Turtle, Sugar Creek, and Gardiner's Prairies, and at other places. So rapid was the influx of population, tempted by the beauty and fertility of the country, that when lands in this county were ottered at public sale at Milwaukee, in February, 1839, nearly all the land desirable for agricultural purposes was entered. Since that time, all that remained, with the exception of a few scattering forty or eighty acre lots, situated on wet marshes, or sterile " knobs," (small, siiarp hills so called,) has been purchased. The population is chiefly of New Yoik and !Ne\v England origin, interspersed with a sprinkling from the inhabitants of various other States in the Union, toge- ther with some Irish, Germans, anil a very few Norwegians. The controlling find almost entire influence and tone of character, ])<>litical, social and religious, 223 gious, are American. The people are as sober, industrious, intelligent, moral and law-abiding, as in any other portion of the State, or perhaps of the Union. Much attention is given to education, intellectual and moral ; and the fact that Walworth county orders have always been on a par with specie, speaks favorably for the honesty, and pecuniary ability of the inhabitants. The population in 1850, was 17,866— in 1838, it was 1,019— in 1840, 2,611— in 1842, 4,618 — in 1845, (by estimate,) 10,000 — and in 1847, it was 15,039. Area, Boundaries, Surface, &c. — It is twenty-four miles square, embracing an area of 576 square miles, and is composed of sixteen surveyed townships, each of which constitutes an organized town, which with Elkhorn, the county seat, composed of four contiguous sections in the centre of the county, make in all seventeen towns. It is bounded on the north by Waukesha and Jefferson coun- ties, on the east by Racine and Kenosha, on the south by the State of Illinois, and on the West by Rock County. Its southern limit io in north latitude 42| degrees. It is situated nearly midway between Lake Michigan and Rock River, and presents a pleasing variety of surface and scenery. Its surface is for the most part undulating, though often level or sloping. Here it swells into gentle hills, and there it stretches away in broad levels, or slight inclinations. This graceful outline of surface generally prevails, but in a few localities, particularly in the south-eastern portion of the county, the land is in many places broken by knobs, or small, irregnlai-, and abrupt hills. A chain of these, from one half to one mile wide, enters the county from the north, a little west of the centre line, and runs in a south-westerly direction across the north-western poition of the county. A large portion of the hills are arable land, of a warm and prolific soil, and all will afford good pasturage. There are some marshes in all portions of the county, most of which afford excellent meadows and are in present use; while the residue can, for the most part, be reclaimed by draining. The bottoms along the streams also furnish excellent meadow land, while much of thein is of the richest quality for tillage. Probably it may be safely affirmed of Walworth County, that it has less waste land, and, for its size, moi-e that is adapted to agricultural purposes than any other in the State. Indeed, it would be difficult to find, in the aggregate, half a dozen sections of waste land in the county. Soil. — This varies with the localities. On the prairie and bottom lands it is either a dark vegetiible mould, or muck, varying from two to four feet in depth. In the heavily timbered hand it is loam, covei'ed more or less deeply with decayed vegetation. In the white and black oak " openings," it is a light clay, and among the burr oaks it partakes largely of the ingredients of the prairie soil, mixed how- ever with more sand and loam, This county presents, throughout every portion of it, a choice and desirable variety in its soil, adap^ting it to the vaiious pursuits 224 of agriculture. Whilst it is peculiarly well adapted to tbe raising of grains, roots, fruits and vines, it is also well fitted for the rearing of cattle, sheep and horses. Lakes, Streams, Woods, and Prairies. — There are in this county many small and beautiful lakes, the largest of which are Geneva lake in the southern, and Delavan, or Swan lake, in the south-western part of the county. The former is a lovely sheet of water, principally fed by springs, and is of great clearness, depth and purity. It is about nine miles long, by from three-quarter to one and a half miles broad, and is indented with bays, headlands, and woody bluffs. On the north side the banks rise abruptly, clothed with a heavy forest timber, whilst on the south side the oak openings and native meadows, for the most part, slope gently to the water's edge. It is encircled with a bi'ight beach of sand and gravel, (Except where interrupted by the jutting beds of dark boulders. Geneva Outlet, sometimes called Whitewater, issues from the eastern extremity of Geneva Lake, at the site of the village of that name, and flows north easterly, receiving in its course the waters of Lake Como, Ore Ci'eek, and other tributa- ries, and empties into the Fox River (of the south) at Burlington, Racine county. Sugar Creek rises a few miles north-west from the centre of the county, runs in an easterly direction gradually inclining to the south, and unites its waters with Geneva Outlet, just above Burlington. Honey Creek has its rise a little north of the sources of Sugar Creek, and after flowing east, through both the Troys, to near the eastern line of the county, turns southward and joins its waters with those of Sugar Creek, a little above their junction with Geneva Outlet. Turtle Creek rises in the noith-western part of the county, in a small lake of that name, and runs nearly south by the village of Delavan, there receiving the Outlet of Delavan Lake, and thence flows in a south-westerly direction, passing through Rock county, into Rock River at Beloit. Whitewater Creek also has its rise in the north-western portion of the county, runs north-vpesterly through Whitewater village, passes into Jefferson County, and empties its waters into Bark River. All these streams have many small tributaries; besides which, there are many brooks and rivulets which flow into the lakes. Numerous springs are found in some por- tions of the county, many of which form small streams. Water of an excellent quality is found in all parts by digging, usually from fifteen to thirty feet; and seldom is it necessary for that purj^ose to dig over fifty feet. The greater portion of this county consisted originally of oak openings of the different varieties found in this State. There, are, however, many groves of tim- ber, or heavily wooded lands in different parts of the county. The largest of these is " Geneva Woods," situated on the north side of Geneva Lake, and is four miles long by one and a half miles broad. The main body of the timber consists of white and black oak, interspersed with the other native varieties. It also, in m.mv parts, abounds with the suo-ar mavile. aft'ordino- nianv fine sun-nr orchards. 225 and iuterspei'sed throughout are to be found the asli, ehn, hickory, black walnut, butter-nut, cherry, basvvood or hnden, and ironwood tree. Blackberries abound in great abundance, and some grapes are found. This description will generally apply to all the groves of timber in this county. There are from twelve to fifteen prairies in this county, the most of which are small or of moderate size, and all are of great beauty and fertility. The most noted are Spring, Gardiner's, Bigfoot, and Turtle prairies. The eastern portions of Rock and Jefierson prairies, also lie within the limits of this county. A more uniform or desirable variety of prairie, timber and openings, cannot probably bo found, than is presented in this county ; and it is generally well watered. Villages, Mills, Indian Mounds, &c. — There are five principal villages in this county : Geneva, in the south-east ; Delavan, in the south-west ; Whitewater, in the north-west; East Troy, in the northeast; and Elkhorn, in the centre — wliich latter is the county seat. The three former have a population of about 700 each, and the two latter about 300. All, except Elkhorn, have a good and im- proved water-power ; and at that place a steam flouring mill has just been erected. There are numerous mill sites in Walworth County, most of which are im- proved, affording an abundant supply of water-power for the wants of the inhabitants. There are numerous grist, flouring and saw mills, throughout the county, and a few carding machines and clothing works. A small woollen fac- tory is in process of erection a little below Geneva village. At Whitewater there is a machine shop and numerous turning lathes, and other small machinery are in operation in different parts of the county. Some Indian mounds, or earth works, are to be found in Geneva village, and in other localities around Geneva Lake. At the above place, are circular mounds, longitudinal embankments, and two specimens of earthwork in the form of lizards, each forty feet long. On a hill between Geneva ^ay and Duck Lake, a little east of the road leading to Delavan, may be seen an earthwork in the form of an Indian's bow and arrow. The arch of the bow is about fifty feet, and the arrow lies across it, pointing towards the bay. Arrow-heads and stone axes, have been frequently found, A fine specimen of the latter, and also of chain coral, found in this county, have been deposited in the cabinet of the Wisconsin University. Agricultitral Products, Dairy and Grasses. — Wheat growing has hitherto been the chief business of the farmers of Walworth County. But the recent failures in this crop, and the low price it has brought in market for the two past seasons, have shaken their confidence in it as a leading pursuit; and they are now anxiously engaged in the inquiry as to a change in their course of hus- bandry, and what offers the fairest chances of success. Intelligent farmers are convinced that they have devoted themselves too exclusively to this branch of agriculture, and that they have not l:)een sufficiently careful to pursue those means 15 226 necessary to ensure a good crop. The present high prices for pork and horses, and the comparatively good prices for cattle, butter, cheese, sheep, wool, and swine, as compared with the low price of wheat, satisfies them that they have been greatly the losers by cultivating the latter to the neglect of the former; especially as the blight and the killing out of wheat by the effect of frost, rendere it so uncertain a crop. It is evident that wheat-growing should never again, in this country, be so exclusively pursued as it has been; but still it should be continued as an impor- tant and necessary branch of agricultural pursuit, and one, which if pioperly conducted, can be made a source of profit. To this end, the most obvious means are : First, the procuring from abroad, pure and wholesome seed of the best varieties, as ours, especially spring wheat, has become deteriorated by blight and repeated sowing. Second, summer-fallowing and rotation of crops, seldom or never sowing wheat after wheat. Third, deep and thorough ploughing and pul- verizing of the soil, instead of barely skimming it, as is too often practised. Fourth, drilling in, instead of sowing on the surface, and using the roller, espe- cially on winter wheat. Fifth, by the use of appropriate manures, particularly on clayey and sandy soils. By a thorough and careful mode of agriculture, it is believed that wheat-growing may yet be a profitable crop to the Wisconsin farmer. As proof that this may be so, it may not be improper to remark, that one farmer in this county raised upwards of thirty-three bushels of winter wheat, per acre, last summer. Large quantities of oats are raised in this county, and it is uniformly a safe and abundant crop. Corn usually does well, the dent being generally raised on the black soils, and the Eastern varieties on the lighter. Barley is somewhat culti- vated, and is usually a good crop. Considerable quantities of broom corn are annually raised in Troy, in this county. It grows luxuriantly and yields largely ; and is believed to be as profitable as the average farming pursuits. The draw- backs from the valueableness of this crop are, the very limited home market, its great bulk, and the expense of transportation to an Eastern market. Very httle rye or flax is cultivated. It is to be hoped that more attention will hereafter be given to cultivating the latter, as it doubtless can be made a permanent source of wealth. Peas and beans have been cultivated very little in the field. The for- mer, when raised, have been much injured by the insect or bug in the pea. Potatoes in former years yielded plentifully, but the rot has injured them more or less for the last three or- four years, and the past season occasioned an almost entire failure of this crop. Turnips, ruta bagas, vines, and garden vegetables, flourish well. The average yield of wheat per acre is from twelve to twenty bushels; of corn (shelled) from thirty to fifty; of oat-s from thirty to fifty; and of barley, from twentv-five to thirty. 227 There are a few good dailies in this county, but none on a large scale. The great obstacle to the successful prosecution of this business is, the lack of tame or cultivated grasses for fall feed. Until this defect is remedied, as it easily may be, the shortness of the dairy season from the early decay of the native grasses, will discourage and defeat all successful exertion towards this object. A little forecast, labor, and perseverance, would soon make the dairy business in Wisconsin both successful and profitable. Considerable attention begins to be bestowed in this county upon the cultiva- tion of grasses, particularly timothy, red-top and clover. Last year there was in this vicinity a great scarcity of grass seed of all kinds ; but this season there is an abundant supply of timothy seed of domestic growth, and some has been barreled for shipment to an Eastern market. And I see no good reason why both timothy and clover seed may not be profitably raised among us for export. A second crop of clover can be grown each season for seed, especially if quick- ened by a sprinkling of gypsum or plaster, which can thus doubtless be profitably employed even in Wisconsin. A crop of clover seed would bring, in market, nearly or quite as much as a crop of wheat from the same number of acres, and with an outlay of not more than one-fourth the labor. Both timothy and clover can be threshed in a machine like grain, and then used as fodder for stock ; thus saving the seed. The experience of farmers in this county is, that the older the tillage, the better is the yield of grass; and that the second seeding forms a more uniform and compact turf, is of finer quality, and of a better yield than the first. The ground should be seeded heavily, in the lattterpart of winter or early spring; and if sown with grain, should be rolled. A mixture of timothy and clover pro- duces the greatest yield ; and as an article of fodder is certainly more nutritious, especially for horses, than native hay. The red-top has been successfully intro- duced here on some of our bottom lands, on the unbroken soil, by being sown upon the snow. Timothy has also been introduced in the same way. In two or three years they will supplant the native grass, and yield abundantly. Some of our farmers are sowing white clo\er seed on their pastures, and it. is believed the result will justify the labor and expense. On the clayey and light soils, plaster, as an aliment or manure, would doubtless be used with profit, I have dwelt the longer on this subject, as I am convinced that the prosperity of the farming inte- rest in W^isconsin is dependent more on the cultivation of grass than of grain, especially of wheat, as the prime staple. Horses, Neat Stock and Sheep. — Considerable attention has been given to the introduction of some of the best breeds of horses, particularly for the road and draft. This county can show several fine specimens of studs, and many horses of great beauty and value. Sufficient attention does not seem to have been devoted lo the iiiipru\euient 228 of neat stock. Very few, if any, of tbe pure improved breeds liave been intro- duced. There are some crosses of natives with improved cattle, but to no great extent. It is beheved the farmers of this county would find it to their benefit to give more attention to this interest. Many flocks of sheep have been introduced, and some of a very excellent quality. Most of the farmers have more or less sheep, and are earnestly direct- ing their attention to the increase of their flocks, both in number and quality. Mr. C. M. Goodsell, late of Geneva, was the first to introduce some very valuable sheep from the flock of Mr. Jewett, of Vermont. More recently, Mr. Charles H. Smedley, of Hudson, has imported a large number of bucks, and some ewes of the choicest breeds from the best flocks in Addison County, Vermont, where pro- bably as good sheep are to be found as in any part of the Union. He has found for them a very ready sale, but has still on hand some choice specimens, and intends to brina: on more. Farmers here are convinced that wool for this country is a far better staple than wheat, and are so shaping their business as to conform to their convictions. Horticulture and Fruits. — Considerable attention is given to horticulture by many of the inhabitants of this county ; but the garden here, as elsewhere, is too apt to be neglected by most farmers. There are in this county two excellent Nurseries. That of Mr. Bell, of Gardi- ner's Prairie, is the oldest, and is rich in its varieties; but Mr. Phrenix, of Dela- van, has one which is little, if any, inferior. They are both skilful nurserymen and gardeners, as any one will see who visits their beautiful grounds. We would recommend them to the citizens of Wisconsin, as being able to supply, on reason- able terms, as gieat a variety of fmits, shrubs and plants, as any other establish- ments of the kind in the State. Their good taste and enterprize is manifest in the numerous orchards and fruit trees of various kinds to be seen throuofhout the county, giving promise in a few years of an abundance of fruit. The farmers geneially are making atonement for past neglect in this particular, by devoting much more money and labor to it than heretofoi-e. Apples, plums, and cherries, in all their varieties, flourish and produce well, as also do the Isabella and Ca- tawba grape. Pears and quinces appear to succeed well; but upon the peach no reliance can be placed. The climate seems to be uncongenial to the fruit bear- ing of this sensitive and delicate tree, although it flourishes well in limb and leaf. Some fine specimens of the peach have been raised here; but of late yeara it has proved almost wholly unproductive, and will not warrant general culture. Markets, Roads, kc. — Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, are the natural and principal markets for the products of this county. The population, on an ave- rage, are from thirty to forty miles distant from these points, which can be reached with loaded teams from all parts of the county in from one to one and a 229 day's drive. Teams are usually loaded both ways, bringing on their return pina lumber, or goods of various kinds, all of which are received through the abovo ports. A plank road leading west from Racine, has been constructed through this county to Delavan, with a branch diverging south-west towards Geneva, as far as Burlington. Two plank roads from Milwaukee have also been constructed to near the eastern hmit of this county, and will doubtless be extended into, if not through the same. One also from Kenosha, leading in a south-westerly direction, has been built as far as Fox River, and it is proposed to continue it into the southern parts of the county, with a branch towards the centre. The rail- road west from Milwaukee will pass through Whitewater, and the north-western portion of this county. The common roads, for a new country, are quite good, the ground being generally favorable, and the material for their construction usually convenient and abundant; and considerable labor is annually bestowed upon them. The facilities to market for the farmers of this county are good, and add greatly to the value of land, and the wealth and prosperity of the county. On the whole, Walworth County, like the most of Wisconsin, has all the ele- ments of agricultural wealth. If our farmers would perseveringly turn their attention and industry to the dairy, the growing of wool and flax, the rearing of horses, cattle and swine — if they would have the prudence and courage to do ■without what they do not really need, and are not sure they can pay for when due — if they would buy less and sell more, and instead of making haste to be rich, be content with the slow but sure returns of agricultural thrift, they would in a few years, for the most part, feel little of the pressure of hard times, and would be in comfortable, and many of them, in affluent circumstances. Statistics. — The following statistics compiled from the Western Star, may be of some use and interest. I cannot vouch for their correctness. They purport to be taken from the census of 1850. Number of farms in Walworth County, 2,001 ; number of acres embraced in same, 254,286 ; number of acres improved, 106,460; number of acres unimproved, 147,826; number of families, 3,042; total value of farms $2,695,994; average value of each farm, $1,347; average value of real estate to each family $886; average of real and personal to each family $1,327. The town of Elkhorn, comprising four sections, and the village of Elkhorn, is not included in the above. The following is taken from the assessment rolls of the several towns, after being equalized by the supervisors in the year 1851 : Total number of acres assessed, 336,100; total valuation of same, $1,505,352; average value per acre as assessed, $4 47. C. M. BAKER. 230 AGRIC;ULTURE OF WALWORTH COUNTY. Geneva, December SOtli, 1851. Dear Sir — I received your letter at a time when other cares and duties were occupying my attention, and have consequently delayed my response to a period so late as to preclude the possibility of noticing m'any topics of interest to the agi-iculturists of our county, or of suitably discussing those to which reference is made. It is not to be denied that the agiicultural interests of our county are greatly depressed. Our staple is wheat, and three successive failures of this crop have deprived us of our chief resource. Another cause of the depression of this interest is the prevailing indebtedness of the farmers. Most of those who settled in this county at an early day pos- sessed but limited means, and good crops and high prices for the first few years tempted them into this vortex. Pay-day finally came, and with it short crops and low prices — -creditors became importunate, and debtors were forced into the loan market at a time when an act of most impolitic legislation had left capital, without restraint, to prey upon the vitals of labor. Homesteads were involved at rates of interest varying from fifteen to fifty per cent. The desperation of hope, on the part of the borrower, was only equalled by the exultation of avarice on the part of the lender. So far from realizing the relief anticipated, the debtor now finds himself less able to pay the usurer than he originally was to pay the merchant, whose importunity, in most instances, forced them into the dilemma. The result is a cheerless present and a hopeless future. California seems the only resource, and to that gilded region many a Walworth county fai'mer is prej^aring to flee as to a city of refuge. The formation of the county is undulating. It has no mountains and very few rugged bluffs or steep hills. Probably no county in the State presents a more fortunate combination of prairie and timber, interspersed with rivulets and spi'ings, precisely suited to the convenience of the farmer. There is little low or wet land in this county, and most of this, though rejected as refuse in the first settlement, has since been found to be our most valuable land. Heretofore these sloughs have been our exclusive resort for hay ; when suitably drained, they are found arable in a high degree, and produce most crops in great abundance. Many of our farmers are determined to work out a new course for the future. Wheat growing, as an exclusive crop, is abandoned, and large fields are being sown with tame grasses preparatory to a more general reai'ing of stock. The ex- periments thus far warrant the belief, that our soil will produce the grasses in as 231 great abundance as any other crop, and they are not as Hableto a failure. Ah'eady animals of a very choice breed have been introduced. No one now thinks of fattening any but the most highly improved breeds of hogs ; the ancient animal, whose forlorn appearance begot the motto " root hog- ordie," and which instead of a yoke was w^ont to be restrained by a knob tied in the end of his tail, has neither a foot-hold nor a rooting-place in our midst. Of Sheep, we have some of the most approved qualities. Mr. Sraedley, of Hudson, in our county, has imported several flocks from Vermont within the last few years, and with him the last flock is always the best. Our worthy President must look well to his honors in this line, as Mr. Smedley is surely after him at the next Fair. We have some excellent Cattle, but mostly of the common stock. Mr. Bunker, of Troy, took the premium at our County Fair on what he called a thorough Devon bull ; I very much doulit his purity, however, and so told him at the time. The only thorough animal of this kind in our county, so far as I know, is a Dur- ham bull belonging to Mr. Winne, of Elkhorn, from the magnificent herd of Mr. Tears, in McHenry county, Illinois. This animal, as well as all of Mr. Tears' original stock, was brought from Maryland, and was registered on the " Herd book," an honor conceded to none but thoroughbreds. In the line of Horses there is a growing and enlightened taste. I believe wo have no " thoroughbreds," using that term in its technical sense, though most of our better class horses have an intermixture of thorough breeding. The breed most highly approved with us is the " Henry." This was an animal brought into our county in 1846, by James Biggart, of Vermont, and stood that season in Geneva. He was then taken to Chicago, and passed into the hands of Denis S. Cady, Esq. who stood him one season in Chicago, and then brought him to Milwaukee, where he stood for mares until last winter, when he was sold and taken to Peoria, Illinois. Henry was raised in Washington county, N. Y. by Mr. Hill, a horse-breeder of high standing, and extensively known among all admirers of this noble animal. He is now nineteen years old. He is a bright bay, bold and courageous in his aspect, exceedingly mild in his disposition, very vivacious in his temperament, and weighs, when under "fit," 1235 lbs. He is admirably adapted to the draught, and trotted his mile in Chicago, at the time Mr. Biggart sold him, in less than three minutes. His stock is universally fine, and fleet roadsters. Mr. Biggart has a colt from him, a stallion, now eight years old, that trotted last season on Long Island in the " forties." Those who may be desirous of examining this breed will find an exquisite specimen at the stables of Apollos Hastings, Esq., in Geneva. The animal to which I refer will be four years old in the spring, of a bright bay, and in his appearance surpasses even the old horse. Mr. H. has* also a chestnut stallion out of Henry, and a Kentucky mare, five years uoxt spring. Mr. Spaffard also, of Geueva, lias a bay stalliou from Henry, and a strong cominou mare, that Las already trotted his mile in three minutes and a half. There is one question which, in the midst of the prevailing mania for iiue horses, I hope some of your correspondents who are competent to the task will discuss; that question is, the comparative utility of the mule as an animal for the plough and draught. It is said that this animal works as well at two years of age as the horse at four years of age, and continues to thirty years as well as the horse to fifteen years. That he is not half as liable to disease, and that it costs only about half as much to shoe and feed him. Add to this, that he is capable of drawing or carrying the horse's load, and then tell us why he is not precisely the animal our farmers need. For information upon some other points of interest to the agriculturist, I trans- mit the following note, prepared by Dr. Lewis N. Wood, of our county : " Wheat, in Walworth county, has been a partial fsnlure in crop during the past three or four years. The winter wheat has been liable to rust, and the spring wheat has been liable to a disease known among farmers by the name of blight; these diseases have materially lessened the quantity and quality of the wheat crop. They first manifested themselves on the prairie lands, and more recently on the opening land. Lands that have been longest cultivated seem to be the most un- certain in producing a crop of wheat, jet some lands recently broken up, and e^•en some entirely new, excepting the first crop, have been visited by both rust and blight. Some have attributed the cause of the latter to a change in the con- ditions of the atmosphere from distant and unknown causes, and others have considered that the atmosphere was sufficiently charged with a poisonous princi- ple emanating from the wheat on old grounds to deteriorate the wheat growing on the new groiUKls. The cause of the injury to wheat growing on the old grounds, is undoubtedly referable to the exhaustion by frequent cropping, of the free organic agents which are necessary to perfect' a crop of healthy straw and wheat. Grass cropping and pasturing may restore those agents. The average quantity of good healthy wheat per acre is from twenty to twenty-five bushels. " Oats have continued to yield from forty to sixty bushels per acre, since the fii-st settlement of the county, and are a very certain crop. '' Corn, too, is a very certain crop, and with good cultivation will yield from forty to sixty bushels per acre. The variety called 'dent' has, in a great measure, superceded the eastern kinds. " Owing to the fact that farmers have heretofore relied mainly upon the wheat crop which has now so nearly failed in this county, oats and corn must become crops of more importance than formerly, for the purpose of fattening poi-k and feeding stock. " The raisinof of Stock has been very much neglected heretofore, but will here- after claim more attention as a profitable employment for the farmer. Timothy grass, called by Yankees ' Herd's grass,' yields very well on prairie soil, contrary to the predictions of those whose eastern lands produced it as a principal crop. The first crop of timothy grass on prairie soil has generally been thin, and more or less in bunches; but when such has been replowed and resowed with timothy seed, the succeeding crops have been more thick and uniform, producing more and better hay. It is hoped the farmers of this country will satisfy themselves of the truth of this, by experiment, for the general and increasing failure of the wheat crop, makes it necessary that a difterent course be had by farmers in re- gard to future cropping. " I am the more confident in these remarks, from the success which has attended my own eflforts in raising that grass. I have cut yearly from twenty to fifty tons averaging from one and one-half to two and one-fourth tons per acre. " The early attention bestowed upon the cultivation of Fruit trees in this county, promises to be of great advantage, utility, and comfort, to the inhabitants. Thei'e are several good Nurseries in the county, and choice fruit can easily be procured." Hoping that these hasty thoughts may not be unacceptable, and that your efforts to elevate the condition of agriculture will be triumphantly successful. I am, yours truly, E. ESTABKOOK. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. AGRICULTURE OF WASHINGTON COUNTY. Washington county is what may be called, for Wisconsin, a heavily timbered county; oak, maple, beech, ash, basswood, elm, &c., are abundant. The surface is gently rolling, and living springs and streams abound. About one-half of the county has a subsoil of gravel, with a rich alluvial mold for a topsoil. The other, and northern half, has a reddish clay loam for a subsoil, with a good topsoil, but not so deep or fertile as that found upon the gravel. The loam itself, however, seems to have all the elements of fertility, easily disintegrates, and makes, when well ploughed, a very fertile and permanent soil. This clay, when thrown up from a depth of twenty feet, will grow vines, wheat and corn, with luxuriance. Wheat has been a better crop in this county than in any other part of the State. This arises frcBttpthe protection aftbrded by the standing timber, and •234 from the fact that o«r farmers content themselves with ^mall tanui. and euitirata th«n well. Our hardy Grerman fanners — who constitute a large majoritv — hxve rarelj more than forty acres under cultivation ; but every root^ stick and stone, is picked up. and the ground thoroughly broken up. Fruit trees seem to grow well in all parts of the county, thouorh there are as yet no Orchards of sufficient age to enable us to ascertain satisfactorily oar advantages for fruit growing. I have no question, however, but that we shall be able to compete with any other portion of the State. The cultivated grasses grow remarkably well here — in fact, better than I have seen elsewhere in the State. Hence this countv, when more lands are brought under the plaugh. will offer as great inducements for stock-raising as for dllage and horticulrure. The principal market town is Ozaukee, a thriving place, of some twelve to fifteen thousand population. This is a regular port for the lines of steamers and propellers : and with two good piers, and with sufficient warehouse facilities, offers as good a market for produce as can be found at any other Lake port. Grafton, Ceiarburg. and West Bend, are thriving villages, being all situated upon excellent water-powers. The only improved, stock that I know o£ was brought into the county last year by Judge Larrabee: a Durham bull and two heifers. They are sired bv an imported buIL Hazlewood, dam Susan ; and Susan by Prince William, out of a Patten c-ow. They are fine animals, and will, I doubt not, be worthy of the first premium at the next Fair. There are three Xurseries in the county, at Ozaukee, Grafton, and ^ewberg. These, however, do not answer the demand- Large quantities of fruit treea have been brought from the Eastern ^Xurseries for the last four years, and have met with a ready sale. Yours truly, To Albert C. Isghxm, Esq. See. of the TTT*. State Apr. Society. AGRICULTLTIE OF WAUKESHA COUNTY. Having been unable to procure any statements of the aarricultural condition of Waukesha county, the following remarks by a gentleman residing in another State, and who passed over that coimty, ar« inserted : " I am of the opinion, that all the clay -soil we passeii over between Milwaukeee and Eagle Prairie, is goo^i for wheat; but the prairies seem to have ratber 285 • too light a soil — peiLaps lor want of some miueral ingredient. It" the subsoil could be reached with a plough, and turned up so as to mix it with the sur- face soil, I think it would improve it by furnishing the lacking mineral matter. And if straw was spread over the ground, as soon as the wheat is sown, it would perhaps prevent its being winter-killed. We find many advantages from the use of the drill. The wheat is all covered the same depth, and it comes up eveuly at the bottom of a little furrow, so that the soil during winter, instead of moving from the plants, runs down towards them, and thus prevents them 'freezing out.' " I saw McCormick's reaping machines generally in use ; but we prefer Hussev's as being better adapted for general purposes. It is not so liable to get out of order, and can be raised or lowered to suit the lodged or standing grain. The knives can be taken out, ground, and replaced without expense ; whereas, when McCormick's sickles get dull, they must be replaced with new ones. *' I think the farmers of that part of the State that I saw, had better sow less wheat and grow more wool ; as the soil is well adapted to grass — and just as fine wool can be raised in Wisconsin as in any other State. Sheep would cost but little in the summer, and in winter they would thrive well on your wild hay. This will, undoubtedly, soon become an important branch of agriculture in your State. " Experience has taught me that corn will come up much sooner by being drilled. This I consider an important item, especially in your State, where the summers are shorter than they are here. Our plan, in using it, is to have the ground well harrowed, and then one hand can do all the planting, simply by running the drill over it three feet apart. It goes with one horse, and a man can easily plant eight acres in a day ; whereas it would take four to do it in the com- mon way. The farmers here object to it on account of having to plough all one way ; but this can be ob\"iated, by striking it into rows the other way as soon as you commence tending. I have raised ninety-three bushels of corn to the acre, planted in this way, without the use of the hoe. The drill we use costs about six doUai-s, and will last a life-time." WILLIAM LAPHAM. Mount Tabor, Ohio, Dec. 1851. AGRICULTURE OF WIXXEBAGO COUNTY. Neenah, December 29th, 1851. Dear Sir — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communica- tion of the 1st inst., and in reply, take pleasure in giving such information concerning the agricultural resources and condition of this county, as my 23G acquaintance, and the limit allowed me, will permit. Not having any statistical data at hand, my obsenations will necessarily be more general than perhaps would be desirable for the purposes you may have in view. The surface of the country is generally flat, yet sufficiently rolling to admit of drainage, and well divei-sified with timber, openings, and prairie; abounding in springs of pure water, and so intersected by the Fox and Wolf Rivers, and Win- nebago Lake, that no farm within the limits of the county can be more than six miles from navigable water. The soil in the timber and openings is generally clay underlaid with gravel, and intei-spersed with ridges of limestone and gravel, and abounding in bouldere or '' hard heads." The prairies are small, and more free from clay, but abounds in limestone. The timber is composed of oak, ash, basswood, hickory, butternut, hard and soft maple, very little beech, some pine, and swamps of the white cedar and tamarack. Crops. — Winter Wheat. Considerable attention has been paid to the cultiva- tion of this important product ; and thus far it has proved successful, yielding from twenty to forty bushels per acre, according to the season, and the manner of cultivation. The last season was rather unpropitious; still a fair crop was realized and of good quality. If sowed before the 25th of September, it seldom winter-kills, or fails of a good crop, and is generally of excellent quality. Spring Wheat has generally proved a reliable crop ; and sowed in season, on land properly prepared, it seldom fails of a rich return. Oats and Barley are cultivated to a considerable extent, and with very general success. Corn is a never failing crop, and every farmer gives more or less attention to it. It cannot, of course, be as easily and cheaply raised as on the great prairies and rich bottoms of Illinois and Indiana; but it is here considered an indispen- sable product for home consumption, and is generally as remunerative as the finer grains. The flint and dent corn are both grown here; the foi-mer yields generally forty and fifty, and the latter seventy bushels per acre. The average price for the last six yeai-s has been fifty cents per bushel. Peas have been cultivated in some instances as a field crop; and when ploughed in have generally done well, though they are not a favorite product with our farmers. Red and White Clover, Timothy and Red-top, are natural to the soil and cli- mate, and do far better here than in the more southern counties, so far as I am acquainted. Some consideration is now being given to the subject of the cultivation of Flax for the seed. An enterprising firm at Oshkosh, (Messrs. Weed and Guma?r,) are erecting an oil mill on a tributarj- of the Wolf River, and ofter to furnish seed to the farmers, and pay seventy five cents per bushel for all the seed raised. It is 237 thought that the soil and cHmate are well adapted to the growing of Flax, and that it will soon form one of the staple products of the county. The Tobacco plant has wandered so far from " Old Virginny," that it is thought acclimated even this far north; and several of our farmers are proposing to go into the raising " the weed" another season. Potatoes. — This valuable esculent used to be a profitable crop before the rot became fashionable ; but for the la.st four years has hardly paid cost as a general thing. No soil or locality seems proof against the disease. I have tried through a period of five years the different varieties of soil and location; sand and gravel, clay and loam, high land and low land, wet land and dry, and with the same general result. I have, however, satisfied myself that the difiiculty is not occa- sioned by an insect or a grub, but is a regular disease, and one for whifch no adequate remedy has yet been found. But my repeated attempts and partial failures have convinced me of two things, to wit : potatoes should be planted early, and should not be planted whole, but cut in small pieces in order that the seed may decay as soon as possible ; and, further, that, when there is any indi- cation of disease, they should be dug as soon as ripe. The disease has consider- ably modified its form since its first introduction, and I think is gradually being abated. Five years since it visited my potatoe patch, for the first time, one day after a warm shower, and in less than twenty-four hours the whole was a black mass of corruption, the stench of which was intolerable. Since that time it has gradually lessened its virulence, so that during last season I was enabled to save the "lion's share," which has usually been appropriated by the other part}'. My success this time, however, I attribute to the fact that I dug my potatoes as soon as I saw the disease strike the leaf, and before it reached the root. Frcit. — We have every natural indication of a fine fruit-growing count}'. "Wild grapes, apples, and plums abound ; and so far as fruit has been introduced it has been cultivated successfully. Nine years since, I put out the first trees that I have known in the county. My peaches produced fruit the second year, and the fourth died out, appaiantly from the effects of some insect. My plums were destroyed without producing fruit (after they had grown to a large size) by some, to my superficial vision, unseen cause. My apples have produced fruit for two years past; and I have currants, grapes, and cherries, in reasonable quantities. Last year I set out a new lot of trees from Phoenix's Nursery, Delavan; among which were apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, quinces, / but entire, the rutting is about perfected. Another test is to take a single stalk in hand, break it about the middle in two places, say three inches apart, and if the straw can be drawn easily/ and clean away from the fibre, it is evidence of the flax 2o4 being about sufficieutly rotted. Either of these tests will come near the mark; but it requires practice, and long practice too, to attain to perfection in this, the most difBcult point of flax management. When the rotting is completed I run the water off the dam, except about twelve inches, as scum collects on the surface, and it is useful to give the flax a shght wash, one dip is enough, by the men who go into the dam to hand it out. Forking will not do. It is left for an hour or so on the brink of the dam to drain the water oS, and then taken to the field to be spread. Spreading. — In spreading it is necessary to shake the handful well so as to leave some of it in clots, or the bleaching will be irregular. Thin spreading is decidedly the best for this country, as it saves the expense of turning on the grass. If my judgment has been correct as to taking the flax out of the water at the right time, (for with all my experience I make mistakes sometimes,) two or three days will suffice to bleach and dry it. If it has a good shower of rain while on the grass, so much the better, but that should not be waited foi-, as the night dews, in warm weather, are a good substitute, and too much, exposure to the sun is injurious to the flax, reducing both weight and quality. After being suflnciently bleached, or grassed, as it is called, which may be tested by the straw breaking short and tender from top to root, and separating easily fi'om the fibre, the flax is lifted and stacked up. Breaking and Scutching are the next processes; but as those are not ordi- narily within the compass of a farmer's means or opportunity, I do not deem it necessary here to describe them at length; indeed without drawings of the machinery any description would be useless. There are a number of patented inventions for breaking and scutching flax, both here and in Ireland, but with some improvements of my own, I have adhered to the old fashioned principle of both, in use in the latter country. The whole of the machinery is simple, cheap and effective. The breaking rollers I use were made by Mr. Isaac Corbin, of Genesee — the scutching mill was constructed by Mr. M'Farlan, of South Genesee, from plans and drawings by my fi'iend Horatio Hariison, Esq., of Spring Lake, Mukwonago. I use horse power. Water is perhaps steadier, but not always to be had, and steam is dangerous with such a combustible article as flax. I beg now to make a few observations as to the adaptation of our soil and climate for the growth of flax, in reply to your next query. While on a tour through the United States, in the year 1847, I became con- vinced that this Western countiy was eminently capable of raising good flax on an extensive scale, and acting on this conviction I returned from Europe in the spring of 1848, for the express purpose of establishing a business in flax. I arrived rather late to have much choice in the selection of land, but I got twenty acres put in as an experiment. The result of some of the samples enrouraged 255 me to sow ninety -six acres in 1849, which proved to be a very fine crop in qua- lity, but not a heavy yield. In 1850 I had one hundred and twenty acres, but that season was very unfavorable owing to the drought in spring, and the crop was inferior, both in quality and yield. In 1851 I had one hundred and eight acres, not of such fine quality generally as in 1849, but more than double the weight per acre, and a much better paying crop. The quality will vaiy here, as elsewhere, with the nature of the season ; but after the experience I have had, I have no hesitation in saying, that both soil and climate of Wisconsin are as well adapted to the growth of flax as any other country I have been in, or am acquainted with. I resided twenty years in Holland, Belgium, and Ireland, all extensive flax growing countries ; and have besides, in the course of my business, had large quantities of Russian and Egyp- tian flax through my hands, and I think I am qualified to speak with certainty on this point. I do not think we have quite so large yield to the acre as in Ireland, owing to the rapid growth not allowing the flax to coat so thickly ; but to counterbalance that, the seed is a sure crop here, and a very uncertain one in the humid climate there. Indeed it is only of late years that the " Royal Society for the promotion and improvement of the growth of Flax" in Ireland has been successful in turning the attention of farmers to saving the seed at all, and that mostly for feeding pur- poses, little of it being fit for sowing. The farmers used to make a point of having the flax put into the dams, with the seed on, the same day it was pulled. I was the first to attempt to save seed in Ireland on a large scale, 252 acres, and had very partial success. While I firmly believe that the Western States of America, say Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, can grow as much flax as might nearly supply the whole of the European markets, I admit it must be done in a way to suit the circum- stances of the country ; and I shall now make some remarks in reply to your enquiry for general information on the subject of flax, to explain my meaning. In Ireland, every farmer has either a stream of water running through his lot, or has one convenient, or a bog hole, for the purpose of rotting his flax — the water-power too is inexhaustible, and spread over every township. A farmer, therefore, grows flax as any other crop, and prepares it for the scutching mill, which he finds close by him as we find grist mills; he pays so much per hundred for dressing it, and can then take it to market when and where he chooses. In the province of Ulster most faimers have, more or less, flax as a regular rotation of crop. The culture is now being introduced into the South of Ireland, where both soil and climate are superior to the North, and so far it has succeeded well. I have seen the crop of Irish flax estimated as high as thirty-six thousand tons per annum ; but having a good opportunity of knowing, I am very certain it 256 never, in my time, exceeded twenty, and was frequently much under. The Society already alluded to, which is supported by a Government grant and voluntary contributions from manufacturers and landed proprietors, has done much good, of late years, by placing (jualified persons at the disposal of local Agricultural Societies to give pi-actical instructions in the different processes of flax manage- ment; the quahty of the flax raised has been immensely improved, and the profit accruing to the producer in proportion. In Holland the system of conducting the flax trade comes nearer to that we shall have to adopt in Wisconsin. Perhaps four-fifths of all the flax raised iu that country, averaging somewhere about 7,000 tons per annum, is owned by men resident on the small islands of Onermaas and the two Beyerlands, who make a business of it. Flax is grown by farmers on their own land in scattering districts, but is mostl}' of poor quality and of little account, if I except the pro- vince of Friesland, where strong good flax is raised, fit only, however, for making shoemaker's thread, and some numbers of tailor's thread. The way in which the bulk of the crop is managed is this : at the proper season, the men who have their establishments on the islands named above, go into the neighboring pro- vinces, Zeeland is pi'eferred, and rent such land as they think suitable. The occu- pant of the land ploughs and drags it, the flax farmer ( Vlas Boer he is called) furnishes the seed, sows it, and weeds the crop when about two inches high. This is so far only a j^^'ovisional agreement. On the twenty-first of June all interested go to their respective sowings to inspect the crop. If it promises, favorably in the estimation of the "Vlas Boer," the original bargain is confirmed and stands; but if otherwise, he has the libei-ty of throwing it up, pays no rent, but sacrifices his seed and all his expenditure for weeding, travelling, &c. The farmer, on whose land the crop stands, may then either speculate on a change of weather improving the flax, (the seed has cost him nothing, and he can be content with rather a poor crop), or he ploughs it down at once and puts in a crop of rape. Perhaps this system has originated from the circumstance that in Zeeland where the least flax soil is, the water is brackish and unfit for rotting flax. Aroimd the islands of Onermaas, old and new Beyerland, &c., the numerous branches of the Khine, under local names, are beyond the reach of salt water, though influenced by the tide; and the land itself is below their liigh-water le\el by several feet, protected by dykes. Inside these celebrated dykes the fields are intei'sected, not by fences and hedges as with us, but by ditches a few feet wide to drain the land. In those wdiich are filled with soft water, the flax is rotted, and afterward spread on the pastui'e ground at hand. The flax is brought home in lightei-s, and it being all inland navigation, the boats are not only loaded under hatches, but built upon on deck, half way up the mast, so that the transport is not expensive. As the same water cannot, certainly ought not^ 257 be used for a second rotting, it is let off by sluices at low water ; and, if necessary, pumped oft" by a wind-mill into the river, and fresh water let in by the sluices, if wanted, before the ditches fill by draining again. In Holland flax is invariably rotted in the same season it is pulled, and scutched off during the winter. The population of those islands, so often referred to, is totally inadequate to perform these operations ; but at the usual season there is an influx of men and women from agricultural districts, accustomed or ti-ained to labor on flax, who year after year look to this employment in winter to help them through, without any detriment to their own little farms at home. In Belgium, in the districts which supply the principal markets of Lokeren, St. Nicholas and Malines, and partially Bruges, with flax, the culture is mostly on a small scale, more like gardening than farming; and, consequently, by the atten- tion of a family, who might else be idle, being devoted to a small field of flax a quarter or half an acre, fine quality is produced, and high pi'ices are obtained ; the rotting is something like that in Holland. In the provinces of Liege and Haynault there is a large quantity of flax produced, passing by the name of Walloon flax ; but in that mineral region there being no suitable water, the farmers labor under the disadvantao-e of havino- to dew rot it. Still I have seen some very good flax of that description; and as it continues to be raiseJ, it is to be presumed it pays. Dew-rotting does not bring flax up to its full natural value. For certain purposes, such as thi-eads which have to be dyed, and unbleached common linen cloth, it is well enough ; but it does not take a pure white color in bleaching, as wanted for shirtings, &c., like water-rotted. There is a district of country, embracing a portion of French and Belgian ter- ritory, watered by the river Lisse, which produces the best flax in the woi'ld; and there has been, and still is, a sort of magic influence ascribed to the water of this slow, sluggish river, in which the flax is rotted, as the means of making it so much superior to any other. Experiments, almost without number, have been made with it at great expense, such as taking flax grown in other districts, even in other countries, to be rotted in this water, and also taking the water itself to other districts. I am not yet prepared to say positively, whether or not we have in Wisconsin such water as runs in this river Lisse, having unfortunately mislaid the analysis of its properties; but I rather think we have it in plenty. There is a peculiarity in the mode of treating flax in that district, being kept in stack for three years after pulling, and then rotted, which, it is believed, brings out the quality better. I have come pretty near this Courtrai flax in my experiments on samples the first year; and to test the matter thoroughly, I reserved a small portion of my crop of 1849, in the straw just as it was pulJod. After rotting it this ensuing summer, I hope to have formeil an niiinlciii whether or not I am up to the maj'k, and to have samples to show at the next annual 17 258 meeting of our Society. It is not, however, after all, with a fancy article of this kind, of limited consumption, though high priced, (I have known 61000 per ton paid,) that much general benefit is to be derived by this country. In Nor- mandy (France) a good deal of flax is grown, and considerable attention has been paid of late years to improve it by good management, with some degree of success, though the best of it I have handled can be easily surpassed in Wis- consin. In Bussia, as in Belgium, there is both dew and water-rotted flax, depending on the facilities which the producing provinces ofier as to water. All that finds an outlet by the White Sea at Archangel and Onega, is dew-rotted; that by the Baltic, at St. Petersburg, Riga, Pernan, &c., is water-rotted. In that country the flax is all assorted into ditl'erent qualities, distingui:^hed by particular initials, well known to business men. The assortment is made by government and local inspectors whose decision is arbitraiy ; and though sometimes erroneous, business generally is much facilitated by the arrangement of classification. For instance, a manufacturer, say in Scotland, has an opportunity of contracting for a quan- tity of goods, which he knows -.by experience he can make out of the flax marked "PTR," at Riga. He refei-s to liis price current, makes his calculations and his bargain, and orders the mark he wants from his correspondent in Riga, with very nearly a certainty of getting the suitable article. The house in Riga has again io deal with another party, generally a native dealer or jobber, who agrees to deliver that mark at a fixed price, either on the arrival of the barques after open water, or at any time that may be bargained for. In his transactions with the land-holders in the intei'ior, he has to buy all and sundry unclassified. His own judgment must guide him as to what proportion of his purchases will pass the inspectors at the shipping port, for "TR," "PTR," '• SPTR," and so on through all the marks which bear their respective prices. One feature of the Russian flax trade is woithy of all acceptation in the present state of Wisconsin, and that is, that two-thirds of the price, down to 10 i)er cent., as may be agreed on, is paid in advance of the delivery; and in Pernan, the whole amount is paid down when the contract is made — the delivery being, perhaps, alter three or four months, and often lono-er. In all of those countries I have named, except Ireland, as well as in Hanover, Tvliere also a good deal of flax is raised for home consumption, (with a small export of the finest hand spun yarns produced anywhere,) the flax is dressed by hand labor; no machinery is used as yet, or, at least, was not two years ago — but hands being su|)erabundant, labor is cheap. In Efff/pf the late Ibrahim Pasha took a deep interest in the culture of flax, in- troduced it on his private estates under the superintendence of an intelligent young friend of my own, and imported both men and machinery from abroad to give #. 259 an impetus to the business, witli such success, that the export of flax now forms no inconsiderable item in the commerce of Egypt; though the quahty is poor, and not fit for making the " fine linen" of former days. In Sweden some flax is grown, but all for home manufacture. Machinery has been introduced ; and an extensive spinning mill erected at Gothenburg, which was in successful operation when I last heard of it. In Rhenish Prussia a good deal of flax is grown, also for home consumption. Under the operation of the Foll-Verein tariff", a friend of mine has erected a large spinning mill at Bielefeldt, which will realize him a handsome return on his out- lay of capital, and promote the welfare of all around him, whether farmers or operatives. There are spinning mills in Stvitzerland, but not sufllcient flax grown in the country for their consumption. The supply of flax is drawn chiefly from Holland and Belgium. I do not believe that we can manage the flax trade in Wisconsin, by the indi- vidual effbrts of farmers, as is done in Ireland and Belgium, because we have not the indispensable water at every door as there; but my conviction is firm and sure that we can nevertheless make flax a staple article of produce, and compete successfully with any other country, though labor has to be better remunerated here than elsewhere. Yv'ho would wish it otherwise? I need not say that I con- sider my own plan of managing it the best; it is this: — I pay the farmer a rent for his land fully equivalent to what he could make b)' raising a good crop of anv other article. I take the entire manaa:eraent of a certain number of acres off" his hands, except ploughing and dragging. He can thus have part of his land under cultivation at remunerative rates certainly^ while he has more time to de- vote to the rest in harvest time, to make it so too. There are localities enough through the country for similar establishments to mine, and I think in this way the most good will be done for the present. By and bye I have no doubt there will be scutching mills for flax as we have mills for flour, of which those who have water for rotting purposes can take advantage; but to make Wisconsin a flax raising State to an extent worth noticing, I believe there must hi a division of labor and profit between farmer and flax factor. When I came into this country I had no choice but to grow my own flax, (and I still thii k it the best plan to get fine quality, as farmers can rarely pay the necessary attention to the minutia of handling while they have other crops to care for;) but since the culture has become more general and oil mills established for the seed, another system is being introduced, and I have no doubt will be useful and successful. Messrs. Hatch and Weed have built a flax mill at Beloit, where they buy the flax straw and manufacture it, the farmer managing his own crop up to, and stopping at, the point of rotting, selling the seed where he chooses. These gen- 260 tlemea have a patent right to a process of rotting in hot water in vats, and of other matters connected with the preparation of flax, the advantage of which is, that the work can go on during winter, and the flax is rotted in less time. In 1840, I tried to persuade some of the manufacturers in Belfast, Ireland, to make experiments with flax in the hot water running from their mills, keeping up the temperature by a steam pipe, and got rather ridiculed about it. In 1846, the late Mr. Schenck arrived from America with the identical process " patented," and it has since succeeded well in Ireland where the climate makes the usual method very tedious. My opinion is, that this American process is good for Ireland, and my Irish process good for America ; but we shall see at om* next State Fair, when I hope I shall not be the only comjjetitor for a prize as I was at Janesville. In the old country flaxseed is never sown on the same ground, with advantage, but once in six or seven years. Here I would venture it in five, and on rich bottom land in less. It is not an exhausting crop, where there is good farming and a proper rotation of crops. Wheat has been bad since I commenced opera- tions, but it was quite as good on the flax land as any where else. Nothing can better clean and prepare the land for winter wheat than a pre\'ious crop of flax. There is a ready market at the East alone for a large quantity of flax, and the spinners are anxious to encourage the culture out West, as many of them import from Holland, Belgium, Russia, and Ireland, most of their consumption. By the last statistical report I have at hand, I perceive that 990 tons of Foreign flax were imported into the United States, and some new mills have been erected since then. I am not yet prepared to answer one of your queries as to the profits of flax- raising over other crops, and the information would be of little practical use if I could give it. The management of flax is a trade that must be learned like any other ; no matter what the profits may be, they are not to be obtained by every one who rushes into the culture of flax with only paper instructions to guide him. I well remember the outcry raised against the Belfast Society by numbers who failed though following, as they thought, the Society's printed instructions to the very letter ; that Society never did any good till it adopted the plan of sending instructors, instead of instructions, through the country. I have given you rather a disjointed and rambling story this time, but I hope to have more practical information and statistics for your second volume, meantime with a cordial invitation to all interested in flax to come and see my works, and judge for themselves. Yours, very faithfully, JOHN GALBRAITH. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. 261 FLAX CULTURE. Madison, December 31st, 1851. Mr DEAR Sir — Ha\-ing been honored by your request, that I should state ray views relative to the introduction into this State, of some new, safe, and staple product, adapted to our soil and climate, I take pleasure in submitting the follow- ing suggestions, and hope they may prove of some service to the farming interest of the State, in its present embarrassment. From the information I ha^'e derived from others, and from my own observa- tion, I am led to believe that the cultivation of flax, if adopted as our principal or chief crop, will, at this time, better than any thing else, alTord us the relief we require. A good mellow, pulverised soil, that would be suitable for wheat, corn, or roots, is equally adapted to the healthy growth of fliLV, and especially is our new and fresh soil in this state, favorable to its production. The seed should be sown broad-cast, about the fiist of May ; from twent}' to thirty-two quails to the acre, if cultivated for the seed only, or if cultivated both for seed and the fibre, one- third additional seed should be sown. When sown, it should be lightly and smoothly harrowed or brushed in. Li ordinary seasons, it will be fit for harvest- ing in the month of August, when the seed is entirely and maturely formed, and nearly, if not quite ripened; and may then be secured, by pulling, or cut- ting close to the ground, and after being bound up in small bundles, can be well stacked in the field, or placed under cover. The plant, while growing, is not liable to injury from frost. In Belgium, Holland, and L'eland, I have known as high as thirty bushels of seed produced to the acre ; and I know of no reason why our lands may not be equally productive of this crop. But foi- illustration, I will suppose we raise fifteen bushels of seed per acre, which should be our lowest average crop, and by a simple calculation, a compa- rison with the wheat crop, and its relative value will appear. One bushel of seed will produce two gallons of linseed oil, besides the oil cake. — The scarcity of seed in this State at present will probably make its aver- age cost for the next two years, about twelve shillings per bushel, and the lowest cost one dollar. We have this result : One acre, 1 5 bushels Si 5 00 1^^ tons fibre, $8 per ton (gros.s) 10 00 $25 00 262 Suppose twenty-five bushels per acre are raised, which will be a fair crop, and suppose the fibre, instead of being carried away and sold in the rough state, is dressed by the farmer at his leisure, the result will be : One acre, 25 bushels, at $1 $25 00 300 lbs. dressed flax, 6 cents at least 18 00 $43 00 This conclusively shows that the crop will be a profitable one to the farmer, even more so than wheat ; but this is not all — the effect of making it a staple and general product upon the country, is worthy of special notice: First. — It will require to be established, in almost every township or village, a flax-breaking macliine, where the fibre may be sold for cash, by the ton. Second. — It will demand the establishment in almost every settled county, of an oil mill, where cash will be paid for the seed. Third. — A great variety of linen fabrics are manufactured from the fibre, and the seed may be converted into oil, food for cattle, and medicinal articles. Fourth. — It gives the farmer comparatively a sure and valuable product, that he may always sell at a cei'tain market price for cash, or exchange with the mer- chant for goods, a staple that may profitably employ his domestic industry in its manufacture into articles for clothing. Fifth. — It furnishes to the merchants, or other buyers in the country, an im- portant and valuable article of export, in the form of flax and linseed oil. Sixth. — It gives employment to mechanics and other laboi'ers in our own State in its preparation for market; and in the two articles of oil and dressed flax, will make a balance of trade in our fa\'or of a large amount. Within the next ten months, the above ad\'antages of this crop may be, in a measure, realized by this State. Ten thousand bushels of seed should, as soon as practicable, be brought here, to be distributed generally among the farmers of the State, at cost, which would amount to the sum of 815,000. Ten thousand bushels would sow ten thousand acres, which, according to the above average estimate, would produce to the State, in the first year, in seed and fibre, in value $250,000. During the second year, if we should sow one half of the seed of the first year's crop, at one bushel to the acre, fort-hat year, at the same estimate, there would be produced to the state in seed and fibre, in value, $2,000,000. Such a result vrould certainly seem worth securing to the farming interest of this state ; and I cannot see what should necessarily prevent it, except it be an unwillingness to make the effort. We have the soil and climate well adapted to this crop, as has been well and 263 successfully demonstrated by actual experiment. We have the farming and me- chanical labor already here, to be employed in its cultivation and preparation for market; and we are importing into the State for our own use, from other States and abroad, the very articles that are produced from it, amounting, in all, to no inconsiderable sum of money, when we have the facilities to be not only indepen- dent, in this lespect, but also to produce for exportation. The experience of the fanners in this State, has clearly proved, that the wheat crop is not always sure; and if a crop, there is not always a good market. Consequently there is a necessity that, at least, a portion of our energies should be directed to some other agricultural product; and I know of no plan more feasible or profitable than this. It is a sure crop — comparatively so, at least. It opens and commands a safe cash market. The crop is raised with as little labor, proportionably, as any other, and it can be easily and cheaply introduced at this time. Some plan could be adopted by neighborhoods, or perhaps by a more general concert of action among the farmers of the State, to procure the seed. After the first season, then this difficulty ends; and the crop is introduced into the State — and that it will afteiwards become a staple one, I think any person can cleai-ly see. To show that all this is not mere theory, without experiment or proof, I am permitted to refer to John Galbraith, Esq., of Mukwonago, in the county of Waukesha — who has liad more expeiience in the culture of this crop than any other person in this country; and who is now, and has been for a few years past, engaged in this enterprise, in this State,, at the above \)]ace. 1 am informed, by a letter from him, under date of November last, that la 1848, he raised 20 acres, a good crop. 1849, " 96 " very fine crop. 1850, " 121 " dry season, middling crop. 1851, " 108 " splendid crop. Mr. Galbraith gives it as his opinion, that this crop is as well adapted to this State, as to any flax growing country abroad ; and he has had an iutimato acquaintance with those countries, and is capable of judging correctly. I have examined with much satisfaction, the flax breaking macliine of Messi*s. Hatch and Weed, at Beloit, where they purchase the flax straw by the ton, and it is by them rotted, dressed, and sent to an Eastern market. Should the farmers of this country adopt this crop, and use one half the energies in its production now expended upon wheat, the time is not distant when many of our cotton fac- tories will be converted into linen factories, and linen goods be produced as cheaply, and be made as generally useful as cotton goods. Recent experiments in Europe and in our own country, leave no longer a doubt but that flax can be substituted for cotton ; and there is a process and 264 patent now in use, by which, in one day from the time the flax is pulled ripe from the field, it can be prepared, and in a fit condition for spinning upon any of the flax, cotton, wool or silk machinery of the county. We have a direct and vital interest in the cultivation of this product. Most respectfully, your obedient Servant, LEONARD J. FARWELL. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. CULTURE OF TOBACCO. MiLFORD, November 3d, 1851. Dear Sir — Your letter of October 18th was duly received, and would have received earlier attention had it not been for my absence from home at that time. You write that you are desirous of obtaining information respecting the culture and growth of tobacco, and also of obtaining some seed for distribution. The culture of tobacco is a business that requires so much attention to little things which are all important to the success of the crop, and all important to the new beginner, that 1 fear I cannot do the subject justice without being too lengthy, but I will endeavor to condense my remarks as much as is consistent with giving a proper idea to those just engaging in the business. Any good soil will produce tobacco. My mode is to manure clean good ground, and plough in the fall; this exposes the worms, and destroys many of them; the common cabbacce or cut-worm is the only worm that has troubled me ; I know of no way to destroy them but by hand, hunt, and kill them, wherever to be found among the plants. If this is neglected, a large portion of the plants are liable to be destroyed; they do not, however, work much after the middle of June. The seed should be sown by the middle of March, and will vegetate in from forty to fifty days. I shall sow late this fall, and again in March, as it is all important to get the plants early. Fall planting, I think, will be best in this climate, but it will require much care to protect the plants against the frost in April ; plant beds should be placed in a sheltered situation, protected from the north and north-west winds, where they can have the sun during the greater part of the day. Commence your beds by burning brush on the ground ; then spade the earth, as for gardening, but no deeper than it has been cultivated be- fore, unless it is very rich. Manure from the hen house is best ; hog manure, or well rotted manure of any kind, will answer, but is more liable to give a crop of weeds. Do not make the beds too wide, they are inconvenient to weed; and also 265 in drawing the plants much attention must be paid to destroying the weeds ; take them out when small, or they will injure the plants by retarding their growth ; frequent watering will be necessary in a dry time, and great care should be taken in bringing them forward early ; the ground should be well pulverized ; the bed may be, say three feet wide by thirty feet in length ; take a lai-ge spoonful of seed and mix with half a pint of dry sand ; sow half of it over the bed and rake it in very shallow; then sow the remainder crosswise of the first sowing; by this means you will have seed in for wet and dry weather; then tread your bed crossways and lengthways all solid, and cover with brush plentifully, which will tend to keep the seed moist, and cause it to start early. A bed of this size •will furnish plants for from one to tv.o acres, depending on the number of seeds that may vegetate ; the brush should be taken off as soon as the plants are up, and when they are two inches high they are fit for planting; then improve every good opportunity to set them as fast as they become large enough. Much care should be taken in drawing the plants, so as not to injure the small ones; the bed should be thoroughly wet and all the small roots preserved on the plants, if pos- sible. It is a good plan to take a table fork in loosing the earth around the roots, but great care should be taken not to disturb the roots of plants not in- tended to be drawn at the time. When the bed has been drawn two or three times, late plants, and plants to reset, may be drawn by the use of the fork, and nearly all the small fibi-es be preserved, and they will grow off rapi(.lly. Plough the ground twice, and have it free from weeds and grass ; mark your field into squares, measuring three feet on all sides ; make a small hill in the centre of the squares, into which you will set your plants with care, so that the water will not settle in a heavy rain and cover the plants with dirt when they are small. In set- ting the plants, spread the roots and set no deeper than they were in the seed bed ; the ground should be well cultivated after the plants have taken hold, and be kept free from weeds; after the plants begin to cover the ground so that it will not do to work it with a horse, they should be hilled, and that finishes the culture, except to cut up the weeds, should any grow, as soon as the buttons or buds make their appearance ; and before it blossoms the plants should be topped, leaving from twelve to fourteen leaves on each plant; the suckers will now commence growing from the stock above each leaf, and must be taken out; if suffered to grow, they stop the growth of the leaf, make it thin and neai-ly woithless. You may know when the ci-op is i-ipe by the color of the leaves — the ground leaves will decay, and ground suckers will come out and grow vigorously ; also by folding the leaf between the fingers, if ripe, it will break on being pressed together ; if too green, the leaf will be thin, and will not break under this operation. Gathering the crop. — A small axe may he used for this purpose: cut up as much as you can hang in the afternoon ; lay the plants on the hill until wilted ; 266 then put the plants of three rows upon the the hills of a fourth row — this will leave room to drive between the rows, and facilitate the Lacing ; the loads should be small, and care must be taken not to bruise the plants. Prepare your building or tobacco house, by putting up, across the building, poles four feet apart, to rest the end of the tobacco slicks on — there should be four feet distance between the tiers of poles thus put up, for hanging the Connecticut seed-leaf. Of the different modes of hanging tobacco, I prefer " spearing." This is done by having a spear made with a socket to fit loosely upon the ends of the tobacco sticks; the stick must be smooth, one inch througli, and five feet long, and have one end sharpened to fit the socket of the spear loosely. Prepare a block by boring a hole to receive the blunt end of the stick; then placing the spear on the other end of the stick, take your plants, and run the spear through the butt end of the stalk, far enough from the end not to split the stalk open at the butt — thus string the plants upon the sticks, being careful not to get them too thick. By this mode tobacco can be handled with care and ease — it opens the stalks, and cures quicker. Another very expeditious way to hang tobacco is, to place poles across the building, as before directed, but nearer together; make a strong twine fast to one end of the pole, then wind it around the butt of a plant, cross it over the pole diagonally, and around another plant, so on until the pole is filled. A ten foot pole will hold about thiity-five plants, and must remain in the building until sufiiciently dry, as they are heavy to handle. Buildings should be made light and airy, to cure tobacco of good color; if cured as above, or where there is a large quantity. The tobacco should be hung three or four days out of doors, and thoroughly wilted before put into the building. 1 send you only the Connecticut seed-leaf variety; it is the only kind I have that I think will pay ; it is a lai'ge sort, has a fine leaf, and is used in the manufactory of cigars. In reference to the profit of the crop, I will say, that much depends upon the quality, and also on the necessities of the farmer, whether or not he is under the necessity of realizing from it early in the season ; but, I think, we can safely calculate upon 1,200 lbs. per acre, as an average yield — say, 800 lbs. first quality, at eight cents per pound; and 400 lbs. second quality, at four cents per pound. This price being about one half the market price at this time in New York; and the net products of one acre may be thus stated: 800 lbs. of first quality, at 8 cents $64 00 400 lbs. of second quality, at 4 cents 16 00 80 00 Expense of cultivation, curing, and preparing for market 40 00 Making the net profits on one aci'e $40 00 267 This calculation is based on my last year's experience in raising the Connecti- cut seed-leaf variety ; and I am now offered this price at home for my crop. A large portion of the labor in gathering and curing the crop, can be done at times not interfering with other crops, and labor on the farm. I am of the opinion that the cultivation of tobacco should not be attempted on a large scale at first; and that two or three acres is as much as should bo put in cultivation for a beginning. * * * To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. Yours, very truly, H.' B. HAWLEY. CATTLE Webster's Island, Fox Lake, December 25th, 1851. Dear Sir — Your letter of November 13th, was received, after being sub- jected to some postal delay ; and this reply would have been earlier, but for the wish to comply with your request to fui'nish a reply on the subject of neat cattle. With this request I had hoped, until recent)}', to have been able to comply; but on attempting to collect the statistics, which it would seem neces- sary to embody in such a document, in order to render it interesting or useful to its readers, I find myself entirely at fault, and should have to fall back on my own resources, and thus injure the cause, which I believe to be not only closely allied, but absolutely identified with the prosperity of our State. Thus situated, it will not be in my power to meet your expectation, or my own wishes fully; but I will submit a few remarks, founded upon my own observation and experience since I have been in the country. With this view, the first thing to be considered, I think, is the use for which the cattle we raise are intended; as no prudent, well informed man would think of raising a fine colored, active, and well- matched pair of woiking oxen from the Durhams — an animal of great size from the Devonshire — or the best points of either from the natives. As well might be expected a good draft horse froni the Indian pony. We have different breeds, and these are adapted to different purposes; the common native cattle of the country prevail generally. Many tarmers have considered that " a cow is a cow" the world over. These cattle are hardy, vigorous, and withstand the severity of our climate well ; but are celebrated for little else. The short horned Durhams are unrivalled for size; and fur aptness to fatten, and quantity of beef, are not sur- 268 passed by any ; they also make a large and stately style of working oxen. Yet for fine and perfect raatching, quick and athletic step, they are not equal to the Devons. These combine, in a remarkable degree, those qualities which render them valuable to the farmer, which may be seen in the broad loin, round body, fine head and limbs, hair of uniform color, with a deep flank and light oft'al — together with the best possible quality for our northern climate, early maturity. With regard to the relative merits of the two breeds for milkers, a difference of opinion has always existed, originating not unlikely in the partiality or preju- dice of the breeders of the different races. From the limited opportunity I have had to form an opinion, I believe the Durhams have the advantage in quantity, and the Devons in quality of their milk. But considerable variation will doubt- less be found in different animals, as we find to be the case in the native cattle. In selecting from the different races, such qualities as are best adapted to the use for which they are designed, care should be taken to breed from such animals only as partake largely of these particular traits. Then never suffer them to deteriorate, but carefully feed and house them — keeping them constantly im- proving, not by exti'avagant feeding, but by bestowing such care and attention upon them as shall preserve these qualities in the greatest perfection. I am strongly impi-essed with the belief, that a cross of the ditferent breeds of imported stock already in the country, with the best native or common cattle, will produce a race quite as useful to the farmer, either for fattening, working oxen, or for the dairy, as any of the unmixed, imported stock ; the object being the improve- ment and not the substitution of a new race of cattle. I am persuaded that the natives, constituting as they do almost the entire mass of cattle in the country, must be relied on to foi-in the basis for any great or general improvement, and that cross- ing with this class will prove a cheap and easy way of improving the present stock. We have many well formed cattle of the native stock ; but they are seldom found possessed of the size, color, or activity of the improved cattle. And in conse- quence of their diversity of color and horns, we find great difficulty in matching our working oxen. A cross with the Durhams does not prove a remedy in this respect ; but, as far as I have known, a cross of the Devonshire has been attended with different and better results. I believe if I had in view the raisinjr of work- ing oxen by a cross with native cattle, I should prefer the Devonshire. I have for several years been in the use of a full-blood Devon bull with native cows, which were purchased from Southern drovei's, at prices varying from twelve to twenty dollars; taking care to select those of good size, without much regard to color. The result has been most satisfactory, producing cither a fine red, or red and white, located in large masses, and entirely divested of the grizzle and speckled character which pre\ails extensively among the Durhams and nati\'e 269 cattle. The benefit of this cross is beginning to be felt in this neigbborbood. There were several specimens of half-blood heifers exhibited at the State Fair, at Janesville, by Mr. Ferguson, of Fox Lake, from cows of ordinary color, but fair size; giving the most decided evidence of the advantage to be derived from a cross with the Devonshire and native stock. For myself, I should greatly prefer this cross with natives ; yet if that could not be made, I should, without hesi- tation, make use of the Durham ; h^ so doing, 1 should lay the foundation of an excellent cross with the Devonshire, whenever that could be obtained. Although I believe the crosses above alluded to, must be relied upon for gene- ral improvement, in consequence of the extreme scarcity of the full-blood, and higher grades of the Durham and Devonshire; yet every observing man will at once discover great merit in both these fine breeds. Each has its particular and distinct traits ; and those who suppose that no improvement can be made by crossing them for the use of the farmer, it seems to me, are mistaken. The large and heavy Durharas may well afford some diminution in size, if need be, in exchange for the increased activity, compactness, and splendid color of the Devons. There was exhibited at the State Fair, at Rochester, New York, in 1844, (I believe I am correct in the date,) a pair of fine, red, fat oxen, which were a cross of the Durham and Devonshire, the live weight of one exceeding four thousand by a few pounds, and the other falling but little short of the same weight. This is a greater weight than I have ever known from a full-blood of any kind. This, fact, with other evidence which has come within my knowledge, assures me that the cross can be made without injury, and probably to the advantage of both. This cross, or any other, once made, should by no means be extended so as to amount to the practice of breeding in and in. If this bad practice must be adopted, it had better be confined to the distinct breeds ; and even then it should be avoided as far as possible. But as every farmer cannot be expected to provide himself with the requisite means of producing these crosses, it would seem that the influence of our Society could not be better directed than in the encourao-ement amono- individuals whose taste and circumstances would permit of the propagation of the pure Durham and Devonshire, which I be- lieve form decidedly the best cross, either with each other, or the native stock. This should be extended to every county within the State, where stock is raised to any extent; and would place within the reach of most of our farmers a conve- nient and expeditious means of improvement, from which, at present, most of them are excluded ; and, at the same time, it would be a source of profit to those who would aid in the enterprise. I do not suppose that great progress can be made at once; but would it not be well to direct attention to the subject? The large ranges cattle are permitted upon our uncultivated lands, and our extensive marshes, place us in a position to be the best stock -growing State of this latitude 270 in the Union, and might enable our smallest farmers to support a numerous herd of cattle at a tiitling expense. The stock-fjrowins: interest, I think, have strong claims for encourawment and patronage from the legislature; upon this body our Society may exert a power- ful influence, coming, as its members do, from almost eveiy portion of the State, and having among them many individuals of extensive influence, it would seem they might, by suitable exertion, produce an impression that would be iri-esistable ; the more so, as they would have the benefit of precedent from almost every agri- cultural State in the Union, where a State Society has been organized. The Agricultural Society of the State of New York, if I am not mistaken, received their first impulse from the fostering hand of the State, without which, in all pro- bability, they never would have reached their present enviable position. Our own State, although young in years, is old in agricultural resources, and may, with more propriety, call loudly for liberal aid from its legislature. Very truly yours, MARTIN WEBSTER. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. BUTTER-MAKING. From Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton, Mass. Your letter, requesting me to communicate my views on the subject of Butter- making, has been duly received, and I cheerfully comply with the request, willing always to do what I can to promote the interests of the farmej's, in whatever part of our widely extended country they may be toiling for a livelihood. A dif- ference of soil, climate, and modes of husbandry, must, of course, exist between New England and Wisconsin. Wherein the diflerence consists, it is difliicult for me to say ; it must be left therefore for me to give the management of the dairy here, as it respects butter, (that being the article into which the product of my cows is made) and for your farmers to adapt it to their wants, so far as circum- stances will allow. And yet there are certain fundamental points, which are essential to butter-making the world over, and which must guide to success in Wisconsin as surely as in New England. Good cows are necessary for a good dairy. Indeel, it is labor thrown away to attempt making a business of butter-making, without good cows. Some cows excel for the butter-making properties of their milk, whilst others seem to be 271 greatly deficient in this respect. It costs as much to keep animals of the latter description as of the former, and of course it is for our interest to keep only the best, or as good as we can procure. How shall we be able to tell, then, good butter-making cows fi-om poor ones? Now there are certain mai'ks of a good cow well known to the experienced farmer, and by which he most usually judges in making a selection — head and face long and narrow ; neck slim and flat, not round and fleshy; wide in the loin and deep in the flank; small fore quarters, and large hind quarters; milk veins large; teats middling size, long and standing apart; bags and teats of a reddish brown or orange color, and so also the color of the inner part of the ear — this color denoting the producing of butter of a similar hue. The hair on the bag short and silky, and pointing upward on the hind part, and so up the thigh. The farther up the thigh the hair thus runs and the wider it spreads in an upward direction, the better the cow, according to the theory of Guenon, the French writer; and this criterion is highly esteemed by some of our best judges of cows. We give these mai'ks, for what they are worth, observing that it is only by long and close attention, that one is able to form a correct judgment of milch stock — and then sometimes the most experienced are mistaken in their opinions. The safest way, therefore, to test the butter-properties of a cow, is to set her milk by itself, till enough is collected for a churning — that will tell you how much butter she will make in a given time and its quality. Cows are found that will yield ten to sixteen pounds per week. A stock of cows that will average one pound of butter a day, in good feed, is a good stock — the thickness of the cream also denotes the quality of the milk. For this* purpose lactometere are used; wine-glasses, or glass tumblers may also be filled with milk from your cows, putting each cow's into a separate glass, and the thickness of the cream can easily be seen. Let it be remembered that it is not the quantity, but the quality of the milk, that determines the question whether a cow is profitable for butter-making. The Alderney cow gives but a small mess of milk, but it is extremely rich. The Cream-pot breed of Colonel Jaques, in this State, are famous for the richness of their cream. I have myself seen him take a pan of milk from his milk-room, in the coldest part of the winter, and with a common table fork remove the cream, almost in one mass, into a bowl, and there stir it with the same fork by the fire, till in less than three minutes it was formed into the best of butter. These are specimens of number one cows for butter. On the other hand, cows have been known that give a large quantity of milk, which, with all possible pains, could not be churned into butter. I have never witnessed this fact, but have it fi-om reliable statements. As to the different breeds of cows, I will not undertake to give a decided pre- ference of any one, as my experience will not justify my doing so. I will only 272 say that of the foreign breeds, the Durham or short-horn breed, with good pas- turage, make excellent cows for the dairy. They are large, and require of course more to fill them, than the smaller breeds; but they have been with me excellent milkers. The native breed — as the stock is called that has been the longest in the country — are so well adapted to our climate and pastures, and have so many valuable animals, among them, that they are, perhaps, in more general favor in New England, than any foreign breed. To secure a good stock of dairy cows, breed from the best animals, both male and female; keep the calves well, both summer and winter; they will thus be large enough to "come in," at two years old, and will then tell their own story as to what they can do in the production of butter. If they prdmise well, keep them ; do not be tempted, by an extra price, to part with your best heifers; but if they are ordinary milkers, let the butcher, or any body who wants, take, them for what they are worth. Next to good cows, good pasturage is all important to ensure a profitable dairy. Perhaps there is no want of this in Wisconsin ; but here in New England it is the greatest drawback we experience, especially in those portions which have been longest settled. By continued grazing, pastures are exhausted of much of their fertility. The land becomes " bound out," as it is called, and not unfre- quently overrun with mosses. But little has yet been done here to renovate these impoverished pasture lands ; but the attention of our farmers is now being turned to this important subject. Top-dressing-s of compost manures, of ashes, and of gypsum, are applied to such lands with marked benefit. But it is easier to keep good pastures in good heart, than to retain such as are impoverished, and it is altogether wiser. Let the farmers of Wisconsin, therefore, look to it, and not over-stock and o\'er-feed their pastures ; let them, betimes, renovate such of them as begin to deteriorate; let them procure seeds of honey -suckle, and the peren- nial pasture grasses best adapted to the soil and climate, and sow them where they think they are needed, or where they will give a greater and richer run of feed. Thus, the product of the dairy will be materialh" increased, and the thrift of the farmer be sure to follow. All grazing animals, and milch cows especially, must ha\e water as well as grass. Clear running water, either in the brooks or from springs, is best adapted to this ])ui-pose. Muddy water may satisfy the thirst of cows, but will not be drank in such quantities as that which is clear, nor will the flow of milk be so great and pure from the former as the latter. There are some pieces of pasture land, however, wholly destitute of water, and then the want must be supplied by artificial means. This may be done on plains by making excavations, and lining the bottom and sides with clay, so as to retain the rain water. But if there are hills in pastures, the better way is to dig a well on the brow of a hill ; and as springs are always nearer the surface in such places, than in plains, you will soon come to water. 273 Stone over the spring, or stone it up ; then dig a trench in the side of the hill to reach the hottom of the well. Stone up the tvench and cover it with earth; or a trough may answer the purpose, when buried in the ground. Where the water issues out, there dis: a waterinof-i-)lace — water mav, in this way, be led to the cattle- yard and house, and also used for irrigation. Besides good watering places, cows need shade in hot weather. And if there be any dearth of trees in your pas- tures, go to work at once, and plant them out; they will be growing while you are sleeping, and will soon shelter your cattle trom the fiery rays of the summer's sun. Having thus " beat the bush," and not altogether uselessly it is hoped, I come now to the consideration of the subject more immediately in hand. Your cows have come home from the pasture at night with udders well filled, and are quietly ruminating, while the boys and girls are getting ready to relieve them of their liquid treasures. Let this operation be performed w'ith all care, and gen- tleness, and fidelity. Dirt and dung dropped into milk do not enhance its value, at least for most people's taste — be careful, therefore, and not make a compound of the contents of the milking pail, such as the dogs would make a wiy face to swallow. The peculiar flavor which some butter possesses, is often acquired by want of care in milking. Be gentle too, in milking. If the cow kicks, or slaps her tail in your face, you will not mend her manners by flinging the stool at her head, neither will you ease your pain by kicking her in return. Mild measures and patience with all dumb animals, is the grand secret of teaching them docility. Be faithful and milk quickly and tenderly, and strip, and strip, till the last drop is taken away. These last drops — these strippings — are the richest parts of the milk and should carefully be secured. Besides, by an opposite course, the cow will be dried up, long before the proper time. Before the milk is taken to the milk-room, it should be cooled. To effect this object, it is usual to let it stand in some cool place, in the pails. In some large dairies, however, it is strained into a large vat, which does not stand in the milk- room ; and when considerably cooled, is drawn oft" into pans, which are set in their appropi'iate place. If milk, warm from the cows, is taken in large quanti- ties to the milk-room ; it imparts to it a higher temperature than is suitable for the keeping of the milk till all the cream rises. The pans — those used in this region are now always of tin, though formerly earthen ones were common — should not be filled more than half or two-thirds full ; the hotter the weather, the less milk should be in a pan, as it will cool the quicker. The milk should stand in these pans, carefully arranged on shelves, until all the cream is risen, when it is skimmed. The time varies, according to the weather; from thirty- six to forty-eight hours, may be taken as the usual pei'iod, with our best butter- makers. In the hottest weather, the milk sours before all the cream is risen. As 18 274 soon as it is discovered that the milk is soured, the cream should be skimmed off, as it is injured by remaining in contact with it. As little milk as possible should be taken off i;vith it, in the process. By some experienced persons, it is thought this souring of the milk is decidedly injurious to the quality of the butter; but in the hottest of the weather it is extremely difficult, in the milk-rooms that are common in New England, to keep milk so as to prevent its souring before the cream rises. When skimmed, the cream is kept in stone or earthen pots, in a cool place, till it is churned — care being taken to stir it daily, to prevent its moulding and acquiring an unpleasant flavor. Now as to the milk-room, where shall it be, above or below ground ? This is a highly important question, and perhaps the quantity and quality of the but- ter made on a farm depends more on the proper location and construction of the milk-room, than upon any thing else. In the neighboihood of Philadelphia, the very best butter region in all the country, spi-ing houses are the most approved. The floor of these is of brick or stone, and the water is admitted at one end, and flows over it, so as to keep the pans immersed two or three inches, and passes off at the other side, the depth being governed by a gate through which the water has its outlet. This, in hot weather, must be an excellent arrangement. But as suitable springs are not always conveniently situated for this purpose, and as butter-making comprises only a part, and generally but a small part, of the farm operations in New England, it is usual here to build a milk-room on the north side of the cellar, flagging it with stones or brick, and carefully pointing the walls with mortar, so as to keep out all vermin. Shelves are placed around this room for the pans, and in the hottest weather the pans are placed on the floor, as be- ing cooler than the shelves. Some persons make a practice of dashing cold water occasionally on the floor to cool the room — a worse practice could not, perhaps, be devised. The water leaves a moisture, which is extremely detrimental to the quality of the butter. In fact, the dampness which is generated in all cellars and under-ground vaults, greatly impairs the value of such places for milk to be churned into butter — what is gained in coolness, is over-balanced by dampness. The butter acquiies a flavor — a taint — that no after skill in management can change or destroy. In this conviction, it is now the practice of some of our best butter-makers to keep their milk above ground. For this purpose, a suitable room is provided in the shadiest and coolest part of the house — one, into which hot air has but little access, either by the rays of the sun, or by passage ways leading out of doors. A window on the north side, let down at the top, during the night, will aftbrd sufficient ventilation and serve to cool the room. It should, however, be covered with gauze or wire-screening, to keep out insects. In such a room, milk may be kept without souring till the cream rises, the most of the summer. In extreme 275 not weather, resort may be bad to the cellar as tbe safest place, under the circumstances. From a fair trial of both ways of keeping milk, I have no hesi- tation in (riving it as my opinion, that a cool room above ground is decidedly preferable to one in the cellar, and that every reasonable effort should be made to provide such a room, and to make it cool by shade trees and other means, where it is desired to have sweet and luscious butter. I have no doubt that by the exercise of ingenuity, a house, impenetrable to heat, might be built, and at small expense, somewhat after the fashion of our modern ice-houses, that in the hottest weather would keep milk sweet till the cream has all risen. These houses are made with double sides, about a foot apart, and the space between is filled in with dry tan — a non-conductor of heat ; the roof is left with a space aloft for ventilation, while a double door precludes the admission of much hot air, on en- trance to the house. In the milk-room the greatest cleanliness is indispensable. It being a cool place, sometimes it happens that other articles besides milk, cream, and butter, are deposited in it for safe keeping. But this is ruinous economy. Flesh and fish may keep there, but they taint the atmosphere, and leave a real sting be- liind, as the consumers of butter, to their sorrow, sometimes find. A milk-room should be used only for its legitimate purposes, and not made into an omnium- gatherum. So, too, the utmost neatness should be used in all the management of the dairy — carefully clean and scald the pans, the pails, the jars, and scrub off" all droppings of milk from shelves and floor in the milk-room. A drop of milk in a few days grows rancid, and communicates its effluvia to the whole room. But it would be difficult to enumerate all the ways in which tbe dairy-maid should exercise cleanliness; suffice it to say, that if she has not a love of neatness, either innate or acquired — a pride in having every thing clean and nice, and in being herself the pattern of neatness, she has not the proper qualification for her duty — she has mistaken her calling, and the sooner she retires from it, unless she turn over an entire new leaf, the better for her, and the cream, and the butter, that pass through her hands. In the large dairies of New York, the milk is churned, without being set for the cream to rise. The advantages of this practice, I am unable to treat of, as it does not prevail in this section of the country. Cream only is churned here. The sour milk is fed out to swine, and for weaned pigs no better article of food can be used. In a dairy of ten or twelve cows, it is more usual to churn but once a week — though some farmers churn twice. In hot weather, it is a great object to have the butter come hard, as it can be more conveniently managed, and is actually better, than when it comes soft. The cream, therefore, nmst be well cooled before churning. It is sometimes placed in vaults dug in the cellar, and sometimes lowered in cans into the well. If the cream is not cooled, it is * 276 next to impossible, in very warm weather, to make tlae butter come hard, by the use either of ice or cold water in the churn, or around it. The thermometer churn, which is so constructed that cold water may be kept between the two sides of the churn, is but a partial remedy for the evil. The water will be more likely to become warm, than the cream to become cold — still, if the cream is first cooled, the cold water ojierates to keep it cool. As to the varieties of churns, there are as many almost as of 2:)loughs. Many of them, and both of them, are mere innovations, and not impro\ements. In churns, there are two principles, the crank and the dash, which makes the prin- cipal difterence in them. Each of these has its advocates; though the crank seems in New England, at least, to have superseded the dash-churn. All things considered, it may be doubted, whether there is any better churn than the old fashioned barrel-churn. The slats on the arms, however, should always be flat and not round, as the former offer more resistance to the ci'eam, and create a greater agitation of it than the latter. Where the dash churn is used, its operation may be facilitated, by attaching the handle with a string to an elastic pole, inserted horizontally to the walls abo\e, so as to operate as a lever in raising the dash. What- ever description of churn is used, it should be such as will admit of the butter being easil}' taken from it, and also of its being easily and effectually cleansed after using. Here, as in every part of the process, neatness is the cardinal virtue. When the butter is taken from the churn, it is worked, salted, and set in the milk-room for a day, when it is again worked over, so as to get out all the butter- milk ; and, with us, put up in pound lumps for market. Some people practise washing the butter in cold water before taking it tVoni the churn ; but the more general belief is, that water injures the flavor of the butter, and impairs its keeping properties. The usual method of working the butter here, is with the hands — hands which must be clean and cool. The contrivances of brakes and other butter- workers, ha\e not yet gained much favor with our dairy maids ; if our dai- ries were larger, the necessity of the case might compel their introduction. The quantity of salt used is about an ounce to the pound ; though the quantity is not in general regulated by weight, but by the judgment of the dairy maid. Butter, when it comes soft, requires the use of more salt than that which is hard, as it will work out with the buttermilk. There are so many tastes in the community, that it is no easy task to salt butter so as to suit all. The great point is to salt it enough to have it keep, w ithout salting so much as to injure its flavor. Pur- chasers of butter are rather averse to buying too much salt in their butter. Butter that is packed down for future consumption, or for sale, requires a dif- ferent management. It requires more salt — and to ensure its better keeping, a little pulverized loaf sugar and saltpetre, is sometimes added to the salt. It is usually put down in jars or tubs, and in layers, between which is a sprinklino- of 277 ■, salt. The butter should be packed snugly in tlie firkin or jar, covered with a cloth, and then with the proper cover of the vessel. It should be kept in a dry and cool place. If it be kept in the cellar, it may be elevated a little from the floor by pieces of wood, to prevent its imbibing the moisture, and, consequently, the taint of the floor. There are but few cellars that will keep butter well through the summer. In the vicinity of a market it is best to sell it as it is manufactured, and not incur the hazard of damage by keeping it on hand. Still, it must often happen that no immediate sale can be eft'ected, and then the judgment and expe- rience will be called into exercise, to preserve the butter from spoiling. As I have little or no experience myself, on this point, I forbear to ofter advice lest I might mislead unintentionally those who might follow it. One thing only I will observe, that no matter how well the butter is made in other respects, if butter- milk is left in it, there is always a liability to become rancid and offensive. Salting will not prevent its spoiling, unless it is made so salt as hardly to be eatable. Nor will all the care you may use in packing and storing, keep it from that deterioration which is sure to arise from the latent buttermilk. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. THE NORTH-WEST FOR FRUIT AND FRUIT TREES. By F. K. Phcenix, Dklavan Nursery. Fruit is not only one of the greatest luxuries, but one of the chiefest neces- saries of life — hence, fruit-growing is intrinsically one of the noblest, most important of all arts or occupations — whether viewed theoretically or practically, in the light of history or science — every where we find it indissolubly linked with the main-spring, the fountain-head of all human accomplishment — life AND health — and hence an integral part of the great first problem of human sustenance. Fruit-growing has been seriously neglected among us — hence we have suffered socially, physicall}', and pecuniarily, in consequence — and must continue to sufler until this prime want shall be supplied. The direct annual tax, self-imposed upon us of the North-West, for green and dried fruit, cannot be less than -1^300,000, which even then procures us not one-twentieth part of a supply — thus leaving, with all this great outlay, the popular demand unsatisfied — producing an immense amount of indirect but not less positive sufl'ering and loss in the way of discon- 27S tent, drugging and sickness, which might now have been done away, or greatly alleviated, had the requisite care been taken in season. And not only so, but as matters have been this season, this region, had it been provided with bearing- orchards as it might have been, could not only have supplied its own inhabitants measurably with fruit, but perhaps could have been induced, by the high prices offered, to part with a considerable quantity for exportation to adjoining sections where the crops of fruit have been almost totally destroyed by late frosts, while ours were uninjured. Even a few bushels of apples sold from each farm, at one or two dollars per bushel, the prevailing rates, would have strengthened wonderfully the broken staff of hedge-row dependence. Granting that this is asking too much, . considering the recent date of the settlements here, yet still it may well be ad- duced and strongly urged as an incentive to prepare ourselves to take advantage of similar opportunities in future. True, there ai'e many and important interests pressing upon us, but is not this especially worthy of increased attention ? With these few preliminary observations we shall proceed more directly to the details of our subject; though, had we been writing a few years earlier, it would have been our first duty to devote considerable time to a discussion of the ques- tion, whether fruit could be grown here at all or not. This query having been, as we think, in view more especially of the past season's crop and public displays of fruit, popularly and properly settled in the aflBrmative, it is deemed unne- cessaiy. In discussing the horticultural merits of any particular locality, the climate and soil are to be first considered. As they are more or less favorable, so will the business of fruit-growinof be more or less successful. Aside from them there is to be taken into the account but the one consideration of profit, depending upon the market or probable demand for fruit. The climate of Wisconsin, and the Great West generally, is undeniably a pecu- har one, differing considerably from that of the Eastern States or the Old World. Its chief, distinguishing peculiarities are to be found in its sudden changes and great extremes, which are occasioned by our brilliant suns, and the prevalence of our winds, which in turns may owe their power to the champain surface and far inland position of the country. The extreme range of the thermometer over a large portion of the Great West is not less than 120=* — here N. lat. 42^^ 40' it is from 94° in summer to 26 below 0 in winter, though it rarely sinks so low — and the usual range is from about 92 above to 10 or 15 below 0. The variations occurring in the wetness or dryness of the seasons are also great, and the res- pective periods sometimes of long duration. The proportion of windy days, it is believed, is unusually large, though the winds are rarely so powerful and des- tructive as at the East. In addition to these should be named, as most trying and injurious to the roots of young, tender, or newly planted trees, the utter naked- 279 ness of the ground through some winters, especially when accompanied, as it some- times is, by frequent freezings, and thawings, and excessive dryness. To vegetable as to animal life, more particularly in its first stages of develop- ment, these changes and extremes are very trying — far more so than a regular, even temperature, though it may be that of prolonged, severe cold. Repeated freezings and thawings are more injurious than a single one — a windy cold atmosphere, more piercing and penetrating than a still one of the same temperature — a dry cold wind more withering than a moist cold one — a glaring, intensely brilliant sunlight, more powerful than a feeble one — and all, as remarked above, more trying to young plants than older ones — to fresh, rank, unripe growths, than to TTpe, well-matured ones. Hence young or tender trees, or those newly planted, wjl be more subject to injury, whether in the nursery or the orchard, and will therefore require more care than older and better established ones. In the light of these few simple statements, we will endeavor more particularly to define the injuries to which our fruit trees are exposed in and from this cli- mate, with what we consider the best means of prevention or cure. But first, it should be remarked that the soil, and climate, and cultivation, exercise a very strong, mutual, responsive, or modifying influence in their combined effect or operation upon the growth and hardihood of plants. Most obviously a bad soil would materially aggravate the evil effects of a bad climate, while unskilful ma- nagement would develop them to the very utmost — and vice versa. The soil and management being measurably under our control would therefore present the most promising field for our investigations and remedial efforts, which, if properly directed in those departments, will be found very powerful correctives to the evil effects of the climate. The forms or varieties of injury to fruit trees from cold, may be distinguished as follows: — 1. Bursting of the bark at, or just above, the surface of the gi'ound. — 2. Heaving out of the roots by freezing and thawing of the ground. — 3. Dry freezing at the root. — 4. Mechanical freezing down of the extremities. — 5. Heart- blight, or a corruption of the unripe juices and tissues of the tree, more especially of the heart-wood, durino; winter. — 6. Sun-blio-ht. — 7. Destruction of the blossom buds of certain tender sorts during winter. — 8. Destruction of blossoms or sets by late spring frosts. 1. This is well known among Western nursery-men and orchard-planters, and is, we believe, peculiar to the apple and the pear while young; more especially certain tender sorts ivhen grafted on the root. The injury is generally done by the first severe frosts in autumn, rarely in the spring; the bark being ruptured longitudi- nallv from one to six inches in lenorth, near the surface of the ground. The deli- cate fibres of the inner bark, and the sap-wood, are thus exposed to the alternate freezings and thawings, until they become more or less dried ; and, in severe 280 cases, quite around the circumference of the tree, eflectually girdling it — killing the top, of course, and enfeebling the root. If not fatal, it produces a scar or wound at that most vital point, the base or collar, always more or less unsound or injurious. The immediate occasion of this evil is, doubtless, the expansion of the freezing sap, occurring perhaps on this wise: when the first severe frosts of autumn come, they, of course, chill and stop the circulation of sap, first in the extremities, while it still continues in the bodies; progressively, however, it is checked above by the frost, until finally the ascending current accumulates at the surface, and so abundantly, that, when frozen, an expansion and rupture of the vessels must ensue Thus the extent of the injury, or of liability to it, would seem in direct propo'- tion to the activity of the growth and circulation when those frosts occur — which in the case of any given variety, will prove an infallible rule or test ; though late growing kinds do not always suffer the most, which is, perhaps, owing to the dif- ference in the thickness or toughness of the bark. Obviousl}^, then, whatever tends to promote this late rank growth, as, for instance, late cultivation, or plant- ing on low, rich, moist soils, should be carefully avoided. In the case of root-grafts, of one or two seasons' growth, it is sometimes very severe, and is frequently combined with the four following varieties of injury, especially in severe winters following late warm autumns. To prevent it during the first winter, when trees are most liable to it, it is recommended to nursery-men generally, whenever it prevails, to take up their root-grafts in the fall, and lay them in by the heel over the first winter. But, fii-stly, let them avoid most carefully root-grafting those kinds which are known to be tender on the root, both for their own and their customers' sakes. The present practice of many, who graft all varieties indiscrimi- nately on the root, justly tends to bring the whole class of root-grafted trees into disrepute — lohich result., however^ as a candid, honest member of the profession, or wishing to he, we shall not, with our present views, so much regret, though ive dislike the means xised; entertainiyig, as vje are forced to do, from all our observation and experience, an increasing distrust of them as a class — ivhether their hardihood or j^roductiveness be considered — especially in severe climates, or unfavorable locations. We say this, that, as a nursery-man, we have in obedience to the prevailing mode of propagation, and the popular preference, raised mostly root-grafted trees for sale — and expect to do so while our customers demand them. In the mean traie, candor requires the above expression of opinion, which we beg to couple with the earnest hope, that the whole matter be most pro- foundly investigated. It were foolish to deny that root-grafts will make bearing trees, and, in many instances, perhaps nearly or quite as good ones as any others; but what we claim is this, that most risks in the climate and soil, as to the vigor, hardihood, and productiveness of the trees, are enhanced by root- grafting as compared with stock-grafting; or, in other words, that the hardiest, / 281 most productive and valuable trees, will be tbose worked on seedling stocks — and the higher up the better, doubtless, so that merely the bearing portion of the tops be improved ; because, as we think, seedhng trees possess the most elements of hardihood and productiveness. If this be correct, every portion of the seedling stock that is abstracted, would tend to lessen those qualities. Here, however, as in many similar cases we are obliged to compromise. Allowing that seedlings are the most hardy and 2:)roductive, we do not like their product, and hence graft thera. So in the case of entire seedling bodies and main limbs, viz., those which have the lower portion of the stock seedling, and the rest improved — though the former class may be a little better, yet the cost and trouble, and I'isk of grafting over whole tops, are so much greater than in stock-grafting while young, that the latter, on the whole, is as a general, thing much to be preferred — at least with all passably good growers. Very feeble sorts should always be worked at standard height, and on the strongest stocks. To return from this partial digression, should the nursery ti'ees burst much the second fall, it will be of great service to throw up a ridge of dirt along the rows, as high up as the bursting extends; to be done just before luinter sets in, or about the 20th November; but not early in the fall, as that would only aggravate the evil, by causing the trees to burst hio'her up. This dirt to be removed eaily the next summer. This practice of heaping up dirt in the fall, around the base or collar, cannot be too strongly recommended for young orchard trees when newly planted out, and until they get large and well-established. It not only neutralizes the evil of bursting, but protects the trees from the ravages of mice, and the roots from the repeated freezings and thawings. It also forms an excellent protection against 2. The second variety of injury, which is simply the heaving out of the roots hy alternate freezing and thawing; occurring mostly in the spring, and on low, moist clayey ground, which should therefore, and for many other reasons, be avoided as far as possible in making permanent plantations of young trees. For use in the summer season alone, such ground may, if not too wet, prove valuable. 3. The destruction of the surface roots by repeated freezing and thawing, ii^hen the ground, by long and naked exposure to the sun, has become dried or racked open. — This is sometimes quite troublesome, especially to young trees on outhern slopes and dry soils, as raised beds or sandy knolls. When not fatal, it greatly weakens the roots, often causing them to become " black-hearted." This may be wholly prevented by mulching, or sowing oats (among nursery trees) about the middle of August ; a most admirable protection, only that it some- times becomes a haunt for the mice; for which also we have a remedy, that in at least one thorough trial proved quite effectual. It is simply to provide food and haunts more congenial than they find among the trees. Let piles of straw be 282 . provided in different parts of the nursery, with plenty of corn under them, and we doubt if they would stay in the grass, and gnaw the trees for a subsistence. In the spring, remove the straw and destroy the mice. Where mulching is used, it will not be necessary to sov\^ the oats; and if the refuse grain or weeds grow up through the mulching, another coat of straw can be added; or among wide rows, the straw, weeds and all, ploughed under. 4. A mechanical freezing down of the extremities — a well known form of injury from cold, to which most trees and plants are more or less subject ; but more especially when they make a late, rank, unripe growth. Hence the great preven- tive to this, and, in fact, the grand desideratum, the neplus-ultra of horticultural success in a severe climate is to secure a Jinn, ripe, mature growth, with a per- fect terminal bud at the end of every shoot — which in some autumns here can never, or with great dificultg, be secured on yaung trees if grown on a poor, weak soil, or a late cold soil, be it rich or poor. This form of injury is harm- less on the apple compared with the next one, though the apple and most fruit trees are subject to a troublesome modification of it, occurring when a late growth is followed by a severe winter, which, though it may not kill tlie branches, so chills and enfeebles their extremities, that the sap on the I'eturn of the growing season will not flow freely and strongly to those extremities, but prefers to push out new shoots from below, thus causing many troublesome sprouts, and giving the top a dwarfish, stinted appearance. This can doubtless be aggravated by planting on bleak, exposed situations, where the winds are more piercing and drying. Hence the importance in this windy country of suitable protection in the way of woodlands or artificial screens around orchards and nurseries, more especially on the N. and W. These, for many reasons, cannot be too strong'y urged upon our cultivators, and are very easily grown from the peach, the locust, or the abele — the evergreens when " got up" are far preferable. The cultivation of trees should utterly cease by the first of August, unless the trees are to le taken up in the fall, when it may be continued till the first of September, with perhaps, even in that case, rather doubtful advantage. When the growth is ii- clined to be too late, great benefit may be derived from clipping off the ends rf the shoots from one to four inches during the first half of October, 5. Heart-blight — the corruption of the heart-wood, or pith of fruit-trees, moi3 particulaily the apple — caused by the frost, or alternations of freezing and thaw- ing, producing a chemical change or decomposition of the unripe sap in the tissue, thereby rendering it poisonous and unfit for circulation. The prime cause woull then seem to be an immature growth, because other things being equal, if th' growth were perfect the extremities would naturally suffer first, whereas the sea of this injury is the heart-wood, or pith. This fact would seem to indicate, tha when a late growth is stopped by frost the sap gathered at the heart, or that tb 28 o heart-wood was last to ripen. Certain late growing, tender sorts, and the latest, rankest growing trees of any particular sort are most subject to it, and when of but one or two season's growth — root-grafts are also more subject to it than seed- lings, and are also more incurable. Thus we see the great difiiculty in rearing fruit trees here; to winter them successfiillj' during the first few years of their growth until the wood becomes hard and firm — the trees acclimated and esta- blished— after which there is, comparatively speaking, but little difiiculty. The outward manifestations of this injury are — a feeble growth at the extrem- ities, with a strong inclination to throw up new shoots from below, often from near the base of the tree — an unnatural enlargement of the one or two year old wood, the bark turning dark, especially around wounds as in trimming, which canker and turn black. The oozing out of the sap, through such wounds, is doubtless often caused by this injury. If the tree be cut open the heart-wood •will be found more or less discolored, with more or less inclination to decay. Where the injury is severe it extends quite through to the outside, and kills patches of the bark, especially around forks or wounds made in trimming or grafting. If not too badly injured, the decomposition and decay of the wood progressed too far, the tree may entirely recover, especially when of hardy kinds, and the following summer and winter are favorable. When it is severe, it is best to let the sprouts grow from near the ground for two seasons, when the old stump and all the sprouts, save the best one, should be cut away. Thorough cultivation, and washing the old bodies with soft soap, will soon show whether the tree prefers them or the new shoots, which on young trees are often the best. This variety of injury is greatly aggravated by severe or untimely pruning — the diseased sap and tissues being thei'eby exposed to all the pernicious effects of the sun and wind, and is greatly relieved by not pruning at all — that is to say, a lot of severely pruned trees will suffer much worse than a lot of trees pruned slightly, or not at ail — it matters not whether the pruning be done the spring before or after the winter which occasions the mischief. This fact bi'ings to light another most fruitful evil in our ^^ management''^ — excessive pruning — the most laborious and profitless, and ruinous of all our operations. Wei'e it possible to avoid them we would never, in this climate, have a single scar or mark of a knife on the bodies of our trees, ei:'-pecia]ly during the first few seasons, until the wood gets hard and firm, when they heal over with much a'l'eater ease — with much less danger of cankering and decay. 6. Sun-blight. — A destruction of the bark on the south or south-west side of the bodies of trees in the winter, by exposure to the sun's rays while frozen — thus alternately freezing by night and thawing out by day. Most trees with tall, smooth, naked trunks, are subject to this in clear cold winters, but the Heart or Bigarreau cherries are most liablc'to it. Full, warm, southern exposures, as the 284 south side of a hill or building, are therefore to be avoided, but most of all would we avoid tali naked trunks which are unspeakable unsightly nuisances — most senseless, ridiculous violations of Nature's economy, especially in the West — for which, however, in hard winters she fails not to take ample satisfaction. Far North, or in very severe or exposed locations, sheathing the bodies with straw will help ; but above all, let the bodies, the single trunk portion of our fruit trees be short, not exceeding two to four feet to the main forks, which can be trimmed higher up afterwards, if desired, so as to bring the bearing part of the tops at their present height. We do not advocate the practice of having the lower limbs spread out, on or near the surface of the ground — as, in that case, the lower limbs would probably be unproductive, or if they did bear, the fruit it is to be feared would, especially in dull seasons, be wanting in flavor — but let the trunk, which is the grand artery for the transmission of the juices from root to top and top to root again, through which more especially they have to run the gauntlet of all unfa\'orable influences; let that be shortened as much as is con- sistent. What that precise point is, we are yet not fully satisfied, but know, if we know any thing, that it is much below the common height of trunks. But even if disposed to try our hand at getting up such things we should by no means take the common course of trimming to the full height so soon, whereby roots, bodies, and tops, are all starved and stinted. Our only care would be to keep a central, leading shoot, leaving on the side limbs as essential to the growth, until there was a strong, stocky trunk. If then trimmed up, and all large wounds waxed over, there would be some chance of getting a tree. 7. Destruction of the blossom buds of the peach, plum, and heart cherries, during winter, either by intense cold or severe freezing, after a warm spell, has started the sap and expanded the germs. — When the mischief is done, it may readily be detected by cutting open the buds at the base which shows the little germ lying in the centre blackened and killed. This, in the main, is perhaps more irremediable than any other injury from cold, though the liability to it is rather lessened by avoiding low grounds, southern slopes, and a naked surface under the trees. In a small way it might, perhaps, be prevented, if the tops of the trees were kept low by covering them up with straw or stalks. Dwarf trees would, of course, be far more manageable, and hence better on that account, so far as they will answer here. 8. Destruction of the blossoms or sets by late spring frosts. Well known and more or less prevalent in all parts of the country — perhaps as little in the W^est as in most sections. The most that can be done is to avoid low grounds and southern exposures. It is said that late frosts have been successfully and profit- ably kept oft" by burning piles of damp straw and brush among the trees during the frosty nights; the smoke and heat, together with the currents of air caused 28 K by the fires have quite prevented tlie frost from settling. The banks or close vicinities of streams or lakes are counted valuable for orchards, on account of the fogs which often rise from them during frosty nights late in the spring, whereby the frosts are kept off. The soil of Wisconsin, and the North-West, presents a considerable variety both as regards the surface soil and subsoil. In the surface soils we find a|l varieties, from the almost pure muck or peat of the swamp or marsh, to the heaviest clays and lightest sands. The subsoils are not less various, comprising all shades, from the most porous sandy or gravelly bottoms, to those of solid clay or rock. In such a variety, it were singular, indeed, if so far as soil is concerned, all tastes could not be suited, all varieties cultivated — which is, indeed, the case. Were it not for our climate, all fruits pertaining to the temperate zone could be produced abundantly on our soil. But there are some soils more favorable than others for fruit, oi- certain kinds of fruit. The precise soil that we w^ould prefer, would be a deep, warm, sandy loam, resting upon a solid, compact clay, or rock bottom, so as to prevent leaching. The most of our prairies have a surface soil, somewhat similar to the one we have been describing; but some, together with much of our openings and timber land, have but a small proportion of sand and vegetable mattei-, whence clay 23redominates. This latter class of soils, when resting on a porous subsoil, are apt, when long cultivated, to lose their vegetable matter, and bleach out, finally becoming comparatively cold and lifeless. Hence, it would seem objectionable to work such soils too long and constantly'', as when exposed by cultivation to the mechanical action of the sun, wind and rain, they part much more rapidly with their fertilizing elements. If undisturbed, as in the case of pasture or timber lands, the leaves, grass, tops and roots, form a barrier to the operation of these dissipating infiuences; and thus the surface soils would increase in richness, if not too closely pastured. Such soils, when culti- vated, should be ploughed deep, and, with hoed crops, have the surface often stirred to pi'event injury from droughts, to which they are quite subject, when exposed to both leaching and cultivation. They are, therefore, most productive in wet seasons ; though there is about them, in such seasons especially, a very troublesome tendency to pack and bake, if left naked, which is by no means advisable in the horticultural management? of them, where mulching can be had. On such soils, when not too destitute of vegetable matter, the growth of trees or plants, including perhaps most farm crops, though often rank enough, will nevertheless be later and weaker, or more watery and imperfect, less firm and mature, inclining to the production of straw or wood, rather than grain or fruit; and the longer they are worked the more so they become, because of their increasing weakness and coldness. When new, or filled with vegetable matter, they are both strong and lively, and if v\'e would keep them so, wo must be very 28G careful not to waste unnecessarily that vegetable matter. Let us return as much to the soil as we take from it, and it will rather improve on our hands. On this point there is, doubtless, more pi'actical fatal ignorance, than on any other of equal importance that can be named. It is readily perceived, that stock of all kinds must be cared for and kept up — that garments, and tools, and buildings, must be repaired and renewed ; but our poor yet bountiful old Mother Earth can be worked hard not only " week in and week out," but " year in and year out," generation after generation, without an ounce of care or provision, unless it be a poor mouthful of weeds or stubble too worthless to rob her of — though oftentimes this, in the sublime height of our folly, is handed over to the devouring jaws of that arch enemy, fire ! The least, then, that could be done to keep up these un- speakably pi'ecious stores upon which we are all dependent, would be to return most religiously every spare portion of them back again. What stock, what store, what " pile" so large, that if always subtracted from and never replenished, will not eventually become utterly exhausted, and its owner beggared, if depen- dent on it ? He well knows that Dame Nature has to pay the first cost of settling new countries; that capital in them is scarce, and labor high — requiring, there- foie large drafts upon her long-treasured hoards ; that, with their poor markets, in those new countries, an English or even Eastern style of farming throughout, would never pay. Yet it does not follow, tliat our present shiftless, wasteful style is necessary, even under all our disadvantages. Tell me now, can we afford to raise two crops on our land, or rather one of weeds, and only half a crop of grain, instead of one good clean crop of something valuable ? Had we better try to work so much land, that we can work none at all right ? Had we better try to raise one staple crop alone, and that one the most uncertain and unprofitable of all — and, in so doing, be compelled to buy abroad, and import a thousand necessaries we could just as well raise or manufacture on our own soil — as fruit, cheese, linseed oil, paper, cordage, and (if we must have it) tobacco; to say nothing of linens and woollens, and the endless variety of manufactured articles in use. Can we aftbrd to burn up our straw heaps, and let our heaps of manure waste away year after year, as is now generally practised ? To come still nearer home, can we afford to pay annually from $20 to Si 00 per family, for those worse than useless articles, liquor and tobacco, tea and coffee, especially when " positively too poor to pay fifty cents or one dollar a year for an agiicultural newspaper?" Can we, as parents, afford to rear up families of idle, worthless, genteel sons and daughters to burden our old age and society with — to play the part of drones or leeches, in this busy, progressive age, when labor is coming to be respected for its own sake, as, indeed, it must be in a true, lasting Republic. But we are, perhaps, digressing again — though most of the above mentioned erroiT? bear proportionally as hard on horticulture as agriculture; as starved, 287 neglected soils or tress can no more produce profitable crops of fruit, than starved or neglected corn-fields will good crops of corn; while a thorough, enter- prising farmer will strive to attend to all aright. 0, the blessings of knowledge and industry, of enterprise and economy combined ! Who would not enjoy them, and avoid the multiplied curses of ignorance and indolence, though ever so gen- teel. And where are our schools that teach these doctrines to our farmers and mechanics — where science and practice are combined to prepare them for their arduous tasks in life; and where I might ask, in fact, is the High School or College that does not virtually inculcate other and contrary doctrines — that the practice of manual labor and thorough economy is undignified and degrading. And while this caste distribution of all the advantages and perquisites of educa- tion prevails ; while that knowledge, which is power, is denied to the many in their chosen, all-important avocations, what hope can there be for them ? Alas, for poor human nature doomed, as it apparantly is, ever to run the same weary round — the many, it would seem, must be ignorant and poor, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the few rich and noble; and that, despite of changes and revolutions, of democratic declarations and constitutions. But here, in their sovereignty, let not the many complain, though they behold the sceptre depart- ing from them, if they will have it so — if, at every step, they themselves uphold this state of things; this social degradation of labor, this unholy divorce of manual labor from science and popularity ; if daily, continually, they applaud and endorse, apparently for its own sake, idle, empty-headed, white-handed gentility — let them not complain if demagogues bear sway — if farmers and mechanics are not only practically ineligible to ofiice, but positively incapable of properly making or administering laws. " As we sow, so must we also reap." That bondage which is self-imposed excites no sympathy, though it be the most bitter, as it is. the most hopeless of all. But the remedy is easy, the means simple and obvious. We must educate ourselves^ as farmers and mechanics, to the mastery of all that is good, that is useful, in befitting for life — " high life" as well as " low life." Would we set up and bow down to any subordinate shrine, let it be that of labor. Glorious, world- subduing, man-developing Labor ! Not of the hands alone, but of the hands, the heart, the head, equally and alike. And then we have only to be consistent, and press forward — to mark such as are our real friends and sustain them — in church and state, public and private; in matters social, pecuniary, or political — by all proper means, in word and deed, but most of all at the ballot-box — and the victory is accomplished : that victory wherein all are equally interested — the victory of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Shall we not then have our National Bureau of Agriculture, State Industiial Universities, where the whole theory and practice of Agriculture and the Mechanic 288 Arts can be taught and studied ; and not this alone, but ought not this same element of regular agricultural instruction, to be most profoundly incorporated into our Common School System ? If a single reasonable objection can be urged to these propositions, the writer is not aware of it. Speaking of soils generally, it is evident that the first thing to be considered in regard to them is their mechanical composition ; whether too light or heavy, too wet or too dry; we then, by investigating the natural productions, or by cul- tivation, ascertain what crops they are ada])ted to, and what ones they are not. With these points ascertained, we are prepared to cultivate, alter, or improve understandingly. If too loose, we must add clay to stiffen it, or make use of barn manures, ashes, lime, or plaster, as shall prove best ; but always striving, as we understand it, to procure good, compact grass-swards, or clover lays to work from ; the great idea being to compact and enrich the surface soil. Stock are, therefore, most valuable aids in the management of sandy soils, both in pas- turing and manuring. Manures, if used while fresh, should be ploughed-in in the fall ; but for very sandy lands are best to be well rotted. But in a small way, as for gardens and the like, clay should by all means be employed — to be carted on in the fall, and exposed to the frosts of winter before ploughing in. Of course the utmost benefit will only be derived by perfectly mixing the sand and clay together — sufficient clay being used to bring the soil to a ]M-oper consistence. Mulching on such soils Avould, doubtless, be of the greatest service, especially in the case of fruit trees. Heavy clay soils should be tempered by the addition of sand, the ploughing in of green crops, long manures, ckc. ; clover lays and grass swards, are of great utility in supplying lively vegetable matter. In planting trees on such soils, great care must be taken not to get them too deep, or in hollows, as the cold, clammy soil packs about the roots, strangling and starving them. In the case of some plants, it may be necessary in planting them on very heavy soils, to put in the bottom of the holes a thorough drainage of small stones, brick-bats, or the like, to relieve the roots from the surplus moisture. If there is any inclination to springiness, or stagnant moisture, the land must be thoroughly drained for fruit trees. On lands inclining to clay, especially with a gravelly subsoil near the surface — and there is not a little such in the West — we would again beg to recommend mulching; for which any kind of straw, or hay, or refuse litter, may be used. Kew manure, of course, makes the strongest. In regard to the use of manure in the cultivation of trees, there are but few of our lands so rich as not to be benefitted by manure, whether planted to nurseries or orchards; and with nnich of our soil it is quite indispensable to success, with at least the apple. The pear, plum, quince, and common red cherry, are also greatly benefitted on most of our soils by a greater or less quantity, as the 289 growth, and our experience shall seem to dictate. Ashes are always excellent for fruit trees, and lime also in many cases. Salt, we are also inclined to think well of, for most kinds, but especially the plum and quince. It must be used cautiously — say one or two quarts each — ivell spread under good sized standard trees, and from five to six bushels per acre. Mulching promises to be the cheapest and most efficient manure we can use, and should be applied three or four inches in depth, covering the ground in nurseries, or among fiuit-bushes and the like. Around standard trees it should extend as far as the roots, and not less than three feet each way from the stem. As to the probable fruit-bearing character of the Xorth-West. — It will, doubt- less, be excellent for apples and common red cherries; and quite far North, though more care will doubtless be required there, while the trees are young. Peal's, plums, and the Duke cherries, will probably do passably well — and per- haps well North — hardy kinds of the plum especially. As for peaches, heart cherries, and quinces, it is doubted if they will succeed as well any where in this region as at the East, though along the lake shore they do pretty well. In Southern Wisconsin we deem it, nevertheless, well worth while to plant the peach and quince. The sweet cherries cannot be recommended. The whole list of smaller fruits flourish generally through this section, and should be extensively cultivated. As to the probable market for fruit — to us of the present generation, and pro- bably to all time, it must be, practically, boundless — at least for long-keeping apples, dried and preserved fruits. Whichever way M-e look, we find new- openings or markets for fruit. In addition to the increased and increasing use that is being made of it generally for domestic purposes and stock feeding — in addition to the pressing home demand existing among us — there are on the North and West, vast tracts of unsettled country that will naturally rely upon us to supply them. If we look South, there are the Southern States, the West Indies, Central America, and California, all rich, easy of access, and dependant, at least, for apples. If we look East, there are also high prices and good mar- kets, at least in some seasons, so that we might sometimes be required to supp'y even them. And furthermore wo believe — and believing we may as well give it utterance — that according as we interpret the signs and necessities of the times, the bristly gory Star of Pork-dom will, erelong, culminate; that, henceforth, flesh-eating will decline and disappear before the rising unsanguined glory of the Sun of AppledomI — when Ceres, Pomona, and the Genius of Temperance, shall preside at our festal and domestic boards I We will conclude this tedious article with lists of tender and hardy sorts of apples when grafted on the root. 19 290 Varieties, whicli though they may sometimes succeed when root grafted, have proved with us tender and imtrusty on the root. — Baldwin, Eropus, Spitzenburg, Roxbury Russet, Hubbardston Nonsuch, Rambo, Bullock's Pippin (or American Golden Russet), Maiden's Blush, Jersey Sweet, R. I. Greening, Spice Sweet, Brabant Bellflower. Varieties that are rather tender the first year or two, but afterwards pretty safe on the root. — Early Harvest, Golden Sweet, Fall Pippin, Vandervere, Pomme Gris, Drap D'Or, Winter Pearmain, Carthouse (or Red Romanite), Northern Spy. Hardy sorts. — Red Astracan, Sops of Wine, Duchess of Oldenburg, Early Red, Harvest Red Streak, Carolina June, Fall Orange, Hoss Apple, Monstrous Pippin, St. Lawrence, Autumn Strawberry, Autumn Swaar, Bailey or Edgerly Sweet. Pound Sweet, Fall Wine, Yellow Bellflower, Flushing-Spitzenburg, Dornine, Pregor Red, Rawle's Jannet, English Golden Russet, Blue Pearmain, Perry Russet, Seek-no-further (Westfield), Talman Sweet, Wine-sap. GARDENING. Barnham Nursery Gardens, Dover, Dec. 20th, 1851. Dear Sir — In answer to your communication, requesting me to furnish some ideas in relation to Gardening, for the use of the State Agricultural Society, I would first suggest to farmers the means of having a cheap living fence. Much have been said in various quarters about hedge-planting, but up to this time very little has been done in Wisconsin to establish a living fence capable of refusing admission to cattle, hogs, (fee. The rail fence is fast decaying — the best of the timber has already been cut for rails, and thousands of acres of land in this State are yet in a state of nature, without any sort of fence. If enough of timber cannot be found to fence the land when the plough has done its duty, where will a second supply be obtained when the fii-st has decayed ? The farmer must then resort to some other protection for his crops, and now is the time to consider this question. If when the rails are first laid down a proper hedge is planted, and if, when planted, it is properly managed, the rails may be removed in five years, leaving behind a good living fence. The farmer can obtain this desirable pro- tection without sending to Texas for the Osawe Orange, or to Enofland for the Hawthorn, both of which are too tender for the Wisconsin winters. The Locust tree, when planted thick, will turn cattle, but grows too rapid to form underbrush sufficient to repel hogs. The articles I wish to recommend for 291 a hedo-e, are two varieties of the American Hawthorn, both of which can be found in abundance in most of our pkim groves. The first (Cratagus primifoha) produces thorns averaging two and one half inches in length — the wood is of a dark brown color, the foHage large and glossy. The second kind (Cratagus pyrifolia) is the second in rank, out of twenty-two varieties, found indigenous in America — the foliage of this kind is much smaller than the former — the wood is of a whitish brown color, the seed small, and the thorns about one inch long. These two varieties are quite equal to the English Thorn for hedge purposes, and are perfectly hardy ; the farmer should therefore lose no time in collecting as many plants as possible, both large and small, and planting them either in the spring or fall as a hedge. In order to make as much of what plants can be obtained as possible, the following method is recommended for planting : each plant should be firmly planted at an inclination sufficient to make an angle of twenty-five degrees, and should be well watered ; a portion of the top should then be cut off with a knife in order to induce laterals, or side shoots, to grow out; as soon as the laterals are about one inch long, a trench should be formed, four inches deep, and the leaning plant pegged down. As soon as the laterals grow above the surface soil, they should be bent down and covered with soil, to the level of the surface. They will ultimately take root and form as good a hed.o'e as any farmer can desire. Care must be taken in planting, so that the top of each plant will reach, when planted, the root of the next plant horizontally. The next and very important point to be considered is, the subsequent clipping or pruning of the hedge. It should invariably form, in appearance, a continuous row of sugar-loaves, broad at the base and tapering upwards. This work is best and most readily performed with a common reaping hook ; with such an instru- ment one man can clip on both sides of the hedge a quarter of a mile per day, and do the work well. Seeds of both kinds of the Hawthorn here recommended should be gathered in October, and kept in damp sand in a cellar during winter. As soon as spring opens the seeds should be put in boiling water, and allowed to remain in the same for twenty-four hours before sowing, which should be done in drills three inches deep, and one foot space between each drill. In two years these plants will be large enough to plant out as above recommended. The Sweet Briar also ofters itself as a candidate for an hedge plant. It can be made highly useful for hedge purposes, and can easily be obtained by gathering the seed in November, separating it from the pulp, and keeping it from too dry an atmos- phere. To form a good hedge the Sweet Briar must be planted in double rows — a line should be stretched by which to plant the first row, and then a space of one foot left between each plant ; the second row should be eighteen inches from the first, and the plants should be placed diagonally in the centre of the intervals between the plants of the first row. This hedge should be clipped, as is OQO W t/ ^ recommended for tlie first kind, and it will be found impervious to hogs, horses, or oxen. It being of the Rose family, [Rosa Rubiginosa,) it can be made a very ornamental hedge plant. At regular distances, strong shoots may be allowed to giow in the centre of the hedge; these can be budded in July with any kind of Rose ; care, however, must be taken to drive a stake into the ground through the centre of the hedge, sufficiently long to tie the budded branch to it, to keep it from being broken off, at the junction of the bud, by strong winds. It also makes an ornamental plant in the garden, by being pruned occasionally, in the summer, into a conical form. With regard to roots, I would suggest a few ideas. — The Ruta Baga has, with the potatoe, suffered for the past few years, in Wisconsin, from some disease. The plant itself, in constitution, has not suffered, as is proved from various authentic reports, in districts throughout the world, w-here the potatoe-rot has been much felt. The experience of the State of Ohio, for the last year, affords a good example: there they have had, for several years, a very scanty crop; but the last year they raised enough not only to supply themselves, but also had a large surplus for exportation. The Mangel Wortzel is one of the best roots any farmer can grow, and it is equal, if not superior, to the Ruta Baga; its proper name being " Mammoth Beet," Any animal that will eat the one will gladly eat the other. Under good tillage the Mangel Wortzel will produce at least seven hun- dred bushels per acre. It should be sown in drills, three feet apart, and thinned out in the drill to nine inches, giving them this room for growth. They pro- duce a large crop in the Wisconsin climate; I myself having grown them six inches in diameter, and thiity inches long. Tobacco should also occupy a place in the attention of the Wisconsin agriculturist. This plant will produce a fine, well matured crop for five years out of six with good management. The Vir- ginian variety [Nicotianum Virginicum,) is the best, and should be sown in boxes, about the first of April, kept in the house at night and exposed to the sun in the day, or else raised in a hot-bed. It is doubted whether the peach will succeed in Wisconsin ; from my own observation, I find that the plants grown in, and brought from, the East or South, frequently winter-kill to the ground for five or six successive years; but when the seed is procured from fruit grown in this State, it is much more hardy. The gooseberry bears well, especially when salt is applied during the winter, or early in the spring; a handful is sufficient for each plant, and care must be taken that the salt does not come in contact with the branches. The pear promises to do well; some few varieties, among which were the Bartlett and the Jargonelle, suffered six or seven years ago from the severity of the winter; but since that time, out of a large number of varieties, none have been affected. The Fastolfe Raspberry is a fruit which every gardener should possess; it is hardy, very produc- 293 tive, and of an excellent flavor, if the true variety is obtained. The Asparagus (Gra3'son's Grant) as an early vegetable, has succeeded well in Barnham Gardens, it being ready for the table early in May; no garden should be without it. The Black Grape Currant succeeds well in Wisconsin, its fruit being laro-e, and •with a fine flavor. Many persons have planted, and others are intending to plant, vine-yards ; thus far, those who have planted have met with very good success. Much inconvenience has been felt in raising cabbage plants. The plan that I have adopted, is to erect a frame nine inches deep, and of any length or width to suit the grower; posts, with cross pieces, ai'e placed to suppoit the frame, which is filled with soil. The posts must be well tarred, and the Beetle fly will then never trouble the plants; they must be well watered. The strawberry should have a good place in every garden, as they are very prolific in Wisconsin. Several varieties should be grown together, of both the pistillate and staminate, and allowed to cover the surface with runners, to keep that moisture in the soil so essential to the maturation of this wholesome fruit. The apple and plum have proved themselves capable of producing a quantity and quality of fruit not sur- passed by any State in the Union. It is much to be regretted, that while there are so many villas erected and inhabited in Wisconsin, there should yet exist so much apatliy upon the subject of ornamental gardening. The architect does much to vary and beautify the face of natuie ; but the Rose, the Lily, the Lilac, and a host of other beautiful and ornamental plants, are anxious candidates for a place in the garden of beauty. A garden well designed, with the Rose in cluster, arrests the attention and ad- miration of all who live to love the wonderful works of nature. The ornamental flowers of America are not surpassed by those of any other country. The man of business has but little leisure to bestow upon these pleasing embellishments of life ; and this is some excuse for his having so poor a garden. The ornamental part of the garden belongs properly to the management of a lady ; and to her must the nursery-man look for favor in his profession. The shady bower, properly erected, and covered with a suitable climber, affords a most delightful retreat from the heat of the warm day sun, or in the cool breath of evening. The bower should have its entrance door towards the north — the design being according to the fancy or taste of the owner ; but under no circumstances should the roof in the centre exceed six feet in height — and the lower the better, allowing suflScient room for persons to sit easily, since the lower it is, the more complete will be the covering from the different climbers. Any of the following plants are good climbers, and are well adapted for covering bowers: Jonicera Odorotissimo, Lonicera Frazerii, Baltimore Belle Rose, Chamois Royal Rose, Michigan Rose, 294 Boursoult Rose. The grape vine also assists materially in covering a bower. The Lonicera is a beautiful and ever-blooming honey-suckle, a good climber, and of great fragrance. I am, dear Sir, Very respectfully your obedient Servant, JOHN HAND. To Albert C. Ingham. Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. KITCHEN GARDEN. An esteemed friend, and correspondent of the Society, writes as follows upon this subject : " I have been led to believe, that in the Western States, generally, the import- ance of a Kitchen Garden, as a means of real comfort to the farmer's family, is not fully appreciated ; believing, as I do, that no small importance attaches to it, not only as a matter of comfort, but also of economy. " I think every farmer should have, at least, one half of an acre of ground, near or adjacent to his house, that is well fenced, and kept for this purpose. This may be divided, by appropriating one portion of it to choice fruits — cherries, pears, apples, plums, and quinces. Another portion may be devoted to shrubbery, currants, raspberries, and gooseberries. And another portion to vegetables — early potatoes, sweet corn, peas, beans, onions, beets, cabbages, and asparagus, &c. Even as small a garden as one of half an acre, properly cultivated, and with a judicious selection of fruits and vegetables, such as the taste and experience of the farmer might dictate, would prove of great benefit, and add very materially to his comforts. The objection is frequently urged, that it consumes too much time, and draws off the attention from the other labors of the farm which are more necessary ; but this reasoning I do not think good. The time that is spent in the pi'ocurement of the comforts of life, is not misspent nor lost ; and the few hours devoted to the labor of making a garden, may be those that are now wasted, or worse than wasted." 295 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. University, December 18tb, 1851. Dear Sir — Since the receipt of your note of the 10th ult, my attention has been engrossed with matters more nearly pertaining to the administration of the University, and to my official duties therein, than even that very interesting topic to which you call my attention, and which I hope to be able, at some future time, to consider more at large than I can now do. The policy of connecting a Depaitment of Applied Science with the Univer- sity of Wisconsin, for the professional benefit of the young farmer and the artizan, was discussed by the Board of Regents, in their Third Annual Report. An extract from that Report, which I transmit to you herewith, contains the substance of the argument. The propriety of bringing the philosophy of the industrial occupations within the scope of the State University, is clearly and truthfully set forth in that portion of the Regent's Report. Provided the pohcy therein indicated be adopted by the State, and incorpo- rated into its system of public instruction, the two practical questions, which are raised, concern: — 1. The proper organization of the proposed Department of the University ; and — 2. The amount of the endowment necessary to carry the plan into effect. 1. A school for professional instruction in Industrial Philosophy to be part and parcel of the University system, will require two Chairs at least ; one of Chemistry, and its applications both to Agriculture and the Arts; the other of Mechanical Philosophy, with the like applications. The instractions of the firet Chair, in addition to elementary chemistry, will embrace the analysis of soils, and of organic substances, both animal and vege- table ; the doctrine of specific manures ; the theory of the nutrition of plants ; the proper preparation of the soil for its service in production ; and other topics of like practical interest. The attachment of a Model Farm to the Department, would require a consi- derable outlay in the beginning; but, if well conducted, it ought to pay its annual expenses, and afford some support to the pupils. It should be a part of the duty of the Professor, during his vacations, which might occupy five months of the year, to make geological examinations of different portions of the State, with a view not only to the general scientific value of his observations, but to their special bearings on the discovery and development of the agricultural capabilities of the soil. He should make full 296 report to the Board at each annual meeting, to be appended to the yearly report of the Board to the Legislature, and printed for general circulation and use. The pupils should have the privilege of accompanying the Professor in his excursions, and sharing in his observations. The practical knowledge thus acquired uould illustrate the instructions of the lecture room, and prove a valuable portion of the education of the future cultivators of the soil. The recorded results of the annual observations thus made, when summed up and digested, would amount ultimately to an entire geological survey of the State, undertaken and accomplished, very appropriately, through the agency of the State University. The work would be done, it is true, graduall}', but economically, with a just bearing on the educational and agricultural interests of the State. During these annual excursions, much might be done to determine the topo- graphy of the State, and to enlarge the catalogue of its natural productions. The instructions of the Chair of Mechanical Philosophy, in addition to Theo- retic Mechanics, should embrace the doctrine of moving forces in all their variety; their ditferent modes of application, and the history of invention. These instructions should be illustrated by models of machinery, exhibiting the combinations of the elementary mechanical powers known in the arts, and their practical working in the production of their several results. The pupils in this Department, if not wholly occupied in their professional studies, should have access to the recitations and lectures of the other Chairs in the University : and to the library, cabinet, and other collections in natural science, on such terms and conditions as the Board of Regents may prescribe. The Teachers' Class in the Normal Department of the University, should be ad- mitted to the instructions of the Department of Applied Science, without charge. 2. The endowment necessary to carry into efl'ect this entire plan, would consist: First, of an appropriation sufficient for the construction and fitting up of a labo- ratory and philosophical chamber, with suitable apparatus; and the purchase, improvement, and stocking of the model farm. — Second, of a sufficient annual Bum to defray the current expenses of the two professorships. The first of these items — the original outlay — could not safely be set down at less than 810,000 ; and the appropriation for the support of the Department — the second item — should not be less than $2,500 per annum. Should it be thought expedient not to adopt the whole plan in the beginning, and to confine the enterprise for the present, to the foundation of an Agricultural Department strictly, with the single professorship of Chemistry, with special bearings of that and other natural sciences on Agriculture, an annual appropria- tion of 82,000 would enable the Regents of the University to provide and fur- nish the laboratory, and support the Department. The Model Farm, although an important appendage to the school, would not, of necessity, be large or expensive. 297 There are two collateral interests attached to this measure, which I deem very important. In the first place, it will enable the pupils in the Normal Department of thg University, to carry the elements of agricultural science into the district schools and township academies, rendering our whole educational system more directly and efficiently subsidiary to the industrial interests of the State, than it could otherwise be. In the second place, it will secure, without a burdensome public expenditure, a geological survey of the State, as rapidly as the settlement of the vacant lands, and the interests of agriculture will require. The extension of the University system to Normal and Agricultural instruc- tion, iivolves this important advantage, that the pupils of these Departments will be able to avail themselves, during their period of professional study, of the instructions of the other Departments of the University. In fonclusion, allow me to say, that I regard this as an Agricultural rather than J strictly educational measure. It is for the industrial interests to decide, what lervice they wnll require, and enable the University to perform, for their benefit The University, therefore, waits the action of the Agricultural Society in this behalf, with the tender of its hearty co-operation in their efforts for the difi'usbn of agricultural science, and the general elevation of the industrial intereits of the State. I have the honor to be, Very respectfully, your obedient Servant, JOHN H. LATHROP. To AiBERT C. Ingham, Esq. &C: of the Wis. State Agr. Society. EXTEkCT FROM THE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. flhe Board have an additional reason for looking beyond the present endow- ment of the University. The applications of science to the useful arts, including e'^ry industrial occupation which ministers to the well-being of society, have bCome too numerous and too important to be neglected, in any wisely con- stucted system of public instruction. ("It needs no argument to satisfy the most casual observer, that the position ■yhich nations and communities are destined to take in the scale of modern civili- ^tion, must depend, in a very great degree on the extent to which science ruides the hand of production, and regulates the processes of trade. 298 f " Science multiplies the productiveness of labor in all the mechanical arts ; it cheapens the cost of construction, and the service of all classes of commer- cial agency ; it imparts a vivifying energy to the agricultural elements, enlarging its yield, and adapting its varied results to the demands of an advancing civiliza- tion— transmuting the sweat of the husbandman's brovr, not into that bread alone which goes to the sustentation of the animal nature, but into aliment for the growth of his intellectual, moral, and social being. " It is manifest, therefore, that a State University cannot now be regarded as entire in its plan and design, without the organization of a Department of the ' Practical Applications of Science.' "The Chairs of Instruction in such Department, should be suflSciently nume- rous, and the scope of each sufficiently extensive to cover the whole ground of the philosophy of the useful arts ; and to afford ample opportunity to the young men of the State, whether graduates of the other Departments or not, to ;)repare themselves, in the best manner, for the intelligent prosecution of their several industrial avocations, and for the skilful administration, each in his sphere, of the productive agencies, which science is offering, in improved forms, to tie well- directed enterprise which distinguishes modern civilization. " In the establishment of this Department of Applied Science, none of the industrial processes are more interested than that of Agriculture. It is impos- sible that the annual yield of land and labor, should not be gi-eatly increised in quantity and improved in quality, by the universal diffusion among cultvators, of a knowledge of the analysis of soils — of the action of manures — of he ele- ments which enter into the composition of grasses, grains, and other agrbultural products severally — of the natural history of plants and animals, and the elations of light, heat, moisture, gravitation, electricity and its cognate agents, to he pro- cesses of organic life. " The same reasons then that have hitherto gathered Schools of Law, Medicine and Theology, around the Literary Depailment in the University systeu, and are now attracting to its appropriate place in the same system, the Sciool of Normal Instruction — the same reasons would bring the Agricultural Sciool, in like manner, within the scope of University instruction, and offer to the profes- sional student in this Art a like liberal culture, to that which has been deened, heretofore, the appropriate, if not the exclusive, preparation of the candidate for the learned professions. " When the great truth shall pass into an abiding conviction, of the popiar mind, that Agriculture and the Useful Arts have their appropriate science, wh:h is to be reached through philosophical and professional culture, the causes wh;h have served to depress the industrial occupations will disappear; the social poi- tion of the individual will cease to be determined by his art or calling, but ^V.1 299 be fixed by his intellectual and moral wortb, and tbe pride of profession will be lost in the dignity of the man. " It is with a view, then, not merely to multiply the valuable products of the various forms of industrial agency, but to level them up to the standard of pro- fessional dignity and consideration, that the idea of Agricultural Colleges, and Schools for instruction in the philosophy of the Useful Arts, has recently found audience and favor with the friends of educational reform and social progress, in Europe and America. " The Board look upon this important movement of modern civilization, as a distinct demand for the enlargement of the existing University system, by adding to its organization a Department for professional instruction in Agriculture and the Useful Arts. For valuable as separate and isolated Agricultural Colleges may be conceded to be, the expenditure which would be needed to found and sustain them, would not fail, if applied to the organization and support of a University Department of like purposes and ends, to accomplish tar more for the indvidual, and for society. " By introducing the future cultivator or the artizan, during the period of his professional culture, to the more liberal instructions of the University, we secure to him, in the highest degree, the advantages of chemical and mechanical science — of the experimental farm — of models illustrative of the industrial pro- cesses— and, superadd to all these, access to the library, and collections in the various branches of Natural Science ; and, in connexion with the regular classes, to the lecture rooms of the Professors of the other Departments, whether colle- giate or professional. " That it is the tendency of modern civilization, to open the advantages of liberal culture to every class of human agents in the oi'ganization of society, and thus to secure to itself the enlarged physical wealth, and the higher intellectual, moral, and social good involved in this condition, is a truth which addresses itself to every observing mind. " It is in the earnest conviction of this truth, and in the cordial desire that Wisconsin may, at an early day, take a leading position in this movement, that the Board have undertaken to demonstrate the proper relation of the University to those great industrial agencies, which have hitherto been regarded almost, if not altogether, without the scope of its beneficent action, and its elevating influences — and have ventured to suggest the hope, that its resources may be so enlarged by the public bounty, as to enable it to cover the whole ground. to ■which it is entitled ; to do the entire work which it can best do, and which may be justly assigned to it, and required of it in the economy of modern civili- zation." 300 AGRICULTURE OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS. The Grove, Northfield, Cook Co., Illinois, December 25th, 1851. Dear Sir — Your favor of recent date lias been received, and I would gladly comply with your very flattering request, did I, at this moment, feel able to do anything like justice to either of the interesting subjects so kindly suggested. But the time allowed is very short; and I have been suffering from an affec- tion of the eyes which still prevents reading, and renders writing somewhat difficult and painful. And, you are doubtless aware, that one, who does not write for the press habitually, as a business, can seldom, if ever, produce a good article " upon compulsion." And yet, should this reply to your kind letter chance to grow into an Essay under my ever-willing pen, you will be at liberty to use it, should you find grains of wheat enough mixed with my Avordy chaff, to make the whole worth preservation. You suggest, as one subject upon which you wish me to write, " The Agri- cultural Condition of Northern Illinois." Now, Sir, there are so many new and favorable elements affecting us just at the pi'esent moment, that it is not easy to give any thing like a clear idea of the agricultural condition of this region, without a more lengthened history of cause and effect, than I am able to put into readable form in a single day. I think I may safely assert, however, that husbandry, in Northern Illinois, is now in a state of active transition, from the old hundred-acre wheat fields, to moderate stock and dairy farms, and a variety of products for market instead of the one, which seventeen years experience has shown to be the most uncertain, and — except occasionally (and ihoi from accidental causes) — the least profitable of all standard crops in Northern Illinois. Say what we may, with our present mode of cultivation, this is not a wheat country — though I am by no means prepared to say, that it may not be made one in the next generation; but it is hardly probable that we shall ever be able to compete with the southern part of our own State — much less such wheat States as Michigan and Ohio — in a Southern or Eastern market. Not, at least, with our present knowledge of soils and cultivation. Meteorological influences, facilities for transportation, and other causes, aftectinsr the wheat crop in Northern Illinois, and, I may well add. Southern Wisconsin. Our soil is mostly a peculiar Prairie Formation, differing materially in sen- sible properties, and considerably in chemical composition from any good " wheat 301 land" with which I have been famihar. Our surface soil, within the ordinary depth of our prairie ploughs, is an intensely black, carbonated, semi-peaty, spongy mixture of sand and organized matter, with less than three 2)er cent of alumina, or the pure element of clay — which I need not tell you is an essential ingredient in a wheat soil, especially in a climate and exposure like ours, and with a subsoil that holds water nearly as well as an earthen cistern. Our prairies are as naked in winter as the deserts of Arabia, so far as efficient protection to the wheat plant is concerned; and in December, or before the middle of January, we are pretty sure of a dry west wind, bringing from 40 to 50 degrees of frost; and if this does not kill the wheat outright, we have — at least three years in four — the most sudden and extreme alternations of temper- ature. And, towards spring, the ground is almost always saturated with water, and the repeated fi-eezing and thawing process, on such a soil, so full of water, is sure to draw out every wheat plant not accidentally protected. Now, here is the failure of our wheat crop sufBciently accounted for; and 1 will but glance at some of the more obvious means of preventing these causes from operating to so disastrous an extent, should we determine not to abandon wheat growing entirely. The first preventive is thorough drainage ; the second trench ploughing — one plough behind another, in the same furrow — by which a portion of the clay subsoil is mixed with the surface, altering its texture, and rendering it capable of retaining the roots of plants, aided by the deep culture, and eflicient drainage, in which the ordinary subsoil plough might act its part, where there should chance to be clay enough at the surface. The third requisite is drill planting; the fourth and last, artificial protection. This may be effected in various ways — by spreading straw, &c., on the surface, if not too diflScult and extensive; but principally by dense living fences. Hedges of Osage Orange, or other more hardy plants, and large orchards and young timber plantations — converting the bleak and naked prairie farms into mild and sheltered woodland homes. In short, making, or at least modifying, a climate as well as a soil to suit the object in view. And all this preparation will be worth just as much for other crops, and for all farm products; and, in fact, I am not certain that we can ever make wheat pay here as well as nearly every other product for which we have a more certain market. There can be but one hope in the future for the Northern Illinois wheat- grower — the hope that he may have to feed all the manufacturers necessary to produce the fabrics he consumes — and be enabled to exchange food for clothing, implements, &c., at his own door. But, even here, the man who produces the raw material used in manufactures, will have the advantage of the grain grower — for if he eau make money now, 302 when his products have to be shipped East, he will make more when he and the manufacturer escape the charges and profits of merchants, on the two transporta- tions for all the domestic goods needed in the West. Any thing like a steady or rehable Foreign demand for our surplus grain, at rates that will pay the producer, is now admitted to be a practical illu- sion. And, I must confess, that it always appeared to me bad management, for farmers at least, to purchase ten dollars' worth of goods, and pay only eight in the products of our farms; it appears to me, that as a matter of " exchange," this also is an illusory speculation, and one that reflects very little credit upon the shrewdness of the " calculating Yankee nation ;" though I ques- tion not, that our merchants find their account all right in the matter never- theless. But I am only a home-bred farmer, writing for farmers ; and I cannot be con- sidered as much of a political economist, or logician either; and yet, as this subject comes home to the farmer in more ways than one, I should not be justified in leaving it untouched, when I feel assured that the statements of poli- ticians, as to the prospects of a foreign demand for bread stutfs, have had much to do with the present condition of agriculture in Northern Illinois. Yet there are other reasons why we have sown wheat — and one of them a potent reason — few of us have known what else to do. Many who have seen the losing game of wheat culture have been unable to purchase stock; and, since the fencing of the prairies, in many places, have feared that there would not be a ranire for herds and flocks. This is all very natural under the circumstances, and yet is the effect of igno- rance— mere empirics — we know nothing of farming as a science. If all these farmers in Northern Illinois who have sown wheat for the last five years, because they did not know what else to do, had been educated for their profession, they would have had stock enough to-day ; and would find plenty of room on their farms for the animals best suited to them ; or to their own tastes in the matter of stock-growing and its concomitants. Horses and mules for a Southern market; butter, cheese, beef, pork and wool, for East and South ; and even a foreign market for some — are all more certainly remunerating, and more easily produced than wheat. But we must know how to do it right, or we shall not fully succeed in any one thing undertaken, and certainly not in several conjoined, which is the only safe way for us to make money. Farmers lack science — they need a practical agricultural education as much as doctors of medicine the aid of colleges and hospitals — and without a specific education (and how many have it ?) the farmer is just as much of a quacK\ as the man who practises medicine because he is a " seventh son," or has learned, 303 from tradition, to cure one disease, and even then, does not know that nature, aided perhaps by hope, has done the work for him. In Great Britain there is some agricultural science, and this enables Scotch and English farmers to sustain themselves — with "free trade" — in grain; and pay annual rent and taxes equal to the value of an " improved farm" of like size in Northern Illinois. Some will tell you that it is cheap labor, that enables the farmers of Europe to pay the landlords such enormous rents — and all the " poor rates," " church rates," and other legal dues besides. And, of course, cheap labor does its part ; for it can be wielded exactly like our slave labor in the South ; but, at best, it does no more than help to put the worn out, natural soil of Eng- land, on a par with our virgin prairies, if it does so much. I have not the figures before me for showing this, as compared with Northern Illinois; but I will give you the first case I turn to, in the Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society. Here it is : Mr. D. D. T. More, purchased a farm near Albany, New York, some six or seven years ago, and received the second premium of the Society for 1850. This farm, of 185 acres, of the worn-out semi-barrens of that region, had been rented at $100 per year, for a long time previous to its purchase by Mr. More; and it did not pay for cultivating, even at that low rent — the whole annual product not exceeding the value of some $400 or $500. Well, the present owner — a scientific farmer — has raised the product of one year to $4,852 51; leaving him a clear profit of $2,678 16 per annum, after supporting a family of seven, who added nothing to the result by their hand labor. Here, you have a ten-fold increase of the value of the products, and almost twenty-seven times the previous rent paid for this very land ; and all made by the " head work" of one man — for Mr. More is too feeble in health to labor with his own hands. And then, besides laying by this large sum, in one year, Mr. M. has had his own, and family support, in lieu of salary as superintendent. Now, do not say a word about "cheap labor in England, when science can do so much in our own land. But I will tell you what you may do, and should do — create an hundred such farmers as Mr. More in Wisconsin every year — and rest assured, that the example of one such man will be worth more to the neighborhood in which he may live, than the cost of educating one hundred. You of Wisconsin have taken the first and second steps in agricultural ad- vancement, why not take the third, and most important stride, at once ? and secure, at least, one Agricultural College, and Experimental Farm, in your State. Now, while land is cheap, and your " Seminary Fund" not all given to perpe- tuate aristocratic " caste" in a republican land, and promote the extension of o 04 barren learning, in an age that boasts of progress, and among a people where the utility and the equality of education — at least of that education which is, in part, a gift of the Nation and the State — should be the first principles settled in all legislation. If the funds provided by the general Governm'ent should prove insufficient to pay professors in all the colleges at which a practical education is given to the eons of practical men, then let the State supply the deficiency, and provide all the necessary lands, buildings, stock, apparatus, &c., ckc. ; and require the pupil in your agricultural schools, to pay his own board, at least by his own daily labor on the farm, or in the farm yard, or work shops. Six or eight hours daily labor in summer, and half as much in winter, will not be found nnich more than the health of farmers' sons will require, at school; and certainly not more than will be necessary to give them the practical lessons which they should receive, along with the regular course of scientific instruction; and half as much labor, properly directed, will support the young farmer at a well endowed Institution. I am aware that I have suggested a giant stride; and yet " the young giant of the West" is fully equal to such steps — and from some of her acts, we may con- clude that the " Badger State'' is as apt as any, in the great West, to strike out a track for herself, instead of following the beaten path of time-honored error, or the crooked one of old time, and present time, political and educational wiseacres — who, with all their learning, and all their pretensions to democratic progress, are, in reality, a half century behind the wants and the wishes of the age in which we live. Now, Sir, I have given you the rapid thoughts of a day, sketched without forethought, as without method ; and in such chirography as may not be easily deciphered. With the warmest feelings and hopes for the success of your young State Society, and the cause of agricultural advancement, and practical education in the West, and throughout the Union, I am, dear Sir, Hastily, but cordially, yours, JOHN A. KENNICOTT. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. 305 CLIMATE OF WISCONSIN. The following Tables of Meteorological Observations will exhibit, in some degree, the peculiarities of the Climate of this State. It is not proposed to write an Essay on this important subject, based upon these Tables — indeed the short time since they were made does not admit of it; nor is one year by any means sufficient for this purpose. Such observations should be extended over the whole State, so as to cover every variety of local circumstances, and be continued sufficiently long to cover every possible change of season. Each reader is requested to compare these Tables, one with another, and the whole with similar Tables made in other localities. By such comparison man)' very important and interesting facts will be deduced. The Society invites all who are engaged in these pursuits to contribute the results annually for publication, believing that they will thus, in a few years, accumulate a mass of information from which all that is desirable in regard to our climate may be obtained, and made the basis of a future Essay on the subject 20 30() METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR THE YEAR 1851, Made at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Latitude 43'' 03' 45" N. Longitude 87*^ 57' W. Elevation of the Cistern of the Barometer above Lake Michigan, 15 feet; above the Atlantic Ocean, 593 feet. By I. A. Lapham. 1 January.

^ o ° 5.04 5.20 6.95 6.37 5.50 5.85 6.48 5.50 6.82 6.12 4.85 4.56 5.77 Prevailing Winds. CS 0) .• .(DO ^=9 MAX. MIX. MEAN. MAX. MIX. ME AX. January February March April May June July August September... October November,. . December.. . Year Year 1850.. 29.89 29.83 29.58 29.85 29.61 29.50 29.43 29.49 29.68 29.56 29.82 29.74 29.665 28.68 28.95 29.10 28.85 28.85 28.90 29.09 29.09 29.01 28.71 28.74 28.55 28.543 28.70 29.37 29.29 29.28 29.32 29.34 29.26 29.32 29.40 29.14 29.26 29.39 29.339 29.27 56 55 76 76 84 88 95 98 94 76 48 56 98 92 -19 0 8 24 23 44 46 50 32 20 16 -12 -19 -7 24.72 33.57 39.00 43.80 57.30 62.40 71.84 68.68 66.90 49.61 34.83 22.10 47.895 47.20 N.W. & S. S. & N. S. & N. N.W. & N. S.E. & N.W. N.W.tl-S.W. S.W.&N.W. S.E. & S. S.W. & S.E. S. & N. N. & N.W. N.W. (fe S.W. N.W. & N. N.W. & N. 2.16 3.43 .55 2.35 15.46 5.52 5.52 9.85 3.40 3.40 1.63 2.63 55.90 51.24 The mean temperature of the past year is 47°. 895, being a little above that of the year 1850, which was 47°.200. The mean temperature of the winter months of 1850-51, is 27*^.43; of the spring months of this year, 40". 70 — being 3^.62 higher than the temperature of the same months in the year 1850. The temperature of the summer months is 67''. 64 — being 3°. 86 lower than the temperature of the same months in the year 1850. The temperature of the autumnal months is 50''. 45 — being .88 of a degree above the temperature of the same months of the previous year. The average density of the atmosphere, as indicated by the barometer, 29.339 inches — is a trifle greater than in the year 1850, it being for that year 29.27 inches, when corrected, by adding the decimal .64; which by comparison with one of Green's barometers — the kind now used, and recommended by the Smith- sonian Listitute — is found to be the true amount of correction necessary for the barometer then in use. 308 The observations have been made as last year, at the hours required by the Smithsonian Institute, viz.: Sunrise, 9 A.M., 3 P.M., and 9P.M. The amount of rain and melted snow for the year is 55.90 inches; being 4.66 inches more than in the year 1850, though the amount for that year was more than is thought to be the annual average. This amount, as will be seen by the table above, was not very equally distributed through the year — being for the month of May, 15.46 inches; and for the month of August, 9.85 inches; while for the month of March, it was only .55 of an inch; and for the month of Noverabei', 1.63 inches. The I'ains in the month of May occurring mostly in the latter part of the month ; amounting on the last day of the month to 4.5 inches, raised the Rock River to a great height, causing a flood which did great damage, cari-ying off animals, bridges, and darns. The amount of snow which fell in the winter of 1850-51, was greater than in the winter previous, being about 15 inches; but was so equally distributed through the winter, as to afford but little sleighing. The past year is considered usually productive, though some of the crops were greatly injured. The spring was very backward, more so even than the year before, though the temperature was a little higher. The heavy rains of May greatly delayed the planting of corn, on which account it was at first feared that there would be but a small crop; but the mild fall, and the delay of hard frost, gave time for the corn to ripen, and become a good crop. The yield of grass was very heavy. The wheat was comparatively a failure; much of the spring wheat, especially the hedge-row, being greatly injured by the blight. Hundreds of acres were not harvested. The winter wheat, and some kinds of spring wheat, however, did usually well, furnishing a great abundance beyond what is necessarily consumed. The crop of oats was very heavy. The potatoe was very light, not being injured so much by the rot as by the blight; a kind of indefinite term, by-the-by, given to some cause which seems to elude the search of the agriculturist. Some portions of the State, it is understood, being almost destitute of this important vegetable. Some farmers in this region have commenced the raising of flax, which gives a profitable yield, and is destined to be a crop of much importance, both on account of the seed and stalk. The fact can but be fully impressed upon the mind of every observant person, that most, if not all, of the difficulties which attend the labors of the husbandman in our State would be entirely removed, were a better, a more thorough and faithful system of culture introduced. No farmer in New England, or even in the fruitful State of New York, would have the temerity to expect a crop from so lax a system of culture. The con- 309 science of a New England farmer, practising upon such a system, would harrass him with a certain looking for of rust, mildew, and blight. In a country where a farmer will remove the place of his barn-yard, in order to get away as easily as possible from the accumulated manure; or, when this cannot be done, will cast it out into the street, or some gully, where the water shall wash it away as far as possible from his domain, nothing else other than a failure of crops ought to be expected. What fruit has been introduced into the country did well the past year, and has kept up its good promise for the future. In some instances apple, f>s well as other fruit trees, have suffered from the blight; some gi-apes were injured by the frost while in the blossom, but those later in flowering did finely. Garden vines were greatly injured by the heavy rains in the spring; some being entirely drowned out, while others rotted at the roots. There was no flowering of plants the second time, observed, as last year, aside from the case mentioned in the Calendar, on December 10th. The Canthaiis Cinerea, which has made its appearance here in increasing numbers for the few previous years, was not observed to any amount. Neither was anything heard of the Chinck-bug, so troublesome the last two years in the northern counties of Illinois. There have been, during the past year, some heavy storms of electric fluid, particularly in the month of May, frequently striking buildings and other objects elevated to much extent above the ground ; thus showing the great importance of protecting buildings, greatly exposed as they are on the prairies, by proper lightning rods. The prevailing winds have been as last year — north-west and north ; though ■we have quite frequent and strong winds from the south-west. There was a violent wind on the 30th of May, which did some damage by unroofing buildings, removing fences, &c., though its track, as it passed this place, was quite narrow, being but a few rods in width. Its general course was from south-west to the north-east. The law of rotation of the winds — from the north to the east; then south, south-west, west, &c., mentioned in the last year's abstract — seems to be the one generally followed, though not always, as far as capable of observation. CALENDAR. January 2d, Morning, meteor in the N. E. — 16th, the Thermometer fell from 35° at sunrise, to 3° at 9 P.M. Tulips and Narcissus above ground; Humble Bee seen flying about. — 30th, Coldest day in the year. Thermometer averaging 11° below zero. February 23rd, Severe storms of thunder and' lightning, with rain, in the night. aio March 7tli, Ranunculus Fascicularis in flower; Peony Humilis, Star of Beth- leliem and Jonquils up. — 16tli, Blue Bird seen, Robins heard to sing; some say they remain here all winter near houses; Hood Anemone, Pasque Flower in blossom. — 24th, Meadow Lark seen. — 27th, Wild Pigeon seen; Missouri Currant in leaf. — 29th, Bee Larkspur in leaf. April, Frogs singing. — 4th, Snow storm. — 8th, Farmers sowing wheat. — 12th, Spring Beauty in flower. — 16th, Dwarf Iris, Dutchman's Breeches, Blood and Pepper Wort in flower. — 18th, Wild Geese flying north; Strawberry in blossom; Jonquils in flower. — 24th, Asparagus fit to eat; Lanced-Ieaved and Hood-leaved Violet, Perewinkle, Filbert, aud Hyacinth in flower. — 25th, Cherry in leaf, Cur- rant in flower. — 26th, Missouri Currant, Plum, Cherry, and Pear in flower. 28th, Gooseberry in flower. May 3rd, Louse Wort in flower. — 6th, Box Elder in blossom. — 7th, Frogs sinwinc: for the second time, havino: beo-un too soon before. — 8th, Ground Ivy, Flowering Almond in blossom. — 9th, Blue Bell Puccoon in flower. — 10th, Peach, Tulip, Painted Cup in flower; Baltimore Oriole seen. — 12th, American Cowslip and Apple in flower; Burr and Black Oak in leaf — these trees did not blossom this year. — 1.3th, Horse Chesnut in leaf. — 14th, Solomon's Seal and Bladder-nut in flower. — 15th, Tartarian Fly Honey Suckle in blossom; Locusts began to leaf out. — 16th, Crane's Bill, Lilac and Daily in flower. — l7th. Blue- eyed grass in blossom. — 19th, White Moccasin flower, and Dwarf Peony in blossom. — 20th, Wild Columbine, Wild Lupine, and White Oak in blossom. — 23d, Milk Weed in flower. — 24th, Virginian Anemone, and Snow Ball in blossom. — 25th, Canadian Five-finger in flower. — 26th, Rose Acacia in flower; Catalpa, and Hercules' Club in leaf. — 27th, Fringe Plant, Monk's Hood, and Yellow Moccasin Flower in blossom; Fire Fly and Hummiug-Bird Moth seen. — 28th, Seneca Snake Root, and Golden Alexanders in flower. — 30th, Fever- W^ort. June 3d, Sweet Scented Syringa, Spiderwort in flower. — 24th, Spotted Lilly in flower. July 15th, One of the two hottest days of the year; thermometer averaging 83f°. — 16th, Catalpa in blossom. — 20th, Bignonia Rodicous in flower. — 26th, The other hottest day; the Thermometer averaging the same as on the 15th. August 27th, Some report frosts. September 10th, Splendid Aurora. — 28th, Heavy Frost. October 23rd, Water froze; Ice formed one inch and a half thick. November 4th, First Snow. — 10th, Flos Adonis (an annual) in full bloom. December 15th, Thermometer at 19° below zero at 5f a.m. 311 ABSTRACT OF A METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL Kept at Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin, for the Year 1850. Latitude 42° 30'. Longitude 12° W. of Washington. Elevation above Lake Michigan, 172 feet; above the Ocean, 750 feet. By S. Pearl L.vthrop, M. D. Professor of Chemistry and Natural History. MONTH. January . . . February. . March April May June July August September . October . . . November. December.. Mean. 1 BAROMETER. THERMOMETER. MAX. MIX. MEAN. MAX. MIN. MEAN. 28.98 27.90 28.55 46 -3 25.33 29.10 27.87 28.65 60 -7 27.50 28.99 28.09 28.58 59 8 31.50 29.00 28.03 28.61 78 18 40.50 28.98 28.27 28.64 87 25 54.25 28.94 28.45 28.70 90 36 69.50 28.77 28.38 28.61 92 58 74.10 28.83 28.38 28.62 92 51 71.00 28.92 28.41 28.64 84 38 59.72 28.95 28.32 28.63 75 19 49.50 29.12 28.20 28.66 68 12 39.50 29.09 28.28 28.69 45 -4 24.00 28.63 47.20 be 3 , P-, . o o I— I ^2 S. & N.W. N. & N.W. N. o 29.20 B S V Q 14.84 35.93 'Sun rise... d 9A.M 23.68 28.42 40.06 45.30 57.16 65.63 73.87 68.71 67.20 48.55 32.66 18.06 47.42 3 P. M 28.61 33.28 46.64 50.53 66.39 70.66 78.71 75.09 72.25 56.77 35.87 23.77 53.21 § < 9 P.M 22.16 26.67 33.45 39.40 51.77 58.73 65.16 61.74 61.33 45.03 30.90 17.93 42.85| Mean 23.48 27.91 37.87 42.55 55.3S 62.63 69.60 66.07 64.63 48.07 32.16 1 18.65 45.76 H Maximum. 51 48 70 72 83 87 92 85 92 73 54 54 92 ^Minimum.. -20 -1 6 24 23 44 47 49 34 20 16 -17 -20 ' Sun rise . . . 355 410 484 5.26 309 377 380 432 513 393 393 348 418 00^ c p 9A.M 358 385 570 4.50 355 383 451 480 457 335 306 390 410 3 P.M 332 353 500 410 342 310 451 432 463 467 247 349 388 9 P.M 400 314 707 516 422 423 600 645 663 597 230 426 495 -2^ ^,Mean 361 365 555 475 357 373 470 497 524 448 294 378 425 Days entirely clear 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 Entirely cloudy.. 8 7 1 5 5 4 0 2 2 2 10 6 54 ^FromtheN. 7 13 13 24 ,6 5 10 20 10 3 11 12 134 p« 2 S. 16 24 16 9 33 13 11 13 33 32 10 12 213 c o E. " W. 7 31 6 12 13 17 12 21 14 5 26 17 14 14 26 15 10 6 6 9 8 30 2 24 144 201 C Sj " N.E. 9 5 10 12 13 2 5 3 10 3 4 6 82 .so " S. E. 10 10 8 9 15 3 11 14 5 8 12 7 112 «j " N.W. 18 22 15 18 13 18 11 7 12 30 34 35 233 " S.W. 21 18 24 12 19 23 30 18 26 27 9 25 252 I LCalm 5 2 8 3 6 13 17 8 1 8 6 2 1 79 317 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS Made at Emerald Grove, Rock County, Wisconsin-, for the Year 1850. Latitude 42® 39' N. Longitude 88° 54' W. Elevation above Lake Michigan, 408 feet; above the Atlantic Ocean, 986 feet. By Orrin Densmore. H o SS 'Sun rise.. 9 A.M. 3 P. M.. i 9 P.M.. Mean... Maximum. , Minimum.. p^ (-Sunrise... 02 rt ' s ,3 20.97 19.07 29.09 ... 23.61 . - . 27.98 24.53 35.25 o a 9 A.M.. •|<|3P.M.. 9 P.M.. .Mean.. . Days entirely clear Entirely cloudy.. a o o » .SO fFromtlieN. S. E. W. " KE. " S. E " N.W " S. W. .Calm ;iz.ic ^•i.oi; 23.75 26.06 41 54 -13 -14 232 528 197 546 336 618 328 560 273 563 0 3 6 3 12 13 15 16 17 9 14 12 2 7 19 13 22 24 19 14 4 4 31.58 37.87 29.84 30-75 61 10 416 477 419 413 0 4 22 16 20 28 7 3 18 33.77 42.90 p a 41.45 58.53 63.77 61.74 55.22 174.96 47.89 65.48 80.00 be 36.23 40.13 73 18 410 430 366 550 439 1 6 7 15 17 15 13 9 21 18| 4 48.89 52.67 87 30 677 687 532 725 1 1 10 9 16 18 5 22 31 63.56 69.3e 89 36 426 500 48€ 556 492 1 1 7 32 10 6 3 11 11 28 *8 76.45 83.61 67.77 72.84 95 46 522 425 493 661 525 0 0 8 30 8 9 4 10 8 33 14 76.97 78.70 65.64 70.76 90 48 558 442 519 529 512 0 5 17 13 18 6 12 20 17 10 11 S P.t 03 o 1 o O 51.03 40.61 60.70 48.48 66.83 55.61 54.5C 43.90 58.28 47.23 82 1 1 35 24 526 567 546 629 463 525 597 716 533 1 609 5 19 9 14 10 18 7 26 3 1 3 22 6 10 0 16 31 31 t4 £ > o 55 3 S Q c3 33.63 16.35 39.17 39.36 18.83 47.79 45.63 24.19 54.08 35.93 17.93 42.58 38.63 19.66 45.90 61 47 95 16 _2 -14 38(; 276 460 446 258 465 373 306 453 496 377 542 425 305 480 1 1 11 4 7 13 20 5 13 21 30 4 30 13 5 19 10 6 18 21 2 41 138 207 148 171 78 160 229 246 70 * Four Observations in June and four in September not taken, t One Observation in October not taken. 318 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS Made at Fort Howard, Green Bay, Wisconsin, for the Year 1851. Latitude 440 40' N. Longitude 10° 10' W. of Washington. Elevation above Lake Michigan, 15 feet; above the Atlantic Ocean, 593 feet. By H. Gruby, U. S. A. [Calculated for the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, by Albert C. Ingham, Madison, Wisconsin.] o S a Sun rise 9A.M I 3P..M { 9P.M Mean Maximum. iMinimum.. 5 1-3 1) Em 1 17.06 21.00 18.74123.50 25.09 1. 30.28 'Sun rise. 9 A.M... S-S I 3 P.M... 1'^ 9 P.M... 3 LMean Days entirely clear Entirely cloudy.. From thels. C o c O .3 o s. E, W. N.E. S. E. N.W. S.W. Calm.. Rain & Melted ? Snow 5 19.70 21.07 41 -19 3.32 3.22 3.38 3.12 3.26 3| i 12 17 4 25 10 0 6 38 12 1.12 24.78 26.67 32.26 32.87 140.80 41.80 52.70 58.96 50.25 1 64.80 69.48 ^ ►^ 42.06 32.29 25.64 34.36 47 -7 2.82 2.39 3.10 2.71 2.75 Ij 11 11! 251 5 16 5 1 9 34 6 1.50 61 4 5.12 4.16 4.83 6.36 5.12 1 1 25 31 2 14 5 3 14 16 14 78 47.80 39.00 40.03 77 20 4.25 4.23 5.16 4.10 4.43 3 3 30 16 10 16 17 6 5 7 13 1.58 58.96 49.77 50.38 79 22 3.74 3.09 3.36 4.87 3.76 70.73 60.83 61.71 85 40 5.00 .4.90 3.36 5.16 I 75.38 65.48 67.17 89 45 fciD r£5 g o CO 55.25 55.16 65.83,63.00 o ,^ o o O 38.85 45.80 73.38 63.77 64.31 85 38 4.09 3.77 4.90 4.16 4.70 4.60 4.46 69.26 54.45 c o o 27.60 30.86 35.53 57.23 1 45.33 '30.40 1 I 19 29 15 19 12 0 7i 5] 16 8.50 1 8 3 18 28 12 7 5 23 24 4 . 8 7 3 0 9 9 12 34 33 3.15 5.07 4.77 3.71 5.35 4.40 0 4 11' 7 6 32 6 4 7 49 2.67 62.21 87 31 3.26 3.13 4.23 5.90 4.13 0 4 17 33 15 8 4 7 1 4 31 3.2^ 46.65 72 20 3.35 3,45 3.58 3.80 I 3.54 i 0 3 31.56 56 15 2.30 1.80 2.23 2.33 2.16 ] 11 O <» Q 01 14.32|36.80 16.41 '43.50 17 29 31 13 0 7 23 24 3 5 1 1 1 4 11 5 37 32 1.10 2.26 22.51 17.80 1841 48 -11 3.25 3.41 4.03 4.83 3.95 2 8 9 19 1 30 7 0 9 21 28 28 51.29 42.19 44.04 89 -19 3.69 3.62 3.76 4.44 3.88 13 67 2.06 2.61 77 2.55 86 33 69 1.68 3.05 31.27 * Entire Clearness being 10. 319 o METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS Made at Fort Howard, Green Bay, Wisconsin, for the Year 1850. Latitude 440 40' N. Longitude 10° 10' W. of Wasbiugton. Elevation above Lake Michigan, 15 feet; above the Atlantic Ocean, 593 feet. By H. Gruby, U.S.A. [Calculated for the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, by Albert C. Ingham, Madison, Wisconsin.] a 18.35 1 16.39 22.32 < 32.13 38.22 0 54.40 61.19 bp < 59.81 a ■&, m 48.63 39.64 1 S 1 30.26 £ Q 14.41 3 36.31 C Sun rise... « 9A.M 21.29 24.53 29.90 38.40 53.30 70.26 74.58 71.19 56.56 46.25 33.10 16.09 44.62 H 3P.M 27.00 31.89 36.25 45.33 62.25 70.76 78.22 75.42 65.03 57.35 41.86 23.25 51.72 2 m 57.57 o o 41.29 a 30.00 a o « 16.03 38.96 Sun rise... Pi (4 2P.M 27.74 31.21 40.16 49.40 61.81 68.67 75.00 71.81 70.23 54.20 35.53 23.94 50.83 Sun set 25.07 29.43 34.81 44.21 54.61 62.40 68.10 65.58 64.80 50.19 33.60 21.42 46.19 Mean 24.24 28.23 33.42 42.45 53.87 61.69 68.55 65.12 64.20 48.56 33.04 20.46 45.32 a Maximum . . 42 44 72 70 78 80 87 82 86 71 54 50 87 Minimum.. -16 0 4 26 26 38 44 48 33 22 16 -13 -16 K M Sun rise 355 268 677 457 297 570 500 581 483 439 333 323 440 m o 2P.M 387 429 574 407 369 357 374 451 500 483 300 371 417 a Sun set 339 286 600 470 339 360 358 564 587 516 250 355 419 J Mean 360 328 617 445 350 429 411 532 523 479 294 340 425 Clou dy days 17 15 9 17 11 11 8 12 9 16 17 15 157 Fair davs 12 10 21 11 8 6 5 12 12 14 8 12 131 Rain y days 1 2 1 2 11 6 7 8 8 1 2 1 50 'FroratheN. 5 2 7 9 3 4 5 2 4 3 8 6 58 S. 9 15 8 3 6 1 9 4 17 9 3 10 94 E. 1 5 11 7 16 7 10 12 8 4 10 0 91 W. 25 7 12 10 5 6 7 5 2 15 18 26 139 o ' N.E. 7 4 10 13 21 13 12 20 18 3 6 3 130 o ' S. E. 10 15 12 15 16 10 8 12 6 10 4 8 126 .i-t ' N.Vr. 9 20 16 12 C 11 5 9 4 11 24 19 142 c ' S.W. 24 14 16 15 16 27 24 20 18 22 15 16 227 LCalm 3 2 1 5 ' 11 13 9 13 16 6 5 88 ) 323 ABSTRACT OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS Made at Aztalan, Jefferson County, "Wisconsin, for the Year 1851, Latitude 43° 04' N. Longitude 88° 52' W. Elevation above Lake Michigan, 230 feet. By James C. Brayton. a 5 1-5 1 •-5 42 a a; CO o O s o 3 Temperature. Highest 54 50 72 75 78 83 90 89 90 71 55 47 90 Lowest -19 -1 7 26 26 34 53 42 32 23 15 -14 -19 Ranffe. 73 25.34 51 30.23 65 38.84 37 43.36 42 55.86 49 63.33 37 71.02 47 67.26 58 64.99 48 46.80 40 32.98 61 19.77 109 46.67 Mean Raiu (inches) 1.20 2.75 2.31 1.49 9.90 4.64 2.94 8.00 4.17 1.30 2.18 1.71 1 42.59 Clear Days 18 13 10 7 14 9 11 9 7 11 18 17 144 Cloudy. 13 15 21 23 17 21 20 22 23 20 12 14 221 Prevailing-Wind < ^■ cc ^ ts CO »3 ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ f4 ^ I ^ ^ ^ CO a-j zn 02 CO ^ CO Tfl Plum and Apple blossomed May 20tii. 324 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS Made at Geeen Lake, Marquette County, Wisconsin, for the Years 1850 and 185L Latitude 43° 48' N. Longitude 88° 56' W. By F. C. Pomeroy. 1 c b p < ^ ^ 6 3 *-5 S i o O -2 o > o 1 a o 1850. f 9 • f . Mean Temperat. At Sun rise 22.5 21. 25. 35. 31.5 60.5 60. 62. 48. 40. 35. 15.5 38.00 At2P.M 31.5 34. 37. 46. 60.5 83. 80. 77.5 66. 59. 48. 25. 54.00 Mean 27. 22.5 31. 40.5 51, 71,7 70. 69 P 57 49 5 41 5 90 9 46.00 *Clear days 13 10 16 13 5 3 6 3 13 10 10 23 125 No. of Storms. . . 10 3 3 3 2 4 7 0 1 2 3 0 38 1851. ' Mean Temperat. At Sunrise 20. 23. 30. 30.2 45.5 52. 60. 54.2 56. 41. 28. 21.5 38.46 At2P.M 28. 33.5 47. 52. 62.2 74.2 79. 75.8 73. 56.5 37. 27.2 53.79 Mean 24. 28.2 38.5 41.1 53.4 63.1 69.5 65. 64.5 48.8 32.5 24.4 46.12 *Cleardays 9 9 15 14 10 11 17 15 11 15 4 11 141 Warmest day in 1850, July 26th, 93°. Coldest day, February 14th, -14. Prevailing Wind, South West. Warmest days in 1851, 14th and 15th July, 92^ at 2 P.V. Coldest day, January 30tli, -20 at Sunrise; -6 at 2 P. M. Blue Birds and Robins first seen, March 13th. * Clear days only noted — the remainder cloudy or variable. APPENDIX. ».---^ 327 FORMER AGRICULTURAL MOVEMENTS. STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF 1846. The followino- Papers are the Minutes of what is believed to have been the First Association for the advancement of the interests of Agriculture ever formed iu that Territory which now constitutes the State of Wisconsin. It was organized by Members of the First Constitutional Convention, and furnishes gratifying evidence of that desire for improvement which has characterized the history of Wisconsin from its earliest period. No record can be found of any meeting sub- sequent to the one held December 3d, A. D. 1846 ; and it is believed that this was the last. The movement was undoubtedly premature, and to this, and not to any lack of spii-it, must its failure be ascribed. PRELIMINARY MEETING. Tuesday, December 1, 1846. Pursuant to a call of several members of the Convention, and others, desirous of forming a " State Agricultural Society," for the future State of Wisconsin, the members of the Convention and other citizens of the Territory, assembled at the Convention Chamber, and proceeded to organize the Meeting by calling the Hon. Wlliam R. Smith, of Iowa County, to the Chair, and appointing La Fayette Kellogg, of Dane County, Secretary. The object of the Meeting having been stated by the Chair, and after some remarks from several gentlemen of the Meeting, the following resolution was introduced by Mr. Burchard, and adopted by the Meeting, to wit: Resolved — That a Committee of three be appointed by the Chair to obtain some suitable person to address the members of the Convention, upon the subject of organizing a State Agricultural Society, t # 328 The Chair appointed Messrs. Burchard, Berry, and Kellogg, such Com- mittee. The Hon. Warren Chase having been called upon, rose and addressed the Meeting in some very appropriate remarks upon the subject of Agriculture and Agricultural Societies, and the oi'ganization, customs, &c., of the Wisconsin Phalanx. Mr. Parsons introduced the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted, to wit: Resolved — That the thanks of this Meeting be presented to Mr. Warren Chase, for the interesting history of the system, theory, and practice of the Wis- consin Phalanx ; and also to Mr. Parkinson for his interesting description of the Oregon Territory. On motion of Mr. Berry, the Meeting adjourned until next Thursday Evening. ORGANIZATION. Thursday, December 3, 1846, The Meeting was called to order by the Chairman, when Mr. Bctrchard, from the Committee appointed to obtain some suitable person to deliver an Address, reported that Mr. Griswold, of Dane, would address the Meeting this evening. Mr. Burchard moved that a Committee of five be appointed to prepare a Constitution for the Agricultural Society proposed to be formed for the future State of Wisconsin. Which was agreed to. The Chair appointed Messrs. Burchard, Gilmore, Beall, Meeker and Boyd, the said Committee. Mr. Griswold having been introduced to the Meeting, delivered a very neat and appropriate Address on the subject of the formation of the Society. Mi\ Burchard, from the Committee appointed to draft a Constitution for the Society, reported the following Constitution — {See Constitution.) On motion of Mr. Doty, the Constitution was taken up and unanimously adopted. The Meeting was then addressed by Mcssrg. Burchard, Elmore, Randall, NoGGLE, Strong, of Racine, Crawford, and Tweedy, in some interesting remarks upon the subject of Agriculture in general. 339 Mr. Burt introduced the following resolution, whicli was unanimously adopted, to wit : Resolved — That the thanks of this Meeting be given to Joseph Griswold, for the elegant and highly interesting discourse delivered on this occasion ; and tliat he be requested to furnish the Secretary with a copy thereof, to be printed ■with the proceedings of this Meeting. On motion of Mr. Meeker, the meeting adjourned until next Monday Eveninor, at 7 o'clock. CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE I. This Society shall be called the " Wisconsin State Agricultural Society," for the advancement of Agriculture, Horticulture, and the Domestic Arts. ARTICLE II. Any person may become a member of this Society by paying into its treasury one dollar on admission, and one dollar annually thereafter, during his conti- nuance as a member. Any person paying ten dollars on admission, may become a life member. ARTICLE III. The Officers of this Society shall be a President, three Vice-Presidents, Corres- ponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, one Manager from each county, who shall, together, constitute the Executive Committee. They shall be elected annually by a majority of votes present, and shall have power to fill vacancies in their own body. ARTICLE IV. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Society, and of the Executive Committee; or in his absence, either of the Vice-Presidents; and to call special meetings of the Executive Committee when deemed necessary. ARTICLE V. The Executive Committee shall appoint local Committees in the several coun- ties, whose duty it shall be to examine farms and crops which may be offered for premiums; to obtain members, collect fees, and perform all necessary labors connected with the operations of the Society in their respective towns. 330 ARTICLE VI. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to exercise a general super- vision of the alikirs of the Society ; to appropriate the funds of the same in such manner as shall best subserve the interests, and forward the objects of the Society; to offer premiums, and to appoint Committees to award them; and to distribute all seeds, plants, books, &c., received for the Society, and to make their Annual Report at the Annual Meeting. ARTICLE VIL The Executive Committee shall determine the time and place, and make the necessary preparations for an Annual Fair, and give sufficient previous notice of the Premiums to be awarded thereat, and shall establish such By-Laws to regu- late the deposit of Premiums as they shall deem proper. ARTICLE VIII. All competitors for Premiums must be members of the Society. ARTILCE IX. This Constitution may be altered at any Annual Meeting, by a vote of two- thirds of the members present. Charles Burchard. John W. Boyd. Moses Meeker. Asa Kinney. James Gilmore. James Duane Doty. Edward H. Janssen. William C. Greene. Andrew E. Elmore. STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF 1849. Madison, December 25th, 1851. Dear Sir — As we have now a State Agricultural Society in successful opera- tion, the first yearly " Transactions" of which are about to be published, it may not be considered inappropriate to embody in that work the unsuccessful attempts in previous years to establish and put in operation a Society of this kind. It is well known that at almost every session of oui' State Legislature, some fern individuals, actuated by a laudable desire to do something to build up and encourage industrial pursuits, have succeeded in raising — not an excitement, for 331 that is a term ex|)ressing too much ardor in so meritorious a cause — but sufficient feeling has on several occasions been raised, to hold a Meeting, and perhaps adopt a Constitution and elect Officers under it. Those Officers, with some honorable exceptions, have generally been men whose praiseworthy effi)rts ceased, and their enthusiasm died away with the adjournment of che primary meetings, and whose purse-strings were drawn too tight to allow them to give any practical aid to the Society, by the payment of the trifling amount necessary to constitute them actual members. Such, I am convinced from observation, has been the character of a majority of those to whom the aflairs of the several Societies have been entrusted ; and with such a head, it is unreasonable to suppose that the body could grow and thrive. With such men for a motive-power to any important enterprise, it must prove a failure, such has been the case with each and every attempt to organize and put in successful / operation a State Agricultural Society in Wisconsin, until 1851. That effort has been eminently successful ; and, under the circumstances, the Society may, with truth, be termed a prodigy. . But I am digressing from the subject of this communication. Having been identified as Secretary with one of those abortive attempts to organize a State Agricultural Society, of which I have been speaking, I have prepared a synopsis of the proceedings of the primary meetings, accompanied by the Constitution and the Officers of the Society. The cause of its failure, I believe, I have truly set forth in my foregoing remarks ; and I have only to add, that no meeting of the Executive Committee was ever held — and although a correspondence was opened with the respective member's by the Secretary, no response was ever received. The consequence was, no fund was raised, no Fair held, and the Annual Meeting passed by unattended. Thus ended the " spasm" of 1849. I have also prepared a list of all those who became bona fide members of that Society, which are also herewith submitted. In justice to those gentlemen, I beg leave here to state, that the small fund raisal by the payment of their initiation fee, after deducting some trifling expenses of printing, &c., has been passed over to the Treasury of the present prosperous Society. With my best wishes for the triumphant success of the Society, of which you have the honor to be Secretary, I remain, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, ROYAL BUCK. To Albert C. Ingham, Esq, Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society, 332 ASSEMBLY CHAMBER, Madison, Wednesday Evening, February 218t, 1849. At a meeting of the citizens of Madison, and the members of the Legislature, for the purpose of forming a State Agricultural Society, Hon. Samuel Pratt was called to the Chair, and Royal Buck chosen Secretary. The object of the meeting having been stated by the Chair, Mr. Lanslng introduced the following resolutions, which were adopted, to wit: " Resolved — That in view of the great impoiiance of Agriculture in the West, it is expedient to form a State Agricultural Society in Wisconsin. " Resolved — That a Committee be appointed by the Chair, consisting of five, whose duty it shall be to report at the next meeting a Plan of Organization for the contemplated Society." Mr. Daugherty introduced the following resolution, which was adopted, to wit : " Resolved — That a Committee of nine be appointed by the Chair to draft a Constitution and By-Laws for a State Agricultural Society, to be presented for adoption at a future meeting." ^ Mr. Burns introduced the following resolution, which was adopted, to wit : " Resolved — That a Committee of three be appointed by the Chair, to prepare an Address to the citizens of the State of Wisconsin, to be published with the Constitution." Mr. Hull introduced the following resolution, which was adopted : *' Resolved — That some competent person be appointed by the Chair to deli- ver an Address to the Society." The Chair announced the following Committees under the resolutions, to wit: To prepare a Plan of Organization — Messrs. R. W. Lansing, Parker Warren, Enoch Chase, E. S. Hazard, John W. Boyd, and A. Ogden. To draft a Constitution and By-Laws — Messrs. Jonathan Daugherty, John M. Wells, D. M. Parkinson, H. S. Thorp, S. G. Colley, Joseph Kerr, Asa Kinney, A. Botkin, and Pierce. To prepare an Address for publication — Messrs. Timothy Burns, Parker Warren, and Judge Pike. To deliver an Address to the Society — William Hull, Esq. The meeting then adjourned to meet again on Wednesday Evening, February 28th. SAMUEL PRATT, Chairman. ROYAL BUCK, Secretary. 333 At the adjourned Evening no Chairman appeared, and the meeting was called to order by the Secretary, and Hon. Hiram Barber chosen Chairman pro tern. None of the Committee being prepared to report, the meeting was again adjourned to meet on the Evening of March 7th. At this meeting a Constitution was reported, and after being discussed and amended, was referred to a select Committee of three, consisting of Timothy Bdrns, Joseph Kerr, and Royal Buck. And the meeting adjourned to meet again. At the next meeting the Constitution was reported back from the Committee, with sundry amendments, which were concurred in, after which it was adopted. The following is the Constitution of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society as finally adopted, together with a correct list of the first Officers elected under it: CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. Whereas it appears to be expedient to form a State Agricultural Society for the promotion of all the objects and advantages connected with scientific and practical Agriculture ; and whereas, we deem the formation of such a Society, a measure that would be highly beneficial alike to the farmer, the manufacturer, the mechanic, aad to every class of our citizens ; and, as the soil of Wisconsin is second to none in the North-West for all agricultural pursuits; and believing that the institution of such a Society would tend to a respectful rivalry in every branch of industry, we do, therefore, establish such Society, and adopt for its government, the following Constitution : ARTICLE I. This Society shall be known as " The Wisconsin State Agricultural Society^'' havino- for its object the dissemination of all useful knowledge, scientifically and practically applied to the art of Agriculture, and the best mode and means of promoting farming and all industrial pursuits. ARTICLE II. The Officers of this Society shall consist of a President, Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, Secretary, and an Executive Committee of five — which number may be increased by a vote of the members at any time hereafter. All the Officers named in this article ehall be elected for one year, or until the first annual meet- ing of the Society. oo-± ARTICLE III. It shall be the duty of the President, or in case of his absence, of one of the Vice-Presidents, to preside at all the meetings of the Society, to keep order, and to enforce all its rules anil regulations ; and the Vice-Presidents shall preside ■with and assist the President in all the business transactions of the Society.. ARTICLE IV. * The Treasurer shall safely keep all moneys and effects of the Society entrusted to him, and shall account for the same to the Executive Committee, at all times; ' and if desired by said Committee, he shall execute a bond, to be approved by them, for the faithful performance of his duty, and to refund all moneys, pro- perty, and effects, in his hands. He shall keep a regular and coi-rect account current with the Society, and shall render an abstract thereof, to said Committee> on demand. He shall also attend all regular meetings of the Society, and its Annual Fairs. ARTICLE V. The Secretary shall keep a faithful record of all the proceedings of the Society, in a book to be furnislied for that purpose; and shall receive and answer all communications to, and from the Society, and maintain a correspondence with the Auxiliary Societies ; and shall also attend with his records and papers, all regular meetings of the Society, and the Annual Fairs. ARTICLE VI. The Executive Committee shall have power to make all necessary prudential rules and regulations for the government of the Society, in all its practical and beneficial operations; to designate Premiums to be awarded at the Fairs; to appoint County Committees, and other Committees necessary to carry out the objects of the Society ; to make By-Laws for its regulation ; and shall perform such other duties as usually belongs to such a Committee. ARTICLE VII. A State Fair shall be held annually, at such time and place as the President and Executive Committee shall determine; and they shall publish' a notice thereof, accompanied by a list of Premiums to be awarded at, and the manner in which the Fair will be conducted. ARTICLE VIII. The annual meeting of the Society shall be held at the Capitol, in Madison, on the thiril Monday of January in each year, and eveiy Othcer shall attend such meeting; and the Officers of the Society .'^hall be elected at such meeting, for the term of one year. 335 ARTICLE IX. Any person may become a member of this Society by subscribing his name to this Constitution, or authorizing the Secretary to do so, and paying into the treasury the sum of fifty cents, which shall eijtitle him to a certificate of HK^rabership, signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by the Secretary. And in order to continue such membership, shall pay the sura required by this Con- stitution at each annual meeting of the Society. The funds thus raised, shall be appropriated for the promotion of the general objects of the Society. ARTICLE X. This Constitution and By-Laws of the Society, may be amended or altered at any regular meeting thereof. » ARTICLE XL County Societies may be formed, which may become auxiliary to the State Society, under such rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by the President and Executive Committee of the State Society. The following; is a correct list of the Officers elected : President. Erastus W, Drury, of Fond du Lac. Vice-Presidents. J. F. WiLLARD, of Rock County. Elisha Edgerton, of Waukesha. Hiram Barber, of Dodge. J. T. Haight, of Jefferson. George Esterly, of Walworth. John W, Blackstone, of La Fayette. George Anderson, of Dane. Benj. F. Hollenbeck, of Marquette. Theodore Secot, of Racine. John P. Arndt, of Brown. Hiram Champlin, of Manitowoc. Moody Mann, of Calumet. JoNATH. Daugherty, of Foud da Lac. Thompson Hagey, of Crawford. Jacob D. Merrit, of Grant. Col. Jeremiah Drake, of Columbia. Patrick Toland, of Washington. John Bush, of Portage. Timothy Burns, of Iowa. Jacob Weed, of Winnebago. Wm. McDowell, of Green. B. L. PimoY, of Sauk. Enoch Underwood, of Milwaukee. Joseph Bowron, of St. Croix, and Benjamin L. Gibbs, of Sheboygan. John McKenney, of Richland. Secretary^ Royal Buck, of Madison. Treasurer, Abram Ogden, of Madison. 336 Executive Committee. Hiram Barber, of Dodge. Robert Wasson, of Milwaukee. Joseph Goodrich, of Rock. Timothy Burns, of Iowa. John M. Wells, of Waukesha. Names of those who became actual Members of the Society by the payment of an Initiation Fee: Erastus H. Drurt. William H. Fox. Robert Wasson, Jr. James Fisher. E> T. Gardner. Asa Kinney. John W. Boyd. L. H. Page. Jonathan Daugherty. E. S. Hazard. Abram Ogden. David Atwood. Royal Buck. William Welch. Mark Miller. Patrick Toland, JosiAH F. Willard. Samuel G. Colley. Joseph Kerr. Samuel Pratt. Samuel Noyse. Joseph Bowron. Daniel M. Parkinson. W. M. Larrabee. Charles Rickerson. Hiram Barber. H. W. Warner. Beriah Brown. Charles H. Larkin. George Anderson. John F. Meade. J. D. Reymert. D. H. Rockwell. Paul Juneau. Charles Kuehn. Satterlee Clark- John E. Holmes. Thomas Sugden. Nicholas H. Tarjensen. Increase A. Lapham. The Committee to prepare an Address for publication, never performed that duty; and Mr. Hull, who was to deliver an Address to the Society, delegated his trust to R. W. Lansing, who made a bombastic attempt, which was received with groans, hisses, shouts, and like demonstrations, eminently calculated to render the whole operation a peifect farce — and which, as a finale, was sufficient to blight all prospects of the future success of the Society. « New York Botanical Garden Library 3 5 85 00257 5866 i: l)i:^l lli