The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-10
NO. 3l9.
,,,,rrn STATES AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

p.os;dent. submitted an address, recommending
B,ard of Agriculture, and suggesting the ap-
.,t,,rnt of a committee 10 confer with the
General Government respecting the cores
cadence through its functionaries in foreign
.,untries, and for the interchange Of specimen
,,ojucts and information. He recommended
che abortion of measures to secure the co-ore-
ration Of kindred State associations, and to OBJ
,,;o their reports, from which compilations
might annually made, and full history OF
American agriculture be ultimately received at
,Lo scat of Government He also suggested an
.IIanec with the American Pathological ooci-
~, The courtesy of the Smithsonian insatu-
a., ras acknowledged and closer connec-
-, between the two bodies and permanent
.,o,o,wodations for this Society in the Smith
.oniap building, are recommended A perma-
rent Secretary, located in Washington, is re-
on;red Pecuniary assistance from Govern
ment is proposed, either as grant on Inc Pfin-
cinls of State grants TO their respective Socie-
ties, or as a consideration for the performance
hv this Society of the duties of the Agricuitu-
raj Department of the Patent Once An III
crease of income is proposed, by memoerShips
and donations. A local agent has IN SIX weeks
s.cnred 100 members in Rhode Island. Hon
Samuel Appleton, of Boston, has given the So
ar, q 600 and Col Thos II. Perkins, Robt.
q Shaw. and others, have contributed liberal
10 An exhibition by the Society in connec-
Ron ,sith the Worlds Fair in the Crystal Pal
o,s next summer at New York, is suggested.
Courses of lectures at the time of the annual
mating are proposed and amendments to the
Constitution suggested.
journal OF the Society, consisting of IA
pages was issued last year, and a second num-
her will soon be issued.
The recommendations of the President were
referred to appropriate committees.
The following amendments to the Constitu-
ton we're adopted, viz:
The Executive Committee WAS Increased from
fge members to seven.
The Recording and Corresponding Secreta-
r,as to be considered as ex-oficio members of
the Executive Committee and the Board of Ag-
rculture.
In the absence OF the President of the Socie-
ty. the Executive Committee shall elect its own
chairman
Four members present shall constitute quo
rum of the Executive Committee.
The future annual meetings of the Society
shall be held in Washington, ON the fourth
Wednesday of February.
Mllard Fillmore Franklin Pierce, Samuel
Appleton, Thomas H. Perkins, and Robert G.
Shaw, we're elected honorary members of the,
Society
The principal topic which occupied the SEQ
ond days proceedings was resolution of Mr..
Calvert on the subject of memorializing Con-
gress to establish an Agricultural Department
OF the Government, the head of which shall be
Cabinet officer Mr.. c. urged that the estab-
lishment of such Department would be ben
cit to Agriculture and ought to be unanimous
ly petitoned for. He said
Commerce has its representative and pro-
teotor in the Cabinet in the person of the Sec
rotary of the Treasury; 81 had the army, SO
had the navy them why should agriculture,
an interest greater than all the rest put togeth-
er be excluded Four-ffths of all the wealth,
power, numbers labor, and elements of strength
and greatness of this country were agricultd-
raj, and it had no representative in the Execu-
tive branch of our Government Measures hos
tile to the farming interest may arise in the
Cabinet and be recommended to Congress, and,
rs at present constituted they could not be re-
sisted This question had, indeed, much to do
with politics in its higher and proper sense, but
10 the lower and meaner one, nothing whatev-
a Let any one refer to Noah Webster's Die
tonary, and they would be convinced Of this.
Last year, bureau OF agriculture would have
satisfied gentlemen but that day is gone by
what is wanted now is a full Depar tment, with
a full Cabinet Minister at its head. All the
Presidents of the United States have recon
mended such q Department, and the time had
come to establish it. He hoped the meeting
would be unanimous in its vote on this subject
Professor Mapes detailed some facts calcu-
lated to excite interest in the subject of Agr-
culture. He said:
In somo districts of the United States, one
hundred bushels Of shelled corn to the acre
were raised, but the average was only thirty
bushels. This last proportion ought to be- and
could be, greatly increased and the land re-
stored to fertility. In the State of New York,
twelve and a half bushels of wheat per aero
was the average; formerly it was thirty. Ohio
once gave an average OF thirty five; she had
NV sunk to fifteen. To restore the decreasing
fertility and wealth of our fields all over the
Unon was measure deserving the serious at
lenton OF our Government. Therefore let us
have Department
Farmers are a busy class they have not
much time to think or to compare notes with
Their fellows at a distance. Thus improve
nenis did not travel fast. A town or a coun-
Try vas often the limited area of the knowl-
edge of great improvement Much knowl-
edge useful to all was thus lost to the general
Ity For instance, there was the fact that
eighteen and half pounds of cooked corn-meal
would produce AZ much meat and muscle as
nfty pounds uncooked But farmers would not
believe this without Endorsement from known
and respectable source
In almost every county in the Union. some
one man was celebrated for his crops but not
outstanding they were before the ewes of his
a1elghbors, they would not believe him as to
hE own accounts of his success: they would
"''riOe 10 nm some secret plans or something
more than appeared. The farmers. as o class,
ere lhcredulous. IL WAS necessary 10 bring
the force OF fashion to bear upon them When
"en OF talent learning and wide influence, lent
iresPonSbllity to statements, farmers would be-
i'eve, but not till then
g Much labor was necessary to open the eyes
:, the people Of this country to these things.
happily, within year or two we had taken 1.
De''er Vlew and the result was that the inn
i novemehts OF single year were worth more
"an The gold returns from California could be
M century
AT the port of New York, British ships would
Uoae and hill their holds on their return voy-
Ses with American bones, carrying away the
SI'el constituent Of the fertility of our 6elds,
MosPAdts Of lime. And this helped us to I'M
w',s ai why, when our fields were parting
I .neir invaluable constituents, the fields OF
b "IS"l had raised their crops from fourteen
b ae.r per acre to 6fty-one bushels Let this