Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-01-08
For the Delaware Republican,


To BRYAN JACKSON, Esq,
Pres. Of the N. c Agri. Soc.
DEAR Sra Tho time has now expired in which |
the applications were to be filed by those who in |
tended to compete for the Premiums offered for
Field Crops, by the New Castle County Agricultural
Society.
And strange to say, no communication has been |
made to the Committee Crops either officially or
otherwise, although they attended attentiVely dur
ing the three days Of the exhibition. The fact of
the crops of wheat, oats and hay, all being full 20
per cent saort, was generally admitted, and greaty
deplored Tho corn crop being housed, is also |
Short at least to tho extent put down for wheat, oats
and hay II is, however, yasIly il wAs
then, ;Ee sesthsr Throughout June and July had |
been so very dry, that farmers apIrehendei total
failure Of the crop. Much of the then u ct be-
ginning to tassel, drie1 up without the appearance
Of silk. The early planting, particularly suffered |
much more than that planted two or even three |
weeks later. So great was the drought throughout |
June and July, that if lighted match had been |
applied to any Of our subble grass pasture fields
il enough vegetation had remained, to have burnt |
the fire would have extended throughout all such |
land lndeed have stood near the middle Of a one |
hundred acre subble field, and on looking round |
could not see where an animal could get green
heritage enough to fill itself Tho young clover, |
particularly suffered, nat particle Of which could
| be then seen alive. The gentle rains of August
vived the corn, but not sufficiently to make crop.
/ The potato and buckwheat Gf they may BIO called
a crop ic this county, were quite full crop, much
| more SO chan usual for some time past.
| Nor does the report Of short crops stop at the
bounds u our society," tor up to this date have not
seen report to or from any Agricultural Society,
or heard from conversations from travellers, of
single large crop such as used to have, of that
Of corn fay 100 bushels or 100, or 90, or even 60
bushels or that OF wheat of 60 bushels or SO or 40
or 20 bushels to the cid of any considerable
extent tstough per acre. Throughout our whole
extent OF coHntry. which 300 900 square
miles, equal to 920 200, 900 acres including Cana
. da, also made our common grain growing rival by
the scaled Reciprocity Treaty, of equal extent
4 being in pres over $40 900 900 acres. Yet, with
| Az FnlI Vladg nf hnYf law
n may judge from the present price Of breadstufs,
there is 10 danger of starvation Of dearth in tho
y land Thire must have been au immense storehouse
full where or great crops in Can ada. If there
= has been good crops anywhere, whyhave the farm
ers not rorted, by applying fer their full share of
tie none allotted for croTs neagre they by
y the differed, societies throughout the land is the
le question should like to have answered For one,
would mot respectfully submit whether it is not
" from ceuempt Of the manner in which our So
y called Agricultural Exhibitions are now conducted
and Of the diversion of the funds of the societies
oi from the legitimate object, as formerly practsed.
For many years after the first ploughing match at
70 Port Penn IN May, ls4l which was the first thing
of the kim ever gotten up south of the Hudson, il
Of not in the S. gotten up by member of the st
le Georges nd Appointments Societies, who was
70 then, as npF, member of the N. 9. @. A. s., in
IL which DFham bull offered the highest
ae premium, hd which was the highest premium ever
OF offered to TVS day, a premium for ploughs OF
he plnughin- LOIS ching was then the most exciting
and enliveug part Of the exhibition. Who has
I'D forgotten til great fete at Devondale the then
II sidence of Ito lamented q p. Holeomb where th'
d. farmers by BE hundred from all parts of the STAT
OF and from I'D adjoining States Of Maryland, enn
IN sylvania, a New jersey, attended, by his invita-
pa ton, tOgetAr with their wives their daughters
us their sons Ind their farm hands, to witness
cheer the shwart and skiful ploughmen, in thei
Of praiseworthi exercise of ploughing. And whe
pc after the wuS was one all partOok In his generon
on hospitality,
Sy Those pra teworthy and useful cxcitements hav
p- dwinded dosn to almost nothing, and the liberia
IT. premium thehighest then offered for anything OBJ
'a' ject, anhl have fell of to ten dellars as tn
= highest premium, and from that down to piece 0
ny paper calle4a certificate of merit, Ten dollar
0u only offlb d to Nj 0bod Hussey, for the frs
he trial of his sAam engine driving six poughs, (th
ae first that bssfully turned iurrow, in this,
80 or any other euntry, by a society of Of th
lrs Western SatA, at point where il must have col
Vi him perhaps AgO hundred dollars 10 have taken
su' there. The preRium offered for all of dOze
IVY entries Ct p0ughs and plOughmen, seldom eve
=. VI exceeds $50 land is more generally below $40
~ whilst for shgle trotng nag from $50 to 1920
~ freely Offered nS premium, mostly for the benef
@ Of the unRrigNped jockeys. Thousands of dollar
.se awarded q the different classes of horses HuI
.' dreds OF dOats are,ohered for show Of poultry
W. from two to i've dollars for lot of Banams, whe
" tho trio are mo- worth dime piece
~ With that oil field crops, the same disregard as
the farmers right, is manifest, as with that of Ii
az Plough make1 and ploughman, Ten or twent
A.. dollars at inos1 is offered the highest premium
.ne crops, to obtain which, he may havs expeLde
i $780, with Of years in perccting his exper
iuu ments to produce and make public for the benei
10 OF ALL for he is bound INST only to give full STATE
6o ment of the nodus operand by which he succeede
~ but he must furnish the proof Of his statement
Dod Whist tho shrowd jockey may examine, watch OF
~ and ascertain the Aeetest Of any horse in the ehn
hoy ton on the first days , trial. then ssssrsph p
the last day, and make thousands Of dollars by be
" ting in the operation.
ser Thus it ia seen that great change has recent