Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1861-02-14

not then in use. Corn for instance, then
generic name for wheat ard barley, now
means grain then undiscovered. Then
crops rarely produced over ten or twenty lold
how IA hundred is a small, or certainly,
not an unusual return. Then the farmer
gathered the harvest by pulling of the heads
pulling up the stalk, or by the almost as
slow, though more modern process OF reap
ing with a sickle. Compare those methods
with the great reaper OF to day that sweeps
over acres in an hour, and leaves but the yell
low stubbe Of the golden harvest Then the
oxen tramped out the grain week after week
and the winds OF heaven, and tae ian IN the
hands Of the aborer slowy y, imperecty and
wastefully, separated the kernel nom the
chaf and straw. Now the thrcsher with
tumutuous whil takes into its great mouth
thousands Of sheayes in day, and scattering
the emptied heads aud straw and chaif in rich
streams, the separated gold grain runs cut
upon the rayshcd sight all ready Tor the
marts Of trade, for food Tor man or fowl and
beast.
This abundant and varied food, connected
with science, has doubled the average dura-
ton Of human life, and 50 lar superior are
we to our forchthers, some iew generations
ago, that the armor Of the great warriors Of
the middle ages, preserved 10 the Tower Of
London, will not 20 on to the bodies Or limbs
Of tn If superior descendants And yet
there are those among US who affect to sign
for tho good old times, when It IS patent
to every man, there never were days IN all
the world as good as now.
Without licuurc there is no enllgbt'
cpmcnt. isa true maxim We might rath-
!, or say, without agricultural societies, for we
must have the collision Of inteects, or there
is no thought OF comparison or there IS no
competitions, Of competition Or there IS less
excellence w must Inspect, ISOLATE, de-
bate, emulate, carry off premiums. The
: very disputes. contentious, quarres II you
. WILL Inherent in the nature OF all such socle-
:, ties, arc absolute essentials to thor progress
Peace here is stagnation and sagnatlon IN
i the matter Of agriculture is extinction.
y Farmers, what Il position is yours-tho
a wealth Of the world For gold is not
q wealth, but only its more convenient repre-
q sentative. Commerce produces 10 wealth
e but only exchanges it, manufactures and th'
,e arts but recomblne it: and the agriculture
Il society is to YOU what the rude sculptor is t
g. the crude marble.
,r Three times year the Jewish people wer
~. commanded to assemble in one place A
mt the Passover, which was the sowing time :
nd at the feast of PeatacoSt, where they cam
of to present the first fruits OF the earth upo
the the affairs at the feast Of Tabernacle
and where they came to JOY over lie hary'
ger home oil the year, as We do IN our antu
tied fair. And they compared the fruits OF
Of earth and emulated each other in their Gro
ar as we do Mt our aoDusl festivals. And b
significant the result. Egypt gave civilli
ton and Judca religion to the world
1t is said of Uzziah the King
G. "digged many wells, for he bad much Gait
% --bnsbandmcn also and vine drcssers in
mountains, and in Carmel, tor he ioped N
Gu Jand,y.'
ate Shall ,ee love it less, when with all
for shortcomings or anti-conservatlvc progr'
dis. of our agricultural societies, there mes
I'm. were days as good as these? When he "
yor tutns the cod is no longer clod, hopper, !
un. has become responsible prince-an Anne
His can sovereign, tilliug his own fee simple fa
to lowing the soil he cultivates-cultiy
and ting the soil he owns 2
ON. Each of our successive fairs brings togett
rich array OF the bounties of the earth,
not Say not then what is the cause that the !
eau mer days were better than these, tor ii
nor. do.t not enquire wisely concerning this
res If this was true in the time Of Solomon,
Az. is hundred fold true to-day. And is tn
nual societies have in them these germs OF 60
shat discuss and by experiment learn that
Devon, the Durham or the Ayrshire are
till. best breed of cattle for the farmer to raj
tier. the Morgan, the Clyde, French or Eng
,uch horse, the animal from which they can r.
duce izc the greatest income; the Mcrino, e
Il is woll or South Down, which is best for ",
t of which for mutton; or il at their exhibit
rs they fed a better agricultural Implement
h OF heretofore they have employed, will not
t be comparisons of experience, the collec
rmer and publishing oil facts, thousand IL
kind compensate the cost a Board OF Agrl
bout ture will be to the State.
AGRIcoLA
ag- St. Johnsbury, Jan. 20, 1861.