Daily National Intelligencer

AGRICULTURAL

At a meeting of the "Maryland Agricultural Society," at Mr. Gadsby's, on the first Wednesday in June, 1819—

The Society proceeded to take into consideration certain modifications of the Constitution, recommended at the meeting in Easton, and, having deliberated thereon, agreed to adopt the same.

On motion, Resolved, That the Society approve the recommendation to form county societies in the state.

Resolved, That the constitution, as amended, be printed in a pamphlet form, and distributed, together with an outline of a constitution for county societies.

The Society proceeded to the election of officers for the ensuing year, when the following were elected:

Robert Smith, President
Edward Lloyd, Vice President.
John E. Howard, jr. Secretary.
James Cox, Treasurer.
Joseph Haskins, Assistant Treasurer
Ezekiel Forman, Assistant Secretary.

Board of Agriculture for the Eastern Shore.
Chas. Ridgely, of Hpt.
George Calvert.
J. Thompson Mason.
James Steuart.
Thos. Sim Lee.
Henry Wilkins,
Frisby Tilghman.
Elisha De Butts.
Virgil Maxcy.
John Yellott, jr.
Wm. E. Williams.
Jacob Hollingsworth.

An address was delivered to the Society by the President—whereupon.

Resolved, That the thanks of the Society be presented to the President, and a copy of the address be requested.

AN ADDRESS
To the "Maryland Agricultural Society," from the President,
Robert SMITH, Esquire.

In this country, agriculture ought to be considered as the most honorable, as well as the most useful of all the employments of man. It was so esteemed by the wisest, the richest, and the most powerful nations of antiquity. The Egyptians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks, and the Romans, as appears from all accounts, carried this all important art to a degree of perfection unknown to us. At one period, however, from a coincidence of peculiar circumstances, the lands of Italy were neglected, as are, at this time, the lands of Maryland. The whole country was reduced to the utmost distress. So awful, indeed, was the crisis, as to require the interposition of the government. To a distinguished personage, universally admired for his knowledge, and beloved for his virtues, application was made for his best endeavors to rouse the people from their lethargy, and to excite in them a passion for agriculture. The result of this application was the publication of the celebrated Georgics—a work in which are to be found the best precepts and rules of husbandry, recommended in a style and manner the most charming and persuasive. Instantly was manifested a spirit of agricultural improvement, which soon diffused itself throughout the whole country.

Not having a Virgil to arouse us from our morbid indolence, our only practical expedient is the formation of well organized agricultural societies. These institutions will, I trust, prove the salutary means of averting the impending calamities. Such associations afford opportunities of comparing the multifarious practices of the most judicious cultivators of the soil. They combine with the experience of the field the experiments of the laboratory. They furnish facilities, not only for acquiring, but for diffusing useful information. They promote the introduction of the best animals, seeds, plants, and implements of husbandry. They excite a laudable emulation. And thus, in their effects, they necessarily tend to accelerate the progress of agricultural knowledge. With a view to these important advantages, this Society has been established.

In our estimate of the considerations which ought to induce us to make an effort to restore fertility to the exhausted soil of Maryland, we cannot but duly appreciate its geographical and other natural advantages. From its central position, exposed to the extremes of neither heat nor cold, we enjoy a most delightful climate. With such exceptions as are applicable to most countries, our lands were originally very fertile; and they are, at this time, susceptible, not only of restoration, but of the highest degree of improvement. Our climate and soil are remarkably favorable to the growth of wheat, Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, clover, timothy, potatoes, turnips, and all culinary vegetables, and also to apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and other fine fruits. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers afford to all the counties of the Eastern, and to many of the Western Shore, incalculable advantages in the transportation of their produce to market. And the facilities thus enjoyed necessarily tend greatly to enhance the value of the lands of those counties.

Important, however, as are our natural advantages, it is to be regretted that they have not been duly cherished. Our ancestors, finding themselves in possession of a rich soil, as they fancied, beyond the possibility of injury, employed, in the outset, all their forces in the cultivation of tobacco and Indian corn. They afterwards superinduced two other exhausting crops, wheat and oats. Under these destructive crops, without any intervening meliorating ones, our lands have been greatly injured; and, as a necessary consequence, our fortunes have been much impaired. These gloomy observations, however, are not applicable to all our landed estates. From a personal knowledge of many, and from accurate information of the other counties, I have the proud satisfaction of saying, that in every county of our state are to be seen farms under a course of tillage, and husbandry, not excelled in any part of the United States. It nevertheless must be admitted, that our estates have not, generally, been cultivated to the best advantage. But to what country, and especially to what new country, may not this remark be applied? Let us not, then, content ourselves in reproaching the practices of times past. Let our views be prospective. Let every man endeavor, to the utmost of his power, to correct existing imperfections, and to introduce a better system. "Hoc opus, hic labor est."

In our advances towards improvement, the first requisite is a disposition to attend carefully to the practices of agriculturists of long experience and of established reputation. In a comparative view of the variously managed estates of our country, it is observable, that, in every well conducted farm, there is a systematical rotation of crops. It thence may be assumed, as a postulate, that no farm can be profitably conducted without such a regular rotation. The question, then, which presents itself at the threshold is, which rotation is the best? To this preliminary enquiry no answer can be given that would suit universally. Much depends on circumstances, viz. the climate, the soil, the distance from the market, the size, the character of the farm, &c. &c. Every person, therefore, will form a system for himself, according to these circumstances.

In the best cultivated parts of Pennsylvania, their farms are generally divided into five fields, and the rotation of crops adopted by them is as follows, viz:

1st year, Indian corn.
2d Oats.
3d Wheat.
4th Clover and Timothy for hay.
5th do. do. for pasturage.

In viewing every such farm, five fields are seen; one in Indian corn, one in oats, one in wheat, one in clover and timothy for hay, and one in clover and timothy for pasturage.

For their wheat ground they are in the habit of reserving all their stable manure made during the preceding winter.

To their Indian corn, oats, and clover, they apply plaster of paris.

Their oat-stubble, with a view to the sowing of wheat thereon, they plough in, immediately after harvest; and the ground thus ploughed, they, in the fall, harrow well, and then they haul out, spread and plough in the manure as a preparation for the sowing of wheat.

The wheat ground is laid off in wide furrows, and the seed put in, not with a plough, but with a harrow.

The whole of their wheat ground is, in the spring, invariably sown with clover.

The second crop of clover is, by them, not pastured, but cut for the seed

They have not, as was formerly their practice, particular pieces of ground, called meadows, exclusively devoted to the scythe.

Under this system, every farmer, small as well as great, is, in addition to his crop, able, and, in fact, is in the practice of selling every year a certain number of beeves

By these beeves he is, moreover, enabled to accumulate the requisite quantity of manure. And it is a fact worthy of notice, that, notwithstanding the richness of his soil, every such farmer sows with wheat only as much ground as he is then able to manure well, and that the extent of his wheat field is ever regulated by his heap of stable manure.

A proprietor of one of these farms, stating his average clear profits, assured me that all the work was performed by himself and one hired laborer. I expressed my surprize that such an amount of profits could proceed from the labors of two men. Don't you see, said he, pointing to a number of beeves in a clover field, how hard those fellows are working for me? Such co-adjutors are at the service of every man who will adopt a similar system of husbandry.

To the Pennsylvania rotation there may be made this objection, viz:—that three farinaceous crops, corn, oats and wheat, follow each other. The injurious effects of such a succession, it may be inferred, reasoning a posteriori, have been abundantly obviated by the ploughing in of the oat-stubble, and by the high manuring of their wheat ground. At all events the Pennsylvanians cannot but be tenacious of their present system, as their farms, under it, exhibit no marks of deterioration, but, on the contrary, every indication of progressive improvement

Believing, as I do, that the lands of Maryland cannot be reclaimed, and of course that the fortunes of our farmers cannot be improved, but by adopting and pursuing a judicious rotation of crops, I shall take the liberty of submitting for consideration another system, under which a farm would be divided into seven fields, viz:

1st year—Indian corn interspersed with as many pumpkins and beans as can grow to advantage, and the head lands in buckwheat

2d year—Swedish turnips in drills, or part in Swedish turnips and part in potatoes.

3d year—Spring barley, or oats, or both

4th year—Wheat.

5th year—Clover and timothy for hay.

6th year—Clover and timothy for pasturage, or to be cut for soiling.

7th year—Rye.

As Indian corn is a hungry feeder: as for it manure cannot be too coarse or too abundant, it is recommended that the manure of the farm yard, made in the course of the preceding winter, be, every spring, applied to the corn field, and be well covered by the plough. This is deemed preferable to the practice of reserving it for the autumn. In the latter case it is exposed to the injuries of the sun, the winds, and the rains, during the whole summer, and is, moreover, during all that time, altogether inoperative. In the former case it is protected from those injuries, and, at the same time, is operative in greatly augmenting a valuable crop. Indian corn, under this practice, has, to my knowledge, been extremely luxuriant. But, in sowing oats, the ensuing spring, upon such corn fields, there has been every year a mortifying disappointment. The ground, in every instance, proved to be too rich for oats, and was, moreover, crowded with multitudes of weeds. The experience of these vexatious evils has suggested the idea of an intervening crop of Swedish turnips in drills, or turnips and potatoes, with a view to the clearing of the ground, as well as the obtaining of valuable roots, that delight in a rich soil.

This proposed rotation of crops would tend to clean, as well as to improve ground. It would, it is believed, eventually eradicate even garlic itself. It would, moreover, furnish the great desideratum, a regular supply both summer and winter food for all kinds of stock.

In undertaking to reclaim an exhausted farm, there will be experienced no serious difficulties but in the beginning. And these difficulties will proceed altogether from the deficiency of winter and summer food for the maintenance of the stock necessary to produce the requisite manure. Effectual measures, then, must, in the outset, be taken to provide clover, or other artificial grasses for hay in winter, and for pasturage or soiling in summer, and also a plentiful supply of pumpkins and Swedish turnips for food during the autumn, winter and spring months.

Stable manure is, confessedly, an essential, indispensable article. Without it, the farmer labors in vain. To obtain it he must have a competent number of neat cattle and other stock. And to maintain such a stock he must have an adequate supply of summer and winter food It hence results, that no rotation of crops can produce the desired effect, unless it ensure a competent supply of winter and summer food for the maintenance of such neat cattle and other stock, as may be sufficient to make all the manure necessary for the progressive improvement of the farm.