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been accomplished. We may be privileged to speak of what the State Agricultural Society has not yet accomplished in its short history, to aid the inquirer in his researches in this direction, and what it may seem desirable that it should attempt to accomplish in the immediate future.

Through the want of pecuniary means to indulge in any extended system of liberality towards the mechanic, no money premiums have been offered to be awarded beyond the state. Beyond the common privilege to be enjoyed on these occasions—that of advertising—but little inducement has yet been extended to mechanics either within or beyond the state, to fill up our exhibitions. The hope of even an honorable mention in the society's transactions, may now well nigh have died out from the mind of the most sanguine.

From the first two exhibitions no reports in that class have yet reached the public eye. From the third, a brief report is found; and we wish to be understood as aiming no disrespect in any direction, when we express ourselves in relation to it, that it comes very far short of what such report should be.

In relation to the fourth, and coming report for that class, we will venture the prediction, that new and important machines, designed and apparently adapted to supply pressing wants, are passed over without even a mention. We say never a word of this by way of complaint for any neglect of duty by any gentleman.

In the workings of these voluntary associations, men are invited to the post of judges, with neither opportunity on the part of the executive of the society to examine into their fitness to discharge the duties of the trust, nor power to so order circumstances as to secure their attendance. Gentlemen, through their love for the cause, will make an effort to respond to such call; and often at the sacrifice of business they make long journeys, spending time and money, and depriving themselves of the enjoyment of the show in its other departments,—and when all is passed, we have not left to us even the miserable right to complain of anything, short of gross acts of favoritism or rank injustice.

Much importance is, and of right should be attached by the public to awards of the state society, and if these shall be incorrectly made, much mischief may be done by misleading the farmer, and

encouraging the manufacturer to continue to produce what may prove a useless article, resulting in his loss in the end.

With all the difficulties and embarrassments inhering to this organization, yielding slowly and reluctantly to our desires for progress, still we are compelled at the present moment, to look upon this as the highway over which to direct our efforts for the acceleration of that progression, which is already sure,—but to our minds too slow to keep time with the music composed by the secretary of this Board, as the Farmer's March.

After all is done that may be, to secure the presence of implements at the show, a great difficulty is encountered in the fact that men of ordinary perceptions,—even any man,—may be wholly misled in judging of new mechanical combinations, without an opportunity to base an opinion upon practical trials. At the time, and during the continuance of a show and fair, such trials cannot be entered upon and conducted to any great extent. With the opinions at present entertained by your committee, in regard to the radical defects in the great majority of tools now in use in the state for the pulverization of soil, we deem it our duty to call the attention of the state society to this point, and respectfully and earnestly recommend that a trial of plows and other implements be by them undertaken and prosecuted, at an early day, under such regulations as, in the opinion of the society, may result in correct decisions.

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Agricultural implements are now manufactured in the state to an extent to meet a very considerable portion of the consumption. Plows in particular, are probably made to supply nine-tenths of the demand. Of this implement of prime necessity, the principle involved in the best phase of its construction, the extent of its sliding surfaces, probably abstracts two-thirds from the propelling force, to overcome the friction. With so small a portion of absolute power remaining for direct effect, it may readily be concluded that plows variously proportioned may differ widely in their efficiency. Plows may be found in the market so essentially differing, that one ploughing with one implement will produce a finer tilth than two ploughings with another. In our most hopeful moments, we cannot look for the plow to be dispensed with for some time to come.

As we have no model of excellence—no standard of perfection in

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the plow anywhere, Yankee ingenuity never having brought it strictly under the application of scientific principles we have no reliable guide in our selections short of the trial.

But few trials of plows are on record. One only has ever been attempted on this Continent, that resulted in any marked success. The one had at Albany in 1850, conducted by a committee appointed by the State Agricultural Society of New York, is full of instruction, and may, so far as their experiments extended, be safely taken as a basis for operations here. Sufficient time has elapsed since that trial to witness essential modifications in the implement, whether for better or worse, no one may presume to know. The expenses of a trial need not be very great.

A scale of premiums, open to competition, would be desirable; and plows of all the patterns now made and sold in the state, should be collected and passed upon. Men of competent qualifications may be induced to aid the cause in the capacity of judges, by the payment of their current expenses. This trial should embrace harvesting and other machines.

Encouragement should be given for the introduction and trial of machines, other than plows, for deep and thorough pulverization of the soil.

The society should own a dynamometer for testing the amount of draft. A good instrument may be had for fifty dollars.

Hoping to see the means provided and the preliminary steps soon taken for the accomplishment of the important purposes here briefly indicated;—we only desire to add definitely our opinion, that the extent to which each individual farmer should introduce improved implements, may be limited only by the means at his command for such purpose; subject only to that condition of things when he cannot longer add machines nor employ brute force to propel them, as a substitute for, and as an alleviation of the "wear and tear" of the only animal who has a soul; and the means and agencies to be employed for supplying that knowledge, through which each for himself, will see, understand and act for his own best interest, such as are feebly indicated above.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

CALVIN CHAMBERLAIN, per order. The remarks upon mowing machines in the report as first read,

elicited some discussion, which was shared in by Messrs. Anderson, Flint, Goodale and others. A slight modification of the language being made by the chairman, (and which is incorporated above,) the report was unanimously adopted.

Mr. True, chairman of committee on second Topic, reported as follows:

"The subject of Agricultural Education has, for many years, been an important problem to the men of progress in this country. Theorists have been inclined to look to European countries for a solution of this question; but whenever this has been tried, it has resulted in an attempt to engraft upon American soil, habits, customs, and modes of agriculture entirely different from what this climate and country will warrant.

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Agricultural schools and colleges have been organized in Europe with good success. But it must be borne in mind, that in Europe, men of all classes are in a certain sense, cultivators of the soil. In England the landholder may have his thousands of acres under cultivation. He wants a superintendent of such immense estates. must be a man educated to agriculture as a science, and as a profession. He secures a man thoroughly educated for this purpose, who, with the title of land steward, is well acquainted with agricultural chemistry, the laws of breeding cattle, in fact, everything pertaining to his calling. This superintendent calls to his aid the poor farmers, who are hired at the lowest possible price, to carry on the labor under his direction. These are virtually slaves to the better educated men.

But we find a different state of things in this Republic. Equality of thought, and equality in social and intellectual position seems to be the watchword in agriculture here. Adopting the European method of cultivation, we must virtually reduce to servitude nineteen-twentieths of our rural population for the advantage of the other twentieth. The heart of every American freeman revolts at such a thought.

We must then come to the conclusion, that the genius of our institutions will not admit the introduction of agricultural schools and colleges on the same basis as in Europe. Under our present system of agriculture, it is expected that every man and boy shall devote his energies to manual labor. No substitute for this has yet been

found. In our changeable climate, confining a young man within the walls of a school-room for any length of time, almost invariably enervates his system, and he loaths the sight of agricultural labor. Germans may sit in their chairs and smoke eighteen out of twentyfour hours and grow corpulent by the process; but in this country it is entirely different.

In accordance with the spirit of our institutions, education should be general, as well as particular. A few men should in every profession have a special education for some special department. Every community needs at least one skillful surgeon, though it have many good physicians. So we need a few men in our country who are pre-eminent as chemists or as veterinary surgeons, or mathematicians, but to make every body a chemist or mathematician is one of those utopian ideas that will never be realized. Your close book student is apt to become the abstract thinker, but poorly fitted for physical labor. Young men too will repair to some institution and attend to the study of chemistry, and the fond father hopes to have his son with him on his farm. But the boy has seen an opening somewhere else, and he enters it, leaving his father to plod along the same old way. The chairman of your committee. has had some experience on this point sufficient to substantiate his position. He could enumerate several hundred young men who have attended to the study of chemistry, and many of them agricultural chemistry and mineralogy; but he can refer to only two of that whole number who have become practical farmers. Not that their education would be lost to them or the community, but it is diverted from its original design.

We must then, come to the conclusion, that under the present influences bearing upon us, it will not be the best policy to pursue, to establish agricultural schools with the expectation of directly educating the farmer.

It must be borne in mind, that we have in Maine, at least one hundred thousand persons engaged in agricultural labor. To educate so large a number must be a work of time, and whatever mode may be adopted, must be, as much as possible, adapted to the great mass of farmers.

The question then arises, how shall the farmer be better educated? Here is a broad field of inquiry, and your committee believe it can to a certain extent be answered.

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