State of New=york. No. 126. IN ASSEMBLY, MAR. 22, 1852. COMMUNICATION From the Corresponding Secretary of the New-York State Agricultural Society. To the Hon. JONAS C. HEARTT, STATE AGRICULTURAL ROOMS, Speaker of the Assembly: In pursuance of the acts of the Legislature for the promotion of Agriculture, I present herewith the annual report of the New-York State Agricultural Society, with the proceedings of the Executive committee, and abstracts of the reports of county societies for 1851 Very respectfully yours, B. P. JOHNSON, Cor. Secretary. [Ag. Trans., 1852.] 1 TRANSACTIONS OF THE New-York State Agricultural Society: REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR 1851. TO THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW-YORK: The Executive Committee of the New-York State Agricultural Society, in pursuance of the act for the encouragement of Agriculture, RESPECTFULLY REPORT: That the progress which has been made during the past year in the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture and the Mechanic Arts, will be most fully exhibited in the proceedings of the State and county Associations which are herewith submitted. It gives the Committee great pleasure to be enabled to assure the Honorable the Legislature, that the evidences of advancement and progress in the Agriculture of our State are of the most cheering as well as encouraging character. At no former period in the history of the Society has there been such satisfactory evidence afforded of the beneficial effects of the application of science to this important branch of industry; and in a great variety of instances the results have been so manifest as to secure the approbation of many of our intelligent farmers, who previously had been slow in acknowledging the importance of its application to the great interest to which they had devoted their lives. The attention which has been given to improved systems of husbandry in various parts of the State, has, we are assured in almost every instance, proved advantageous to the farmer; and as more care and attention is given to the management of the farm in all its details, we shall expect a continued advancement. In the reports which were published in our Transactions for 1850, on the management of farms, will be found many most valuable suggestions, deserving careful consideration. We desire to call particular attention to the report of Mr. D. D. T. More of his farm near the city of Albany, on the sandy lands which for years have been considered of little value. The means of reclaiming this land and securing results equal to our most favored farms in other parts of the State, are so fully and clearly set forth as to elicit the approbation of practical, intelligent farmers in every portion of our State, not only, but also in various portions of the United. States. We are fully of the opinion that the experiments made by Mr. More, with his successful results, will give an increased value to this kind of land throughout our State; in fact, we have assurances that sales have been made based mainly upon these truly gratifying results, showing a very large increase of price over those of previous years. It is most encouraging, when we can thus directly trace the beneficial results of the efforts which are making by the Society to spread before the farmers of the State and the Union, the improvements which are being made in agriculture. We have never had presented in so clear and satisfactory a manner the whole process of reclaiming light soils, as is given in this report, and feel assured that it will be considered as among the most valuable contributions we have been permitted to make to the great cause of Agriculture. The other farm reports of Gen. Roswell Harmon, and E. M. Bradley, are also very valuable and important documents, which have elicited attention from various directions. A cursory glance even, at the present state of farm management in our State, will satisfy the most incredulous that our progess is onward. In every county, and we might perhaps say in almost every town, the evidences are afforded of very great improvement in the manner in which the operations of the farm are now conducted; and from the returns received from the county Societies, we have the most abundant evidence that wherever improved systems of husbandry have been adopted, there farms bear a higher money value. This is one of the most gratifying results, evidencing as it does, that our farmers are turning their attention to the improvements which have been brought to their aid, and that those who are desirous of making investments are giving their preferences to those who have thus directed their energies. We have no doubt that such will ever be the result. That there is an advance in our real estate throughout the State we believe no one can doubt; and that the increased value of our farms has been greatly aided by the efforts made by the State and County Agricultural Associations; and that this will continue to be the case as our improvements shall be more fully carried out, we think must be apparent to every reflecting and discriminating mind. The operations of the Society, during the past year, have been generally of a character, as those of former years, with a continued effort, however, to improve, whenever opportunity presented. Our Transactions, which were presented at the last session of the Legislature, were prepared with much care, and the anticipations which were indulged as to their adaptation to the wants of the age have been fully realized. The Survey of the county of Seneca, which appears in that report, has elicited, from the friends of Agriculture, in our own State, as well as from other States, in our Union, the most decided approbation—and many of the other articles have been already extensively copied, and the whole work is referred to as of a character well adapted to the wants of the age, and which must improve and advance the Agricultural interests of our own State, and of the country at large. |