Show THE operations of the massachusetts society for promoting noting Agriculture the past year years have been mainly confined to the offer oner and award of premiums for essays upon agricultural subjects the importation and dissemination of scedo the tho distribution of essays and the importation por tation of a herd berd of ayrshire cattle for the purpose of improving the dairy stock throughout the state the premiums oft red for 1859 are one thousand dollars fon for a pi in tation of forest trees give fiva hundred for the best conducted farm firm one hundred and fifty dollars for the best essay on the best breed of cattle we notice that there is a general awakening among smon the agricultural societies at the east I 1 upon the question as to how bow shall such societies be practical in their ope raiona and most useful to 10 the state or community in which they are locadd loc aed will the tha awarding of a thousand smail email premi I 1 erns bins and diploma 0 to o diye five hundred or a thousand di marent different individual permanently advance the interests of an agricultural district as much as the bame game amount expended by judicious experienced and reliable men tinder under the immediate diorec tion fion conot athe the society itself in importing improved breeds of stock choice seeds cuttings ae these when distributed as premiums for a truly worthy anil and commendable object would be encourage encouraging cou racing raging to 0 merit and by the very premium awarded for one tears years exertions continually aid the enterprising farmer to more successfully earry early out ovit his deslene des ieni leni at the same ame time facilitating tating the attainment of greater perfection in the i branches of his hh calling the american Amei ican agriculturist is almost dally daily roo r ce celvin lvin ivin from officers and committees of agricultural societies proposition for taking large largo numbers nuin beis ol 01 of F copies of that journal to be awarded as premiums premi uma at their next exhibitions exhibit lona iona the editor says that nearly five hundred copia copi a will probably be glen guen by a single e society we are pleased with this fact not riot because of auy slay personal advantage for as stated last year copies thus presented are ate on the whole unprofitable a and nd further we can not compete with ith journals got lot up at less cost in proportion to the subscription price 12 oi oa this sub subject jeche he gives the following excellent suggestions aca A living premium extend extending frig through a whole year years will do more to awaken and keep kerp up an interest in agricultural Improvements than any other received but oncey once can do multitudes who receive during the year a coz n successive numbers of or a good aArI agricultural cultural will be led to continue reading and thinking also we gay fay then to those now airing ing their premium lints ils for tor next fall try the experiment of out a hundred or two to some good journal devoted to thoe those interests your society seeks to promote you will find them not only satisfactory to recipients but productive of great good not a veara vears to the he am american ri agriculturist sl I 1 the gnesa go nasf e farmey farmer 50 cents the lle lla working wyit wyli ny farmer plow loom and anvil scientific fic pic american country gentleman albany cultivator chicago prairie farmer california farmer or some other standard agricultural publication public tion ilion be more acceptable to those who are awarded premium than even double price in casi cash but when a com comparison palson is instituted as to the relative good that mar may may accrue to the farmer from the two kinds of premiums the preference is largely in t i n favor of the agricultural purr at al the I liong premium the information of which when preserved in a volume is a surce source of perpetual perie perre benefit agricultural exhibitions are diverted from heir true object when instead of being the means of bringing futo not ce the results of improved culture whereby the people are informed and led to adopt the method methodi most approved for obtaining fine flue specimens of stock and produce they are degenerated into speculative shows or ies to some private interest while it is laudable in all to strive for a premium it is justly considered honorably complimentary for professional horticulturists to present their choice plants and products label led NOT FOR vor A PREMIUM because otherwise the premiums for flowers rare plants garden produce ac would be almost exclusively monopolized by one two or three or half a dozen gardeners who of course devoting all their energies to their vocation vocations would or should be more successful in the cultivation of their grounds than the masses who are neither supposed to have attained the same degree in agricultural ri ri cultural science nor to have so much time to devote to a agricultural r labors thus while these may derive benefit from the display of the superior products of the practical scientific gardener the premiums if any are left to be awarded to them tu to stimulate and encourage them the people generally gener genen alpy aljy to renewed efforts to imitate if it nt not excel the gardener himself in aldag the earth to yield in her strength whatever is beautiful and good |