INDIANA FARMER.
DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, MECHANICS, AND THE USEFUL ARTS.
VOL. I.]
RICHMOND,   IND., MARCH 15,1852.
[NO. 15,
Report of the President of the State Board otj    The adoption of any system that will make
Agriculture. .
The State Board of Agriculture was organized on the 27th of May last. The proceedings
and expenses of the May and January sessions
are herewith attached
labor
heart
more attractive, that shall enlist the
and energy of the peopje in tho full
development of their resources, will add to
the aggregate wealth of any community. Yet
such an increase of wealth is not, by any means,
The wisdom of the law ofthe last Session J to be regarded as the most important and bene
is made most manifest in the number of county: ficial results growing out of such associations^
societies that have organized under that law.—-j One of the great practical results, that is to.
More than thirty counties have adopted an or- j follow from a regular system of county and,
ganization, and twenty interesting reports are! State associations, will be that of causing our
herewith submitted.   Your special attention is (people to change and diversify more'their labor
called to the very full and highly interesting re
ports from the counties of. Monroe, Elkhart,
Tippecanoe, Wayne, &c,
and pursuits. This diversity will not be confined alone to the mere change of labor from
agriculture to mechanics, but .various changes
It is very remarkable that a pursuit in which? in the various kinds of Agricultural pursuits,
more than four-fifths of our population are j Our true poliey, as a State, is to be, as far as-
engaged, should have remained so long without! practicable, independent; to look more at home
that spirit of emulation which the meetings of: and less abroad, for the elements of prosperi-
county and State Fairs are so well calculated; ty. ' We should establish and sustain that
to bring about. .     " - policy that will develope all our resources; and
Agriculture as an art, has  been  practised thereby advance the true interests of the State,
from the remotest period ; but the developments This is a work' that calls loudly for the exercise
of this day and age are showing the application of science to every pursuit in which man
labors.
The public mind seems now to have waked
up to the realization of something practical,
and each man asks for himself the best system, :
the best mode, the best manner of reaping the
reward of the labor bestowed upon the earth,,
or in the making of those articles that are
found necessary for his comfort and condition
in life. '.' ,    •.'..; ,.",   .*• -
In receiving ah answer to these;questions,
men are now willing to exchange views and
opinions with their neighbors. They are willing, yea, anxious, to examine and look for
themselves upon the labor, Macinery, and productions of the earth—to have the full history
ot all that is around them..""..' - Y   .
The annual products of the labor expended
upon the soil, added to the productions of
Mechanical and other useful kinds of .labor,
constitute the real wealth of a State.
There is no State in our widely extended
Union so well situated- as', in Indiana, for ' an
■ advantageous application of agricultural labor
and skill. The general fertility of the soil, the
varied but temperate climate, are highly favorable to an abundant .production of those staples which are essential to supply the constantly increasing demand of the home market,
and^ for which there is generally a very large
foreign demand at fair prices..
'  It may be justly said, that a large increase: of
of all the influence of our public men, as well
as our private citizens and I would enumerate,
among the most important movements in this
work, that system of Legislation" "that will
build up state interest, state pride, and, if you
please, state ambition.' We may rest assured,
that true, substantial wealth will be found iri
the labor around us of the husbandman,. mechanic, and manufacturer! _        .      ■'...••', ■, *
Through the operations of a thorough system
of organization over the" State, the Board will
be able to collect, not only general, but par-,
ticular and reliable information concerning the
different soils of the State.* The kind of Agri4
cultural labor that pajs best; what articles
ar best adapted to such a soil and climate; the
stock most in demand in the market; the various productions of each county_ in'the State;
different modes of farming by the best practical^
farmers; experiments • on different- soils,-with
various crops; redeeming wet and swamplands^
the mode ] and system adopted; stock raising;
ditchings, barns, stables, smoke houses, wells,
springs, spring houses, modes of supplying
stock, water, etc., &c. '-.
In view of the great quantities of wet and
swamp lands in the State, and the different
modes adopted to redeem them, the Board have
determined to offer a premium, at the anticipated State Fair, for the best essay on this subject.
In this way we expect to be able to present in
the next annual report, some valuable sugges-.
tions on  the subject of draining and ditching
the amount of the aggregate wealth of a State j the large quantity of wet lands in this State,
will certainly follow the formation and organi- { In offering this premium, and others such as
zation of State and county agricultural associ-that^ for the best model.of a country residence^
ations.      ■"     .,     , j out houses,, barns, &c.;' the best essay on render-