But should you leave the whole sum of $862 and add to that all apples, peaches, pears, quinces, currants, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, peas, beans, potatoes, green corn, corn for parching, grapes, beets, turnips, cabbages, onions, eggs, &c., &c., which have all been produced on the farm, some used up, some on hand, some sold, and much lent to the needy, all of which we do not count, and which with the honey unsold, would be $38 or more; then we would have the sum of $900 for the whole produce of my little home of 50 acres, (less 5 acres for road, river and unoccupied corner,) leaving 45 acres, which has this season yielded its $20 per acre, including woodland, and as yet unproductive marsh. My help this season was a man at $14 per month, am't $102, and $4 besides in harvest, but my old pine stumps are out, ditches improved and stones picked up, equal to the $102.

WESTCHESTER.

The Annual Fair of the Westchester Agricultural and Horticultural Society, was held in the village of Somers, on the 3d and 4th days of October, 1849. The attendance at the Fair was very large, although the number of cattle and other animals exhibited, were very limited in comparison with some former fairs. The animals, however, were of a very superior description. As is usual with this society, the first day was occupied in the entry and examination of all animals and articles offered for premiums. The second day, by the plowing match, the address and delivery of premiums.

Of grain crops, the samples exhibited were not numerous, although the quality was excellent, and the yield large. In the small fruits and apples there was a great falling off, particularly in the latter, owing to the general failure of the crop. The potatoe crop appears to have suffered less than usual, during the past year.

Our dairymen are turning their attention entirely to the milk business, in consequence of the great demand for Westchester milk in the city of New-York. The exhibition of flowers greatly exceeded that of former years. On the whole, our Society is improving; its usefulness is universally admitted, and our members are increasing.

Corn. The following is the description of the manner of cultivation pursued by Henry Keeler, in the raising of corn. About the 1st of May I dug 40 ox team loads of muck, to which I put 60 bushels of fine lime, let it remain in a large pile about two weeks, then carted it in the lot, put it in small heaps; then carted 55 loads of long manure from the barnyard, and plowed it all under. On the 17th of May, plowed on an average of eight inches deep, rolled it down with a heavy roller, furrowed it about two inches deep, 3 feet apart, scattered 16 loads of manure from the hogpen in the furrows, dropped the corn on the manure. On the 21st of May a part of the lot covered with a hoe, the remainder with a small plow. Expenses of lime, manure, labor and seedcorn $60.21. As soon as the corn was large enough I commenced working it with the horse cultivator, and went through once with a handhoe, and thinned out the stalks so as to stand from 8 to 12 inches apart in the drills; went through it five times with horse cultivator. The expense of cultivating and thinning $7.00. The stalks were topped on shares, my portion of them being $3.00. Husking and houseing cost $4.00. In the forepart of the season, a considerable part of the labor was done by the day at $1, and found. I have called the board $2 per week. I have charged nothing for shelling, as it was done at odd times, and I think the cobs will about pay for this. As the season and the land were both very dry, a part of the field was much injured by the drought. As the season has been very dry, and the manure turned under to the depth of ten inches, I am satisfied that not more than onefourth of the manure has gone to benefit the corn; consequently, threefourths of it remains for the benefit of the after-crop. Yield 71 bushels 28 qts. per acre.

Officers for 1850.-R. T. Underhill, M. D., President, Croton Point; N. B. Holmes, Treasurer, Tarrytown; R. Bolton, jr., Secretary, SingSing.

WYOMING.j

R. BOLTON, Jr., Sec'y.

In compliance with the duty devolving upon me by law, I proceed to report, that the most of our lands are adapted to the purposes of grazing, which afford perhaps, the most ample profits, from the amount of capital invested, of almost any other part of the State. There are some exceptions to its being universally a grazing county, which is only a small portion of our territory, lying upon its eastern boundary, 6 or 8 miles in width. This is well adapted to raising grain. We can raise grain

well, also, upon much of the flat lands adjoining the streams, running through our county. Our last Annual Fair, exhibited as much interest as could be expected by the most ardent friends of agriculture. It was attended by as numerous an assemblage of persons, as ever convened in our county to my knowledge. The productions of the county, generally, were well represented, in a greatly increased amount, from any of our previous fairs; and our show of horses and cattle, one of our most prominent interests, I think was such as ought to entitle us to rank among the first in the State. I can make this report the more freely, when I inform you, that I did not present any of my own. The course pursued at the State Fair, of classing the different breeds of blooded cattle, was adopted for the first time with greatly increased satisfaction, as there are now in this county, several breeders of full blood, both of Devons and Durhams, which have heretofore competed with each other for the same premiums. The former system left the particular friends of each breed to claim their superiority, when in fact, both breeds ought to be equally encouraged at Fairs, until the whole people are willing to give preference to one or the other.

The society was addressed by Levi Gibbs, Esq., of Perry, in this county, in an able, lucid, and interesting manner, receiving the enthusiastic thanks of all present. The various reports of committees, were instructive, minute and pleasing, and would well bear publishing, among which I notice one upon butter, by Arden Woodruff, and Joshua H. Darling, peculiarly calculated to promote the active investigation of the best minds in the State, and from which I quote as follows:

Butter. The committee deeply regret that on a subject of so much importance to the interests of the great majority of the people of this State, and especially to those of this county, so little attention should be elicited. The dairy business in this State, is becoming one of its most important interests. It is yearly increasing in extent and importance in this county, and as our wild lands shall be improved and cultivated, it is destined to become second in importance to no other branch of industry. It cannot then but be clear to every person on a single moment's reflection, that the manner in which this branch of business is conducted, has a very important bearing upon the interests of the farm, as well as the character and interests of the county. The difference which is now paid for the article of butter, between the dairies of the first character, and a large proportion of the dairies of this State, averages from $6, to $8 per hundred. According to the statistical returns in the census of 1845, there was made in this county the preceding year, 1,191,615 pounds of butter. Your committee presume the increase in the quantity made during the past five years, is such that during the pre

sent year, at least 1,000,000 pounds of butter will be sold by the farmers of this county. If this by good management in the manufacture could have been made so as to produce $6 on the hundred more than has been received for it, there would have been a clear gain of $60,000 to the farmers of this connty, in the single article of butter, which surely would be worth putting forth considerable exertion to obtain.

According to the census of '45, there were in this county at that time about 14,000 cows; allowing that they gave milk but six months in a year, which is a very low calculation (deducting 4,000 cows used in the manufacture of cheese) they average per head but a trifle over eight ounces per day. All our farmers know and will acknowledge that a medium cow ought to produce and will, with good management, one pound of butter per day, during the season, or 183 pounds in a year. If, then, there can be $60,000 saved by good management in butter making to the farmers of this county, when but one-half pound of butter per day is made from a cow, there will be, if the cow produce one pound per day, $120,000 clear gain each year by equaling it, as it is made in our best dairies, and $120,000 for extra amount of butter, is $240,000 clear gain in a year to the farmers of this county on the article of butter, which if equally divided among the inhabitants, would give $9 to each man, woman and child in the county; and this rule applied to the State (there being in the State in '45 a trifle short of 1,000,000 cows, producing 79,501,733 pounds of butter) would give on the amount of capital now invested, a clear profit to the dairy interests of this State of $7,155,000, being more gold your committee believe than will be gathered from the mines in California by all the ardent, enthusiastic gold seekers from the empire State for ten years to come. And your

committee feel confident that the dairymen of Wyoming county are possessed of that energy of character and determination not to be excelled in their business, especially where their pecuniary interests so loudly demand zeal, care, and activity, and last, not least, a firm conviction that they are possessed of all the means necessary to enable them to compete successfully with Oneida, Broome, Chemung, Herkimer or Orange counties, and that the produce of their dairies will ere long be second to none in the State.

The above is only a portion of said report, which is given, as showing some of the interest manifested in this peculiar and luxurious dependence of our county, and which showed no more in the rank of its importance, than was exhibited on agricultural subjects generally.

The plowing match excited, and justly too, a very great interest in the minds of both plowmen and by-standers. Five competitors entered

upon a handsome flat of sward land to exhibit their skill, both in holding the plow and managing their teams in this important branch of farming business. At the preceding Fair only three competed for the premiums, who made rather indifferent work, compared with much I had be fore seen; and when I saw the completion of their respective lands by the five at our last Fair, in as good time, and in a style I had never seen surpassed in this or any other country, eliciting admiration from all present, I remarked my satisfaction, and listened to the most enthusiastic praise from all around me. Had I been the judge to award the premiums, I should have awarded first premiums to each one. The eye could scarcely detect the least deviation from a straight line of the beautiful turned furrows. The whole presented, in a mechanical point of view, a beautiful demonstration of human ingenuity and skill. Good plowing must ever form an important item in our Agriculture, and especially where farmers plow in the spring for their crops, as many do with us. I much prefer fall plowing for this section of country, and that the land should be laid in beds, so as to dry at an early period in spring for the reception of the seed. My experience has convinced me that an addition of nearly twenty-five per cent. on the product may be realized by applying the roller, which prevents the frost from heaving out the roots of grass or grain, and secures a tight, even bottom to work upon. I have made numerous experiments, demonstrating to me these facts in the same field, by rolling one land, leaving one, &c., and I believe them applicable to all lands subject to heave by frost.

A resolution was referred to the executive committee about dispensing with an address at the next Fair and substituting in its place the reports of special committees on the various interests of Agriculture, proving by a fair trial which course would confer most substantial benefits upon our Agricultural interests. Our society had on hand in December, 184S, $148.75, and received from the State $87.00; for memberships, 87.00. The whole amount of premiums awarded at the late Fair was $155.75, of which 149.25 has been paid, and 29.78 for contingent expenses, leaving the balance on hand, $143.76. Thirty volumes of Transactions and premium dictionaries were awarded, of which 26 have been paid.

The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: E. P. Beck, of Sheldon, President; E. Z. Stone, of Warsaw, Recording Secretary; Wm. M. Crozier, of Warsaw, Corresponding Secretary; J. H. Darling, of Warsaw, Treasurer.

Sheldon, Feb. Sth, 1850.

EBENEZER P. BECK, President.