American Agriculturalist
American Agriculturist, AB Allen (and RL Allen) the editor, Board of Agriculture of the American Institute includes Nicholas Wyckoff and JE Cropsey, endorses it. 36 Park Row opp City hall.
April 1842 first issue, has contrib fr Octogenaria. has a Ladies dept. monthly. identifies the stereotyper and printer on table of contents page. adds a boys’ dept. by Dec moved to 205 Broadway, Saxton and Miles (own a bookstore) publishers. Washington quote on farming on cover. Dec praises Thom’ brown free stone sun dial as a triumph of art, is doing all the mason work of Trinity
1843
Solon Robinson is writing for them. March: rural architecture, dislike shingle palaces, and Greek temples in wood, with pillars like a crane’s legs, supporting a portico something like the head of a hgue catipult, not in good taste. Like English cottages in Gothic, Tudor and Orne styles, homelike, pictque, truly comfy, smart Jonathan would have nothing to do with his sire, but older now, Uncle Sam, caring less for tinsel and show and more for appropriate fitness of things. RL Allen retiring as co-editor. April: a rural walk in the city, illus with view of Park, ftn and city hall in Broadway. Recommend Geo C Thorburn’s seedstore, up stairs a spacious pic gallery of fine ptgs and engr of plants and flowers, also seedstore of Mr Dunlap. May: illustrate cottages. lots of coverage of Am Inst.
1844
Feb: hints for choosing meat at market. haven’t seen ladies column recently. have ten thou subscribers?! April 1844: English oak in America, re letter in Feb issue, species was introd by my grandfather (he is Wm R Prince), but Turkey oak is handsomer foliage and Tawzin oak May: death of Willis Gaylord, senior editor of Genesee Farmer. In Jun correspondent B replies defending the English oak’s utility, hardihood and picturesqueness, but agrees Turkey oak is desirable. Pyrenean oak not suited to northern climate, Derby has proved English oak’s hardiness, scarcely surpassed as ornamental tree and history with civilization of mankind cherish it. Sept: villas, glad Gothic is replacing Grecian, but ridic when made of wood, shld be of stone, with iron or bronze, if don’t wish to be absurd. wish architects would get ups oemthing original, an Am style of archit, Omawhaw lodge, with pillars like stalks of Indian corn be very pretty model, lodges and huts of other aborigine nations and our plants and trees and flowers. Wish cities would have a controlling architect to prevent helter skelter ugly incongrous mishapen fronts of towns and cities
1845
Mrs Kirland writes for Ladies dept on matters of taste, column appearing again. Feb recommends portraits of animals, colored from life, worth more than all the ports of polit candidates flooding world, desirable for parlor or library. illustrates individuals’ farms and villas.
Jan 1846
Agricola regrets partyism in husbandry, a stock breeder puffs his stock as best kind, to create public mabnia for it, any one who buys then agrees, press or fvavorite ag paper promotes it, subsidizes editors to insert sham ads, downgrade others, ag press ought not to promote such a class of men, bribed to serve interests of any clique or party in husbandry or the mechanic arts, need honorable competition August describes High Wood, residence of James Gore King, two miles abofve Hoboken, chaste archit. Has AJ Downing’s hints on the constr of farmhouses
March 1847
have gone back to our old vignette, as no one liked the new one in February! Now being published by Harper and Brothers. they are pretty illegible in these reproductions. Apr invite readers to office, 187 Water st, Francis Rotch selected engravings of horses etc May defend the mag as applicable all over the country, south and west too, and they do have regular letters from there. Nov American Architect is advertising as a companion mag.
1848
Jan back to CM Saxton as publisher, 205 Broadway. Illegible vignette. a lot of articles on Long Island farming. more ads. Merging with a philadelphia paper, the Farmer’s Cabinet, ed Josiah Tatum
Jan 1849, praise Cuban Creole planters, humble and wealthy, not our inferiors, no mongrel race like Mexico, pure ancient Spain, worthy descendants of Columbus, no diff betw Cuba and our southern states but language. Eva female amusements ought to be knitting and spinning etc not piano polka. Like Hoe and his press. Both Allens back as editors. Apr corresp worried about boys and girls leaving country for city May article that 1300 race horses consume huge sums that could be spent on thousands of people who have died of starvation, same is true of worthless dogs. May present views of private houses of Presidents, not the aristo mansions of Euro, Republican feeling, concludes with Taylor’s simplicity and convenisence, least pretension and show, typ of planters in southern states (also had Adams, Jefferson, and Jackson) June and July really bad character recognition; continues lots on rural architecture and model houses/farmhouses, JB Davis sends in designs
1850 $1 year Apr Longworth
Dec 1850 is last issue in APS, but gives contents for Jan 1851, nothing of interest, Solon Robinson still writing, Greenwood cemetery.