CHAPTER VII.

Colonel Pratt's interest in agriculture. His farm.-Improvement of stock. Elected President of Greene County Agricultural Society. - Donation to ditto. — Great agricultural Fair at Cairo. - Appearance of the tanners. — Delivers an address before the society. - Extracts. Fair at Windham, 1847.— Elected honorary member of several associations in different states. - Fire in the city of Hudson. - Prompt charity. Respect for the Sabbath. — New Episcopal church built in Prattsville. — Liberal aid of Colonel Pratt. - Sculptured rocks of Prattsville. - Poetical and grateful sentiments. - Description of Prattsville rocks. — Wishes in respect to his last repose. — Elected corresponding member of Franklin Institute, and honorary member of other societies. — Letter on tanning. — Interesting statistics of Prattsville. - Growth of cities. Causes of prosperity. - Literary attainments. - Public addresses. — Complimentary notices. - Travels, with his son, in the Southern and Western States. His children their travels. -Elected honorary member of the New York Historical Society. - Receives degree of Master of Arts from Union College. Anecdotes. - Elected President of New York Mechanic Institute - delivers an address. His character as a lecturer. — Appointed a delegate to the World's Fair, by Governor Fish. — His contribution to the World's Fair. - Examples of noble generosity. High compliment of the stone-cutters. Washington.

IN supplying the demands of his great tannery, Colonel Pratt gradually caused to be cleared ten thousand acres of land, in the vicinity of Prattsville; and upon the outskirts of the village he had a large and highly improved farm, which he was in the habit of managing in connection with the business of his trade.

There is a strong tendency in the mind of every true

man to the pursuits of rural life, and they have been hallowed by the great and the good of all ages.

"Those who labor in the earth," said Jefferson, "are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people, whose breasts he had made a peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue."

The habits, tastes and sentiments of Colonel Pratt conspired to render agriculture to his mind a subject of the most delightful interest. He was a great lover of nature. He was among the first to discover the opening beauties of spring, and to impart a cheerfulness to others around him in harmony with all reviving things. He looked with reverence and admiration upon the bounteous earth, teeming with living causes to produce numberless comforts and luxuries for the use of man. It was to him a sacred book, to be read and understood. He loved the farmer. He loved the farm. Indeed, agriculture was to him always a most grateful subject.* When a boy, he was ever in the fields, and on the farm; and ere he was twelve years of age, he was capable of handling, with tolerable skill, all the agricultural

* He used to repeat the following lines, as expressive of his views of agricultural life:

"The rich donations of a fruitful soil

Nobly reward the hardy tiller's toil;

The garden, orchard, mead, and favorite field,
The choicest products of the season yield,

And give, to swell the cultivator's store,

All that man wants, and monarch needs no more.

implements then in use. At that time, but very few farmers conducted their operations upon an enlarged or scientific scale. Crop followed crop, in rotation; and when improvements were suggested, the answer was always ready, that "What answered for their fathers would do for them."* The inquiring mind of Colonel Pratt did not allow him to be satisfied so easily as his neighbors; and, while yet a youth, he improved to a great degree a farm, from which he had the misfortune to be ejected by his landlord, who, seeing the increased value of his land, rented it to those who could pay a better price. Singular as it may appear, this incident had no other effect upon the subject of our sketch than to impress him with the necessity of renewed exertion; though his time had been lost, and his all had been taken away, he cherished no enmity, but made the remark, that "the highest duty of life is to be useful; and that if he himself did not reap the reward of his labors, others would."

At this period of his life (1836), he had already acquired means sufficient to admit of his retiring from the more active duties of business, and devoting a portion of his time, in dignified leisure, to the study of science and art in their higher branches, and especially in their practical application to agriculture. Being

* In the spirit of the Scotch mother, who, according to Sir Walter, nearly a century ago, objected to her son's using what she called a "new-fangled machine for dighting the grain from the chaff; thus impiously thwarting the will of Divine Providence, by raising wind for her ladyship's own particular use, by human art, instead of soliciting it by prayers," &c.