Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-06-23

aud oral discourse with this great national at
tair, that il your neighbor's wife was in the
straw, and YOU met him riding express for the
Doctor, he could not let you pass without 50 a
little talk" about his I, ! aud 10 i0 meriho tups.
Yet notC, so entirely has this all sweeping fever
disappeared, that "A casual mention of merinos
in the present day, rarely receives any other
answer than arch smile, significant nod ,
perhaps solitary, misplaced damn the neri-
nos, or an abashed, shame faced look, such as
man is apt to put on, upon the nnwecome
discovery, that he has been to use the common
parlance)" made "A fool Of" either by himself
or others. Even the innocent object, of all
ihi. castle building solcitudc, the poor mernos
themselves. many OF which are still 10 be found
scattered oyer the country, exhibit IN their
meagre, detected, and piieous looks, some thing
like sense OF their lost honors and OF the fact,
shat they are noc. as much the subjects OF MI
meri,ed Eeglect ana deriSion, as they were
once the pride, the boast and the eNtravagantly
sanguine hope OF almost three-fourihs of tho
American people.
But although the frequent failures Of our
Hobby-horsical brethren have n strong tenGen.
cy TO discourage the repetition 81. all new ex
periments. by casting an air of ridcule upon
them and also contribute to confirm the class
OF the Goodenoughs in the pertinaciiy of their
steady habits, rs we'll as to afford them occa.
sional triumphs (; yet TO the former We are FIRE.
quently indebted for discoveries OF real utility,
which force themselves into use by their maui.
fest superiority TO old nsages; whilst tie latter
remain incorrigibly deaf and blind 10 improve.
ineUuS Ol every sort anu hinu. fortunately Tor
society, these last do not constitute the MAORI
~ of the agricultural class, although they are
sufncientiN numerous TO he great obs TIA les-Or
hopeless, indeed, wonld be the prospect for
agricultural ameliOraton. That We are gradu
ally getting into a better system, and better
practices, than formerly prevailed, l think the
experience of every middle. AGED man must
convince him; but the farms where these are
indicated. are as.et so rare, as almost 10 re
semble in their rarity the little spots Of trees
antlverdure so tliinly scattered over the vast
harrsn SANDS OF Africa, ana Arabia Deserta.
as AN evidence OF our progression, wkich al
though tcrrapir ike, II may go on at slow
pace, rs not the less sure OH HAT account the
writer will mention AN anec dote which he has
often heard from some OF the contemporaries of
his pa;ernai grandfather. The old gentleman
receiving once spring visit from an overseer,
who lived on distant farm, and learning upon
enquiry, that nc lad not lost cattle enough
during the winter 10 furnish leather fer tie
negroes shoes, flew into great passion
Win nm, at such rare instance of impro.
Nident Encouragement and told him that
he mast quit his service it he did not de-
better the next year. Strange as il NAV uo,p
seem, the writer has had the testimony OF men
OF unqucstionable veracity who lived in those
times, for believing. that this cattle STARVING
business, although not Intentionally performed oT.
leather, was always calculated upon as Ger.
tain resource for this purpose not ONLY by his
grandfather, who was what was called in those
days very manag ing man." but by n yeIy
great majority of the planters in this section Of
country. Although times arenuch changed i'm
This respect, yet the present condition Of the
cattle on many ofour Virginia farms, especially
below tide water, might excite a susnic ION
among disnterested people, that this practice
is stu hereditaryin some families, and perhaps
1t might be the fate of the writer himself
lcould his farm be seen about the months of
March and ApriD to be numbered among the
suspected persons. Many instances might be
added To the above, of old practices d;scontin-
ned or superseded by modern ones far sunerior
IN every particular calculated TO recommend
them To general adoption, and i'm some iustan.
ces uiamelrlcaily opposite 10 those formerly
Used TO effect the same object: but think
there can he none more striking, or better con.
trived to diminish the power of long received
Opinions, taken upon trust for selt-evident
truths, IMAM rs afforded by sone recent trials i'm
varying tie application of horse power. To
say, that d man puts lis cart before his hons Sc ,
was once, and still is amoug the Good enougbs
ah universal mode of expressing the folly, as
wen as me TACT, OF beginning any thing at the
wrong eud- Late experiments, however. on
some OF the iron railways in England have
rendered II at least doubtful, whet this once
derlded mede OF cart-driving is not The host :
Inc iair, practical inference deducible from
TINS fact, as well AZ FROM numerous other iuno
vatlons. is, that should not be rmit the ami,
guilty alone, of any practice whatever. to be
cohsiuereu "a fuli sanction for it's unexamned
continuance; nor ola the other hand, the mere
novelty OF d thing to prevent its Investigation
ana trial. Far be from NE 10 wish even for
the power OF converting all our agric alturalists
mo TT. DonDtys vel am free 10 acknowl
edSe, mat II could devise any was or means
10 make the slightest impression on he impen
etTabie head pieces of our brethren the Good.
enonshs, so DIS TO render them experimenters
shoulu TOOK upon myself as having achieved
more oehenclai discovery toagricuiture than
any man IN the present centurv But the dis
coVery OF perpetual motion may be considered
a mere clnld'S play affair, compared with the
accomplishment of their conversion into either
their own opinions and practices The proven.
DIAL, Dnt nnJnstly imputed Obstinacy of the
poor, much illuminated ass is but a faint and
HiiserabIy tame figure of speech TO typfv their
InPfeShaDle, StoiId, q ever during pertuacity.
III the golden mean, the middle course between
extremes, IS unattanable except in the intaqi.
nations OF poets aud morasts, | ann decidedly
OF opinion, that the Interests Of agricuItut;.
would be Tar better promoted by farmers
mounting every hobby horse that may no Of
tered to them with the mblance of a capacity
for service. provided they try him long enough
TO ascertain his qualities with precision. than
oy Steadiiy refusing to deviate hairs bread In
fTem the beaten course which thew and their
progeniters have trodden without turning In
the right or left, for centuries
Much mischief, and many individual Losses
nave certainly accrued from the great foiduess
TOT experiments; but upon far comparison
OF tne debtor and creditor side of the account.
could such comparison be accurately made. J /
pave no doubt that the present age would be
Iou'fa 10 be an immense gamer by it. This in
ciln&tlon has manifested Itself of late years in
ALMOST every possible way, that imagination
can conceive; so thattheTe is no art or scie y &c
put has derived some benefit or advantage
from IT'S general indulgence. And although
this indulgence has often ended in abortion, in
WnHnslcai or ludicrOus pert finances, as for
instance IN the praying machine to z o i,y wafer
iound by the late traveller Bergman among
tne mongoi Iartars,s yet it has also Frequently
resniled In discoveries, not only ucalculably
world. 'e "''iS
Ihe Ohstacles alreadr ennrnratad 90 H..