Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-07-10

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horse, would not balance the expencc oil
hiring carriage Of the produce 10 mar
kef. In the same scale with the hire, is
10 be put the value of the grass aud hay
consumed by the oxen; and in the other
scale. The value OF the corn, amountins
To one hall of the crop. and of the grass
and hay consumed by the horses. Where
the market Is not distant, the value of The
corn saved. would certainly pay for the
/ carriage OF the market portion of the
| crop, and balance moreover any differ
ence between The value oil The grass and
hay consumed by oxen, and The value oi
the oxen when slaughtered for beef. In
all these calculations, il Is doubtless pre-
per, not TO lose sight of the rule, that far
mers ought 10 avoid paving others for
doing, what they can do for themselves.
But The rule has lis exceptions; aud the
error, u l, be committed, viii not lie in
departing from the rule, but in not Sc
lecung Alright the cases which call 10, the
departure. II may be remarked, iha, tLe
rule ought 10 be more or less general. as
there may or may not lac al hand, market
by which, every produce OF labouris con-
veriibie into money. The old countries.
| this Is much more the case than in new; and
| IN new, much more The case near towns.
tudh dt 81 uiStdhcc HphI 'hcn. In thjS as
| in most other parts OF our co,,n,ry a
! change of circumstances is taking place
which rendersevery thing raised on farm
| more convertible into money than for
| ner!y and as The change proceeds. i:
will be more and more point for consi-
| Iteration, how far the labor in doing wha,
| might he bought, could earn more ina
mother way, than the amount Of the pur
chase. Still it will always he prudent,
! for reasons which every experienced far
MGR will understand. TO lean TO the side OF
doing, rather than hiring or buying, villa,
may be wanted.
The mule seems to be in point of eco
nomy, between the OK ami tie horse
preferable TO The latter, inferior 10 the
former; but so we'll adapted la particu-
lar services, that he may find a proper
place on many farms. lie is liable to the
objection which weighs most againS, the
OK. He is less fitted than The horse for
road service.
" a more manifest error in the bus
bandry of the older settlements, is that
of keeping TOO MANY peat cattle on their
farms. IS a farm should moi be cultivated
farther than if can be continued in good
heart the stock of cattle should NOT be
IN greater number than the resources Of
food Will keep III good plight. If poor
farm be uBprofi!able, so are poor cattle.
IL IS particularly the case witl the milch
| cows. When the whole of the food Civ
en- them is necessary 10 support lean
existence, no part can be spared Tor the
milk pail. The same food given 10 the
proper number, will not only keep them
in a thrifty state, but enable them to sup
ply the dairy. Even the manure from Sc
veral poor cattle is worth less than that
from single Fat one. The remark holds
equally good with respect To the hide.
The misjudged practice in question, is
another effect OF jna.tention To the change
OF circumstances through which our coun.
try has passed. Originally The forest a.
bounded in rich heritage which fed and
tatted, without expense, all the cattle that
could be brought through tie winter INTO
the spring. twas natural III that time To
keep as large stock as could he prcsery-
ed through the winter For long time
past, the forest is scarcely any where a
resource for more than two or three
months and in many places, moIesource
at all. A greater difficulty is often tell in
finding summer, tia winter subsistence.
And YET where no inclosed pasturage is
provided 10 take the place Of The extinct
one in The forest, the habit, founded in
ftncpbS Nbitil ifdNc SEtlTt'N ceased, Is DuI
too generally retained. The same num-
Der of cattle is aimed al, as if the iOres,
was Az ready 10 receive and faiien then,
now as formerly The SIZE and appear
ance of our neat cattle, compared with
those for which nature or good husbandrv
has provided sufficient food, are proofs
that their food is not in proportion iotlieir
number /; and that where The food cannot
be increased, The number ought 10 be re-
tjuced.
vi. OF ALT the errors in our rural econo-
my none is perhaps so much 10 be regret
ted, because none is so difficult to be re-
paired, as the injudicious and excessive
destruction of timber aud trewood. IL
seems never to have occurred that the
fund was not inexhausiiblc, aud that a
crop Of trees could not be raised as quick
ly as one of wheat or corr.
Here againw represented with aprool
of the continuance OF a practice for which
the reasons have ceased. When our an
cesiors arrived, they found the trees Of
The forest the great obstacle TO their SET
| Element and cultivation. The great effort
was Of course 10 destroy the trees. Ii
would seem thai they contracted and
transmitted an antipatliy TO them: for The
trees were moi even spared around the dwell
lings, where their shade would have been
comfort, and their beauty an ornament;
| and il is of late years only, that these adj
yaniages have been attended 10. In fact
| such has been the inconsideraie aud in
observation-disclosures of the axe, tia; Ibis coun-
| try is beginning TO feel the calamity as
| much as some of the old countries of Eu-
rope aud il will soon be forced 10 under
stand the difficulty of curing it, A vast
| proportion Of the farms on the eastern
side of the Blue Ridge, and some even on
| the other side, have but scaniy fund for