Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-05-18
From the Concord Observer.
AGRICULTURAL AND MORAL,

to his brother farmers, at this season Of
the year. The seed time is very inn
portant crisis with the farmer. His sue
cess through the year depends much on
the Improvement of this season. Agrico-
la has no high opinion of theories and
speculations, and Dcw inventions in farm
ing. He has said, that the whole mys-
terry Of Agriculture is labour and manure.
Any man Of ordinary judgment can apply
the labour and the manure to advantage.
Ii is the manner Of our mother Earth, to
De bouutifui TO those who are bountiful to
her.
Before you begin your springs work,
remove all the manure that has been made
in the barn yard during the winter, on to
the land; and then throw out all the straw
and rubbish that remains in the barn, into
the yard. Let the cattle lie upon it, and
it will make good manure uext fall. Don't
mind those who say it is good to summer
over manure. Keep as much hay as you
please over the summer, after you have
well wintered the cattle; but don't keep
any manure; it will do no good around
your barn, but damage; it will rot the
boards, and the foundation timbers. Re-
move every shovel full; for the land needs
it-take it out from under the sills of the
barn; and it would not be amiss to take
up the barn floor, and remove out the
manure that is underneath.
When you plough, don't break up
more land than you can enrich. 1t is a
fault among us that we improve too much
tillage land, and don't make it rich
enough. If you break up but little, you
can work it better, and make it more rich,
and probably you will have as much pro-
duce as you would if you should try to
cultivate more aud it will make farming
a much more pleasant employment
When you lay down land, be liberal
10 the use of grass seed. Don't sow cllaff
which is scraped up in the barn; but buy
good seed-6 quarts of herds-grass, and
2lbs. of clover seed to the acre, will do
no harm. And one thing more is very
essential, to secure your crops, and have
pleasant neighbours--that is, keep an eye
to your fences, and keep them tight.
While yoii are removing inc manure
from your barn, or setting your fence, or
following your plough, you will not look
SO sleek as dancing masters: but no mat
ter for that; you are doing more good
you are doing something to increase the
common stock-the means of subsistence
the real wealth Of the nation; but they
are not. Let them dance ever so much,
and they do nothing to increase the means
Of subsistence they are not using means
to cause one blade of grass or kernel Of
corn to grow; they will not dance long
without something TO eat; and for this
they must depend upon you-and they
must purchase it. They don't improve
the minds Of youth; and Agricola be-
lieves they don't improve their manners
neither, He has known farmers send their
daughters to dancing school; and he
has been sorry to see the modest and easy
courtesies, which their mother taught
them, distorted and spoiled by dancing
master. Be that as it may, your employ
ment is honorable; and to all the pur-
poses Of this life, il is pre-eminentIy useful.
All other business, and the comfort Of the
whole community, depends oD the sue
cess of your labours therefore your oc-
cupation is the most honorable. Don't
envy the drones who are not engaged in
any regular employment, who live upon
the common stock, and who add nothing
to it.
Now let us moralize little.-The time
to SOW seed is most important crisis with
the farmer. His success, and profits,
through the year, depend very much on
this. Let us remember, brother farmers,
while we are sowing, that this life is the
seed time for eternity. We shall reap 10
the world to come, as we SOW here. In
our farming, We don't expect crop un-
less we use the means--we must plough
and sow; neither ought we to expect SAL
walton, without using the means. We
must honour Gods sabbaths and worship,
and be willing to receive instruction from
his word. These are the means which he
has appointed for our salvation; and we
must attend to these, and cause our fami-
lies to attend on them, if we would hope
for his blessing.
In our farming, we expect harvest oil
the same kind Of grain which we SOW;
for God has established such connection,
that this is always the case. So it is with
eternal realities; God has established q
connexion between life Of holiness here,
and future happiness; and life of sin
here, and future misery. If we accept
the great salvation, and live unto God, we
may hope to reap harvest Of rest and
peace beyond the grave; but if we reject
this salvation, aud live in unbelief and
sin, We shall reap harvest Of shame and