Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-07-19
Planting Too Much Land.

The following is extracted from that a.
nusing publication, The Clockmaksr
"The bane Of this country, Squire, and
indeed, of America is havin' too much land /;
!ley run over more ground than they can
caii;yaie, and crop the land 80 severely that
thsy run Il out. A very large portion Of
land inAmerica has been run out by re-
peated grain crops and when you add that
to land naturally too poor to bear grain, or
too broken for cultivation, you will find
this great country in fair way to be ruin.
ed. TIE State of Vermont has uothin',
like the exports It used to have: and pla-
guy. Sigh fyoung folks come down to Bos.
ton to hire out as helps. The two Caro-.
olinas and Virginia are covered with places
that hare been given up as ruined, and
many ether States. We hav'nt the surplus
ofwheat and grain we used to have in the
United States, and it never will be so plenty
again, That's the reason you hear Of folks
cleari,' land, maxim a farm and sellin' off
again. and goin' further into the bush.
They'te exhausted it, and find it easier to
clear oew lands than restore the old. A
groat Zeal fNova Scotia is run out and
If It want for the lime, marsh.mud, sea
weed, salt sand and what not, they've 90;
here in such quantities, thered be no cure
for it. 1t takes good farming to keep an
upland location in order tell you, and make
it sustain itself. Ittakes more to fetch a
farm t,o that's had the gizzard taken ou, Of
It than it's worth. 1t actually ftightens me
when l think your agriculture in Britain is
progrssin' and the land better TILED every
day, while thousands upon thousands Of
acres with US are turned into barrens. No
traveller as I've seed has noticed this, and
our folks are nut aware themselves Of the
extent Of the evil. Squire, you and !
won't live to see it bu, If this awful robin
of fposterity goes on for another century, as
it has progressed for the last hundred years,
we'll be nation Of fpaupers. Very little land
America, even ofthe best, will carry more
than one crop Of wheat arter its cleared
arvrS II wants UIauure; wneu III vlcaTeu SU
fast, where's the manure to come from it
puzzles me land ! wont turn my back on
any man in the farmin' line) the Lord
knows, for | don't but Il there's anything
that scares me it is this. = I"
Yes, too much laudis the ruin of US on
this side O. the water. AforeI went to Eng.
land I 10 used think that the unequal division
of property there, and the system oflanlord
;ssa ssaon' was d curse to tha country and
that there was more dignity and freedom to
the individual and more benefit to the na.
ton for every man to own the land he cul.
vate6 as with US. But I've changed my
mind | see its the cause Of the high state
of cultivation in England, and the prosper.
ity ofits agriculture. lfthe great men had
The lands in their own hands there, every
now and then an improviden. one would
skin the soil and run il out bein letto 9th.
ers he can't do It himself, and he take pla.
guy good care by his lease his tenant shan't
do it neither. Well, then there he is, with
his capital to make great Improvements,
substantial repairs, and so on, and things
are pushed up to perfection"