The Ohio Democrat and Dover advertiser. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1839-1840, 1840-04-24
tSeIectsd for the Ohio Democrat, By a
F.ARMER)
TO THE FARMERS OF OUR
COUNTRY.
The Profession Of AgricOllOte.

Ia no one department. OF our ranOnhi
industry have the signs of improvement,
within the last five years, becn more APP
parent than in that ofAgrlcutpre, Ma
ny solutions may be given to this gratis
flying truth, all combining in harmonious
e operation, and each the legitimsle result
OF the diversified employments which
make up the varied sum Of our wide
spead industry.
The rapid settlement Of ow ferhle-
western lands, and the increasing wants
! Of a new, intelligent, and 5enierprising
population, scattered over the new States
-the continual develt pment Of the im-
'mense resources Of their soils, and their
consequent ability to construct grOat
works Of internal Improvement, gIylng
e. thereby an extraordinary ,mpeles TO man
-Sual labor in their execution, aud thus
adding enhanced values 10 agricultural
products the increased facilities Of tran
sportation bv canal aud rail road, which
have now become SO common among us,
together with the steady demand for our
great surplus sta pies by the European
Slates-all have had powerful iaAl-
ence in improving the general chGrac-
ter of our husbandry. Still, | think
there is- another, aud IA more powerful
cause than all these together, for the nv
meruus inslsnces of individual improves
men,, which have of late become COO
spicuous in American Agriculture.
4 allude to the frequent establishment
Of agricultural publications., aud soc'e-'
through u a con -dcrabie portion OF
the northern aud western States. From
the first settlement OF our country until
within the laat twenty years, American
agriculture, with rare individual excep-
lions. as far as Improvement was con-
ceroed, remained nearly stationary.
Owing, possibly, to the great foreign de
mand for our surplus products, and the
bioh prices obtained from the bell}ger-
ant nations Of Europe, with soil nalur-
slly kind and productive, our farmers
nodded on in their accussom ID course,
Needless of improvement, aud relyiOg
on the supposed cxhauslless bounty Of
fsfbeir. acrss for support. Trade flourish
eduuiye!sally with US; aud so long as
a broad agricultural territory furnished
its accustomed crops, little inquiry was
made regarding improvements 10 whst
seemed swell enough h." But times have
changed. The watriDg nations OF Eu-
rope having shea'ed The SWORD, suts.-
.,ued diplomacy for battle, and returned
to The peaceful cultivation Of their fields,
are now supplied from their own agrlcul-
ture with the necessarIes which America
had for so long Eerod furnished them.
Our manufactures have rapidly increas>
ed, and con nsuming claes, hitherto on-
know, have sprung into existence a
mong ue; and now the principal surplus
staples OF the northern, middle, and
western Sta,ee, Nih the exception ofa
small amount for export, are consumed
.by our own manufacturing and commer~
ciai population, or the great staple pro-
ducers oflhe souh.
Having therefore 10 depend mos ly up.
on our northern agricultural productions,
and upon more perfect system of cul-
tivntion for the necessary Improvement
Of our landed estates, ,inqulres have been
Instituted by our intelligent husbandman,
whether we possess in our own c0un'.
try, all that intimate knowledge of rural
affairs which would equally exalt our
agriculture with the other common oc-
equations of the country? The enor-
mously increased productive power o.
ihe soils Of Grea, Britain. BeIg,uu, and
Holland, within the last fifty years, hav.
induced .oar eminent farmers 10 think
upon this important subject, and ask
themselves, II no Improvement wac tc
be made in the exhausted soils Of ou
own country, and whether the new land'
of the west should henceforih becom'
the only productive soils of The nation
1t is indeed very true that tho govern
.ments Of Europe have taken The sgrlcul
tural Improvement Of their territories il
hand; and with a patriotic care in estat
fishing professorship of husbandry il
their seminaries Of learning, and lUstI
tuting series of valuable experiments i
cultivation, au,horlsiGg extensive sgri
cultural surveys, &C., have doubled .
'uebied the productive power of tlei
lands, added Immensely to tho deman
for manual industry, and to the Produc
tive wealth Of their several countries.
The numerous experiments whic
have been thoroughly tested, and i'm
,provements that have been adopted i
Europe, and duly registered in valua
BILE publications, have been wide
ly disseminated throughout the
-own'l territories and the whole
character Of their domestic hus,
bandry has been radically change
This spiri. Of improvement therefo
mill M NJ, IN nontinuaI nFoOPoae lIntil