Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-10-16
MISCELLANEOUS.
AN ADDRESS

. = F. -. =
AN ADDRESS
Delivered before the State agricultural
Society at their meeting at Green0iiie,
on Wednesday, The 1lth of September,
:lS44 by JOHN BEbToN o'NEAL, ana
published in conformity totheir resolution
On looking over this audience, am
tempted TO ask each and every Que, what
is Your occupation? Nine oul Of ten
would answer, il is thai Of tlling lhe soil.
Ofthe remaining, one tenth, almost every
one, iu a greater or.less degree. has some
Thing so do with it. OF South. Carolina,
therefore, it may be tfulyGsaid,. her busi-
ness and life is. Agriculture. Yeissin no
partpf the world, has less been done 10 give
to her The entire; benefits Of that business
in which she is engaged. Unul very lae.
Iy, she has looked on the good around her,
and has been conlentio waste, instead Of
enioying ito abuse, insiaed Of using il.
The deserted and desoate 6eIcs, and The
groaning forests. as they fall before the
axe, tell us 100 truly, that we have scarce
ly ceased TO be e,pioueers Of Agriculture.
6ShlIsomething has been done to recall
the people TO, their! true interests. This
very Society meeting annually for The
last four or FIVE years in Columbia, and
embodying a great deal Of practical, as
we'll a, theoretical knowledge, has done
much. So 100, the District Societies. or:
ganized lhroughoullbe State, and annu.
ally collecting the Farmers together, and
inducing then 10 think and write about
their respective systems of culture, have
created an interest and rivalry farming,
whicil has led 10 great aud valuable re-
suits. This very meeting. intended TO
call out the Farmers of the mountain Dis
tricis. and 10 give to them the benefits of
The Stale Agricultural Society, and TO re-
ceive from them, in return, that stock of in.
formation which they possess. in relation
to their local agriculture. speaks for us in
voice not 10 he misunderstood. that
Soulh- Carolina is al last thoroughly aroG-
sed 10 her dearest interests. Can I
adlanylking to the interest of this occa-
sion? If lean, duty as well as inclna
lion will prompt me to do so: but | fear
tha, a Lawyer and "a Judge, although
long deeply interested in Agriculture will
no, be able TO sci before you, the matters
which should interest you. in that lish,
which moro experienced, practical Far
iner could shed. Still, as you have desi:
red il, will try; If 7 surceet1 all which
wish is obtained; If Il fail, The attempt has
satisfied the claims which you have upon
me, and may open the way to some other,
bet,erquallfed, and more successful than
| may be. a-a.., ~. liioi aaaE i, ,ge 80
On an occasion like the present, as a part
ofihe Address with which / am charged,
i, may be well to. consider first, briefly.
TWO of the many popular objections urged
TO Agricultural Societies. II is supposed
by some, that theory and practice are at
war with each other; in other words, book
farming is one thing, and real practical
farming is another. But there is here a
great and abiding mistake, founded in.
and growing up by prejudice. Agricullu,
raj writers and Societies make, sometimes,
it is lrues mere suggestions-lhey are tes-
ted-if found 10 he good, SO far, great
benefit has been conferred upon the peo-
pIe;if, however. they fail; little harm has
been doue. Butin general, Agriculture
Societies do anol rely yon specularive'sugi
]ges,ions. Their members are Farmers,
understanding perfectly their respective
modes of culture; each has tried expert
lmenls,. and when successful, these are
communcated, and others are thus encou
ragged 10 Try. For example, can anything
|sin3lhe wheat crop, be more imporlantthan
|jaScertain means of preventing smut? A
ibrotherFarmer. John S.aCafwile, Esq (,
.nanysyears sato, communicated me his
specific, which, consisted ip snakingsl,he
seed 5wheatduripg the might previous 10
SOWING, in a solution of blue. stone, in The
raIio Of one pound of blue. slone, to,,every
Eve bushels ofwheat.i, Alter many trials,
my xperience enabled me. to say to the
NeWherry Agricultural Society, that it
was perfect an!idote TO smut, and my
report,tbis made pubiic.nhas1 beer spread
thIonghoutlttes grain growing gcommuni-
ties, and many q. Farmer has been there
by essentially benefited. Again, in Agri-
cultural Socielies, experiments in man;
ures, and The crops adapted 70 the diff.
rent soils, arc! made BY various men, and
the results are in their reports. given 10
the people SO that the community have
the opportunity of not only proGtiing by
one mans success, bnt also even by his
errors. hcsesexam mples zof practical. re-
suits will besenonssh htoremoye one class of
prejpdices 5.ii vi,i.it..,.
Ills however nrsedsby many a Planter,
whose advantages of education may not
have been as great as ano,her's il is use:
less for me to become a memher of an Ag-
ricultural Society; I can neither. write
nor speak II is ifue, when The elegance
Of eruditioni is combined with the practi.
cal knowledge Of thess Planter, ssass is so
beautifully illustrated, in 1heaBright EXAM
pie oflhe7uniiring PRESIDENT ofnhe Slate
Agricultural iSoeietysi, addstmany charms
to the usefulness of such member. ,.Bul