Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-09-18
THE GAZETTE.
AGRICULTURAL


THE following excellent re-
-Ym marks are from the pen OF the
el-21E - - Hon. AspREw STEvESsos. one
Of the Vice Presidents Of the Virginia State Agr-
cultural Society, extracted from recent letter adj
dressed by him to the Editor of the Farmers Lii
brary and do honor to his discernment and patriot
isn't
OF the importance Of Agriculture, in a
physical. moral, or political point Of
view, need say little to you. II, with the
wisest, the richest. and the most powerful
nation, Agricultural pursuits Rave ever
been esteemed the most honorable, as well
as the most useful employments Of man,
how much more should this be the case
in country like ours, where the lnstitu
lions, Government. and the People depend
so essentially upon their successful oper.
alton. Indeed, Providence seems to have
decided for us the great question Of pref
erence, SO long agitated oy political econ
omsis. We are, and must continue, if
we expect to remain free and prosperous,
emphatically an Agricultural People. And
does not self-interesi, aswelas patriotism,
combine to stimulate US to the improve.
ment of our systems Of husbandry? What
nation has ever existed celebrated for its
advancement in civilization and the arts,
in which the marked encouragement of
Agriculture has not been admitted? And
yet, what country on earth so deeply n.
f.rastaI in 10 snccaeo hoe shaun IaeS NJ
ientlon 10 it than our ownl The spirit of
Improvement has not only been suffered
to languish, but its essential and vital in.
terests, have been shamefully neglected.
Who can witness, my dear sir, without
modification, the stream OF emigration
from the whole of our Atlantic border to
the Western portions of our Union How
many persons now we daily zee selling
their farms al low prices and reli6qush'
ing their birth. places and friends to set.
tie in the rich vallies of the West, rom
supposed inability TO support themselves
on their poor and exhausted lands. Is not
this the result of gross encouragement
and continued perseverance IN the old
and wretched system ofcultlvatioD How
long are we to be doomed to this state Of
;hlngsi And are we never TO profit from
the experience of other nations? Whilst
10 Great Britain nine-fenthS Of the lands
are leased to tenants who pay from 30 to
60 shlllings sterling per acre, and find
every thing for husbandry, they can even
on these terms grow rich yet we, (at
least at the South, without tithes or bea-
Wy taxation, and with numerous laborets,
can barely make on; 10 support ourselves
from the products OF our estates. have
seen il stated very recently on the author
ity of some eminent British sta;isi, that to
supply the United Kingdom OF Great Bri.
tain with the article Of wheat alone, would
take the employment of the whole British
Navy and to bring all their Agricultural
Products, as now enjoyed, would take the
navy of the whole world. To ascertain
this, it would only be necessary to take
the average consumption OF each inhabl-
TAM, and multiply the annual amount by
the whole number of,he population. Eng
land, as you know, has been called gar
den spot, and such it may be justly regar,
ded, when, with aterritory not larger than
that of New York or Virginia, it can sup,
port population nearly equal to that oil the
whole United States. 1t is alone by skill
and industry that they resist the danger
Of excessive population pressing upon the
means OF subsistence, and thus enable
them to supply an increasing population,
not only with the same but much better
description OF food from the same districts
OF country. Now, TO what is all this at
trlbuted, but to superior productireness, &C.
casioaed by superior cultivation, and The
additional fact, that they cultivate no more
land than they can manure and improve.
1t was, think, the la:e Lord Leicester
[ Mr.. COKE who once said that the great
and prevailing error in English AgrIcui
ture was what he called over blowing,
and having more land under tillsge than
the quantity Of manure would justify.
THIS, think, is one of the great evils 10
our sysem of cultivation. II, on the con-
lrarv, we were 10 limit our tllsge TO our
supply of manure, what an increase Of
old and exhausted fields should we wi,nessl
and yet am convinced that our planters
and farmers would be in much better
and more prosperous circumstances. Our
rule, however, seems 10 be, that having so
many laborers we must necessarily cult.
waite a great deal of land. whether it is
rich or poor. THIS is one Of the errors OF
our Agriculturists, and il therefore be-
comes important to convince them that
means exist by which their poor lands
may be fertlized and rendered profitable
at much less expense, and by which
their landed property, as we'll as the COM
forts of life, nigh, be greatly increased;
and that these means are in their own
power.