Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-04-17

ma. h.en an AGRICULTURAL country. FROM ,hat
time agricultural pursuits have oeen cohsiueieu
most honorable and, asa consequence, nave oeen
most sought. For a long time the accumulation
- o,n,,aj and The want oil secure investment for
/, has been vcty great. Land has always been
regarded there as the most desirable of invest
men,s. The possession OF land conferred con-
siIeralion. II is considered necessary quailnca-
ton to public employment and admission mo Tue
House oil Lords. For 4 longl time The pressure VI
an increasing population has been very srea, duu
the supply oil labor has oulrun the demand 50
much So that the constant call upon the parishes
Tor The support Of the poor has been very gfeas
and as consequence, the possessoTs oil the sou,
UPON whom the cost OF supporting the poor NANNY
ials have had not only The sli,nulant Of HUMANE
", bu, of pecuniary interest, 10 ma ioI ind. Ia
Dor employment, which generally could be com
mandel for the support OF The laboter. ia auu.,
ton to this, the price Of AGRICULTURAL pIoauev .rx
Great Britain for the last fifty years has oeen seiy
hieh. In August, 1875, wheat was lvas' 40 .b IN
uuar,er-fa quarter is eight bushels, anu S
limp is a lille more than ~ ceh.s.J A" -,
Tell, in consequence OF aounaau. "aaa 49, = lime
/, TWO succeeding years, but rose AGAIN 10 JUNG,
1900 10 1915. sd the quarter but 10 December
fell 10 1885. In March, 1901, II was 1925. ne
n,;reS hu,,uared with the seasons, bnt Inc aver
ace for ten years from 1895 10 lS05 was ois; ~
The len wears ending 1915, the harvesls had oeeh
unfavorable. In August, 1872, wheat was 1905
The Quarter. Coincident with untavorao'e sea,
sons. there was, during this period. upera,uea
the effects OF The great wars IN wncn Inso;n ~
was engaged, which, BY impeding commercial m
lercourse, cut offforeisn supplies. Average price
for len years, 97s I'd.
These high prices, and the siagnalion o! COM
mercial and manufacturing enterprise during Inc
war. stimulated cultivation; and from loo4 10
1914 the royal assent was given 10 l. 0e4 ehcio-
snrs bills A great deal OF land, unsui'ed 10 cei-
,iva,ion, was pu. in grain-downs, only III LOT
sheep-waiks, were converted into corn heias,
which, after the conclusion ofpeaee, were thrown
on, oi cultivation again. Ana ye, 'he p,l.e, ~ a
that time were by no means low. IN .ne zen
wears ending 1925, the average price was los. "a.
n,r quarter: for the ten years ending 1883, II was
h6,. I'd: and for the ten years ending lo4o, DIS.
I'D. or q lille more than 81 10 per onsheL-
Win these admitted facts staring US IN The lace,
there are few who will doubt that cultivation mas
been extended nearly 10 lis utmost mii, or oelieve
thai, alter the repeal of the corn laws cultivation
Mil be much more extended
'rhe gentleman tells us about eoss 10 ue re-
rlsimed and barren hill sides 10 be converted m
10 fruitfnl fields. have heard all this often ne
fire and have seen formidable array OIL The
number of acres Of land in Gfea. Britain when
are not cultivated. After the statements have
made. who will believe that there can lie much
land h, Tor cultivation unoccupied Z The lands
referred 10 are precipitale ami rocky hill-siues,
UNI, for cultivation, or salt marshes, which are
either irreclamable, or no; 10 ee reclaimed eA-
cepl at TOO great cost highways ana commons
dedicated 10 the public; or noeleinens and gen.
!lemens parks and pleasnre-grounds.
As 10 he last, il is mol 10 be expected that they
will be cur,ailed. The Enslishman looks upon
his own baronial halls and ancestral oaks as sa-
cred things, no, 10 be touched by the ruthless
hand of innovation. A fundDess Tor these things
is national TASTE. And as The population anu
wealth oflhe kingdom increases, the prooaoiliiy IS
that larger rather than less extent OF land VIII
be occupied in that way. a man VINO mas grown
rich in commerce adds 10 lis consequence BY
becoming land proprietor, with his parks and
grounds. These things are lu1uries which are
INDUCED In without reference 10 the loss thereby
incurred but they are not entirely proh,less
The parks are grazed, and wood is got from them;
and The difference in mere profit is not so great as
to hold GU, any great inducement 10 sacrlnce TASTE
As TO the first, the fact that il has remained 50
long uncullivated when there were such strong
inducements 10 cultivation, shows that II cannot
be cultivated with profit What do we mean
when we saw land cannot be cultivated with pro.
nj? As long as land will yield more than will
pay for the cultivation, il will yield profit. In
a country like England, where there IS snpera.
bupdance oil labor, il can always be commanded
for a support When, therefore, in such coun-
try. YOU saw land cannot be cultivated with rroht,
YOU only say that it will yield no more than
support 10 the laborefs employed III us cnlliva-
lion. You may extend the cultivation oil such
land indefinitely, and you do not add TO The avail
able surplus of provisions. You add 10 the EN-
ployment OF labor, bot you do no more. Why,
have heard il said by persons well informed, that
the Two thousand of miles Of railroads lately au-
tkorized 10 England will occupy, estimating qnan-
tty and quality, more land inan now remains 10
be cultivated.
But the gentleman argues that The improve
ment IN the cultivation Of the ldhd wiz keep pace
with the increased demand for provisions; and he
calculate, upon the saving of five millions in an
improved mode Of seeding alone ] have no
doubt that improvements in agriculture III Eng
land will continue TO be made; but have no idea
they will keep pace with the increasing demands
Of growing population. We have already seen
that the imports Of provisions have been progress
sively increasing tor fifty years. England is al
ready cultivated like garden, and The average
produce OF wheat including all the land in cult
walton in the kingdom, and all the accidents and
casualties, is D bushels per acre On the good
land i, is a vast deal more. There is point be-
yond which agricultural improvement cannot CO.;
and Inc farmers of this country can Judge whether,
when the average product OF the land, including
rood. bad, and indifferent, has reached twenty
eipht bushels per acre, that point has not been
nearly attained. Besides, we have seen that the
population is increasing rapidly, and that that in
crease alone will require an increased supply OF
6,S00,000 bushels OF grain annually. Popula-
ton for the last SO years has been constantly
growing upon production, and in the future u will
DO so more rapidly. In increase OF population
there is laid The foundation OF Still greater IN
crease; population increase in geomstrical "a
to- subsistence can only proceed in an arithmeti-
cal ratio While population puts on It's seven
league boots and advances at the rate OF ], 2, q,
8, &c. 81, "a; or in other words, according 10 my
friend from Indiana Mr.. Kennedysl multiplied
ton table no science or skill can add 10 the means
OF subsistence at greater rate Than the sober
pace OF I, 3, 4, s, 6, !. So that population
ou.slrips production more than nine 10 one
England, and still more this country, is stir
king exemplifcation OF this. In the former, not
wAhAanding Improvements ia agriculture, ana
additional land, have been brought into cnl.
tivation. the supply Of The means Of SUD-
gistence has not kept pace with the incIeas-
I'd demands Of an ausmenting population
and in This country, notwithstanding ihe Sir'
gin soil constantly brought into cultivation, the
Increased supplies have not ontrun the ~.
creased demand Considering the great extent
VI uncullivaied land, ibis can only be accounted
for ia this country by the great encouragement
which has been given TO other pursuits OF indus
try a, the expense of agriculture. But in Eng
land the reverse is the case. In future, insist
thai the supply in England will mol keep pace
with the demand. Whereas here, in consequence
of The vast extent of either uncul,ivaled or badly
cultivated land, The reverse will, for many years
be the case, he Government will only allow The
asriculturist fair chancess
We have thus seen that England is constantly
requiring increased supplies of provisions, and
sha, ,hey are not 10 be looked for in adequate
quantities, either from The continent or in i'm
provements in or extension OF her own aericul.
tore. How will it he TO lreland7 Heretofore
England has drawn large supplies from there.
Are they likely TO increase or fall Off Her pc.
pulation is constantly increasing, and for num-
Der Of years her exports 10 England have been fall
Ing of Besides this, for The last few years, partcu
larry the last potatoes hergeal article OF food
the exclusive article of iood it is said, OF four
millions Of her people-have been subject TO great
destruction from disease. This has been attribu-
ted by those well informed the suhjeci, to over