Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1847-11-13

PH0DuGTtoN AND PREPARATION OF Cons
ron rnB EUROPEAN MARKET.-The pre-.
sent season seems fully 10 have settled the
question In favor Of an immense expectation
Of Indian corn to European ports hereafter.
Necessity and famine have overcome pre-
ludices against its use. there, which beTe-
tofore hadbeen insurmountable. Appetite
has given to It u relish and IL flavor, which
otherwise ii would have never been found
10 possess and the recollection that it has
saved millions from famine, will hereafter
endear its use to The muItitudes abroad
wherever 1t car be had. s
10 provide (or this permanent dcmand'
Is now the proper duty, as it will be the
decided interest Of the American farmer.
Yet this should be done within reasonable
bounds. It will not do for the sugar or
cotton planter, the hemp, the wheat, or the
tobacco grower, to abandon his accustomed
crops, aud to. divert from their appropriate
uses soils little suited to the growth of corn,
nor for the grazier, the stock. breeder, or
the shepherd, to neglect or turn from bis
Legitimate pursuits, to the cultivation olthis
grain, If any absurd system like this be
adopted, to any extent, corn will go down
and the neglected crops will 60 up, till the
| scale Is reversed.
Yet there is danger Of this. Americans
are TOO impuisite, too excitable, and il ia
too often a feast OF d famine with them. il
an articla or pursuit seems to pay, every
one rusbes into it; if appearances are
against II. they are for abandoning II IN the
mass. We run from agriculture to manu-
features, from manufactures to trade, and
from tradeto speculation. At one moment
we have d high tariff, at another scarcely
any ; sometimes we have no banks, and al
others every village may boast Of it's own
and the excess soon reduces tho country II
utter destitution again. Our pendulum il
ever on the swing, and dashes far beyont
the centre Of gravity on either side and
our ship gets a little out oftrim, we are al
so eager 10 right it that We rush tumultu
ously to ono side and carecn her worse
than ever.
A slight addition to the quantity ofacrei
now devoted to the culture Of corn, will
more careful planting, m~anuring, and cul
t~lvation, and with greater economy in it
feeding and use, will swell immensely tn
annual amount sent forward to the shipping
ports. Added to this, new land is constant
ly brought into cultivation, and with higI
prices and an unstinted demand staring Ii
in The face, what so likely to command at
~tention as an article that pays 8 0 well an
makes such immediate return? The ca
pital required for growing this crop is s
near TO nothing as to be inappreciable. /
some places, a hoe and a few bushels
seed only are required to make a larg
crop and in all others a few plows, an
teams TO draw them, are the principal item
of expense. With a boundless extent
soil reaching from Maine to Mexico, suite
! to its growth. with the enterprise and we
! known gkill of our productive classes, stin
ulated TO the highest pitch Of exorbitar
demands, we may well apPrehed that on
future crops will rather be in excess tina
deficient in this article. Certain il is, tha
while every effort should be made for il
largest production, where it / following on
a present adopted system, jet in no cas-
should d deviation from an ordinarily cult
waited crop. hs made for the sake Of thit
The sugar planter, whose cane has bee
cut off BIT ffoss o. diminished by e~xcessiy
rains, Or the cotton grower, whose PLAN
have been thinned and rendered compare
lively barren BY catterpillars, rust, an
other causes, may be inclined to turn frol
his course and trust his luck with COR
which is generally > suter, and may !
J Supposed to be d more profitable crop.