Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-07-22

| In common (as we have said) with all tillage,
planting is but manufacture, with the earth for its
machine. But of this species OF manufacture, the
products are those which, from their bulk, will least
sustain transportation. It's business is therefore,
to find or make to itself near market; and this,
whether its culture is that OF food itself or OF some
other vegetable substance which il is to exchange
for food. In proportion as 1t sends to long dis
tance its bulky and unashoned productions, yet in
their native form from the earth, is il pursuing a
bad economy--as bad as a country would do that
sent its ores lhalf dirt across the Atlantic to fur
naces, instead of getting smelling establishments TO
come to its mines. But agricultural manufacture is
Iahe rudest and simplest form of fabric; admits the
| smallest degree of subdivision of labor; and is,
therefore, that which has the lowest rate Of profit
1t follows that il can less than any other sort of
manufacture afford the expense of bringing from a
distance Its supplies of food. But it is worse still,
if tas is much the with our planters who con-
sumo great quantities of Northern hay) it goes
abroad for not only human food, but animal, which
will still less bear transportation. This fact, then,
adds enormously to the i'll economy with which
our cotton-planting as managed, is attended. AS a
system, it is utterly bad in these points, in its nom
employment of that diversity Of production which
brings into play each varied capacity Of soil, the
powers of climate, and combination of labor and
production and it is fatally bad in its little adapta-
ton to the production and use Of manures, and of
food for stOckthe great means of returning to the
soil what crops take constantly away; so that it is,
in its operations, as practsed, system Of the de-
teroration, not the Improvement of land Ac-
cordingy, both cotton and tobacco planting have
exhausted the Southern soils to which they have
been applied, and have consigned their agricultural
proprieors and laborers to the necessity Of seeking
new lands, at large cost in the loss of time and
nj m n and
peopled regions, where the planter recommences,
under the same circumstances, the same system,
sure, of course, to reproduce, after few genera
tions, fresh exhaustion and a renewed migration.
These are, ndisputably, the opposite histories of
farming and planting. This has impoverished,
that has fertilized this depopulated, that peopled
this kept back the auxiliary arts and industry that
multiplied and advanced them all, and found in their
progress fresh means for its own. On the part of
the planters, it is time there should be change of
system, an adoption Of a more mired culture, and,
in order to it, consent to favor some legislation
that will aid the rise of population of artisans.
The present economy of planting aids nothing ex-
cept migration and foreign producers. OF all this,
experience has gradually convinced Mr.. Skinner.
So much are the facts on his side, that he cannot
well but be in the right as to little Of what he is
urging. Such an opinion is now fastgaining ground
in the South itself. That region should submit to
fresh examination theories which have perhaps Gas
Byron says)
"Adorned, if they have not retarded, her fall p
but have it is clear, not ayerted it. At least, there
is, in the whole present position of the South that
which shows the need that she should hold counsel
with herself and her friends that have been hereto
fore truest and most useful among which sort, she
well knows that she has none that has, by steadi-
ness, zeal, and real helpfulness, merited her
confidence and regard than John s. Skinner. Ger
tainly, he may be wrong in part but, wrong or
right his practical conclusions ought TO be most
kindly received. Slowly formed, drawn from facts
only, perfectly sincere, the results of an understand
ing highly sound and little given the speculative
they entitled to be carefully read, soberly con-
sidered. But, apart from this particular matter,
there is no agricultural journal which is better
adapted to Southern usefulness, or has stronger
claims on the South, than its old friend Skinner's
We understand that the prospect of success to
" The Plough, the Loom, and the Anvil - is quite
equal 10 all reasonable expectation, and that the
demand seems to come more particularly from the
South and West-from Ohio across through Ken
lucky and Tennessee into Georgia and the Caroli-
mas. The time would seem 10 be propitious for
this earnest attempt to give salutary direction to
public sentiment, irrespective of party biases and
that it becomes all who unite with him in opinion
to support the able and veteran editor in an enter
prise which is intended to demonstrate to the Far
mer Of the Middle States and the Planter of the
South the natural and friendly relations that exist
between all the great branches Of home industry
as, according to his own views and purposes, his
labors cannot benefit the tller of the soil without
advancing the interests Of the manufacturer and the
artisan. Surely there is something benevolent in
opinions that would thus identify and harmonic
all the great public interests, however some may
doubt its practicabiity, or even its expediency,
when to be accomplished by any action Of Govern
ment. Such doubts, however, can only be enter
tanned, one would think, by those who have very
limited notions Of the ends and powers OF all Co
CRoPs AND PoLITIcs.-Under this title the Bos-
ton Transcript gives account Of the observations
made by friend in the course Of an extensive tour
~ oIrh aLa So.,th ,Ch1 annual