The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-11-21

But the evi, does not stop here. Too
many Of our intelligent, enterprlslng
young men, observing the sad condition
Of the soil, and trained to false impress !
sions,-suppose that the agriculture! pro-
fession, instead Of being an open field for
the efforts OF Science TO improve, is but
an arena, fit only to be occupied by the
illiterate and unenterprising, under the
guidance Of blind tradition. They &C
cordingly press IN masses into other call
ings, filling them to overflowlng, and
leaving the cart Of Arts" to its fate.
The same process Of deterioration,
which has been so nearly completed IN
the Atlantic States, is now going on at
the West. Although nature, by long
and u most liberal process, has endowed
the lands Of that section with fertility
elsewhere unknown, still they can be i'm
poverished by the hand OF man. The
gradation to the same climax which has
obtained in the older States, may be slow
err, yet, in the nature Of things, it must
be sure. Many Of the occupants Of those
now generous soils, under the same mis-
taken impression that they are lnexhaustl-
BILE, which possessed the first settlers OF
the more fertile tracts Of the Eastern
States, will probably live long enough to
find that, under a constantly depicting
and careless husbandry, what has been
done can be done again. These remarks
arc of course subject to exceptions; but
they are still TOO gcnerrlly true.
While this rapid destruction Of fertility
has been going on among US, several Of the
States Of Europe have been as rapidly ad-
vancing in productiveness. There, Ag-
riculturc is fostered and encouraged by
Government; men Of the first attachments,
and in the highest walks Of life, devote
their time and talents to its improvement ;
the lights of several sciences have been
shed upon it; under the cultivation Of "a
ges previous, have been SO changed with
in sixty or. seventy years past by judi
cious rotations Of crops, ana u - aton, Of
manuring adapted to the soil and the crop:
as to increase lhrce-IoId in productive
mess; thousands Of acres Of wet lands,
heretofore OF little or no value, have been
drained, and are now under profitable
cultivation; agricultural schools and col
lcyes have been established; & the breed
inc of az ricultural animals has been car
ried to SO high perfection in Eng land and
Scotland, that any other breeds, in the
known world, may be improved BY
cross with them.
1t may be said that such high cultiva
ton cannot be profitable here. Neither
can we afford to pursue our cxhausllne
system Of cultivation much further; tol
the decreased and decreasing crops will
not remunerate our labor. II the state o.
things in our country will not warran
high farming, to the extent TO which 1t Is
now carried in the countries spoken Of
we certainly are warranted in the en-
ployment Of far moro enlightened ane
correct principles Of tilIage than are nov
common.
, 1t has been we'll said, that "a prosper
Gus agricultural; district is not without pa
triots 10 defend it, and it is undoubtedly
true, that high state of intelligence an(
scientific kno Wedge anon our farmers
would conduce, more than anything else
to the stability and perpetuity Of our Re
public, and to the rapid and full develop
ment Of its vast agricultural capabilities
} We may truly say. in this connection
that 'every accession which Man gain
| to his knowledge, is also an accession t'
| his power; and extends the limits of hi:
empire over the world which he inhabits.
About three-lourths Of the population
Of our country ure engaged in tllling th'
} soil. Legislation to promote the prospe
; rily Of this interest, directly benefits thu
greater portion Of the people; and indi
: rcc:ly, but not less surely, the remainde
also. Now our Legislators and other
have not been wanting heretofore in Gu
Iogy upon the antiquity, dignity, import
ancc and pleasures Of Agriculture; Blu
where has been the fostering care whict
) would seek to encourage and promote it
Where have the farmer been, who would
: demand for the cultivation Of the soil ,ha
, conspicuous place to which it is so justly
: entitled.
5 But we are happy to observe that ar
improved sentiment is becoming preva
. lent. That agriculture is Of primar:
: Importance that our nation has azread!
"advanced IN population ana o'her CIR
. cumstances Of maturity" to that position
f which "renders the cultivation of the sol
: an object Of public patronage; that ther'
: is no 'sobject to which it can be dedicated
, with greater propriety;''-the truth
t are gradually making their way into tn
minds Of intelligent, thinking men.
/ We have, at length, a Home Depart
s ment; and the question presents Itself.
=, Can it, and will it, do anything for Agri
+ cuture9 1t can, and we trust that it will
!, The politician may seek to make it an in
/ strument for the furtheraEce of party
i, and, with the bug bear of constitutions
: objections" they may tell us that nothin;
: can be done for Agriculture under thi
Y Department. But let the farmers, NOV
), ing in mass, call loudly for Bureau Q
e Agriculture, with proper and suitable pc