Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1849-06-02

ed l,992,I55 hogs, which is almost iden-
tically the same number that Ohio had,
although Ohio has twice the white popu.
lation, and as is well known, is large
exporter of pork, whilst Virginia imports,
in addition to her own stock, large
quantity. New York with three times
the white population, was materially be-
hind Virginia in this respect. Now it is
well known that the great mass of pro-
visions produced in any State, are design
ed for domestic consumption, as the cost
OF transporting them to the dwelling of
an agricultural people is too great to ad-
init OF their Importation Hence, the pro.
ducts of such people afford good criter-
ION OF the character of thei- food. The
stock of neat cattle in New York was l..
9ll,244 in Virginia, it was l,O24,l4s,
the proportion Of VIRGINIA being still the
greatest. In sheep alone was New York
better off, having 5,llS, III, whilst Vir-
ginia had l,29S,772. which, however, is
only about 100000 less than her share.
The proportion ofpoultry in Virginia is
double that of New York. And in all
these articles Virginia IS sill more the
superior of Ohio than of New York.
So also is Kentucky. So that if it be
said that New York is an importer of
such provisions, and therefore consumes
more than her production indicates, what
is to be said Of Ohio, which exports them
all. Now in determining the relative
comfort of two civilized communities in
the same climate, the quantity Of animal
food they respectively consume, is well
established criterion. Yet, here is a
State in the warmer climate consuming
the greater proportion For when IL is
considered that the hog is killed for food
at the age Of eighteen months or years,
and neat cattle at five or six years, it will
appear that the excess of animal food in
Virginia or Kentucky over New York or
Ohio is quite large-is quite large, indeed,
even if we include the slaves as well as
the free population of the former States.
A reference to the quality of breadstuffs
and other vegetable food, leads to the
same conclusion. Virginia is the largest
producer of wheat, the finest and costliest
material of bread, ofanye other State, ac-
conding to her population. Her crop of
1840, was 1O,1O9,716 bushels that of
New York was only 12,2S6,41s, of Ohio
l6,571,661. All these are wheat expor
ting, as well as wheat consuming States,
but still the great mass of the article must
be consumed in the respective States of
its production. In proportion to her
white population, Virginia produces TWEEN
ty-hve per cent. of weeat ore than Ohio,
and txo hundred per cent more than
New York! Not by importation, but by
the substitution Of potatoes, that cheapest
article of vegetable food, to which the
misfortunes or improyidence of Ireland
have driven her. New York, instead of
producing her proportion of wheat with
Virginia, which would be thirty-five mil
lions of bushels, instead of twelve, pro-
duces annually thirty millions of bushels
of potatoes, and it is remarkable that
Virginia, with nearly half million of
slaves, instead of resorting to this cheap
food for them, produces only about three
millions of bushels of potatoes, and pro-
vides her negroes with CON, of which her
annual crop is about thirty-four and a
half millions of bushels, and which is a
much more costly and substantial article
OF food. The tendency manifested by
New York to prefer the cultivation of the
cheapest, but the more precarious and
less nourishing article of vegetable food is
also distinctly visible in all the Northern
States, and is a fact which always deser.
YES to be considered in any estimate Of
their present and future comfort. In
Massachusetts. agriculture is rapidly de-
clining, particularly the production of the
finer sorts of breadstuffs- fact which is
admitted and lamented by one of her
leading papers---the Boston Atlas.--The
following statements are from the official
returns Of the State;
Bush. wheat. Indian Corn Barley
1870 2l0,0e0 (, 2,203,000 $4,000
lS4b $4,000 l,9sb,0OO i2I,93l
-~@-.--- .--~-.-- -.
SSscresss 10000 2ls,ooo s4oss
| Rye. Buckwhest Potatoes.
1870 ses.oee 100000 4.s6ooOo
Decrease. 10000 7oOoe. $4,000
Ofcourse tits nos pretended that States
of commercial and manufacturing char.