Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1852-02-25
-io,,,tural Society in Wake County.
RALEIGH, Feb. Is, 1852.

At Mems his Ssv. at O'Clock, P. NJ, for the pur-
Guy lining an Agricultural Society, on moilon,
pose o. rSares l.. Hinton was appointed Chairman,
MSJIIUiIeon w. Whitaker, Secretary:
anu r obecs of the meeting were explained at con-
lLie length by the chairman, in which he illus
soe'a; - yeTy clear and conclusive manner, the inn
tra'eu .e and utility ofAgricultural Societies. He al
N the fact, that some years ago, such an lnstu-
lnoeu formed in this county, which had but brief
ilon sable existence. 1t commenced wrong, by at
anu ,;ng exhibitions and awarding premiums before
!e%d ACQUIRED sufficient maturity and ability tor sach
I,s which should always be held and treated as
fssOnJary obiecs-exhausted its strength al PFema-
seeO efforts at display, and went down. ms, ne
showed, afforded no cause OF d'scouIagel 60"
snS,;ment had been sufficiently tried IN other States
eAP Id nroyed successful; one evidence OF which
anu ;oned nv the speaker established the fact most
meInsvey of itself, which is, that from the anthem
satisfies furnished by the census, 1t appears that
TIC ono of those States in which there are aOeH or
every d numerous Horticultural SOceties, increased
Iric,.uraI products, during the last decade, tn
inc" sreoter ratio than those States an aUhick such
inu:, ss had been neglected. This speaks volumes In
r; tavor He adverted to the astonishing and most
me en improvements which had, Of late, been
sTa in the county of Edgecomb, which he had re.
Ha N, vsited. and beheld with his own eyes; and
tho nlanters there attributed 1t TO the influence
scutural societies and agricultural papers, Jour
IrJsd If which papers were taken and read In that
county. Here he gave very interesting account OF
.LoiB
''e ,o,ck rich EARTH ashes, mari, leaves, stable
9r 30 which were located in their fields at
h ro1uIar distances, and with SUCH nice calcutta
49, that thew could scatter them by rule over the
intermediate spaces, so as TO make Inem supply the
.I orna without lack IN one heap or superabun-
W "" : anoIher. After Witnessing these improve
, ho uras convinced there was not a first rate
III" - wake county. No frst-rate farmer nOaU
INNS ont an old field but he keeps his fields imProv-
;r with every wears crop and cultivation. Socie-
kpIEo h. orp IN
Getber {" and making them intelligent by the mere
G,ce If contact and atriion =: introducing agricultu-
I paners giving the information necessary to under
stand the best methods of making manure and apply
ina 1.-THE particular kinds best adapted 20 particular
soils and particular plants. While the overseers of
Edgeconb talked hamiliar!y of the gases of which
different substances composed, and were making
four or five bales of cotton to the hand, who Of
knew any thing of these matters. or were following
their examples in practice True, there were few
who had occasionally made 1900 lbs to the acre, and
he believed his friend before him Mr.. Seth Jones)
had made 1900 This showed what might be done,
if the proper efforts were exerted and it was the
stimulating effect of associations, which are TO the
moral. what steam is to the natural world, which led
TO these successful efforts. He said great deal
more. which highly instructive and interesting,
of which further sketch cannot now be attempted.
L. OBJ. Branch, Esq. next addressed the meeting,
and warmly approved its object. In this step we
we're but paying tribute to the marked spirit Of
the age. Though but an Indifferent farmer himself.
he nevertheless had experience, and had learned
something from agricultural papers, which he read
with pleasure and profit and he felt deep interest
in The cause of agricultural improvement In North
Carolina.
His limited observation and reflection the sub
ect had satisfied him, that the history of all the
Southern Atlantic States has been and would contn-
ue 10 be, the same in one respect Their soils were
originally fertile, but mostly of that light and Tree
character which made them easily cultivated and
easily exhausted. If they were mercessly broken
down, they only suffered the common fate OF free
horse The proprietors consoled and excused them
selves from present labor and sacrifice, by the refec
tion that their children would find new home In The
South and West, where the Government was con-
stany acquiring whole empires and offering the soil
at prices almost nominal. In this way constant
stream of emigration had been kept up and that from
this State might we'll be called golden stream. for
no country earth contained better population than
the emgrans from this State who are found over the
whole of the South and West,) until none remained
but those who determined not to be driven from
the home of their nativity. If they remained, the on
y alternative with many was, to starve or improve |
their ands and they had of course adopted the latter
Maryland and Virginia, being older, had reached that
point earlier than we, and consequently are ahead OF
us in improvement. Emigration from those States
has long since ceased. We have reached the bottom
have stood for while upon it, and have commenced
to ascend The tide of emigration has been checked,
and we may hope for brighter future. Georgia and
Florida are rapidly writing their portion of this hiso
~ on barren hillsides and sandy valleys. Let the
mother recuPerate her strength, that she may invite
back her wandering Children when their lands are
exhausted, and the Gulf of Mexico stands barrier
10 further emigration.
The county Of Edgecomb had taken the lead in this
improvement. Eight years ago he had first passed
through that county. AT that time lands originally
fertile, had been reduced almost TO steriiy. Since
then he had travelled repeatedly through it and OBJ
served he !
HVeness OF much Of the land must have been doubled,
n many cases more than doubled. He had heen told
mat the farmers there make from 1000 1900 lbs. of
couon to the He did not doubt it, and he be-
eVed that was better than the average of any county
IN Inc South AT any rate he expressed the belief,
eSialngy, that more clear profit on the capital en-
,oyed, was made by the farmers of Edgecomb, than
nose OF any county in the South. He had been
'O"on planter In Florida, which he considered the
Ies' oil all the cotton States, and spoke confidently on
uS point. The Chairman had said that Edgecomb
was ahead of any county in the State in agricultural
Improvement. He would go further and say, that,
u hs respect and in wealth, intelligence, and gene
d prosperity, it was far ahead of any county in all
Hs isonth, OF which he had any knowledge. Mind
'PPhed to the means within its reach, and aided by
INDUSTRY, accomplished it. Agricultural societies and
;"p U mad led the way. They would do the same
" " wake, which already had almost every natural
uSan'age except fertile soil. In latitude equally
"a. noFeo from the extremes of heat and cold-on the
-. from the mountains anu
pure water, pure air above and
O uene us, and pleasant soil under our feet-the
md u government furnishing marke: already large
a IHGS'eas'ng-and a system Of Rail Roads and
InA noaos, as desirable navigabe stream and
= ':" me noxous vapors that river would a1ct
ar "iT-wh1t could we regret but poor and
sIs'ed Soil! 1t is true, we had not the mari of
H, seG0mo but let the spirit of improvement get
OS Oaa' and the mind and energy of man would find
NJ nN:, 1t was susceptible of demonstration that
Roads hou hair ipfo-