The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1853-02-17

AGRcULTuRE.--We take the following
extracts from the annual address before the
Huron county Agricultural Society by Mfr.
Stewart: ..t.-. .-...
"More than 20o0 years since, the valley
Of the Nile, it is said, produced 100 bushels
Of wheat to the acre. Where can be found
such harvcsls now! PIuces once teeming
with agricultural treasure, are now marked
only by the footprints Of drsolatiUH. What
is true of the old, is equally so Of the new.
Look at the State Of Virgihia, on which ma
tuFe has bestowed much Of the finest sOi in
the world, and where at the settlement OF
I the country, crops Of wonderful amount
were realized. But her emerald banners are
now furled--hcr sumpt0ous haTvests no
! longer wave their golden coronals above
! her breast. Her soil for generations, has
been robbed and ruined by the hand ofignor-
ant, ensiaved ,brutalized labor,until much of
is surface appears as if scathed by the red
lightning's wing or the volcanoes breath.
But look at our own State, where large part
4 Of the soil is still undcvelopcd and most Of it
has been opened to the sun. You know,
Mr.. President, that the early settlers in this
part of the State, realized an average of a.
bout 25 bushels OF wheat, and so or 10 bush
els of corn per acre. The reason is obvious
all acknowledge it, yet how few are ready
Ito correct the evil, to apply the remedy
The majority of our farmers are pursuing
NEARLY the same suicidal course as the early
Virginians, raising half the crops they did 20
years ago, and seeing with apparent indif-
ference their harvests every year becoming
ing "small by degrees and beautifully less"
working and whstling TO that same old
tune, 80, carry me back to old Virginia.
and they with their farms are going back as
. fast as the rolling suns carry them.
These are solemn truths that should have
; their influence upon the farmers Of Ohio
d How are these results to be avoided! Heal
him on this point:
ITO show to what extent the fertility o
: the soil can be increased, refer to state
= ment in the last Patent Office Report. Ii
T. the year 1850, there were nine competitor
4 for the premium corn crop of Kentucky
each Of whom cultivated 10 acres. Thei
'i average crop was about 100 bushels per acre
At this time the average crop of wheat pc
acre in the harvest of Great Britain, on
s. soil cultivated for centuries, is about doubl
IS that produced on the virgin soil of Ohio. VIII
e is this! Simply because British farmers are
70 for the most part, educated men, and appl
/ the principles of enlightened agriculture t
n' their work. They pay back to the cart
r what they borrow; they endeavor by ever
OF means in their power to enrich their groun
ID and in return it enrches them. If our fal
mers instead of laboring to double the
sc acres, would endeavor to double their crop
re they would find it a vast saving Of time al
IN toll, and an increase of profits. Many of the
s. never think of digging ten inches into til
&C sell, unless they have dreamed about croC
- of gold hid in the earth; but if they wou
u set about the work of digging in earEei
every man would fiud his crock of gol
F., without the aid Of dreams and OWNERS"