Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-10-01
UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

at its meeting held in Washington on the I'd Feb
ruary last 1t lisa large handsome volume containing
great variety of matter interesting to the cultiva
ton of the EARTH in any department of its boundless
beauties and blessings. Looking through the vol
umo we met with short speech, delivered i'm
promptu before the Society, by our venerable and
esteemed neighbor, Mr.. CusTIs, Of Arlington,
which We cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of pre-
senting to readers. 1t is thus recorded in the
report of the proceedings
Mr.. President and Gentlemen do not rise to call the
notice commentator Of this respected society any
agricultural merits of my own; for though farmer Of
fifty years standing can boast ofbut little proficiency
in the noble empoyments Of Agriculture and Domestic
Economy. rise sir, to endeavor to render " honor to
whom honor is due to introduce to the favorable notice
of this society agricuturs whose generous example
and distinguished services in the Of agriculture and
rural affairs have earned for him the proud appeation
of public Observation-Disclosures RuFFlS, Of Virginia.
| [Cheers
Mr.. G. continued: Not very many years ago the
preceded the plough in Southern Virginia. and thousands
of of the nobest forests in the State forests that
would have built mighty navics rutLessy cut down
and burnt upon the ground that crops might be made in
the ashes. The mode of cultivation of that day in
what called three shifts and this persisted in
until the wreched farmer found he had shift left but
to shift himself off to the West strve amid the ruin
himself had made 1t indeed the age of agricultural
barbarism widely-spread system of destruction per-
vaded the land vast tracts of country out and
abandoned and strange to say, yet rue several parts
of the Old Dominion the rolf driven from his native
haunts two centuries before by the advance of ciyiiza
on returned to his ancient reign and to howl
1 over the desolaton of Virginia.
1t was at this crisis continued Mr. Co. that the public
4 facfn Rv wrif;p HE
and above all practical example, he stayed the lightly
ruin that about to render Of the arcst portions
Of his native State desert and by the introduction OF
mari and other fertilizers showed to his countrymen that
IN the very soil they about to abandon in despair
Providence had provided abundance material to restore
their wasted lands and preserve the population of y
| GINA about the homes of their fathers.
can speak somewhat feelingly gentlemen respecting
the age Of agricultural barbarism may sly "pars
but magma pars fni my Southern estates being imme-
diatey in the infected district They consist of eight
thousand acres of land originally among the finest in Vr
gna known from the first settlement the colony the
Pamunkey Low Grounds. large body of these lands
in cultivation, and nearly hundred pairs Of hands
oiled upon them for between thirty and forty years. that
your humble servant, the unhappy proprietor of all,
might be distinguished tie poorest Of large property
IN The seorld
At length things arrived their lowest state Of de-
preston, when the crops upon my two great estates
amounted to hundred bushels Of trash undeser
ing the Of wheat and it this period Of uni
versal gloom bordering despair that better destnies
suddenly dawned upon Southern Virginia. My long
agony" BY the of marl the oystcr-shell
clover and plaster of Paris, together with improved till
age and the very able and energetic management the
gentleman who has charge of my estates in the South
an hundred and fifty miles from my resdence-rny old
patrmonal have off the garb barrenness and
desolatien, and now flourish and blossom the rose
IChcers Mark the contrast between improvement and
no improvement. Look on that picure" Under the
old regime crop, seven hundred bushels of trash Look
on ths Under the regime for seven hundred bush
els Of trash read thousand bushels Of as ae lcea
received the brands of Gallcgo iaxa Cheers
Mr.. 9. continued: Ne generous Americans GENERATE
the plough, the ruest ebem of every nations great
ness Reward with your honors the Heroes Of Peace
Adorn with the civic wreath the brow of the conqueror
who has vanqushed ignorance and prejudice and dis
persed the clouds of to let in the sunlight of i'm
proyement, prosperity, aud national ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The bseless trUphirS OF the victor in peace indus
try economy Individual and social happiness On the VIC
orous fields Of agriculture Of the wrecks
of humanity flowers spring up there, shedding
perfume and waiting grateful incense to heaven. Then
speed the plough and onward be the march Of improve
ment till every rood Of earth will maintain its man."
Agriculture, the primitive employment of man, has
been honored in all ages of the world We learn from
ancient history that in the purest and paniet days of
Roman virtue when Dictator was required to the
Commonwealth, Cincinnatus chosen from between
the handles OF the plough.
The great Of America when their terms Of public
service have been accomplished have all returned the
rank Of private citizens and has the lustre attending
their public actions been dmmed when resgnng high
official stations they have retired to private life spend
the evening Of their days amid the calm yet endearng
delights Of agriculture and affairs And he the
most beloved when his glorious Of public service
was ended and stricken in years and laden with honors
he too became private citizen, the yeneraton Of
his country and mankind in any wise essened toward the
Pater Patri@, when the Chief Magistrate Of mighty
empire became merged with the iusrious farmer Of
Mount Vernon? [Cheers. Then " speed the plough"
and respect the citizen who patiently ts the soil Re-
member the farmer is not bird Of passage but is rivet
cd TO the soil he ts his hopes his fears his prosperity
and the best charities Of his life oil centre peace
full and happy home and when alarms shall threa
ten his country, It's then the husbandman will show his
generous nature" lis he who looks around him and
beholds the smoke it curls up from his comfortable
homestead who sees
- The busy housewife ply her evening care,
While children 10 lisp their sre's return,
Or climb his knee the enyed kiss TO share"
With all these blessings at his back think yc not tho hus
handman viii defend them against ruthless invader
My life il but he will and, let invader from
where he may he viii be cautious how he lion
4 in such lair
We have proud and gallant "reminiscences OF the value
OF the hsbaHdsan from the annals OF the heroic
age. Unite the oil Of fame that tells Of the times
that tried mems souls and you will find emblazoned in
characters that fade Lexington Concord the
Heights Of Cbarlestown, in the North with the Great
Bridges in Virginia and the Kings Mountain in the
Caroinas Ia these memorable combats the husband
appeared not in the panopy Of arms in aught
that favored of the "pomp and circumstance OF glorious
war but went OF his work fashion, in his shirt
sleeves and that the job done in workmanlike
manner let the best Disciplined OF Europe y-