Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-09-07

AGRICULTURAL STATIsTIcs.-How very hui
initiating it is to every American farmer to
know that the British Government at the re-
quest of the farmers of England, have ap-
propriated, in addition to the usual appropri-
alton for census, statistics, &c., the sum of
9l3,O00 for the obtaining of agricultural sta
tistics, more than 100000 of our currency
and at the same time to know that our Gov
eminent, TO whom agriculture is much more
important than to England, as our products
are many times as great, have made no sepa-
rate appropriation for this branch of statis-
tics. ~. .r..a.
How much longer will our farmers rest qui.
ct under this insulting neglect on the part of
our Congress! Here we are almost the only
great nation in the world, which is not engag-
ed in war, with the power to produce any
amount of supplies of the non-perishable
grains for the European market, and without
the means. of knowing the number of acres
appropriated to such use, in our own country;
while the cotton planter. the merchant, the
sugar grower are all informed accurately as
r to the product, probable supply and demand,
ON which to found the basis of their years
business, the farmer alone is compelled to
guess at probable requirements for his crops.
This state Of things cannot long exist. 1t
is either true or false that the agriculture of
: the United States is its most important inter-
est, and if true, the spirit of enterprise that
actuates all other classes of the community,
, must find its way among the farmers, and
they will demand such Government action as
will meet its requirements.
Our best interests are tossed about as If
) they were soap-bubbles, by our legislators,
while points of policy Of comparatively little
, value are trumpeted forth as the exciting top
les Of the day.
, Let every township have its Farmers Club,
, and let every farmer feel it moral duty to
attend it; let every State Society receive the
reports of these clubs, and publish them for
the benefit Of the whoe and at an early
r day the Farmers-through town, county, and
9 State Societes-will have an organization
tibet can make itself felt even in the marble
call of Washington.-Practical Farmer.
I The GREATEST FARMER IN THE UNITED
STATEs.-The excursionists to Rock Island
have brought before their Eastern neighbors
the name Of the largest farmer in the United
States. His name is Jacob Strawn, and the
following extract from correspondence of the
r Gazette will give our readers some idea ofhim
The writer met him on the cars of the
Great Western Railroad-and the name be-
! longs to this road by long priority--eadine
from Naples, on the Illinois River, to Jack
sonvlle, Springfield and on toward the Eas
to Decatur, and eventually to connect with
one Of the main lines of railroad to the At
lantic. He is a man from fifty to sixty years
, OF age an honest American face and about
I 25O pounds weight He came originally from
Ohio, and was then man of some capital
(; though not much now he cannot be estimatet
at less then 100000 to $500, 0OO-a forum,
mlde exclusively by legitimate farming b,
= one man, and he not an old man.
remarked to him that had been inform
ed that he owned 10000 acres of land. FL
replied that he had paid for $4,000 acres, ant
that he cultivated this amount of land. H
o has this year $50 acres of corn and usual,
3 has on hand from 1000 to 1000 head OF cattle
:: with as many hogs. Corn constitutes the lod
h der of that portion Of the country where the.
| have but little snow, and but little hay is eve
~ raised.-He purchases cattle in the summer
>. and sells them the next spring after wnterin
# them. and in this way together with the ris
# in the land, he has made his fortune. Hi
e land is mostly in two farms, the one upo
It which he lives, on Indian Greek near Jack
J. sonvile, containing 6,400 aces, or ten squar
S. miles, and another near Springfield Of abou
4 twice this size. AL of this he cultivate
himself-constituting him without doubt tn
= largest farmer in the United States.