Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-11-26

LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND FARMEEs OF CAM
BRIA COUNTY
1t is a recognized rule that the master
should know more than the people Yet, IL
the present case the reverse is exhibited, anc
the lecturer is obliged to claim fen his effor
the indulgence of his audience. Though apollo
gies are stale things, must declare my ina
biiity to address you in a manner becoming
the subject and the occasion. Breyity of time
has not permitted me, even were able, to
handle the important topic of the day as 4
would desire You will kindly attribute q
failure to interest, not to any ndispcsition on
my part but to lack of ability, circum-
stance, pc! haps, over which [ have had no
control. 1t appears idle for one so inexpe-
,ienced in agriculture, TO Instruct farmers as
to their own peculiar vocation [ cheerfuliy
admit the cid aphorisnl. that . every man can
see further on his own pathway than can be
seen by any one else. " 1t would be impossible,
if not superiuous, for me to fell you when to
! plant this or that vegetable, where to harvest
this or that grain, to endeavor to instruct
| you as to what soil suits the growing of any
particular farm production Yet there are
some general principles underlying the science
of agriculture, which / fancy come fairly
within the observation of every mind My
design, therefore, is to view the art Of bus
bandry in reference to its history and intriu-
sic characteristics, and to trace its influence
on the national inte. ests and social habits of
our people.
Agriculture is the only pursuit absolutely
inseparable from the social condition of man
kind, while many of the sister arts depend
for their existence on the tastes or capacities
of society, it remains inseparable condition
of human exiseuce. Though the demsnd for
the production of other sciences, rests upon
human invention and ingenuity, a superior
power seems to have created an inducement
to the labors of husbandry From the time
it was enjoined on man by the voice Of that
mysterious being to whom we owe our exist
ence down to the present, It has been regard
ed as the great basis of national wealth and
social prosperity. Thus was it made the old
est of yocations and if antiquity of origin is
Considered, certainly the most honorable.
Man was then doomed to earn his subsist-
ence from the earth by the labors OF hus-
bandry, the sweat of his brow. Here agri-
culture is made the prlneyal occupation of
the human family, and hence the basis of al
most all other pursuits.
We can only conjecture what implements
were originally used in tilling the earth. The
extent of knowledge is that the early
generations of the world were in possession
of means by which to cultivate the soil with
comparative success. In Egypt the art seems
to have been first carried to the greatest sue
cess by the industry and enterprise Of it's ia
habitants, induced by fertility of soil and
other superior agricultural advantages of the
country Among these may be mentioned
the annual lnundation of the river Nile, sup
a. e. 4
favorable to the growth of the most luxuriant
crops. Nor were the inhabitants lacking in
industry to assist the liberality of nature
They engaged in every enterprise calculated
to promote the natural fertility of the country
They were the first to impart knowledge of
agriculture to the ABORIGINAL inhabitants of
Greece. Previous to their intercourse with
tue Egyptians, the Grecians led miserable
existence, subssting on acorns and wild fruits
But having once acquired a faint knowledge
OF husbandry they advanced rapidly in its
perfectlons, and soon became a leading power
of the old world. Hence we discover that in
the age of Homer, agriculture was in such
esteem that King Laertes, descended from
his royal dignity to cultivate small farm.
The Jews devoted important attention 10
the cultivation of the soil, each man having |
his share of land meted out to him We can
readily infer from passages by historians of
tho age, that husbandry formed their chief |
occupation and SO we find that all nations of |
any distinction since the foundation of society,
have excelled in agriculture For instance,
under the auspices of the Carthagenians, it |
reached the most fiattering point of success
The attention it received at their hands may
be estimated by the writing of Mago famous !
General who devoted to this subject alone no !
fewer than % volumes. And Rome, impe- !
rial Rome, founded the basis of her national
spiendor in the cultivation of the soil. Her I
agriculture and to war. P!iny observes, that .
the Romans ploughed their fields with the !
same diligence that they pitched their tents,
and sowed their corn with as much care as +
they raised their armies. But when riches,
and luxury, and artificial manners and habits /
were introduced, the prosperity of the State
began to retrograde. and national ruin fol-
lowed. From this period till the final over
throw of the empire, agriculture, as the other
arts, was the decline. |
Perhaps nothing contributed more to raise /
the pursuits of the husbandmaD to the inn /
portance their character deserves, than the /
of the feudal system 1t gave |
to each man a rank and distinction according I
to the quantity of land he possessed or occu-
pied. For the tenant as we'll as his landlord. t
were endowed with privileges and rights pos /
sessed by no other member of the community. t
Although the absurd and tyrannical practices ,
and restraints of the system have yielded to I
the progress of succeeding ages, yet the ad- I
vantages attached by it to the possession of |
landed property, have enhanced the inpor-