Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1857-01-13
The Economy Of Agriculture.

No subject affecting the temporal prosperity
of man is of more importance than this-and,
yet, strange to tell, it is perhaps less generally
understood, even by those most deeply inter-
ested init, than almost any other. A close and
niggardly parsimOny, the joint product of ava
rice and Incidence, is too often mistaken for the
science Of economy, and thus recommended by
an honorable name, to which it has not even the
shadow of a title it is thus rigidly practiced
not only with a good conscience, but under a
delusive impression that it is promoting good
end, which, in truth, it is the most effectual
means of defeating. Hence it is, that we so
frequently behold the injurious practice of re-
ducing fertile lands to the very verge of barren
ness for the purpose Of obtaining from it few
successive crops Of grain, and a scantyr pastur
age IN the aggregate, Of far less value, and
procured at far greater expense of labor and
money, than would have suffced, for conduct
ing judicious rotation of crops of grain and
grass, ofgreater value reared with less expense,
and by the substitution of which, the land itself
would have been acquiring additional fertility.
Hence, too, we so often behold in use bad I'M
plements of Agriculture bad teams cruelty
starved worse than Indifferent stock that are
Suffered to 90 without care, poorly fed, and so
stunted in their growth, as to be Of little value
when ready for market. If an accurate and
correct computation were made it would be
found that the loss of time arising from the use
of such tools, and from following such teams,
to say nothing of the diminished CROP and of
the deterioration of the land by the consequent
bad cultivation, and the enormous injury result
ing from excessive and injudicious grazing, is of
| itself ruinous waste, sufficient to mar the pros
perity of the Farmer, and often to deprive him
| of all remuneration for his labor.
True agricultural economy is science Ofvast
extent To discuss it thoroughly, and to apply
its principles to all the operations of the farm,
is the work of years, and would necessarily
spread itself over volumes of such publications
as ours. There are certain plain and obvious
principles of the science to which the attention
of Farmers cannot be too often drawn, because
to the neglect, or misapplication of them may be
Justly ascribed, much the larger portion of that
want ofprosperity, so generally complained OF
by great many of those who depend upon ag-
riculture for support We propose in the pro-
gress of this journal, to devote portion OF It's
space to the statement of these principles-tO
illustrations Of their correctness and to an eX-
posure of the evils resulting from their neglect
and misapplication. In the performance Of this
task we are extremely DESTROYS of being aided
by the observations and reflections of those
practical and judicious farmers who feel deep
interest, and an anxious solicitude for the i'm
provement of agriculture not only on account
of their attachment to the calling, but from an
r enlightened conviction of the indispensable ne
cessity for such an improvement for the pro-
motion of individual happiness, and of public
prosperity We know that there are many
such, amply capable of communicating to u.s.
observations and reflections on this most i'm
portant subect-the general diffusion of which
would, to great extent promote the happi-
ness Of their brother farmers, and the lasting
prosperity Of their country.