The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-06-27
Our Future Agriculture.


changes in our system of Agriculture.
With slave labor we had primarily to at
tend to raising on cur farms large supply
of what was requisite to support the negroes.
The consequence was that our people raised
very great proportion of Indian corn, to
feed their hands and the hogs that supplied
the bacon the negroes consumed Tho slaves
had prejudice against wheaton bread, aud
therefore wheat was raised only for sale, and
the amount of Indian corn produced was
many times that of wheat s a
As SO very large portion of the labor had
to be devoted to the production of this ar
tiole Of prime necessity, aud as any other
species Of grain would have greatly interfered
with its cultivation, our farmers planted
hardly anything else than Indian corn, ex-
cept enough oats to keep their horses ID
In many counties of Virginia and North
Carolina, corn and oats" were the crops
raised, and both of them were very exhausting
to the land. This accounts, in a great de-
gree, for the WORKOUT condition of the soil in
but too large part of the older settled re-
gions Of the aforementioned States The
almost entire absence of rotation, which was
the natural consequence of res riction to the
above two crops, was also greatly conducive
to the impoverishment of those districts u
It is well for the political condition of the
United States that the agricultural popula-
ton is SO stationary in their IDEAS The
farmers constitute the only conservatives por-
ton Of our population. They are, as a mass,
averse to change-clingng to the traditions
and habits Of their forefathers with singular
pertinacity. aJeo
However beneficial this trait may be in a
political point of view, it has greatly prevent
ed the advancement of agriculture 1t was
long before the advantages of a proper system
OF rotation could be comprehended by the
farmers, and indeed they have not yet adopt
ed 1t in every portion Of our country, espe-
cially in those States where the richness Of the
lands is such, that its necessity is not yet Oh
trusively thrust upon them, even though, in
very many instances, their fertile lands might
be made yet more productive by rotation.
Now, however, when there is not the abso-
lutte necessity that there formerly was of re-
striction to corn and oats" the farmers can
adopt more scientific plans Of cultivation.
They will grow many other crops besides
these old standard ones. They will plant
their cropa in the succession which science has
demonstrated. not only capable of preventing
She exhaustion Of the lands, but OF causing
an actual increase of their productive power
Corn has been considered as the surest crop;
which is the fact, as it is not SO much injured
by rain as wheat, and by no means so subject
to diseases as the latter grain, or indeed as
most other cereals. Yet, this is, of itself. no
sufficient reason for the universal cultivation
OF maize, to the exclusion of almost ali other
crops whatever.
This exclusive devotion of our lands to the
culnvationeo of Indian corn, has injured our
farmers very materially; for, though it is the
most certain crop, it sometimes fails, and then
our people have had to expend their savings
OF several years in purchasing food for their
negroes from districts that have not suffered
like their own
By 9 more varied system, we should have
avoided such mishaps as the last mentioned
1t Is an old adage, that we "should not put
all our eggs into the same basket" and this
proyerb holds good here If a farmer divides
off his fields, and plants four or five kinds of
crops, instead Of one, he not only secures a
proper rotation, but ensures himself against
total loss; for if one crop fails the others will
not.
One great cause Of the defects of our old
farming was the nnskilled labor Of negroes.
This race seems fitted only for performing
the coarsest work that can be carried on upon
farm. They can plan, corn and tobacco,
can hill and top them, and "shuck" and stem
also; but this is about the length Of Cuffees
agricultural tether for what can be cultivated
in Virginia As for attending to orchards or
vineyards, that's far "above his hueklebemy .
The result of our having been compelled to
use this labor has been, that with climate
and soil, second to none on earth for skilled
cultivation, We have been forced to restrict
ourselves to only such crops and such kind of
cultivation as are not above the capacity Of
the negro,
Immigration must flow into our State and
thon we shall have a class Of laborers who
will introduce into Virginia products to which
We are yet entire strangers We do not
think that we hazard too much in predicting
that, in twenty or thirty years from this date,
corn, oats and tobacco will form but a very
small portion of the products Of Virginia.
They will have to give place to other pro-
auctions much more profitable Our farmers
will have to adapt themselves to the new or