Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1866-11-29
.sHOLD FAST TO YOUR LANDS,

The Richmond papers of Wednesday
contain the proceedings of the Agricultu-
raj Convention which met on Tuesday of
last week Hon. Willoughby Newton,
President Of the State Agricultural Socie-
ty, delivered an admirable address, from
which we take the following extract, for
the benefit of those Interested:
We are now in a transition state, and
must learn, for the present, to bear with
vexations and trials. and to accommodate
ourselves to circumstances as they arise
But it is the part Of wisdom to look also
to the future, and to the establishment of
a permanent policy. 1t is to that policy
no less that to mere temporary relief that
[ have proposed to direct your attention.
To sum up my advise on this head in as
few words as possible, [ would say: Hold
fast to your lands. Do not sell them un-
der any circumstances except at a fair price.
Do nothing in haste-wait developments.
You had as we'll be ruined by interest as
by the voluntary sacrifice ofyour property.
Do not refuse to sell your surplus land at
"a fair price to pay just debts; but cling to
the homestead Whether it be the hum
bic cottage or the stately mansion that has
sheltered you and your fathers, let it con-
tinue to- shelter your children and your
children's children. Teach the rising ge-
neration to preserve the landmarks. to We
nerate the 'patrimonial oaks and love
each shrub and tree planted by their faith
ers as If it were sentient being. You
will thus cherish sentiment stronger than
law, by which your homes will be preserv-
ed to your posterity.
If your estate is large, divide it with
your sons, and keep them i'll the State; for
one of your young men of proper spirit is
worth a hundred immigrants. You may
retain thousand acres of arabic land,
which may be cultivated under your own
eye with entire convenience, with the aid
of haiIif, according to the English sys-
tenn of managing large farms. AS an il
lustration, cite the Netherby farm, in
Cumberland, England containing l 900
acres of arabic land, exclusive of parks. of
the operations of which detailed report
is given in the Library of Useful Knowl-
edge. Smaller farms, of five hundred
acres or less, may be cultivated with equal
success, under the management of an ac-
tive and intelligent proprietor, without the
aid of bailiff To the highest degree of
success. lime, grass, stock, labor-saving
machinery, and manures-home-made and
bought-are Indispensable The truth
that poor land cannot be cultioatcd by hired
labor vithout loss must never be forgotten.
This makes improvement matter of ne
cessity. if not of choice, and may, in the
end, prove ample compensation for the loss
of our slaves.
The soil of Virginia is kind and easily
cultivated; the climate genial. and the va
riety of her productions greater than that
of any other region. In addition to all
the productions of Great Britain, we have
the important staples of cotton, tobacco
and Indian corn. We have abundant Wa
ter power, boundless mineral resources,
free navigation and open markets with all
tho world. Why, then, should not our
lands have high market value, and be
capable Of profitable cultivation by hired
labor?
fyou have more land than you can con-
veniently cultivate, advantageously sell,
Or distribute among your sons, rent it out,
but by all means avoid the wretched
metayer system, common on the continent
of Europe, under which the landlord furn-
ishes the capital and takes share of the
crop. This system invariably makes poor
landlords AID wretched tenants Many of
our Virginia land owners, without know
ing it's origin, have adopted this system as
an original idea, and regard it as an inge-
NOUS expedient for the profitable cultiva-
ton of their lands. Lord Kane, Arthur
Young, and other British writer's, describe
it as accurately as if they had seen it in
operation here, and speak Of it as device
of the ''rudest age of agriculture" The
first step in real Improvement is renting,
not for share, but for a stipulated guam
tity of produce, or for fixed money con-
sideration; and the last step IS, to grant
long leases, with covenants to improve,
under which system Great Britain has
made such advances in agricultural i'm
provement.