The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-10-10


surrounded by farms, tho finest in th
State. The broad Willamette, which il
> early days was moved only by the winds
: or tho bark canoe of the savage, no,
bears upon its bosom steamboats, lade,
c with the rich productions Of happy free
). men, aud defes the waves and command
he storm
The hills are made to yield their valu
: able timbers, and the mountains 10 dis
0 gorge their rich minerals. Towns anc
, beautiful and pleasant villages hay,
sprung up, and farm houses dot the fac,
of the whole country Temples OF Jus
tice, houses OF worship, colleges Of sci
: encc, semnarios of learning and schoo
houses OF common education, have beer
erected, and stand to-day as living monu
ments Of the civilization, progress ant
permananey Of this people. Great high
ways havo beon constructed connecting
this with the Ochoco and other distant val
lies beyond. Railroads will soon be bull
IN behalf OF transportation and com
merce, while already We have that Other
instrumcntality-the electric telegraph
which WAITS n sigh almost from the In
dus to the pole"
Such has been in part the rapid pro
gress OF our county such in part the
progress Of the State, much more has
been the progress Of our country aud
people at large since tho founding OF our
Republic.
The advancement Of commerce, sci
ence, literature aud refinement of the
Republics of Carthage, of Greece aud Of
Rome, has employed thousand pens
and ten thousand tongues ia description
aud praise. The same progress and ad-
yancement Of European governments
have exhausted eulogy and confoundcd
wonder aud yet the advancement Of the
Republic Of the United States, in every
characteristic Of civilization, human hap.
piness aud national greatness has been
more in the last three quarters Of a cen
tnry, than theirs has been in fye hun
drcd years.
As pursuit, as an avocation aud bus
iness ia life, surely there is none more
necessary and indispensable, none more
honorable aud exalted than that Of agri-
culture. The authority for il cmanatcs
/ from the highest source Of authority; for
it was said by God TO man, " Go forth,
multiply aud replcnish aud subduc the
earth !! Here is the sanction Of Him
/ who made the soil aud made man to till
it; aud il has had the sanction aud ap.
proval of the great and the good Of the
whole human race.
/ Agriculture is science. To under.
stand it, and TO make it useful aud bene-
ficial-in other words, to make il pay
requires no small caliber of mind
confess, the dronc, the man Of smallest
and narrowest intellect, of least cult
va;ed mind and lowest ambition, can
make an existence on quarter, or half,
or full section Of land especially If the
Government Of the United States has
generously seen fit to give the land to
/ him. For, in this case, If he would
| throw the grains Of wheat upon the
native sTard, unploBed and unbroken,
the native richness aud fertility Of the
soil would, Of itself, produce enough to
feed him who's brow had never sweat
and who's hand had never toiled. But
/ know Of but few within the range of
my knowledge, that come within this
| description or within this category But
| what | mean IL, TO understand the sci.
ence Of agriculture, to make il profitable,
TO make il pay, we must understand il
practically as we'll as theoretically. We
must be prdcticak farmers. We must
rise early if We would be thrifty farmers
We must be industrious, judicious, eco
nomical and wise 1t is not enough to be
fourth, or third, or a second rate
farmer; for nothing will fill the bill
short of a .Erst-rdte practical farmer.
| Keep your farms neat, cultivate them
we'll, and the rich and fertile soil you till
will repay you by return of ample and
abundant harvests When the crop has
been put in, when the season for seed
ing is over, the implements Of the farm
should be returned to the shed for pres
erYation from the winter rains and
| storms. 1t is a mark Of poor taste and
poor husbandry to see the reaper and
thrasher left upon the stubble, or the
plow left standing in the ground as if
threatening to make another furrow, or
the harrow piled in the corner of the
| fence.
Tho science of agriculture, (and when
/ speak of it as n science, / refer to it
not as theory, for I am not dealing with
fine spun theories today, but as sci
ence reduced to practical demonstration
and use, is, like all other sciences and
arts, progressive and susceptible of i'm
provement; and it has progressed and
improved greatly in its practical opera
tions within the recollection and observa-
tion of you all. A few years ago the
farm was carried on by slow process and
great physical labor But now, nearly
all the labor is done by means of ma
chinery and stock directed and controll-
ed by the genius, intelligence and skill
of the farmer.
In former times the pursuit of agri-
culture was regarded by some as an in
ferior or low calling. 1t was considered
that those only of inferior mind and edu-
cation and poor in purse, should follow
the business of farming. In other
words, that only the common people !"
lived in the country and titled the soil.
This erroneous idea may prevail to some
extent, even yet, and amongst our own
people,. There are those | know who
seem to pride themselves on the fact
that they are of wealthy parentage, live
in costly city mansions, and can roll in
wealth, luxury and idleness, and keep
up with the !" fashion," and that be-
| aa.ao r tb;- +hau ara sunarior to those