The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-10-23
Another Letter-but Older.
TUESDAY NIGHT, October 20, is

The day passed most pleasantly to all
interested in the exhibition. All were
gay-happy but Of this you have doubt
less learned from your regular correspond
ent, who is here, there, and everywhere.
You know he was born in the Hot Spring
Valley, and this will account for all he says
and does. Nuf ced on this pint.
At night, in the large hall of our friends
the Masons, the Society met according to
notice, and was called to order by that mo-
bleillustration of what jealous, practical, in
telligent industry can accomplish-the pre-
sident Of the Society. Welcoming the mem
bers from distance, he begged to say that
while successor eminent success crown
ed the efforts Of the Society in the past two
years, yet much remained to be done before
the great end for which the Society had been
established could be attained, and he hoped
that members then present would earnestly
deliberate on and suggest that which would
enable the Societyto fulfil its great mission.
He knew that farming in Virginia and
North Carolina, even under all the diff
culties surrounding us, could be conducted
proftably-and If mistaken, agriculture
must be abandoned. If farming was not
profitable, and involved the cultivator in
continued loss, it must be abandoned. He
had no want of faith. He knew it would
pay.
Mr.. Scott, of Charlotte, said he was once
aljack-legged lawyer, but no money follow
ing his efforts, he had abandoned the "pro-
feSsjon" and turned farmer. He assumed
that agriculture could not be abandoned ::
upon it rested the fabric of all human in
stitutions; nor did he believe money could
be made by farming under existing cir
cumstances. He had lost money every
year since the war.
The fact was, our condition had been ma
terially changed by the results of the war,
and to insure future success the first step
was to forget all we ever knew. "We
must start from the jump" How to
make this new start was the rub. But Of
one thing he had no doubt, in the great
effort to be made every man must act for
himself. He was afraid we had not made
the first step in the right direction, and
possibly the old men of the country, of which
he was one, would have to let the young
ones come in and do the work of regene-
ration. 1t was very clear, however, that
we could not noao rely on foreign labor, but
must utilize that which we have. 1t was
now too high. Farmers cannot afford to
maintain these prices, unless they could
annually secure ten barrels of corn and
twenty bushels of wheat per acre. MIR.
Scott interspersed his remarks and illus
trated his points in humorous manner.
Messrs. Maben, Long, and DR.. Venable,
OF the Old North State, followed in the same
general strain. The latter gentleman in
terested the Society in the mode pursued by
him in the culture Of his estates, and
evoked sprightly discussion upon his
mode of cultivating the corn crop; and l
must confess the Doctors practice of plow-
ing his corn with q doubie-plough, even
when the water followed the track of the
plow, rather astonishes me. Mr.. Scott,
in his own peculiar manner, pitched into
the Doctor, and emphatically declared that
he differed from his friend.
The President, in the happiest effort CT
the night, responded, and proved to the
assembly the remarkable capacity which
his intimates knew him to possess. In
response to inquiries made of him, he
stated he had made money by farming. In
1866 his net profits equalled half the value
of his estate, and in the present year, from
twenty-seven hands, ne should make $1,000
pounds Of tobacco, which leading merchants
of your. city this morning informed me
would bring from twenty-five to forty dol
lars per hundred which all present
acknowledged was profitable farming. He
concluded with strong appeal to the meet
ing to come up and help him to build up
the great agricultural interests of the border
when peace, with all its benefcence, should
hlasa the land. -LL-..--N - - G.