Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-04-09
Agricultural department,
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY.

We subioin from the Southern Plante,
another extract of Mr.. Johnson's letter tc
the Richmond Christian Advocate respect.
ing the advantages of the improved ma.
chimes, used by farmers in several Of the
Western States:
"These new inventions (he says), now en-
able ten men to do the same work that was
performed by fifty men twenty years ago,
To hire ten men on farm would not be re.
garded as hazardous now, if it was expected
that those ten would cultivate 1000 acres,
or even half of it. But to hire fifty men
might prove ruinous if the crop partially or
totally failed. With improved machinery
the risks of large farming by hired labor, is
not one-tenth as much as they were twenty
years ago. It never happens that all the
farmers crops fail-his tobacco, his wheat
and corn-ail the same year. If he cult
Yates 1000 acres, or even 500, he will be
certain to make enough from one crop or
another to pay ten hands, but it might take
the fee of his land if he had to pay fifty
hands. And then if he succeeds well, the
profits from his operators are very large.
I found men in Illinois who had 400 acres
wheat, and one man in Minnesota, had this
year ITO acres in wheat, which yielded on
an average 25 bushels to the acre-making
42,750 bushels, which, at $3.50 per bushel,
brought in the nice sum of 1854, ,125. The
great difficulty with US is, that We have lost
all the surplus capital of the South, and will
not be able for some time to furnish our
selves with improved machinery. But this
does not affect the question which am con-
sidering, which is, that large farming can
be made profitable with hired labor by the
liberal use of labor savers. The question
supposes that farmers have the means to
purchase the required implements. In our
present condition, however, the people must
struggle to buy them as fast as their means
will allow, buying those first that save the
most labor, and then gradually those which
save less labor. All who have large wheat
and corn fields and meadows, should have q
reaper, mower and sulky plough" -. ...
It must not be supposed that in these
remarks I implicitly advise any to quit
Virginia and seek his fortune in the West.
Born, raised and educated in Virginia, I
have lived in the West and in the South,
and after having boxed the compass, and
tried all climates, I would not exchange
Virginia for any other country. Her soil,
though worn by unskillful management,
possesses all the elements of resuscitation,
her climate is the delightful medium be-
tween the extremes of heat and cold, tenn
pered by the gulf stream which relieves it
of the harshness of the climates of the Mis-
sissippi valley, and it is comparatively free
from those epidemics that sometimes desc
late the cities of the West. The air is pure,
bracing and not overcharged with malaria.
The water is clear, abundant, and gushes
from every hill. Society is homogeneous,
refined, cultivated and religious. Just now
we are oppressed with military rule and
Radical domination !; but I have great con-
fdence in the sympathy of our white breth-
rem of the North. Rely upon it they are
not going to stand by and see the country
men of Washington, Jefferson, and Madi-
son domineered over, ruled and down-trod-
den by the descendants of Ham, who but
yesterday were set of savages and barba-
rians, roaming in the wilds of Africa, and
if the race were blotted out to-day would
not leave behind city, monument, an art
or invention to show that it ever existed. "