The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-11-21

OieATI6H BY GfSN. WADE HAMPTON,
UeqsSfJd at he Georgia State Fair, Il, IN
~ Macon, Notem5esr. II, 1850. :"' ~
Ma nksatDksf AnatDa Da' Gsss.TtIIEEMENs OF OF
THE AaKicpULrut4RaAn rt4a Soo1ErrYs:: At the re-
vi1sa " lSstsfs. it waas; not unusual Tor
thea III in giving lie history Of
oven ths'snaa1fest State 10 begin with ari.
accoantfSof 4he ,cpeationi OF the world, |,
AND At IT, is eyer admissahlg now to follow
the example of these medieval writer's,
it'Nonld Seem to be fn' treating Of aeri:
oulsdfe. the earliest occupation of man
Whah thb eaItll, was aesh from the hunds
of its GfeatoF, the great .forefather of the
hG@ap race was commanded. by his
MAKER of6 keep All" aid work the Eden in
whf6h hS waB plaEed. tfWe are told Tint
Noahs Mhe1 ule left the ark and; began,
as Il swerea a new creation, was q farmer
and vine-dresser. The children of,
Israel, toiling through the burning snnds
OF Arabia, were cheered. onward toward
Canaan, not by, the promise of national
greatness and hfenown, nor Of richness
and spiendor, but By the assurance that
they shorld find @ land of corn and of
wine. TheysYerel to- farm the soil and
pr9ne the vine, and ~ they rendered
oA-e.NrSe! gs4fN NSAI ASk tho Oohuby VI uaLuT6
in their great feasts at the first fruits and
at the ingathering OF the crops, when
the farmer might rejoice and the song of
the vintage be- heard, When the Incar-
nate God was about to rise from earth to
Heaven, did he not leave as symbols of
his eternal covenant between the two the
produce,of the field and the vineyard,
bread and wineP And what subject more
appropriate to engage the attention of
the people Of this great State than that
which has, called together this vast as
setnblage3 For this is .'Georgia," whose
very name is synonym for 'agricul-
ture." Let me, then, take as my subject
the theme which, since the days of the
Maptuan bard, has inspired the sweetest
lays Of the poets of all lands; has called
forth the eloquence of their orators, and
won the praise of their philosophers and
diviues.
When mans disobedience brought a
curse on the earth. the mandate of Jeho.
yah went forth-'In the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread, till thou re-
turn unto the grouud." And that decree
is yet in full force, but it has been mer-
cifully ordained that along with the pu:
nishment blessing comes:
"'Tis the primal curse,
Cub uOAtCh " Auto mercy, IuAQ6 the Dl6uEC
of cheerful days, aud nights without a groan."
But while selecting agriculture as nv
theme, it is with the utmost diffidence
that venture to discuss before the agri-
culturists of Georgia, who are deservedly
regarded as among the most practical,
scientific and successful in the South,
any subject pertaining to their vocation,
for feel my inability to throw light on
questions 80 ably expounded by the men
who have 30 nobly illustrated their call
ing, But as the whole agricultural sys.
tenn OF the South has undergone sud
den and violent revolution, as it is now
In state of transition, it is only by free
consultation, by collating the experience
OF every planter, that we can educe the
true principles on which to build up and
maintain new system. In the hope,
then, that may contribute something,
however small, to that general fund of
knowledge which we wish to accumulate.
1 shall give you the results of nv re-
hections on the present condition and
future prospects of the agriculture of
the South. In doing this, I shall neces-
sarily touch on topics of q mere general
and. comprehen sive character thereby
Involving not only the agricultural, but
the national, social and political interests
Of Tfe' South. These interests are so
bound together, so dependent on each
other, that one cannot be discussed with
out touching to some extent on all. Be
yond what this mutual connection and
dependence renders necessary, I shall
not, OF course, enter the fixed domain OF
political discussion. not only because it
would be unbecoming to do so on ar oc-
casion of this. kind, but because feel
an abiding conviction that the people of
Georgia need mo- exhortation to make
them cling with mistaken hold to tho
ever-llving principles taught by the
fathers OF the republic, the only true
faith. In order to estimate properly the
resources and power of the South, we
must consider what was her condition
when the war ended, and what she has
accomplished in the brief period that
has since elapsed. What, then, was her
condition when peace was proclaimed?
Her cities were in ashes smouldering
ruins of once happy md prosperous
homesteads markel t'in h-o / .r.ct over
which the crimson tide of war had swept
Her fields. once smiling in beauty and
rich with boundless wealth, were devas