Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-09-25

| civilization unQcr republican BOueTn-
| ment. While there have been no Astors,
| Stewards or Vanderbilts among them,
| but few, comparatively, from this class
hsve gone to the poor-house. Wealth is
more equally divided among them than
in any other class and while few are
excessively rich, but few are extremely
| poor. r.
/ That very many of our ambitious
young men have labored under the delu-
| sion that farming does not pay, and that
it meant poverty, I will concede; and
| this ignorance we have had to contend
with, and it has been and is now one of
! most serious obstacles in the way of pro-
gress. And it is more to be regretted
! thai they are encouraged to cling to this
! error by a popular and well-knUwn ora
| tor of Few England.
Mr.. Murray utt6rs what is true when
he says that the last forty years have
been years of intense mental applica-
ton" and 'Ihat the brain force of the
nation has been astonishingly develop
| ed" in this time; and we must cOncede
! to him as true that '.the branch of in
| dustry that has shared least in this gen.
4 cral mental activity is, beyond doubt,
/ agricultural, s.-......,.. H.. -.s,
During this period of mental activity,
great improvements have been made in
agricultural implements and machinery,
\ and in live stock, and to a considerable
extent in the manner of tilling the soil,
l.! but no man informed on that subject
will insist that agriculture has as yet
reached that degree Of perfection in
New England, or indeed anywhere on
this continent, which it might, and should
attain. And it must be conceded, if we
would make this desired advance, we
must apply the ''brain force. While |
most emphatically deny that farming
has not paid in New England, or ever
meant poverty, | believe the way is open
for PROGRESSION further development
and I believe, too, for this advance we
must rely upon the application of the
mental powers of the people. If we
could but secure that ''intense mental
application" to agriculture that has
wrought such wonders in the last forty
years III inventions, and in the advance
of science, and the mechanical arts, we
should soon see the fruits of it, in the
increase of this vital interest.
In my Judgment, Mr.. Murray is equal
unfortunate in his cure for poverty"
! in New England agriculture. His theory
is that it is to be effected by money from
the cities He says, The country can
never redeem itself; the cities must come
to the rescue.
The country needs no redemption so
far as its agriculture is concerned. Ag-
riculture may be improved, indeed this
is desirable, but money will not do it.
New England farmers possess the abili-
ty to make every acre of their tillable
lands like a garden;they do not need the
wealth of the cities to do this, but a
will of their own, and it will be done.
As an illustration let us take the aver
ace New England farmer, of whose pow
erty, ignorance and stupidity Mr. Muir
ray has so much to say. We will sup
pose that he has a farm of one hundred
acres of land of the average quality,
with what stock it will keep, and no
snare funds or income from any source
except from his farm. And we will
suppose that his farm does not produce
more than half what it would if in a
good state of cultivation Now does
that man need money from somebody to
enable him to double the productive ca
pacitY of his farm? Not a mill. He
can better make this improvement than
not do it. Every harvest viii remuner-
ate him for his extra labor in this direc-
ton. And further, his own develop
ment requires that he should do this
work unaided except by his own means
his own head and hands. Money con-
tributed to raise the standard of agriCul-
ture, except so far as it may reasonably
be done in the way of sustaining agricul-
tural societies, would be a positive inju-
nv. What is now needed is that the
farmers set their minds at work in their
business, with something of the earnest
ness and energy that the inventors, ar
tisans and projectors of great enterpris-
es have done during the last generation.
Bnt giving them money will not stimu-
late them to do it. The effect would be
the reverse, and put further off the day
of thorough scientific farming.
Mr.. Murray says men in the cities Fare
beginning to look more and more to-
wards the country. 'Already," he
saws. "the banks of the Hudson, Hous-
atomic, Connecticut and Merrimac are
dotted with evidences of this reaction,
and in the inland towns the same proofs
? are being multiplied"
This is sound, for it is true; and these
facts are most decidedly encouraging.
The country needs more inhabitants
the city needs less. In the estima-
ton of some it will help to give dig
!
vocation: it will in reality help to re-
move an error which has largely pre-
vailed, that farming is a low calling
and, better than all, it will help to stay
: the rush of our young men to the cities,
who have gone there under the mistaken
idea that farming was not respectable
and did not pay.
make this review Of Mr.. Murray S
address with feelings of delicaey, not
pretending to any such ability as reputa-
ton gives him, and as he doubtless has !;
and further, l would avoid Obstructing
the good influences of the late Fair by
any unnecessary criticisms upon any of
It's exercises. But all concede to me q
right of opinion, and the right to express
it, and my opinion is most decidedly that
some of his positions are without foun-
dalton, and such, If adhered to, as would
lead to error, and damage rather than
aid the vital interest of agriculture.
| have lived fifty-seven years Gall my
life in Vermont. Thirty-fve of those
years were spent OF the farm on which
| was born. My own experience and
observation have deceived me if, in the
years of my recollection, the farmers in
Vermont have not been the most pros
porous class in the State. This, | be-
lleve, IS true OF NeTmnnt-l have no doubt
of it. | have never seen anything like
''the curse of poverty" resting upon Yer
mont agriculture taken asa whole. That
interest has not been as we'll managed as
some other interests in the State, yet it
has paid the best. | have, however, for
a long time been sensible that agricul-
ture in this State demanded a more
thorough and scientific management. l
have longed to see the day when the
farmers of Vermont should move, not
from poverty, but from living, paying
business, to one more profitable; and
when we might see our excellent farm
lands increased in fertility, and agricul-
ture in all its departments and details
conducted with a system and skill which
its Importance and the genius of the age
demand.
But I am happy to say that we are