Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1875-11-18
IN ADDRESS.
Delivered by Maj. E. Henry. at
the Grange Picnic at Tus>
culum. ~

NV kaSob oud
vide spread objects can be carried out
without organization. 1 am glad to know
that even as late az it is in the day, the
agricultural portion Of the community
have awakened to the importance Of a CO,
operative organization. 1t is at least q
step in the right direction towards accom>
plishing for themselves wha. others have
done to enable them to successfully arrive
at great results. Go on with the good
work you have commenced aid raise the
standard of your calling till every farm.
every Preside and every community shall
see the good result Of your labors. When
you see entire communities spread over
a vast district Of country becoming poor.
er and poorer, day after day, and year
after year, there must be some deep roots
ed aud underlying cause, and before any
radical remedy can be applied, the true
sou &c Of the disease must be known.
II there be any one reason mo,e
than all others, that il npovcrishing
the le pie Of hi. country, it is that
Of spreading their labor over Eve times
as much land as t'ey are q 10 to
till properly and pro6tably. The present
mode Of farming is clear loss of over
one half the labor expended. II Is q self.
evident proposition that this system is
bringing loss instead Of profit, and from
this cause the entire community are suf-
fering. In its train follow poverty-stric>
en- farms, poor fences, poor roads, por
h. itatious, restitution and Ignorance.
This is the great underlying cause Of tue
evil We call upon you to remedy. Exam.
inc and view the subject in every light you
may, and the results will be the same
One half Of the results Of labor cannot
be thrown away an7 more on the farm
than in the merchants counting room, or
in the mechanics shop, When the far
mer puts his labor upon two acres to gain
from them only that which he should
gain from one, his loss is one.half. But
when be is doing as we are doing, pillow
Eve acres and put the seed on it to gain
what might be gained from one. the loss
is much greater. The loss. it is true,
is not five times as much in labor. for
On the n acre to produce the amount
named. more Labor would have to be
expended. If the crop be wheat, most
certainly four ,6fths Of the seed is no bet.
ter than thrown away. Iu the corn crop
four. 6ftbs Of the labor Of eultivating is
thrown away. This is but a small part
of the evils | could name.
For but one purpose would ] desire
the military power restored to me. (cOuld
use it for the purpose, and that would
be to portion out the county in one hun
dred acre farms and fenco them in with
a standing army, with bayonest fixed, IN.
til at least two acres had been made gu.
of every one, by working at least one
farm beneath that which is generally
worked. In this way at least two hun.
dred acres can be made Of every hundred
acres now under cultivation. The subject
Of small versus large farms has become
an old and hackney one-so much 81 that
you rarely meet with 3 farmer who will
not ADMIT the premises, and at the same
time he will be working bis hands and
teams to death to SOW bis hundred acres
Of wheat or to put in ard tend an equal
amount Of corn, when one fourth Of either
crop, if properly put in and cultivated,
would yield more than double the profit.
BY every means in my power / would
desire to convince and convert the
farmers to this almost s~elf.eyident
truth.
The question will be naturally asked
what arc we to do with the balance of
our land if We adopt the course you have
named Anything is better than the
ruin that now hangs over you. Cnt your
self loose from the shackles that o hold
you down. Az soon as you demonstrate
by good cultivation that O hundred acres
of land can be made profitable. the eff.
fects Of your good farming will be- seen
aud you will iud customers to purchase
your surplus land. But on the contrary :
no one will want to purchase your cid
WORKOUT. poverty-stricken fields. As q
means of selling your surplus land you
could adopt no more advatageous course
than to show by g higher cultivation that
farming can be made profitable. The
evils now burdeuing this community are
Of long and ancient standing and have
grown out Of the system Of labor former
lv nracticaA in tba oopntrv aad 10 Ih.,