The Hickman courier., 1877-11-30

fertility of the soil because their owners
can do nothing else with them They
have not the capital to put them in grass
and TO cover them with focks and herds
but they keep bull-tongue running, or
perchance a turning plow, and draw q
rneagre subsistence from the lands they
are wearing out. Certainly, my dear sir,
YOU came to the very confines Of the
truth when you told US that in 1fassa-
chusetts the average gain to the common
wealth from each of her IabOrers was up
wards Of thonsand dollars, while in
Tennessee it was but little over a hun
dred, or ten times less.
1t is surprising that the Commissioner
of agriculture and another gentlemanOl
education and mnch reading, who writes
this .'open letter" should believe that
the average production of Massachusetts
is ten times larger per laborer than the
industry Of Tennessee, If labor be 50
literally rewarded in the old bay stste
and capital go highly compensated for il.
legitimate use, how does it happen thst
ali the men of muscle, brain and money
in the union do not 60 there to partici
pate in these ten-fold larger profits ON all
kinds? Nay, how viii you account for
the fact that so many of the best business
men OF Massachusetts leave for life this
wonderfully prosperous commonwealth
and settle IN all the southern states.
Tennessee included, with their sad
poverty?
The explanation of this phenomena j.
this: The census statistics. which make
llbor so productive in Massachusetts
and unpreductive in Tennessee are
exceedingly defective and mislsS -
a few facts will demonstrate. An hter-
prising farmer in Massachusetts, who
raises one thousand Bushels Of corn gets
credit for producing crop worth one
thousand dollars. A Tennessee farmer
of equal enterprise, who raises LOCO
bushels is hardly credited with $500,
because so great IS the industry and skill
| of Tennessee farmers that corn IN this
state can harIly be sold for 3 barrel,
deliverable On the nrst day Of January.
Shall Tennessee farmers be accused Of
either idleness or poverty because they
raise >. 500 bushels of corn as easily as
Massachusetts, farmers raise 1000 bush
els?
Again, Massachusetts, agriculture, with
all its capital, excellent home markets
Iabor-saving farm implements and edu-
Gated field operatives, produces just wheat
enough and no more to give the inhabi-
tants Of the state bread enough for one
day in year. Is this fact something to
be proud of-something to brag OF at
agricultural conventions Now, IS one
hundred pounds of Tennessee wheat
transported all the way to Boston dees
not make one ounce more bread for this
heavy cost, We see why emigrants from
Massachusetts, to this state are common
and increasing.
Where Massachusetts, farmers sell 100
head OF fat steers at s. per hundred
| weight, Tennessee farmers sell 200 head
Of similar animals Of equal quality at
from three to four dollars per hundred
pounds. Is that agricultural skill to be
disparaged or named with disrespect
which produces two pounds Of good beet
mutton and bacon at the same price that
New England skill produces one pound
Nothing in agricultural literature OF
farm practice more erovokes criticism
than the industrial statistics of Iasss,
chusetts. We have the data for the
work, but figures and problems in aritb
metic are dry reading to many and w
forbear The agricultural rocks Of Ma
sachusetts produces ice for export uy
their GOODNESS, and granite Tor Other
states by their solidity; but will the
surface produce wool and cotton enough
to clothe the people or grain enough r
feed them Why do their saving
banks, based on real estate and home in
dustry so generally fail?