The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-08-23

prime interest; wore the principal
source of supply Of both food and
clothing for man. Their onlv
means OF subsistence was the natur,
al pnsturagc, and the only valuation
of land was its ability to support
them. Tillage did not begin until
later. Indccd, the change from the
Ioving life of tho savage, seeking his
livelihood by tho chase, to the hut
OF the hcrdsman was the birth of
agriculture, and tillago was intro
duced and at first used only to add
to the crude luxury Of incipicnt
nome life. 1t was not until the
advent of commerce and manufnc
lures, which, from equally crude
beginnings, opened up an ever OK
panding field Of employment for
consumers of agricultural products,
that tillagc made much Droorcss.
The growth Of these great interests
created demand Oh agriculture for
hcr products which greatly stimu~
lated her in all of her branches, but
particularly in tho cultivation of
what may be termed concentrated
crops-crops that would bear
transportation to market. Then it
was that tillage began it's career Of
cncroachmcnt, it's work Of absorb,
ing pasturagc. Field after field of
pasture land was taken into cultiva-
ton and run to exhaustion in those
market crops, until the area of
pasture land, (the range,) which is
still tho only means of sup upport pro-
vlded for live stock, is reduced to
almost nought, and the cattle and
live stock to corresponding proper
lions, both rs to quantity and
quality. Thus It this stage we find
loss III the real value of land accom-
panied by proportionatc reduction
and loss in live stock. The COM
pcnsation for this loss is The growth
Of civilization and the capital stored
up in it's great interests.
This brief and imperfect state
ment, as far as it goes, is u fair md
correct summary of tho rise and
progress of agriculture in cvory
country i'll the world; certainly in
those whose own people have lifted
themselves from a state Of barbar-
'sm to that Of enlightened civiliza--
ton.
This new country Of ours,
although conforming in the main to
the general course of agriculture.
presents special and modifying
features, the consideration of which
may be profitable rs we'll as inter
esting. They arise from the fact
that our agriculture is not native
of this country. Only q few years
ago the most enlightened and
energetic civilization in the world,
that of the Anglo-Saxon, found
lodgmcnt on the eastern shore of
this then great wilderness, tho
hunting ground Of the savage and tho
lair of wild beasts. The vigor with
which it pushed it's way into the
interior, driving barbarsm before it
and subjocting wild nature to it's
uses and purposes, Indicated IN
accession of energy from tho
transplanting of such mn accession
as should have prepared the world
for it's startling and wonderful
achievement of bridling the career
ing elements, and hitching the DOW
or of steam and tho activity Of
lightning to it's car of progress.
This "grand march of civilization
westward" q rich theme for poet,
crater or philosopher, has also it's
interest for the agricultuiist. With
the civilization landed on our coast
was the agriculture from which it
derived its being and tho nourish
ment necessary forits subsistcnceand
growth. No mcwling infant in tho
crude nursery Of the herdman's hut,
but in the vigorous strength of
developed maturity, it presented IN
aggressive front to this vast strong
hold of fierce, valiant, desperate
TWAS to the aggressive
civiliza>
tion is indebted for it's ''grand
march westward"
TO DE CONTINUED IN OUR NEXT.
"A CORONER WITH AN Eye TO BUs1--