The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-05-09

skies SEND Us IN this IallLuGe, oCCu-
pv Just too months in falling, a loss
outright OF one sixth of their year.
As TO the other point. think II
will not be denied th-t there Is no
class Of men who have less of the
habit or faculty of organization than
farmers. and there are none who
need II more or suffer more
loss for the want of it.. Although
they constitute the immense major
itv Of the population, and upon the
results Of their labor are based all
the operations OF all other classes
and Of government itself. vet they
get less recognition, less legislative
protection and assistance than any
other interest In the country, and
become Oftener the easy prey Of
merciless speculation and monop-
DIV. and fall more hopelessly under
the oppressive cXactlons, the lnsat-
liable. soulless selfiShnesS Of railroad
corporations. You all know how
lately the profits of almost the en-
tire cotton crop of the State was
fraudulentlv wrested from those
who had SO hardly earned 1t, and
how too Years ago, for want Of pro
per legal protection, they were
swindled out of nearly a million
dollars for worthless fertilizers.
This want of organization, and con-
sequently of communication also
retards most seriously the introduce
ton of agricultural improvements
and reforms. hope this and other
young and vigorous agricultural
societies represented here to-day,
will soon change all that.
But. as will probably have oc-
Cured to many of you already, all
these defects and wants may be
gathered up and summarily com
pretended IN oDe word,
THE WANT OF EDUCATION,
the want of a knowledge of the
principles which underlie the
science, and control all successful
practice Of the art of agriculture.
With the multitude of them 1T Is
mere matter of routine, prescrlp-
ton, and there is, consequently.
with too many OF them llttIt
thought, aspiration, or effort to
wards anything higher or better.
You might have seer IN very many
sections of the State, any time dur
ing the last hundred years the same
cultivation of the same crops, on
the same soil, with the same nipple
ments as you will see to-day, and
you will get no other reason for 1t
than that it has always been so.
The agricultural world has made
many a revolution in that period,
but they wot not of It. OF course
| speak not now of that compare
lively small number of intelligent,
educated farmers and planters, SO
largely represented here to-day and
on all similar occasions. who are
foremost in every good work OF this
kind and ever on the alert to dis
cover and quick to take advantage
of and put to the test every m
provement in methods or nipple
ments. With them it will rest
chiefly to inaugurate the necessary
reforms in u system and by their
example to promote their general
adoption. Such are the principal
| prevalent vices and defects IN the
art agriculture as generally prac-
ticed among us. What are It's hin
ORANGES and drawbacks? They are
certainly neither few nor small;
can only summarize in the briefest
manner, Il few of the nor proml-
nent of them. As first and great
est, undoubtedly we must place the
enormous etfiux of population, cap
ital and labor, which has SO long
drained the state of its strength and
of the accumulations of It's enter
prise, to fill up, develop and enrich
the younger States of the West.
No other State has suffered SO great
loss from this cause, and it is not
possible to estimate the consequent
retardation of the development OF
u resources.
The next great hindrance, and
one chief cause of the former and
Of all our difficulties,
THE WANT OF CHEAP AND READY
TRANSPORTATION TO MARKET.
Under this head | include the
want of ordinary roads and bridges
as well as Of canals and railroads.
We seem to have a particular aztec
ton and v%eneration for bad roads.
Going from here to Hillsboro' next
winter, for example, You will stick
in the same mudholes that arrested
the progress of the red coats OF
King George and of the revolutions
49, araFn+H1- l 1-~