Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1882-10-21
Address Of senator Vance.

about farming. and gave his views on t"o
resources and the agriculture OF the
United States, and gave his tribute TO the
uprightness and unselfishness OF farmers.
His address is favOrably commented upon
by the ieading press of the United States:
Senator Vance said: "Mr. President
and Gentlemen Why 1t Is that agricul-
tural societies generally have lawyers and
politicians to address them is something
/ cannot exactly comprehend. On the
supposition that they desire to be instruct
ed in the mysteries of their art, it would
seem as ludicrOus as to ask plowboy to
lecture on the relics of the stone age, or
Jaw Hubbell to vindicate civil-service re-
form. Laughter.] On the theory that
YOU gentlemen desire to amuse yourselves
bv an exhibition of our utter ignorance OF
agricultural topics, l could, indeed, see
some little light, but even then, as III inc
present case, YOU run the FISK of uis'ip-
pointment, for do not intend 10 touch ~
much as 4 corner of the end WhiCh eh-
shrouds the arcana of your profession.
No man here shall learn from me the Sc
crct of growing b5etS, or even the pest
time 10 cut elders. | have generally FOUND
that the best way to raise Anything was
in another mans field, giving him all the
work ana all the glory, whilst | remain
content with the usual proof of the pud-
ding. Laughter. But in the course OF
my life have observed some things (al-
WAYS from the outside OF the fence of a
neutrality-suspicious. nature, 10 which you
are abundantly welcome. Laughter and
applause. | will give them TO you as
briefly as possible. In every conceivable
form of SupcrStructure, whether physical,
social or political, there is nothing Sc i'm
portant TO be considered as the founda-
lion. As no material structure can be
either safe or durable unless erected upon
q firm base, 80 it is equally true that no
form of government and no institution of
society can be prosperous and permanent
unless founded upon some granite prln-
cipleS of everlasting truth. Political par
ties based upon some falSehood or some
element of dishonor are necessarily full of
unsteadineSS, and sooner or later perish
for want Of truth. Agriculture, as it Is
the oldest, 50 il is the most important of
all the arts. Not only are all the others
built upon it, but human existence itself
is absolutely dependen. thereon. 1t con-
tainS the secret by which we extract sus-
tcmancc from nature. The brute world
simply harycStc the spontaneous supplies
of the earth; they toll not, neither do
thew spin, but man both sOws and reapS,
forcing mother nature to yield her fruits
where she has Sown none, and 10 renew
her powers when overIaNed. Not only
so, but by diligence and knowledge of her
processes he increases her production IN
hundrcdfold. But for this, long years
ago the natural products of the earth
would have become insufficient for the
support of the animal life on its surface.
Indeed, one of the great questions, if
not the great question which our not dis
i;iut pOsterity will have to meet and solve,
Is this same one, To Wit: viii the genius
of man be able so to increase and apply
the capacities of nature that the ever
growing number OF the inhabitants OF our
planet shall be fed, clothed and housed!
At present there is still room on the earth,
and the remedy for surplus population Is
colonization i'm new lands. But the arts
of civilization have so prolonged the years
OF generation, and so promoted the rapid
increase of our species that the haDitable
portions OF the wOrlG will soon be filled,
and colonization will no longer be Il rem
edy. The chief dependence Will then be
upon the increased resources OF a%rlcul-
tHre. viii they keep pace with the
thronging multitudcs that crowd upon
her footsteps? viii the fertility OF the
earth by any means within the reach OF
genius be able to multiply in proportion
t6tN demands made upon it:
at first blush these questions would
seem To be very al-fetchcd in the mind
of an American, whose country Is pos
Scs>ed of 30 many united millions of thin
Is populated or altogether minhabited
acres. Bat when we remember that our
,-,,fIr nj
the OvcrcroWdcd countries of the world,
whose people are coming in constantly
increasing numbers, we cannot avoid the
conclusion that soon ours, too, will be an
overpeOpled land. Undoubtedly our first
interest us people is agriculture. Eighty
three per cent. of our foreign exports is
the products of our fields and forests. BY
common consent we are assigned 10 The
keeping of the granary of the world.
Take our situation all in all there Is no
land upon the earth that can compare
with lis in the production of human food.
No country subject to our control possess
eS such unreasonable facilities for It's
production. This year 0SS2) We have
grown the enormous amount OF 500, O0O,-
coo bushels of Indian corn, OO,OOO,OUO
bushels of wheat and 500 ,OOO,0OO bushels
of oats, and ut least 100 100000 bushels OF
rye barley and buckwhcat, making togcth-
or 3, 600 600. 600 bushels of the cereals
This would give for bread two bushels
for each inhabitant of the globe. This
estimate takes no notice of rice, sugar
and the boundless yield OF root crops, nor
of the product of animal culture, which
are in great proportion. In order to re-
allie the vast proportions it is only ncces-
Sary To say that our wheat crop Is more
that half of that of the whole OF Europe
in 1880.
"Now, remembering the vast unCulti-
waited area and allowing for the improved
methods OF cultivation for which our
country has become distinguished, and
the intelligent observer may form some
conception of what this land is capable
OF providing tor the SuStcnance and COM
fort of our race. The bread depotS OF
the world, ancient and modern, were ana
are small in comparison. From the TACT
that the compilation of statistics was UNI
known To the ancients we can only Judge
Of their productions by the character OF
their cultivation and the amount of their
cultivable lands. 1t would seem that the
boosted production of Egypt was only IA
nous when compared with that of its
neighbors in the then existing world;
when cOntrasted with modern production
it's contemplate. Its yield of wheat at
the present day is less than eight millions
of bushels. Fifteen States OF this Union
each exceed that amount, including Ma
ryland, whilst Illinois and Indiana each
exceed it six times over. 1t had only H.
900 square miles OF agreeable land, Yet the
Romans looked principally to it to help
out the deficient crops of Italy. As for
Russia, now regarded rs the great depot
for wheat in Europe, it is enough 10 say
that the amount she grows is exceeded by
France, and we will export this year
more than her whole crop. We are there
fore entitled TO have our country styled