The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-11-26

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peddler drove up TO his house and want
ed TO sell him a calendar clock. Th
preacher wanted clock ofthis kind. and
OF course trade was 500 maie at ttiytsl
esaht dollars. This clock j. called ''faxl
ION, and its name l. on the face Of II !,
large gilt letters. | don't doubt but thu
this same clock now decorates the man
ties in a THOUSAND homesteais ia N,.ti
Carolina aud adSeItiscs by lis very namt
that 1t IS fdShjssabls to swindle the far.
mer. But who would have thought that
this eminent man OF divinity could
have been swind!ed as a uOu>readiuc
slmpletou of the hackwoods? At the very
time this clock was sold, there we're de-
scrlptlye catalogues with price list, IN a /
this country, showing clocks Of the same
kind, just as large, just as pretty and jus,
as accurate, for ten dollars aud to hasten
on your orders, discount of thirty
three and a third per cent was allowed
making the clock cost about sic dollar,
and u ha!f, ard yet, this learned divine
this agricultural theologue allows himself
10 be chlselled out of thirty one and a
half dollars "a did any one else who did a,
this farmer, the preacher. In tins case.
farming may have been digniied, but
not much magnitied.
Our observation leads Us to conclude
that 1t Is. IN ou" occupatl N, about ike
the historian, Macaulay. says il is in
Ethical Science He says there al, words
IN the English language, antithetical ia
their definitions such as virtue and vice
prudence and rashneSs, courage and
cowardice, iberality and prodigality, etc
xrIt nff IL, al.
meanings, where they seem to merge
into, or run into each other aud mean
ing about the same thing. 1t Is Just 80
with all these divine elements, cOns.itut-
ing the farming profession. we are al.
check by iowl aud a. " ehSter said Of The
| Union, 'one and indivisabic But
besides these eminent men cfthe learned
professions, we have another source Of
| lniormatl N, we mean the scientific men
those men III the Agriculturab Department
of the State, generally speaking, those
holding the offices ia that Institution.
This department, belongs to us, and IN
one sense, peculiarly 30. The money
supporting this department does not
come from the common fund raised by
general taxatio1, II comes from the tax
on fertilizers, which Is just as much tax
on your pockets, as the purchase of
Machpelah was rom the pocket of Abra
ham himself. Moreover, i. is thought by
many that the salaries, we pay these men
are SO disproportionate to the labor
performed that many of these lucrative
positions are first class sinecures. But,
however this may be, these learned men
teach Us soieat,Hc facts, and some of these
facts are so opposed to results in our
practical Experience and observation that
they remind Us of the inventive French
man. lie thought that be had discovered
something wonderful in science. He
imagined he had discovered some new
theory in the transmission Of light He
hurried across the English channel, and
went up to London TO see the great Pro-
| fessor Faraday about it. After telling
the Englishman of his discovery and ex-
planning all about 1t, Faraday replied to
him that, it would not do, it would not
begin to do, that his new theory was
against certain facts already established
in natural science. The Frenchman, with
considerable Indignation said: $, pins
mecham pour De le fa,et so much The
,corse for tie facts. His theory Has ,qgi4t,
facts or no facts Just SO it is when some
Of these scientific facts seem 50 contra
ry to some other facts we know by both
observation and experience. For instance;
| The chemist tells us that the commercial
value of the chemicals required to make
ton of the fertilizer Of this brand or
that brand is, say thirty-hve dollars;
how can the selling price OF the same.
after it has gone through the expensive
process of mixing at the faotory, be less
than the cost of the chemicals required to
make lts Or suppose a ton of this same
brand can be purchased In North CARO-
| lima at the exact cost of the chemicals
required in its manufacture, say at Nor
| folk, Baltimore, New York or somewhere
| in Connecticut, now can the manufactures
afford to pay freight, pay the merchant
In North Carolina ten dollars on the tor
to sell it, and mot counting his own ex'
pense in manufacturing then sell it 40 OF
so per cent less than the chemicals cost
him This would seem to be ruinous tc
the manufacturer, but the business
strives and yet instead of becoming bauk
rupts, they become millionaires. We
don't understand it.
But however varient these chemica
estimates may seem to our observation;
and experience, we have not doubt that
they are intended for our benefit as far
mers, and to guide Us in the purchase
of fertilizers We should endeavor tC
profit ourselves all we can from this agri
cultural department. l. was established
to promote ouS calling. 1t is supported
; by means levied on our industry 1t cost
} US more than the whole Judiciary oep2rt
! ment in the State government, and
J think the farmers of the State shoulC
claim. unhesitatingly: the right to contro
, it. But under the present auspices, ex
, cepting, partly, the chemical and fisher.
divisions of it, if we derive any benefi
, at all, save that little and insignifican
, Monthly Builefta, which [ do belicv
, you can contract with any printer ii
) any county town in North Carolina Il
, publish for you for three or four hundrc
dollars a year. and at profit to him
we have never been able to realize 1t
Yet, brother farmers, this departmen
costs us over thirty thousand dollars
, year.
Now, we had farmer once holdiui
the office of commissioner In this ou
agricultural department, but owing t
!, some occult influences, to some chican
neIy Ut cunning on the part oi tHoSe con
trolling it, he was pressed to resign, OF
as the phrase is now, he was made t
get down and out, and to-day, as yo
may have observed it il the case in all th
lucrative offices in the State. a lawye
t holds that position, and while arrogatip
! to himself all the importance of Magnu
Apollo in the department, he affronts 20
) to your very faces and he does it too, ik
some mighty Caesar, while fattening 0
the very meat you feed him.
. What did he say Of you, brother far
mers? Speaking of the Boston Expos
. ton, and the exhibit made at it last VIII
r ter by North Carolina, in Bulletin
February, he said that the question whetl
: er or not this exhibit should be made /
e the State. was not referred to you nor we