308" 



the more southern portions we have many from Slave States, 

 whose knowledge of farming does not go beyond raising hogs 

 and corn. These farmers have two or three cows, but do 

 not provide hay enough to keep the calves through the win- 

 ter, and have no other pastures than unenclosed lands. The 

 consequence is, that about February their stock is in a starv- 

 ing condition, when they are disposed to sell the calves very 

 low. It was this class of farmers too, who keep a good many 

 dogs, hunting foxes and coons at night, and either sleep in 

 the day-time, or are unfit to work. The Southern States 

 had, nevertheless, afforded many excellent farmers. 



He heartily concurred in what had been said with regard 

 to the injurious results of corn and hog raising to the soil. 

 Many farmers took no account either of the loss in this way, 

 or of the labor necessary to raise the corn upon which they 

 fattened the hogs. They looked to the sum received for 

 them. If they took into account these matters, they would 

 find cattle and sheep raising much more profitable than is 

 now generally supposed. These improve the soil and require 

 comparatively but little labor, leaving the farmer time to fur- 

 ther improve his farm and buildidgs. Of the ultimate results 

 of corn raising, he had a striking evidence in a county ad- 

 joining Monroe. On joking one of its most wealthy farmers 

 and traders about the number of the blackberry bushes eve- 

 rywhere visible on the uplands, indicating an exhausted and 

 neglected soil, the farmer answered that this was owing to 

 corn having been raised, year after year, until the land was 

 exhausted, and now it was seen to have been a curse to 



them. 



As to the profitableness of sheep-raising at existing prices 

 he could not determine, but farmers here so regarded it. But 

 he noticed from communications in the Patent Olfice reports, 

 that in Washington county, Pennsylvania, the most extensive 

 wool-growing county in the Union, that it was not regarded 

 as profitable there. 



Mr, Hatfield said that he was a mechanic, but purposing 



