No 105.] 177 



for his ultimate success. He would at the end of the year be enabled 

 to ascertain both his circumstances and the products of his year's 

 labors, and if unsuccessful, it would not be from want of information, 

 should the continuance of a bad system end in bankruptcy. We are 

 yet in hopes as education is diffused and our farmers become more 

 imbued with a desire to adopt all the means to make them better 

 acquainted with their business that the keeping of farm accounts will 

 be generally adopted. It may not be inappropriate to the present 

 occasion to look a little into the statistical information gathered in 

 taking the census of this State as far as its agriculture is concerned. 

 It has been carefully compiled by Mr. S. S. Randall, Esq., and it 

 gives the following general results. The tables themselves are ap- 

 pended, which it is useful to consult for more particular information. 



The whole population of the State, it appears by the census of 

 1845, amounts to 2,604,495. One-tenth of our whole population are 

 farmers, and they are as one to two of all other professions. The vo- 

 ters (white) in the State are 539,379, of which one half are farmers. 



The whole number of acres of improved land in the State are 

 11,737,276. 

 Sowed to wheat, 1845, 1,013,665 acres, average prod, per acre, 14 bu. 



When we look over these results and see how small the quantity 

 raised compared to what has been done — wheat 60 bushels to the 

 acre — oats 70 — barley 50 — peas 45 — rye 40 — corn 130 — and pota- 

 toes 500 — it leaves no room to conjecture how much farther we have 

 to advance in Agriculture before we can in truth be called farmers, 

 for three-fourths remain yet to be done. We know it can be done, 

 for we have thousands of instances of the production of these several 

 large crops in the State, and that too in many instances from what was 

 formerly worn out lands. As a striking instance of this we will refer 

 you to the Report of the Officers of the Washington County Agricul- 

 tural Society contained in this volume. With this view before us, 

 shall w^e despair to raise the agriculture of this State so that succeed- 



[Senate, No. 105. J 12 



