SOLON ROBINSON, 1838 105 



We bade adieu to this happy family, and proceeded on 

 our journey fully impressed with the contrast between 

 a good and bad farmer, and for my own part, perfectly 

 satisfied with the manner that Mr. Slick had taken to 

 impress it indelibly upon my own mind. 



Mr. Slick seemed wrapped in contemplation of the 

 scenes of the morning for a long time. At length he 

 broke forth in one of his happy strains. "The bane of 

 this country, 'Squire, and indeed of all America, is hav- 

 ing TOO much land — they run over more ground than 

 they can cultivate — and crop the land year after year, 

 without manure, till it is no wonder that "it's run out." 

 A very large portion of land in America has been "run 

 out," by repeated grain crops, and bad husbandry, until 

 a great portion of this great country is in a fair way to 

 be ruined. The two Carolinas and Varginny are covered 

 with places that are "run out," and are given up as 

 ruined, and there are a plagey site too many such places 

 all over New-England, and a great many other states. We 

 hav'nt the surplus of wheat that we used to have, in the 

 United States, and it'll never be so plenty while there 

 are so many Nick Bradshaw's in the country. 



The fact is, 'Squire, edecation is ducedly neglected. 

 True, we have a site of schools and colleges, but they 

 an't the right kind. That same Nick Bradshaw has been 

 clean through one on 'em, and 'twas there that he larnt 

 that infarnal lazy habit of drinking and smoking, that 

 has been the ruin of him ever since. I would'nt give an 

 old fashioned swing tail clock, to have my son go to 

 college where he could'nt work enough to arn his own 

 living, and larn how to work it right tu. 



It actilly frightens me, when I think how the land is 

 worked and skinned, till they take the gizard out on't, 

 when it might be growing better every day. — Thousands 

 of acres every year are turned into barrens, while an 

 everlastin stream of our folks are streaking it off "to the 

 new country," where about half on 'em after wading 

 about among the tadpoles, to catch cat fish enough to 



