THE FARMER'S MANUAL, 73 



men, that ever constituted a community. Would you 

 realize the truth of this remark, look at the face of 

 the country which they subdued ; the foes they van- 

 quished; the civil, religious and literary institu- 

 tions they founded, and transmitted down to us, and 

 which we so richly enjoy. These reflections upon 

 our fathers, are used indiscriminately to prejudice 

 our minds against the characters of our fathers gene- 

 rally, and as much against their excellent institutions, 

 as against their system of husbandry. Vindicate 

 their excellent characters, by preserving their wise 

 institutions, as well as by correcting their system of 

 husbandry; not because this was bad in them, but 

 because it has become bad in us, under the changes 

 the face of the country has undergone since their 

 days, and under our bad tillage. Let us remember, 

 that this system of husbandry which I have laid 

 down, would have no more, and no better, applied to 

 our fathers, than to the present inhabitants of the fer- 

 tile wilds of Illinois. The soil was alike with both, 

 in a rich virgin state, the more corn they could plant, 

 and the more wheat they could sow, the more profits 

 they derived from their farms; so, that what in them, 

 under that rich state of soil, was good farming, has 

 become to us, under the exhausted state of the soil, 

 bad farming. Let this apology pass to the credit of 

 our fathers ; but let it not be used as a cloak to cover 

 the obstinate practices of imitation, in any of their 

 descendants. The times are changed ; the face of 

 the country is changed ; the quality of the soil has 

 changed and if we will live as well, and become as 

 rich and respectable as our fathers, we must cultivate 

 their virtues ; but abandon their system of farming, 

 and reclaim their lands, which have become exhaust- 

 ed by bad tillage, in passing down to us ; this can 

 easily be done by labour and manure, under a regu- 

 lar rotinc of crops, with large and flourishing stocks 

 of cows, cattle, sheep and hogs, with as few horses 

 is 'he no.tv.re f 'bin^s and circumstances of ei?" 



