1S3T] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



219 



O.V Tilt: I'SK OK REAL Sir.XATUUES TO AORI- 

 CUI/rUKAL COM. «U.\1 CATIONS; 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Your rc>rn\^|ioiuUMit, "The Eiistern Shore of 

 JNlarvlaiid."' in the June niimlHM- ol" the Fanners' 

 RfiTisier, id vt'ry severe, aiid ajipears to be (juite 

 Hillary w'ilh those who, ditl':;iiu:j; Irotii hint in opin- 

 ion, presume to allis their naiiies lo their liiets, in 

 the belief that it may ali'oril some security against 

 imposition, lie holds the praciice unnecesj^ary, 

 because he deems the "eJ(7or' responsible lor the 

 truth ol'^zi-'fs — and, he considers it very, immodest. 

 To me, thout!;!\ unconcerned io tlie matter, ex- 

 cept so lar as to seek the truth, it seems unreason- 

 able to hold the editor of a periodical devoted to 

 agriculture responsible lor tacts communicated by 

 his numerous corre3j)ondenls in all sections of the 

 United Stales — a larife majority of whom, he may 

 have no persoiiiil knowledge oC — and who mtty 

 have erred in their statemenis, or in their obser- 

 vaiions, innocently or wilfully, as the various pro- 

 pensities of liieir minds may have iiiBuenced them. 

 Tlie editor cerlaitdy cannot detertnine tiieir respec- 

 tive motive powers, antljiberefire, hecannot,J((s//?/, 

 dr rdasoiiabty, be deemed responsible tor the eliiicls 

 of them. 



Fov libelloas, or dafamato'~y i\\ct-:^y it is true, the 

 gentieuian's position may be correct — the editor 

 may, for such, be responsible; bu!, for the simj)le 

 statement of unoffending, agricultural diets, I am 

 inclined to believe, it vviil be fjenerally admitted, 

 that the reason and the ground of responsibility 

 are absent. Your correspondent, in his "m^desfi/," 

 which he savs, is the "crown of many virtues," re- 

 quires that Virginians, North and South Carolini- 

 ans, and all others, who, with his arms, shall sub- 

 due the pestilent enemy, "the weevil," shall 

 make their acknowledgments in the Reg;ister, &c. 

 &c. to him, as the author of the remedy of burn- 

 ing sulphur in the infected granary, lor the des- 

 truction of the weevil. Being a "retired farmer," 

 he might have had time to read in two of the best 

 "periodicals" on agricultural subjects, which this 

 country has produced — "the American Farmer" 

 and the "Farmers' R°irisfer" — that this remeily 

 had been recomti'ended lor the destruction of the 

 weevil, in the former, lor about fii'teen years, and, 

 in the latter, about three years. Hid fe affixed his 

 name, he wouLl probably have been more carehil 

 in the perusal of these works, and would have dis- 

 covered that the remedy is not novel. Your cor- 

 respondent "has known some half vvitted" and 

 "half educated" gentlemen in Maryland, v/ho 

 would have "got on tolerably well," but for their 

 unhappy p'-opensity to scribbling over their pro- 

 per names;" arnl he advise^ them of the resi- 

 dence of ^^Dr. Syntax,^'' in Virixinia, for their be- 

 nefit. He might have been sensible of the fact, 

 that typographical errors are frequent at all pres- 

 ses; auii, ordinary liberality would ascribe to this 

 cause, the palpable errors, which olten occur in 

 the orthoirraphy, as well as in the structure of a 

 />ri/i<ed sentence. And he should have remember- 

 ed, ttio, the old adaize, "that he v,?ho lives in a 

 glass house, sboiilJ not throw stones." 



* * # # # # 



In truth, and in candor, I write this remon- 

 strance, not that I am personally concerned in the 

 case, nor that I care about '■^blazoning''' the name, 

 Vol. V-82 



but in the earnest hope, that the "Eastern Shore- 

 Farmer of Maryland," and all others, will preserve 

 that mutual fraternity oi'liielinir; which, in all com- 

 munities, is conducive to the individual and gene- 

 ral good, and happiness — and which, in the much 

 negle.cted coimiiunity of agriculture, is peculiarly 

 essential to its prosperity. And, I regret to have 

 read in your "Register," asperities of remark, pro- 

 duced by a mere diH'ereiice of opinion, whicii mav 

 occur with the most hones*, and most enlightened 

 members of any community. And 1 have adduced 

 I he insiance of a very clever, and, possibly, a very 

 correct writer, offending "Dr. Syntax," either by 

 himself, or his printer, to show the propriety of a 

 liberal construction, even upon the palpable errors^ 

 though numerous, of 

 BiioTHiiR Farmers OF theE.S. ofMd. 



[The forej^oingletter exhibits "asperities of remark," 

 wliich vrs are sorry to see in tlie Farmers' Register; 

 nor vvoitid th?y have been permitted to appear, but in 

 reply to other remarks, which, though general, and 

 which we did not, and still do not, suppose had a par- 

 ticular allusion, and certainly had none that was mani- 

 fest, to any one of our contributors, yet reflected harshly 

 and improperly upon one distinguishing characteristic 

 of our most valued and useful correspondents — and who 

 are the most useful because that their names are permit- 

 ted toaiitlienticate their statements. We know that our 

 present correspondent does not even suspect who is the 

 other, and it is believed that neither of them designed 

 to apply his remarks to the other, as an individual; and 

 as each has now shot his bolt, and (though in the dark,) 

 with sufficient force, we hope that the controversy may 

 be sutfered to end here. 



We regarded the remarks signed the "Eastern Shore 

 of Maryland," in the light of a condemnation of our own 

 opinion as often expressed on this subject, and of our 

 own practice too, (in cnany cases when communicating 

 statements of facts,) fully as much as a censure of any 

 other individual. Our communications to the Farmers' 

 Register, (not in editorial form) have been usually 

 placed upon the footing which we have recommended 

 to others. Pieces of merely a theoretical, argumenta- 

 tive, or didactic character, have often been presented 

 anonymously — but practical articles, and state meats of 

 facts, have usually been either given over the real 

 name, or signed by initials nearly as well known. 

 That we have ever used initials, or written anony- 

 mously, on any subject of practical agriculture, has 

 been owing to our position as editor, and the fear of 

 appearing unnecessarily conspicuous, in the different 

 character of a contributor. Still, to our own course in 

 this respect the general censures of our former cor- 

 respondent were sufficiently applicable: but, as they 

 were not considered as d-^signed to apply to any par- 

 ticular individuil, we, of coursa, took no offence at 

 being made to b?ar osir full share of thf attack. No 

 other person had any b 'tt/r ground to be offended, 

 unless indsed the c?nsiire was meant, and appeared to 

 b'^ m^anS to apply to a particular writer. We enter- 

 tain-'d no such sasp'cion then, nor do we now. 



We daamed it quite unnecessary, at the time, to 

 comiBent on the strictures of the "Eastern Shore of 



