522 



FARMERS' REGISTER— AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



gard to the cost of his prize, will (rain it from his 

 rivals. But the ohject of all these premiums 

 should really be, to ascertain and establish the 

 most economical way of fiittening stock' of every 

 kind; and consequently, a particular and trust- 

 worthy statement of the mode ol" fattening, should 

 never be dispensed with in any case whatever. 

 By no other means can the poor ftirmers be ena- 

 bled to compete with the rich, although to encour- 

 age this competition, without a risk of loss to 

 either, ought surely to be one cardinal purpose of 

 every agricultural society; and this can be done 

 only by making economy, and not protiision in the 

 process of lattening, the chief test of superiority. 

 In reviewing the previous remarks, I find that I 

 have omitted what seems to me the strongest ar- 

 gument in favor of annually re(iuiring, as a matter 

 of duty, verbal or written statements from all the 

 members of our agricultural societies, who are cul- 

 tivators of the soil. The consciousness of this ob- 

 ligation would be a powerful incentive to increased 

 effort in all their agricultural ojjerations, while its 

 fulfilment would teach them method — a thing in 

 which most southern agriculturists are deplorably 

 deficient; for not a few may be found who keep no 

 farming accounts whatever — who have no know- 

 ledge of what their net profi's, (if any,) may be; 

 nor can tell any thing scarcely, about then- farms, 

 but the gross amount of sales. The apprehension 

 loo, of each reporting member, lest his own state- | 

 ment might fall below the average standard, 

 would certainly excite a more constant and judi- 

 cious attention to every part of his professional 

 business, than if no such public expose was re- 

 quired to prove how far he had fulfilled all the du- 

 ties of a good farmer. It is true that such a re- 

 quirement would tend strongly to produce exag- 

 gerated reports, but men must trust each other to 

 some extent, in almost all situations; and in this 

 case we ought to hope, that the sentiments of 

 truth and honor would so far check "the long-gun 

 shooters" to be found in all large associations of 

 men, as to secure unvarnished statements from a 

 great majority of the members of every agricultu- 

 ral society, who could be prevailed upon to report 

 at all. The performance of this duty would not, 

 of course, be expected from any but the cultiva- 

 tors of the soil. These, however, should feel 

 themselves bound to perform it, and then each 

 would become more and more attached to his par- 

 ticular society, from a consciousness that he Avas 

 every year contributing something more than his 

 mere subscription money, towards the benificent 

 objects of its establishment. All members need 

 not be farmers, planters, or graziers; but all should 

 be, at least, thoroughly convinced of the great 

 utility of agricultural societies, and constantly de- 

 sirous to co-operate actively in promoting their 

 purposes. Then would the salutary efficiency of 

 these associations soon be rendered so perfectly 

 manifest to all, that there would scarcely be a 

 county in the state without them. There is but 

 one class of persons among those who are apt to 

 become members, that I think ought to be care- 

 fully excluded, if there was any mark by which 

 they could be previously known. I mean the 

 dragoons of that flying squadron of [iretended ag- 

 riculturists, who dash in, wherever they expect 

 some paltry pecuniary gain, by carrying off pre- 

 miums, and then, as suddenly, dash out, when 

 the prospect of such petty plunder no longer pre- 



sents itself! These harpies care no more for the 

 interests of agriculture than tliey do for those of 

 the Grand Turk, and generally know quite as lit- 

 tle about them. But tliey will always be found 

 hovering over, and ready to pounce upon the 

 funds, however slender, of e\ery agricultural so- 

 ciety, where there are shows and fairs. Their 

 motives, however, usually carry their own pun- 

 ishment along with them; for like gamblers in a lot- 

 tery or at faro, they almost always leave more mo- 

 ney than they carry away. Although each is ready 

 to say, "farewell, ye agricultural gulls," as soon 

 as he clutches the miserable pittance for which he 

 came, this is generally more than reimbursed by 

 the greedy contributions of his unsuccessful com- 

 petitors of the same s((uadron or troop. Verily 

 they get their deserts in the loss of some two or 

 three dollars, and the gam of angiy and grievous 

 disappointment in failing to make some six, seven, 

 or eight hundred per cent, upon their petty out-lay 

 of some two or three hiuidred cents! Add to this, 

 they are always sure of a rich recompense of re- 

 ward in the scorn and contempt of all who under- 

 stand their motives. 



P. S. To ma,ke myself better understood in re- 

 gard to the annual reports recommended to be 

 made by all the members of our agricultural so- 

 cieties, who are cultivators of the soil, I will take 

 the liberty of suggesting the following heads for 

 each, in a form sufficiently abbreviated, yet mi- 

 nute, to answer the purpose. 



Let each report state the number and kind of 

 laborers on the farm — the number of fields, of cul- 

 tivated acres in each, and rotiition of crops: the 

 number of plough team, and wliether horses, 

 mules, or oxen: how fed and sheltered, and wheth- 

 er kept up constantly, or occasionally grazed: aver- 

 age number of acres to the plough: average pro- 

 duce per acre in bushels of corn, wheat, oats, rj^e, 

 and root crops: pounds of cotton and tobacco per 

 acre: preparatory ploughing for corn and other 

 crops, how and when performed: corn, with what 

 implements, and how cultivated and harvested: 

 what use is made of the oH'al: small grain, how 

 seeded and harvested: number of different kinds 

 of stock, other than plough team, with their an- 

 nual increase or decrease — how fed and sheltered: 

 how much land manured by each kind, or all to- 

 gether, and from other sources, if any: time and 

 distance of hauling out manure: what increase of 

 product by its application, and how applied — by 

 ploughing in, or surface dressing: fallowing, if 

 any, how and when executed: what artificial 

 grasses are culti\'atcd, and how fed away: how 

 many of each kind of stock are fattened for mar- 

 ket, or family use, and what has been the process 

 of fattening. 



The minute particularity of the foregoing state- 

 n)ent, I daresay, will cause many to exclaim, "oh! 

 too troublesome entirely: I can't go it;" while 

 some of "the goodenoughs," in all the ineffable 

 pride of their self-sufficiency, Avill even make a 

 jest of it. But since it must be perfectly obvious, 

 on the slightest reflection, that all these circum- 

 stances are regarded as matters of importance, on 

 every well regulated farm, they are certainly wor- 

 thy the attention of all agriculturists desirous of 

 improving in their profession. To such as care 

 little or nothing about it, or believe themselves 



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