536 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No.^ 



servation, at least to the full extent, I believe there 

 are reasons, arising out of the nature of man and 

 the constitution of society, which will account lor, 

 and excuse any delinquency in this noble pursuit. 



In order to secure the utmost exertion of his fa- 

 culties, man has ever needed the powerful aid of 

 concentrated action, and to be stimulated by the 

 hope of success. While governments have care- 

 fully encouraged and rewarded enterprise, in other 

 pursuits — with a few honorable exceptions — they 

 have either embarrassed agriculture, by awkward 

 attempts to afford aid, or positively depressed her, 

 by unjust exactions, or unskilful interferences with 

 her concerns. 



From the nature of most other pursuits, their 

 votaries can easily assemble, either for the pur- 

 pose of regulating prices, appealing to govern- 

 ment for aid, consulting for their common good — 

 or they can, with comparative facility, change the 

 place of residence, and adapt their labors or com- 

 modities to the state of the market. While the 

 scattered condition of agriculturists, the expensive 

 preparations of internal improvement and other 

 adaptations for their common benefit, the conflict- 

 ing interests arising from locality, and the sacri- 

 fices connected with removal, render most of these 

 objects almost unattainable. The nature of the 

 employment too, requiring such multitudes to be 

 engaged in it, in order to secure food for the race, 

 while it also demands, for great success, such high 

 attainments in science, from its votaries, consti- 

 tutes another serious obstacle to its improvement. 



For the highest success in agriculture, diligent 

 study of its theory, and application to its practice 

 are indispensable. It is true, that many very 

 thriving farmers hold the former in great contempt. 

 But the simplest operation in husbandry has its 

 reason, or, in other words, its theory — and whe- 

 ther this is learned from books, derived from the 

 instruction of others, or from personal observation, 

 it is still theory, and leads to the practice. The 

 reason why theory in agriculture has lallen into 

 disrepute, is plain : those who make the greatest 

 noise about it, are apt to be speculative, visionary 

 men, who dream of deriving splendid profits, from 

 the wildest schemes, while they have not the in- 

 dustry and perseverance to execute the simplest. 

 The case is the same in all professions. When- 

 ever tliey get filled with incompetent men, whose 

 high pretensions are betrayed and their ignorance 

 exposed, by their blundering performances, the 

 undiscerning lose confidence in the science they 

 profess, and prefer the boldest empiricism, provid- 

 ed it be not directed by book-learned theory. And, 

 perchance, they may fare as well with the one, as 

 with the other. But, sound learning, guiding a 

 conscientious and diligent practice, in agriculture 

 and all the other avocations of man, will always, 

 eventually, secure the approbation and encourage- 

 ment of strong-minded and judicious men. It is 

 the doom of man to attain high enjoyment and 

 profit, only by ardent and persevering exertion. 

 From this, the agriculturist may not expect ex- 

 emption. His profession, to attain the dignified 

 station it may claim among the arts of men, should 

 draw for its principles, from the whole round of 

 physical sciences, from the purest morality, and 

 the sublime truths of religion ; requiring — for a 

 thorough knowledge of it — perhaps a more ardu- 

 ous course of study and preparation than any 

 other. 



For the removal of evils and difficulties of a 

 general nature, the formation of agricultural so- 

 cieties has been resorted to. These, if properly 

 constituted and diligently attended, may effect 

 much good, in the sphere of their action. But, 

 tlom the nature of the case, they must, for the 

 accomplishment of the grand purposes required 

 by the general interests of agriculture, be entirely 

 impotent. The)', moreover, generally die in in- 

 fancy, for want of nursing. It would be a waste 

 of time, to remark upon the incompetency of our 

 political legislatures, for this purpose. Nothing 

 but the formation of bodies, for the special busi- 

 ness, possessing both power and means — some- 

 thing like the Agricultural Board in England, or 

 the Highland Society in Scotland — can be effici- 

 ent. Such a body of men might be employed, 

 among other things, in ascertaining and recom- 

 mending suitable routes for roads and other chan- 

 nels of conveyance for the products of agriculture 

 and manures lor the improvement of the soil. The 

 time is speedily coming, when the great benefit of 

 lime, gypsum, bone-dust, poudrette, animalized 

 carbon and many other new manures, will be ge- 

 nerally admitted and desired. In the present mi- 

 serable state of internal improvement in Virginia, 

 it is no matter for surprise, that our husbandry 

 should be so defective. From the splendid 

 schemes of extended navigation and rail-ways, 

 now in agitation, we, in this region, are likely to 

 derive but little benefit. We need improvements 

 more limited in their objects and extent. For in- 

 stance, if a good rail-road, or even a turnpike, so 

 nicely graduated and well constructed, that a good 

 team might draw on it ten thousand pounds, 

 were made from Lynchburg, or some more con- 

 venient point on the river below — along one of 

 those fine ridges on the south or the north side of 

 the Appomattox to Farmville, it would afford to 

 some of the valley counties and several counties 

 on this side of the Blue Ridge, a more extensive 

 market for many of their commodities, such as 

 butter, cheese, tallow, wool, honey, domestic 

 linen, &c., while we might be enabled to procure 

 lime for manuring on remunerative terms. Until 

 lime can be procured, at a much lower price than 

 it has heretofore commanded, and our roads and 

 other means of transportation are vastly improv- 

 ed, and until a much greater proportion of out po- 

 pulation are engaged in other than agricultural 

 pursuits, there can be no hope of elevating our 

 husbandry to the highest grade. For while these 

 advantages are denied to us, we are almost com- 

 pelled, as a body, to grow tobacco, /or a market 

 crop. This consumes more manure, and more 

 time and attention, than any other. And the be- 

 nefit of a meliorating rotation of crops, and of al- 

 most every other improving method of culture, is 

 placed beyond our reach. 



But, the consideration of these general matters, 

 over which we have no control, may be waived, 

 while we attend to those coming more particularly 

 within our province. 



JVlost of us cultivate, on the belt of gray hickory 

 land, extending, in length — with a variable 

 width — from about the mouth of Deep Creek, in 

 Powhatan, to the head of Bush River, in Prince 

 Edward. It is the region, for which the late 

 John Randolph, of Roanoke, said, that God had 

 done more to bless, and man more to destroy, 

 than for any country he had ever seen. Its pe- 



