760 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



ing consciousness of having bonefiied our coun- 

 try, they leli; lor these successors ihe creation of a 

 prouJ mihtia and a fertile country, as equally 

 ineriiin<r national admiration and graiiiude, vvi'h 

 ihe leats which secured our iiidependence, and 

 placed prosperity within our reach. But of what 

 avad is it, that one set of patriols should have cut 

 away the causes which enleebled our niiliiia, and 

 impoverished our agricuhure, if another does not 

 enable us to reap from their valour the rewards 

 which excited it? After vvadin<^ through the 

 calan)ities of war near to these rewards, to reject 

 them, one by neglect, and the other by the preler- 

 ence ol' a harpy which always eats and never 

 feeds, seems only consistent with tlie policy of the 

 British parliament, which excited the resistance of 

 the revolutionary heroes. Had they been told 

 that they were fighting to destroy the militia, and 

 to make agriculture ibod lor charter and paper 

 capital, they would have discerned no reason 

 for making themselves Ibod lor powder. 



It would be easy to show that asrriculture never 

 can experience liiir treatment without a sound 

 militia, but it is a subject too extensive and iiiporl- 

 ant to be considered in this light way, and there- 

 lore they are only exhibited in union, in the con- 

 cluding essay, to remind the reader, that they are 

 political twins, one of whom never lives long free, 

 after the other dies. 



Executive, leixislative and festive encomiums of 

 these twins, which ought to be called " Liberty 

 and prosperity," though the unh;ippy delusions of 

 fervor, produce the knavish eilects of flattery ; 

 they prevent us (rom acquiring a militia and an 

 agriculture, which deserve praise, (liilse praise al- 

 ways excludes real merit,) and keep us without 

 laws lor raising either to mediocrity, much less 

 to perlection. I do not believe that these enco- 

 miums are generally the artifices of deliberate vice 

 and secret purpose, to inifiose upon the enthusias- 

 tic and unwary, in pursuance of the precedents 

 so often exhibited by rapacious priests clothed in 

 the garb of sanctity ; but yet rapacity may some- 

 limes a^L-sume the language of patriotism, to keep 

 Ihe people blind to the dangers which threaten, 

 and to the measures which can save them. 



The good humor of the Icstive board will bear 

 illustrations of these assertions, with lessdiscom- 

 Ibrt than cold design, or deluded negligence ; and 

 therefore, however inconsistent it may be with the 

 gravity and importance of our subject, an aversion 

 lor giving pain to any one, induces me to supply 

 it with the ibllowing toasts : 



The viilitia — The rock of our liberty. 



Unarmed, undisciplined, and without uniformity, 

 substituted by an ineffectual navy, an ineffec- 

 tual army, and paper volunteers, officered by 

 the president. 



Unpalronized even at the expense of a gun boat. 



Flattered and despised. 



Taught self contempt, instead of a proud and erect 

 ppirit. — A'ine cheers. 



./Agriculture — The fountain of our wealth. 



A land killer. 



A payer of bounties and receiver of none. 



A beaulifier of towns and a sacrificer of the 

 country. 



A cultivator for slock, without ^.tock for cultiva- 

 tion. 



Giving its money to those who will give it flatter}-, 

 A weight in the legislative scales of the United 

 Slates, as much heavier than a feather, as a 

 fijather is heavier than nothing. 

 Its labor steeped in an infusion of thievery, dissa- 

 tisfaction, and sedition, by a mixture of bond 

 and free nesrops. 

 Producing 40,000,000 dollars annually for expor- 

 tation, bearing most taxes lor public benefit, 

 and taxed in various modes lor the private bene- 

 fit of 300,000,000 dollars worth of capitalists 

 who pay no taxes. 

 Out of a remnant of the 40,000.000 dollars export- 

 ed, compelled by protecting duties to pay heavy 

 bounties for the encouragement of manufactures 

 already amounting to above 150,000,000 dollars 

 amiually. — Nine cheers more. 

 A (nvf words, at parting, to the reader, will 

 close these essays. If he is of the courteous na- 

 ture which loves to give and to receive flattery, or 

 if his interest lugs liim violently against them, he 

 may disbelieve the plainest truths they contain, or 

 at least reject them as being told in too blunt a 

 style. If he is ignorant of agriculture, or a devotee 

 of a parry or an idol, he will rather presume, that 

 our agriculture is pert'ecr and undefrauded, than 

 take the trouble of enabling liimself to judge, or 

 silently swallow the grossest errors, than give up 

 his superstition. These papers never contemplat- 

 ed the desperate hope of obtainins the attention 

 of any one of these characters. Half the profit 

 of agriculture must undoubtedly convince the 

 several inbes of cnpitalists, that it flourishes ex- 

 ceedingly. The idolator will rather embrace the 

 stake than truth, and the agriculturist, v/ho prefers 

 ignorance to knowledge, iliough these hasty 

 essays constituted a complete system of husban- 

 dry, would be as little benefited by them, as a 

 lawyer or a physician who practised by deputy, 

 would be l)y the Reports of Coke, or the Dispensa- 

 tory of Cuilen. Yet to those who would think 

 and inquire, opinions slowly and cautiously admit- 

 ted, upon various views of national interest, with- 

 out a motive likely to mislead or deceive, might 

 afford suggestions capable of becoming subser- 

 vient to better talents, awakened to the discussion 

 of subjects so momentous to national happiness. 

 To awaken such, was the summit of the author's 

 design. [Note G.] 



The cultivation of this crop, so important to the 

 United States, was not overlooked, but omitted 

 because it was probably better understood by 

 o'hers. But not having seen any thing published 

 in relation to it, and having paid some attention 

 to it for many years, it is not any longer neglected. 

 The root ol" cotton sinks deep into the earth. 

 Hence it requires deep culture. This is not as 

 attainable by the hoe as by the plough. The best 

 mode of effecting it which I have tried, is to lay 

 off" the ground in four ft^et ridges, raising those 

 ridges as high as possible, and opening the middle 

 furrou's as deep as possible. This operation should 

 take place in the Itill or early in the winter, leaving 

 the land in that state until it is time to plant the 

 seed. Then these ridges should be reversed, ma- 

 king them very high upon the furrows. The ex- 



