762 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



sure to the sun and dews ; and in wet they are 

 nearly ruined. For an experiment, I shocked 

 them in ihe mode just explained, quiie green and 

 dry ; but I chiefly allowed them from lour to eight 

 hours' sun, before they were shocked. Thus was 

 made the best Ibdder I have seen. But the wea- 

 ther was favorable. The ends ol the blades were 

 laid outwards, and the shocks bound at top by a 

 rope made of the blades. 



TIIK PRESENT AND POLITICAL STATE OF AG- 

 RICULTURE. 



Afier all, in these topics, which occupy the 

 twelve first numbers of this book, must the remedy 

 be found for the decreasing fertility of a great 

 portion of the United Slates, which, if not arrest- 

 ed, must terminate in want, famine, and depopu- 

 lation. All classes of people have a deep interest 

 in preventing these dreadfiil evils. The towns are 

 already suffering from n)ean, dear, and insufficient 

 supplies. The decay of agriculture, and a bad 

 police, are certainly the causes of these conspicu- 

 ous eH'ects. A bail police produces a fraudulent 

 traffic by slaves ; free people of color, and a few 

 bad ciiizens, discourages honest labor, and com- 

 pels it to require compensation in its prices, lor 

 the risk of thefi, or to shrink from the losses and 

 vexations it occasions. So far as the evil is caused 

 by this bad police, the remedy obviously lies in a 

 better. A belter can only be efiecied by laws, 

 which by rendering the products of labor more 

 secure, would tend to its encouragement, and 

 greatly advance the comfort, virtue, and happi- 

 ness of the community. Of this nature would be 

 laws for protecting live fences. They would pre- 

 vent wasteful trespasses, produce judicious graz- 

 ing, increase the quality and quantity of meats, 

 as well as of vegetables, and vastly improve the 

 cadaverous aspect of a great portion of the United 

 States. 



But the root of the evil lies still deeper. Wliy 

 is it, whilst our free form of government has be- 

 stowed life and energy on every other occupation, 

 that agriculture alone languishes? Patriotism 

 and benevolence, conscious of this calamity, have 

 unlbrtunately turned their eyes towards the local 

 projects of roads and canals, which, however desi- 

 rable, are remedies incapable of reaching the true 

 cause of the calamity; and even capable of ag- 

 gravating it in some degree, by causing an un- 

 thrifty expense, generally oppressive, for'^the sake 

 of local advantages of uncompensating value. 

 Such undertakings are naturally begotFen by a 

 previous flourishing state of agriculture, without 

 which they would be destitute of the food neces- 

 sary for their subsistence. Success even then 

 must depend upon the interest, economy and in- 

 dustry of individuals. When a republic becomes 

 an undertaker of agricultural improvements, the 

 expenditure of the public money terminates in the 

 same way, as if it should purchase and cultivate 

 a great number of farms for the public benefit. It 

 only awakens efforts for salary, and results in loss 

 and disappointment. The honor or contempt aris- 

 ing from such projects in i'rep, governments, is so 

 widely divided, as to leave little or no excitement 

 for labor, and industry in their execution, save 

 what arises from a competition lor contracts, and 



a struggle for appropriations. Hence the example 

 of a tyrant or monarch, who reaps all he sows, 

 and is therefore stimulated by his personal interest, 

 popularity and glory, is no precedent for us. He, 

 indeed, by his power, can force nature for a time 

 out of her course, raise cities in deserts at the ex- 

 pense of his subjects, or erect stupendous works 

 of art, without a benefit to mankind, correspondent 

 to their cost. But nature should be our guide. 

 This has decreed that a good state of agriculture 

 must precede that which it begets. It inevitably 

 produces, hy an easy birth, the best modes of 

 transportation, by awakening the efforts of indivi- 

 duals. 



The bad state of agriculture, on the navigable 

 waters, demonstrates that its cause does not lie 

 in any inconveniences of transportation, and there- 

 fore I can discern no other cause of sufficient force 

 to produce this visible effect, except the combined 

 weight of taxation, banking and protecting duties, 

 lying heavily upon agricultural effort. The pecu- 

 liar situation of our agriculture, in constituting al- 

 most the only source of national income, and in 

 being obliged to find foreign markets, leaves it al- 

 most exclusively exposed to these burdens, be- 

 cause the consumers of that portion of its labors, 

 from vi'hich its profit arises, live beyond their 

 reach, and contribute noihing towards their alle- 

 viation. They contribute towards Ihe alleviation 

 of agricultural burdens at home. Such is the case 

 with the consumers of the corn, wheat, cotton, 

 rice and tobacco the of United States. The 

 bounties paid by agricuKure to manufactures, pro- 

 bably exceed the amount of their contributions. 

 And banking being wholly supported by produc- 

 tive labor, wliilst it also withdraws from taxation 

 a great portion of the weafh of the nation, is itself a 

 heavy item of these burdens, instead of sharing 

 in them. In this accumulated pressure upon ag- 

 riculture is, in my opinion, to be found the true 

 cause of its bad and declining state. I question 

 whether there is an object of taxation so heavily 

 burdened in proportion to its ability, in any other 

 country. Its exports are the only resource for 

 meeting the demands upon it, direct and indirect, 

 and such of its wants which must be supplied by 

 money. The computation in relijrence to these 

 in the preceding part of this book, is already left 

 far behind, by Ihe rapid accumulation of its bur- 

 dens, to demonstrate which, the progress of taxa- 

 tion only is exhibited by the following extracts 

 from official reports, from its two extremes and ita 

 medium. 



By an esiimate'of the secretary 

 ef the treasury (Mr. Hamilton,) 

 of January 1, 1791, the expenses 

 of the federal government lor that 

 year, excluding interest on the na- 

 tional debt, and including the ex- 

 traordinary expense of an existing 

 Indian war, amounted to - - ^740,232 



By his estimate, dated Jan. 23, 

 1792, including the interest of ihe 

 national debt, these expenses a- 

 mounted to - - - - 3,638,043 



By an estimate of the secretary 

 of the treasury (Mr. Gallatin) da- 

 ted October 21, 1803, these expen- 

 ses, excluding the interest of the 

 public debt, amounted lo - - 2,500,000 



