NORFOLK SOCIETY. 301 



sometimes be of comparatively small value, but what he needs 

 of it to sustain life does not fluctuate — a bushel of corn for 

 home use, is always a bushel of corn, and will feed just as many 

 mouths at one time as another ; its intrinsic value to the pro- 

 ducer therefore — until he comes to a surplus — is always the 

 same. There may be times when he can purchase three bush- 

 els for a day's labor, but there will be times when his labor in 

 other pursuits is of no value, and will not purchase any. I have 

 ever thought it the part of widom, therefore, for every country, 

 — and why not every county and every town, — which has land 

 enough, to raise its own bread, to rely upon nothing for that, 

 but labor expended on the soil. The farmers of Norfolk, al- 

 though they have not the best land in the world, can, by im- 

 proved cultivation and diligent attention, produce bread enough 

 to supply the county ; and, as they have a market at their own 

 doors for every surplus article that they raise, and at good 

 prices too, it seems a little surprising that this source of profit 

 and prosperity is not more carefully looked to. 

 The whole value of our productions of the field 



and the forest in 1845, was, - - .$1,055,620 



The value of sheep, cattle and swine slaughtered, 



may be called, - - - - 130,000 



The value of the fisheries should rather be added 



here than to manufactures, - - 62,068 



Making a total of - - - $1,247,688 



The consumption of the county of all the products 

 of the earth and the sea, exclusive of manufac- 

 tures, was not less than - - - $1,800,000 



Leaving a deficiency of - - - $ 552,312 



paid out of the profits of labor not expended on the land or the 

 sea, but mainly in manufacturing establishments. The profit 

 so realized, was not only amply sufficient to cover this deficien- 

 cy, but to leave a large surplus; still, we all know that some 

 employments which were then very lucrative, have sadly fallen 

 away since, and we may perceive that the rivalry to our manu- 

 factures generally, which is daily increasing in other States, 



