CAPITAL NEEDED FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT. 407 



sure to come, die profit more certain to be re- 

 alized, Uian the profit of the merchant. The 

 farmer reaps a double profit iu fact — first in the 

 iHiprovement of tlie land, which enhances the 

 security for the debt, and in a certain increase 

 of the crop, each more than the interest on the 

 debt But how is Ae to get tlie means? Let 

 him but change his occupation — let him fly from 

 the lan/i ; let him abandon the conntry. and form 

 fellowship with any of the various crafts in 

 town, and the same industry and integrity will 

 ensure him credit and capital — nay, as if to as- 

 sist in, and give activity to, the system which 

 is desolating the country for the aggrandizement 

 of the cities, the legislation of the Government 

 is to be framed as if expressly intended for that 

 end. Thus, the •' irarehousing si/stem " is de- 

 vised, that he who has no capital, even to pay 

 duties, if he has the credit which industry and 

 ' good character, and letters based upon them, 

 will command for him in Europe ; tlie Govern- 

 ment is to build him a %varehouse in \vhich he 

 may store his goods until he can put them up at 

 auction, and sell them to pay the duties. In this 

 way is the power of Government so welded by 

 the so-called reprexeiitafiies of the (anded in- 

 terest as to help along every- other class but that 

 on which all others live, as birds live on the 

 g^ins of the field and the fruits of the orchard. 

 We complain not of this giving a ■^"ing to hon- 

 est industry to make it useful and productive to 

 the State ; on the contrary, it is all right ; but 

 why make fish of one and flesh of another ? 

 Can no plan, no association be devised, to give 

 equal assistance to farmers whose care and skill 

 and industry and economy, would ofier a suffi- 

 cient guaranty for the specific appropriation of 

 the amount to the improvement of his estate ? 

 In New-York, the land-holder can raise any 

 reasonable amount on "bond and mortgase." 

 and tliese bonds and mortgages, owing to the 

 amplencss of the security, and the facility 

 with which the money may be at any time 

 realized, pass currently from one capitalist to 

 another, and become favorite objects of invest- 

 ment While the interest is punctuall}' paid, 

 tlie principal is rarely called for : in the mean 

 time the estate is improving, and every year 

 making for tlie holder of the bond and mortgage 

 " assurance doubly sure." In Maryland, and 

 we believe iu Virginia, the land-holder, however 

 industrious and exemplarj-, enjoys no such fa- 

 cility, but is doomed to drudge on through a 

 long life-time, effecting re.sults that, if he could 

 get the means which may be commanded by a 

 manufacturer oramcrch ant, having not so much 

 Bohd secvirity to offer and no better character 

 than he, would enable him in five or six years 

 to double the value of his estate ; for aflcr all, 

 there is no business that will better, and at the 

 same time .so surely reward capital and indus- 



try, as Agriculture will when the labor and capi- 

 tal employed in it are applied with judgment 

 and economy. 



For ourselves, we confess with shame to no 

 such knowledge of money matters as will ena- 

 ble us to sketch a sjstem to meet tlie case we 

 have presented. In such matters our evil gen- 

 ius, or misfortune, or fault, has ever been to get 

 clear of that sort of " dust " quite as fast as we 

 could get it. With us, money has ever been 

 truly the representative of labor, but then 

 scarcely can -we touch it before it " maketh itself 

 wings and flieth away,'' so quickly, indeed, 

 that it seems not to go into the clirj-salis state, but 

 is as it •were born icilh icings. Nevertheless, 

 we will offer, on our own hook, a volume of the 

 Farmers' Library, in extra binding, to any 

 one -who will supply for its pages an essay, and 

 frame of a bill, for the action of the Maryland and 

 Virginia Legislatures, the object and frame of 

 which shall be, to offer such inducements as 

 will secure to the land-holder facilities equal 

 to those enjoyed by other classes, for borrovs-ing 

 capital on the pledge of landed property. The 

 credit must be long, in proportion to the time it 

 requires to realize tlie benefits : and no system 

 can be effectual ^^ hich does not make the re- 

 storation of the capital easy and certain to the 

 lender or his order : nor will the great public 

 object, that oi improving the country, be accom- 

 plished unless the strict application of the fund 

 to that object be in some way secured. 



In the mean time \ve so far venture to inter- 

 meddle in agncultural politics, as to recom- 

 mend ever}- landholder hi the United States to 

 bethink himself whether he ought not to de- 

 mand of the Government, which is his creature, 

 framed for his benefit, and for the support of 

 which he is taxed — whether. \ve repeat, he 

 ous-ht not to demand of tlie Government that for 

 every round dollar expended for the diffusion 

 of military knowledge and tlie support of mili- 

 tary establishments, an equal amount, at least, 

 .shall be expended for the diffu.?ion of agricul- 

 tural knowledge. On this subject we shall en- 

 large and insist by every- form of argument and 

 illustration, as long as these three fingers can 

 wield a pen. The reader will believe that 

 when we dwell on the want of means to give 

 activity to landed capital and plead for more prof- 

 itable results to rural iudustn,-, it is in uo spirit 

 of avaricious hankering after wealth — inordinate 

 wealth, for wealth's sake. No ! with all ideas 

 and plans for bettering the condition of the agri- 

 cultural interest we contemplate only the same 

 fair return for diligence and ingenuity iu the 

 use of the plow, that attends them in other pur- 

 suits — as far, at lea.'t. as depends on any action 

 of government. What we eagerly seek, and 

 almost hope to see. is. tliat Farmers shall be- 

 come more enlightened — more apprehensive of 



