422 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



circle of human knowledge." In this circle, 

 however, there are many departments — some 

 of relatively little value, others of essential im- 

 portanee, vitally connected with the industrial 

 pursuits and well-being of man. It is my pur- 

 pose to bring forward, as I may be able, the 

 claims of Agriculture to a prominent place in 

 the Institution about to be established. 



In attempting to show these claims, we must 

 not be supposed to underrate the great interests 

 of Commerce, Mining, Manufactures, and simi- 

 lar pursuits. These interests and those of Agri- 

 culture are closely related. They are mutually 

 beneficial — they flourish and decline together. 

 Especially, if Agriculture, the leading interest 

 among us, shall be promoted, all other depart- 

 ments of human labor will feel the beneficial 

 impulse. 



The United States are now, and must con- 

 tinue for a long period, essentially an agricultu- 

 ral nation. This is proved by the last Census. 

 The " Compendium of the Sixth Censu.s," as 

 prepared by the Department of State, shows 

 that in 18-40 there were engaged in Agriculture 

 3,719,951 persons, while at the same time there 

 were in all other kinds of business only 1,079,- 

 548 persons. For every person, therefore, en- 

 gaged in other kinds of business, we find more 

 than three employed in Agriculture — the ratio 

 between the foregoing numbers being 1 to 

 3.44-(— When we consider this ratio, together 

 with the sparseness of our population, and our 

 large aad increasing territory, we must be re- 

 garded as an agricultural people, and destined 

 so to continue. The habits and the interests of 

 the people incline them, as a bodj', to the coun- 

 try, where may be found the true freedom and 

 independence of America. The inestimable 

 value of our social and civil institutions is seen 

 nowhere, we think, to as great advantage as in 

 the farm-house, or the country mansion of the 

 planter. So long as the spirit of those institu- 

 tions exists among us, we shall continue an ag- 

 ricultural people. 



To show the preeminent claims of Agricul- 

 ture to our attention, we will refer to some sta- 

 tistics relating to particular sections of the coun- 

 try. We shall assume Massachusetts, Virginia, 

 Mississippi, and Indiana, as fit representative 

 States of different sections of the Union, and 

 briefly notice this agricultural condition. 



In 1840, Massachusetts contained 87,837 per- 

 sons employed in Agriculture, 85,166 in Manu- 

 factures and Trades, 35,219 in Commerce and 

 Navigation, and 4,675 in other pursuits. It 

 would seem, therefore, that, judging from the 

 number of persons employed, we should regard 

 the interests of Agriculture preeminent even in 

 the Old Bay State, ■where other interests are 

 cherished and protected with much care. The 

 following table shows the ratio of the number 

 (882) 



of persons employed in Agriculture to the num- 

 ber emplojed in all other pursuits, in Virginia, 

 Mississippi and Indiana : 



Agricultiire. Other pursuits. Ratio. 



Virginia 318,771 69,903 4..56-|- 



Mississippi ..139,724 7,077 19.74-4- 



Indiaua 148,806 26,852 5.54-}- 



The agricultural population is, therefore, more 

 than four and a half times as large as the pop- 

 ulation depending on other kinds of labor in 

 Virginia ; more than nirKfcen and a half times 

 in Mississippi ; and in Indiana more than five 

 arid a half tmies as large. If, as political econ- 

 omists may contend, the profits of Agriculture 

 and other forms of human labor are equal, the 

 value of agricultural profits for 1 j-ear is equal to 

 the profits of all other pursuits for 4 J years in 

 Virginia, nearly 20 years in Mississippi, and 5J 

 years in Indiana. Are not the claims of Agri- 

 culture to the protection and favor of Govern- 

 ment proportionately strong ? If, as %ve have 

 shown, three fourths of the whole population of 

 the country, and if ni neteen-twentieths of some 

 States are employed in Agiiculture, it should 

 seem but just that its invaluable interests receive 

 proportionate care. 



If we were to consider the counties of the dif- 

 ferent States, or even of a single State, equally 

 decisive results would be obtained. We shall 

 refer only to the county of Mecklenberg. from 

 which we write. The number of persons em- 

 ployed in Agriculture in this county is 6,572; 

 while those otherwise employed number only 

 789— giving the ratio of 1 to 8.3-f. So that more 

 than eight-ninths of the population of this large 

 and respectable county subsist by cultivating 

 the soil ; and of the 789 who ai'e said to be oth- 

 erwise emploj'ed, I know but very fe^v who do 

 not receive the means of subsistence, more or 

 less, from the same source. This is, no doubt, 

 true also of nearly every county in the State, 

 and perhaps in the Union. 



Not wishing to be tedious, I will conclude 

 this part of the subject witli a brief reference to 

 the annual products of some of our most valua- 

 ble crops. A table of much interest respecting 

 Agriculture may be found at page 375 of the 

 " Compendium of the Sixth Census," already 

 mentioned ; •which may also be found in " Tuck- 

 er's Progress of the United States," and at 

 page 274 of that most excellent publication, the 

 " Monthly Journal of Agriculture," by Mr. Skin- 

 ner, of New- York. From that table we take 

 the following results :— The United States pro- 

 duce annually 84,823,272 bushels of Wheat, 

 123,071,341 bushels of Oats, 377,.531,875 bushels 

 of Indian Corn, 108,278,060 bushels of Potatoes, 

 219,163,319 pounds of Tobacco, 790,479,275 

 pounds of Cotton, and 15.5,110,809 pounds of 

 Sugar ^f we estimate these crops according to 

 their present prices in the city of Richmond, 

 Va. wo shall find them to be wortli from four 



