226 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 4. 



Whether land is sour or sweet, I am not che- 

 mist enough to determine: but I do know that the 

 red sorrel will not grow on marled lands, as I have 

 had a very fair opportunity of being abundantly 

 satisfied. The whole of my land was covered 

 formerly knee deep with a most luxuriant growth 

 of this beautiful plant. At this time there is none 

 to be seen, nor for the last eight or ten years. 

 With great respect, 



I remain, dear sir, 



Your obedient servant, 



L. EESKEKS. 



[We learn from the foregoing letter what we had 

 no idea of before, that Mr. Benners' experience of the 

 use of marl commenced as long ago as 18 IS — the same 

 year of our own first effort to profit by this mode of 

 improvement. That the benefit of marling should 

 have been so long exhibited, in a region eminently 

 fitted to reap its richest rewards, without inducing 

 others to follow the example, and scarcely to believe 

 in the results, are facts both strange and lamentable. 

 Nothing can place in a stronger point of view, the 

 former and existing want of intercourse and exchange 

 of opinions among farmers, and of the vast importance 

 of agricultural periodical publications, as a means of 

 remedy. 



Mr. Benners seems to have placed an erroneous 

 construction on a part of the work which he refers to, 

 and which it would be improper here to pass with- 

 out notice. In stating and proving at length that 

 English farmers and writers have very often called 

 marl what was merely clay, but slightly if at all calca- 

 reous, the author did not mean to contend for the cor- 

 rectness of the application of the term — but directly 

 the reverse: and he would neither attach the name of 

 marl, or consider of much value as manure, any clay 

 which was not calcareous.] 



LOW PRICED AGRICULTURAL PUBLICATIONS. 

 EXTENSION OF THE PLAN OF THE FAR- 

 BIERS 1 REGISTER. 



Low priced newspapers, and other periodical pub- 

 lications, are now so common, and so little regard is 

 paid by the majority of readers to the considerations 

 which ought to recommend more costly works, that 

 some concession must be made to the prevailing opin- 

 ions, in this respect, to be enabled to spread any pub- 

 lication very widely. Especially does this apply to 

 agricultural publications among the middle class of 

 farmers, by far the most numerous and important class, 

 both as farmers and as citizens, and therefore the most 

 desirable to attract and retain as readers and subscri- 

 bers. Unless the main ingredient of a publication 

 consists of party politics — the exciting and maddening 

 intellectual food of thousands to whom every other 

 kind is insipid, or repulsive — scarcely any periodical 

 at $5 a year can now obtain very general circulation 

 in the southern and western states. 



It is unnecessary to state here, the various causes of 

 expense which serve to add to the price of a periodical 

 published in the manner, and form of the Farmers' 



Register — or to show, as might easily be done, that for 

 its cost to the publisher, its style of execution, and for 

 the amount and value of its contents, that it is truly a 

 cheap work. This is so well understood by the greater 

 number of those who are its present supporters, that 

 they would not choose to have its form changed, and 

 to yield the peculiar advantages of its present plan, for 

 any consequent abatement of price. Neither is it our 

 wish or intention, to lessen the value or the beauty and 

 convenient form of the present publication — but on 

 the contrary, to continue (as has been commenced al- 

 ready) to give increased cost and value to the material, 

 and mechanical execution, and to as great extent as 

 the object requires, and the means may authorise. But 

 while carefully guarding against impairing the value, 

 or lowering the grade of the Fanners' Register, as now 

 published, it is highly desirable to suit the wishes, and 

 gain the support, of the very many farmers of Virginia, 

 and adjoining states, who have not yet learned the 

 value of agricultural periodicals, and who will not 

 profit by them, except when conforming to their ge- 

 neral and commendable (though in this respect mis- 

 taken) views of economy. However extensively and 

 liberally this journal has been supported, it must be 

 confessed that it has comparatively made but little pro- 

 gress among the middle class of proprietors. It is true, 

 that some farmers whose poverty forbids their indulg- 

 ing in any useless expense, and who labor daily and 

 assiduously for their maintenance, are among our sub- 

 scribers — and we are proud to have their support, be- 

 cause the amount of expense to them, is equivalent to 

 a very high estimate of the value of the work. But 

 for every one such, whom we can boast of as a sub- 

 scriber, there are perhaps fifty who are rich, or at least 

 in the possession of competent fortunes, who have 

 withheld their aid, and that on account of the expense 

 of the subscription. Without stopping to oppose the 

 soundness of this objection, it will be admitted that it 

 exists, and operates extensively — and every friend of 

 this journal, and to the cause which it is designed to 

 support, will admit the high importance of removing 

 this obstacle to its circulation, and of gaining access, 

 if possible, to a far more extensive body of readers. 



With this view, a low priced publication is pro- 

 posed, consisting of a single sheet, to issue four times a 

 month, and to contain nearly the same matter as the 

 monthly publication. But getting rid of the cost of 

 the difference in the value of paper and of execution, 

 and of the entire cost of various other matters peculiar 

 to book work, and to the mode of delivery of our 

 present publication, the work in the cheaper form may 

 be furnished at little more than half the present price, 

 and yet yield as much profit upon the same amount of 

 annual receipts. Or in other words, 3000 subscribers 

 at the rate of $2.50 would yield nearly as much profit, 

 as 1500 at $5. The vast difference of benefit to the 

 general interests of agriculture, which will be caused 

 by the greater number of subscribers, is a sufficient 

 inducement for us to risk the possible contingency of 

 loss from a smaller accession of names, and of course 

 a proportional diminution, in future, of the present 

 amount of receipts. A specimen sheet and proposals 



