476 



FA R M E It S ' REGISTER, 



[No. 8 



avarice, to turn his back upon the home of his na- 

 tivity, with all its endearments, to plunge into the 

 forest with all its privations, and dangers of accli- 

 mation. But this infernal pest, the Hessian fly, 

 (and a curse on the memory of George III. and 

 the German Prince, who sent them with the cut 

 throat band of mercenaries,) presents the only 

 bar to the Virginia farmers clearing 6 percent, and 

 by curtailing his principal auxiliary, and main 

 market crop, in a large portion of the state, re- 

 duces his profits to three per cent, and perhaps 

 less than that. Hence, with the increased facili- 

 ties of emigration to the cheap rich government 

 lands of the south and west, a constant overflowing 

 stream of population and wealth, has flown from 

 the Old Dominion. And for the last ten years, 

 since the policy of the federal government has 

 been to force off the public lands at the minimum 

 of $1.25 per acre, and more especially, since the 

 high price of cotton, this exhaustion of our wealth 

 and population, has been fearfully accelerated. 

 Men will not forego the prospect of doubling their 

 fortunes by a travel with their families some eight 

 or nine hundred miles, and delve on through life, 

 struggling with the disadvantages of farming at 

 a profit of 3 per cent, when, by the change, a pros- 

 pect so much more cheering is displayed. These 

 observations apply to the proprietors of the coun- 

 try; but how much more forcibly do they apply to 

 the larger class comprising tenants, overseers, 

 mechanics, or to use a northern and European 

 phrase, which by the way I do not admire, the 

 "working men'" of the country. These are part 

 of the bone and sinew of a country, and their loss 

 is irreparable. The home-loving Virginian mourns 

 their departure, and alas! how often has he done 

 it for several years past, while family after family, 

 and scores of young men have swung from their 

 native moorings, to people and enrich Alabama, 

 Mississippi, Louisiana, West Tennessee, Missou- 

 ri, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Arkansas, and even 

 Kentucky and Ohio; yet alter they have become 

 themselves hives to send out their swarms. 



It is a sad and gloomy thought for us who ivill 

 cling to our mother's bosom, and die with her an- 

 cient flag over us, that she is so retarded in her 

 progress in the race with her sisters of the union; 

 and patriotism — Virginia patriotism, restive at the 

 sight, naturally casts about for some means of al- 

 leviation, and some grounds for consolation. I 

 think it is obvious, that if a new direction to labor 

 in a considerable degree, could be given for pro- 

 ducing more certain staples than wheat, and less 

 scourging than tobacco, in which female and ju- 

 venile labor would be more generally and lucra- 

 tively employed, that we might anticipate the hap- 

 piest results. Regarding the absolute unprofita- 

 bleness of female labor, as well as of boys and 

 girls, black and white, in Virginia, and the oppres- 

 sive legislation of congress, as rendering all sun- 

 plies not raised at. home clear, in comparison with 

 ihe prices of our staples, coupled with the ravages 

 of the Hessian fly on wheat, as the principal 

 causes of Virginians being driven into exile, I 

 have anxiously sought for means of relief As a 

 Virginia patriot, (and when I cease to be one, sec- 

 tional as may be the feeling, it will be time forme 

 to emigrate,) I have deemed it a sacred duty to 

 endeavor to sustain her in her untoward situation, 

 and trust I have contributed my humble mite in 



coming to the rescue, although I have located an 

 interest far beyond her borders. 



Although I regard the above three causes of 

 Virginia's depression as having been mainly op- 

 erative, yet the first, I think, has certainly been 

 most so of the three; and since the second, by the 

 arrest of the unjust, and unconstitutional protec- 

 tive tariff (thanks to gallant South Carolina,) and 

 the approaching termination of the supply of rich 

 government lands, will be greatly reduced in its 

 operation upon us; and the last is regarded by me as 

 hopeless of cure, my attention has been mostly 

 directed against the first evil. Female and juve- 

 nile labor consumes more than half in every com- 

 munity, and of how little avail is their labor in 

 Virginia raising corn, wheat, and tobacco, which 

 are the three only staples! Her mining, fishing, 

 mercantile and grazing interests yield hardly any 

 employment to them. Hence they rest as an in- 

 cubus on our productive labor, instead of sustain- 

 ing themselves, and even adding to the income, as 

 is the case to the north. There, a father's income 

 increases from the joint labor of his sons and 

 daughters, as ihey are raising — and this is the 

 case in a cotton growing country like the south 

 and south-west; while here, the more children, the 

 more indigent the family. And with the slave 

 holder, if his slaves breed rapidly, he will be found 

 in arrear in a few years, and to square himself 

 from debt, must pick a quarrel with one or two in 

 order to screw his and his wife's feelings up to the 

 selling point, to prevent the sheriff Irom seizing 

 some one that may be dearer to them. In the 

 non-slave holding states every species of manu- 

 facture has been introduced, under the fostering 

 stimulus of federal protection, and the energetic 

 enterprize of an industrious people. 1 have tra- 

 velled amongst, them principally with a view of 

 discovering some plan fin - the improvement of the 

 condition of our poor and laboring classes, and for 

 deciding whether it is not, possible to turn the op- 

 pressive incubus upon male labor, in the unprofit- 

 ableness and want of employment of female and 

 juvenile labor, into an active auxiliary source of 

 support, and even of income. 



The result of my observations and reflections is, 

 that capitalists should, as they doubtless can with 

 safety and profit, embark in manufactures to a 

 ten-fold extent. Our streams present cheap pro- 

 pelling power. These factories would afford much 

 remunerative employment to women, boys, and 

 girls, both black and white, and render us less de- 

 pendent on the north, whose apathy in suppress- 

 ing our most cruel foes, the impertinent incendiary 

 abolitionists, admonishes us to lessen our inter- 

 course with them, and seek more independence of 

 their supplies, by raising them at home, on better 

 terms — especially such, the production of which 

 affords lucrative employment to females and 

 youths of both sexes. Our land holders, I think, 

 should try to supersede wheat, except on the high- 

 ly improved lots, by mingling the culture of the 

 mulberry (the Chinese) and introduce the raising 

 of raw silk for manufactures, which would doubt- 

 less spring ii]) in a silk raising country. This 

 branch of industry now being introduced in the 

 less genial region of New England and New 

 York, will, if introduced into Virginia, afford the 

 greatest and most beneficial and suitable employ- 

 ment Ibr our unproductive classes. The raising 

 of the orchard — feeding of the worms — manamnrr 



