ttlE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



S9 



about southern agriculture and agricultural opi- 

 nions, in supreme contempt. 



The same objections may be and probably are 

 alleged against all other well known agricultural 

 publications ia our country ; but it is enough for 

 us to speak in regard to our own. 



In the first place, then, the charges are not cor- 

 rectly Ibunded in point of fact. We admit, gene- 

 rally, and regret that it should be so, existing defi- 

 ciencies of practical information on every branch of 

 agriculture — deficiencies too which could be well 

 and easily supplied by hundreds of different indi- 

 viduals among our subscribers and readers. And 

 truth requires that this admission should extend to 

 the culture and the improvements of our near 

 neighbors, as well as to remote regions and other 

 modes of culture. But we deny, and refer to the 

 past publication for the proof, that the contents 

 have been at all exclusive in regard to subjects, or 

 that any one interest has been neglected, or kind 

 of culture overlooked, if it was possible to obtain 

 articles thereon to publish. The farmers of the 

 Valley, and graziers of the more western moun- 

 tains of Virginia, if they had examined, before 

 charging a deficiency by guess, would have seen 

 that marked attention has been given in this work 

 to all their peculiar agricultural interests. Besides 

 hundreds of minor articles, embracing every thing 

 original that has been communicated, and all that 

 is worthy of republication from other journals, 

 there are the long articles, with numerous and 

 beautiful and costly engravings, on the various 

 breeds of cattle, and the entire works of Stephens 

 and Johnstone on draining and irrigation. Both 

 the latter new and expensive works we specially 

 imported for the purpose of republication, when 

 not a copy had before reached this country; and 

 of these works alone, we would say that if a drain- 

 ing or grass and cattle farmer received no other 

 benefit from our eight volumes, he would not be a 

 loser on his out-lay. 



In like manner, tobacco culture, andolherbranch- 

 es of agriculture of the middle country, have been 

 treated of by some of our correspondents in many 

 extended and able articles in our early volumes. 

 One alone of these pieces was said by one of our 

 wealthy subscribers, would pay him lor his cost of 

 subscription for his life. But, nevertheless, (per- 

 haps because he had got value enough) he dis- 

 continued his subscription at the end of that year. 

 Articles on tobacco-culture have indeed been en- 

 tirely wanting of late — because no more have 

 been written for this work, and no other publica- 

 tion furnishes any on this subject. But, as this 

 work has elicited and published every good origi- 

 nal article on the subject of tobacco culture, that 

 has appeared in the Uaited States (so far as we 



know of) within the last eight years, it surely 

 cannot be condemned, vviih any justice, because of 

 their small number, compared to other more popu- 

 lar or inviting subjects. 



In like manner, especial attention has been paid 

 to the great subjecis of cotton culture and cotton 

 interests, in all their branches ; and if the articles 

 Irom, or peculiarly suited to, the cotton planting re- 

 gion, were put together, it would be found that 

 they alone would constitute a considerable portion 

 of our whole work. 



So much for denial or apology. But there is 

 another and more important aspect in which this 

 subject should be viewed. Suppose that any of 

 these charges of particular deficiencies were true 

 to the fullest extent, while on other grounds the 

 Farmers' Register had the general good reputa- 

 tion and extensive circulation which it has always 

 enjoyed — we ask whose would be the fault, and 

 and who else could easily furnish the remedy, but 

 the very class who suffered by and would com- 

 plain of that deficiency? Suppose, for example, 

 that the subjecis of grass, and grazing, and cattle, 

 had in truth been as much neglected in this work 

 as some persons have erroneously inferred — the 

 only possible cause of the omission would be that 

 the farmers engaged in and best informed on 

 those departments had altogether (ailed to commu- 

 nicate any thing thereon Inr publication. No con- 

 ductor of an agricultural journal can furnish much 

 practical instruction from his own store of expe- 

 rience ; no such promise was ever held out by us, 

 and to have held it out would have been both pre- 

 sumptuous and manifestly deceptions. The great 

 and all-important purpose of an agricultural jour- 

 nal is to serve as a common channel of inter-com- 

 munication among all its readers — a receptacle 

 and place of deposite of the views, information 

 and experimental knowledge of all — and a source 

 of difl'using, to all, the thus collected knowledge of 

 every individual among thousands thus combined 

 fur the benefit of all. Considered merely in this 

 humble and simple mode of working, and how 

 great, how incalculably beneficial would be the 

 improving and profitable results of an agricultural 

 journal so conducted ! Such was the main object 

 lor which ours was commenced, and, so far as de- 

 pended on us, that object has always been most 

 especially sought. Always desiring and inviting 

 written communications, and especially of practi- 

 cal operations and results, we have never refused 

 a place to so much as a single article of that cha- 

 racter, presenting facts derived from practice and 

 experience. If then, any particular branch of hus- 

 bandry is not sufficiently treated of, it is entirely 

 owing to the failure of those who possess some 

 information thereon and desire to obtain more, to 



