688 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



millions pounds, valued at 820,000,000 cost to the 

 consurnera— being seven pounds to each individu- 

 al of the whole population. 



In 1840, it was ascertained by a committee 

 appointed to procure and report statistical informa- 

 tion on the subject, that about one million five 

 hundred thousand persons were engaged in the 

 manufacture and cultivation of tobacco in the 

 United S'ates ; one million of whom were in the 

 Sirites of Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and 

 Missouri. Allowing the population of the whole 

 country to be seventeen millions, it will be seen 

 that nearly one-tenth are in some way engaged in 

 the cultivation or manufacture of this arucle. 

 The value of the export during that year was 

 nearly S10,000,000.— iVor/Aern Light. 



THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The Board of Agriculture was convened, for 

 the first time., by the governor, at Richmond, on 

 the 6th of December, aniJ on the 12ih adjourned 

 to the first Monday in December, 1842. 



All the persons chosen by the executive to 

 form the board had accepted their appointments. 

 More than a quorum appeared the first day, and 

 all the members were present on the third day of 

 the session, and thereafter to its close. The mem- 

 bers are James M. Garnett and Edmund RufRn, 

 representing the Tide-water district, James Bar- 

 bour and Richard Sampson, of the Piedmont dis- 

 trict, Edward Watts and Nathaniel Burwell, of 

 ihe Valley district, and Peter H. Steinbergen and 

 Joseph Johnson, of the Trans-Alleghany district. 

 James Barbour was elected president of the 

 board, and Edmund Ruffin, corresponding secre- 

 tary. 



The proceedings of the board at this first meet- 

 ing were of course merely preparatory for future 

 action. But as the law establishing the board 

 requires that it shall make a report to the legisla- 

 ture once in each year, it was necessary to make 

 a preliminary report, before adjourning. This 

 report, which will be inserted below, was laid be- 

 fore the legislature on the 5th day of the session 

 of the board, and was referred to a committee 

 and ordered to be printed. These papers will ex- 

 hibit the designed plan of operations of the board 

 so fully that no further explanation is required in 

 this place, except to add that the various specific 

 resolutions were passed, and orders made, which 

 were necessary for carrying into effect the plan 

 stated generally in the report below. 



Every disposition exists on the part of the 

 members of the Board of Agriculture to perform 

 iheir laborious duties, so I'ar as they may be 

 enabled to act by the aid and favorable counte- 



nance and support of both the legislature and 

 agricultural community. IVith such aid, the 

 board can do .much lor agricultural improvement. 

 fVithout it, nothing can be done, and nothing 

 ought to be expected. — Ed. F. R. 



Report of the Board of ^Agriculture to the Gent- 

 ral jissembly of Firginia. 



Richmond, 10th December, 1841. 



The Board of Agriculture, established by an 

 act passed at your last session, convened at this 

 place on the (ith of the month, and is now sitting. 

 The members of the board yielded a prompt obe- 

 dience to the call ot the executive appointing 

 them to their present situations, li-om a long en- 

 tertained and sirong conviciion of the benefiis 

 which such an institution would confer on our 

 community, if it be conducted judiciously, and 

 with a zeal answering to the magnitude of the 

 interests committed to its care. 



Every one whose atteniion has been turned to 

 the subject must be familiar with the great ad- 

 vantages derived from such establishments in 

 the old world. Great Britain, especially, exem- 

 plifies these advantages: long the pioneer in 

 whatever promotes the comfort of mankind, she 

 has, wiihiii the last fifty year.a, which just niea- 

 sures the existence of her Board of Agriculture, 

 increased the productions of her soil a hundred 

 per cent. — an increase owing, by general concur- 

 rence there, mainly to the laudable and well-di- 

 rected exertions of that board in the discharge 

 of its high duties. It is not assuming too much, 

 to promise ourselves the like happy results from 

 the labors of a similar institution, in a field of 

 more auspicious incidents and circumstances. 

 We have abundant material on which to com- 

 mence our work, and the firsf purpose of the 

 board is to draw together the vast mass of in- 

 formation connected with husbandry, which lies 

 scattered through the country, and being con- 

 fined to comparatively a lew, is thereby essentially 

 lost to the community. The fads and principles 

 so collected, subjected to the scrutiny and exa- 

 mination of the board, which in theory at least, 

 and it is to be hoped in practice too, will be com- 

 posed of the most intelligent husbandmen, may 

 be digested into an agricultural code, suited to 

 the moral and physical circumstances of Virginia, 

 and enabling us to avoid the evils which have 

 come from pursuing systems adopted succi'ssiiilly 

 elsewhere, but often inapplicable to our region 

 of country. Such a code, if fortunately prepared, 

 must be of inestimable value, especially to the 

 young farmer just entering on his course ; for he 

 is thereby at once put in possession of whatever 

 science and experience have developed in con- 

 nexion with his calling, and can go confidently 

 on, instead of laboring through life without a 

 guide, as without success, and not unfrequently 

 with the entire failure of all his efibrts. The 

 board hopes that the digest may be afforded to 

 the public at a price eo low, that every farmer 

 amongst us may be able to possess himtelf of it. 

 They would illustrate the value of diffusing correct 

 information bearing on agricultural practices, by re- 

 ference to our great staple tobacco, v^hich a visit 

 to the warehouses will show is selling at from 

 two to twelve dollars; and although other causes 



