378 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



construction of a rail-ro&d through one of these 

 remote districts suddenly creates a market for 

 agricultural produce, or renders a distant market 

 accessible, an immediate impulse is given to the 

 agriculture of the place. The present inhabitants 

 are stimulated to greater activity, and other in- 

 dividuals of superior skill and enterprise are in- 

 duced to join them in the occupation of farming. 

 Instances of agricultural improvement arising 

 from this cause have been observed by all. 



We will now suppose another example, in which 

 the market was created, not by a change in the 

 system of public travelling, not by what might 

 be called an accident, but by a premeditated 

 scheme, originating with the inhabitants of one 

 of these isolated districts. The farmers of this 

 section may be supposed capable of producing on 

 their lands the value of half a million more than 

 they now produce. Outside of it, the people of 

 other occupations buy the products of distant 

 parts, from which they can easily obtain them 

 through the great throroughfares. The farmers 

 of the district above mentioned, having become 

 aware of these facts, and led on by some capable 

 individual, resolve to establish, outside of the 

 district, a depot for all their productions, and 

 they agree to send them to this place which is 

 ■very accessible to the whole neighboring country, 

 whose inhabitants are mostly non-agricultural. 

 The consequence of such an arrangement, if the 

 management of the business and the sales are 

 conducted by an honest and capable body of 



for the farmer, one of two things must be accom- 

 plished. Either the non-agricultural population 

 must be increased, or the present number must 

 be induced to purchase of the farmers in their 

 vicinity. The first is often done by the establish- 

 ment of manufactories, and by opening new ave- 

 nues of trade. The second object may be accom- 

 plished to a limited extent, by rendering the me- 

 dium of communication between these two class- 

 es more easy and practicable, and by demon- 

 strating to each the methods by which they could 

 advantageously trade with one another. Each of 

 these ends may be promoted by the establish- 

 ment of markets and depots for agricultural 

 products, and by making the farmers acquainted 

 with the extent of their ability to compete with 

 distant producers, who have formerly supplied 

 the wants of the people. This knowledge they 

 would soon obtain by observation and experience 

 at the markets. 



Markets may be regarded as of two sorts : 

 first, those of a general nature to supply the mis- 

 cellaneous wants of commerce ; second, those 

 established to accommodate the members of a 

 particular branch of business. All great cities, 

 towns and manufacturing villages afi'ord markets 

 of the first description. Markets of the second 

 sort are commonly the result of agreement be- 

 tween the parties to be accommodated, like the 

 trade sales among pul)lishers and book-sellers. 

 Such, also, are many of the agricultural fairs es- 

 tablished in all parts of Europe, and which are 



agents, is an immediate change in the condition [attended by the farmers and peasantry, to save 

 of the people. The inhabitants of the adjoining the trouble and expense of going to a general 

 villages purchase many of their commodities at j market to buy and sell. They are instituted 

 this depot, in preference to their former method | chiefly for the benefit and accommodation of ag- 



of supplying their wants, because a near market, 

 other things being equal, is always preferred to 

 a distant one. 



The farmers being urged, thereby, to raise 

 more produce, are able to live in better style, to 

 enjoy superior comforts, and gradually acquire 

 additional wants. The manufacturers who buy 

 their products find a ready sale for their own ar- 

 ticles, for the children of the farmers who for- 

 merly went bare-footed now wear shoes ; both 



ricultural producers. 



Agricultural fairs in this country ace premium 

 shows ; they are not markets like those of Eu- 

 rope. They have not been without their utility, 

 but they are attended with great expense ; and 

 though this expense is contributed for the im- 

 provement of agriculture, yet, if the same ends 

 could be accomplished by another system, in 

 which this expense would be avoided, so much 

 money would remain to be usefully appropriated 



men and women use better clothing, better house-j in other ways. Our annual shows are used to 

 hold furniture and improved agricultural imple-i some extent as markets ; but they do not bear 

 ments ; they consume more luxuries, both in the this character, and no man attends them for the 



parlor and the kitchen, at the table and the toi- 

 let. They become more liberal and ambitious, 

 and both willing and able to support other occu- 

 pations. Every branch of business receives a 

 healthy and extraordinary impetus, by the volun- 

 tary establishment of this market. Yet this was 

 the effect of a forced arrangement — of a combi- 

 nation of the inhabitants of a dull place, to re- 

 suscitate it, and to improve their circumstances 

 by supplying a want, v/hich was not supplied by 

 the accidents of commerce. By means of it, they 

 are brought into commercial intercourse with the 

 rest of the world, and the intelligence of the far- 

 mers improves as rapidly as their prosperity. 



The prosperity of agriculture must be depen- 

 dent on the extent of the non-agricultural popu- 

 lation that needs to be supplied with its products. 

 But the farmers of a particular district, while 

 surrounded by a large non-agricultural commu- 

 nity, may still be unprosperous, if'the wants of 



mere purpose of buying and selling. Regular 

 agricultural markets are established throughout 

 the kingdom of Great Britain. Some of these 

 are monthly, others are semi-monthly or weekly. 

 They are held in the most convenient places, and 

 many of them were founded by the exertions of 

 some wealthy land-proprietor, for the purpose of 

 raising the value of his estates. In some places, 

 it has been the landlord's practice to give a din- 

 ner to all purchasers who attended the market, 

 and to afford all possible facilities both to buyers 

 and sellers. So much expense would not be lav- 

 ished, without reasonable expectation, at no dis- 

 tant period, of profitable returns. In these cases, 

 the landlord undertakes, at his own expense, the 

 work which, in one of our supposed examples, 

 the farmers accomplished by associations for 

 their mutual benefit. At different times, there 

 seems to have been considerable competition 

 among landlords in relation to these enterprises. 



the latter are supplied from other sources. When,! Their eff'orts, in connection witli other riv^'um- 

 therefore, it is proposed to create new markets! stances, have ended in the general establishment 



