VOL. XVI. WO. 31. 



AND GARDE NEB'S JOURNAL, 



245 



We are happy to present to the piihlio the Re- 

 Jrt of tlie Lefifi.slative Committee on the siiliject 

 "giving a hoLinty upon Wheat. The report is 

 Hremely well drawn up and embodies facts of 

 eat moment. We are persuaded that it will 

 "ongly commend public attention ; and if the ef- 

 cts of the proposed measure should correspond 

 ith the hopes of the Committee, and we cannot 

 ink them uiireasouable, incalculable benefits 

 ill result to the Commonwealth. 



JMMONWEAl.TII OF MASSACIIUSKTTS. 



House of Represf.ntalives, Jan. 30, 1838. 

 le Committee on Agriculture, liaving by instruc- 

 tion of the House, considered the c.tpcdii^ncy of 

 allowing a bounty for the production of Wheat, 

 ask leave to submit the following Report : 

 It has long been a sulject of deep regret, if not 

 reproach, that the state of iMassachusetts — a 

 te, whose soil is believed to be capable of sus- 

 ning more than double its present population — 

 3uld be indebted to other states, and to foreign 

 intries, for a very large part o( the material, 

 licb forms the first and most necessary article 

 subsistence, — Bread. The stniihornness of 

 ne portions of her soil ; the supposed incapacity 

 other portions to produce sufllcient crops of 

 lin to recompense the co~t and labor of cnltivQ- 

 1 ; the sererity and long continuance of winter; 

 slow and reluctant approach of summer ; and 

 early return of disastrous and fatal frosts in 

 umn, have operated as a discouragement to the 

 ■iier ; and, if he has not been seduced by fairer 

 mises to hazard the success of bis skill and in- 

 try in the milder climate and kinder soil of the 

 •!tern states, be has in too many instances it is 

 red, suffered his attention to be diverted from 

 t, which should be the primary object of his 

 suit, by hopesof realizing speedier and greater 

 fits in more flattering yet not less doubtful e.\- 

 iments. 



\n opinion that the soil of New England can- 

 he made to produce grain enough to feed its 

 Illation, has too long been prevalent in this 

 nmonwealth. We believe this opinion to be 

 meous. We believe that the owners of the 

 have been too ready to admit its soumlness, 

 that they have not e.vnmined the ground on 

 ch it rests, with that intelligence and shrewd- 

 j!, which they are wont to exercise on subjects 

 erally iiresenied for their investigation. We 

 h to prevail U|)on them to examine this quep- 

 once more, to review the circumstances in 

 ch it had its origin, — and to bring it to the 

 of a bold and faithful experiment. With this 

 V, and 10 effect so desirable an object, we are 

 nimously ofopinion, that the Legislature would 

 visely to eucouragethe agricidturist once more 

 irn his serious attention to the cultivation of 

 n ; and, because success in such an enterprise 

 blessing, in which the whole Commonwealth 

 partici[)ate with the successful individual it 

 !is to be just and proper that the Comnion- 

 Ith should, for its share of the benefit, reward 

 individual, by the granting of a liberal bounty 

 lis exertions as a public benefiictor. 

 he committee regret that they are not in pos- 

 on of any returns of a recent date, from v^hich 

 can make a satisfactory calculation of the 

 tity of grain raised in the State for several 

 ! past. The returns of the assessors, made to 



3,916 



312 



3,075 



1,746 



587 



960 



5,177 



41 



16 



29 



214 



the Valuation Committee in 1830, is the only doc- 

 ument of this character to which they 

 have had access. From the stalements in 

 those returns, no warrantable inference can be 

 drawn as to the amoimt raised the last year ;— for 

 it is not doubted that the production of all the 

 grains, which are used for hufuan food, has great- 

 ly increased since that period. According to tlie 

 returns above mentioned, the entire quantity of 

 wheat raised in the CommonwcaUh in 1830, was 

 only 16,073 bushels. Of this (piality, 5,177 bush- 

 els was produced in the county of Berkshire ; and 

 of those 5,177 bushels, the town of Sheffield had 

 the honor of producing 1,014. Of the whole 

 amount of wheat raised in that year, as above 

 stated, 



The County of Suffolk produced 

 " Essex .'' 



" Mi<ldlesex " 



" Worcester " 



" Hampden " 



" Hampshire " 



" Franklin " 



" Berkshire " 



" Norfolk " 



" Bristol " 



" Plymouth " 



« Barnstable and Dukes 



" Nantucket 



It is not in the power of the committee to state, 

 with perfect aacuracy the amount of the flour, 

 which is imported into the state for the consump- 

 tion of its inhabitaTits ; but they are in possession 

 of facts, which lead to conclusions that cannot be 

 far distant from the truth. During the year 1837, 

 there were imported into the port of Boston alone 

 423,246 barrels of flour. During the last eight 

 year, the aggregate of the importation was 3,108,- 

 942 barrels — making an annual average of 388,619 

 barrels. The details from which we have pre- 

 pared this statement, show, that there has l)een 

 for four years, a regular animal increase of jm- 

 portations of flour, and that the importations of 

 other coarser kinds of meal and grain, such as 

 rye, corn, oats, &,c. has increased about the same 

 ratio. 



It was presumed that the im[)orts of flour into 

 Salem, Newburyport, New Bedford, Nantucket, 

 and other smaller ports, equal at least one-third of 

 those at the port of liostou. Large quantities of 

 flour find their way up Connecticut river, for the 

 su[>ply of the towns on its borders and those in 

 the vicinity. Aud there is, finally, an ahriost per- 

 petual transportation by means of wagons, from 

 Troy, Albany, and Hudson, into the county of 

 Berkshire, for the supply not only of the inhabi- 

 tants of that county, but for consumption by the 

 people of many towns in the counties of Frank- 

 lin, Hampshire, and Hampden. When all the 

 imports by these various channels are taken into 

 the calculation, it is presumed that the amount of 

 the flour thus brought into the state, is not less 

 than that which is known to be brought into the 

 port of Boston. But, admitting that the quantity 

 equals only two-thirds of the Boston importation, 

 it will then appear that our annual import of flour 

 is 705,410 barrels. 



Now, if we suppose that a part of the flour im- 

 ported into Boston, should be transported (as it 

 undoubtedly is) to the adjoining states of Vermont 

 and New Hampshire, and possibly a larger quan- 

 tity to Maine, yet it is not believed that the whole 

 nrnonnt thus carried out of the state exceeds 5410 



rrarrels. 



1 I' '!■ then remains for consumption in 

 our own Coujnionwealth, 700,000 barrels ; and it 

 will be perceived that this number corresponds 

 (within a very small fraction) to the number of 

 our inhabitants—giving one barrel of flourforthe 

 annual consumption of each individual ; and (his 

 IS believed to be a very ne.ir a[)proximation to the 

 actual truth. 



The average price of flour, for the last three 

 years, has been a fraction^ over ten dollars a bar- 

 rel ; but placing it at the lowest possible average, 

 (ten dollars) it is manifest that the inhabitants of 

 Massachusetts pay for the article o( flour alone, to 

 other states, the very handsome sum of 7,000,000 

 dollars a year. This declaration may, at first, 

 appear startling, and almost incredible. It is one 

 which should make the ears of every farmer who 

 hears it tingle ; but the committee have no doubt 

 that its truth is demonstrable, and that any intel- 

 ligent man, who will ta,ie the trouble to review 

 the facts, and compare them with these calcula- 

 tions, will arrive at the same conclusions. The 

 committee, themselves, would have doubted if 

 investigation and research had not placed the i-e- 

 sult beyond all questionable limits. 



Viewing this subject in its relation to the inter- 

 ests of all classes of our population ; the commit- 

 tee have no hesitation in recommendini; to the 

 House of Representatives, the passage of a law 

 that shall give a bounty on tlie production of 

 wheat ; and they, accordingly, herewith report a 

 bill for that purpose. If it should be ohjeeted, 

 that the bounty propo.sed will produce a call on 

 the treasury of the Commonwealth, disproportion- 

 ed to the value and importance of the improve- 

 ment, which it is- desired and expected to effect 

 let it be remembered that the amount of bounty 

 cannot, in any supposable case, be more than an 

 insignificant trifle in comparison with the immense 

 sum, which the people pay for imported bread 

 stuffs. Admitting that the call upon the treasury, 

 for this bounty, should amount to $100,000 — al- 

 though it would not probably amount to more than 

 880,000 — what is that, when it is considered that 

 it is so much abstra(;ted from seven millions of dol- 

 lars, which we pay to the farmers, or to the spec- 

 ulators and monopolizers of other states ? Let it 

 be remembered, too, that this sum of 100,000 can- 

 not be drawn from the treasury, on the principle 

 of the bill reported, for a less quantity of wheat 

 than 750,000 bushel^; and in the same proportion 

 for a larger or smaller amount. Furthermore, be 

 it remembered, that whatever sitm may be paid 

 out for this purpose, is distributed among our own 

 people, and lo a class of citizens, whose labors 

 will produce i»n effect more permanent, than may 



be apparent to a hasty and superficial observer. 



The proper preparation of land for a crop of wheat 

 will ensure a succession of crops of the same arti- 

 cle for several years. If the soil be suitably man^ 

 ured wieh lime, and arrangements made for an 

 alternation of crops, no further manuring will be 

 required (if an inference may be deduced from 

 the successful practice of the great wheat-growing 

 state of Pennsylvania,) for a term of ten or tweiyg 

 years. Once more, let the people be reini- j j 

 that, in the case supposed, after admitti';,™ ^^^^, ,. ' 

 plentifulness of the crop of wheat may' reduce the 

 price, as it naturally will, il-e crop of 750,000 bush, 

 els would sttll, in any poss" ' 

 that number of dollars; and, 

 deducting from the value of th 



paid out in bounties, there ie then 



ly possible event, be worth 



consequently, after 



crop the sutn 



remaiaing tha 



