1849. 



TI1K GENESEE FARMER. 



203 



DUTY OF THE AGRICULTURAL PRESS. 



Mr. Editor:— It is nol ray intention a1 this time 

 to depreciate this truly valuable class of print-;; far 

 from it. 1 regard them as the leaven which is ulti- 

 mately to leaven the whole farming community, i 

 work that reform in the department of agriculture, 

 which shall effectually tell upon the interests of the 

 whole civilized world, lint I wish to make 



is, (if I may be allowed to do so,) which 

 i their value and usefulness 

 to the farmer. 



The reader of agricultural journals will observe 

 that the efforts of such prints at exclusively 



directed to improve the producing art, and inci 

 to th ible extent, the amount of farm 



products; while the art of marketing those products 

 advantageously, (a matter of no small importance to 

 the farmer,) receives little or no attention. To 

 first, it is true is the all-important object, 

 but to effect the latter is sufficiently so to r 

 more attention than it has heretofore received. Is it 

 not the province of the agricultural press to look 

 all the interests connected with the pursuit 

 of farming ? Then the farmer not unreasonably 

 iese journals, the necessary information in 

 regard to the markets, present and prospective, which 

 will enable him judiciously to dispose of his produce. 

 .'inner may be perfectly skilled in producing, 

 and yet fail to realize the full profits of his skill, 

 for the simple reason that he has not the means of 

 knowi and when to market his produce ad- 



vantageously. 



Now, is it not clearly within the sphere of the 

 agricultural press to collect and spread before the 

 farmer correct information respecting the circum- 

 stances and causes which control the markets, that 

 he may form an intelligeet judgment in the case, and 

 act understandingly in disposing of his produce. I 

 am aware that it is utterly impossible to foresee all 

 the fluctuations incident to the markets, when a spiiit 

 of wild speculation is rife ; yet a correct knowli 

 of the causes which operate to graduate the scale of 

 prices, uninfluenced by speculation, is attainable. It 

 is perfectly apparent, that the supply of any particu- 

 lar article, as a general rule, determines the price. 

 So when the supply is equal to the demand, we have 

 the medium price ; when the supply is greater than 

 the demand, prices are depressed; and when there is 

 a deficient supply, prices are proportionally high. 

 Now the farmer wants to be informed, so far as it is 

 possible, of the present and future supply of the 

 articles he produces, that he may judge correctly of 

 the value of his property. This is a general rule: 

 but there are other things which many times greatly 

 modify its results. There may be, for instance, a 

 scarcity in some one article of provision, but an 

 abundance of all the rest. Now though there may 

 be a deficiency of this one article, a very high price 

 will not be realized because the abundance of the 

 rest creates the supply. But if the deficiency in 

 one or more is so great as to make a deficiency of 

 the whole, then the price of each must be higher. 

 And so it will be with all other classes of articles 

 where one article may be substituted for another. 



The comparative abundance of money also has 

 an influence on prices. A scarcity of the circulating 

 medium proportionably paralyzes business operations, 

 and reduces prices, while plenty of money invites to 

 speculation, and prices go up. 



Other things mighl be noticed on this subject, but 

 intend is to invite attention to it, and ash thai 

 while oilier interests of the farmer are attended t»>, 

 this on tten. It may be said we have 



all that is p in the recor 



commercial tran sactions, and prices current. 1 think 

 not. We want relia i far as may 



be, of the supply on h of the probable future 



supply, and the demand for >■■. rticle 



• mi much, 

 and more than is practicable. But might it not be 

 accomplished through 



■mini:- intei ed in dil 



parts overthis country, and foreign countries which 

 compete with us, or consume our product-. \V. [ [, 

 — Livingston County, A*. Y., 184 >. 



Remarks. — It is comparatively easy to state what 

 an agricultural journal should be, but quite another 

 and more difficult matter to accompli.-! ct. — 



We fear that our correspondent will have to "wait 

 a little longer*' before he can obtain a paper which 

 will furnish all the information he desires. For ob- 

 vious reasons it would be impossibie to give, in a 

 monthly of the dimensions of this journal, such re- 

 ports of the markets, ike, as our frie I •-. — ■ 

 But if the farmers of Western and Ce 

 York were willing, as they are abun 

 support a weekly agricultural newspt . mid 

 soon be furnished with a journal containing the most 

 reliable intelligence of the crops and hom 



markets — -together with much other information 

 particularly valuable and interesting to farmers, but 

 which is not given in our agricultural monthlies nor 

 the the political weekly papers of the day. We be- 

 lieve the day is not "afar off" when agricultural 

 newspapers will be sustained in New Yoi 

 Western and Southern States, as they now are in 

 New England and Europe — and when that time shall 

 arrive, the desideratum mentioned by our correspond- 

 ent will no longer exist. — Ed. 



To Cure a Stifled Horse. — J. B. Goddard, of 

 Norwich, Connecticut, writes to the American Agri- 

 culturist, as follows: — 



Take one gallon of urine, and put therein a small 

 handful of junk tobacco: boil down to one quart: then 

 add two ounces of oil of spike, one ounce of i 

 amber, two spoonfuls of spirits of turpentine, and two 

 spoonfuls of honey. Put it into a jug-, and cork it 

 tight for use. Process of application: rub the stifle- 

 bone hard with the mixture 15 or 20 minutes; then 

 dry it in thoroughly with a red-hot fire shovel; then 

 ride the horse forth and back one hundred yards. 

 Repeat the above two or three times, and the cure 

 will be effected. 



Butter Making. — Those who only make a small 

 quantity of butter, and of course do not churn every 

 day will find the following very important: When 

 the cream of each day is put into the jar or pot in 

 which it is kept, let the whole be stirred together 

 thorough! i/. If this is not done, the cream of each 

 day will remain in layers as it is put in, and the 

 lower strata will become sour and bitter, and when 

 the churning is done, will taint the whole. So says 

 a butter maker of the class alluded to. 



The "Mameluke Wheat," noticed so favorably 

 in some papers recently, is a humbug. 



