1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



543 



slow. And is not this as God would have it? 

 Why should a man, any man, become rich in a 

 day ? This is not God's ])lan of bestowing riches, 

 judging from the analogy of His works. Look at 

 the oak, the product of His hand. In fevorable cn*- 

 cumstances it has become a lofty, a majestic tree, 

 "\dth deeply-buried roots and wide-spreading branch- 

 es, which has Anthstood the storms and blasts of a 

 hundred winters. It is a model of strength and 

 beauty. But who does not know that this majestic 

 tree of the forest gained this proud eminence by a 

 slow, almost imperceptible growth ? So in the in- 

 tellectual world. The giant Newton, whose discov- 

 eries astonished the world, and whose name makes 

 one proud of belonging to the same species, had 

 once the mind of an infant, unoccupied and imbecile. 

 He became what he was according to liis ova\ dec- 

 laration, by a course of indomitable industry. So 

 of others of like pursuits and of towering intellect. 

 To industry and application is the world indebted, 

 not to something called genius, for her good and 

 renowned and useful men and women. And why 

 in seeking wealth should not men be content to 

 grow rich slowly ? "N^Tiy not be satisfied with mod- 

 erate gains ? Such gains are incomparably more 

 safe to ever}' one, more satisfactory to all reasona- 

 ble men. Such were the gains of most men of my 

 early acquaintance in New England — farmers and 

 mechanics of country towiis. I do not say that many 

 of these M"ould not have been glad of quicker and 

 larger returns, of more rapid gains, though most of i 

 them ap])eared contented and happy in making the 

 ends of the year, as they used^to express themselves, 

 fairly meet ; especially, could they lay by a small 

 sum at the end of the year. Even the merchants 

 of those days were content A\"ith a small per centage 

 on their goods. Small gains with much business 

 was regarded as the most desirable method of con- 

 ducting trade. 



But these notions are regarded among us at the 

 islands as antiquated, far behind this age of pro- 

 gress. Not only do most, not to say all, who from 

 foreign lands come hither to do business, mean to 

 become rich, but they design to become so at once. ' 

 Slow gains will not answer their turn ; such gains 

 they could have secured at home. Why should! 

 they come thousands of miles, and deny themselves 

 of the comforts of civilized society, merely to make! 

 a few hundred dollars per year ? I do not say that 

 many of these men use this precise language,' 

 though some have employed even stronger lan- 

 guage, but the language of their conduct reads j 

 thus, if I have skill in reading it. Hence the few j 

 who engage in agricultural pursuits, or in other j 

 manual labor departments. The gains are too| 

 slow. The raising of wheat and corn, of potatoes, ! 

 beans, &c., will do well enough for plodders, but we ' 

 must adopt other plans, engage in more lucrative 

 employments. Hence the few farmers, the lean 

 markets, the im])()rtation of flour, bread, meat, <S:c. 

 Hence the multii)lication of merchants or rather 

 store-keepers ; the numl)er of candidates for govern- 

 ment employments, the increase of speculators — 

 anything to make money, to secure quick returns. 

 This is the great obstacle to Hawaiian prosperity. 

 This keeps us poor more than anything else. This 

 was the cause, as I informed you at the time of the 

 heavy ftiihu-es of 1851. Had the men who then 

 fiiiled been content with small gains they would 

 have avoided this catastroi)he — would have avoided 

 the blow which has crippled them perhaps for life. 



But as some are more successful, fortunate they 

 terra it, and turn their speculations to a good ac- 

 count,'the spirit still survives. When vdW men learn 

 that the history of Jonah's gourd is one full of in- 

 struction. It came up in a night, was of marvellous 

 rapid growth, spreading its shade over the head of 

 the fainting prophet, and making him very glad of 

 its cooHng influence ; just as the wealth of some 

 speculator flows in like a mighty stream, caiTying 

 all before it, and fairly turning the head of the 

 fortunate man. But look agaui at the gom-d. ''It 

 perished'in a night, "leaving the poor prophet more 

 unhap])y than he Avas before the creation of the 

 shade which he now mourns. If it is not thus vvith 

 innumerable speculators, then I am greatly mistak- 

 en. Let men of all classes be content with the 

 slow but more sure gains of industry, rather than 

 eager for the quick returns of speculation, never 

 safe, oftentimes criminal, and commonly injurious 

 in their influence on communities. I will only add 

 that the amount of wheat sown in this neighbor- 

 hood is about the same as last year, say 1200 acres. 

 The wheat is now promising. 



Very truly your friend and fellow-laborer, 

 J. S. Green. 



Fur the New Enghmd Farmer. 



POTATOES FOE PLANTING. 



Me. Editor :-^I am an advocate for small pota- 

 toes for planting purposes. Not but that large ones 

 are not as good, and perhaps better ; yet on the 

 whole, I am in fovor of small potatoes. The argu- 

 ment, that small potatoes will produce small pota- 

 toes is not supported by focts. It appears to me 

 that the application which writers on the other side 

 of the question make of the axiom, "Like produces 

 like," is sophistical, that it does not touch the question 

 under consideration. Potatoes will produce potatoes, 

 corn, corn, &c. ; but it does not follow that a small 

 potato will produce smoU potatoes. I am rather 

 inclined to believe that the advocates for large po- 

 tatoes for seed, are rather apt to try small culture 

 as well as small potatoes, Avhen they make experi- 

 ments that wa}'. Permit me to give my ex})erience 

 in relation to small potatoes as seed potatoes. 



I am a mechanic, and cultivate only a small gar- 

 den ; it is, therefore, for my interest to produce as 

 much as I can on a small space ; my garden con- 

 sisted of ten square rods in 1853-4, and tliis year 

 there were two rods more added. Of this, I have 

 planted some two-thirds to potivtoes. In 1853, I 

 planted vvith a mixture of large and small potatoes, 

 and in October dug nearly six bushels, large and 

 small, besides what my family used through the 

 summer; from these l" took all the small ones for 

 the next year's planting ; there were none larger 

 than a good-sized plum, and many were smaller. In 

 1854 I i)lanted these ])otatoes, and dug in the tall 

 eight bushels of good-sized potatoes, besides the 

 small and what were used in my fomily before dig- 

 ging time. This year I planted the small of last 

 year's raising, and having finished digging, I find, 

 besides what were used l)efore digging, that I have 

 115 bushels in all, which makes about 250 bushels 

 per acre. I think, considering the eft'ects of the 

 drought in this region, this gives a good result in 

 favor of small jiotatoes. The manure which I used 

 was ashes mixed with night-soil and the collection 

 of a sink-drain. Yours, \.c H. 



'Easi Bridgcwater, Oct. 22. 



