122 



Silas Wrighfs Address. 



Vol. XII. 



Silas Wright's Address, 



At the Exhibition of the New York State 

 Agricultural Society, 9lh mo. 16, 1847. 



(cONtl.IIDKD.) 



Does any one heliove. that for efenera- 

 tions vRt to come, the ae^riciiltural operations 

 of the United States are to be circiini.-cribed 

 within narrower compjirativc limits than the 

 present; or that the asricultnral productions 

 of the country are to bear a less ratio to our 

 population and consumption than they now 

 do? I cannot suppose that any citizen, who 

 has g-iven his attention to the considerations 

 which have been suggested, finds himself 

 able to adopt either of these opinions. On 

 the contrary, I think a fair examination must 

 satisfy every mind that our agricultural sur- 

 plus, for an indefinite future period, must 

 increase much more rapidly than our popu- 

 lation and the demand for domestic consump- 

 tion. This I believe would be true without 

 the efforts of associations, such as this, toj 

 improve our agriculture. The condition of 

 the country, and the inclination and prefer- 

 ence of our population for arrriciiltural pur- 

 suits, would render this result unavoidable; 

 and if this be so, when the impetus given to 

 agricultural production by the improvements 

 of the day; the individual and associated ef- 

 forts constantly making to push forward 

 these improvements with an accelerated 

 movement; the mass of educated mind 

 turned to scientific researches in aid of agri- 

 cultural labour; the dawning of a systematic 

 and universal agricultural education ; and 

 the immense bodies of cheap, and fresh, and 

 fertile lands, which invite the application of 

 an improved agriculture, are added to the 

 account, who can measure the extent or du- 

 ration of our agricultural surplus, or doubt 

 ■the soundness of the conclusion, that the ex- 

 port trade must exercise a great influence 

 upon the market for the agricultural produc- 

 tions of the country for a long series of years 

 to come? 



Such is the conclusion to which my mind 

 is forced, from an examination of this sub- 

 ject, in its domestic aspect simply; but there 

 is another now presented of vast magnitude 

 and engrossing interest, and demanding alike 

 from the citizen and the statesman of this 

 republic, the most cureful consideration. All 

 will at once under.-tand me as referring to 

 the changes and promises of chano'e in tlie 

 policy of the principal commercial nation 

 of the world, touching their trade in the 

 productions of agriculture. By a sing 

 step, which was nothing less than commer- 

 cial revolution. Great Britain practically 

 made the change as to her trade; and sub- 



sequent events have clothed with the appear- 

 ance of almost superhuman sagacity, the 

 wisdom which thus prepared that country to 

 meet the visitation of ti^mine, which has so 

 soon followed, without the additional evil of 

 trampling down the systems of law to min- 

 ister to the all-controlling necessities of hun- 

 ger. Changes similar in character, and 

 measurably equal in extent, though in many 

 cases temporary in duration, have been adopt- 

 ed by several other European governments, 

 under circumstances which render it very 

 doubtful how soon, if ever, a return will be 

 made to the former policy of a close trade 

 in the necessaries of human life. 



New markets of vast extent and incalcu- 

 lable value, have thus been opened for our 

 agricultural surplus, the durability and stea- 

 diness of which it is impossible yet to mea- 

 sure with certainty. It is in our power to 

 say, however, that a great body of provoca- 

 tions to countervailing restrictive commer- 

 cial regulations, is now removed, in some 

 instances permanently, and in others tempo- 

 rarily in form ; and it would seem to be the 

 part of wisdom, for the agriculture of this 

 country, by furnishing these markets to the 

 extent of the demand, with the best articles, 

 at the fairest prices, to show to those coun- 

 tries, and their respective governments, that 

 reciprocal commercial regulations, if they 

 offer no other and higher attractions, present 

 to their people a safeguard against starva- 

 tion. ^ 



Such is the connection, now, betwlln our 

 agriculture and the export trade and foreign 

 market, and these relations are to be extend- 

 ed and strengthened, rather than circum- 

 scribed and weakened, by our agricultural 

 advances. The consumption of the country 

 is far short of its production, and cannot be- 

 come equal to it within any calculable pe- 

 riod. On the contrary, the excess of pro- 

 duction is to increase with the increase of 

 population and settlement, and the improve- 

 ments in agriculture and agricultural educa- 

 tion. These appear to me to be facts, arising 

 from the condition of our country, and the 

 tastes and inclinations of our people, fixed 

 beyond the power of change, and to which 

 theories and principles of political economy 

 must be conformed, to be made practically 

 applicable to us. 



The American farmer, then, while care- 

 fully studying, as he should not fail to do, 

 the necessities, the wants, and the tastes of 

 all classes of consumers of his productions 

 in his own country, must not limit his re- 

 searches for a market within those narrow 

 bounds. He must extend his observations 

 along the avenues of commerce, as far as 

 the commerce of his country extends, or 



