THE GENESEE FARMER. 



83 



THE PRESENT STATE OF AGRICULTUEE IN THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



In Loudon's EneyclopcRcLia of Agriculture there 

 are chapters on the agriculture of different coun- 

 tries, ancient and modern. Among them is one on 

 " The Present State of Agriculture in the United 

 States." It was written in 1831. Since then our 

 country has made astonishing advances in all the 

 arts and manufactures of civilized life, and of 

 course this account is not at all applicable to our 

 present condition. It is, however, int^'esting to 

 know how we figured in what is even now the 

 leading and best Encyclopsedia of Agriculture in 

 the world. Our readers will smile at some of the 

 following statements : 



" The Climate of the United States must neces- 

 sarily vary in its different parts. In the northeast 

 tlie winters are very cold and the summers hot, 

 changing as you proceed southward. In the south- 

 east, and along the Gulf of Mexico, the summers 

 are very hot, and the winters mild and pleasant. 

 Among the mountains it is cold toward the north, 

 and temperate in the south. Beyond the moun- 

 tains, ill the rich valleys of Ohio, Mississippi and 

 Missouri, the climate is temperate and delightful, 

 till we approach the Rocky Mountains, when it is 

 subject to extremes, the winters being very cold. 

 The climare must be chilled among mountains con- 

 stantly- covered with snow. West of these moun- 

 tains the climate changes, until we reach the shores 

 of the Pacific Ocean, where it resembles that of 

 the western parts of Europe. The prevailing 

 • winds are from the west, and, as they pass over a 

 wide expanse of water, they cool the air in sum- 

 mer, and in winter deluge the country with fre- 

 quent rain. 



" The Seasons generally correspond with those 

 in Europe, but not with the equality to be ex- 

 pected on a continent, as eveji during the summer 

 heats single days will occur which require the 

 warmth of a fire. The latitude of Labardor cor- 

 responds with that of Stockholm, and that of 

 Canada with France, but the climates of those 

 places are widely different. It M^ould appear from 

 Humboldt, that the difference of temperature be- 

 tween the old and new continents, in the same lat- 

 itude, is between AP and 5" in favor of the former. 



" The Surface of the country in the United 

 States presents every variety. Tlie northeastern 

 part of the coast is broken and hilly, and is re- 

 markably indented with numerous bays and inlets. 

 Toward the south, and along the Gulf ot Mexico, 

 the land is level and sandy, interspersed With many 

 Bwamps and numerous islands and inlets. At tlie 

 outlets of many of the rivers, there is a larji'e por- 

 tion of alluvial land, which is particukrly the case 

 along the Mississippi. Beyond tlie head of tide- 

 waters, there is a tolerably rich and agreeably un- 

 even country, which extends to the mountains. 

 The mountainous district, on the Atlantic -side of 

 the countiy, is about 150 miles in breadth, and 

 1,200 miles in length. It extends in large ridges, 

 from northeast to southwest, and is known as tlie 

 Alleghany Mountains. Beyond these the great 

 Valley of the Mississippi presents a surface of the 



finest land in the world. To the westward of this 

 valley ai*e the mountains of Louisiana, and beyond 

 these the bold shores of the Pacific Ocean. 



The Soil of the United States^ though of various 

 descriptions, is generally fertile ; often, on the east 

 of the Blue Mountains, in Virginia, a rich, brown, 

 loamy earth; sometimes a yellowish clay, which 

 becomes more and more sandy toward the sea. 

 There are considerable marshes and salt-meadows, 

 sandy barrens producing only a few pines, and 

 sometimes entirely destitute of wood. On the 

 west of the Apalachian Mountains the soil is also 

 generally excellent; and in Kentucky some spots 

 are deemed too rich for wheat, but the product may 

 amount to sixty bushels per acre. About six feet 

 below the surface there is commonly a bed of lime- 

 stone. 



" The Landed Property of the United States is 

 almost universally freehold, having been purchased 

 or conquered by the different States, or by the 

 General Government, from the native savages; and 

 either lotted out to the conquering army, or re- 

 served and sold afterward according to the demand. 



" The Price of Land., though low when not 

 cleared, rises rapidly in value after a very slight 

 occupation and improvement. Instances are fre- 

 quent of a rise of 1000 per cent, in about ten years. 

 CoBBETT, who resided in 1817 in Long Island, 

 Avhichmaybe considered the middle climate of the 

 United States, gives the price of a cultivated farm 

 in that part of tiie country. ' A farm on this 

 island,' he says, ' anywhere not nearer than thirty 

 miles off, and not more distant than sixty miles 

 from New York, with a good fiirm-house, barn, 

 stables, sheds and sties ; the laud fenced into fields 

 with posts and rails, the wood-land being in the 

 proportion of one to ten of the arable laud, and 

 there being on the farm a pretty good orchard; 

 such a farm, if tlie land be in a good state, and of 

 an average quality, is worth sixty dollars an acre, 

 or thirteen pounds sterling; of course, a farm of 

 a hundred acres would cost £1,300. The rich 

 lands on the necks and bays, where there are 

 meadows and surprisingly productive orchards, and 

 where there is water-carriage, are worth, in some 

 cases, three times this price. But what I have 

 said will be sufficient to enable the reader to form 

 a pretty correct judgment on the subject. In New 

 Jersey, in Pennsylvania, everywhere the price dif- 

 fers with the circumstances of water-carriage, 

 quality of land, and distance from market. When 

 I say a good farm-house, I mean a house a great 

 deal better than the general run of farm-houses in 

 England; more neatly furnished on the inside; 

 more in a parlor sort of style; though round about 

 the house things do not look so neat and tight aa 

 in England.' 



" The Agriculture of the United States may be 

 considered as entirely European, and chiefly British. 

 Not only is the climate better adapted for the 

 British agriculture, but the great majority of the 

 inhabitants are of British origin. 



" The natural circumstances of lands not under 

 culture chiefly affect the commencement of farm 

 ing operations. In general, the lands purchased 

 by settlers are underwood, which must be felled oi 

 burned, and the roots grubbed up — a laborious op- 

 eration, which, however, leaves the soil in so rich 

 a state that it will bear heavy crops of grain, po 



