198 



t^ncient Agricultural Societies — Grain. 



Vol. IIL 



For the Fanners' Cabinet 



Ancient Agricultural §ocieties 



After the Britons reiired into Wales, it 

 was enacted that no man should guide a 

 plough who could not make one; and that 

 the driver should make the ropes of twisted 

 willows, with which it was drawn. It was 

 usual for six or eight persons to form them- 

 selves into a society for fitting out one of 

 these ploughs, providing it with oxen and 

 every thing necessary for ploughing; and 

 many curious laws were made for the regu- 

 lation of such societies. 



If any person laid dung on a field, with 

 the consent of the proprietor, he was by law 

 allowed the use of that land for one year. If 

 the dung was carried out in a cart in great 

 abundance, he was to have the use oi' the 

 land for three years. Whoever cut down a 

 wood, and converted it into arable, with the 

 consent of the owner, he was to have the 

 use of it for five years. If any one folded his 

 cattle, for one year, upon a piece of ground 

 belonging to another, with the owner's con- 

 sent, he was allowed the use of the ground 

 for four years. Thus, though the Britons 

 had. in a great measure, lost the knowledge 

 of agriculture, they appear to have been very 

 assiduous in giving encouragement to such 

 as would attempt its revival. 



The above is furnished for the Cabinet as 

 matter of curiosity, and to show the improve- 

 ments made since these times of barbarism. 

 If some of your numerous patrons or corres- 

 pondents would take a little pains to collect 

 and arrange the history of the early .state of 

 agriculture in this country, as practised by 

 our ancestors, and which has no doubt been 

 handed down by tradition in .some of tlie old 

 settlements, it would be botii amusing and 

 interesting to our young folks, and would fill 

 a f&v^ pages of your instructive journal occa- 

 sionally with great propriety. 



S. 



For the Fanners' (7abinet. 



I>istiIlation ojf <jfra.in. 



" AH must be -vronf; that thwarts the one great end, 

 And all of God that bless mankind or mend." 



There are many no doubt who directly or 

 indirectly bless and mend mankind, — but 

 there are many who for the sake of " filthy 

 lucre" are constantly occupied in avocations 

 wliich instead of yielding any benefit to their 

 fellow lurn, are employed in that which tends 

 to injure and to destroy them. Of tliis latter 

 description I class tliose who are engaged in 

 the business of munufiicturing ardent spirits 

 from grain, (" the staf^'of lile,") and vending 

 it for a common drink. I am credibly in- 

 formed, and I believe it to be a fact, that 



there are three certain distillery establish- 

 ments in and near this city in which not less 

 than 1600 bushels of grain are daily con- 

 verted into Whisky ! 1600 bushels of grain 

 would make 3-'i3 barrels of meal, and 3:33 bar- 

 rels of meal would make 8.3,916 loaves of 

 bread of one pound weight each loaf — a loaf 

 of this weight is the whole allowance of 

 bread to a man per day in the Mnyamensing 

 Prison, and none complain of it as being in- 

 sufficient. It would therefore appear that 

 the destruction of bread stuff each day by 

 making it into whisky, would, if made into 

 Bread, (a necessary article of food,) be suf- 

 ficient to sati-sfy with Bread, 83,916 persons 

 for one day ! more than enough to supply all 

 the poor and needy in this city and districts! 

 But in.stead of being made into bread it is 

 made into Whisky ! — and what then ? Why 

 this whisky is to be disposed of, and for this 

 purpose there are houses licensed and unli- 

 censed, according to the estimate made by the 

 Union Benevolent Society in 1836, about 

 2000 in the city and districts — and if so, there 

 are 2000 persons making it a business to hand 

 out this destructive article — a business which 

 I think they cannot very easily persuade 

 themselves is calculated to " bless or mend 

 mankind !" It has been remarked that these 

 are generally worthless idle persons; and I 

 believe this to be true ; but the fruits of their 

 (Ioi7)gs are very obvious in our streets, alms 

 house, &c. I have thought that If the signs 

 over their doors were changed from " Tavern" 

 to " Paupers and Beggars made here," they 

 would give a more definite and striking idea 

 of their utility ! Suppose this vast quantity 

 of grain were converted into bread instead of 

 lohisky, would not the price of flour be les- 

 sened, and would not this needfiil article of 

 food come cheaper to the poor! And who 

 would be the losers by this change? The 

 very persons wlio are now making such un- 

 righteous gain out of the poor and laboring 

 classes of the community. But would the 

 commtmity suffer by this change? T trust no 

 observing, reflictinr, sober rnan, will answer 

 in the affirmative. What would be tiie pro- 

 bable effect of a total ab-tinence from the use 

 of this destructive article? would not men 

 become more sober, rational, and industrious? 

 — would not thousands be rescued from in- 

 temperance, pauperism, and untimely death? 

 — would not quarrels, assault oiul batteries, 

 and murders be fewer? — would not tiie busi- 

 ness of constables, w.itchnien. mnoistrates, 

 grand juries and courts be lessened ! — would 

 not our prisons and alms house be greatly re- 

 lieved ot' their inl)abitant«, and the public of 

 an enormous poor tax, amounting this year 

 to between 2 and 300,000 dollars?— would 

 not the manners, habits, and education of the 

 rising generation be improved by the change, 



