1837.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



733 



all upon the fluctuating tide of the stocks, and to 

 roam the earth over, in search ot" some philoso- 

 pher's s-lone. 



■"And tiijp condition GfthinjTs is easily accounted 

 for. The very flood ofoiir prosjjcrity, at first, toolt 

 up some oC our lellow-cilizcns, and without any 

 previous desire, or especial [effort] of their own, 

 bore them on to fortune. The quiet and unambi- 

 tious proprietors taf soil which tbrmerly had been 

 of tridinrr worth, by the rapid spread of the popu- 

 lation, of some sudden turn ot business, became 

 instantly the possessors of abundant wealth. — 

 Others, witnessing their rat)id promotion, natural- 

 ly longeii to keep even pace with it, and soon be- 

 gan to task their ingenuity to invent and compass 

 means of similar elevation. There is something 

 so extremely liisfiniitinir in the gathering up of a 

 sudden harvest of gold ; there is something so ex- 

 citing in the dream of goinir to sleep a beijgar, and 

 awaking a prince, that it is hardly a matter of sur- 

 prise if a iew instances of such rare crood fortune, 

 in a community, should turn the heads of half its 

 members.'"' The author anticipates an objection 

 that might be started ajramst his doctrine, and 

 answers it in the following manner: -'The doc- 

 trine that I would advocate, is no foe to honest in- 

 dustry — it is Its firmest supporter — its truest li-iend. 

 We are encouraged to strive in every lawful way, 

 zealously, perseveringly, for the bettering of our 

 earthly condition. 



"Industry, economy, order, the freest exertion of 

 the faculties of mind and body — temperance, jus- 

 tice, and manly independence, all these hang main- 

 ly upon an honest and well regulated pursuit of 

 wealth. And, herein, consists the only real worth 

 of that for which all the world is laboring, that, by 

 furnishing the chief excitement to the natural pro- 

 pensity for gain, it developes, and holds in steady 

 action, all the moral influence which proceeds from 

 the lawful exercise of this principle. There is no- 

 thing valuable or worthy in the mere possession of 

 property — but every thing in the elTi^ct of a pru'dent, 

 rational, and just pursuit of it. Sudden wealth, is 

 almost certain ruin. Inherited wealth, is preiinant 

 with dangers. But, the gradual advance to it, by 

 the way of economy and industry, this is happiness, 

 heedth, and virtue." 



R. 



((. 



n" 



ON "COUNTING THE COST OF NEW IMPROVE- 

 MENTS — AND APPLIED ESPECIALLY TO EM- 

 IGRATION. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Madison County ^ February I5th, 1837. 



Some of the previous numbers of your Register, 

 being somewhat deficient in original communica- 

 tions, I am thereby induced to ofl'er my annual 

 mite, supposing it more acceptable at this time, 

 when more valuable contributions have been sus- 

 pended. 



I was much pleased and edified by a perusal of 

 your description of the Dismal Swamp. I wish it 

 were in your power to make many such excur- 

 sions through different sections of the country, and 

 more especially this, where much valuable agricul- 

 tural information might be thus extracted, orally, 

 which, otherwise will remain within the precinct 

 of the immediate neighborhood wherever it origi- 

 nated, or was first practised through all time, be- 



fore one of its possessors would venture upon a writ- 

 ten connnunication, even under a fictitious name. 

 Why this inexplicable course, I know not; but to 

 their shame be it said, such is the fiicf. Does it 

 proceed from selfishness, or the unenviable aml)i- 

 tion to excel others, by concealing, or preventing 

 the circulation of such information ? Eut I cannot, 

 even imagine that the human heart is so depraved 

 and lost to a sense of its duty, as to be guilty of 

 such a detestable offence. We must, therelbre, 

 attribute it to better, hut erroneous impressions; 

 such as distrust in their own qualiffcations, or to 

 liilse shame. 



The current volume of the Register, page 570, 

 contains a peculiar and valuable communication, 

 headed, "Doubts of the value of some of the opin- 

 ions now current, on agricultural improvements." 

 I say peculiar, because it differs materially from 

 most communications in its admonitions and warn- 

 ings to the inexperienced, whilst most correspon- 

 dents recommend and laud most of the new-ftin- 

 gled schemes of the day, without sufficiently test- 

 ing their utility. [ wish you had many such cor- 

 respondents, who, like this, in recommending such 

 improvements, would not only point out the advan- 

 tages, but disadvantages, attending them. We 

 have frequent, and no doubt, highly colored ac- 

 counts of the profits arisinfj from the culture of 

 silk, the sugar beet, &c. But sir, the disburse-- 

 ments, if alluded to at all, it is done in such amhiir- 

 uous terms, as rather to delude and entangle the 

 inexperienced, than to point out in plain and per- 

 spicuous language, based upon a full and fiiir com- 

 putation, the expenditures, as well as the proffts. 

 Many estates have been ruined, and for aught 1 

 know, souls lost, by thus pointing out the bright, 

 and not the dark side of the picture, by holding 

 out inducements to unsuspecting and inconside- 

 rate youth, to embark in enterprises, (without 

 countins the cost) which promise ease and afflu- 

 ence, but result in total fi^ilures, and ruin to them- 

 selves and families. Sir, think me not censorious, 

 when I tell you, that I too, have ft^lt the "smart of 

 the rod," I too, have been gulled by my credulity, 

 in such partial and exaggerated statements. I al- 

 lude now to (hose made by some of the travellers 

 from the south-western states. Virginia must be 

 almost depopulated, if this fraud be not exposed. 

 Who would remain here, if they could realize half 

 the advantages promised by a removal to the south- 

 west 1 /would not, for one. But, fortunately ibr 

 me, [ have profited by experience, though some- 

 what costly. I was led astray by those well de- 

 vised tales — and was induced to visit the south- 

 west, with the intention of making a settlement, 

 and with the sanguine expectation of accumulat- 

 ing a larne fortune, in a few years. I had figured 

 to myself, that the profits arising from a well con- 

 ducted sugar or cotton plantation, were immense — 

 and indeed, they are. But, on my way, I reflected 

 maturely on the subject, and was prepared to make 

 such inquiries as the nature of the case called for : 

 therefore, on reaching the sugar growing country, 

 my first inquiry was directed to the cost of the es- 

 tablishment of a comparatively small sugar plan- 

 tation, including machinery, &c. — and to my as- 

 tonishment, the amount exceeded any thing that I 

 had ever conceived of, in Virginia. This satisfied 

 me at once, that none but a capitalist could be- 

 come a profitable sugar grower. My attention 

 was next directed to the cotton region, with a 



