1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



747 



ajrgerated; but I do say, that the writer made out 

 his account on just and proper principles — such as 

 ijovern all the estimates made of the profits of any 

 business whatever. My own experience and ob- 

 servation will supply a case j;oin<x to corroborate 

 liis views. A Jientleman, just about to settle in 

 life, had ig 10,000; with ihis'he purchase.! five hun- 

 dred acres of land nt >i5 per acre; he houixlit ei^ht 

 netrroes, (or which he ijave !r^6500, and with tlie 

 balance, he purchased (iu'm and house; from tliis 

 farm he sold .^800 worth of irrain, &.C., &c. It 

 afforded him a house (rent free) J;>200; meats for 

 his table ,^200; fuel and vegetables .^200; a bed for 

 a friend, at any time, with stable, food, &c. flir his 

 horse, comfortable dinners and abundant break- 

 fasts, suppers, &c.. all this with the income from 

 $10,000; which at interest, would he but igGOO— a 

 sum utterly inadequate to his decent support any 

 where, much less to the genteel and comfortable 

 support he draws from his farm. This is no extra- 

 vagant case. I appeal to the experience of any 

 man acquainted with middle Virginia to say, 

 whether just such investments could not be made 

 in very many places, with at least equal results. 



It may be objected, that these results are inade- 

 quate, in as much as the owner is not sufficiently 

 paid ibr his time and labor. I answer, that for the 

 most part, the compensation for both is ample, in 

 the ease and comfort of the life, let alone the pecu- 

 niary profit. Agriculture never was a business at 

 which large fortunes were rapidly made, and 1 do 

 not believe it ever will be. Tiiougli, at this time, 

 cotton growers at the south are said to be making 

 very large profits, or rather large gross products, 

 I apprehend the necessary expenditures are like- 

 wise very large; and at all events, this must be 

 temporary, as so profitable a business as theirs is, 

 Avili not be long before it is filled up, and seeks the 

 level of others, according to an iannutable law of 

 commerce. All I would urge is this — that our 

 own Virginia, to the industrious, temperate, and 

 prudent man, affords sufficient advantages to in- 

 sure him peace and plenty for life, with a reasona- 

 ble hope of leaving a family of well-brousht-up 

 children in the same condition, when he dies; and 

 with this, every good man ought to be content. 

 And surely these benefits, when acting in conjunc- 

 tion with that love of country which all oujiht to 

 cherish, should keep more of our citizens in their 

 native state. 



I did not propose to lay down any plan for the 

 management of a farm adapted to our peculiar sit- 

 uation. There are, however, many in our state 

 whose success and intelligence will qualify them 

 for such an undertaking; and I do hereby invite 

 such to spare a little time frorn their domestic avo- 

 cations, and atTord to their unsettled fi^llow-citizens 

 their experience, which alone will suffice to prove 

 that health, comfort, abundance, and even wealth 

 are yet to be attained in the old dominion, if we 

 will but use the means. I could myself fijrnish a 

 list of excellent farmers — men illustrating the char- 

 acter of which we have been wont so much to 

 ' boast, who yet live to adorn their native state, and 

 :i whose practice, if fljllowed, would entirel}- super- 

 : sede this imaginary necessity for emigration which 

 li is raging among us. But these men, restrained 

 i! by their native modesty, or else yielding to the 

 madness ol' the times, will not step fbrivard to aid 

 in arresting an evil which we all so sensibly feel; 

 and will find out, perhaps, too late, that much of 



this evil could have been by themselves removed, 

 had they contributed their exeriions to those of 

 our excellent Register. 



I will not apologize lor this longer rigmarole 

 than ! intended to inflict upon you, because if it 

 contains a suggestion worthy of your journal, you 

 can take that out and use it; if it does not, ihe 

 reading will o'ive you little trouble, and I will take 

 care to pay the post. 



I am v'ours, 



II. 13. M. 



From tlio Farmer and Gardner. 

 TOBACCO planters' COJVVENTIO]V. 



The convention of delegates from the tobacco 

 planters ol' the states of Ohio, Virixinia and Ma- 

 rylaml, assembled at the City Hall in the city of 

 Washington, pursuant to adjournment, on Tues- 

 day, the'24ih ult. 



Governor Barbour, of Virginia, was called to 

 preside over the meeting, and John JMercer, Esq. 

 of Maryland, appointed secretary. 



The president on taking the chair, addressed 

 the convention, and in an appropriate and elo- 

 quent maimer explained its objects. 



After a few remarks by another gentleman, Mr. 

 Dodge, the consul of the United States Ibr the 

 port of Bremen, who was present by invitation, 

 gave to the convention some valuable information 

 on the subject of the tobacco trade, with which 

 his position and opportunities have made him tho- 

 roughly acquainted. 



The Hon. Daniel Jenifer, chairman of t!ie com- 

 mittee appointed ibr the purpose, made the follow- 

 ing report : 



The committee appointed by resolution of ihe 

 convention ot tobacco planters, held in this city on 

 the 2d and 3d of the present month, to "ascertain 

 the quantity of tobacco exported annually from the 

 United States to foreirrn ports ; the increase or de- 

 crease of the same from the year 1792 to the pres- 

 ent time; also the amount of duties imposed in 

 Ibreign ports; toirether with such other informa- 

 tion as they might deem proper to comniunicate," 

 have availed themselves of such information on 

 the different subjects as the}' could obtain, which 

 they now ask to submit to the consideration of the 

 convention. 



By a statement on file in the treasury dc- 

 partment, which is a similar one to that presented 

 to the convention at their last meeting, it appears 

 that the quantity of tobacco annually exported 

 from the United Stales to all Ibreign ports fiom the 

 vear 1790 to 1835, inclusive, has varied much less 

 than might have been expected^ and more espe- 

 cially when Ibrmerly the whole growth of this ar- 

 ticle was confined to the states of Virginia and 

 Maryland, whereas, at the present time, in addi- 

 tion to those two states, considerable quantities are 

 grown in Kentucky, Oiiio and Tennessee, which, 

 Together with Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Indiana, 

 and Missouri, united, are estimated to produce 

 nearly, if not quite, as much more. Still the ex- 

 ports have seldom exceeded 90,000 hogsheads, 

 and 3,900,000 pounds of manufactured; the whole 

 of the surplus being consumed within the United 

 States, keeping down the exports to nearly what 

 they were in 1790. 



