PRACTICAL FARMER 



119 



would fail to produce sufficient to support tliem. 

 Such an extraordinary and unnatural circum- 

 fitnnce should excite attention and awaken the in- 

 quiry as to its cause. 



The fault as we have seen, is not in the soil ; 

 nor is the country overrun with inhabitants. It 

 is therefore evident that the cultivation of the soil 

 is neglected, otherwise we should be exporting 

 instead of importing agricultural products. But 

 it is easier to shew the fact, that agriculture is 

 neglected, than to find a sufficient reason for such 

 neglect. We apprehend, however, that it will be 

 found to spring in a great measure from the same 

 causes which have produced much evil in this 

 country and the bitter fruits of which we are now 

 reaping. The first and chief of these causes is 

 the inordinate thirst for wealth which pervades 

 every class of society, and induces men to aban- 

 don their legitimate business to engage in some 

 wild hazardous speculation with the hope of be- 

 coming suddenly rich. It is also too often the 

 case that the farmer becomes tired of the moder- 

 ate and gradual accumulation of |)roperty by the 

 products of his land, and leaves the cultivation of 

 it to engage in the business of commerce or man- 

 ufactures. He finds out his egregious mistake 

 when it is too late. The property he had accu- 

 mulat ;d is often squandered and lost in conse- 

 quence of his ignorance of new business, and he 

 again sighs for the cheerful and independent mode 

 of life which he has abandoned, when it is out of 

 his power to resume it. We have in our mind 

 numberless instances of this kii:d, where in^us> 

 trious and pros|»erous farmers have been lured to 

 their ruin by being induced to lay aside the im- 

 plements of husbandry, and engage in the univer- 

 sal scramble after sudden wealth. 



There is another great error prevalent upon this 

 subject, and that is the business of agriculture is 

 generally looked upon as loss respectable than that 

 of commerce, manufactures, or the professions; 

 and wealthy farmers, instead of teaching their sons 

 their own business, most usually transform them 

 into merchants, lawyers, doctors or dominees. 

 Tbis is all wrong. Agriculture is the very back 

 bone of all business, the main s; ring of all wealth, 

 and should be regarded as a profession of the 

 highest respectability. It gives those engaged in 

 it a feelitig ot independence, genuine nobleness 

 without ostentation, honor, honesty and firmness, 

 well calculated to perpetuate the free institutions 

 of our happy country. The truth of the eloquent 

 panegyrics of the ancients upon this empUyment 

 may be more easily realized here than in any oth- 

 er country upon earth. We confidently hope to 

 see public opinion speedily righting itself upon 

 this subject, and to find people seeking their per- 

 manent interests and advancing the prosperity and 

 glory of our wide domain by engaging more gen- 



erally in this healthful, honest and independent 

 business. — jV. Y. Sun. 



Honey. — In passing through the garden em- 

 ployed by the American Institute, our attention 

 was directed to some boxes of Honey, of a clear 

 white and beautiful transparent apjjearance, such 

 as has seldom been seen in the New York mar- 

 ket. It is presented by Messrs Wincox & Cone, 

 of West Brooinfield, Ontario County. One of the 

 firm has furnished us with the following state- 

 ments. — JV. Y. Gazette. 



" Last spring we had not far from 220 swarms, 

 this fall we had 420 ; nearly all the young swarm 

 are good to winter over. We have taken from 

 our bees, 700 lbs. of box or cap honey ; in addi- 

 tion to this, we furnished all in the vicinity where 

 we live, witFi boxes, showing them how to man- 

 age, promising to buy all the honey that was built 

 in tin!m. This added to our own, made 5,651 

 lbs. All of this was taken away without destroy- 

 ing a single swaru) of bees. Near seven-eighths 

 of this honey, was of the white, such as is exhib- 

 ited to-day ; it arrived in New York market the 

 ninth of September; near two-thirds of it is al- 

 ready sold. We have adopted this plan to make 

 our bees profitable, and not destroy an insect that 

 is such an exam[>le of industry." 



Spontaneous Combustion. — Farmers^ look 

 out — take warniae; — and be careful to have your 

 Hay well cured, before you i)ut it into your barns. 



Mr Seth Root, of Otis, in this State, lost fifteen 

 tons of good hay, by putting it into his barn too 

 green, notwithstanding he had taken the precau- 

 tion to give it a good sprinkling of salt. 



For several days, Mr R. noticed his hay-mow 

 to be gradually sinking at the centre, and was 

 much perplexed to divine the cause — the last 

 week having occasion to ascend it, to throw down 

 some hay for his cattle — had taken oflT but a 

 small quantity, when on a sudden a stream of 

 flame, smoke and cinders burst upon him, that 

 well near suflTocated him, at the same time his 

 feet gave way he found himself ingulphed to his 

 shoulders in smoke and embers, from which situ- 

 ation he fortunately very soon extricated himself, 

 rather singed, and gave the alarm of fire ; his 

 neighbors by timely exertion, extinguished the fire 

 and saved his barn. The hay was put into the 

 barn, the fore part of August, when ignition took 

 place, and why no indication of the fire was soon- 

 er discovered, is left to the decision of the learned 

 and curious. — Hampden Whig. 



Economy is the parent of integrity, of liberty 

 and ease, the beautiful sister of temperance, of 

 cheerfulness and health. 



