182 



NEW ENGLAxND FARMER, 



DKC 8, 1S4I 



U^ 



A.NP HORTICITLTURAL REOISTER. 

 BoSTOlf, WEDIfESDlT, DECEMBER 8, 1841. 



AtJRfCULTURE, MANUFACTURES AND COM- 

 MEKCK— AI.L MEMBERS OF ONE BODY. 



Tht eye cannot eiiy to the hand, I have no need of thee; 

 nor oirain the head to the feet, I have no need of thee. 



— ST°i*iUL. 



Farmers, ineclianirg, ami merchanis arc all memliers 

 of ono great body piilitic. The labors of ejcli cIubb are 

 serviceable to both the others. Neither can say to anoth- 

 er, " I hare no need of thee." The bonds o( mutual de- 

 pendence and sympathy between them all are strong; 

 fo that, as a gennral rule, when one prospers, the others 

 are partakers in the profits ; and when one suffers, the 

 others .-suffer wiih it. Whatever slates of public opin- 

 ion ; whatever events ; whatever legal enactments ; 

 whatever national treaties are permanently beneficial to 

 either one of ihi so great pursuits, confer a share of 

 good (and that no stinted one,) upon each of the others. 

 Jealousies, envies and discontents among these mem- 

 bers of the {;reat American body, are as unnatural and 

 ■8 baneful as such feelings would be among the broth- 

 ers or the sisters who dwell beneath a single roof Mu- 

 tual respect and gortd will ; fnutual rejoicing in each 

 other's welfare, should ever bo entertained by farmers, 

 mechanics and merchants. The opposite of thia is fol- 

 ly; all rash and uncalled-for attempts to persuade cither 

 class that it is slighted, trampled upon or undervalued, 

 are worse than folly — they tend to engender discontent, 

 and to produce evils, which coming tipon any one class, 

 must come upon all. 



Are farming and farmers sligl.ted or undervalued by 

 public opinion or by the legislative assemblies of this 

 country ? But before answering that question, let us 

 remark briefly upon the importanee cf husbandry and 

 its dependencies upon other pursuits. 



Agriculture is usually called the great business of the 

 Union and of the world ; it is represented as lying at 

 the foundation of both manufactures and cotmierce ; 

 furnishing them with a large part of the raw material 

 that they work upon, and giving sustenance to those 

 who are engaged in thern. Farming might possibly cr, 

 ist without mechanical assistance ; but a bare existence 

 is all that it could havu without aid from mechanics. 

 Should the farmer say to the mechanic, " My pursuit is 

 older and more important than yours, for I furninh food 

 for the world;" the mechanic might ask, in reply, 

 " What progress could you make in your work without 

 the plow, tho yoke, the hoe and the spade, which 1 

 make ? Thoirgh you do furnish food, you could not 

 procure ennirgh to keep tho world from starving, without 

 tho aid of those implements which my skill produces." 

 Manufactures, in some form, must have been born ere 

 man tilled the earth with any thing other thnn his fin- 

 gers and sticks. The two pursuits have come down to- 

 gether and in inseparable connection, fr<tm tho first ages 

 of tho world. Tho farmer depends upon the mechanic 

 for his tools, his clothing and his shelter. The mechan- 

 ic relies upon the farmer for his braud and meat, wool, 

 linen and hides Each pursuit abaulutcly requires oid 

 from the oth»r. Each is essential to man's comfort and 

 welfare, if not to his existence. Each is honorable and 

 should bo honored. Each should be favored by public 

 opinion, and preserved against harm, if need be, by 

 legislative prutoclinn. 



As things now are, agilculturisU look to mecbaDics 

 not only for their tools and clathin2, but also aa tho 

 buyanof the surplus producu of the farm. Let m.inu- 



facturcs — we now use tho word in its popular sense — 

 let these languish, and the demand for what the farmer 

 products, will slacken, and he will find it dilTtcirll to 

 sell for cash. Always when mechanics nre thrown out 

 of their accustomed employment, many of them turn 

 their attention to tho soil ; then the number of produ- 

 cers increases — the number of buyers dirninishoe, and 

 the profits of tho regular fanner come diwn. The pe- 

 cuniary interests of the f-irniors are promoted by that 

 prosperity in manufactures which calls vast numbers 

 away from the plow, lessens the amount of agricultural 

 produce, ajid increases the number of purch.isers. Con- 

 sequently whatever favors tire marrufacturing interest, 

 and, in most cases, whatever benefits commerce, and 

 draws a large number of people into those pursuits bene- 

 fits agriculturists at the same time. From this it will 

 follow, generally, that our laves regulating commerce, 

 and those which increa.se oirr manufactures, act in favor 

 of the farmer, for thorrgh tho prosperity of other pur- 

 suits may oblige him to pay higher wages upon the 

 farm, the price of his produce has a still greater rise. 



Commerce calls many thousands of our cilizerjs away 

 from the field io build our ships, to navigate them upon 

 every sea, and to dwell in cities for the purpose of dis- 

 tant and foreign traffic. All these many mouths must 

 bo fed upon the productions of those who labor upon 

 the soil. Nor docs the victualling of our navy and mer- 

 chantmen, and tl feeding of those who buy and sell 

 and get gain, comprise the whole benefit which agricul- 

 ture here derives from commerce. Marry of these ships 

 go from us laden with cotton, tobnecn, f]nirr and meat, 

 to markets abroad, iitid thus raise the homo price of the 

 productions of the soil. Wero the cirtton and tobacco 

 fields of the South appropriated to the riising of grain, 

 the market price of nearly every article that New Eng- 

 land farmers raise, would bo sensibly reduced. 



These general remarks, if sound, show that in all 

 such of the doings of government as have been wisely 

 suited to encourage and protect the other branches of in- 

 dustry, have at the same time been acting effectually in 

 favor of agricultitre, liy furnishing it a brisker market, 

 less competition, and greater profits. This is nearly all 

 the aid thnt seems dcsirablo. Boirnties by government 

 upon the productions of tho soil, we deem unwise ; but 

 oppropri.ilions for tho purpose of acquiring and dissemi- 

 nating knowledge in relation to this important science 

 and art, might be wi.so and useful. Further, could we 

 say a word which might find its way into the balls of 

 Congress, wo would suggest to legislative wisdom, 

 whether it might not bo well to take off the duty that 

 must now be paid upon foreign seeds. — The direct aid 

 of government to agriculture needs be but little. 



But what is the estimation in which farmers and farm- 

 ing are held ! There is but little cause for complaining 

 of the prevailing opinions in relation to this point. Per- 

 haps some of those who have but jus', bleached the 

 brown from their faces which a country «un painted 

 while they were pulling weeds from the soil, and who 

 now sweep the stores of the city, may look with con- 

 tempt upon the farmer and his occupation ; a few there 

 may be who think that labor in the field is degrading. 

 But having mingled considerably in all grades of socie- 

 ty, from tho rich to tho poor, wa have never known the 

 agriculturist, as such, lobe ddspLsed or sneered Hi by 

 any of those whose character for judgment and discrirni- 

 naiion stamps their npirrions upon tho pirblic mind. In 

 llie halls of legislation, in all public places, and in tho 

 press, farmers and their pursuits aro always mentioned 

 IS honorable. And when electioneering campaigns are 

 carried on, how Imrdly does this parly and that ono too, 

 proclaim that their candidate is a farmer. 



Tile great change that is desirable is, that the farmers 





themselves should regard their own calling with deepi 

 interest and more favor. Cuuld they but bo brought I 

 hold themselves in as much esteem as those of olb« tr^" 

 pursuits readily accord to them, no other change of put "If' 

 lie opinion would be desirable. The change we apeii 

 of would manifest itself in their general disposition t 

 have their sons and daughters laborers on the farm an 

 in the dairy-room — in their efforts to understand bell{ 

 the principles of agriculture — in efforts to teach thei 

 families more that perlnins to the pursuit; — in an in( 

 pendent but mu</es( deportment when in the society o Mt 

 less rustic people, and in their more contented ai 

 cheerful tone when speaking of farming, its hardship ||GI 

 and pleasures, its profits ami its losses. Far be it fron 

 us to say that there are not many among them who an ^^. 

 such as we desire to see ; but this cannot be said of all jk 

 nor of the mass. . 



With these views we can have no sympathy with anj ,,. 



who would labor to elevate farming by appeals to mei 

 of other pursuits to hold this callrng in mi re rcspeel 

 Nor could »c join a cr^ that farmers are depressed an. 

 degraded by tho laws and the opinions of the New Eng| ' 

 land Stales. * 



The tendency i-j now already sufficiently strong ia 

 men of other occupitions, to become owners and tlllerM 

 ofthe soil. 



These opinions, if well founded, show that the pui«< ^ 

 suit is regarded with sufliciunt favor. Who can desiral '■ 

 rhat other callings should bo so far abandoned as to dsa ' 

 stroy or much injure the farmer's market ? " 



Instruction in their art, and a just appreciation of ilH ' 

 respectability, and of tho blessings which the practice oil 

 it affords, are what their friends should strive to assist far«4 

 mers in acquiring. 



BLACK POTATOES. 

 We have received in m Rev. Mr Worcestir, of Bridge 

 water, siime potatoes, which he says are called in Ne« 

 Bedford the " Black Bulman"— in Fall River, " Black.'^ 

 This we recognize as an old acquaintance, whose facS4 

 we have missed for } ears. Some twenty years ago it' 

 was productive, and in the spring and early summer 

 was remarkably good for the table. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITieN OF FRUITI. 



Saturday, JfToT. 27, 18il. 

 By L. P. Grosvenor — Pound Royal and Chandler Ap- 

 pl> s — the l.-il'tcr from tho original tree — offered for the 

 Wells premium lor the best winter fruit. 



From Noah Kendall, U'oburn — a large Apple, weigh- 

 ing 20 oz when taken from the tree. 

 Fo.- the Committee, 



BENJ. V. FRENCH. 



lJjf"The inquiries of J. West will be attended Io in 

 ojur next. 



As we cannot judge of the motion of the earth by any 

 thing within tho earth, but by some radiant and celes- 

 tial point that is beyond it, so tho wicked, by comparing 

 Itlomsolves with the wicked, perceive not how far lliev 

 are advanced in their iniqirily ; to know precisely w li it 

 lengths ihey have gone, they must fix their ultentiiu in 

 some bri;:ht and eialtod character tliat is not of t 

 but above ihcin. — Lacon. 



Ai the next thing to having wisdom ourselves, is to 

 profit by that of others, so tho next thini; to having merh 

 ourselves, is to take care that the morituriou* profit by 

 us; for he that rewards thn duserving, makes himswr 

 ono ofthe number. — B>. 



I 



