204 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 19, l»i!7. . 



From ike Visiter, 175(i. 



THOUGHTS ON AGRICULTURE. 



Agriculture, in the primeval ages, was the Com- 

 mon parent of traffic ; for tlie opulence of man- 

 kind then consisted in cattle, and tlie product of 

 tillage ; vvliich are now very essential for tlie pro- 

 jiiotion of trftde in gcneial, but more particularly 

 so to such nations as are abundant in cattle, corn, 

 and fruits. Tlie labour of the farmer gives em- 

 ployment to the manufacturer, and yields a sup- 

 port for the other parts of a communit}' : it is now 

 the spring ivhich sets tlie whole grand machine of 

 commerce in motion ; and the sail could not be 

 spread without the assistance of the plough. But, 

 though the I'armers are of such utility in a state, 

 we find them in general too much disregarded 

 amon^ the politer kind of people in tlio present 

 age; while we cannot help observing the honor that 

 antiquity always paid to the profession of the hus- 

 bandman : which naturally leads us into some re- 

 flections upon that occasion. 



Though the mines of gold and silver should be 

 exhausted, and the specie made of thera bo lost ; 

 though diamonds and pearls should remain con- 

 cealed in the bowels of the earth, and the womb 

 of the sea; though commerce with strangers be 

 prohibited ; though all arts, which have no other 

 object than splendour and embellishment, should 

 be abolished ; yet the fertility of the earth alone 

 would afford an abundant supply for the occasions 

 of an industrious people, by furnishing subsistence 

 for thera, and such armies as shciuld be mustered 

 in their defence. \Vc, therefore, ought not to be 

 surprised, that agriculture was in so much honour 

 among the ancients : for it ought rather to seem 

 wonderful that it should ever C(!ase t^ be so, and 

 that the most necessary, and most indispensable of 

 all professions, should iiave fallen ialo any con- 

 tempt. 



Agriculture was in no part of the world in high- 

 er consideration than Egypt, where it was the 

 particular object of government and policy : nor 

 was any country ever better peopled, richer, or 

 more powerful. The satrapie, among the Assyri- 

 ans and Persians, were rewarded, if the lands in 

 their governments were well cultivated ; but were 

 punished, if that part of their duty was neglected. 

 Africa abounded in corn; but the most famous 

 countries were Thrace, Sardinia, and Sicily. 



Cato, the Censor, has justly called Sicily the 

 magazine and nursiug mother of the Roman peo- 

 ple, who were supplied from thence with almost 

 all their corn both for the use of the city, and the 

 subsistence of her armies : though we find in Livy, 

 that the Romans received no inconsiderable quan- 

 tity of corn from Sardinia. But, when Rome had 

 made hei self mistress of Carthage and Ale.\andria, 

 Africa and Egypt became her store houses ; for 

 those cities sent such numerous fJeets every year, 

 freighted with corn to Rome, that Alexandria 

 alone annually supplied twenty millions of bushels; 

 and when the harvest happened to fail in one of 

 those provinces, the other came in to its aid, and 

 supported the metropolis of the world; which, 

 without this supply, would have been in danger of 

 perishing by famine. Rome actually saw herself 

 reduced to this condition under Augustus ; for 

 there remained only three days' provision of corn 

 in the city ; and that Prince was so full of tender- 

 ness for the people, that he had resolved to poison 

 himself, if the expected fleets did not arrive before 

 the expiration of that time ; but they came, and 

 the preservation of the Romans was attributed to 



the good fortune of their Emperor : but wise pre- 

 cautions were taken to avoid the like danger for 

 the future. 



When the seat of empire was transplanted to 

 Constantinople, that city was supplied in the same 

 manner: and when the Emperor Septimus Seve- 

 rus died, there was corn in the public magazines 

 for seven years, expending daily 75,000 bushels in 

 bread for 000,000 men. 



The ancients were no less industrious in the 

 cultivation of the vine than in tliat of corn, though 

 they applied themselves to it later : for Noah 

 planted it by order, and discovered the use that 

 might be made of the fruit by pressing out and 

 preserving the juice. The vine was carried by the 

 offspring of Noah into the several countries of the 

 world : hut Asia was the first to experience the 

 sweets of this gift; frou) whence it was imparted 

 to Europe and Africa. Greece and Italy, wliich 

 were distinguished in so many other resperts, 

 were particularly so by the excellency of ilicir 



wines. Greece was most celebrated for the .vine-i.- - — -- 



of Cypru.s, Lesbos, and Chio : the former of vhich possessions were better regulated, and the si 

 is ill great esteem at present: though the cultiva- ! of vassalage gradually declined, till it was en 

 tion of the vine has been generally suppressed u.Jly worn ofi" under the reigns of Henry VII 

 ~" As the Romans were in -...»" . . , . ■ 



it unworthy their birth, rank, and genius, to lei 

 precepts to posterity upon the utility of the hi 

 bandman's profession. Iliero, Attains, and 

 chelaus, kings of Syracuse, Pergamus, and Ci 

 padocia have composed hooks for supporting 

 augmenting the fertility of their different coi 

 tries. The Carthagenian general, Mago, w 

 twenty-eight volumes upon this subject ; and C; 

 the Censor, followed his example. Nor have 

 to, Xenophon, and Aristotle, omitted tkis artiS 

 which makes an essential part of their politics, 

 And Cicero, speaking of the writings of Xenophl 

 says, "How fully and excellently does he, in tl 

 book called his Economics, set out the advanta] 

 of liusbandry, and a country life." 



When Britain was subject to the Romans, 

 annually supplied them with great quantitiegfet 

 cnn ; and the Isle of Anglesea v/as then lou] 

 upon as the granary for the western provim 

 but the Bcitons, both under the Romans and 

 ons, were employed like slaves at the ploug 

 On the intermixture of the Danes and Norm; 



the Turkish dominion 

 debted to the Grecians for the arts and sciences, 

 so were they likewise for the improvement of their 

 wines : the best of which were produced in the 

 country of Capua, and were called the Massic, the 

 Calenian, Fonnian, CiEcuban, and Falernian, so 

 much celebrated by Horace. Domitian passed an 

 edict for destroying all the vines, and that no more 

 should be planted throughout the greatest part of 

 the west : which continued almost two hundred 

 years afterwards, when the Emperor Probus em- 

 ployed his soldiers in planting vines in Europe, in 

 the same manner as Hannibal had formerly em- 

 ployed his troops in planting olive trees in Africa. 

 Some of the ancients have endeavored to prove 

 that the cultivation of vines is more beneficial than 

 any other kind of husbandry ; but if this was con- 

 sidered so in the time of Columella, it is very dif- 

 ferent at present ; nor wore all the ancients of his 

 opinion, for several gave the preference to pasture 

 lands. 



The breeding of cattle has always been consid- 

 ered as an important part of agriculture. The 

 riches of Abraham, Lahan, and Job consisted in 

 their flocks and herds. We also find from Latinus 

 in Virgil, and Ulysses in Homer,that the wealth of 

 those princes consisted in cattle. It was likewise 

 the same among the Romans, till the introduction 

 of money, which put a value upon commodities, 

 and established a new kind of barter. Varro has 

 not disdained to give an extensive account of all 

 the beasts that are of any use to the country, 

 either for tillage, breed, carriage or other conven- 

 iences of man. And Cato, the Censor, was of 

 opinion, that the feeding of cattle was the most 

 certain and speedy method of enriching a country. 



Luxury, avarice, injustice, violence and ambition 

 take up their ordinary residence in populous cities; 

 while the hard and laborious life of the husband- 

 man will not admit of these vices. The honest 

 farmer lives in a wise and happy state, which in- 

 clines him to justice, temperance, sobriety, sin- 

 cerity, and every virtue tliat can dignify human 

 nature. This gave room for the poets to feign, 

 that AstriEa, tlie goddess of justice, had her last 

 residence among husbandmen, before she quitted 

 the earth. Hesiod and Virgil have brought the 

 assislauce of the muses in praise of agriculture. — 

 Kings, generals, and philosophers, have not thought 



JP-dward VI. for they hurt the old nobility byj 

 voi;jig the Commons, who grew rich by trade, 

 purchased estates. 



The wirie>s of France, Portugal, and Spain, ih 

 now the bestS.i v^/hile Italy can only boast of lb 

 wine made in I'Ss-vany . The breeding of cattlei 

 now chiefly confint"^"to Uenmark and Ireland.- 

 The corn of Sicily is ~st?^in great esteem, as wel 

 as what 1.-5 produced in the northern countries ;' 

 Kngland is the happiest spoi' in the universe 

 all the principal kinds of agricult't/'je, and espei 

 ly its great produce of corn. '''• 



The improvement of our landed estateS ^ 

 eniichment ofihc kingdom; for, without this, 

 could we carry on our manufactures, or prosec 

 our commerce ? We should look upon the Engl 

 farmer as the must useful member of society, 

 arable grounds not only supply his fellow subjei 

 with all kinds of the best grain, but his indui 

 enables him to export great quantities to o1 

 kingdoms, which might otherwise starve ; pari 

 ularly Spain and Portugal ; for, in one year thi 

 have been exported 51,520 quarters of barli 

 219,781 of malt, 1920 of oat meal, 1329 of rye. a; 

 153,.343 of wheat ; the bounty on which amountat 

 to £72,433. 



What a fund of treasure arises from his pasturf 

 lands, which breed such innumerable flocks ol 

 sheep, and aflxird such fine herds of cattle, to feed 

 our countrymen, and clothe mankind ! He rear! 

 flax and hemp for the making of linen ; while bis 

 plantations of apples. and hops supply him will 

 generous kinds of liquors. 



The land-tax, when at four shillings in the pound, 

 produces .02,0110,000 a year. This arises from the 

 labour of the husbandman ; it is a great sum, bat 

 how greatly is it increased by the means it fur- 

 nishes for trade .-' 



Without the industry of the farmer, the manu- 

 facturer could have no goods to supply the mer- 

 chant, nor the merchant find employment for the 

 mariners : Trade would be stagnated ; riches 

 would be of no advantage to the great; and labor 

 of no service to the poor. — 



The Romans, as historians all allow. 



Sought, in cxtrenic- distress the rural plough ; 



lo triuraphe ! for the village swain 



RetirM to be a nol)lemaiit agaiu. • 



t Cincinnaliis. 



