762 



FARMERS' REGISTER— AGRICULTURAL BOOKS. 



admitted, it was their object to spread their matter 

 through a3 many pages as possible, and to present the 

 same in as many ditferent works, as their booksellers 

 would buy, and their readers would tolerate. Besides, 

 in addition to the risk of buying a worthless book, the 

 American importer had the certainty of having a veiy 

 high priced one, owing to the fashion in England of 

 publishing most books in a very expensive form. For 

 example — our copy of Dundonald's Connexion of 

 Chemistry and x\griculture, was obtained by sending a 

 special order to Philadelphia, and cost $7 25. It is a 

 thin quarto, without plates, and containing only two- 

 thirds as much matter as a single number of the Farm- 

 ers' Register — and therefore could be furnished by re- 

 publication in that work, at a cost of about 30 cents. 

 The only copy of Elkington on Draining, that we have 

 seen for sale in Virginia, was bought at $o; this work 

 contains about as much as one of our numbers, and 

 might cost 60 cents on account of a number of plates 

 being required. At these rates, a duty of even 15 per 

 cent, amounted to more than the whole cost at which 

 such books could be published and sold in this coun- 

 try — and a government that was wise, liberal, or even 

 just, would have taken off the whole of a duty, which 

 brought almost nothing to the treasury, and so much 

 increased the great existing obstacles to the introduc- 

 tion of agricultural knowledge. Whatever may be 

 the causes — whether the duty on importation, the ori- 

 ginal high prices, or our own cai-elessness and disre- 

 gard of knowledge, may be most operative — the effect 

 is, that scarcely any foreign agricultural works have 

 been imported for sale in Virginia, since IS 18, and 

 very few repubhcations have been made in the United 

 States. For the purpose of making selections for the 

 Farmers' Register, and to enable us the better to exe- 

 cute the duties which we owe to our subscribers, we 

 have ordered a small importation of agricultural works, 

 by guessing at their contents from their titles — but 

 with tlie expectation, founded on former similar adven- 

 tures, tliat much the greater part of the expenditure 

 will be thrown away on publications of little worth. 

 No second trial of such purchase would have been at- 

 tempted, merely with a view to individual gratification 

 or instruction. 



The English works named above, it is admitted, pre- 

 sent cases of unusual high prices: and farther, it is 

 probable, as a cheap style of publication has lately 

 become common in England, that many agricultural 

 works might now be bought at much lower prices than 

 formerly. If so, the fact would furnish an additional 

 proof of the baneful operation of our restrictive duties: 

 for so complete was the cessation of importation, and 

 consequent loss of acquaintance with such works, that 

 this supposed reduction of price has not had any ef- 

 fect in increasing purcliases. The spirit of speculation 

 (which affected this, as well as other branches of 

 trade,) in 1817 and 1818, brought more foreign agri- 

 cultural books into our country, at the then enormous 

 prices, than all the demand, and subsequent reduction 

 of price have done, within the last ten years. It is 

 believed that there is no collection deserving the name 

 of an agricultural library, public or private, in Virgi- 

 nia; and the few wealthy and liberal farmers who have 

 piade any considerable collections of such works, have 

 obtaineil bnt little matter of real wortli, in return for a 



heavy expenditure. It is for others to say whether the 

 state of things is better in other states of the Union. 



The prohibition of supply causeil by the combination 

 of the different causes mentioned, has finally operated 

 to produce a cessation of all effectual demand for fo- 

 reign works on agriculture. This is sufficiently proved 

 to be the opinion of our boolcsiillers,by their not repub- 

 lishing sucli works for sale. But tiiougli they may be, 

 and probably are, cori-ect in this respect, tliere is stiU 

 a cheaper form and manner of publication, by which 

 agricultural works may be furnished, viz: in periodical 

 numbers, and upon previous subscription. If this was 

 done, for example, in monthly numbers of tlie form and 

 size of the Farmers' Register, about thrice as much 

 matter would be given for the same price, as is done 

 in most American editions of such works — and from 

 five to ten times as much, as many English editions 

 furnish. In this manner, a choice collection of 

 standard agricultural works could be obtained, at a 

 price so low as to be witliin the means of almost ev^ery 

 industrious farmer — and yet presenting what would be 

 in intiinsic value, in number, and also in neatness of 

 mechanical execution, a better collection, than the most 

 wealthy and liberal have yet been able to procure. 



This plan is submitted for the consideration of the 

 readers of the Farmers' Register, and the agricultural 

 community in general — and if tliere should be sufficient 

 indication of its being well supported, we will here- 

 after execute what is here proposed. The matter suit- 

 able for this Fanners' Library and that for the Farmers' 

 Register, would be altogether different, and the one 

 publication coidd in no respect interfere with, or lessen 

 the value of the contents of the other — while there 

 would be many obvious advantages from the kindred 

 works being under the same editorial direction. The 

 extensive correspondence, the general acquaintance 

 with books and wdth persons, which is desirable for 

 conducting either publication, will equally conduce to 

 the better management of the other. And as the use- 

 fulness and interest of tlie proposed republication, can 

 have no territorial limits, there is no reason why it 

 may not be highly acceptable to many intelligent farm- 

 ers, in each of the United States. But we beg not to 

 be considered as expecting the subscriptions of any 

 persons, because they have already aided the Farmers' 

 Register. No such claim is made. If tlie plan pro- 

 posed is in advance of the wishes of the farmers of our 

 country, or has not sufficient claims to support, inde- 

 pendent of all personal favor to the editor, it ought not 

 to be supported: and no patronage would be permanent 

 or profitable, that was not founded on a real demand 

 for the work, founded on proper considerations of its 

 usefulness. 



It is not pretended that every volume thus published, 

 however carefully chosen, could furnish either instruc- 

 tion or entertainment to every one, or even to the 

 majority of subscribers. Many of the most valuable 

 works are for reference, and not intended for regular 

 reading; and no mode of selection could possibly suit 

 every reader. But even if it should happen that three- 

 fourths of the whole matter thus furnished should be as 

 useless, and as little read, as (necessarily) is as large a 

 , proportion of almost every newspaper, the remainder 

 would amply repay the cost. Independent of individ- 

 ual advantage, the wide dissemination of such works. 



