180 



THE FARMER'S MONTLY VISITOR. 



to five shillngs per week, and are obliged to 

 subsist on bread and water or potatoes and salt. 



Scotland.— Among the laboring classes of tlie 

 industrious Scotcii, meat, except on Sundays, is 

 rarely used. 



FRA^■cE. — Of the people of France, seven and 

 a half millions do not eat wheat or uheaten 

 bread. Tliey live n|)on barley, rye, buckwheat, 

 chesnuts, and a few potatoes. Tlio coniiiion w;i- 

 ges of a hired laborer in Fi ance, arc if-'i?,/.'") for a 

 mail, and $18,75 for woman, anmially. The ta.x- 

 es upon them are equal to one tilth of the nett 

 product. 



Norway. — In Norway the ordinary food for 

 the jiea.saiitry, is bread and gruel, both prepared 

 of oat-iiK-al u ith an mcasional mixture of dried 

 fish. Meat is a li,.Mii\ la rely used. 



PoLANii.- The ciiriiiMoM food of the jieasantry 

 of Poland, tlje wi.rl.iii- men, is eabbn^e and po- 

 tatoes; sometimes, ma f/rinM-ally. Iilai-U bread and 

 soup, or rather gnnl. wiilmnt ihc addition of but- 

 ter or meat. A recent trasdjci- says, "I have tra- 

 velled in every direction, and never saw a wliea- 

 ten loaf to the eastward of the Rhine, in any pait 

 of northern Germany, Poland, or Denmark." 



Denmark. — In Denmark the peasantry are still 

 held ill boridaL'c, and are bought and sold togeth- 

 er Hith the land on which they labor. 



ItifsiA. — In Russia the bondage of the j'.eas- 

 antry is even more complete than in Dennjark. 

 The nobles own all the land there is in the em- 

 pire, and tlie peasantry who reside upon it are 

 transterred with the estate. A great majority 

 have' only cottages', one portion of which is oc- 

 cupied by the family, while the other is appro- 

 priated to domestic animals. Few, if any, have 

 beds — but sleep upon bare boards, or upon parts 

 of the immense stoves by which their houses are 

 waritied. Their food consists of black brcad,cab- 

 liage and other vegetablej,withoutthe addition of 

 any butter. 



Austria. — In Austria, the nobles are proprie- 

 tors of the land, and the peasants are compelled 

 to work for theii; masters during every day ex- 

 cept Sunday. The cultivators of the soil are in 

 a state oi' bondage. 



Sweden. — In Sweden the dress of the peas- 

 antry is prescribed by law. Their food consists 

 of hard bread, dried fish, without gruel and with- 

 out meat. 



Hungary. — In Hungary their state is, if po.ssi- 

 ble still worse. The nobles own the land, do 

 not work, and pay no taxes. The laboring clas- 

 ses are obliged to repair all highways and bridg- 

 es, are liable at all times to have soldiers quarter- 

 ■\3d upon them, and are com])elled to pay one tenth 

 of the produce of their labor to the church, and 

 one ninth to the lord whose land they occii|>y. 



Ireland. — The average wages of a laborer 

 from nine and a half to eleven cents per day.- 

 Their food is "milk and potatoe.s," occasionally 

 varied, as one of them describes it, by -'potatoes 

 and milk." Truly may it be said that all over the 

 worhl "hard is the fate of the laboring poor." — 

 Yet they are the producers of all the wealth in 

 every country. — .V. Y. Era. 



Rev. Mr. Thomas's Address before the M. C. 

 Agricultural Society. 



To THE Hon. Mr. Hill — Dear .Sir — In com- 

 pliance with your request, and a too favorable 

 vote of the Society, I send you the accompanying 

 manuscript. A sudden casualty to a very near 

 relative, compelled me to write it while on a 

 journey, and in my lodging rooms at night, in 

 different public houses, or to disappoint the So- 

 ciety when too late to procure another. 



Under these circumstances it is submitted to 

 your indulgence, with j»ermission to publish little, 

 all, or none of it, as you think best. 



Very resjiectfully, vours, &c. 



M. G. THOMAS. 



Gentlemen of the Merrimack Counly ^Agricultural 



Society : 



When your committee did me the honor to 

 request of me an address for the present occa- 

 sion, they were frankly informed that I was but 

 little acquainted with subjects api)ropriate to their 

 interests, and therefore incapable of meeting 

 their request as it deserved to be met ; that if 

 under such circutnstances they chose to take the 

 risk, I would put my hand to the plough and en- 

 deavor not toturn back. 



No definite and specific rules in regard to 



practical farming will be attempted, for two rea- 

 sons — one is, that 1 do not know enough to give 

 them ; and tlie other. 1 doubt whether there are 

 ny that \\ill apply in all cases. 

 Good jiiil;:nM lit, lalnr anil manure arc proba- 

 bly the best c;.|iial il,,' A?;ricnhiiralist can em- 

 ploy. Vet ill ic;jaiil 111 luip of tlifsc, iaiior and 

 manure, liicic aic im i iilcs that will apjily in ail 

 cases. 



Labor may be unwisely bestowed so as to ren- 

 der no adequate returns. Without good judgment, 

 ■actical kniiwlcdge of his vocation, no man 

 ipply liis h liui- ill 1 lie best, or even to good 

 iitaf;c. 'I he inc. hai.ic cannot makea watch, a 

 li, i<r a pnincnt, though he may labor to the 

 ist of his lime and strength, if he has not 

 some practical knowledge of what he is about to 

 do. Neither can the lawyer manage his case, 

 the physician his patient, or the minister his ser- 

 mon, without it. it', too, a mechanic or a pro- 

 fessional man is well acquainted with the theory 

 and the science of his calling, he will work to 

 I'uch better advantage. When it is all plain 

 liling, as the phrase hath it, practical kiidw lcd;.c 

 alone may be sufficient, especially with these 

 who do not trouble themselves to make iiiiiiio\e- 

 ments, but are content to follow the same track, 

 and go the same round forever. But the moment 

 a new case occurs, such are at a loss. They 

 then need to be familiar with ll'ie principles and 

 the science of their calling ; otherwise they have 

 little to guide them. 



These remarks are all true of the farmer as 

 well as of others. He must have some practical 

 knowledge of his subject, or he cannot bestow- 

 even his labor to advantage. Aid when a new 

 case occur-s, a new crop, a new mode of culture, 

 or a new soil is to bo tried or prepared, he needs 

 a good knowledge of the princi|;les, and even of 

 the exact science of his business, in order to 

 appreciate his laLor and expense of time and 

 money to the best advantage. 



Similar remarks are true in regard to the vari- 

 ous means of enriching and improving diflVrenl 

 kinds of soils. Here some scientilic knowledge 

 is indispenanbic to the most successful opera- 

 tions. A man may expend much in plaster, 

 ashes, lime, and in .preparing various kinds of 

 compost, and for the want of such information 

 make as bad work in applying ihem, as the sailor 

 did at ploughing. In his first attempt at "'bout 

 ship," as he termed it, he got the starboard ox 

 on the larboard side, the ol<l mare straddle the 

 bowsprit, and all aground together. 



Soils difl'er so much in their composition, that 

 what will benefit one will lie useless or even in 

 jurious to another. The more scientific, informa 

 tion one may have in such cases, the better will 

 he be able to prepare various kinds of compost 

 and adapt them to tlie soil and the crop, and to 

 distiilkute his means to the best advantage. 



Since these things are so, and every good far 

 mer is familiar with such facts, and knows that 

 no definite rules will apply in all case.s, is it not 

 as important and useful to the farmer to have 

 good agricultural paper, and a few good books 

 or treatises on agriculture, stock, manures, fruit 

 trees, &c. as it is for the carpenter to have his 

 work on architecture, the miiiLstur his on theol 

 ogy, or the physician his on medicine? Tin 

 farmer may be as much assisted by good agri 

 cultural treatises, or a, good paper devoted to big 

 interests, as those of any other profession or 

 vocation. Asa man is neither fitteil to be a good 

 lawyer, or physician, because he has good sense 

 and a comn-.on education, unless he has read 

 some for his particular profession, so neither 

 will good sense and a common education fit a 

 man to become a successful and prosperous iiu'- 

 mer unless he reads and studies some with ref- 

 erence to his own particular calling. 



It seems to me, gentlemen, that this suggestion 

 is worthy of much consideration. Will it not 

 account for the little improvement witiicsst d tor 

 along series of years iu culture, cnips. stock, 

 &c. while in mechanics improveiiiciit.s, iiivcniiniis 

 and discoveries, are taking place that can hardly 

 be estimated .' Is it not fair to conclude that if 

 the same amount of reading and .study had been 

 given by farmers to their business, as those en- 

 gaged in other pursuits have bestowed iipnn 

 tlieirs, that improvements in the one, would have 

 kept pace with improvements in the other.' Thai 

 half the present amount of labor and expense 



would yield as much product and profit as the 

 whole now does? 



Another to|iicwortby of consideration presents 

 itself in the proper estimate of agricultural in- 

 tcicsts. .Agriculture is not brought beiore the 

 coiMiiinnih Ui the same cxti lit thai its products 

 arc. Will... Ill the j.roilwi. ..ilhc liirmer, Miller's 

 proiiliccy would l.c fiilf lied belbre the year of 

 our Lord 1843. But while no one with any de- 

 gree of personal comibrt can withhold their at- 

 tention from a faithfiil discussion of larmer's 

 l)roducts for rlie space of fwcnty-foiir hours, the 

 case is some\\ hat (iilhn iii in n f.aiil in the raising 

 and curing of those I I.I. h, CIS. 'I his is a matter 

 with which lew liii luacticnl linnicis concern 

 themselves at all : an, I ihcy chi. il.v in their indi- 

 iiclil, ami «hile en:;age(l upon their 

 It is (inly on (iccasi.ins like the pres- 

 • pr,:<-iical matters of farming are 

 especially brought hclbre liic public. And these 

 occasions are with iis of c.iinparatively recent 

 III n word, tin- principal operations and 

 of the farm, r are in the retirement of 

 hill-sl.l, s, plains and valleys. It is to 

 iiiislanci', 111 |iai t, that we are to attribute 

 tluit sii liiilc th(uij;ht or interest is he- 

 ir lell by the public at large upon this 

 important subject. Until late years, it has scarce- 

 appeared in the imhlic jiapers, or even been 

 named. It has, too, been thought by many, that 

 those who could do nothing else would at least 

 do for farmers. A greater mistake could not ea- 

 sily be made. The farmer needs a good head, 

 much as a good jiair of hands. There are 

 V occupations that may be more li.iicl'iiu d niiil 



cd by sound judgment, 



be called good ca 



and wliat may 



that require inore of these Traits. It is true, then, 

 th.-it farming oflers as much scojie for a good 

 mind, and I think even more, than the average 

 oecnpatiiiii.s of life. There is room for as much 

 Miuly, investigation and improvement in it as in 

 other vocatidiis, and if iiiirsiicd as it should be, 



cli more than in many otlier,«. It ofifers an 



ample field for the exercise and developement of 

 all the inlcllectnal poueis. Still, the business of 

 farming is not generally so estimated. Some, 

 and perhaps not a few of those engaged in it, 

 do not so think of it. 



How is this mistake to be corrected, and a 

 more just and worthy estimate of the subject to 

 be promoted .' The same principles apply to 

 farmers in this matter, as to all oiher classes, or 

 eVv-n to individual.s. The farmer must be intei- 

 ested in his vocation and ;;roi((/o/'i7. He must feel 

 that it has a character, and that a high one, to be 

 developed and sustained ; that it is inferior to no 

 other calling whatever — no, not even to the ad- 

 ministration of justice, or, as the Scottish phrase 

 is, to " wagging one's paw in a pooiiit" The 

 (iirmer is God's first workman. We cannot live 

 without him. Only let a country be filled 

 with good farmers, and more than half the other 

 occupation.s could be spared, and the community 

 live comfortably. Strange indeed it is, that a 

 calling which is the very corner stone among the 

 occupations of civilized humanity, should ever 

 be regarded-as not quite so respectable as some 

 others ! Or that the larmer sjiould be lesj thought 

 of, as is the case with some, than the tradesman, 

 the lawyer or minister ! This has only come to 

 pass because a jiait of the world never penetrate 

 more than skin deep. If they see on a man a 

 hard liand, and a sun-burnt skin, and a garb 

 suited to his business, it turns what little brains 

 they have — just as we should supfiose it would 

 with such people. It is with such, a hopeless 

 task to give them a just estimate of any thing. 

 As much so, as it would be to wheel sunshine 

 into a dark room with a wheelbarrow. 



But there is somewhat of this feeling with 

 others which may in some degree be well found- 

 ed. There are unworthy memhcis in all voca- 

 tions. Farmers are no exception to this rule. 

 There are, too, many who forget they have minds 

 to improve, as well as lands to till. There are, 

 too, many that let even the long winter evenings 

 go by, with little reading and little improvement. 

 They scarcely read their newspaper. So liir as 

 this is the case, the fault is indeed with the indi- 

 vidual, and not the body of farmers : still, there 

 if much in the old proverb, "a sickly sheep in- 

 fects the flock." .And such farmers bring dis- 

 credit in the eyes of the world upon their call- 

 iii'g. Let there be none such among you. Ratli- 



