1851. 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



13 



■i^ 



avoided. Mrs. Hamilton, relict of Alexander 

 Hamilton, and daughter of Gen. Schuyler, now in 

 her ninety-sixth year, enjoys good health by avoiding 

 the extremes to which we have alluded. 



All that Mr. Downing has so well said in favor of 

 ladies and gentlemen, or persons of both sexes, taking 

 exercise regularly in the open air, by riding, walk- 

 ing, or working, we fully endorse. Hot-house plants, 

 and pale, enervated children, men and women, may 

 do for a poor show, but nature owns them not. We 

 are deteriorating our race by the intensity of our 

 laziness, artificial stimulants, and ridiculous contri- 

 vances for doing nothing. We hold that it is the 

 duty of all, not only to tak.e daily exercise, but to 

 perform useful labor. No intelligent and healthy 

 person can be regarded as innocent, that has an op- 

 portunity to work, and fails to produce an equivalent 

 for all that he or she consumes. If one family may 

 rightfully live without any sweat of the face, all may, 

 by the same rule. Idleness is a wrong done to the 

 whole community, and to several generations ; and 

 the greater the number of idle persons, the greater 

 the injury. We deliberately manufacture three- 

 fourths of the diseases and paupers that exist in 

 society, and profess to believe that it is all right, 

 wise and proper. We rejoice that the U. S. census 

 of ISoO has signalized the middle of the 19th century, 

 by making a record of all births and deaths through- 

 out the ^^■h^l'e Union, in the twelve months prece- 

 ding tht 1 • V*-, of June or July. The study of the 

 causes ot U'Hality, in their connection with the oc- 

 cupations .>• sien, modes of living, construction of 

 dwellings, '"cnity to marshes and other stagnant 

 waters, over m ty-one States, presents many points 

 of deep interest Science, taking a loftier position, 

 will undertake xj (irevent, rather than cure, most of 

 our afiiictions. 



PROFESSOR JOHi:*S- 'ON'S VIEW OF AMERICAN 

 £ ifCUiu'' CJRB. 



At a meetuig of the rat^ of Berwickshire Farmer's 

 Club, Professor Johnst*. ,v, recently returned from 

 America, delivered the 'o 'owing address, which we 

 copy from the London i'ar.sier's Magazine : 



I v\ill briefly refer to some pnlnts which cime under my 

 observation in that part of tiv country yvhich 1 ■visited. 

 First of all, as to the state of acnculture in the nnrtliern parts 

 of America, in our provinces, and in New England, with 

 which we are ourselves more familiar, when 1 tell you gen- 

 erally that the state of agriculture in those parts of America 

 is wliat the state of agriculture in Scotland probably was 

 eighty or ninety years ago — and when I tell you that in some 

 parts of New Brunswick tliey are very nearly in the precise 

 condition in which Scotland was one hundred and twenty 

 years ago, you will have an idea of the state of agriculture in 

 North America. The system of agriculture is no firlher for- 

 ward — it is exceedingly far behind. Tliny are not even 

 acfpiainted with the improved methods of farming, or the 

 improved implements whicli are now in common use in this 

 country ; while the increased facilities which Mr. Milnk 

 would still farther introduce, have never been heard of by 

 them. Now, in regard to tliis state of things in the whole of 

 the northern part of America, go as far west as you like, and 

 as far south as you like, the same general description applies 

 to the whole. Now, the next question is, how has this state 

 of things been brought about ? You are probably not so well 

 acquainted with the state of agriculture in this country 100 

 or 120 years ago as I have found it my duty to make myself ; 

 and at the lime to which I refer, I allude not only to the 

 stato of great ignorance in regard to the cultivation of the soil, 

 but to the state of exhaustion in the soil itself. So in refer- 

 ring to the present state of agriculture in America, 1 refer to 

 two considerations — the condition of mind brought to bear 

 upon the cultivation of the land, and the state of the land it- 



self. In regard to the cultivation of land iit America, its 

 condition arises from a variety of causes, and a very few 

 considerations will enable you to understand how it has 

 come about. If you a.-k yourselves to what cla.ss does the 

 majority of emigrants belong, you will have no difficulty in 

 coming to a conclusion. Look at the great crowds of people 

 wlio go from Ireland, from the Highlands of Scotland, and the 

 hiHirJreds of thousands proceeding from the great towns of 

 England and Scotland— ask yourselves of what class they 

 con.sist— what amount of inteiligen-^c and agricultural knowl- 

 edge they po.ssess ; in the answer to this you will at once find 

 the key to the state of the land in the whole northern part of 

 America. The people v\ho first settled in America knew 

 nothing of airricukure, and their de.^scendents have generally 

 copied the habit.s of their predecessors. Thus it came that 

 their sons knew nothing — out of the way of books, out of the 

 way of instruction, supposing them everi to have read books, 

 they would have made very little progress ; but we must 

 suppose them not to have had an opportunity of gaining 

 knowledge, and therefore instead of advancing, ihet/ have ret- 

 rograded in arrkuUural knmvledze ami practice. Now, what 

 has been their pncedure — hy what kind of procedure have 

 they brought about iho slate of exhaiistian to which the soil 

 has been reduced I Of coiu'se, in speaking of the exhausted 

 soil, I do not refer to the virgin soil which has never received 

 the plovy or the si)ade ; but to the soil under their cultivation, 

 and which they are now exhausting. When I tell you how 

 the land is cultivated, you will understand how tliis exhaus- 

 tion has been produired. The forest is in the first place cut 

 down «nd burnt, after which the ashes are scattered, and a 

 crop of wheat and oats is sown. When this crop is cut down, 

 another is sown ; but they do not always remove the straw 

 — they do not trouble themselves with any manure. The 

 second year they sow it again and harrow it, and generally 

 take three crops in succession. When they can take no more 

 out of it, they either .sow grass seeds, or as frequently leave 

 it to seed itself. They will then sometimes cut hay twelve, 

 fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, or twenty years in succession — in 

 fr.ctas long as they can even get half a t^in an acre from it. And 

 you may suppose what is the natural fertility of the land, 

 when they arc able to obtain as much as three or four tons 

 per acre at first, and go on cutting it for twelve years. They 

 will probably have two tons an acre during all that length of 

 time. The land is then broken up and a crop of oats taken, 

 then potatoes, then a crop of wheat, and then hay for twelve 

 years again ; and so the same course is repeated. Now this 

 is the way in which tlie land is treated — this is the way in 

 which the exhaustion is brought about. This exhaustion 

 exists in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Lower Canada, in 

 Upper Canada to a considerable extent, over the whole of 

 New England, and extends even into the state of New York. 

 The next inquiry whicli you will make is, what steps are 

 they taking to remedy this state of things ? Are they doing 

 anything lo bring back the land to a productive condition? 

 and in order to do this are they taking steps to put any knowl- 

 edge into the heads of those who cultivate it 1 



Now, on those points I am happy to say that I can speak 

 very favorably. They possess the spirit of their forefathers, 

 and having become conscious of the state in which agricul- 

 ture really is, they are endeavoring to improve it. But you 

 will ask what inducement have they to make these exertions ? 

 They grow corn enough, — they have no want of agricultural 

 produce as we have ; but when I tell you what is the condi- 

 of the New England states you will understand. All the 

 new states — all the virgin land when it is cultivated yields « 

 crop for little or nothing, but it can not by any means yield 

 a large crop. In the State of Michigan, between Lakes 

 Superior and Erie, the average produce is not twelve bush- 

 els an acre, but it is got for nothing. In New Brunswick, 

 which is very thinly populated, I was told that ten bushels 

 an acre paid well I but the produce is not large. In the 

 western states they are able to produce it very cheaply. 



fllr. Hay — What is the value of a bushel of wheat ? 



Professor Johxst'iN — .At the time I was tliero the price 

 varied from (51 to 80 cents a bushel, /. e. 100 cents being 4*. 

 (yd. In the western states and part of New York, where it is 

 shipped to England, the price varies according to tlie distance. 

 Now, the condition of things in the western states in refer- 

 ence to England; is precisely the same as the condition of Eng- 

 land in reference to the wheat-producing countries of the 

 Baltic. The condition of the firmers is exceedingly bad ; in 

 I\laine I was inf )rined that they were all in a state of bank- 

 ruptcy. The land is nil mortgaged, which hangs like a mill- 

 stone round their necks, and is worse even than the state of 

 the farmers in this country. They are thus unable to com- 



