FORETHOUGHT IN FARMING. 107 



plying these wants is given by necessity to the farmers. But, in 

 speaking of action, all the action needed to accomplish any thing 

 would become insufferably tedious. For example : a precise 

 old gentleman says to his servant, — "Here, John, lift up the 

 flap of the saddle that is on the gray horse, unbuckle the girth, 

 then let down the flap, take off the saddle and place it on the 

 ground. Then lift up the flap of the saddle that is on the bay 

 horse, unbuckle the girth, take off" the saddle and place it on 

 the back of the gray horse, and untie the ends of the girth and 

 make them fast with the buckle ; then take the saddle from the 

 ground, and place it upon the back of the bay horse, and see 

 that it is properly fastened by means of the buckle you will find 

 under the flap of the saddle on the right side of the bay horse." 

 John listens to all this preachment with eyes and mouth grow- 

 ing more and more distended, and at its conclusion, exclaims: 

 *' Could yer honor not have said at once — ' Change the saddles, 



sir 



9 5 >5 



Now, with all this minutice, he failed to mention a fourth part 

 of the motions necessary to change the saddles. 



So when I come before you to speak of the farmer's actions, 

 I find that I can only say, change the saddles. For to particu- 

 larize, would be to make a volume, in speaking of the different 

 motions or actions connected with the raising of one hill of 

 potatoes. While, then, I give the conclusion of the matter, let 

 your imagination siipply the primary and intermediate steps. 

 For convenience, we will class all produce as follows : products 

 of the sea, products of the forest, products of manufactures, and 

 products of agriculture. Limiting our remarks merely to the 

 exports of the United States, let us see their relative impor- 

 tance. All the products of the sea, — oil, bone, and fish, — 

 amounted, in 1853, to a little more than $8,000,000. All 

 the products of the forest, including lumber, bark, tar, pitch, 

 turpentine, potash, pearlash, skins and furs, amounted to about 

 $8,000,000. The manufactures amounted to nearly $47,000,- 

 000. The products of agriculture, to more than -1154,000,000. 

 Here, then, we see that nearly two-thirds of all our exports 

 are the direct result of agriculture ; while of the manufac- 

 tured articles, leaving out gold and silver coins, nine-tenths 

 are derived from the farms, and dependent on agriculture 

 for their existence and supply. This business of farming, 



