266 UTILITY OP AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



All these natural advantages being ia favour of the 

 American fanner, we shall be asked how it happens 

 that the lands in Britain are more productive ? The an- 

 swer is : More labour is expended upon less land there ; 

 and the product is always in proportion to the labor, the 

 soil, and the climate. 



The difference between the two countries in the price 

 of labour, and of cattle, was formerly much greater than 

 at present. The average price of labour in Britain ac- 

 cording to Mr. Lo-well^ is about 67 cents per day, and 

 ours does not exceed, probabl}^, 75 cents. To balance 

 this, may be placed the extra price of rents in that coun- 

 try. The fanner is seldom, there, the owner of the soil, 

 and he pays a rent of from 5 to 30 dollars per acre ; 

 bis taxes also are at least three times as great as those 

 paid by our farmers. Must not our inferior Success in 

 man}'^ of the operations of farming, compared to that of 

 European cultivators, be owing to some radical defects 

 in our system ? We believe it is a want of enterprizc 

 among the farming class cf our countrymen. 



UTILITY OF AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



The experience of ages, the increase of human 

 knowledge, and its more general diffusion, tend to throw 

 much light on agriculture, as well as to dissipate preju- 

 dices which have long existed; nor can it be doubted, 

 that whenever a spirit of emulation and enquiry is ex- 

 cited among the farmers of any country, the result will 

 be beneficial to themselves and useful to the community. 

 So necessary has it been considered in Europe to prose- 

 cute agriculture, that many persons of great abilitiea 

 (distin,8:ui«hed in the -various walks of life) have almost 

 exclusively devoted their time and talcnlsto it ; societies 

 have been formed, liberally su]>ported, and their utility 

 demonstrated. They have well repaid every individual 

 who has contributed by his wealth and intelligence io 

 render them respectable and useful. 



The vast improvement cf agriculture in Great Britain, 

 within a few years, is at^cribed to the attention that gen- 

 tlemen of fortune and leisure have paid to it, and to the 

 establishmenl of a board of ngriculture, ar»d of societies, 

 to foster and encourage individuals, and to bring to light 



