Proceedings of the Fabmer^ Club. 337 



than $400,000,000, and did every acre produce as much human 

 food as these acres in Mannington, then might 



" Every rood of ground maintain its man," 



And all the people of both the cities of New York and Philadel- 

 pliia could have food enough without the additional charge of 

 freight on such long lines of railroads. And why not? We have 

 the acres, the fertilizers, and hundreds of farms as examples to 

 prove that it can be done. 



Prof Cooke, the Geologist of the State, says, that there are two 

 hundred and seventy-four thousand acres of tide-water marsh in 

 the State of New Jersey. That only about thirty thousand acres 

 of this vast amount have yet been redeemed, and that the half of 

 this, or fifteen thousand acres, is in Salem county alone. The diking 

 of these marshes was commenced early in the history of Salem, 

 and we were shown a canal several miles in length exclusively for 

 drainage, that was excavated by a steam dredge many years ago. 

 Between this city and Newark, N. J., they are now diking several 

 thousand acres of marsh, but the labor is performed by men alone. 

 We have been told that history repeats itself. This use of the 

 spade as against the steam engine for digging canals through mud 

 looks like a repetition of the lost arts. 



In concluding this report, it will be proper to speak of the far- 

 mers themselves who have built up the agriculture of Salem 

 county. A farmer whose crops are uniformly profitable will attract 

 the attention of his neighbors, and if their crops are not as good, 

 they will soon begin to imitate his example. As all the operations 

 on a farm, as well as the crops, can be seen by the entire commu- 

 nity, such a farmer becomes a teacher; but when there is an entire 

 settlement of such farmers their influence for good is immensely 

 iucreased. This settlement we saw was originally made by Friends, 

 or Quakers, and they, in a great measm-e, have made Salem county 

 agriculture what it is. Just such settlements of Fi'iends can be 

 found in many other counties of the State, and especially in Bur- 

 lington; so in Eastern Pennsylvania, and in many other States. 

 But especially is this the case in Ohio, Indiana and Iowa, where a 

 lai'ge portion of the population is of this denomination of Christians. 

 Go where you will, if you find a settlement of Friends, there will 

 be the same characteristics — soil naturally good, careful cultivation, 

 neat and substantial buildings, thrift, comfort, intelligence, and 

 finally wealth; and, as a consequence, such success causing others 



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