AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO. 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Agricultural Warehouse.) 



VOli. XVII,] 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 26, 1838. 



[NO. 85. 



AGRICULTURAL. 



ADDRESS 



OF HENRY STEVENS, 



it the Caledonia Cattle Fair, hohkn at St Johnshunj, 

 Vermont, Sept. 27, 1838. 



Gr.NTLEMEN, — The subject which I have chosen 

 "or discussion on the present occasion, is sonie- 

 vhat (litftn-ent, and perhaps not so immediately con- 

 lectcd with the object of this society, as that of 

 ■earing large cattle, fine sheep, sleek horses, and 

 at swine, or th-it of ploughing, sowing, and har- 

 'esting. However, the subject which I am about 

 discuss, is of the utmost importance, and one 

 mmediately connected with the ao-ricultural inter- 

 ist of our State and county. I hope you will 

 nanifest as much patience as practicable. For a 

 ew weeks past, I have endeavored as far as possi- 

 de, in connection with my ordinary business, to 

 .scertain the quantity of wool produced in Ver- 

 nont ; tiie quantity necessary for domestic cimsump- 

 ion, and the cost of- woollens necessary for the in- 

 labitants of this State per annum. 



I propose to slioiv the amount of wool and wool- 

 en goods, imported from foreign countries into 

 he United States for the year ending Sept. 30th, 

 830. 



To show the probable amount of woollen goods 

 ■f foreign production and manufacture, consumed 

 ■y the inhabitants of this State ; 



That if all the wool which was shorn from 

 .,16(5,234 sheep, tlie number stated by the general 

 ist in 1837, would have been sold for all it would 

 hen have sold for at our dwellings, it would but 

 ibout pay for that portion of imported woollen 

 joods consumed the past year by the inhabitants 

 if this State. That if the pre.sent quantity of 

 vool shorn in this State, could be sold for fifty 

 ;ents per pound in cash, a further sum of 1,500,000, 

 vould be necossaiy to furnish with the necessary 

 ivoollens for tlie year to come ; 



That the present quantity of wool in Vermont 

 sill but about supply tlie inhabitants for the coming 

 /ear ; _ 



Tliat capital for manufacturing and mechanical 

 Jurposcs can be vested in the interior of a coun- 

 xy with a greater prospect of success than on the 

 seaboard ; 



That it is as necessary that Vermont should pur- 

 sue such a policy in relation to her manufacturin'i; 

 ind mechanical interests a.-! to render her indepen- 

 dent of the sister States as is proper for the United 

 States to render themselves independent of foreign 

 governments. 



It appears fro;ii the Sci-rctary of the Tioisuiy's 

 annual report of the commerce and navigation of 

 the United States for the year ending September 

 30th, 1836, that there were imported into the United 

 States from foreign countries, wool and woollen 

 manufactures to tlie amount of .$24,579,885, which 

 is the cost of the goods at the place from whence 

 imported. To this sum I add sLxtyfive per cent, for 



duties, insurance, freight, tonnage, importers and 

 retailers' prolits,'which would amount to 15,970,925. 

 This sum added to the original cost makes 40,550,- 

 681. This is what the wool and woollen goods, of 

 foreign growth and manufacture, cost the inhabi- 

 tants of the United States during the past ye?a-. 

 Suppose there are 15,000,000 inhabitants in the 

 United States, the cost of woollen goods, for for- 

 eign manufactures would amount to more than $2,70 

 for every individual admitting there were 300,000 in 

 tills State, and that we used no more than our propor- 

 tion of foreign woollens, then the imported woollen 

 goods cost the inhabitants. of this State $810,000. 

 Gentlemen, be cool, be considerate, I ask how are 

 we to pay this enormous sum, which we must pay 

 this fall ? — we have had a long credit, the importer 

 must have liis pay. Nick Biddle has said that 

 every farthing of this foreign debt must be paid. 

 I propose tint the farmers of Vermont agree to sell 

 our wool at our dwellings to whomsoever this debt 

 is due at 33 cents per pound. By the general list 

 of this State for 1837, we then had 1,106,234 sheep, 

 allowing each sheep to produce on an average two 

 and half pounds, we should have had 2,915,585 

 pounds of wool, this at 33 cts per pound amount to 

 .•*tl62,]43, which on this calculation would pay the 

 cost of the foreign woollen goods consumed in this 

 State the past year, and there would remain $152,- 

 143, to divide among our inhabitants ; or sh.iU we 

 adopt another plan to pay this great debt due for 

 foreign woollen goods ? If you are of an opinion 

 thr wool is too loiv at 33 cts. per pound, at home, 

 and would rather keep it for your own use, I pro- 

 pose that we let these creditors liave one fifth of 

 our neat cattle of two years old and older. By 

 the general list of 1837, we had 219,021 cattle of 

 tw_o or more years old ; admitting tliat one fifth of 

 them are good beef and fit for market, we should 

 have for sale 43,804 cattle. This number at $20 

 a head at home, would come to $870,080, which 

 would pay our debt to the merchants and importers 

 of woollen goods consumed the past year, and leave 

 a balance of .$00,080. Gentlemen, with these facts 

 before us, I again ask what shall be done .- It 

 being a very hard case, suppose we ask for a credit 

 for a -part by way of a compromise, and offer the 

 merchants or importers of woollen goods, all our 

 horses which are entered in the list, as worth less 

 than $25 ; 20,000 horses at $20 a piece would pay 

 $400,000, and the balance we can pay rat a future 

 day when the surplus revenue under the new law 

 becomes due this Stnt% wliich will nearly pay the 

 balance ■■-; iO. COO. 'i"he latter would probably be 

 the best ba.- -ain, ard by it we could save our wool, 

 beef, pork and butler for other purposes, or our 

 own use. By the general lis': of 183;), we then 

 had in this State 1,000,000 sheep. By the list of 

 1837, we have 1,166,234 siieep, as I have before 

 stated, produced 2,915,585 pounds of wool. This 

 quantity will be about 21.5,585 pounds more than 

 what is absolutely necessary for the consumption 

 of the inhabitants of this State. Now it is my 

 opinion that nine pounds of wool for each person 

 is as little as we can do with — I mean for all pur- 



poses, for which wool is used from tlie mop to the 

 broadcloth coat. If I am wrong, gentlemen who 

 have raised up families will please correct me. 

 There being 300,000 inhabitants in this State, each 

 requiring nine pounds of wool, we need 2,007,000 

 pounds of it a year, leaving only 215,585 of wool 

 for sale of the clip of 1837. Again, I proposed to 

 show that if we now had on hand the clip of 1837, 

 and could sell the saiije at 50 cts. per pound a fur- 

 ther sum of more than -$1 ,.500,000, besides that 

 Sinn to supply us with necessary woollens for the 

 year to come. Admitting that all the wool in Ver- 

 mont of the clip of 1838 could be sold at 50 cts. 

 per pound to the manufacturers of Massachusetts, 

 what sum should we be obliged to pay them for 

 collecting and freighting our wool to Massachusetts, 

 and for manufacturing and bringing back the man- 

 ufactured articles in the state we want them .' I 

 say sixty cents per pound will be no more than a 

 moderate compensation. We are to bs charged 

 with all proper e.xpenses, including the shrinkage, 

 and all other expenses from when it leaves in wool 

 till it returns manufactured goods ; according to 

 this calculation while we have our wool manufac- 

 tured out of the State, we must pay the manufac- 

 turers of other States $1,020,000. The quantity 

 of wool needed for domestic supply per year being 

 2,700,000, at 50 cts per pound amounts to $1,350,- 

 000, which two sums amount to 2,970,000 — being 

 the actual cost of woollen goods a year for the in- 

 habitants of this State. 



But we have the $1,457,792, the price of the 

 whole clip -Df 1837 to pay this sum. Pursue this 

 subject a step further, how are we to pay the man- 

 ufacturer of Massachusetts, New Hampshire or 

 Rhode Islaiid, for this service .' They are doing 

 that for us, which we ought to do for ourselves. 

 Hence is a debt of $1,620,000 for manufacturing 

 your clothing ; draw your purses. More than five 

 dollars are wanted from every individual to pay for 

 manufacturing the woollens now on your persons; 

 you cannot pay it. The whole bank stocks of this 

 State actually paid in, will not do it. If you turn 

 out one fifth of your cattle at $20 per head ; 

 amounting to $870,080 and 20,000 old horses at 

 $20 per head a.nounting to $400,000 there will 

 still remain $344,000 due to make up the sum of 

 $1,020,000 for manufacturing in other States ; and 

 tliis too every year. I repeat, gentlemen, keep 

 cool — can you live and prosper under this free 

 trade system ? Can you furnish the raw material 

 exchange it for'the manufactured good.s ? No, you 

 never can. All your banks may discount, live, ten, 

 twenty for every, dollar of solid coin they can keep 

 in their vaults, and we must still continue to be a 

 miserable and oppressed peop! '. 



Capital for manufacturing, and mechanical pur- 

 poses can be vested in the interior of a country 

 with greater prospect of success than on the sea- 

 board. Time- will not permit me, at this time, to 

 go into detail on this proposition. I refer you to 

 the price paid at Lowell, Andover, Amesbury, Wal- 

 tham, Pawtucket, as" well as many other places in 

 the vicinity of the sea-board for water privileges, 



