366 



NEW EN G L A x\ D FARMER, 



Ayo HORTICDLTDRAL REGISTER. 

 BosTflN, Wednesday, May 22, 1839. 



IlIO-H PRICES OK PROVISIONS AND 

 BUtJINKSS TIMES' 



'GOOD 



Great coniplaints are nuw made in all pnrls r,f the 

 coumry .cspecimg the ..x..rl,i,a„t price of provisions.- 

 Beef,n,re.xampe,.n Ne.v York, ,., s.atj ,o be at 28 

 cents per pou„,l, a„J ,„ e.n.innati butter lu,s been sold 

 bushe" " ''"""' "" P"'*'"^^ "^ $1 2-. cents per 



,h^r"'" ""'T' ^V '*• """ "■''hin ti.e last two and 

 a iesTl7r;"t''r"''"^ '"^8^ importations of the neces 

 saries of] fe- butter, rheeso, wheat, rve, barlpy. oats 

 and even hay from Europe; and wh'ioh Lve,n^\sbe: 

 profiis °™''" remunerating, in many cases, large 



_ The prices ofagrioullural products are, however not 

 in great disproportion to oilier mailers. Labor of every 

 de.-cription ivas never higher. Mechanical labor is ex 

 traordinanly lugU, carpenlers demanding riioie tla, two 

 ^ollars, masons three dollars per day ; "seamen's w.-, "es 

 ..re enormous; hfteen.lwenty, tweniyfive dollar.per 

 rnonih demanded: and house rents exorbilant. The 

 expenses of Ining are, i„ most respecis, advanced 

 beynnd all precedent, and absolutely disc oura.in" 'o 

 th.se «;;ho 1, ive to provide for their families, and those 

 " ''"would be gind to have families to provide for 



What IS the account to be given of all tins > Th s is 

 a great question in poiilical economy. AVe shall not -I 



ca'us'es wlfn'" ""^ ^"'"'" "'""' ''"' ^'"'" «4es' some 

 causes which may have assisted in the result 



X here were some accidenial circumstances which have 



I i.e and must soon pass away. There are others of an 

 abiding character, for which we see no immediate renie 

 <l) . \V Minn a sjioit pen, d we had two years .,f scarci- ' 

 ty in respect to our great products, wheat and ln<lian 



Tv'Zt'le'o "l'"" "''""r- ,'" ^h-; cases eompala^c 

 ly liitle pork was raised . nd tailed, and the beef cattle 

 were lur.iedoffand killed in a lean condition These 



K, IdledT'"' •■"= n'' .''-'^i^"'--'". which could not 

 be supplied at once. CalUe for stall-leeding wen- never 

 remembered to have been so scarce as they were u!e 

 last season ; and many farmers who had the hav and 



Co',;!;'"! '"".'• "'"^^'^ "' ''^y -""" for sLail-Ve'ed 

 nefr T, "?""' '•'"""" P'-'-«""'l'>ion, that when com- 



pelled to purch.ise at so dear a rale, no returns which 

 they were likely to realize when their animals voihl 



st'il'r?;/rl"'®"'? """'T'' """"' "'^«' "'^ e..pensesof 

 st.il -leeding o» hay and grain at current prices 



Then again, the hist year, owing to it universal 

 aJwafs'idlt {".'.'"^.''"P' "" which much dependence is 

 U e ; me ; r ,"■ "''""^ '"'"^ ""'' '^^'"i" "« well as 

 cILtrh™'r^' "T "■"/"''"" « -^''°^t crop. These 

 causes hc,vi«,er, are transient in their nalure. Farmers 



ne„rT'"'^''''"''-^'°'"S l'-g«lv into the raising ,f 

 neat s,«U and existing deficiencies will be soon sup- 



i::;i;e;;!r:::r^:::;i::'^::^-^"t least hope tSr 



liut there are oiljer causes of the present hi-h prices 



The population, by natural growth and by foreign ac 

 cessions, increases am., n.r MS in a raoid niio IM 



>n hve years, become much more luxuriousthan foimer- 

 lv^'„lsed""'vv;''''"'' "'■■"--'•"■erv kind has g^e^ - 

 lu^e a e now e r T • '^e*' ''"'^''■■'' "^. 'WO and 

 Iam^-*thc"^:er'c;'r'' '"■"^''--^''^'- This is cer- 



Next the immensR incro-mp nf »!>« ^u c 

 •nd decreaseof thn class of producers. Look LT X 

 numerable hordes of ind viduals enmloveH ,^. k, 

 works, railroads and canals, on Llld i'^^, „'d" Lr 

 menls, in manufaetuies and trades Til r,r\^ ' 

 withdrawn from the labors and ye, ;re , t 'in oorJed 

 by .he products of agriculture. \>b,e ve too tKi, „ 

 He number of young persons from the country who a", 

 employed in our cities in various Hades, in I'op keep- 

 ing, and as l-.ouse-servants. This class s d.,i y m, reas 



tiaidly dare to express, the <;rowd3 ofyoun- men who 



.""fh e cr ;:" ^r'^^'-'T <n6.,j,.:r fr'::;:;,t 



Jiiuit counirv, who are willing to barler the oleasures 

 and privileges of rural life, ofo^n fields arid m'anly en. 



d es ruffl ■ """""' "'","'"'■ ''-■""' "'"'■'P^ ""d "-me- 

 dics ruffles, essences, and paste jewelry ,n our cities, 



anH r^h '" r"! ''''S"'J"'g'^«rvicesorcleaninff brasses 

 and washing d.she.s, with the noble privilege of livi.w in 

 basemeiit-story kitchens. ° 



But one great and prrdific source, as we honestly be- 

 lieve, of high ppces, deficient labor, the luxury, waste 

 and servility which j.revail among us, is in the multi 

 phcatmn of banks beyond the business v^.■.nts of ihecom- 

 munity, the extension of paper money, and the abuses 

 of the credit system. Our honest conviction is that the 

 enormous mcrease of bank capital, bevond all reasona- 

 ble Jimils, IS destined to prove lo the country in its ya- 

 rious influences, a source of i,„mense evil. "The calam- 

 les from which we have just escaped, are to he directly 

 traced to this as their great origin ; and as matters are 

 now going on we have only to look forward to another 

 explosion, as disastrous as that from which we hi.ve s<i 

 recently recovered-for come it must. Its arrival in the 

 natural course of things, is as cr nam as the descent of 

 water upon an inelined plane or the passino of the sun 

 over the meridian The creation of immense amounts 

 of purely artificial and fictitious canital, produces a dan- 

 gerous delusion with ind, viduals and on the public mind. 

 Jl Its effect wore merely ro increase the facilities and 

 stimnlaie the powers of production, it would so far be 

 well ; but this it does not do excepting in a very partial 

 degree and in an indirect form. This money is loaned 

 to what are called men of business— a cla.sso"f men who I 

 as far as they are money brokers, the mere exchan<7ers ' 

 of commercial products without anv increase of iTieir 

 value, or speculators in stocks and'lands, add little or 

 nothing to the wealth of the community. The increase 

 in Ihe nominal value of real estate, is of n» advantage 

 lo the community, unless it is based upon some positive 

 impidveroent or increased productiveness of the soil If 

 , a piece of land is sold today at five dollars an acre and 

 next week It is valued at ten dollars an .acre, without 

 any change whatever in its condition, how is the com 

 munity in any respect benefited or its wealth increased > 

 But on the other hand, the obtaining of land for a'ricul- 

 tura purposes, for production, and the actual creation of 

 weallh IS by tins enhanced price, rendered the more 

 difficu t to the man whose labor is his only capital, the 

 man ol all others in the community the most to be en- 

 couniged. I hen again, -he abundance of money itself 

 lessens us value and operates to raise the scale ofprices 

 The facilities of procuring credit and money induce 

 reck essness; lead to all kinds of speculation ; create 

 adistaletorlabor; encourage the most luxurious ex- 

 pendiiures; relax the bonds of moral principle- and 

 convert the community into a population of gamblers. 

 It IS the true secret of the enormous fiauds with which 

 our community h.as been convulsed within the last two 

 ycars.and of the prevalence of the gross and immoral 

 :iple that a neglect to pay one's debts to a corpora- 

 , ...... or a Iraud upon a corporation, is a diffeient malter 



Irom one connnilted upon an individual. In fine, it is 

 [the moving cause and prolific source of speculation — 

 s.neculation, a matter pregnant with evils and from which 

 no more g..od has accrued or can ever accrue lo the com- 

 munity than from any other form of lottery gamblimr 

 I hese are t« a certain and considerable extent, the cau- 

 ses of tne high prices of living ; and under this system 

 lliey must continue until we have another periodical ex- 

 plosion There is no core or preventive. There is not 

 moral soundness enough in the community to afford 

 any hope of amendment or of change, until another fit 

 of .:e,iriU7n tremens brings us up, as the sailors say '-all 

 standing; • rubs out old scores, and then leaves us to 

 start again in a new course of unbridled proflisacy. 

 vulgarly called prosperity. H. C. 



AGRICULTURAL INTELLlGEiNCE. 



We learn from an authentic source that the Board of 

 Irustees of the IVlassachusells Agricultural Society have 

 resolved to appropriate to the Berkshire and Worcester 

 Agricultural bocieiies the current year, $200 each, to be 

 applied at their annual shows to such subjects of premi- 

 um as the local societies may suggest, with the approba- 

 tion of the Trustees of the .\lass.,chu.setts Society. What 

 these subjecls of premium shall be. is no, as yet fully 

 determined; bu, as soon as known we shall lay ,he.n 

 before ,he farmers A committee of the Massachusetts 

 Society will attend at each of ,he shows. I, is agreed, 

 likewise, we believe, to offer a premium of fifty dollars 

 fjr the best treatise on the mulberry tree, with a refer- 

 ence particularly to ,he climate of New England. Our 

 mulberry tree and silk culture Iriends are in a fair way 

 of anticipating the wishes of the Society without the 



stimulus of a premium, since there haie h„»n „ , i 

 than eight treatises on 'this very suhiec within Z "%'' 

 SIX monOis; and several m„re\re ^ emb o "'y^i'jf 

 ! marsh, Kenrick, Cobb, Dennis, Pcrrv, Roberts' Holner" 

 |gue,a„d one or two others, (the 'names of whom 

 we ao nolat this momeni remember,) have all 

 en theirviews and experienees on t e sibiee ^r„j 



L';reri';,"^""T "''"""' ■" -^^'^ a'battahCV"f 

 clti\e US (rorn our hrstintenuori ofrrrvinff a iJwrim.* r.1 

 Mce olcach Then we have Force's book on Silk culli 

 yation, the Journal of the American yilk Society By 

 denburgh's Silk Worm, Cheney's Silk Grower rtar,f,^d 

 fe Ik Cn Iturist Duponceau's Treatise, submittd to Con- 

 gress, .ind published by their ord.^r ; the Kep.,r, of iViefr 



cli'lnmara^daT l'"''^^'' "' "•''''^ »'^ Adams wa 



cii.iirman,andarticles and essays without number which 



are appearing in rapid succession in the Farmer's' Regis 



er, in V irgima. Southern Agriculturist, in .South CW 



hna t ultivator, a, Albany, Y.nkee Farmer and New 



England Farmer, at Boston, Norihamplon Courier « 



moi V r.T' TP" '"'"^ has distinguished itself 'for 



most valuable information on this subject, and many iu 



dic.ous and valuable articles on other^gnculiuTal ^s^b 



ects, to say nothing of a host of others." The people 



t herelore, are not likely to suffer for lack of knouledJe' 



Ymke n ' '"'°- "T '° "i^ -"Pprehended in this grfat 



Uhceofrils'''""'!,'"""''''""^^'"' books will taklthe 



I place of raising silk trees; as raising silk ,rees has ac- 



IS i 'trllfrbu.'l^ir' °'"'""' -"< >~ : -d there 

 ma i, r s 'k ■"",' """" P'fP*'"'' ""= ''"''^"l y<^"r of 



Ts vfrilv, ,. 'r"'"'^'^'"'" ""^^^ was when , he 

 hist .Morns Multicaulis was imported. 



We learn also, that the liberal sum ofTered in premi- 

 ums lor farms the last years, w;ll be offered a^a-n die 

 presntyear. These premiums have alread" done! 

 great service ; and now that many farmers vihom we 

 though, nothin.. would rouse, and who seemed likely"o 

 sleep on in their lethargy until they sunk in,o their last 

 nap. have actually opened their ey« and turned over, 

 anrl asked vvhat time o' night it is, we have the slron?! 



w I Zn ,! ;" '" '=°'"P^",'i''" f"' "'ese prizes of honfr 

 will he much more general and spirited than ever' be- " 

 fore, and that those who have waked up will actualfy 

 get up and enter upon the race wiih a delerminalion to 

 succeed. A deliberate and inflexible determination is. 

 in .111 cases, the gieat element of success 



We do not kn.nv at all the conditions^on which these 

 premiums are to be offered, and probably before this ail 

 IS ftilly sealed; but while nothing is further fiom our 

 wish than to dictate in the case, we may express the 



wilTh; ff T ''? '""' "" '"''•"'■■'' "'^' '''« premiums 

 will be offered in less sums ihan the last jear, so thai 

 they may be more numerous; and especially that pro- 

 vision will be made for a competit , on in specific branch- 

 es of husbandry ; as dairy husbandry, wool husbandry 

 arable farmingniarketgardening. gK.z.ng or stall-feed- 



A.nole. Wn shall announce ,he prospecus as soon as 

 It IS received. H C 



e..??' MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCI-' 



7h2'~^^"''t''' ^'^"y.^'h lS39.-The President in the 

 chair. The chairman of the committee on the Courtes 

 legacy, upon being questioned, communicated the stale of af- 

 'lace "" P'*''''^'"' whereupon considerable discussion took 



Mr Walker, of Roxhury, proposed the Rev Joseph Tyso, of 

 Ualiingford, England, as an honorory member-and upou 

 me nallot he was unammously chosen. 



1 TJ?<^same member prouosed Carey Tyso, Esq., of Wal- 

 linglord tngland, as a corrpspoading member-and he was 

 upon hallot unanimously chosen. 



Then adjourned to this day week. 



E. WESTON, Jr., Rec'g Sec'y. 



MAV 19lh EXHIBITED 



A very fine specimen of tlie double flowering Cherry 

 from the estate of IWadaine James Perkins, Pearl sireet' 

 Boston ; from the Messrs Winship, Brighton, a spleii-' 

 did Bouquet; native, cultivated plants Irom the Rev. 

 Jidin Lewis RusSell, of Salem, viz. : Trillium grandiflo- 

 rum ; ( layhmia spaltrubita ; 'I'haliclrum dioicum ; I val- 

 aria sessirifolia; Convallaria slellafa; Pulinonaria Vir- 

 ginica; Phlox elolonifera ; Phlox iiivea. 



(CTNOTICE — The premiums for Giraniums, viz. 

 for the best display, twelve best varieties in pots, $10 ; 

 lor the second best display, $5; for the best seedlini. $3' 

 Tuhps- for the best twelve varieties, $10 ; for the second 

 best twelve varieties, $3, will be awarded 011 Saturday 

 next 2otli inst. For the Committee of Flowers. 



S. WALKER, Chairman. 



Boston, May 19<A, 1639. 



