408 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



Jt'JVE 10, 1840. 



For the New England Kurmer. 



SCIENCE FOR FARMERS. 

 "Jurisprudence — tho science of iau." And 

 what have farmers to do with this ? Tlieirs is cer- 

 tainly a very peacefnl and qiiiet profession — one 

 that is most particularly calculated to excite and 

 promote kindly and exalted feelings towards our 

 fellow men, and indeed all things, else the injunc- 

 tion "dress the earth and keep it," had never been 

 given by a kind and merciful father to man, who 

 was created to be a happy and consistent being. 

 But the Creator's image which was so strongly im- 

 pressed on the spiritual visage of him who was 

 destined to fill a sphere " but little lower than the 

 angels," has become strangely effaced ; and instead 

 of being a messenger of mercy and kindness to his 

 fellows, man, in too many sad instances, is the very 

 genius of wretchedness and ruin, and his perver- 

 sion is so great, that unless restrictions are put up- 

 on his propensities, the earth, set moving in its 

 sphere as a place where he might be happy, would 

 become a perfect Pandenioniurii. 



To the existence of such an undesigned state of 

 things then, we must acknowledge our indebted- 

 ness for the necesiiti/ of lawgivers, maijistrates and 

 laws. The preservation of life, protection of prop- 

 erty — indeed all the rights which n.en hold dear re- 

 quire their existence. But the fact tliat they do 

 and must exist does not involve the supposition 

 that men cannot be honest, industrrou.s, and possess 

 every other virtue, for which many Iiave been hio-h- 

 ly distinguished without their rcsirsHiits. There 

 are those, we hope, in every comin-'nity — we know 

 there are in some — who would maintain the ut- 

 most integrity of character if there were no laws 

 but those of conscience and heaven to direct them. 

 There aie others upon whom law imposes no re- 

 straint except such as arises from fear of punish- 

 ment: and again those who choose to experience 

 their utility and effect by practical illustration. For 

 the former class laws were not designed, except as 

 a protection : for the two latter they present a three 

 fold influence — protection, restraint and punish- 

 ment. 



All laws then, are designed for the gentral gooii. 

 They suppose every individual of a State or nation 

 to be that State or nation, and in this way their 

 bearing upon the whole is brought about in such a 

 way that the effect must be alike essential to all. 

 Hence they can give e.vclusive privileges to none, 

 nor can they in any way detract from one indivi- 

 dual's right of freedom or conscience, unless the 

 good of the whole, himself includc(l, require it. Thus 

 the safety ofthe community requires that the thief 

 should be dislodged from the community, and his 

 rights of social intercourse disfranchised, and his 

 own safety and well being requires the same; I'or 

 if a lawless stale of things existed his property 

 would be in danger from the incursion of .'=onie kin- 

 dred, untamed spirit, or lie might pursue a course 

 of recklessness, going on from bad to worse, until 

 his life instead of his liberty became tlu' forfeiture, 

 in order to insure protection to the lives of many 

 of his fellow-men. 



Such is the influence of laws in a republican 

 government like ours. lu monarchies, aristocra- 

 cies, and hierarchies, they may originate in differ- 

 ent causes and result in different effects. But these 

 are not to our purpose, and we sincerely hope that 

 experience will never teach, in our country, any 

 thing of their appropriateness. 



Laws then being made and enforced for the gene- 



ral good, it may, with all reasonable propriety be 

 asked, from whence shall we derive our lawgivers 

 and itiagistrates ? That we, as a free people, choose 



them from among ourselves, is certainly a fact; 



but are they Ju^/iciOHs/)/ selected — taken with the 

 greatest reference to general good, or are men ac- 

 tuated by fictitious and mistaken principles with 

 regard to these things ? Now it appears to us 

 that the question is of very easy solution. Legis- 

 lators sliould, in order to establish good and whole- 

 some laws, not be taken from any one class or pro- 

 fession of men, but from the body of the people, 

 whether they be tinkers, basket-makers, tanners, 

 lawyers, physicians or farmers. The reason is ob- 

 vious : there can be no individual engaged in one 

 profession and know what is for the general good 

 of another, so well as a member of that particular 

 fraternity. Nor can an inhabitant of one town le- 

 gislate to the needs and wants of another, so well 

 as an individual who may have long resided there 

 and become acquainted with its own peculiar cir- 

 cumstances. In New England^in the United 

 States, the mass of population is, and forever must 

 be farmers; for it is in vain to suppose that a na- 

 tion can exist when the number vho cultivate the 

 earth fal's in the rear of tho-se engaged in commerce, 

 manufactures and the arts. And it is equally vain 

 I and preposterous to suppose that the number of tree 

 white laborers, not servants but lords of the soil, 

 will not increase in as great and greater ratio as 

 that of all other callings put together. The great 

 west with its fertile prairies says it will be so ; and 

 the south, the sunny south, from her hearts as pure 

 and mild as her own skies, will send up a voice on 

 her spicy breezes saying, the bonds which our fath- 

 ers fastened on the sons of Africa, in due time 

 shall be loosened, and the slave shall go out free, 

 never to water our soil with his tears or sweat any 

 more, and our hands shall labor and our iiearts 

 shall not faint: we will build up our waste places 

 and set hedges round about them, lest strangers 

 enter in and spoil our land. 



If farmers are, or are to be the mass ofthe State 

 or nation, they should by right of majority, hy righ: 

 of interest, and by right of sympathy, (for thoy 

 must know, if they know anything, what the rights 

 ofthe people require,) lift the highest voice in the 

 councils of state and national deliberation, and they 

 should choose their governors from among them- 

 selves and their counsellors from the people, and 

 not send men of other trades to be the proxy of 

 their wishes. And here an argument we have 

 heard employed very often, if not a thousand times, 

 comes up to veto our doctrine — for how often have 

 we heard it said that "farmers don't knotv enough 

 to make laws." Wherein the code by which New 

 En'Tland is governed now is better than it was in 

 the " Spartjn- days" of the pilgrim father.s, is a 

 something we shall not attempt to uiimystisize : we 

 are quite sure, however, that the laws of modern 

 times are strangely removed from their ancient sim- 

 plicity: but " farmers f/o»'/ Anoiti MioxgVi (strange 

 reflection on New England husbandmen ! but stran- ! 

 ger that they will be gulled by such a doctrine,) to j 

 make laws." This is the very point to which we I 

 would call their attention ; for if they do not know 

 enough to make thein, how can they judge of their 

 workmanship when done ? " 



Now every farmer should know enough of the ' 

 science of law, the principles which regulate its' 

 movements and establisli its effects, to know when i 

 good and wholesome laws are made, when they are 

 carried into their proper effect, and more, that Cin- | 



cinnatus-like, he may at any time be able to leave 

 his plough and hasten to the councils ofthe nation. 

 As long as such a state of things exists, our coun- 

 try may be safe. While the voice of the people, 

 the whole intelligent people is heard and regard- 

 ed, foreign and domestic evils, though they may roll 

 in like a flood, will meet with a reacting influence 

 which will hasten back their anger-kindled waves 

 to deluge and clog the fountain-^ from which they 

 sprang. Let the people of the United States be- 

 come an ignorant people, heedless of their laws and 

 j their rights — let them cease to act on those princi- 

 ples of equity and independence under which their 

 fathers acted, and a degeneracy will spring up 

 which will overshadow the land with its abominable 

 branches, sapping as it grows the lifeblood of our 

 Constitution and laws, and ere another half century 

 has recorded its deeds on the page of history, it 

 will be written of ours, the last and noblest govern- 

 ment of earth, what tyrants would have written ev- 

 ery where, that there is not virtue enough in men 

 to govern themselves. United America, with her 

 territoiies stretching from the Atlantic to the Pa- 

 cific, from Niagara to the gulf, with her constitu- 

 tion liased on principles of general equity, and the 

 corner-stones of her union cemented by the blood 

 of her fathers, a noble band, has fallen, no more to 

 have a name and place among the nations of the 

 earth. W. B. 



Mount Osceola, May 25, 1840. 



PROGRESS OF VEGETATION DURING 

 THE MONTH OF MAY, 1840. 

 ('Communicated for the N. E. Farmer.) 



May 2. We have had three rainy days during 

 the week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the 

 weather has been rather cold withal. The Isabel- 

 las on the back wall ofthe grapery have made shoots 

 six inches in length, all of them showing two and 

 three bunches of fruit. The vines upon the raflers, 

 Hamburgs, Sweetwaters, Linfindal and Rose Chas- 

 selas, have all burst freely and made shoots two or 

 three inches long. Early peas planted on the 6th 

 April, and radishes and onions sowed on alternate 

 rows the Kith April, are all up finely. Chenango 

 potatoes planted on the 4th April in a frame, are 

 up four or five inches, and I intend to transplant 

 theui to the field on Tuesday. Cherries, plums, 

 peaches, and generally pear trees are in perfect 

 blossom, and the horse chestnuts and mountain ash- 

 es are leaved out greenishly, indicating an early 

 spring. 



May 9. Since S inday last the weather has been 

 uncomfortably cold. On Monday and Tuesday, it 

 rained almost without intermission. '1 he wind has 

 blown raw and cold from N, N. E., and today the 

 chilling blast has reminded us most forcibly of win- 

 ter. I'lanting progresses but slowly: we have 

 transplanted the sjirouted chenangoes from the 

 frame to the field ; have planted early corn, seve- 

 ral hills of canteleupes under glass frames, two 

 beds of carrots, and have finished planting pota- 

 toes, (Dillingliams, Kidneys and Rohans.) The 

 vines have advanced but little since Saturday. — 

 Fruit trees are all in perfect blossom, Apple trees 

 in sheltered situations commenced blossoming on 

 the 3d inst. ; and 1 observed yesterday the horse 

 chestnut tree near the Marine Hail in blossom. 



May 16. The weather has been bright and clear, 

 with but little easterly wind since Saturday : a fine 

 shower commenced yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clk, 

 which continued with slight intermis.sjons iatP. the 



