122 



THENEVV GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 1 



To the Editors of the Xcto Gaitiec Furmer : 



My circumelanceebave elicited a few thoughts on 

 the practical application of one of the excellent code 

 of "rules for a good neighborhood," which appeared 

 not long ago in your valunblo paper. The rule to 

 which I allude I find in JIatthow VII. 13, also in 

 Luke VI. 31 ; the substance of which ia, "Do to 

 others os ye would they should do to you." If you 

 deem my remarks on the application of this rule to a 

 prevailing custom in our country, worthy of a place 

 j"n the columns of the New Genesee Farmer, you will 

 oblige your humble friend by inserting it. 



The Golden Rale. 

 Mat. VII. 12. — All things ichulsocrcr yc icould that 



mm should do to you, do ye. cccn, so to them: for 



this is the Uiw and the prophets. 



Were all men to regulate their conduct towards 

 their fellow men according to this rule, no one will 

 eay that there could be any euoh thing as quarreling 

 among men. All consent that the rule is a good one, 

 and yet but few adopt it in their practice. The grand 

 objection which individuals have to putting the rule 

 in practice, is that others will not if they do ; and 

 therefore many adopt this rule, "to do toothers as 

 others do to them," as a rule better adapted to secure 

 their rights. As a practical illustration of this latter 

 rule and its evil tendency, I will relate an anecdote : 

 In the early part of this season, as soon as the enow 

 was gone, the farmers generally turned their swine in- 

 to the woods to feed upon beech-nuts, which were 

 pretty abundant in this vicinity at that time. Many 

 complained that swine were very troublesome in their 

 sugar works, as but very few had their sap bushes 

 fenced, and more complained that while their sugar 

 business demanded all their time, so that they could 

 not repair their back fences, the hogs were crowding 

 by scores into their fields and destroying their potatoes 

 which were buried there. But no man seemed to 

 think of the expedient odtiking careof his own swine; 

 because every man seemed to think that if his swine 

 were taken up, otJiers would trouble him about as 

 much. A very i'ew had their fields enclosed with a 

 fence sufficient to secure them against swme, and 

 they could turn out large numbers of swine ol all sizes, 

 and then say that they were willing their neighbors 

 should do as they did. Tnis is one way of observing 

 the Golden Rule. But will those who thus accom- 

 modate the rule to their circumstances be pleased to 

 have their neighbors who keep no swine accommodate 

 the rule to their circumstances, by saying that they 

 will kill all the swine that get into their fields, and 

 they are perfectly willing that their neighbors should 

 do the same ? No, ihey will see that this is not acting 

 according to the Golden Rule. No man who means 

 to observe the Golden Rule as the rule of his actions, 

 will Eufl'er his animals of any kind to run where there 

 iaany probability of their troubling his neighbors, unless 

 his circumstances absolutely require it, and then he 

 will be willing to make restitution for all the damage 

 they may do to any one. Neither will any man who 

 acts according to the said rule, intenti»nally injure 

 any of his neighbors animals that trouble him. 



I lor one do not keep any swijie, for this reason : 



Experience teaches nie that pork is not the kind of 

 food that gives me health of body and vigor of mind, 

 and observation leads me to conclude that it docs no 

 afTord to other men what it denies me. And I cannot 

 but think that this was the reason why the Benevolent 

 Lord prohibited the Israelites from eating it ; and why 

 the kind-hearted Jesus gave the devils permission to 

 enter into the swine of the Gadnrenes. Mat. 8. ?<-2. 



But as I wish to enjoy the right to my own opinion 

 on this subject as well as all others, the Golden Rule 

 teaches me to bo willing to have all others enjoy the 

 same right to theirs. 



With regard to the c.xiiediency of the above rule, it 

 is generally admitted that it would be expedient for all 

 to adopt it if they would : but some think that it 

 woidd be inexpedient for one to adopt it while another 

 will not. Let one man be perfectly just to his neigh- 

 bors, and if others will not be just to each other they 

 will consider themselves bound to be honest with him. 

 Though he may sometimes be called to endure grief, 

 suffering wrongfully, will it not be a sufficient reward 

 to be approved by his own conscience and by all his 

 neighbors ? And will not his neighbors think that his 

 example, which they cannot but approve, is worthy of 

 their imitation ? Such a man supports good and 

 wholesome laws by obeying them, "for this rule is 

 the law and the prophets." 



D. A. SWEZEY. 



Harmony, N. Y., July 17th, 1840. 



The CurcuUo. — Pick up carefully all the fallen 

 fruit under your trees, and give it to your hogs. You 

 will thereby destroy the curculio, a small insect which 

 has caused it to (all, and which if not destroyed will 

 perfect itself in the fallen fruit, sink in the ground, 

 and the next spring rise and again destroy your fruit. 



White Colthdgc liarcs. — Cabbage leaves, a little 

 meal, salt, kitchen swill, crumbs, polatoe peelint»s 

 &,c., mixed well together, are capital food for fatting 

 pigs — save all your ground leaves for this purpose. 



From the Farmer's Monility f'isitor. 

 A Proposition. 



lAMlKRS DEVOTE TOO MUCH TIME TO MANUAL LABOR. 



No dictate of common sense can be plainer than that 

 men, whatever be their pursuits, should make that use 

 of time which will best promote the great objects of 

 life. To pursue trivial objects, or to pursue those 

 which are in themselves laudable, to the exclusion of 

 others which have greater claims, is, therefore, alike 

 unworthy of a rational being. The duties which de- 

 volve upon men are various. While nature calls up- 

 on them to make the necessary efforts to obtain the 

 means of subsistence, she also demands that it be done 

 in subservience to the laws of health. While the cul- 

 tivation of the earth is an important duty, the obhga- 

 tion to cultivate the noble faculties of the mind is not 

 on this account less binding. If the body has claims 

 for food and clothing, the mind has claims not less ob- 

 ligatory for that moral instruction and intellectual 

 training without which life is of little value. 



Among the principal duties which rest upon the far- 

 mer in discharging his obligations to himself and fiim- 

 ily, appear the following: — Moral and Religious In- 

 struction; Intellectual Education; the means of an 

 honest support, and obedience to the laws of health. 

 In attcmping to show the truth of our proposition, it 

 will be convenient to consider these separately, 



1. Moral and Religious Instruction. To attempt 

 any labored arguments in proof of the value of these, 

 would be superfluous. But some seem to suppose 

 that a sufficient acqunintance with the duties of moral- 

 ity and religion may be obtained on the Sabbath. — 

 Now, while it is admitted tliat such instruction be- 

 longs more particularly to that season, there appears 

 to be no valid reason lor excluding it from the remain- 

 der of the week. If the practical duties which moral- 

 ity and religion enjoin, were of secondary consequence 

 — it they were mere Sabbath-day exercises, such 

 views might have some foundation; but as men are 

 required to love their Mnker, and do good to their fel- 

 low men at all times, reason seems to require that 

 some portion of every day be devoted to the study ol 

 the principles on which these obligations rest. 



2. IiUclluctual Education. Independent of that 

 discipline of mind and that general information which 

 every farmer should possess, no man can master the 

 science of agriculture without much study and reflec- 

 tion. Ill fanning, as in most other pursuits, theory 

 and practice should be united. The farmer must not 

 only labor, but he must read and reflect; and for these 

 he mu6t have time. The day has gone by when it 

 was a sufficient excuse for following an observed prac- 

 tice because our fathers and grandfathers did so. — 

 When the nature of our soil is under investigation, 

 when the Press is teeming with information, applica- 

 ble to all the various departments of agriciillure, and 

 when every man can eontribu:e something to the gen- 

 eral stock of information, has the intellect no claims 

 upon the time of the larmcr ? When science is lay- 

 ing her treasures at h.s feet, can he shut his eyes lo the 



advantages which are in prospect, and deny himself 

 time to read, and to apply the principles of science and ' 

 the discoveries of art to the practical purposes of life 1 

 If there be any obligation which is preeminently bind^ 

 ing upon the farmer, it is to avail himself of ihosa 

 helps which the agricultural press is placing within 

 his reach. 



3. The means of support. It is n very plain di'ty ' 

 which binds a man to furnish for himself and fani: 

 an adequate supply of food and clothing, and a du(, 

 which farmers seldom overlook. It is in the perform, 

 ance of this that they consume much of the time tha: 

 should be devoted to other purposes; or rather thii 

 furnishes the excuse which they offer for the neglecl 

 oi the others. The common practice in New Eng. 

 land seems to be to employ, for two-thirds of the yea] 

 almost the whole time, except what is necessarily co: 

 sumed in sleep, to the labors of the field. The deai 

 ening influence which this piactice e-xerts upon tl 

 mind is too obvious to require comment. Owing 

 this absurd custom, the winter evenings, which of thi 

 time left for improvement, become of comparative lil 

 tie value. Who, after eight months of unremittini 

 toil, can sit down and spend an evening in vigoruoi 

 thought, or even in such reading as requires attention 



But it is said that this is a matter of neccssi ly*^thal 

 all this labor only furnishes the bare means of subsii 

 tence. Doubtless many really believe this; but it is 

 reflection upon the goodness of the Creator to su; 

 pose that he would mock man by giving him factl 

 ties capable of improvement, and then placing him in 

 circumstances which preclude their use. If men wen 

 less eager in their desires of gain, and more willing 

 follow nature rather than fashion in their manner 

 living, they would find less necessity for constant la- 

 bor. But were there no means for lessening the.expen- 

 scs of a family, it by no means follows that the present 

 system must be pursued. It is rot a necessary conse- 

 quence, that if the farmer spends more time in Intel, 

 lectual pursuits, he must diminish his income. Agri- 

 culture is not yet so far advanced that study can afliird 

 no additional aide. Experience shows that those who 

 labor the most hours are not the most successful, even 

 in acquiring wealth. The inference is plain, that in- 

 tellectual labor is no less profitable to the farmer than 

 manual labor. 



Of course no conclusion can be drawn from \> bat 

 has been advanced, in favor of idleness. Constant 

 toil is infinitely preferable to sloth; but a division ol 

 between the mind and body is better than either. 



4. Obedience to the laws of health. One great ob- 

 jection to the present system of labor is that it shortenf 

 life. By statistics which have been collected at dif. 

 ierent times, it appears that the average life among 

 farmers is but little, if any greater than among pro- 

 fessional men. Taking into consideratian the known 

 difiercnce between active and sedantry habits in theii 

 effect upon the human constitution, no other satisfac- 

 tory solution of this can be given than that the farmer 

 shortens life as much by over exertion, as the profes- 

 sional man does by neglect of exercise. Indeed how 

 often do we find farmers at the age of forty or fifty 

 with the stiff joints and dccrepid forms which belonj 

 to those of three score and ten ? This is the legiti- 

 mate etfect of transgressing the laws of health. Bui 

 besides the violation which is done to nature, thii 

 endless toil defeats its own object. The man whc 

 gains ten years for labor by neglecting to cultivate hii 

 mind, and wears himself out before the "debt of na^ 

 ture" is due, cannot surely be a great gainer. 



These considerations, it is believed are sufficient tc 

 establish the affirmative of the proposition at the heac 

 of this article. OBSERFATOR. 



Keene, Jan. 13, 1840. 



The Farmer's Life. 



BV H. roLMAiN AS EXTRACT. 



What a means of imi)arling pleasure is an improvet 

 agriculture. How many charming examples preeen 

 themselves am»->ng us of improvements which everj 

 eye gazes upon with unm ngled delight. Let a man 

 according to his power, take his ten, his twenty, hii 

 fifty, his hundred acres. Let him comb the hair anc 

 wash the face of nature. Let him subdue, clear, cul 

 tivate, enrich, embellish it. Let him smooth th« 

 rough places, and drain the wet, and fill up the sunk 

 en, and enrich the barren. Let him enclose it with t 

 neat and substantial fence. Let him line its borderi 

 and road sides with ornamental trees, and let bin 

 stock every proper part with vines and fruits. Let bii 

 fields and meadows wave with their golden harvest 

 and let his hills be covered with the herds lejoicing !t| 

 the fulness with which his labors, under the blessinii 

 of God, have spread their table, and who, when h« 

 goes among them, hasten from all sides to meet hiir 



