182 [Assembly 



because they cannot get land of their own to work, nor pay 

 enough for working that of others to keep them alive. If such 

 poor dependents can live by the pittance they get by their labor, 

 their lives are made only a little less miserable than death. Our 

 farmers, from this circumstance alone, cannot cultivate their 

 farms on the expensive scale that landlords do in Europe. Farm 

 labor with us is three to five times higher than it is there. This 

 affords a comfortable living for the laborer and his family, and 

 this is more gratifying to our farmers than to see him toiling and 

 suffering to fill up their garners and enable them to live in splen- 

 dor with starvation and misery around them. 



Our farmers cannot with the price they pay for labor and the 

 present low rate of produce adopt the expensive systems of farm- 

 ing pursued in many parts of Europe. At any rate not more than 

 cue in a thousand take our whole country through can aflbrd to 

 do it. Some improvements where the additional expense is light 

 compared with others, will be tried by a portion of our farmers, 

 and if found to pay on trial may in time be generally adopted. 

 To urge an early or immediate adoption in ever such vehement 

 language will make very little or no impression on them, unless 

 perhaps it may be to make a large majority of them more stiff in 

 adhering to their old systems and ways of culture. It is not 

 meant by this that they will not listen to reason and be readily 

 convinced of truth and right like most other intelligent people, 

 but this must be kindly done with a manner evincing the best 

 intentions and divested of all appearance of dictation. Besides 

 it may not be convenient for him to commence operations on any 

 new plan quite as soon as the scientific farmer recommends or 

 thinks he ought, he may not be prepared with means to meet the 

 expense however small it may be, or other similar causes. These 

 may be important to him and a sufiicient reason for delay howev- 

 er trifling they may appear to others, and they should be so re- 

 ceived by his learned advisers. This would be much better than 

 to sneer at him and set him down at once, when speaking of him, 

 and all of his class as ignorant, and men of narrow contracted 

 notions. At any rate whether what he says or does on such oc- 

 casions be well or ill received he is the best judge of his own af- 

 fairs and he will act according to his own judgment, and not be 



