450 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



out, at fifty or sixty years of age, he is incorrigible — let him alone. 

 As there is a prevailing disposition in owe farming community, 

 to grasp for more lands. I will offer some reasons against such 

 a course. 



1st. Our lands, much of them, are naturally stale, swampy, or 

 stony, and unproductive. It takes a life time for a farmer with 

 ordinary means, and a large area of lands to bring them into use. 



2d. The altered position of Putnam county, and the probabili- 

 ties in the future, require us to have less lands, and the better 

 improvement of them. 



3d. I deny the common sentiment among us altogether, that 

 none, but the rich and wealthy can afford to improve their lands, 

 &c. I speak now of large land holders. Where if these lands 

 were in the hands of two or three individuals with equal enter- 

 prise, it could be done in a very few years, and be continued 

 more and more in progression, with less capital, less labor and 

 less, much less toil, to its owners. 



Another thing. Rich and wealthy men are too apt (in the im- 

 provement of their farms), to follow more what they call their 

 fancy or taste, irrespective of the cost or profit of such improve- 

 ment. This example would be unsafe to follow. Good taste, in 

 my judgment, -is always connected with economy, and bad taste, 

 with extravagance, the one leads to comfort and competency; the 

 other to waste and want. 



Whatever may be the diversity of the manners of men, in the 

 cultivation of the soil, there are a few simple rules to be observed 

 in all good culture and that are indispensible with us in Putnam 

 county. I have already remarked that much of our lands were 

 natm-ally unproductive. Tiie surface of such must be made 

 smooth as possible, all subteraneous waters taken off by deep and 

 thorough underdrainings, the soil enriched, clean cultivation and 

 the irrigation of them wherever it is practicable. 



If every farmer in Putnam county would begin this system, 

 and follow it up, as they are perfectly able to do, only for a few 

 years, our farms and our country would more than double, or 

 treble their present value, and lay a permanent foundation for 

 increased wealth and improvements in our agriculture, in all 

 time to come. I will press this point a little further. Look at 

 the large farmer or little farmer that have been doing this for 

 years gone by, and perhaps not half done yet, have they grown 

 poorer and gone down, on this account 1 I have not seen it iu 

 one instance. 



