l^^jSR^??!''?; T:¥"'W33^^(i^^5!r' s "^ 



:{«; r-y . ■- 



f^h. ' 



.:#; 



the: iSt,i:Nr5i8 f^emieb. 



ago, according to patent ofi&ce reports, the value 

 of our grape crop exceeded that of the tobacco 

 crop by $10,000. 



The cost and productiveness of a vineyard may 

 thus be estimated : The cuttings, subsoil plow- 

 ing and labor {stakes not included) will not ex- 

 ceed forty dollars an acre, where the declivity 

 of the ground is not so great as to require benching 

 or terracing. The small crops and the cuttings 

 will partly remunerate for subsequent tillage. 

 2,420 vines, 3 by 6 feet apart, will occupy one 

 acre. Twenty vines may be made to yield, in 

 fair seasons, one bushel of good grapes. We 

 may, then, safely estimate the average yield of 

 of an acre at 120 bushels — a very satisfactory 

 return, considering that oilr markets have never 

 been half supplied. The Catawba, Isabella and 

 Clinton are our best and most reliable vineyard 

 grapes, although other varieties succeed farther 

 south, and new seedlings, of rare promise, are 

 being constantly introduced. We would, how- 

 ever, caution our friends against large invest- 

 ments at high prices in new varieties, not fairly 

 tested, however highly they may be commended. 

 We would rather encourage attempts at produc- 

 tion of new seedling varieties, as affording best 

 promise of hardier and better vines and choice 

 fruit. 



Buchanan, in the preface to the fifth edition 

 of his valuable work on grape culture and wine 

 making, says, "he obtained from five acres 4,236 

 gallons, or 847 gallons per acre, and that the 

 average yield for the whole country did not ex- 

 ceed 400 gallons to the acre." A cultivator of 

 the vine, in Kentucky, says, "the tillage of the 

 vineyard is not so laborious, nor near so expen- 

 sive, as the tillage and labor of securing the 

 Eroducts of an acre of corn or hemp. A man 

 aving five acres, wich he could manage himself, 

 would find them more profitable than a Ken- 

 tucky farm of two hundred acres, with three 

 negroes to cultivate it." May we not reasonably 

 expect, in view of facts like these, that our en- 

 terprising farmers, in looking to their interests, 

 will not only provide this rich source of national 

 revenue, but also secure to their families the 

 enjoyments and blessings of the vine ? 



-«••- 



Disadvantages and Temptations of Agricnltaral 

 life. 



Extract from a Sermon, delivered by John Moore, Deerjidd, 

 Mass. 



'^ 



Having spokea of the advantages and attrac- 

 tions of agricultural life, I mast be allowed to 

 say a word of its disadvantages and tempta- 

 tions. 



I. Its tendency to lead to mental inactivity ; 

 the danger that in the isolated positions of the 

 farmer he will suffer his mind to rust from in- 

 activity; that he will perform his daily and 

 yearly round of labor mechanically, and suffer 

 his abundant leisure to run to waste. There is 

 danger of this. 



TI. Another danger to which I shall venture 



to allude, is slovenly and clownish manners. 



There is no excuse for the farmer if he is one or 

 the other. There is danger that ho will build 

 a good house, and let it stand without a tree, or 

 shrub, or flower to break the air of barrenness 

 and desolation around it — let it stand white, 

 and glaring, and ghastly; that the best part of 

 it will be closed the year round, opened only 

 for a semi-annual cleaning and the family 

 huddled into the kitched which serves also as 

 dining-room, living room, and room of all work; 

 that here the farmer will sit when his work is 

 done. hiK hat on and his coat off, and a dirty 

 pipe in his mouth; here his boys will be en- 

 gaged in such idle frolic as will best kill the 

 time. No book to be seen. If there was one, 

 it could not be read in that scene of turmoil 

 •nd confusion. There is no privacy in such a 

 house. There is no refincnent. There is no 

 true, rational enjoyment. It is vulgar, ill-bred 



and ignoble. Such cases are rare with as now. 

 It is rather a picture of what has been. Bural 

 life with us has become, and is becoming more 

 refined and elevating. The oases are becoming 

 more common, where the best room in the 

 house is the living room for the family, into 

 which the work of the kitchen and the dress o f 

 the farm seldom ^.ntrudes. Where the family 

 altar is erected, on which is offered the morn« 

 ing and evening sacrifice. It is consecrated to 

 neatness, and purity, and truth. Here the eve- 

 nings are spent. Heie the family are assem- 

 bled. The dress of the farm has been exchang- 

 ed for one more fitting the parlor. Here the 

 vulgar pipe does not intrude. The table stands 

 in the center, and on it the lights, and plenty 

 of them; and while the mother and daughter 

 ply the thrifty needle, the father or son reads 

 aloud the well chosen volume of history, trav- 

 els, biography or science. Here a pure taste 

 is born. Here refinement of manners is culti- 

 vated. Here a God-loving and a God-fearing 

 family is reared. The influence of this taste is 

 seen m the exterior of the house; in the neat 

 fence and outhouses; in the ornamental shrubs 

 and flowers, which give an aspect of home- 

 comfort and enjoyment to erery passer-bj. 



There are few scenes our world furnishes, of 

 more unalloyed satisfaction, of pure enjoyment, 

 than the picture I have here presented of the 

 farmer's family. It is no fancy picture. There 

 arejmany such; and every farmer's family may, 

 to some degree, be such. Much depends on the 

 powerful ioflaence of woman. It is she who 

 tiolds the power in this sphere. It is she who 

 really, but silently directs and governs thi» 

 whole social sphere. If the farmers' wives and 

 daughters will study to raise the character of 

 the farmers' social life, they will do much good 

 in their own families, and to the community. — 

 But they must do it, in a profound faith in the 

 true dignity of the farmer's calling. They must 

 not be above their position, not ashamed of it. 

 They must not be afraid nor ashamed to work. 

 They must not mistake tor social domestic hap- 

 piness, the finery and fashion of city life. — 

 They must labor in the intelligent conviction of 

 the honesty and dignity of rural life. In the 

 conviction that agriculture embraces the sphere 

 of God's most natural and beautiful operations. 

 That when rightly understood, it is calculaied 

 to engage and elevate man's noblest faculties. 

 That it is intrinsically the parent and superior 

 of all professions. Let her teach her sons, that 

 if there are other employments more lucrative, 

 there are none more manly and safe. Let her 

 teach her daughters, that if there are other po- 

 sitions more polished and brilliant, there are 

 none ot more intrinsic satisfaction, than that of 

 an intelligent proprietor of the soil. Let her 

 show by her own intelligence, order, neatness, 

 taste, that she understands and enjoys her po- 

 sition, as wife and m3ther ina farmei's farmily. 

 And the condition and prospects of the agricul- 

 tural class will brighten, intellectually and so- 

 cially. I offer no apology for introducing this 

 topic here. Would I could have spoken more 

 worthily upon it. So far as I have instituted 

 contrasts, it has been of the life of the farmer 

 with that of the merchant, or artisan, in the 

 crowded city. I would have those whose lot is 

 amid the elevating and holy influences of God's 

 works and operations, in the country, thank 

 God that it is so. I would have them make 

 their life so pure, so noble, so refined, as to win 

 for it the respect of the young. I would have 

 the farmer so honor and •nnoble his calling, as 

 to check, in some degree, this depletion of the 

 life of our agricultural districts, to fill up the 

 wasted and wasting energies of the cities. So 

 it has always been. The life which throbs the 

 strongest in the city, which has most strength 

 and vigor, was not born there. It drew the 

 breath of life upon our hills, and in our vallejs. 

 It took its first lessons in our country schools, 

 and churches, and farm-houses. And having 

 gained a strong tmd yigorous root there, has 



«••- 



mcmOAN DOITBLS FLOW 



This was used to some extentin Sanganion 

 county last seasou. We do not believ* its 

 advantages are appreciated. Indeed, there 

 are thoasands of farmers who never saw it. 

 The Ohio Galtivator, in speaking of Gill's 

 Doable Plow, bailt on the same general 

 plan as the Doable Michigan, lajs: 



"We,believe the double plow has nerer 

 been sufficiently appreciated. For the pur- 

 pose for which it is designed, we think it is 

 the most valuable implement of all the dig- 

 gers. Put its work side by side with the 

 best single sod plow in the world, and the 

 contrast is largely in favor of the dooblt 

 plow; and we have wondered that heavy 

 farmers would allow themselves to lose upon 

 a single crop of wheat, what would pay for 

 several good plows, because a mistaken 

 economy led them to use a common steel 

 plow that cost only some $15, rather than 

 pay $22, or at most $26, for a steel double 

 plow that would make a seed-bed au hand- 

 some and clean as if it was done with a 

 spade— not a weed or tuft of grass left un- 

 covered, and the whole surface even and as 

 fine as meal. Here is another grand ad- 

 vantage — upon • sod field thus prepared 

 with but one plowing, you can go on with 

 the wheat drill, or cultivator plow, and put 

 in the seed at once, with all the elements of 

 fertility in the right place. The double 

 plow will turn a furrow as deep as it is 

 wide, and with less proportionable draft 

 than any single plow can possibly do.*' 



Farmen* CIulMk 

 The driving work of the year it over, and 

 now is the time to form Farmers' Clubs. This 

 is done by the farmers of any particular neigh- 

 borhood, meetjne together, and becoming a 

 Society for the discussion of agricultural sub- 

 jects, reading agricultural essays, etc. We 

 heartily approve of them, when properly cons 

 ducted. They are nsefiiil, not enly for the 

 agricultural information imparted at the meet- 

 ings, but in giving farmers that confidence 

 obtained only by experienoe, which will enj 

 able them to rise in public and express their 

 sentiments upon all occasions, without embar- 

 rassment. This is a valuable accomplishment, 

 and as we contend that farmers should be re- 

 presented by farmers in the State Legislature 

 and in Congress, that farmers should be quali- 

 fied to be our Oovernon> and Presidents, we 

 will advise them to join these clubs, participate 

 in the discussions, and become calm, collected 

 and experienced speakers. To all of thoseSrho 

 ever expect to take a part in public discussions, 



been transplanted to the city to grow to matu- 

 rity, there. I have no quarrel with the eity, 

 or with mercantile life; only, I will insist that 

 if the farmer will truly honor his calling, be 

 may 'attain as much of real happiness; do as 

 well the work of a man; do as much ^>od in 

 the world, as in aoy other callinj^, and be as 

 well fitted, when life is done, and its account 

 closed, to enter into the higher world with joy. 



i 



■ ?-> ■ 



^f.r- iV-ti r?.: V,^:';Si-.^^r\\;- 



