THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
179 
very much if with that improved process, the cane 
would not be found to have ripened suflSciently to 
make sugar. 
In the lower part of our State, the cultivation 
of the olive would prove a profitable investment of 
labor. The value of its oil is well known, and 
though we do not need its fruit for bread, as other- 
nations do, yet we might find a handsome reiuin 
or our labor in its cultivation. 
Let our labor be directed to these several pur- 
suits, and I apprehend the continued cry of hard 
times will be successfully silenced. With pur- 
suits diversified, the temporary failure of one may 
be relieved by the prosperity of another; but with 
one pursuit alone, the failure of that is the pros- 
tration of the whole people. May we not hope 
that our next Legislature may take some steps to 
develope the resources of our people — to advise 
them how they can employ their labor to the best 
account — and to open the way to the improvement 
and advancement of our agriculture ? 
And now, how shall we accomplish the objects 
we have avowed We feel the country to be de- 
pressed by the causes which are here presented, 
and the effort at relief has commendably been 
made. Those who have stepped forward in the 
cause must never look back — but yet the task to 
arouse the public mind and to give it proper direc- 
tion, is an Herculesn one. But I say, we must not 
Jalter. 
We must ask our country friends to meet with 
us, and with us to investigate the causes, and with 
us to apply the remedies. If they will not, how- 
ever, come to us, we must go to them. Print and 
circulate among the people the information neces- 
sary to arouse them to a proper appreciation of the 
condition of the country. Get the peeple to read, 
to rejieet, ard then they will act. This society has 
undertaken the work of reform in this county, and 
they must not falter in the effort. It may be a 
source of some expense to give to the people the 
necessary information which will disclose to them 
the difficulties about them, and the means of es- 
cape, yet the press is the mighty light, which 
must guide them in the path, and we must employ 
it. The re.sultof a S3"stematic, vigorous, and uni- 
ted effort, will secure to the country lasting and 
abiding blessings. Our object i* not simply to meet 
and/aZ/r and talk; but it is to meet to talk and to 
aet — to stimulate each other, and to arouse the 
WHOLE COMMUNITY TO A VIGOROUS EFFORT TO EN- 
RICH THEIR LANDS AND IMPROVE THEIR AGRICUL- 
TURE. 
^ 
Agricultural Societies. 
From the North Carolina Watchman. 
Our attention has been called ot late to the 
reports and doings of Agricultural Societies in 
different parts of the country. South Carolina, 
our sister State, shows a good spirit on the sub- 
ject. She ha.s a number ol Agricultural Socie- 
ties within her bounds which, b 3 ’’ their enter- 
prising and energetic labors, bid fair towards 
bringing about a sound, practical, as well as 
theoretical knowledge of Agriculture among 
our people. Agriculture is the greatest, the 
most interesting and delightlul pusuit of man ; 
and yet we venture to say that it is the least un- 
derstood ol all; particularly in the South. 
Farmers, generally speaking, have an aversion 
to what they call “ book farming,” and conse- 
quently prefer plodding through life in the old 
beaten track — the track ol their fathers, and la- 
thers’ fathers. The consequence is, that in a 
few years after opening a plantation, it is worn 
out. They are driven to the necessity (as they 
think) of clearing more land — the old fields no 
longer producing crops worth the labor to till 
them : they are “ turned out,” and in a year or 
two the rains wash great gaping gullies through 
them, and to the present owner the land is lost. 
This system is kept up for a few years, and the 
farmer becomes dissatisfied with the gloomy 
prospect presented him, of young pines and sas- 
safras growing all around him, and of the young 
chasms gaping wherever he looks as if waiting 
to swallow him. He resolves to sell his old 
homestead. He can never do that part by his 
family that he should do, if he remains there. 
So he advertises: “ Having determined on re- 
moving to the West, the subscriber offers for 
sale his valuable plantation, lying on the waters 
of Panther Creek,” &c. &c. This plantation, 
once valuable indeed, is sold at a price falling 
one, two, three, or lour thousand dollars below 
first cost; and its late possessor leaves it, per- 
haps with less means at his command than 
when he first entered it. This is one system of 
Agriculture, and a very destructive and shame- 
ful system it is; nevertheless, it is a very common 
one in many parts ol our country. 
The purchaser of these worn-out fields and 
frightful gullies, happens to be a different sort 
ot man: he is a firm believer in book-farming, 
if you please; Icr every spare moment from his 
c ut-door labor is spent in reading Agricultural 
books and periodicals; and he watches with 
the avidity of a beast of prey every experiment 
that is made, or making, calculated to make 
some new developement in the science of agri- 
culture. Agriculture is a Science with this 
man — one that is pleasing and delightful — and 
not drudgery, a galling yoke, as some men re- 
gard it, to which they reluctantly submit, to ob- 
tain leave co live. 
Six or seven years rolling by, and our scien- 
tific farmer, still laboring on the old homestead, 
has become the pride and boast of the neigh- 
borhood. The people just around him thought 
he was a silly, shallow-brained fellow, at first, 
else he would never bought such a place to set- 
tle on ; and they would frequently indulge in 
very hearty laughs at his expense, when he 
chanced to speak of hisplans. But now, things 
have taken a change ; instead ol laughing when 
they meet with him, their eyes, ears and mouths 
are all open to catch every word he utters ; and 
when they visit his farm, with all the curiosity 
of green ones, they go to examining this thing 
and that about the premises. In fine, they are 
utterly astonished to see what a wonderful 
change has been wrought upon the old fields ; 
The gullies have all been stopped, ahd the red 
clay declivities through which they ran now 
bear a luxuriant crop of corn. The old fields, 
late the haunt of wild turkies, lost sheep and 
hogs and strayed cattle, under the hands of this 
new, scientific farmer, have shed their pine, 
sassafras and persimmon bushes, and now bear 
upon their bosoms rich, waving wheat, barley, 
rye and oats, or else delight the eye with the 
deep green of a heavy clover carpet. 
This is no fiction — no fancy sketch. The 
farmers of Pennsylvania, New York and other 
Northern States, present a more striking con- 
trast with those of North Carolina than the 
foregoing, or any one would imagine, who has 
not seen them. The reason why it is so, is ve- 
ry evident : The farmers of those States are a 
reading, reasoning, and consequently enlight- 
ened people — enlightened particularly on the 
pursuit or occupation ot their lives. They not 
only labor in the fields with their hands but also 
with their heads. From books they learn the 
constituent qualities of all the various products 
of the farm; and from them also learn the na- 
ture of the soil they have to work, as well as the 
kinds of manures suitable to those soils and 
necessary to facilitate the growth and increase 
the product of each and every crop they wish 
to grow. 
Let no man despise “ book farming,” but on 
the contrary, let every one embrace all opportu- 
nities to store his mind with many useful and 
valuable maxims and hints as well as the phi- 
losophy of that pursuit which is the greatness, 
wealth and happiness of his country. To do 
this successfully, we know no better plan than 
to get up Agricultural Societies. By these, en- 
terprising spirit is aroused, wliich leads men to 
read, to think and to act, and thus prejudice 
yields to the light of reason, and wisdom mani- 
fests itself on every acre of the farm. We 
therefore rejoice to see that South Carolina and 
Georgia are waking up to the importance of a 
change in their system, who by their Agricultu- 
ral As.sociations are destined to exercise a pow- 
erful influence upon the prosperity of their peo- 
ple, and glory of themselves. 
Several horses died recently in Princeton, N. 
J,, from the effects of eating musty oats. 
QV^rifultural i^leetings. 
Agricultural Association of Georgia. 
Milledgeville, Nov. 10, 1845, 
The Agricultural Association of Georgia met 
this afternoon at 3 o’clock. The President being 
unavoidably absent, on motion ol B. S. Jordan, 
President of the Baldwin County Agricultural 
Societ)', Richard S. Hardwick, President ol the 
Hancock County Agricultural Society, was 
called to the Chair. 
The Constitution, as adopted by the Associa- 
tion at its first meeting, held in April last, to- 
gether with all the proceedings of the meeting 
on that occasion, were read. 
The President then requested the delegates 
present to report themselves to the Secretary, 
when it appeared that the following Societies 
were represented as Jollows: 
Hojicock County Agricultural Society. — R. S. 
Hardwick, A. E. W. Brown, W m. Terrell, I. 
P. Whitehead, N. C. Sayre, E. H. Baxter, W. 
H. Brantley, D. W, Lewis, T. Vinson, R. P. 
Sasnett, and B. T. Harris, 
Putnam County Agricultural Society. — S, 
Pearson, E. Callaway, O. S. Crediller, Wm. 
Turner, and Thomas G. Sanford. 
Burke County Agrmdlural Society . — James 
Grubbs, John T. Brown, J. W. Jones, M. J, 
Reynolds, and Wright Murphree. 
Burke Co. Central Society . — JVl ulford Marsh. 
Oglethorpe Agricxdlural Society, (Bowling 
Green) — Wm. Lumpkin, and F. Phinizy. 
Baldioin County Agricultural Society. — B. S. 
Jordan, Thomas F. Green, James Dickson, R. 
M. Orrae, Benjamin A, White, S. K. Talmage, 
H. V. Johnson, W. H. Mitchell, R. H. Ramsey. 
On motion ol Mr. Sasnett, it was 
Resolved, That an Executive Committee be 
appointed by the Chair, in accordance with the 
provisions of the Constitution. The Commit- 
tee named were— R. P. Sasnett, B. S. Jordan, 
Thos. F. Green, R. M. Orme, and B. T.Bethune. 
On motion of Dr. T, F. Green, the Associa- 
tion then adjourned until half past seven o’clock 
this evening. " 
Half past 7 o'clock, P. M. 
Association met pursuant to adjournment. 
Governor Crawford, President of the Asso- 
ciation, being in attendance, took the Chair. 
On motion of Judge Sayre, an invitation was 
extended to any gentlemen present representing 
Agricultural Societies, whose names have not 
been previously enrolled, to come forward, fur- 
nish their names to the Secretary and take their 
seats as members of this Association. Where- 
upon the following gentlemen presented them- 
selves: 
Warren AgricuUural Society.— John Harris, 
President. 
Clark Agricultural Society.— Wm. L. Mitchell- 
Chatho/m Agral. Society. — Wm. P. Bowen. 
Walton Agricultural Society.— WiWmm Ru- 
therford, President, and Jame's Jackson. 
Jefferson Agricultural Socitiy.—J. B, Todd. 
The President then called for the reports of 
the Committees appointed by him, under a reso- 
lution ot the Association at its organization in 
April last, when the following reports were pre- 
sented and read; 
Report on the Agriculture of Georgia, by 
Wm. Turner, Chairman, 
Report on Grains, by R. S. Hardwick, Ch’m. 
“ Stock, by Wm. Terrell, ” 
“ Manures, by J. W. Moody, " 
“ “ by I. P, Whitehead, one 
of Committee. 
All of which were referred to the Executive 
Committee, 
On motion of Judge Sayre — 
Resolved, That the Executive Committee 
cause so much, and such parts ot the reports of 
the several committees and of the proceedings 
of the Association, as they may deem expedient, 
to be furnished to the publishers of the “South- 
ern Cultivator” and other gazettes that may be 
willing to receive them, for publication. 
The following preamble and resolution were 
introduced by Mr, Sasnett; 
