5 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
have no doubt with truth, that the process ot 
being hung is a very uncomfortable one. But 
though a person in that situation has nothing to 
stand upon, he nas the relief of something to 
hold him up. But to rise here upon an occa- 
sion like the present, before such an audience, 
after such gentlemen have gone before me, 1 
feel as if I had no support either from top or 
bottom. 
The venerable President of Harvard College 
in his remarks this evening, said “ that he came 
here to enjoy, and not to”— -and as he paused at 
that point, I felt as if he was going to sa> — 
" and not to suffer.” He actually said, howev- 
er. “and not to speak.” Verily, I think the 
two words to be quite synonymous. 
It is not for want of will, that 1 thus decline 
to make a speech. Indeed it is one of the diffi- 
culties — nay, it is one of the seveiest trials of our 
frail human nature, that our desires, our aspi- 
rations, so far outrun our abilities. 
I want to make a speech, and ray aspirations 
prompt me to make a good one. Even with 
the knowledge that such gentlemen as have al- 
ready spoken, were to be here, I have dared to 
aspire to making a speech as good as theirs. 1 
cannot tell you howl have been exercised upon 
this matter, ever since 1 rose this morning, to 
say nothing of ray sleeplessness last night, how 
I should rejoice to warm and stir and enkindle 
this audience. But the moment of action has 
come, and yet, I am powerless. Truly, sir, my 
spirit is willing, but alas the flesh is weak. 
And then the topic to appropriate to the occa- 
sion — what chance is there for anythin? new I 
There is the garden of Eden— ^a capital theme 
in its primeval state. But such hosts of inva- 
ders have taken possession ot it, that its guar- 
dian angel must have slept upon his post, and 
there is no room for another settler. Fruits and 
flowers have been so thoroughly sung, that they 
have almost withered before the quantity of 
wind that has been blown upon them. And as 
for woman, she has been so often toasted, that, 
as some wag once remarked, our directory 
would soon cotitain no other name than that of 
Brown. 
I heard a story the other day, which, as it il- 
lustrates this difficulty, and is a short one, per- 
mit me to repeat it. It was of an unmarried 
man, who, though he pretended he was not mar- 
ried, because he had never tried, was yet known 
to have made more propositions, and received 
more rejections than probably any man living. 
He was in the habit, too, of making his propo- 
sitions after a very short acquaintance. 
Upon one occasion, he met with a lady in a 
railroad car, who particularly struck his tansy. 
He procured an introduction to her, and set 
about his usual attentions. The lady, having 
been informed of his habit, humored the matter 
through the day. As they approached the end 
ot the day’s journey, the gentleman made his 
usual proposition of marriage. The lad}" re- 
plied with great seriousness — that the subject 
which he had proposed was a very important 
one, and ought not to be hastily decided- that 
she would take a little time to consider it, and if 
he would call at her house in the morning, she 
would give him an answer, as in the meantime 
she could consult her husband. 
He had actually offered himself, Mr. Presi- 
dent, to a married lady! Just such, sir, has 
been my faie all dav, in seeking a subject for a 
speech to-night. Every one I applied to has 
turned out to be eithar engaged or married to 
somebody else— and heaven forbid that I should 
break off any match. 
Beset by all these difficulties, sir, I repeat I 
cannot make a speech to-night, and as a me- 
mento of my sufferings al' day, I give you as 
a senliment-- 
Tke viiscru of table puhlir spr. king — Equalled only bj 
that of seeking a wife in vaiv. 
Many other toasts were given and speeches 
spoken, for which we have not room; and the 
amount ot the whole affa.r in the Boston Jour- 
nal is concluded thus; 
Such were the ihoushts advanced on this 
blight festal occasion, and uttered in ihe pre- 
sence of a vast assembly of brilliant women 
who graced the celebration by their presence, 
the whole commemoration fully justifying the 
sentiment of the Hon. Mr. VValley, who gave, 
“The trio of this Festival, Flora, Pomona, and 
the daughters of Eve.” As an entertainment 
it gave the highest satisfaction, and it passed 
off like similar events, on the wings of time m 
rapid fieetness, leaving, however, a very plea- 
sant memory on the minds ot ever participator. 
We trust that the next triennial celebration of 
the Society may be equally successful, and with 
this, our hearty wish, we add a volunteer senti- 
ment ot “Health, prosperity, and long life to 
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.” 
.VBKRESS OF R. P. SASNETT, Esq. 
A MEMBER OF THE CLUB. 
Delivered before the Planters’ Club of Hancock, al their 
Annual Fair in Sparta, \st November, 1815. 
Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Planters’ 
Club of Hancock : — We have assembled to-day 
10 celebrate the fourth anniversary of our Club. 
Four years have elapsed since a few ardent and 
enthusiastic votaries of agriculture, actuated by 
a spirit of improvement, and a zeal for the ag- 
ricultural prosperity of our country, met under 
much embarrassment, encountering the sneers 
ot some, and the ridicule of others, and organ- 
ized this association. 
It may not be unprofitable or inappropriate to 
the occasion, here to inquire v hat practical 
utility has resulted to the people of this county 
from the formation of this club. Hts it teen 
instrumental in materially improving the agri- 
culture of this county in any ot its departments'? 
Has it caused one bushel of corn, or one pound 
of cotton more to be raised than would other- 
wise have been produced w’ithout its existence 7 
I answer emphatically and unequivocally, it 
has. The institution of this club has been of 
incalculable service to the people of this coun- 
ty ; lor no man of common discernment, pre- 
viously acquainted with the agricultural condi- 
tion of Hancock, can fail to perceive in travel- 
ling over the county, that there has been a man- 
ifest improvement w’ithin the la.st four or five 
years in the husbandry and rural management 
of our f irmers. 
But it may be inquired, what are the particu- 
lar benefits w'hich this association has conferred, 
and the mode by which it has been accomplish- 
ed? 
To its instrumentality the dissemination of 
agricultural periodicals is to be chiefiy as- 
cribed, which is the fi-rst great preparative step 
to improvement. Its liequent discussioi^ td 
agricultural subjects has excited a spirit of 
inquiry and investigation among its members. 
By its annual lairs, exhibitions ot stock, and 
reports on premium crops, the farmer’s pride 
has been aroused, his ambition stimu-lated, and 
he has gone away from these exhibitions with 
a more elevated conception ol his vocation. 
The pursuits of agriculture have become not a 
mere business of dollars and cents — not a mere 
means, in popular parlance, ot getting a living, 
but a business of pleasure. In this wtiy a de- 
- gree of fixedness' and stability has been imparted 
to our before restless and roving population, 
never before enjoyed by this community. By 
the agency ol this club, a spirit of improvement 
has bees excited, from w’hich has resulted al- 
most an entire abatement of that mania for em- 
igration w'ith which our people a few years ago 
w’ere affiicted. For, previous to 1840,- there 
fiow’cdfrom this county, one continued stream 
of emigrants to the w'est. Hancock w'as part- 
ing, year affer year, with many of her best and 
intelligent citizens, who carried with them much 
ot her wealth and influence. Since that time, 
not only has emigration almost entirely ceased, 
^ut she has had large accessions to her popula- 
tion and aggregate wealth. As an evidence of 
this fact, her VC ting population has increased 
more than one hundred and tw'enty in four years. 
At the Presidential election in November, 1840, 
Hancock polled 7*23; at the Presidential elec- 
tion in 1844, she polled 845, It is but just to 
presume that this was a lair »est of the voting 
population of our CoUnty at both periods; and 
it is believed that her black population has even 
increased in a much greater ratio. 
Again, by reference to the tax books of the 
county, it will be seen that the aggregate in- 
crease in amount of Stale tax, within the last 
two years, commencing from the time the late 
tax law w'ent into effect, is upwards of $650, 
showing a gradual increase also in the taxable 
property in the county. 
But there are other facts wffiich demonstrate 
more conclusively the benefits rebuffing from 
this association of farmers. It is universally 
admitted’, that this has been one ot the most try- 
ing years to the farmer which w'e have had since 
the memorable yeai 1818. Indeed, I have been 
informed by gentlemen older than myself, who 
recollect well the disasters of that year, that the 
drought this year exceeded the drought of that 
year; that it commenced earlier, and continued 
longer, and that, altogether, much more rain 
fell during the spr ng and summer of 1818, than 
in those seasons ol 1845, and yet though the 
county was then comparatively Iresh, and the 
land much stronger, there was far less made, 
and the alarm ol scarcity much more general. 
Corn sold in the fall of 1818, as 1 have been 
credibly informed, from $1,75 to $2 per bu- 
shel at the pile, and could not have been 
bought even at those prices, bad not the quantity 
in market been augmented by the selling out 
and emigrating ot several of the w'ealthiest 
planters in the county; w'hereas, corn has been 
offeied lor seventy cems per bushel de'ivered in 
this towm, and met no purchase, and actual sales 
made at sixty-two and a ball cents. 
But, gentlemen, w’C need not refer to other 
times lor proof of the benefits resulting from 
the organization of this club. We have in- 
contestible evidence of its usefulness in the 
superiority of our system of agriculture over 
that of Ollier counties in the State in which a 
sense of the importance of agricultural asso- 
ciations and of agricultural reformation has 
not been experienced— for whilst countieswhich 
have been settled long since Hancock, whose 
lands are much fresher and equally fertile na- 
turally, have made almost an entire failure— 
and wnose inhabitants are compelled to seek 
elsewhere for corn and other breadstuff's, Han- 
cock, it is believed, has raised an ample suffi- 
ciency to support with reasonable economy an 
increased population— together with two-thirds 
of an average crop of cotton. I have crc* 
versed freely with a number of gentlemen of 
this and other counties, who have travelled ex- 
tens-ively over the State, and all agree, that the 
crops of Hancock are decidedly better in the 
aggregate, than those of other counties in the 
State through which they have passed. 
Now, results are the best tesis of the practi- 
cability of such institutions. Bacon says, that 
philosophy is best which is the philosophy of 
fruit. These statistical and other facts, the re- 
sults of my investigation, I have laid before 
you, gentlemen, not tor the purpose ot boasting, 
not that we might assume to ourselves merit 
beyond that which we deserve ; for 1 am one ot 
those who never think much has been done, 
whilst so much remains to be done. So far 
from adducing these facts lor purposes of this 
kind, I am convinced that the agriculture of 
Hancock has abroad far higher reputation 
than it deserves ; and I have, in my intercourse 
with citizens of other sections of Georgia, 
often been put to the blush at the unmerited 
encomiums passed upon Hancock farming. 
At all events, gentlemen, it is abundantly 
evident, that increased exertion is requisite, if 
we would sustain our characters as farmers] 
and, which is of far more consequence to us, 
to continue the advancement already made in 
this the noblest and most useful of all voca- 
tions, and it is with the view of urging and im- 
pressing the importance of keeping in being 
and perpetuating this association, this combi- 
nation of effort, this concentration of mind and 
meatis, to the advancement of agricultural im- 
provement, that 1 have so far departed from be- 
