THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
2i) 
Aj)OKE.SS OF THE HON. W. G. HIVES, 
BEFORiJ i'lIE ALBE-MAULE AGRICLLTEKAL SOCIETY. 
L have we examined (.says the Tennes- 
see Agriculturist) an agricultural addre.s.s ol 
more luerest than th-r.t delivered on the 21>th of 
Oc.ober, 1842, by the rloo. fvlr. Rives of V^ir- 
giiiia, and did -our limits admit, we should be 
pleased to lay the whole document before our 
re rr.s, A few' extracts, however, we think, 
eai.Uvt fail benefitting the public, and we will 
hea;- hi; i hist on 
rimental farm should be attached to the in.-iitule 1 uly stated by Dr. James Andeiscn, one of the 
to be conducted under the most skiliul sujien'i- 1 most copious and able of all the Biiii.sh writers 
'Lon agriculture, 
say mie Lime’ 
sion and management, ana to aiibrd examples L on agriculture, who in his most valuable “J 
and I say mie Lime” sa 
AGRICULTURAL EDCC.iTiON. 
‘Li lubiic eudos.'ment, under the patronage of 
the .'jtate, for insti uctiun in the principles ana 
praedee of agricuiim’e, is imperatively due to 
chat great class oi the community, which is iin- 
nicuiatel}’' connected witn tiic cultivation of tne 
eai’th. vV'e have, in great number, schools of 
law, schools oi' msdicme, schools of general lit- 
ei'diaie, but none of agricultuie. "Why is this 
sol 'I'ue recent census shows that the number 
of persons engaged in agTiculture is fom- times 
greater man the whole number of persons em- 
ployed in commerce, manufactures, the learned 
proiessions and trades of e very description, all 
put togather. Does not this consideration of po- 
licy an t justice, then, require the provi.sion of 
.some means of professional education, in an 
aid CO wnich so predominant and vital a poxtion 
of the industry and worth of the countiy is devo- 
ted! Is agriculture alone to be degraded into an 
empirical pursuit, which requires no liberal in- 
struction? On the contrary, there is no other 
profession, I will venture to affirm, wffiich de- 
mands, for its intelligent exercise, so wude a 
range of scientific knowdedge. It embraces 
w'itiiin its scope, by a direct and necessary de- 
pendence, the domain of chemi.stiy, botany, ve- 
getable physiology, geology, mineralogy, mete- 
orology, zoology, mechanical philosophy, not to 
speak of the moral and political sciences Avhich 
have so important a bearing, in many respects, 
upon some of its highest interests. To which 
of tiie learned professions, so called, I would ask, 
is so large a group of kindred sciences associa- 
ted in such close and intimate relationship! 
The.se considerations are making themselves 
daily more and more felt, and are arousing pub- 
lic attention, in every enlightened community, 
to the just claims of agricultural education. A 
professorship of agriculture has been since es- 
tablished in the universities of Edinburg and 
Dublin; and from the former has recently pro- 
ceeded one of the most valuable works on the 
‘’elements of practical agriculture,” ever pub- 
lished. if distinct professonships of agriculture 
have not yet been founded in the English uni- 
versities, arrangements are in progress for es- 
tablishing them; and in the mean time lectures 
of distingui.ffied ability have been delivered on 
the subject by some of their learned professors, 
—among which it would be inexcusable not t© 
mention particularly the lectures of Professor 
Daubeny of the University of Oxford. It is 
time that Virginia should acquit herself of the 
debt which every enlightened and especially ev- 
ery Republican commonAvealth OAve.s to this 
great primordial interest of society. We must 
have a professorship of agriculture in our Uni- 
versity as a part of the general course of liberal 
studies, to furni.sh our young men, wffien they 
quit its Avails, Avith a competent knowledge of 
the principles of a profession Avhich so many of 
them embrace in after life. In addition to this, 
there should be established in connection Avith 
the University, a special agriadtural instit/ate, 
designed for those AAffio might not wish or find it 
conATnient to follow the general course of Uni- 
versity studies, but whose object avouM be to ac- 
quire in shorter time or at less expense, the pro- 
fessional education of an instructed agricultu- 
rist, as Avell as the general accompli.shments ol 
an intelligent and useful citizen. In this de- 
partment, theory and practice should go hand 
in hand: and for that purpose, a model and expe- 
of lire most improved methods of cultruv 
fertilization, 
Of such an institution, a perfect cxamplar, 
tested by forty years of succes.sful expeiieiicc, i.s 
presented tu us in the acunirable and celebrated 
establishment of Vod.Ecllenberg at HoiAA yi in i 
bAvitzerland. I am .spared the nece.ssity oi'de- j 
tails in the developement of this suggestion, b)' j 
simply referring to that Avell laioAvu establish- 
ment as a general model, admitting readily ol 1 
modifications Avhere a difierence of circum-stan- 
ces may be supposed to require them. It Avas 
my good Joitune during my residence in Europe, 
to visit this clas.sic spot; and 1 can safely sa}', 
that I saAV nothing in the palaces of King,s, in 
the museums oi me fine arts, in the gorgeous 
displays ox’ wealth and j^oAver on CA'ery hand, 
Avhich impressed r.ie with half the adrairrition i 
felt in contemplating the modest but noble L-sta.b- 
lishment of the Swd.ss republican patriot and 
sege. Agriculture he chose as the basis of his 
enterprise; and by the happ}' combination, in 
the traming of his pupils, of intellectual and 
boffily labor, mutually relicA'ing and giA'ing zest 
to each other, he has achieved those prodigies of 
moral and physical imprevemen:, Avliich have 
draAvn upon his institution the earnest attention 
and applau.se of the ciA'ilized world. It has fur- 
nished' to Continental Europe the best models of 
its agriculture, Avhile it has sent forth into its A'a- 
rious States and Kingdoms some ot their mo.st 
useful, virtuous and enlightened citizens. At 
the same time, the model farm of Hofivyl stands 
a proud refutation of all the stereotype satires, 
so frequently indulged, on scientific fanning, as 
the accounts of the establi.shment, kept with mi- 
nute mercantile exactness, disclose through a se- 
ries of years, a nett profit of Si per cent upon 
the Avhole capital employed — a rate of profit 
AA'ith AA'liich, I venture to say, any of us imictical 
fanners Avould be more than content. 
iiial its 
as Oil Ike sod 
Mr. R. is not only a friend to a better system 
of education, but he is likewise a pioneer in the 
improvement of lands. Hear him on the sub- 
ject of 
LIMING LANDS. 
Being someivhat of a pioneer in the lime hus- 
bandry in this poition of the State, I feel my- 
self called on, gentlemen, to give you the results 
of my experience. I hai'e used about 12,000 
bushels of it, (slaked measure,) from a quariy 
opened for the purpsse on my ow'n land, Avhicii 
has been spread oA'er about 150 acres, at an av- 
erage, therefore, of 90 bushels to the acre. Some 
accounts AA'hich I liaA'e read of its efiects else- 
v/here, not expressed Avith the accuracy and dis- 
crimination so much to be desired in such com- 
munications, had led me to expect a decided ef- 
fect upon the growing crop — by which I mean 
the crop, of either corn or AA'heat, immediately 
succeeding the application ol' lime. In this I 
Av as disappointed; but the discrepancy is proba- 
bly accounted for by the fact that I haA'e not 
hitherto used lime in combination with putres- 
cent manures from the farm yard or the stable, 
Avhile others liaA'e most probably done so, though 
that circumstance Avas noted in the communica- 
tions to Avhich I refer. My first disappointment 
lioAveA'er, in regard to the effects on the growing 
crop, AA'as more than compensated by the mark- 
ed, iinequiA'ocal and decided effect I have never 
failed to perceive from the lime alone in the 
clover succeeding the wheat crop — with which it 
has been my general practice to apply the lime 
at the time of seeding, harrowing in the lime and 
wheat at one and the same operation. The in- 
creased luxuriance of the clover has furnished, 
of course, conclu.sive evidence of the improA'e- 
ment of the land from the application of the 
lime, and has in its turn, enured to the still fur- 
ther amelioration of the soil. All my observa- 
tions in regard to lime would lead me to the 
opinion that it is the most permanent of all ma- 
nures, and to concur in the conclusion so forci- 
icili be fcU^ perhaps as long us ihc soil xisis;” and 
thi.> conclasion he jmt.He.s by tlie inode of iis 
action altering the nature and ccirsiiiution cf the 
soil iiseli, ana enduing it Avith ca^ £.eiuc.s and 
aimiities AA'hich it nevfci .jcfoie posscssea. My 
applications of lime haA't oeeii ahro.st eniiitly 
on a close gravelly loam, ol' a brownish or gray 
color; and the re.sult of a single exj.eriment cn 
land of a different description Avoufe. lead me to 
believe that it is not adapted to ihe reu ferrugi- 
nous clay soils of the .sides and base of our 
southwest mountains. It is a proverb in Eng- 
land and Scollaud that 
“He that mavis sand 
Will soon buy land; 
Rut he who iiiaris day 
'liiroAvs all away.” 
The reason that Dr. Anderson suggests for the 
the comparativ'e inefficiency of marl on clay 
soils is, that clay forms a large proportion of 
marl, and the addition of clay to clay, therefore, 
cannot be expected to produce so good an effect. 
The same lea.son AA'ould lurni.sti a solution of 
the supposed Avant of ada23tatioii of lime to the 
red clay soils of the south westmoimtainsp/ cper, 
and of its unque.^-tionable efficiency on the adja- 
cent gray loams, as a chemical aual}'sis of the 
two soils has, 1 understand, disclosed the exis- 
tence already of two jier cent of lime in the for- 
mer, and of hardly any sensible quantity what- 
ever, in the latter. 
Kothing can be more certain than the highly 
beneficial efiects ot lime as a manure, on a large 
majority of our soils, in Avhich, accorning to an 
analysi.s, by Mr. Rumn, of as man}' as sixteen 
difterent specimens taken from A'arious and dis- 
tant parts of the 8tale, lime is A'eiy rarely ei'er 
found as an original ,and natural ingredient. — 
The important j'ractical question then is, wheth- 
er the expense of the ajiplication is justified by 
the benefits of the manure. This is a question 
Avliich eA'eiy person must determine for himself 
according to his particular position, and his oAvn 
vicAVs of profit and loss, f’or mysell’, I will on- 
ly say that 1 have ahvays found the best appli- 
cation I could make of money derived from the 
land, Avas to retiun it back to the land in the 
shape of improvement. There is no invest- 
ment of capital that can be more safe, and in 
ninety-nine out of a hundred ca&es, none half so 
profitable. If by laying out fiA'e dollars in ma- 
nure on an acre of land a'ou make it produce 
you 20 bushels of AA'heat Avorth a dollar a bushel, 
Avhen it produced but fiA'e bushels before, and 
this product is reneAved to you every four years 
in an ordinary rotation of crops, have }'Ou not 
secured an interest cf one hundred per cent on 
the outlay you have made, and at trie same time 
increased the A'alue of your land four hundred 
per cent! And yet results such as these, exi ra- 
vagant as they may seem, and though we may be 
unconscious of them ourselves, are often achiev- 
ed by a liberal and siiirited system of improve- 
ment. The passion of us Virginia fanners is to 
acquire more land — mot to make the land Ave al- 
ready possess more productive. If a fanner 
should add yearly to his pos.ses.sions a hundred 
acres of land, he Avould doubtless consider him- 
self getting along very prosperously in the world. 
But if at no greater expense he can make a 
hundred acres of land tAvice or thrice as produc- 
tive as they Avere before, is he not doing much 
better, Avith the great adi'antage of having a 
more compact surface on w'hich to concentrate 
his labor and care. 
The misfortune of our Virginia agriculture 
is that Ave haA'e already too much land lor the 
labor we can bring to cultivate it. As -we are 
not likely to make a A'oluntarv' curtailment of 
the extent of our fanns, the greatest practical 
reform that can be introduced into their man- 
agement is to curtail the arable surface on each, 
and to lay doAvn a larger portion of our lands to 
grass, instead cf Avasting the energies of our 
soil by annually spreading over a wide surface 
