THE farmer’s manual. Tt; 
men, that ever conslituted a community. Would you 
realize the truth of this remark, look at the face of 
the country which they subdued ; the foes they van- 
quished ; the civil, religious ancU literary institu- 
tions they founded, and transmitted down to us, and 
which we so richly enjoy. These reflections upon 
our fathers, are used indiscriminately to prejudice 
our minds against the characters of our fathers gene- 
rally, and as much against their excellent institutions, 
as against their system of husbandry. Vindicate 
their excellent characters, by preserving their wise 
institutions, as well as by correcting their system of 
husbandry ; not because this was bad in them, but 
because it has become bad in us, under the changes 
the face of the country has undergone since their 
days, and under our bad tillage. Let us remember, 
that this system of husbandry which 1 have laiil 
down, would l.ave no more, and no better applied to 
our fathers, than to the present inhabitants of the fer- 
tile wilds of Illinois. The soil was alike with both, 
in a rich virgin state ; the more corn they could plant, 
and the more wheat they could sow, the more profits 
they derived from their farms; so, that what in them, 
under that rich state of soil, was good farming, has 
become to us, under the exhausted state of the soil, 
bad farming. Let this apology pass to the credit of 
our fathers ; but let it not be used as a cloak to cover 
the obstinate practices of imitation, in any of their 
descendants. The times are changed ; the face of 
the country is changed ; the quality of the soil has 
changed ; and if we will live as well, and become as 
rich and respectable as our fathers, we must cultivate 
their virtues ; but abandon their system of farming, 
and reclaim their lands, which have become exhaust- 
ed by bad tillage, in passing down to us ; this can 
easily be done by labour and manure, under a regu- 
lar rotine of crops, w'ith large and flourishing stocks 
of cows, cattle, sheep and hogs, with as few horses 
as the nature of things, and circumstances of our 
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