The true Interests of our Country* 
prairies ? Have you any for sale and what is 
the price per pair ? f 
Respectfully your Obedient Servant, 
George Reed, 
Corresponding Seer at ary T. A. S. 
A. B. Allen, Esq., 
Buffalo , Erie Co . 
Tlie true interests of our Country. 
The following communication is from a venerable 
lady of our acquaintance, the widow of a gallant 
revolutionary officer; and who, added to her other 
avocations has been quite a farmer in her day. Learn¬ 
ing that we were about to establish an agricultural 
paper, she bade us God’s speed, and has kindly con¬ 
tributed her mite of instruction. We gladly introduce 
it to our readers as a specimen of her zeal for this 
delightful pursuit, and as a confirmation of Gray’s 
beautiful sentiment that, “ E’en in our ashes live our 
wonted fires.” 
Gentlemen,—H aving- once been a farmer and 
always a patriot, it gives me pleasure to learn 
that there are some among us who feel disposed 
to promote the true intesest of their country, 
by drawing the attention, of some of our nu¬ 
merous population from their visionary plans 
of speculation, to the more sure and happy em¬ 
ployment of agriculture. 
It seems a little suprising, that, while almost 
every art and science have found their way into 
a newspaper, the farming interest has been so 
long neglected, especially as it is by experience 
alone that any considerable improvement can 
be made in perfecting that pleasing and profit¬ 
able employment; and in no way can an inter¬ 
change of views, and knowledge gained by 
experience, be so properly and easily communi¬ 
cated as in an agricultural newspaper. 
In contemplating the subject, I find it difficult 
to confine myself to any one object, when so 
vast a field lies open before me; the peculiar 
location of our country, evidently indicates , that 
Providence designed that we should be a 
distinct and independent Nation; seperate as 
we are from the other parts of the world by 
vast bodies of water. Blessed with a varied 
and fertile soil, lying under every degree of 
latitude, favorable to the culture of every pro¬ 
duction necessary to the supply of our 
luxuries as well as necessities, with various and 
exhaustless mineral productions of the earth 
from the necessary articles of Coal and Iron, to 
the precious metals, including all the varieties 
discovered in the Eastern World, nothing ap¬ 
pears wanting to us to carry out the design of 
+ The Southdown sheep brought out from England 
by one of the editors were to fill a special order. 
When the cultivated grasses are introdeced into the 
prairies we have no doubt these sheep will thrive 
upon them. Their value depends much on their 
quality. Twenty five to one hundred dollars, per 
head, is the price generally asked in America, 
Providence, but a proper application and direc¬ 
tion to the labors of a numerous and increasing 
population, who are naturally ambitious, indus¬ 
trious and inventive, with spirits honest and free. 
For these results, Providence appears to have 
been preparing them, the last twenty or thirty 
years, in various ways, especially by the impulse 
given to their inventive faculties, calculated to 
hasten the improvement of the vast field before 
them. 
Among the many improvements made in ma¬ 
chinery for every kind of manufactures,that for the 
use of the farmer, is but little inferior; and it 
appears to have changed the character of the 
occupation, making the business rather a profit¬ 
able amusement than a laborious task.* 
In Anew of those multiplied blessings, my 
mind involuntarily turns back to the time when 
the little band of Pilgrims left their native land, 
and like father Abraham, “not knowing whither 
they went, ” but guided by that unerring Hand 
which never moves without design; landed 
on the shores of America, where imagination 
paints them, as receiving the commands given 
to our first Parents,—“ go multiply, replenish 
the Earth, and subdue it. ” They did accor¬ 
dingly, and as long as the command was ad¬ 
hered to, they were a prosperous and happy 
people. But “ longing for the flesh pots of 
Egypt,” they sought intercourse with other 
nations—excited the jealousy of their old op¬ 
pressors, whose exertions drove them to resist¬ 
ance , which to the eye of reason appeared mad¬ 
ness ; but to the eye of Faith , “ all things are 
possible, ” they trusted in the promises and 
succeeded; so that the deed of gift to the parents, 
was confirmed by will to their children, evident¬ 
ly with the design of making them a distinct 
and independent Nation. But disregarding the 
intimation, they were left to themselves; or to 
use the Scripture language, “ they were left to 
their own delusions. ” and hastening to be rich, 
they ran into vain speculations, until they 
brought their country into a state of bankruptcy, 
both in a pecuniary and moral point of view. 
“ But as the wrath of man shall praise him, ” 
may not this folly, be made the means of turn¬ 
ing the deluded people from the error of their 
ways, to the more rational and happy employ¬ 
ment of agriculture? 
Although I have wandered far from the point 
where I started, I have not forgotten the Agri¬ 
cultural Newspaper , or the pleasure I have 
* We must assure our venerable friend, that the 
wheels of farming are not to be set in motion by 
“ raising the gate, or letting on the steam ” quite yet. 
Though the improvements in various matters, hav - 
largely facilitated the farmer’s operations, and added 
much to his profits, when judiciously applied, the 
greater part of the labor still remains to be done by 
