304 December Notes, &c.—-The Times, and Prospect of the Price of Agricultural Products. 
would call upon Col. Sherwood, and satisfy 
themselves as to the correctness of what we 
assert, and if they are convinced of its truth, 
advance a step further , and take home a Bur • 
ham bull with them. Col. S. is determined 
to sell in accordance with the times. He 
has a great desire to see fine stock spread¬ 
ing about him, and no one, we think, can ob¬ 
ject to his prices. 
From this, Col. S. drove us to Major Dill’s, 
who has also a fine stock of Short Horns; 
derived principally, we believe, from Mr. 
Weddel’s breeding. Many of the remarks 
which we make of Col. S.’s animals, will ap¬ 
ply to Major D.’s. His best cow is Gazelle, 
and his finest heifer Hebe. She took the 
first prize among 2 year olds, at the State 
Show at Albany, last September. They are 
both beautiful, and most correctly and appro¬ 
priately named. 
THE TIMES, AND PROSPECT OF THE PRICE OF 
AG-RICULTURAL PRODUCTS. 
Our correspondence is teeming with com¬ 
plaints of the hard times ; and we are repeat¬ 
edly asked our opinion of the future pros¬ 
pects of the farmer. We must confess that 
this is a grave question, and the wisest and 
most sagacious may well pause before ven¬ 
turing upon it. Nevertheless we have an 
opinion, which we shall proceed to state 
with great diffidence, and our readers can 
take it for what it may be worth ; and that 
is, we think the times will gradually grow 
easier, and produce as gradually rise in 
value. Our reasons for this are these : 
1. There has not been a harvest so gen¬ 
erally abundant throughout the country 
for twenty years; we consequently cannot 
expect so great a one another season. In 
the September number of our paper, we gave 
an opinion that we should have an early and 
hard winter, and before November was half 
over it came upon us with unexampled se¬ 
verity; and the prospect now is, that it will 
be followed by a late spring. If so, there 
will be a much greater consumption of the 
food laid up for both man and beast, than if 
the winter were to prove as mild as the past 
one was. A late spring may make light 
crops for the ensuing season; and should 
this happen, produce will rise in price from 
that cause alone. 
2. Pretty much everything now has got 
down to its specie value, and consequently 
cannot well go lower. 
3. The passage of the tariff law has set 
many of our artizans to work at their trades 
again, who, from the necessities of the case, 
had become for a few of the past years com¬ 
petitors with the farmers in raising produce 
4. An unexampled emigration took place 
to this country last year from abroad, and 
this is likely to greatly increase another year. 
A large number of these people were arti¬ 
zans, and have gone to work at their trades; 
and as for the rest, they must be consumers 
at least one year, and in some instances two 
years. 
5. The modification of the British tariff' 
has partially opened a market for con¬ 
siderable quantities of beef and pork, which 
hitherto, by the high duties there, have been 
literally prohibited. Large amounts of lard, 
butter, cheese, and fruits, can also now be 
shipped to England, and a great increase 
made in the flour trade. And we shall find 
all the difference in the world between hav¬ 
ing rather a bare market, than one so glutted 
as it was in the summer and fall of ’41, as to 
make the holders of beef and pork almost 
rejoice to find it rotted and become stale on 
their hands, as was partially the case at one 
time in New-Orleans. 
6. England has at last made peace with 
China, and in consequence of it, anticipates a 
greatly increased opening for her manufac¬ 
tured goods in that large Empire; and al¬ 
though all her expectations from this quarter 
may not be fully realized, still there seems to 
be no doubt that she can now fully employ 
most of her idle artizans for a time, which 
will of course rather increase the market for 
American provisions. 
7. Money is abundant both in Europe and 
this country for all safe investments, and we 
do hope to see the spirit of enterprize again 
start the ensuing spring, in private building 
and public improvements. 
These are the principal reasons on which 
we base an opinion that there will be a slow 
and gradual rise in the price of produce. 
We have given up all hopes of seeing an 
Exchequer bill passed, or indeed any system 
of finance established by the present Con¬ 
gress otherwise than what we now possess, 
viz., the hard money currency. 
Notwithstanding our markets at this pre¬ 
sent moment are exceedingly depressed and 
glutted, we trust the farmer will not despair, 
but have faith in the future ; and if we were 
able to hold on to our produce, we should 
be in no particular hurry in selling it. Yet 
in conclusion, let the farmer be very cautious 
how he takes credit and contracts debts; 
and let him not only raise all his provisions, 
but strive to have as much clothing and all 
other necessaries made in his family as pos- 
