«s* 
34 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
continually opening to the activity and industry 
of our native population in a comparatively 
now country—enterprises too seductive in their 
promises of gain, and of promotion in life, to 
be withstood by the ambitious aspirant to fame 
and fortune. This characteristic has its bene¬ 
fits, also, in giving that rapid progress to the 
country which has placed it far, in usefid mate¬ 
rial, and valuable institutions, in advance of any 
people or nation with which we are acquainted. 
With this spirit of enterprise we are not dis¬ 
posed to quarrel. Let it proceed in its own 
way, and to its crowning point of success. The 
world is all the better for it; but in the way of 
staid and sober calculation as applied to agri¬ 
culture, we have to take an entirely practical 
view of this branch of our national industry. 
To illustrate our meaning, let an instance be se¬ 
lected. 
Two young men start in life. One is bred a 
farmer, the other a mechanic—and both without 
capital. Their strong arms, a hopeful spirit, a 
tolerable education, and integrity of character, 
are their sole dependence for success. One ob¬ 
tains employment on the farm, the other in the 
work-shop. In process of time, one becomes 
the owner of a moderate farm, in debt perhaps 
for a part of its value—the other is master of 
his own work-shop. So far they run on paral¬ 
lel lines. The farmer still goes on; he becomes 
independent, so far as debt is concerned, per¬ 
haps increases his acres, while the mechanic 
becomes an extensive builder, machinist, or 
manufacturer, and keeps his accumulating cap¬ 
ital in his own business, or at such command, 
that he can at anytime apply it where required. 
In this he has but imitated the merchant, and 
others engaged in different pursuits, who have 
succeeded in them, so long as such pursuits oc¬ 
cupy their attention, and require the use of 
capital in their prosecution. But the farmer, 
so far equally successful, up to the acquisition 
of a comfortable farm, stops short in the appli¬ 
cation of the accumulating capital to the in¬ 
crease of his agricultural resources, or the im¬ 
provement of his landed estate. He invests his 
surplus gains in stocks of various kinds, in se¬ 
curities, perhaps in town lots, or in the bricks 
and mortar of a neighboring town. In the 
midst of all this, his farm may one-half remain 
an unreclaimed swamp, the buildings be of an 
inconvenient and insufficient kind; and although 
in public estimation he may be a tolerable 
farmer, yet a considerable share of his estate 
may be unproductive and uncultivated, and 
serves only to hold together the better fractions 
of it, from which, with hard labor, he obtains 
his yearly income to invest in objects foreign to 
his legitimate business. Possibly, too, yielding 
to the clamors of an ambitious family, he has 
rented out his farm, removed into an adjoining 
village, and turns politician, or public man, or 
commences the laudable calling of shaving notes 
at two or three per cent, a month, while his 
children are aspiring—the sons to get into pro¬ 
fessions already over-crowded, or to chance and 
genteel ways of livelihood, the daughters, each 
to make an eligible match with the village shop¬ 
keeper or the young attorney. 
The narrative part of our argument is pur¬ 
sued sufficiently far to illustrate the fact (the 
truth of which will be readily acknowledged,) 
that the application of active capital stops at 
the very point where its employment, becomes 
most useful to the farmer, while those engaged 
in other pursuits apply their means more earn¬ 
estly to the extension or improvement of their 
own particular branches of business. So far as 
agriculture is concerned, it is altogether a mis¬ 
taken one. Few branches of regular business 
pay better than farming, with an intelligent ap¬ 
plication of capital. There are lands, we know, 
which are not worth improving, in this country 
of cheap and go#d land, and these we throw out 
of the question. But, suppose a farmer has 
one hundred acres of land capable of becoming- 
productive. Sixty acres of it are in cultivation. 
Forty acres are in swamp, or other unavailable 
condition. The good land is worth fifty dollars 
an acre, the other, ten dollars; but in reality, if 
reclaimed, the best land on the farm, and the 
expense of reclaiming it is but an additional ten 
dollars the acre. His capital is therefore worth 
fifty per cent, a year to him for several years, 
invested in the very swamp which he before 
considered worthless, besides being a creation of 
so much productive wealth to him and to the 
country, as his aforesaid swamp has added to 
its annual ability to produce a crop. 
Draining is another branch of investment to 
which a large amount of capital may be em¬ 
ployed. If to a field yielding twenty bushels of 
w heat to the acre, or a corresponding quantity 
of other products, twenty dollars per acre be 
expended in draining it, so that it will yield 
thirty to forty bushels with the same cultivation 
as before, the value of the field is doubled in its 
profitable capacity for production. And thus 
with every department of the farm. If better 
constructed buildings add to the convenience 
and economy of labor within them, to a greater 
security and preservation of the crops and the 
grains, or the better care of the farm stock, so 
far are they fit objects for the investment of 
money in producing revenue, and equally well 
worthy the farmer’s attention. 
So also with the plantation of orchards, the 
improvement of farm stock, and the production 
of various things which but now and then attract 
the attention of the farmer, in the common way. 
In short, the farmer should seek no other object 
for the investment of his money, beyond the 
improvement of his estate for productive pur¬ 
poses, until he is assured such further improve¬ 
ment will cease to be advantageous. His 
thought and study, in gainful objects, should be 
confined to his own business, as the thought 
and study of those engaged in other pursuits is 
confined to theirs; and if he loves his employ¬ 
ment, as he should do, he will find ample 
sources of investment akin to that of agricul¬ 
ture, which will furnish him abundant oppor¬ 
tunities to employ all his spare time and means 
to advantage. 
This is a fertile subject of discussion, which 
will call for future observation in the course of 
our editorial labors, and will be resumed as oc¬ 
casion may oiler. 
- •-« ♦- 
STATE FAIR POSTPONED. 
The premium list, circulars and posters, of 
the Fifth Annual State Fair, under the direction 
of the Board of Agriculture, have been very 
generally circulated, announcing the Fair to com- 
commence on the 19th of September! Very 
extensive and satisfactory arrangements have 
been made for the convenience of visitors, and 
the grounds and every thing are in such a state 
of forwardness as would have insured their com 
pletion in time. But, owing to the sudden out¬ 
break of sickness at Newark, which may not be 
over by the 19 th of September, the Executive 
Committee, under the circumstances, deem it 
advisable to postpone the Fair. 
The public will please take notice that the 
Fair is accordingly postponed, to commence on 
Tuesday , the 17th of October. The only 
change will be as to time. The arrangements 
for the accommodation of visitors, and all the 
rules and regulations for conducting the fair, as 
already published in our circulars and handbills, 
will remain unaltered. The interval will be dili¬ 
gently improved, and the committee feel confi¬ 
dent that they will be able to give additional in¬ 
terest to the great exposition of the industry to 
of the State, on the 17th of October. 
R. W. Musgrave, 
James. L. Cox, 
J. SlJLLIVANT, 
Ex. Com. Ohio State Board of Ag. 
Columbus , 0., Aug. 31s?, 1854. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
LEXINGTON, KY,, CATTLE SHOW. 
Louisville, Ky , Sept. 17,1854. 
I arrived here yesterday from Lexington, 
where I attended the Kentucky Fair. The 
show-grounds were finely located on an emi¬ 
nence overlooking the city, about one mile dis¬ 
tant; and the arrangements within the enclo¬ 
sure did great credit to the good sense and taste 
of the managers. The concourse in attendance 
was immense. The ladies of the city and sur¬ 
rounding country, were out in full force, evinc¬ 
ing as much interest in the display of fine stock, 
and the awards, as the male part of the crowd. 
They were neatly and tastefully attired, and 
presented such an array of beauty as I have 
never before witnessed in one assembly. 
The first day, Tuesday, 12th inst., was de¬ 
voted to fancy articles and agricultural imple¬ 
ments, of which latter, very few samples were 
on the ground. 
The second day, the world-renowned Short¬ 
horns of Kentucky, were on the ground in great 
numbers; and notwithstanding I was prepared 
to think highly of this far-famed stock, I was 
almost ready to exclaim with her majesty of the 
olden time, that the half had not been told. 
Being one of the judges on this day, I had an 
opportunity of examining critically (as far as 
my judgment extends) the fine animals compet¬ 
ing for premiums. It was hard to select where 
all were fine; but I must notice particularly 
the bull Chilton , of the importation of 1853, 
belonging to Messrs. Warfield, Wasson & Co., 
and a yearling belonging to Mr. Bedford, of the 
Renwick stock. These animals obtained the 
first premium in their class. The cows and 
young stock were of a high order of merit. 
The young stock doing much credit to their 
breeders. The lot of two year old heifers 
were the most choice animals I had ever seen, 
not one but could lay claim to the highest order 
of excellence. One of the Renwick stock 
proved the victor, as was usual wherever they 
came in competition. 
The third day was devoted to the horses, the 
display being very fine both in thorough bred 
and horses for all work. The ladies, as before, 
appearing much interested in the awards. 
The fourth day the jacks and mules werepre - 
