362 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
BREADSTUFFS AND PROVISIONS. 
A comparison of the prices of the principal 
articles of agricultural produce now, with what 
they were one year ago, shows that while bread- 
stuffs and vegetables have advanced from about 
75 to 125 per cent., provisions have generally 
declined. The following arc the prices on Feb¬ 
ruary Sth, of two years: 
Brkadstuffs. 
1853. 
1854. 
Wheat flour, Com. State, bbl. 
§5,25 
a 
$9,00 a9,06 
Do. Extra Genesee 
5,75 
a$6,50 
9,75 all,25 
Rye flour, fine, per bbl. 
4,50 
a 
6,12%a0,25 
Corn meal, Jersey, per bbl. 
3,50 
a 
4,50 al,56% 
Wheat, white Genesee, per bu. 1,30 
a 
1,33 
2,40 a2,60 
Rye, Northern, per bushel, 
00 
a 
l,18%al,20 
Oats, State, do. 
49 
a 
50 
54 a 56 
Corn, old Western,do. 
65 
a 
67 
1,04 a 
Do. new Southern 
65 
a 
67 
1,03 al,05 
Provisions. 
Potatoes, per bbl. 
87%a 
2,00 
Turnips, do. 
75 
a 
1,25 
Other vegetables in the same ratios. 
Pork, new mess, per bbl. 16,75 al6,S7 15,75 al5,87% 
Do. prime, do. 15,75 alG,0G 13,02%al3,75 
Beef, city mess, do. 12,87%a 13,00 12,50 al3,00 
Do. repacked Chicago do. 13,25 a 13,50 13,50 a 
Hams, pickled, per pound, 
10 a 
10% 
8% a 
8% 
Shoulders, do. do. 
7^a 
75 ' 
0%a 
6% 
Lard, do. 
10 a 
10% 
10%a 
10% 
Butter, Ohio, do. 
15 a 
18 
13 a 
16 
Do. State, do. 
18 a 
22 
17 a 
22 
Do. Orange Co.do. 
24 a 
27 
22 a 
25 
Cheese, do. 
8 a 
9 
10 a 
12 
Rice, per 100 lbs. 3 
75 a 
4,12% 4,50 a 
5,00 
Molasses, N. Orleans, per gall. 
29 a 
30% 
29 a 
30 
Sugar, Cuba, per pound, 
4%a 
5% 
4%a 
5 
- #8 «-— 
Benefits of Geological Surveys. — Three 
years ago the Legislature of North Carolina 
made an appropriation for a geological survey of 
the State. The discoveries of the first year de¬ 
veloped the existence of copper and gold ores, 
drew to them the attention of capitalists, and 
have already increased the revenues of the 
State to live times the cost of the whole survey. 
In the second year, seams of the purest bitumi¬ 
nous coal, some of them fifteen feet in thickness, 
extending through a region of some forty-five 
square miles, rewarded their investigations. It 
is estimated that every thousand acres of these 
seams will yield thirty millions of tons of bitu¬ 
minous coal of the best quality. 
-- 
Hitchcock’s Elementary Geology gives the 
area of the coal-fields of America as follows: 
“ The great Apalachian coal-field, extending 
from New-York to Alabama, covers nearly 100,- 
000 square miles; the Indiana field, 55,000. 
Add to these fields Michigan, Massachusetts, 
Rhode Island, Missouri, Iowa, and Virginia, and 
we shall have a surface more than 27 times as 
large as Massachusetts. If we suppose the aver¬ 
age thickness of all the beds over this surface to 
be only 25 feet, then the whole amount of coal 
in solid measure, in this country, would be not 
far from 1100 cubic miles. Estimating the 
yearly consumption of coal in this country to be 
7,000,000 tons, this immense body of fuel would 
keep the hearths bright and the furnaces a-glow 
for more than a million of years.” 
-• «<- 
Potatoes. —In Warren county and other por¬ 
tions of the upper part of Pennsylvania, potatoes 
are selling for 37 and 40 cents per bushel. In 
New-York they are quoted at $3 50 per barrel. 
In this city, potatoes bring from $1 to $1 25 
per bushel, and the best article can hardly be 
obtained at any price .—Boston Journal. ■ 
Gratuitous Cultivation.— In Sunderland, 
Mass., there is an association of young men, 
whose object is to cultivate a piece of land, by 
the gratuitous labor of its members, the avails 
from the sale of the crop being appropriated to 
various benevolent objects. Last year they cul¬ 
tivated three and a quarter acres of broom corn, 
which yielded $135. 
A WORD TO EMPLOYERS. 
It is rarely that a word of sympathy or en¬ 
couragement is uttered by the public press to 
that class of persons, so numerous, who are 
called to “ bear the heat and burden” of daily 
toil. We are, however, happy to find the Jour¬ 
nal of Commerce , of this city, an exception to 
this remark; for in a late number of this valu- 
blc paper we find the editor expressing the no¬ 
ble sentiments of the annexed paragraph, which 
betray a kindly feeling towards the “ bone and 
sinew” of society: 
“Employers and Employed.— Employers too 
often treat those under them as mere hirelings, 
who are only to be valued by what can be got 
out of them. They are not encouraged to that 
confidential intercourse which would greatly 
enhance their interest in the business. If they 
serve faithfully, there is something due them 
besides their salary, and they are not unfre- 
quently disheartened if they hear not the voice 
of approval. They should not expect to be 
either coaxed or caressed, but a word of praise 
is a grateful stimulus to the energy of the most 
disinterested. The fact that he is subject , makes 
the employed all the more sensible to courtesy 
and kindness; and employers should not forget 
that in one sense both they and their subordi¬ 
nates are equal and dependent.” 
It is truly refreshing, in these days of aristo¬ 
cratic indifference for the “lower classes” of so¬ 
ciety, to meet with those who are neither afraid 
nor ashamed to advocate the rightful due of the 
“ employed” to at least the common and ordi¬ 
nary courtesies of society. It is too often the 
case that workmen in large establishments are 
very apt to be regarded with about the same in¬ 
difference as the machinery with which they are 
so intimately connected, and the movement of 
which they are called to superintend. Em¬ 
ployers arc too apt to forget that their workmen 
have souls, whose immortal interests are as pre¬ 
cious in the sight of God as their own. It is 
expected of Christian employers that this impu¬ 
tation should not attach to them at least, how¬ 
ever true it may be of mercenary worldlings. 
As a general thing, it is expected of workmen 
that they be “instant in season and out of sea¬ 
son,” always ready to accommodate their em¬ 
ployer in ever)'- emergency. This is often done 
at a great sacrifice of domestic comfort by the 
employed, or, it may be a deprivation of those 
spiritual privileges so dearly prized by every 
Christian heart, and which tend to growth in 
grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Is it 
not true, then, that the temporal interests of 
employers are often promoted at the expense of 
both the physical and spiritual health of the 
employed, who, by extra labors exacted of them,. 
are at once deprived of the necessary means and 
opportunities of promoting these invaluable 
blessings, so necessary to their present peace 
and future happiness? When the employed 
are thus willing, at so great a sacrifice, to ac¬ 
commodate their employers in promoting their 
worldly interests, surely they may at least ex¬ 
pect from them kindly expressions of encour¬ 
agement and sympathy, in some degree com¬ 
mensurate with the magnitude of the sacrifices 
they make. Did employers generally know the 
electrical effect of a gentle, winning word of en¬ 
couragement, or a kind and benevolent act, spo¬ 
ken or bestowed at a time when they have been 
specially obliged, they would not be so sparing 
of them. Such words and acts are appreciated 
by the weary workmen above price, and cher¬ 
ished with grateful remembrance. If a “righ¬ 
teous man is merciful to his beast,” how much 
more should a Christian employer be kind and 
generous to those he employs !—Christian In¬ 
telligencer. 
Writing Prayer. — A correspondent from 
Virginia sends us the following, with appropri¬ 
ate vouching of its truth: “At the breaking of 
ground for the commencement of the Lynch- 
burgh and Tennessee Railroad, at Lynchburgh, 
the Rev. J. E -, by appointment, acted as 
chaplain on the occasion. At the time appointed 
for prayer, the chaplain raised his hands and 
said, “Let us pray.” In an instant all hats 
were doffed, and the chaplain commenced, slowly 
and solemnly, to read a very appropriate manu¬ 
script prayer, which he had previously prepared. 
During the reading of the prayer, an old negro 
man, who had been engaged with his spade, was 
resting with one foot on the spade and his arms 
on the handle, looking very intently in the 
chaplain’s face. At the conclusion of the prayer, 
the old negro, straightening himself up, re¬ 
marked audibly, “Well, I recon dat is de first 
time the Lord has ever been written to on de 
subject of railroads.” 
Remarkable Dog. —The editor of the Carlton 
Place Herald ‘is credibly informed that James 
Bigger, Esq., Carlton Place, has a dog that has 
attended church for several months past. When 
his master goes to church, the dog walks quietly 
by his side; and even when his master does not 
attend, as soon as the bell rings the dog pro¬ 
ceeds to church alone; waits at the door until 
some person arrives, when he enters—goes to 
his master’s pew and makes visible signs for 
some one to open the door that he may make 
one of the congregation. He walks in ;ind re¬ 
mains silent and attentive. Unlike most dogs, 
as soon as service is over, he returns quietly 
home. He “ remembers the Sabbath lay”—a 
good example for many bipeds of the present 
day. 
The Kingston Chronicle and News isreminded 
that “ we too have a story to relate of a pious 
dog owned by a friend in Canada. Ic is proba¬ 
bly known to all of our readers that in Catholic 
communities the parish church bell is rung 
three times a day, morning, noon, and night, for 
what is called the Angelas. Whenever that 
bell is heard the strict disciplinarians of the 
church leave their work, uncover themselves, 
and repeat a short prayer. Our friend is not 
one of the most pious men in the world, but a 
dog he owns seems determined to make up for his 
short-comings; for we are assured that the mo¬ 
ment the church bell strikes the Angelas he 
stops, bows his head and hangs his tail demure¬ 
ly until it has done pealing, when he goes about 
his business again, the most important part of 
which is dosing under the table.” 
■ - « 8 » - 
People’s Washing and Bathing Establish¬ 
ment. —The sum of $42,000 was expended in the 
construction of the building in Mott street. The 
entire cost of ground and building was $70,000, 
iron pipes and valves $4000, and tin pipe over 
$6000. During the first six months that the 
establishment was in operation, from May to 
November, the number of bathers was 50,731; 
washerwomen, 4187; the quantity of water used 
was 31,659 gallons. From the first of June to 
the 31st of December, 1853, 62,958 bathers vis¬ 
ited the establishment, from whom was received 
$3179 80; washers, 6140, who paid $1070. 
The charges for bathing range from 3 to 25 
cents; for washing, drying, and ironing, 3 cents 
per hour. This institution affords every facility 
to the poor for preserving cleanliness; and from 
the support which it has so far received, a e are 
encouraged to hope that it may tend to multiply 
the number of persons who think a clean skin a 
blessing analogous to a clear conscience.— Jour¬ 
nal of Commerce. 
Cause of toe Fertility of the Plains of 
Babylon. —Gypsum beds, says Mr. Williams, 
stretch from four hours above Mosul many miles 
down the river, furnishing by their yearly wash 
the richest possible deposit for the plains of Ba¬ 
bylon, and fully accounting for the otherwise 
incredible reports of their fertility, as given us 
by Herodotus. For thousands of years the Ti¬ 
gris has annually transported and spread this 
“ dressing” over those regions free of charge, 
and where they now thoroughly irrigated, as in 
the days of the energetic Nebuchadnezzar, 
they might again be the granary of the world. 
