THE CULTIVATOR. 
63 
Cline, to an extent that almost makes us tributary to fo¬ 
reign powers, for the humblest necessaries of life. 
“Can such things be, 
And overcome us, like a summer’s cloud, 
Without our special wonder?" 
The truth is, that even in our comparatively free 
country; while every other interest has been fostered 
and encouraged by bounties, appropriations and protec¬ 
tive duties, the humble, but all important business of 
agriculture has been left to take care ot itself. While 
the other avocations have been aided and forced by ar¬ 
tificial stimulants, agriculture has been overlooked and 
neglected. While the light of science has been reflect¬ 
ed upon all the other pursuits and avocations of man, 
agriculture has been left to grope in darkness, unaided, 
unnoticed, and without any particular inducement to 
Stimulate her sons to action. The old impressions still 
lingering upon the minds of men, that she was of hum¬ 
ble and menial origin, and that the only road to honor, 
distinction, or even any great degree of respectability, 
was through the learned professions, or the pursuits of 
commerce. The effect produced by this state of things 
is, that the consumers of our country are increasing in a 
ratio vastly disproportioned to the producers. The pro¬ 
fessions are overstocked, mercantile business is over¬ 
done, and speculation becomes the great business of the 
community, instead of the ordinary pursuits of industry. 
Hence it is of the greatest importance not only to the 
agriculturist and manufacturer, but to the real and last¬ 
ing wealth and prosperity of all classes of our citizens, 
that by a liberal and enlightened policy, our government 
should adopt measures for educating those who desire 
to till the soil, in the arts and sciences connected there¬ 
with; thereby placing them on a level with those who 
are educated in other pursuits in life, and qualifying 
them to understand, adopt and bring forth, all valuable 
improvements in their various departments, and by a 
proper distribution of rewards and bounties to those 
who shall greatly excel, encourage and stimulate the in¬ 
dustry of the producing classes, by means of which the 
productions of our country would be vastly increased, 
new sources of national wealth be opened, and our coun¬ 
try rendered in truth and in fact, wholly independent of 
foreign powers. Thus we should be enabled to sell 
more, and buy less. The same rules govern the econo¬ 
my of nations, as individuals. If an individual’s expen¬ 
ditures exceed his income, he draws upon his principal, 
and is made poorer in proportion to the amount of the 
excess. Just so with a nation, which is nothing but a 
vast association of individuals. If she buys more from 
foreign powers than she sells, she is impoverished to the 
full extent of that excess. 
That our agriculture is not in a very prosperous condi¬ 
tion, is evident from the fact, that although we possess a 
salubrious climate, and a soil scarcely equalled in fertili¬ 
ty, we have for a few years past been dependant upon 
foreign nations for the necessaries of life. Millions of 
dollars have been expended annually, for the last few 
years, for those articles of domestic consumption which 
our own agriculture should have supplied. Wheat, rye, 
Indian corn, oats, barley, butter, cheese, potatoes and 
hay, and a vast many other articles, have been import¬ 
ed to supply the demands of our consumers. There is 
no question in the minds of many who have investigated 
this subject, that our own agriculture is susceptible of 
such an improvement as would not only obviate the ne¬ 
cessity of importations, but produce a vast surplus for 
exportation. By introducing an improved system of 
culture, greater economy in the use of manures, double, 
yea, quadruple that is now obtained, might be produced ; 
the fertility and value of the soil enhanced; old, worn out 
lands might be renovated; and the taxable property and 
wealth of the nation increased in a corresponding ratio. 
In addition to the improvement of our old routine of 
husbandry, there remain sources of wealth to which 
American industry has scarcely as jet been directed. I 
allude particularly to the introduction and cultivation of 
the mulberry, and the sugar beet. That these are both 
objects of great national importance, will not, I think, 
be controverted. When we take into consideration, that 
the average quantity of silk imported into this country 
for the last seven years, amounts to the enormous sum of 
fourteen millions annually, it would seem that wisdom 
would at once suggest the policy of encouraging, by le¬ 
gislative bounties, the growth and manufacture of an 
article that enters so largely into our consumption. The 
manufacture of silk, it is said was introduced into 
Greece as early as the sixth century. It furnishes one 
of the staples of China, from whence a sufficient quan¬ 
tity of the eggs of the silk worm to commence business, 
were clandestinely conveyed in the hollow of a cane, by 
two missionaries; from whence it has spread to almost 
every part of Europe that is adapted to its culture. It 
has been found by experiment that the mulberry flour¬ 
ishes in almost every State in the Union, and in some 
of them, considerable advances have been made in the 
manufacture of silk. The growing of the mulberry 
seems well adapted to our worn out soils, as it requires 
not the richest land to enable it to flourish best. From 
the little experience that has been had in this branch of 
industry in this country, there is little doubt but that it 
might be made a most lucrative branch of agriculture. 
Of scarcely less consequence than the production of 
silk, is the cultivation of the beet, and the manufacture 
of sugar. The annual imports of sugar for the last 
seven years, average about six millions of dollars. 
This vast amount might also be saved to the nation by 
the encouragement of this branch of husbandry. The 
manufacture of sugar from the beet, is of very recent 
origin in the world. It was first introduced into France 
in 1811, under the continental system of Buonaparte. 
It was discovered by that sagacious man, to be an ob¬ 
ject of great national concern, consequently, it was pa¬ 
tronized and encouraged by the imperial government, 
until its production has swelled to the enormous amount 
of about one hundred millions of pounds annually, 
which is about half the quantity consumed by the king¬ 
dom. It has been ascertained by experiments in this 
country, that sugar of equal quality can be made from 
the beet, with that produced from the cane, and at such 
an expense, that it might be afforded much cheaper in 
the markets. Our soil is well adapted to the beet. 
The product per acre is variously estimated at from 
twenty to thirty tons, depending of course much upon 
the state of the soil and the knowledge with which it is 
cultivated. This will probably yield upon the average 
about six per cent of sugar, making from 2,400 lbs. to 
3,600 lbs. of sugar from an acre. To this may be added 
the molasses and cakes, also the tops, all of which is 
said to be highly valuable for the feeding of stock. 
If there are so many advantages to be derived from 
the cultivation and manufacture of these two important 
articles of consumption, of necessity and luxury, if our 
soil and climate are adapted to them, if they promise 
such an abundant harvest of public gain and individual 
profit; why it may be inquired, may we not become a 
great silk and sugar manufacturing people ? Why may 
not the twenty millions of dollars that is annually sent 
out of the country for these commodities be saved to the 
nation? I answer, that it may; and it only requires that 
public attention should be called to the subject, correct 
informationwithregard to it be diffused,and that some le¬ 
gislative encouragement should be given for a short time, 
that the difficulties and obstacles always attending the 
introduction of any new enterprise, may be surmounted. 
Hemp and flax are also objects of great commercial 
importance and domestic utility. They are supposed to 
be natives of the north of Africa, from the rich alluvial 
bottoms of the Nile. They are now cultivated almost 
exclusively in the provinces of Europe, situated in lati¬ 
tudes corresponding with our northern and eastern 
states. They constitute the staples of Russia and Ire¬ 
land, and enter extensively into their domestic industry. 
No soil is better adapted to the growing of flax, than al¬ 
most any of the grain lands of our country. Our rich 
alluvial bottoms and western prairies, would doubtless 
yield great returns, if appropriated to the culture of 
hemp. But so far are we from producing enough of 
these commodities for our own use and consumption, 
that we annually import about six hundred thousand 
dollars in value of sail-cloth, and about the same amount 
of the manufactures of flax. Almost all the fine linen 
that is worn in our country, is imported, and the few 
linen factories that we have among us, are under the ne¬ 
cessity of sending abroad for flax and hemp, to fill out 
their contracts, to furnish canvass for the United States 
navy. It is a fact humiliating to our national pride and 
patriotism, that our country in the fifty-third year of 
her independence , is as yet, dependent, upon the empire 
of Russia, Ireland and the nations on the Baltic, for the 
canvass which floats our vessels; and upon Europe, the 
East Undies or China, for the fabric from which to con¬ 
struct the American Flag, that proud emblem of our na¬ 
tional character and honor. 
There are other important subjects requiring more 
particular attention from our agricultural community, 
but it cannot be expected, that in the short compass of 
an address, I shall be enabled to enumerate them all; 
nor can I enter into detail as to the “modus operandi” 
of the culture and manufacture of those, to which I have 
briefly alluded. At the last annual meeting of the soci¬ 
ety, committees were appointed having many of these 
subjects under special charge, and reports will doubt¬ 
less be made replete with interest and useful instruction. 
That these sources of national and individual wealth, 
if properly fostered and encouraged, would in a few 
years grow to be of vast consequence, and that upwards 
of twenty millions might be saved annually, in addition 
to their being articles of export, I have no doubt. Ig¬ 
norance may reject them as innovations unworthy of a 
passing notice, and incredulity may smile at these fond 
anticipations, but he, who will take the trouble to inves¬ 
tigate the subject, in connection with the history of ag¬ 
riculture in the world, and more particularly in our own 
country, must inevitably arrive at the same conclusions. 
Cotton and wool, raw and in the manufactured state, 
are now the great staples of our country. The history 
of both will show that the time is not very long since 
they were introduced; and that the obstacles and diffi¬ 
culties that they first encountered, were not less than 
those that now present themselves to the successful 
production of silk, sugar, flax or hemp. The cultiva¬ 
tion of cotton, the great staple of the south, was first 
commenced in South Carolina about the year 1783. Its 
progress was slow, being attended with much inconve¬ 
nience from the want of experience in its cultivation, 
and the difficulty of separating the fibre from the seed. 
In the year 1793, an invention was wrought out, by a 
young man from Mass, by the name of Eli Whitney, 
that "completely obviated the difficulty of cleansing it. 
Since which time it has increased with a rapidity, and 
to an amount, most truly astonishing. From one mil¬ 
lion of pounds in 1789, it has increased to near five hun¬ 
dred millions in 1838. The quantity exported in 1792, 
amounted, to one hundred and fifty thousand pounds. 
In 1836 the exports are swelled to the enormous quan¬ 
tity of four hundred and forty-four millions of pounds, 
amounting in value to about sixty-three millions of dol¬ 
lars. The increase and growth of its manufacture, has 
also been very rapid. In 1790, there was but one small 
establishment of the kind in the United States, which 
was located in the state of Rhode Island, and contained 
about seventy spindles. In 1835, there was running 
about one million, three hundred thousand spindles. It 
appears from the reports of the secretary of the treasu¬ 
ry, that above one-half of our domestic exports are de¬ 
rived from the culture of cotton, and that nine-tenths of 
our entire exports arise from agriculture. 
The growth and manufacture of fine wool, is of still 
more recent origin, and was in its commencement, at¬ 
tended with great difficulties and discouragements. In 
1802, the first pairs of merinos were imported into this 
country from France, by the public spirited and patri¬ 
otic late Chancellor Livingston. It was a long time 
before they were received with favor, and but few years 
have passed since they were ridiculed and denounced, 
as unworthy a breathing in our free air. Yet, notwith¬ 
standing the obstacles and prejudices in the way of their 
introduction, they received the favorable consideration 
and patronage of many of the states, and have multi¬ 
plied and almost replenished the land. From the best 
data that we have, it is calculated that the number of 
sheep now in the state of New-York, is aboutfive mil¬ 
lions; and in the United States, about twenty millons. 
About one-fifth of them, it is thought, are of the native, 
or coarse-woolled race; and the lemainingfour-fifths of 
high-grade, or full-bred Saxony and merino. Our wool¬ 
len manufactures have increased in a corresponding ra¬ 
tio, by means of which, many millions are annually 
saved the nation. Wool has now become the great sta¬ 
ple of Eastern New-York, and New-England, and a 
source of great individual and national wealth. 
Thus we find that the cultivation of cotton at the 
south, and the growing of wool at the north, are com¬ 
paratively of recent origin; that they were introduced 
and commenced under great embarrassments, and yet 
have grown to be the prominent and controlling inte¬ 
rest of the country. Ought we not to inquire, whether 
there may not remain sources of great wealth, as yet 
unopened and undeveloped? And have we not reason 
for encouragement and perseverance, when we reflect 
upon the many obstacles that have been surmounted, 
and the many storms that have been weathered, in the 
history of wool and cotton? That silk, and sugar, and 
flax, and hemp, should be regarded as of equal impor¬ 
tance, in a national point of view, and that they pro¬ 
mise ultimately under proper patronage and encourage 
ment, to become as lucrative branches of industry, I 
cannot entertain a reasonable doubt. 
The wisdom of the policy of making judicious appro¬ 
priations from the public treasury to improve our agri¬ 
culture, and to encourage those productions to which 
our soil and climate are adapted, seems generally to be 
conceded, and the principle has again and again been 
acted upon, with reference to other interests of minor 
importance; but the primary business of agriculture, 
which belongs to all, and in which all are concerned, is 
made secondary in our legislation. Special legislation, 
private and local interests, almost always crowd them¬ 
selves in advance of matters of general concern. Ano¬ 
ther reason, perhaps, why legislative action has not 
been had in this state, is the want of intelligence, com¬ 
prehensive views, and concert of action, on the part of 
farmers themselves. So long as they will be blind to 
their own interests—so long as they will allow them¬ 
selves to be the mere drudges and slaves, “ the hewers 
of wood and the drawers of water” to the learned pro¬ 
fessions, and the other avocations of life—so long as 
they will consent to be the tools of power, and the mere 
automatons of designing politicians, just so long will 
their interests be disregarded, and their condition be com¬ 
paratively degraded : just so long will they eccupy a secon¬ 
dary position in the scale of respectability and honor. 
Many of the states of the Union, to say nothing of 
foreign countries, have set a noble and praiseworthy 
example in patronizing and encouraging this most use¬ 
ful of all the arts. Almost all the New-England states 
are offering bounties upon wheat, silk and sugar, pro¬ 
duced within their borders. A number of the middle, 
southern and western states, are also turning their at¬ 
tention to these subjects. Foreign nations have, for a 
long time seen the necessity of doing something to make 
more broad, and stable, and sure, this foundation of a 
nation’s greatness and glory. The result of this policy 
is, that the old world, instead of being our market 
place, produces a surplus with which it supplies the de¬ 
ficiency of our miserably neglected soil. It is to be 
hoped that New-York, proudly styled the Empire State, 
will follow, if not lead, in this noble enterprise. With 
an extent of territory greater than many of the king¬ 
doms of the world; with a population amounting to 
about one-sixth of the Union ; with a salubrious climate, 
whose fertility is unrivalled, why will she lag behind 
her sister states and the world, in this march of im¬ 
provement? The subject of internal improvement 
seems to engross, at this time, much of the public at¬ 
tention. But our authorities should recollect, that how¬ 
ever important and useful they may be, it is not alone 
rail-roads or canals, or mushroom cities and villages, 
that enrich a nation. Although that species of improve¬ 
ment is, to a certain extent, desirable, it should not be 
forgotten, that the internal improvements which contri¬ 
bute most to enrich a country, are those which improve 
and fertilize the soil, adorn the face of nature, increase 
the productions and enhance the value of the land. It 
is the successful cultivation of the. soil alone, that fur¬ 
nishes the means for the support of villages, cities, rail¬ 
roads and canals. If that is left to languish and decline, 
the former will fall into premature decay, and the latter 
will truly become “solitudes and desert wastes of waters.” 
(Concluded in our next.) 
