62 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
THE TIMES. 
That a singular condition of things is existing in the 
United States at the present time, is obvious to every one 
at all acquainted with the affairs of the country. With 
general health unexampled; with peace uninterrupted; 
with granaries overflowing; the cry of hard times comes 
up from every part of our broad country, mingled with 
complaints, murmurs, and ex aerations, varied as the cau¬ 
ses supposed to produce the evils under which we are 
suffering. The manufacturer has stopped his spindles, 
because his sales would hardly procure the oil required 
by his machinery. The merchant has laid up his ships, 
because there was no demand for exports, and imports 
eould not be sold. The farmer has stopped his plow, 
because his granaries are already full, and because his 
px'oducts have fallen so low that the prices will not pay 
the cost of production. There are thousands of respecta¬ 
ble farmers in our country, whose crops the last year 
were good, that find themselves on the wrong side of the 
balance sheet, after wages, taxes, and wear and tear are 
deducted. These are facts, and they are serious ones; 
the causes of this state of things are not so obvious. The 
evil all admit, the remedy varies with the individual; 
but almost every one has his panacea for all the ills of 
the body politic. With some, the enactments of high 
protective tariffs would form an infallible cure; while 
others deem their total repeal all that is needed to insure 
prosperity. There are some who consider a national 
bank indispensable to relief; while others argue most 
vehemently that all our troubles may be traced to the ex¬ 
istence in past years of such an institution. There are 
those who assert that all is wrong because the state banks 
will not “ shell out;” while there are others who argufy 
as earnestly, that “ shelling out” too liberally lies at the 
root of all our troubles. Who shall decide, when politi¬ 
cal economists so widely disagree? 
But while there is such a difference of opinion as to 
some of the causes that have operated so unfavorably, 
there are others respecting which it would seem there 
can be little room for dissension. Such a cause, in our 
view, is the general state of indebtedness, in which the 
individual, the states, and the government are found. 
There is no need of quarreling about the cause of this 
indebtedness now; though we believe there is a fearful 
responsibility resting on those through whose manage¬ 
ment this state of things exists. The debt exists, the 
farmer owes, the mechanic owes, professional men owe, 
states are bankrupt, and the general government has not 
escaped the shame or the crime of a debt. “ Brethren,” 
said a preacher one day in our hearing, when discours¬ 
ing on that knottiest of metaphysical subjects, the intro¬ 
duction of sin into the universe—“ Brethren, there is no 
use in spending our time in conjectures as to the manner 
in which sin came into the universe; it is here, and it is 
our business to go to work in earnest, and get it out as 
soon as possible.” So with our debts; they are con¬ 
tracted, they are here, and wrangling about them is of 
no use; the only way is to go to work with steady nerves 
and strong hands and wipe them out as soon as we can, 
and then look out for the future. 
The great cause of the distress now existing in our 
country, is to be found in our indebtedness. This is the 
millstone that hangs on the neck of honest industry, the 
incubus that chills the life blood and stifles the breath of 
enterprise. Prices are low, and they must be low in a 
healthy state of things, while the world remains in its 
present condition. The millions of Europe have con¬ 
verted their swords into plow shares, and instead of 
slaughtering one another, are employed in sowing and 
reaping. As producers multiply, prices must decline, 
industry will be turned into new channels, and as these 
are occupied the same results will ensue; the prices of 
labor will fall, and all things will gradually find their 
true level. All will see that this would be well enough, 
were it not for the fact that too many of us owe. And 
the debts too were contracted in times when the products 
of the soil were at least 100 per cent higher than they 
now are. Here is the true secret of the existing distress, 
the cause of the hard times of which we complain. We 
must grow two bushels of wheat, or fatten two pigs, or 
shear two sheep, where it was expected one w'ould be 
sufficient; for though we might live, and live well, on 
the products of our farms at present prices, it requires 
double the labor to pay our debts it formerly did, or would 
at the time they were contracted. 
But it is said by some, there is no necessity of hard 
times, simply because farm products have declined in 
price; that there is no necessary connection between low 
prices in grain, and general distress in a country. This 
might be true, were it not for our indebtedness; but now 
the effect is as sure to follow the cause, as night is to suc¬ 
ceed day. If the merchant, or the mechanic, expects the 
farmer to purchase as much of them as formerly, they 
must be mistaken. Nothing short of the grossest infatu¬ 
ation could induce him to continue his purchases, while 
his means have lessened one-half. No, the old coat must 
be neatly brushed and mended; the number of dresses 
must be reduced to suit the times; the order for the new 
carriage is countermanded; and the sofa and chairs about 
which there had been some talk, it is mutually agreed to 
forget. Thus when the farmer is forced to retrench, the 
act is felt in every quarter, for he is the great producer, 
and the great purchaser of the country. 
We sometimes hear bitter complaints against the banks, 
•that they do not throw out more paper, that they do not 
make money more plenty. This is all idle. The banks 
are able and willing to lend; the difficulty is to find safe 
borrowers. The Report of the Bank Commissioners of 
this state, discloses the singular fact, that the specie in 
their vaults, actually exceeds the notes of the banks in 
circulation. In what branch of industry is there any in¬ 
ducement found at this time to draw money from banks? 
Money literally goes a begging in our cities, and for 
profitable investments can be had at the lowest rates. 
Trade is stagnant because the supply exceeds the demand; 
prices have fallen to the specie standard; and when by 
patient toil and persevering industry, the producers of 
wealth have paid their debts and the debts of the states, 
which must ultimately come from their earnings, times 
in which less distress will be felt, may be expected. And 
the times will improve exactly in proportion as this 
point of freedom from indebtedness is approached. When 
the springs of industry are freed from what now presses 
them down with the weight of a mountain, their elastic 
energy will be seen, and relief in the exact ratio of their 
expansion, will be the result. There is not the least use 
or necessity for the farmer’s being disheartened. The 
times may demand prudence and economy; they cer¬ 
tainly i-equire energy and industry. The circle of pri¬ 
ces do not yet correspond; but when once this point is 
reached, and matters are fast tending to that point, the 
man who is free from debt, will encounter no trouble 
whatever. It is said that bought wit is the best, if not 
bought too dear. A terrible price this country has paid 
for the lessons in political economy we have received 
within a few years past. It remains to be seen, by the 
use which we make of them, whether the price is too 
great; but unless we are willing to forget that dreams 
are not realities; that shadows are not substance; that 
permanent prosperity cannot be based on bubbles, the 
times through which we are passing will convey to us no 
lessons of lasting utility. 
AGRICULTURAL ADDRESSES. 
We have before us the Address of Mr. Colman, deli¬ 
vered before the Monroe Ag. Soc., Oct. 26, 1842; an 
Address before the Cayuga Ag. Soc., .Tanuary 10th, 1843, 
by H. S. Randall, Esq.; and the Address before the Clin¬ 
ton CO. Ag. Soc., October 25, 1842, by Winslow C. Wat¬ 
son, Esq. 
The address of Mr. Watson, is a well timed and pow¬ 
erful appeal to the farmers of Clinton, in which the du¬ 
ties and obligations of the farmer are well delineated, and 
which abounds in truths which should be well and deep¬ 
ly pondered by every tiller of the soil. 
It is unnecessary for us to say that the address of Mr. 
Randall, is of a very high order. Clothed in his grace¬ 
ful, and sometimes flowery style, the most ordinary to¬ 
pics assume additional interest; and the listener forgets 
that the talk of the speaker is only of cattle, pigs, or ma¬ 
nures. His remarks on the differences between the Eng¬ 
lish and American methods of farming, and the natural 
causes for such a result, are correct and conclusive. Af¬ 
ter pointing out some of these causes, such as the differ¬ 
ent amount of land cultivated, the variation of climate, &c. 
he adds :—“ Another cardinal distinction must exist be¬ 
tween the agricultural practices of England and the Uni¬ 
ted States, growing out of the opposite relations which 
land and labor, stand in to each other, in the two coun¬ 
tries. In England, it is the land which requires the great 
outlay of capital; the labor is comparatively nothing. 
In our country, the case is precisely reversed; land is 
cheap, and in many sections, it is to be bought at less 
than the annual rent of the same quantity of land in Eng¬ 
land. It is the object then, speaking in general terms, 
of English agriculture, to obtain the greatest product 
from a given amount of land—of American, to obtain the 
greatest product from a given amount of labor.” 
Mr. Randall’s exposition of the prevalent faults in our 
agriculture, is severe; but no one can deny its truth or 
necessity. That the most barbarous and indefensible 
practices do exist among farmers, or at least many of 
them, is apparent to the most careless observer; and it is 
only by pointing them out in the deserved language of 
censure, that we may hope for their correction. His re¬ 
marks on rotation in crops, on the application of ma¬ 
nures, and the cultivation of grain and roots, will com¬ 
mend themselves to the reader. Particularly happy we 
consider that part of the address, in which he so elo¬ 
quently urges farmers to be true to themselves, their 
children, and the country. Mr. Randall is a great admi¬ 
rer, as well as a good judge of animals, and his judicious 
observations on these, and the necessity and means of 
improvement, show he has lost none of his enthusiasm 
in that good cause. 
We can assure Mr. Colman, that notwithstanding his 
implied intimation in his introductory note, that some of 
his hearers might fancy they remembered Lot’s wife, if 
he will only furnish them with such matter, and in such 
a manner, they will not stop to ask whether what they 
hear, are the “ same words he said last Sunday.” The ex¬ 
tended limits of Mr. Colman’s address, has enabled him 
to introduce into it many subjects of great interest, not 
usually included in such addresses, but which are worthy 
of a place whenever a suitable opportunity offers for 
their presentation. We do not know when we have read 
a paper of this kind with more interest, or one which we 
should be more happy to have placed in the family of 
every farmer. His pictures of domestic economy are so 
complete and life-like, and he holds up the “ mirror to 
nature” with such truth, that we are confident some of 
hearers, if not many of them, must have exclaimed with 
Moliere’s cook, “ as sure as I am a sinner, he means me.” 
His remarks on neatness and good order in farming, in 
contrast with that slovenly disorderly method unfortu¬ 
nately too common, will not be read without approval. 
We have no patience with that class of men, who, when 
you urge upon them any improvement; any thing which 
will add to their comfort or convenience, which will add 
to the appearance of their dwellings or their farms, meet 
you with a cold “cant,” instead of a hearty “I’ll try.” 
The plea of want of time arises from the fact that noth¬ 
ing is done at the time it should be; for nothing is more 
plain than that work done at the proper period lessens 
the labor in an astonishing degree. Mr. Colman has 
placed these matters in a strong light, and one which 
cannot fail to produce a salutary effect. Nothing is more 
true than that much of the happiness of life arises from 
little things, things vrhich, insulated from others, would 
scarcely be worth notice, but which in their connection, 
go to form a vast ag-gregatc. The improvement of farms 
is a topic often' dwelt upon; the imiirovement of the 
farmer himself, is too commonly overlooked. Let every 
one who can, procure Mr. Coiinan’s address, and give it 
a careful reading, and if they do not rise from the peru¬ 
sal wiser men, and better informed as to their agricultu¬ 
ral, economical, and social duties, we shall be much mis¬ 
taken as to the result. 
PORK AND LARD OIL. 
Of all the new manufactures introduced into the coun¬ 
try, there is none which has gone ahead with such a 
“ perfect rush,” (to use a favorite western phrase,) as 
the production of oil from lard, and we know of none 
which promises more immediately beneficial results. In 
the great western valley, manufactories are springing up 
at all the principal points, such as Cincinnati, Louisville, 
Nashville, St. Louis, Pittsburg, Cleveland, Chicago, De¬ 
troit, &c., and two have alreaiiy been established at Ro¬ 
chester in this state. Already the principal manufactu¬ 
rers count their barrels of oil by lens of thousands, and 
there is quite as much truth as poetry in the sign of a 
manufacturer at Pittsburg, over whose door is the repre¬ 
sentation of two mammoth porkers in the act of devour¬ 
ing a whale. 
During the present year, about 245,000 hogs have been 
killed at Cincinnati; and the number slaughtered at oth¬ 
er places has considerably increased. Of the number 
killed at Cincinnati, about 80,000, according to the most 
authentic information, have, with the exception of the 
hams, which are pickled and preserved, been converted 
into lard at once. Formerly, it was very difficult to try 
hogs in bulk into lard, without burning or otherwise in¬ 
juring it so as to make an inferior article; but now, 
steam has been called to the aid of the manufacturer, and 
every particle of fat is separated from the meat and the 
bones, with perfect certainty and ease. A large tub with 
a double bottom is prepared, the upper one some inches 
above the other. Into the tub, the hog with the excep¬ 
tion of the hams is put, the cover secured, and the steam 
let in. The fat and the meat fall from the bones, and 
the lard pours through small holes in the upper bottom, 
into the space between them, from whence it is drawn 
for straining ami packing. The quantity of lard yielded, 
where the whole hog is treated for it, will of course de¬ 
pend on the fatness of the animal. It is found by expe¬ 
rience, that hogs weighing from 300 to 400 lbs. are the 
best for trying; the quantity of lard, when well fed, con¬ 
siderably exceeding in proportion that of smaller ones. 
The per cent, where the hog with the exception of the 
hana is used, varies from 55 to 65, and some very well 
fed, and of the China and Berkshire breed, have reached 
70. It has been ascertained that where the whole hog is 
used, the lard contains more oil and less stearine than 
that made from the leaf or rough fat, and it was not so 
well adapted for keeping or for transportation as that. 
This obstacle has been removed by taking from the lard 
made in this way, about 40 per cent of oil, which leaves 
the lard of the proper consistency for packing, and of a 
superior quality. 
Some of the manufacturers of lard from the hog, have 
adopted the practice of skinning the animal before ren¬ 
dering into lard. In this method there is no waste of 
lard, as all the fat adhering to the skin, is separated from 
it by a steel scraper, easily. It is then converted into 
leather, which is excellent for various purposes, such as 
saddle and harness making, book binding, &c. Where 
the lard is made by steam, the bones are left in a fine con¬ 
dition for conversion into animal charcoal,which is worth 
some 2 or 3 cents per pound. It is itrobable that^ this 
substance will prove of as much service, and be in as 
great demand for the clarification of corn stalk sugar in 
the west, as is the same material in France, for the mak¬ 
ing of beet sugar. 
HARTFORD CO. AG. TRANSACTIONS FOR 1842. 
The “ Transactions” of this spirited Society are be¬ 
fore us in the shape of a beautifully printed pamplet of 
some 90 pages, containing the Address before the Soc. 
by Mr. Huntington; the Reports of the several commit- 
t4s- officers of the Society for 1843, &c. &c. We 
heartily approve of this method of perpetuating the pro¬ 
ceedings of such societies, by embodying them in a 
pamplet form, as valuable for future reference. We have 
already mentioned the proceedings of the Society, as de¬ 
serving- of high praise, and have only room to add, that 
in looking over the Reports we found the following:— 
ci Two extraordinary fleeces of fine wool, unwashed, 
weiMiing 16 pounds each, w'ere exhibited by Edward 
Woodruff of Farmington.” We are not aware how 
much would be lost in washing their fleeces, but unless 
greater than we imagine, they will, it is believed, not 
be easily exceeded in the country. 
