211 
1849. THE CULTIVATOR. 
nor better qualified to carry it on, yet he has added to 
his estate, and made it more than double in size: and 
although he has had a larger family to support and 
educate, he lias done it much more thoroughly, and is 
a man of wealth, independent of the value of his 
farm. But this is only one ins ance out of a thousand. 
It is the application of the theory, that free labor is 
much more profitable than slave labor. And why should 
it not be so ? Will not two free men do the work of three 
or four dandling slaves ? The one you can discharge 
if he is indolent; the other you are obliged to main¬ 
tain, whether industrious or indolent. The one knows 
that his bread is the fruit of bis industry ; the other is 
like the ox who must be constantly goaded to perform 
liis task. The one is economical from necessity; the 
other looks to his master to supply his every want, both 
in health and sickness. His family is often more name- * 
rous than that of his master, and his imperfect and un¬ 
profitable labor is the only restitution he makes. If 
improvement is necessary in the cultivation of the es¬ 
tate, is he the man to carry it out ? If economy is to 
be.praeticed in the several departments of farm-labor, 
is he the man to make that economy effective to the 
owner ? What stimulus has he to urge him on to labor, 
other than the voice of his overseer ? Or why should 
he practice self-denial ? Can such a man fulfil the du¬ 
ties and meet the responsibilities that are required for 
the improvement of our society, and the amelioration 
of our condition ? Certainly not. One day is to him 
as another, and the sluggish accomplishment of his dai¬ 
ly task, is all that he looks to. 
Agriculture is an art that is in its nature progressive. 
A virgin soil at first, yields bountifully to its cultivator; 
but like our bodies, if overtasked, without a proper 
supply of aliment, it soon loses its productiveness; and 
it requires the exercise of mind as well as the labor of 
the hands to repay us for its cultivation. And are 
slaves the persons who can compete with the energy 
and intelligence of the freeman, so as to make his la¬ 
bor profitable to his owner ? The farmers of the State 
of New-York, for the last ten or fifteen years have 
made great advances on the method of cultivating their 
farms. Hence the establishment of state and county 
agricultural societies, which are only aids in the work 
of improvement; and they now think of the establish¬ 
ment of a school of agriculture, both theoretic and ex- 
rimental. to advance it as a science as well as to make 
it practical as an art. Are slaves to be taught in these 
schools, or can they receive any benefit from these es¬ 
tablishments ? for, to my apprehension they will become 
most essential aids towards the renovation of the soil in 
the older states of the Union, where by overcropping 
they have exhausted their fertility. 
But as enough has been said on these subjects, we 
will now proceed to answer some of the questions of 
11 A Southerner.” After stating the number of acres 
of his farm, (1200) and its proportions of arable, mea¬ 
dow land, &c., he asks —' u How can I obtain the labor 
to keep up about 15 miles of fencing, and to cultivate my 
farm to advantage?” I answer, that doing the work weli, 
does not require so much fence to be made every year, 
and that eight good laborers are all-sufficient for his 
purpose, except a small additional number in harvest- 
timer I speak from experience. I think I make as 
much fence, as t.he inquirer, (but not annually,) as I 
farm about 1,000 acres; and were I as efficient as some 
of my neighbors, I have no doubt the income from my 
land would be materially increased; but I have no rea¬ 
son to complain. A northern farmer with that quanti¬ 
ty of land, would think he did very poorly if he did not 
lay up from $2,500 to $5,000 per annum'', after all his 
expenses were paid, besides enjoying the first fruits of 
his products. But to do this, he would no more think 
of feeding 60 or 70 persons, than of supporting all the 
paupers of a parish almshouse. How can a farmer se« 
cure anything over for himself, in the way of profits, 
if so large a number, mostly of helpless persons, are 
first to be fed, clothed, and supplied, as well in sickness 
as in health ? The result is impracticable, and the 
master and mistress are the slaves, not those who re¬ 
ceive bread from their hands. With the principle of 
free labor, the people of the north, having tried both 
kinds, are satisfied which is the cheapest and best, in 
every sense of the word. Experience has stamped a 
conviction on their minds that slave labor, for economy, 
freedom from care, careful cultivation, the advancement 
of society, both in promoting education, morality, and the 
prosperity of a people, will bear no comparison with 
the benefits that result from free labor; and they would 
no more think of going back to the old system of slave 
labor, than the freemen of the American Republic 
would think of going back to the establishment of a 
monarchial government. The other inquiries, as they 
are made to obtain information, would naturally be 
answered by employing competent northern men to 
take the direction of affairs, and to be left to the 
manner of farming with which they were accustom¬ 
ed. Changes could only slowly be made, and ought to 
he conducted with prudence and good judgment, to lead 
to beneficial results. Northerner. State of New- 
York , May 15, 1849. 
Agriculture of Seneca County, N. Y. 
The report of the Seneca Co. Ag. Society, for the year 
1848, prepared by its President, John Delafield, Esq., 
contains many valuable statistical facts in regard to ihe 
resources, improvements, and productions of the coun¬ 
ty. The report embraces in a tabular form, returns 
from the several towns in the county. The writer of 
the report observes that the returns may not be entirely 
correct, but that “ they must be received as the near¬ 
est approach to truth, until the Legislature shall adopt 
the easy and more accurate method of annual returns 
from the whole State, through the instrumentality of the 
town assessors.” 
The staple product of the county is wheat , the ave¬ 
rage yield of which is stated at twenty bushels per acre. 
The variety called the “ Hutchinson wheat” has here¬ 
tofore been preferred, but the “ Soule’s” variety is in¬ 
creasing. Indian corn has not been much raised, till of 
late years, the demand for exportation has given quite 
a stimulus to its culture. The average yield is thirty- 
two bushels per acre; but many farmers produce sixty 
to eighty bushels per acre. Barley has latterly dete¬ 
riorated in the county, generally, the yield for 1848 not 
being over twenty' bushels per acre. Rye is only culti¬ 
vated on the lighter soils of the county, which are not 
so favorable for wheat—average yield twelve to four¬ 
teen bushels per acre. Oats are quite extensively rais¬ 
ed, yielding about forty bushels per acre on the ave¬ 
rage. Buckwheat is raised to a moderate extent, both 
for the grain and for plowing in as a manure. The 
potato crop has suffered much from the <4 rot.” Flax 
has formerly been cultivated largely for its seed, but has 
been given up on account of its exhaustion of the soil. 
The culture of fruits, especially apples and pears, is 
receiving much attention. The county has for some 
years been celebrated for its apples, which have sold 
readily at twenty-five cents per bushel. Plum trees 
have been injured by the “ black knot.” 
The dairy only receives the attention necessary for 
supplying the inhabitants with milk and butter. Cattle 
are said to be generally good. Crosses of the Short¬ 
horn, and also of the Devon breed, with the common 
stock, generally produce good milkers. Much atten¬ 
tion is said to be given to rearing horses, which yearly 
improve in quality. Sheep are mostly of the Merino 
