Farmers' gazette, and Cheraw advertiser. (Cheraw, S.C.) 1839-1843, December 02, 1840, Image 1
*
VOLUME VI
By IB.MAC LEAS.
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jft ruiR rnpfpf.^rr^aiifr..
^5ears' ve' TOOCI < =/;/
From the American Farmer.
ADDRESS OP RICUOLAS BfDDLE, ESQ.,
BEFORE THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF
PHILADELPHIA COYNTY, ON TIIS8TIIOCT.
Id40.
[Conti lued.]
Let us now sec what are the prices obtained
for what is raised. Wheat is higher
in England?flesh markets are higher.
^ O r*
0 But wheat forms only one-fourth of the
crop ; and, on the other hand, the great
staple, wool, is dearer here ; potatoes are
twice or thrice as high here ; and therefore
the English compete with us in our
own market; turnips, cabbages, all vegetables
are dearer; so, that, after all, takng
the average, farm produce is not higher, or
very little higher, in Eng'anJ, while all
the materials of raising it ap> much higher
there; so that, on the whole, f inning ought
to be as lucrative in Ponnsyiva nu a> in
England.
With regard to wages, it may sound
strangely, yet I believe it to be: rue. thaf
the real interest oi'all farmcs i- tint wages
should be high. and for this reason. A
laboring man is not a ni to much ;e?a
human pwr-box?into whose niou'h is p i'.
a daily atimberof cents, never tor?app ar,
but a living being, with wants and desires,
which he will not fail to gratify the moment
he possesses the means. If he can
earn only ascaiiy pit ance, jnst enough
to keep him alive, he starves on accordingly
his food, bread and water ajialf fed,
half-clad, wholly untaught animal, with a
useless mouthful of caruivoro h teeth : hat
if his wages increase, he instantly employs
them in comforts, in clothes for himself
/ and family, and. as he rises in the scale
ventures on the taste or meat. lie em
p'oys a tailor, a shoemaker, a hatter, a
batcher, ail I these in turn purchase the
materials of their trade from the farmer
himself. The laborer becomes thus a customer
of himself, and the payor of oiher
customers, and the farmer receives back
with abundant interest, the diiference
which lie advances in the first instance
between high wages and low wages. It
is for this reason that one of oar shrewd*
est farmers used to say. Yes. give our la^
borers good wages, and they will buy our
beef. Thus, too, the bounties of Providence
go round a beneficent circle ; and after
making the laborer better fed. be/ter
taught, in short, a hotter man, the farmer
himself is richer for tho very benefits he
dispenses. Depend upon it, there is no
surer sign of national prosperity than high
wages; and God grant that for many a
long year it may be the lot of our country,
men, who subsist by the labor of their
hands, to work well, to be paid well, and
to live well.
And now we come to the real reason
why our crops do not equal those of England.
It is, that our farms are all too
large?for the means we employ in farm*
ing them. Agriculture is the only pur???ii
I L-nniv. where the owner docs not
employ his capital in his business. He
rents or buys a large farm, and then has
nothing left to stock it with. He might
as well rent a large store with goods enough
to fill a single corner of it. In England,
it is supposed necessary, before renting
land, that the tenant should have a working
capital, of thirty or forty dollars an acre,
to employ. It is calculated that, besides
lime and other enriching substances,
4he cost of the mere animal manures applied
to the soil of England amounts to
three hundred millions of dollars; being
more than the value of the whole ofits foreign
commerce. Yet rhe grateful soil
yields back with interest all that is thus
lavished upon it. And so it would do here,
if we would only trust the earth w ith any
portion of our capital. But this we rarely
do. A farmer who has made anv money
spools it not in his business, but in some
other occupation. He buys more land
when he ought to buv more manure ; or
7
he puts out his money io some joint stock
company, to convert sunshine into tnoon^
shine ; or else he buys shares in some gold
* mine or lead mine. Rely upon it our
richest mine is the barnyard, and that
whatever temptations stock or shares may
offer, the best investment for a farmer is
lice slock an '{ploughshares.
Another defect of our farming is, that
we do not raise sheep enough. Some
years since, we were among the first to import
the meriuoes, and to indulge in the
wildness of that extravagance, until we
had secured vast numbers of these highpriced
animals, without any previous accumulation
of roots to sustain them, aDd
then found that we should have to purchase
CHEI{Tv\
expensive food for them. That at once
disenchanted u*. It was then seen that1
not only in palaces hu: in sheepfolds ,' a favorite
has no friends.v T ie snthusiam i
was succeeded with disappointment and
disgust these unhappy victims were by sac-i
rifice to the knife, fur no other crime than
their appetite. We have not vet outgrown
this horror?but it was entirely our own
fault. There are many parts of the Shite
where sheep would take care of themselves,
in the woods, duriug the greater part of the
vearand root crops would furnish cheap
andwholesomc support the root during the
remainder.
And this leads to the great improvement
which, of all others, we most needwhich
is the multiplica ion of root crops.
No soil can withstand a succession
of grain crops ; and, instead of letting it
fallow in order to recruit from its exhaustion,
as was the old plan, the better
practice now is, to plant in the same field
a crop of roots- These draw their nour- i
ishment from a lower region than the grain
? .1
crops do; they derive a great part of their |
food from the atmosphere by their large'
leaves, which at the same time shelter the
soil from the extreme heats; they provide
a fresh and juicy food for cattle during the
winter, thus enabling us to keep a large
stock, which, in addition to the profit of
them, furnish abundant manure with which
to return to the grain crops, Now this i
' i l L_ if .v. ..a ?nnrdmf. )
SilOUKI Ov O U~ Oil ji i-*tii jiu i \j\jiot ihviv ?... i
tie,4uoro manure. then more grain. We
cannot much err in the choice of these
roots. Common turnips, Swedish turnips,
mangel wurtzel, are all good, though in
various degrees ; hut perhaps the sugarbeet
will be found the best of all?not for
the purpose, at least at present, of making
sugar?hut as the most nutritious food for
cattle, and the most milk-producing vegeiabie
for cows in winter. These root
crops will grow abundantly ; and what I
shoal J especially desire to see is, that we
would co lfi !o i 1 our long and mild autj
.ins. and see if t :cy would no yield us
a crop of roots pla i.e 1 i n 11 liaicly as the
grain harvests were removed, so as to be
ready by winter for the cattle.
Another thing which we should strive
'o amend is. the u lfarmcrlikc and sloven.
V app .arance of our fields. Clean culil|
vatio.i is like personal neatness to an in- ;
I lividua!?a great attraction to a farm :
hut who can see without mortification our
fields of Indian corn or potatoes, just as
they are verging to maturity, out-topped
*nafi-tiil vl by a rival crop of weeds, which
seem waiting with impatience for the re- ,
moval of the real crops, when they and all
tneir seed may take exclusive possession .
of the ground! The rule of farming
should be, never to let any thing grow in (
our fields which we did not put there; and [
i Lie value as well as the beauty of the crop .
would more than pay the expense of re- (
Iimirmir lh(Wii nnvimis intruders. |,
imsvi !? vuv^v
O f
Nor do wo pay sufficient attention to
our gardens. Wo are too often content
with a ?mall enclosure, where a few peas
and beans and a little salad are left to
struggle with a gigantic family of weeds?
O O O O y
not to speak of the frequent inroads from
the pigs?and what can he saved comes
at last on our tables the scanty companions
of the masses of animal food which
form almost our exclusive subsistence.
For such a wilderness, how easy would it ,
be to substitute the cheap and wholesome
luxury of many vegetables which would ,
grow without the least trouble, and, while ,
they gave variety to our tables, would di- ,
niinish ourexccessive andexpensivehiseof
animal food !
Trie same want of neatness pervades
the ext ;rior of our dwellings. We look in
vain for the trim grass-pilot, the nice border,
the roses, the climbing vines, and all
the luxuriance of our native wild flowers.
These cheap and easy works, which seem
trifles, make up the great mass of enjoyments;
they are the innocent occupations
of the young members of the family?the
elegaot luxury of them all; and they impress
even a passingstranger with a sense
of Luc tasteand ease of the fanner.
In fruits, too, we are deficient. Our
climate iuvites us to plant, and there is
scarcely a single fruit which will not grow
in the open air, and ali of them prosper
with a little shelter. Undoubtedly there are
insects which infest them ; but these, care
wiii exterminate. Undoubtedlysomespecies
are short-lived, but it is easy to provide
a succession; and even many productions
whirrh u-ft used to think uncongenial to I
our climate wili Succeed if we will only try
them. For instance, I am satisfied, from
my own experience, that every farmer may
have his patch of grapes quite as readily
as he can his patch of beans or peas. He
has only to plant his cuttings, as he would
Indian corn, at sufficient distances to work
them with the hoe-harrow. They will live
through the winter without any covering,
and with less labor than Indian corn, because
the corn requires re-planting every
year, while the vines will last for a century.
He will thus provide a healthful pleasant
fruit for his family use, or a profitable article
for the market.
1 was about to name one more improve
ment, but I hesitate about it?I mean the
substitution of oxen for horses on farms.
All the theory is in favor of the ox. He
costs little, works hard, lie eat* little, and
when we have done with him lie is worth J
more than when wo began; whereas a j
horse casts much, eats much, and when !
he dies is worth comparatively nothing. '
Yet, after, all, it will be difficult to bring
I, .'ur I IM AKUhl.VV u
the ox into fashion. He has a failing
which, in this country, is more fatal than
madness to a dog?he cannot" go ahead
and it seems a severe trial for our impatient
American nature to creep behind an
ox-plough, or to doze in an ox-cart. And
then there is a better reason, in small
farms wherefboth oxen and horses cannot
be kept, for the preference of the horse.
The ox can do only farm work, and is utterly
useless for the road. He is of no
benefit to the farmer's family. We can
neither make a visit with him, nor go to
church with him nor go to court with him ;
and if the present immense political assemblies
are to continue in fashion, they
would be like the buffalo meetings in the
prairies, and it would be more difficult thin
it now is in political conventions to find
out whose ox gored his neighbor's.
There was one caution which I would
nave ventured to offci some years ago.
against the indulgence of expensive habits
of living, and an undue preference of things
foreign over the fruits of our own industry
?hut which, I rejoice to think, is no longer
necessary. Long may it continue so
Simplicity and frugality are the basis of
all independence in farmers. If our mode
of living he plain, it belongs to our condition
; if our manures sectn cold, or even
rough, they are at least natural, and their
simple sincerity will gain nothing by being
polished into duplicity. Though Italian
mantelpieces and folding-doors are indis- ;
pensable to happiness in cities, they are
not necessary to the welcome of country <
hospitality. ' If a finer gloss be given to <
foreign fabrics, let us be con lent with the i
simpler dresses which come lromour own <
soil and our own industry ; they may not i
tit us quite as well, but, relv on it, they (
become us far better; and if we must (
needs drink, let us prefer the unadulterated i
juice of our own orchards to all exotic ter- <
mentations?oven to that bad translation I
n of rench of our own ci^cr? champaignc. i
I have spoken of farms and tanning: 1
let me add a few words about farmer. I
The time was, when it was the fas^'on to <
speak of the Pennsylvania farmcr as a
plodding person, whose proper represent- <
alive was the Oonesteg.i horse byh'9 side ; 1
indifferent to the education of his children 1
anxious only about his large barn, and
when the least cultivated part of the farm (
was the parlor. These caricatures, al- *
ways exaggerated, have passed away, and '
the Pennsylvania farmer takes his rank a- I
mong the most intelligent of his country- 1
men, with no indisposition for improvem- '
-'it beyond the natural caution with 1
with which all new things should he cou- i
sidered before they are adopted. Put an *
unwillingness to try what is new forms no 1
part of the American character. How
can it be, since our whole Government is a
a novelty ; our whole systsm of laws is uu- r
dergoing constant changes ; and we are *
daily encountering, in all the walks of life, 1
things which startle the more settled s
iiahiis of the old world. When such no- '
vclties are first presented, the European 1
l.o^Lr L- nstur urltftt tho nn <st WOlllfl ?
11HJ1YO iv auv 'f ** i*??? .. ,
think of it?the American looks forward |
to find how it will atfect the future; the 1
European thinks of his grandfathers?the (
American of his grandchildren. There 1
was once a prejudice against all these ?
things?against what was called theory 1
. * L
and book-fanning?but that absurdity has *
passed away. In all other occupations, c
men desire to know how others are getting *
on in the same pursuits elsewhere ; they
inform themselves of what is passing in
the world, and are on the alert to discover
and adopt improvement. The farmers
have few of these advantages ; they do j(
not meet daily at exchanges to concen- ?
Irate all the news of commerce ; they have
no factories, where all that is doing among 1
their competitors abroad is discussed; no I
agents to report the slightest movements (
which may affect their interests. They *
live apart, they rarely come together, and *
have no concert of action. Now, this (
defect can be best supplied by reading 1
works devoted to their interests, because (
these may fill up the leisure hours which ! I
might otherwise be wasted in idleness or 1
misemployed in dissipation ; and as some
sort of newspaper is almost a necessary of I
life, let us select one which, discarding (
the eternal violence of party politics, shall J
give us all that is useful or new in our '
profession. This Society has endeavored J
to promote such a one in the Farmers Cab- 1
" MAnfkli. nnnnv nvnliio!I'nlir fVPllnlPfi I
mr;< 9 a uiwii mi }
with the pursuits of agriculture-where we
may learn what is doing in our line over all
the world, at so cheap a rate that, for a dozen
stalks of corn, or a bushel of wheat j
or potatoes, we have a constant source of
pleasing and useful information.
I think, however that we must prepare
ourselves for some startling novelities in
farming. We were taught in our youth
to consider fire and water as the deadliest
foes. They are at last reconciled, and
and their union has produced the masterpower
of the world. Steam has altered
the whole routine of human labor ; it has
given to England alone the equivalent in
labor of four hundred millions of men. As
yet, commerce and manufactures alone
have f'dt its influence, hut it cannot be that
this gigantic power will long be content to j
remain shut up in factories nnd ships. Hely
upon it, steam will before long run oft'l
the track into the fields, for, of all human '
employments, farm-work is at this moment
the most dependeut on mere munual labor. '
Be not, therefore, surprised if we yet live '
i ?-1-!? '
to see some sicara-pioug;i inauuog iw <
Mmwmmwxm
H.UNBSUAV, Ut-CEJIU!
3red furrows in our fields, or some huge
ingine, like the extinct mammoth, roving
hroug'.i the Western forests, and mowing
lown the woods, like a cradler in the
iarvest-field. Wild as this seems, there
s nothing in it stranger than what we have
ill witnessed already. When Fulton and
Jiiver Evans first talked to us about the
steamboat and the railroad, we thought
hem insane, and already we enjoy more
hanthey ever ariticipated in their most
sanguine mordents. One of these applijations
of steam?the raising of water for
igriculture?I have already attempted, in
ny own small way. You know that the
greatest enemy of our farming is the
Iroughtofmidsummer, when all vegetation
withers, and the decavincr erons rrmroach
' . J o ; r~ -~i
is with suffering the magnificent rivers by
:he:r side to pass away. In the southern
climates of the old world, men collect
with great toil the smallest rills, and make
ihem wind over their fields?the handbucket
of Egypt, the water-wheel of Persia,
the toilsome contrivance of manual
abor, are put in requisition to carry freshness
and fertility over fields not wanting
:hem more than our own. With far grea:er
advantages, absolutely nothing has
ret been done in that branch of cultivation;
nay we not hope that these feeble means
)f irrigation may be superceded by steam,
vhen a few bushels of coal may disperse
)ver our fields, from our exhaustlcss rivers,
ibundant supplies of water !
All these improvements which may alorn
or benefit our farms are recommenled
to us not only by our own individual
nterests, but by the higher sentiment ot
>ur duty to the country. This is esseniallv
a nation of farmers. No where
else is so large a portion of the community
mgaged in farming ; no where else are
he cultivators of the earth more indepenlentormore
powerful. One would think
hat in Europe the great business of life
was to put each other to death ; for so
avge a proportion of men are drawn from
he walks of productive industry and train3d
to no other occujiation except to
ihoot foreigners always, and their own
countrymen occasionally; while here, the
whole energy of all the nation is directed
with intense force upon peaceful labor.
\ strange spectacle this, of one. and one
mly, unarmed nation on the face of the
?arth ! There is abroad a wild struggle
)elween existing authorities and popular
intensions, and our example is the comnon
theme of applause and denunciation.
It is the more important, then, for the far
nors o! mis country to oe true to tneir own
>rincij>lcs. The soil is theirs?the Goveminent
is theirs?and on them depends
nainly the continuance of their system.
That system is, that enlightened opinion
md the domestic ties are more stable guaantics
of social tranquility than more
orce, and that the government of the
dough is safer, and, when there is need
itronger than the government of the sword,
fthe existing dissentions of the old world
ire to be settled by two millions of soldiers,
ill ours will soon be decided by two millons
of voters. The instinct of agriculture
s for peace?for the empire of reason, not
>f violence?of votes, not of bayonets,
^or shall we, as freemen and members ol
i domestic and fireside profession, hesitate
n our choice of the three great master inluenccs
which now rule the world?force,
;pillIU!I) txIJVJ "lllli VU / H *u^i/-vv/Aj
he ballot, box, and the band-box.
From the Tennesse Farmer.
TRANSPLANTING TRESS.
The proper seasons for transplanting
>rnamcntal and other trees and shrubs,
ire the months of October and Novem>er,
and March and April. In this clinate,
it is preferable that they be trans>lanted
in October or November; in
colder climates, it is best that the more
ielicate shrubs and trees be removed in
:he spring. Those which are natives of
iountries colder than the one to which
:hey are removed, may be transplanted
iither in the spring or autumn; but
ilants transferred to a less favorable climate
should be removed in t|je spring,
kvheu they are better calculated to support
the change without injury, and receive
every advantage that the warm
season can afford. Treesand plants may
?e safely brought to this state from the
Northern cities in the spring, and are not
more liable to die on the way, than those
:hat are native to our soil in being carried
from one field to another. Choice fruit
>r other trees can be obtained at the
North, and if they are well packed, m
tear need be entertained from the journey
>f ten or fifteeen hundred miles. It it
sur opinion that the peach plum and chcr
rv, should be transplanted in the spring
is they are naturally delicate in any climate.
Any trees, however, even the
most delicate may be successfully trans
planted in autumn, if a little protection
is afforded them by covering the rooU
with straw, moss, or evergreen bushes,
during the first winter.
From the New Genneesee Farmer.
STRAWBERRIES.
limeys' Seedling.?This is the name ol
i strawberry which was originated jn 1834,
by C. Hovey, editor of the Magazine ol
Horticulture at Boston. It is the resull
")fcros8 fertilization. It has now ha 1 a trill
of three vears, and each season it hof
r 7
drawn the premium of the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society ! The editor says it
bis advertisement, " Gentleman acquain
%
'T* A ..f" - %
? V
' Z' + * w ?
rttr,
m*
i
KR a, >84a
' ted with allthe other varieties cultivated in
; ihis country, have jjseen the bed in full it |
to be the largest handsomest, bestfiavored,;
i most pro ductive, arfd hardy varictv, thev i
bearing, aud they unhesitatingly pro-!
i nounce uave ever seen." Plants are of-!
fered at 85 a dozen.
Hogs.
To our correspondent who has more
than once called our attention to the
"Thumps in Pigs," we would say in answer
to his last communication upon the
subject, that we have lost two of the finest
sows, a Beltz and a Berkshire. The first
was found dead in bed, the other we found
laboring for breath. We attempted to
drench her with a solution of Glauber
Salts, and strangled her to death. The
third was found some days afterwards
'considerably swollen, with an evident
thumping or fanning of the sid*s, greatly
averse 10 move it increased the thumping
or fanning of the sides. She refused corn
and pumpkins for a day or two. We at
length prevailed upon her to take a little
meal in which we mixed a tea spoonfu"
of Calomel upon her bowels, believing it
i a '*gone case;" but in this we were most
agreeably disappointed, the swelling of
; the abdomen subsided, and with it the
difficulty of breathing; it may not be con
i sidered unimportant to mention that she
, was about 2 months gone with pig, and
still carries them, and seems at the end of
i twelve or fifteen days to he in perfect
healih. We would suggest the propriety
of keeping hogs out of water whilst under
the influence of Calomel, and it would
be better that their drink should be thin
warm gruel, as this wi!l serve both for food
and drink. J. Shelby.
km??a?a?w?mj?w??? >
GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE.
Exloutive Department, )
Columbia, S. C. Nov. 24,1840. J
1 Fellow-citizens of the Senate,
And of the House of Rcjtresenfalives:
Since your last meeting an event of a
most melancholy character has occurred
within our borders. South Carolina has
' been cm'i.d upon to mourn the death of
I her Co?ef Magistrate, the virtuous and
patriotic Noule, who was cut down in
uie vigor of ins days, with the fair prospect
of many more years of usefulness
and honour. Hut while we regret his
' untimely death, as a people's loss, we can
cherish with pride, the recollection of his
unobtrusive virtues, his deep devotion to
his Slate, and the many willing honours
which he received from his fellow-citizens.
Discharging his duties in the vai ions puhi
lie stations to which he was caned, with
uncompromising fidelity, it is no unmcrii
ted eulogium to declare, that few public
men have enjoyed in so high a degree the
esteem and confidence of the people, and
left a reputation so dear to Carolina, liy
a provision of the Constitution ot our
State, at tiie period of his decease the duties
of Chief Magistrate devolved upon
me ; and in the further discharge of my
duty, 1 address you ou the present occa!
sion.
We have abundant cause of thankfulness
to the Almighty Disposer of Events,
for the blessings which we have enjoyed
during the past year. States no less than
individuals, should be ready to acknowledge
the divine goodness; and as the
chosen representatives of the people, you
will carry into your deliberations a sense
of your dependence upon Hiin, and a
spirit of sincere, unaffected, devotion to
his will. Surely it cannot be suid that I
do violence to the liberties of conscience,
when I call upon you to bow before that
God whom we all profess to worship ; to
supplicate in earnestness and sincerity
thai power by whose will alone nations
stand, and at whose nod "desolation com eth
as a whirlwind."
As a people we have been peculiarly,
blessed. Amid the general pressure of
the times, we have sutfered but little,
while thousands and tens of thousands of
our fellow-citizens in other sections of the
country, have been overwhelmed in pov- I
erty and ruin. Go from neighbourhood
fo neighbourhood, throughout our territory,
anu, with the most inconsiderable exceptions,
every where you meet the evidences
of comfort and plenty. The
problem is now solved, that with proper
etfort the poor can become rich, and the
rich richer, within the limits of Carolina.
The spirit of emigration to the fertile
vallies of the west, which drove so many
! of our people from their native soil, has in
* a great measure subsided, and been suo
cccdcd by u patriotic devotion, which ev5
ery succeeding year serves but to strength
en. The lessens of dear bought experi>
ence have not been without profit. The
' general ruin which has pervaded so many j
> sections of the South Western and Wes- J
* tern States, has tended greatly to satisfy
1 our people with their present home, and I
5 make tiicm look to industry and care, and
' not to the chances of speculation, for the
means of improving their condition. It is
matter of sincere pride, that our leading
interest, Agriculture, is now attracting
unusual attention. The fact is made
manifest, that our lands, by proper culti\
vation, will yield an abundant product;
! and it is gratifying to know, that many
t of the first minus of the State are now
" devoting iheir energies to the subject.?
'i A.ready the imp>oveincnt in our system
} j ol'cul . tation, is marked and decided, and
1 lauds. ..iiic.ii but a lew years ago, were!
* ] regarded as valueless, are ranked among
IT - ? * '+
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the first in the Sta'e. A* an evidenceof
the increasing interest in Agriculture I
point von to the rece.it organization of a
Central Society at this town, devoted to
the subject, composed of our moot intel1
gent citizens in different sections, and
the establishment of a journal under its
auspices. It is no less a dictate of patriotism,
than of interest, that we should bo
as little dependent upon others as possible.
In a strict sanse, we can never be said to be
independent, so long as we look to other
regions for the very food that nurtures
and sustaia8 us. And though it is not .
to be expected or desired, that the time
will arrive when the intercourse wiih our
neighbours, from an exchange of products
will be arrested, yet it is manifestly true,
that no consideration of policy requires
that we should expend annually, hundreds
of thousands of dollars, for articles that
can be grown upon otirown soil, at a cost
far less than that which we now pay for ?
them. For many years a too exclusive ,
attention has been devoted to our great
staple, Cotton. Blessed as we are with
a great variety of soil, admirably adapted
to the culture of many most valuable products,
with the certain prospect of a success
that will meet the wants of our own
people, it is certainly in our power to lessen
materially the heavy tribute which we
pay to others. The indications of public
sentiment abundantly prove that a wholesome
spirit is now at work , and that a day
of better things has dawned upon us.?
Many of our planters begin almost to
doubt the sanity of that man who will
make his cotion, and buy every thing
else. Many dissent from the hitherro received
maxim, in our agricultural philosophy,
that the most successful planter, is
lie who sends the largest number of bales
to his Factor. The modest and unpre*
tending farm r, who makes every tiling
that he wants and by a sure and regular
surplus adds steadily to his property, has
forced himself upon public attention, and
contributed largely to dissipate the general
an i n.i.chii vou8error. Men are now more
engaged in making calculations upon the
only safe basis, clear profit. It is gratifying
io know that the occupation of a
Planter, always respectable among us. ha9
risen in public estimation to a dignity not
second to the learned professions. The
strongest desire now pervades our community,
to develope to the utmost, the a?ri- .>
cultural and other natural resources of our
State. Impressed, as I know you are,
wiih the importance of this fundamental
interest, you will feel it your duty to come
to its aid, by all the means iu your power.
As connected with this subject, permit - .
mc 10 aireci your aueniiun iu mo uupui*
tance of a Geological and Agricultural
Survey of the State. This matter was
brought to the notice of the Inst Legislature
by Governor Nohl<? and the State
Agricultural Society. I trust it will receive
your mast serious consideration, as
no measure upon which y^u will be called *
to act, involves, in higher degree, the general
interest. South Carolina should tint be
backward in promoting the cause of science,
by following the example of many
S ates of our Union, as well as other pnxts
of the world.
Apart from the immediate or more remote
advantages which are likelv to accrue
to her from the accomplishment of
this object, her reputation, as a liberal and
enlightened Government, requires her lo
respond to the claim w hich the rest of the <
civilized world exerts upon her, to contrib'ute
her proportion to the mass of information
already accumulated. From similaf
considerations States, poorer in resources,
more limited in population, and whose citizens
are engaged in employments loss likely
to be directly benefitted by the devef
opement of their physical resources, havo
liberally undertaken and accomplished
such projects. But South Carolina is an
agricultural State, and it is a lamentable
fact, that front the want of correct information,
and from the natural desire for the
greatest immediate profit, without reference
to future advantages a large portion
of her soil has been exhausted of its fertility,
and thrown out of cultivation. A
knowlevlge of the geological structure of
our State, is the first and most essential instrument
to arrest this devastation. By
indicating thepossition of those calcareous
and argillaceous deposites, which are
know n to bo widely distributed throughout
our borders; by teaching the modes of
recognizing distinguishing, and applying
them, in the varying circumstances to
which they are adapted, means will be
presented of reclaiming thousands of acres
Ainvhaiwin/I In ml whifli are now a re
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proach to our knowledge and enterprize.
The exploration of Metallic Ores, is a
matter of great importance. Two of these
Iron and Gold, have received someattention.
The ores of iron are widely distributed
throughout our Stale, and many of
extreme value have been entirely neg!ec?
ted, in consequence of an ignorance of the
deposits of those olher mineral substances,
often to be found in their immediate vicinity,
which are e-sentiai to their profitable
working. Geld has been worked
out to an inconsiderable extent, and to
small profit. The development of the localities
of iron, and its propeT fluxes, in
thvr vicinity of the gold region, is very like*
ly to give an impetus to the production of
the latter metal, l>y causing the introduction
of the Russian process of obtaining
it, by smelting the ores in combination,
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