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A &ax& I I! IMI UNION, THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LAFS-THE GUARDIANS OF OUR LIBERTY. Vol. XXXV. IlILLMnOROVnil, N, C.. ''WEDNESDAY. FEIIRIJARY 7, 1855. o. 1773. . II H In In 18 II Is R IM III III IM III N3 : h III III III Ar w xr r Fr tw :w ?w Avw ili FALL TRADE, SEPT. 1854. WE are now receiving, per Sleamert Baltic . ml Alpt, and Packet Ship Caroline, our , - FALL IMPORTATION'S OP FOREIGN DRY GOODS, purchased for Cah by our Agent, Mr. W. Wed ' dull, at very low rate.. We are alto in receipt of A Large and Commanding Stock of , DOMESTIC FABRICS, purchae from first Kami, ami al the recent .Large Auction Sales, : ( ., at groat Hicrifue. We teapectf-illy solicit a call from the North Carolina and Virginia Merchant, as we feel confluent wa ran offer them Good at aa Low Vrittt ai can be found in any market. STEVENSON &, WEDDELL. Petertburg, Ve., Sept. 8. ; M A Sclenlid Assortment of Fall and ,! Winter GOODS. J(DIin"X COS, MERCHANT TAILOR, n S juat rareived and opened a large and va ried ataortinent of (ionJ in hit line, which cannot fail to pleate in tlylt, quality and pritt. Toe eMorlmeiil einlmcc every variety of Clnlhe for tiBiitleoien'a Clothing, among which ara tba following ! ' Superior French k English Cloths Plain & Figured French Cassimeres; Satin, Silk, and Figured Velvet Vest ings, very rich; &c. &c. etc, lie bat alto received a Large Aetortmenl of Realy Made Clothing, which it ol a faehionahle cut and well made, hav ing been procured from a houta of ettaldithcd reputation. The aortmeiit embrace all the ar ticle of a genllen.au' wrdrobe,froro tba Flan nel Stiirt to tba line Dree Coat. - Hit frienda and lha public generally, ara Invit ad to iia bim call, a be belt confident that ha will lie able to give aati-faction. f H h received Id Fall and Winter Fath iont, and i prepared to cut and make Gentle, rneu'a Clothing in the bett etylr. A goni fit to trraiteJ. Tne bett of workmen kept cunaiaut ly in hi employment. He ten lera hit wirnvtt thank to the puMic for th liberal patronage heretofore received, and hope to merit and receive a continuance ol their favor. - HilUbnrough, Octot-er . 7 n.fTW PHJ rrvj.wrt-p IF yo -ant 77383 7.LVTZ CAT.? AG2?, which will not only render gaud ae-vira, but be also neat, rail on tba ubcriber, living ail milr north of IlilUhorough. He haa been carrying on the hu-ino for thetat aiiteen montha.and hi work h proved to he firat rate. He it dftermined th it hit work thall continue la he eiecuteil in thebetl mtnnrr. fully etjual In any in tbit aeclion of country, and at price to auit purelwaria. IVrtuii wanting Carritgeteaa yid lHir order thiougb lha I'wt Olfii- at Hill horoiitt, tn.l Ihry will be promptly attended to. All Kind of Rrptiit will be done in good order an I on mojerate leimt. Hie tohteritier hat pnrrhated the right lor Ornt County ina Ptrtvr HatKcforallkimla rCaniagr U which he invite tba attention of the publie. t V The ub-icri!)f r'a Wool Cnrd tn M.tC lllnr are in gool order, and are i ting the vrrr bett quality nl work. Piiret aa herrtof re: Eight rent for white; Twelve and a hjlf centt for muni: or one-fiflh ptrt of the wool. LEMUEL WILKINSON. June SO. ltl mTTorsoFrii :auolixa, Orangk Cut srr. Court of Flea and tluitrlerfMiuna, November Term, 183-1. Jtn M Cau'ry, idm'it of ChtikajM'Caulry, deced, r. Witlitm M Cantey, John M Cauley, George J. M Ctiil'V. William Cr-htre and wile Ehra hem, Willit Hettef and wife f'aiherinr. Ma rt bltrkwoud.and Jaiue M C'tuU), heir at law, e. Vf.V.'on fo Ml Krai r.lvtt. IT appearing la the titi. fiction of the Court, that Jamrt M'Caulcy, one of ihf drtcndtnt lit I bit rate, ie.i.l bryond the limiU of lint Hiataj It i therefore, on motion, eeilerrd by the Court, lhal publii-ation ha pads lor ats wteka aurivpy in the HilHwroogh Recotdcr, lioti fvinj lha Mid UefemUnt Jtmca M t'tulry, of tba . filing of tin petition, and lhal unl.- ha eper at lha nrtt term of tin Court and antwer Ihf petition, th nine will be taken pro confeaao, ai d haird i parte aa to tint. Wane., Hint. Law .. t'!-ik of our aaid Court, t ol!ke iq HillthoriH'lH, liia fourth Monday of 'ovenibrr, A. V. I.'l. tiKII. LAWS, r. c. r. peremWrCO. Price adv. JSiliO, tl Law Library For Hale. VS l.f.. I ut well arlerled. Law l.ibreiy i o't-reJ for etle at a ledured pi ire. Ap ply at tbia t llH.-e. dept. I-Vb, MM. -3w "Tv i;r "fh A LT S ! I.')T of l,irrpool HALT (4 btalii l aacka.) niw romini in. A ..H.iS J iri, of all aiiet.for PUklet ad Preaeiwa. Uf . J. U. I't'UnrjNTINE ti S:. Aiutll. . fflOW and Cotton Cloth, Plain and Atriped l.intey. Ilontetpun Jean, Dried Apple, Pin Heel, Feather, and all other kin.l of C'Hintfy produre. In eirhtnge for tlood. J. C. n KKEM IAE A PON. ' Xevemher 7. AN ADDRESS s MsrOBB TBI ' ' - CDRAXTGIE ' C 1ST H IP IT CHHITT; FOR THE PROMOTION OF Igritnlkf, tt lltramt rts; JJlannfacto BV PAUL C. CAMERON, ESQ. . At their Firat Annual Fair, October 27th, 1851. . 1 -. . , Continued. And if it be true that misery loves companionship, it is but too true of manj other counties of North Carolina besides our own. I have no fear of exposing our poverty to those who are any better off than ourselves; and I very well know that mine are so poor, or so likely to remain poor, as those who at tempt to conceal their poverty. Edgecombe is reputed the best cultivated district in the State. It is said her farmers arc the freest from debt, the largest money lenders, paying the most liberal prices for lands, slaves and manures, and that every thing in her borders is ad vancing in solid value and improvement. Less noise at elec tions, and more rivalry in tle field, and more and better pro risiim lor ourselves and dependents, will certainly bring us better crops, and elevate our social and domestic habits. . In the work of improving and advancing the husbandry of Orange, wr desire to know no party but the good uf all. it is a pleasant sij;ht, to see a people uniting and acting for the ac complishment of a noble, rational, peaceful and common end that end the happiness ol the largest number. With this object and with these views and feelings, a year ago, fifty of the farmers of Orange associated themselves together, and now number about two hundred members, and propose to distribute two hundred dollar, in premiums. The farmers and mecha nics who have united in this association, have many interests in common, and they do well to cultivate in this way kmd feel ings towards each other. We are neighbors, and there should be an interchange of good .offices between us; it will heighten the pleasures of social intercourse, the chief tnjoyinent of life. We are social beings, and we desire not only pure air, good water and a healthy soil, but we desire good neighbots, good tillage, and all its consequents. And like the soil that we cul tivate, we have large capacities for improvement; and our en joyment and rewards will be in proportion to the measure of our self-improvement. We may become learned by the help of others ; but we never can be wise but by our own exertion. It is self-culture that makes the man of mark and renown in all the pursuits of life; and man's necessity is often times his greatest temporal blessing he rises highest in the scale of be ing when necessity induces activity of both body anil mind. It i- not leiure that we need to become wise ; it is mental sti mulus, activity and action. We have opportunities for study in our every Jay employment-in every tree, plant, and insect in every crumbling stone and decaying leaf in every change of the atmosphere in the clouds above us, and in the earth beneath us in short, in every natural object or appearance by which we are surrounded. I t is by the practice of thinking and investigating, of taking notice ol what occurs around us, and trying to ascertain the causes of such phenomena and effects, as they come untler our observation, that the mind is rendered active and stored with really useful knowledge. From such observations and investigations, society has received its best contributions. Strolling on the borders of a cotton field in South Carolina, Whitney, with a inetalic point in his hand, applied it to the removal of the lint front the seed. At once the thought of mulliptving the points was presented, and hence the Cotton (iin. At the tail ol a kite, Franklin, a Uoston prin ter's bov, mastered the laws of Electricity, ami obtained the control" of the Lightning; hence the Rod and the Telegraph. And Fulton and Watt, watching the action of boiling water, conceited the Steam Engine; and yoking the discordant ele ment ol lire and flood, gate us the Ocean Meamer and the lion llorse, annihilating time and space. And, seated on Ins impo verished and waited farm at Shell Hanks, the unpretending au thor of the " Eay on Calcarious Manures," stimulated by ne cessity, and directed by an acti and inquisitive mind, com ntenced a acnes of experiment in the use of Shell Marl, that have, in the opinion ol the best inloriiied, added not less than thirtr millions to the value of the lands of tide-water Virginia; placing his State, in leas thanjtwenty years, in the front rank of the wheat -producing States ol the t'uion ; and winning for him self a reputation more extensive and enduring than any of Vir ginia's living statesmen, and is now regarded by all as her best living beneUctor. Willi the farmers of Eastern Virginia, the fame ol Edmund Rulfin "has attained its full height and pro portion, and no man's praise can add a single cubit to his stat ure." In Eastern Virginia, at least, they no longer attach any fuicc or truth to the rhjuie That he who marl tain!, Will toon boy inoie I in J ; And he who marl clay, Thruwe all away." It is not enough that men should see, feci and hear; so does the ox. He must think. It may be said with (ronfideiire, that every .acquisition to science, and every invention useful to man, has been made, not accidentally, as a general rule, but by the proper use of his reasoning faculties. Nor is it enough that he should educate his (trad and his hands, but his heart also-learn to master himself, to govern his appetites and passions. Sncict; is quite as much in want of the services of the virtuous and good, as of the learned and great. And the history of all past time assures us, that man is not ta lie made good or virtuous, hones or wilier, by statute law, Thou shat not steal," U a law higher than man's law, and yet no crime o common as larceny, frm the witless, pica vuc pilferer to him who decoys and 'swindles ly thouaiids. And had it been written on the same tables, "Tiiutt shalt not alt ink strong drink,' jet intemperance might be as common as it now is. Thnug!i no soldier in the cold water army though no advocate lor prohibitory lavie vet I should feel that 1 had failed in wr duty to the pl''ih, and the objects of this associ ation, did I not declare, in the niont emphatic manner, that, nett to a wated ami exhaualed sod, the greatest evil which af flicts my native county, disfigures its husbandry, and degrades its tillers, is the manufacture and intemperate use of a cheap and intoxicating drink. For proof of this, is.it any neighbor hood in the county, and where most whiskey is used there will you find tillage and tiller in the most naked ami ragged condi tion ; the social duties and affections most disregarded I huma nity in its worst etate J and the brute but the shadow of his master, in the exhibition of the pig without corn and the cow without fodder. ..... Habit begins in cobwebs and ends in chains, the individ ual farmer is of more importance than his farm and the re sults of his occupation on his character, ol more interest to us . . . 1 m a. II' - -. . I- - .1. .-. ' - it. . than the nroiiucls ol ms neins. tte lannoi r vintrwira now dee id y solicitous to know that it makes hi n, in habits of indus try, a bee, instead of a snail in principle and character, a gen tleman instead of a blackguard and in benevolence anil faith, a christian instead of a scoffer, And what better calculated to sustain us in " patient continuance in well doing," than the as surance offered by the sweet Singer of Israel, that the good man " is like the tree planted by the rivers of water that bring cth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." ... In North Carolina, few and wide apart, we find some self made farmers, engaged with all their hearts and minds in the cultivation and improvement of the soil, standing up like our own Pilot Mountain, as if to show the width of the plain at its base, or like light houses on a long line of scacoast, dispelling the darkness that surrounds them ; and if not teaching like masters in their art, yet exhibiting the fullest proof that on our soil and under our clime, the best objects of human labor are to be realized and enjoyed. I regard it as neither indelicate or improper, on an occasion of this sort, to name publicly such planters, farmers and millers as Thomas McGehee, of Person, and William Holt, of Davidson. And I should be gratified did my acquaintance with the State permit me to name a long list of such husbandmen. And I mention it as a fact, and as a proo'f of the want of in terest on the part of our people, as agriculturists, that on the original subscription list for the publication of " Colman's Prac tical Agriculture and Rural Economy," the most important, the most comprehensive, and best digested agricultural work that ever issued from the American press, this entire State furnish ed but a tingle subscriber S And it is a little singular that the Chief Engineer of the North Carolina Rail Road, in his first lteport of the original survey, should announce to the public that, at the farm ol that nibtcriber he found " the best specimen of scientific and successful husbandry along the entire line ol Rail Road." Nor is it to be forgotten, that at the first and se cond annual State Fairs, the herd of young cattle exhibited by this reading and pains-taking husbandman, was regarded as the most striking feature of each exhibition. We shall find that we, too, must read the best books, visit the best farms, must cultivate our minds as well as our soils, must spend our money as well as our time, if we shall make ourselves the equals of those praise-worthy, examples ol successful agriculturists and public benefactors. Nothing has been more cheapened in our day than the pub lications of the press, and it is to be esteemed as not the least of the blessings of an American citizen, that he can with so lit tle money provide himself and family with a reatly useful li brary. If the good that men do, lives after them, it is no where lounu in better preservation or in more available form than in the pases of Eood books. What intelligent farmer would not be gratified, in his isolation at home, to pass the long evenings ot winter in association with such companions and teachers as Huel, Colman, Dana and Johnston. For a few shillings you can have the best thoughts of these gifted men always with you. Money so expended will be repaid in such a way that no line ot figures can sum it up. It is only by such reading we can protect ourselves against the prejudices of ignorance, the er rors and misdirections of early habits, or maintain a respecta ble position with our intellectual and progressive countrymen. As we plant, so shall we gather, in spite of all our idle hopes and dreamy efforts. Ignorance promises no fruits pleasant to to the eye or grateful to the senses ; " men do not gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles." And under our institutions, capa city for usefulness and intellect are the mile-stones which mark the position of competitors in the race for distinction and re nown. The great principles of our art are the same in every clime ; animal and vegetable matters constitute every where the food of plants; heat, moisture, and atmospheric air, universally the active agents of vegetable nutrition. With a knowledge of the truth of these fundamental princi ples, it is our work to apply them under all the contingencies of climate, soil, aspect and seasons. And in this work, the mind, cultivated in schools, enlightened by the suggestions of science, and fortified in its conclusions by settled practice and experience, can do much in aid of the 'hands. In such toil the trained intellect exhibits itseif like steam power, a labor saving principle, capable of saving or performing a vast amount ol labor. It required to sum up me wnoie uuiy oi a tanner in three words, 1 would say, make your lands clean, dry, and rich f these are terms plain to the understandings of all, and each might well furnish a topic for an agricultural address. The first duty of a husbandman is to make himself acquaint ed with the character and constituents of his soil. No intelli gent physician will preset ibe for a patient until he has made w hat he calls a diagnosis of the case, that is, made himself ac quainted w ith the malady, and then sets him-elf to the remedy. This is not the occasion, or 1 the person, to enforce the impor tance of obtaining aid and direction from an agricultural che mist. The natural sciences are now prosecuted with singular advantage and success, and that of chemistry has in a measure been crrated within the last half century, and promises to ren der the most essential aid to agriculture. Sanguine as I am in its application to Agriculture, I have been gratified to learn that the Trustees of the University have established a School of Agricultural Chemistry, and filled the chair with a notice ton of the State. This is one of the best indications of the times, and assures us that the practice of ag riculture, and the philosophy of agriculture, are becoming mat ters of universal interest ; that the thinking ami inquisitive of all classes and conditions are at work in this field, and are ask ing for the how, ami the why, and the wherefore. And it is to be hoped that the gentleman in charge of this branch at our University, will not confine his teachings to the laboratory; that he will, br the me of the pres, mitgnify his office, making the circle of his usefulness equal to the limits of the State. And if he w ill visit our farms, he will find that, however de pressed and disfigured is the husbandry of Orange, the hearts of our farmers are fullv awake to the duties of hospitality and kindness. Ami he wifl find, too, that we have some men, who, without education, are, nevertheless, profound observers ol na ture and its laws, and who are full of the knowledge which they are constantly applying to practice; and it is not unlikely that our farmers would sometimes surround him, as did the warder ing pupils of tioldsmilh's village school-matter, and " marvel that one small head should carry all he knew." In behalf of (he unscieuttfic, 1 beg that his teachings be offered in the sim plest language, divested, as far as practicable, of the technical terms of science. And let me assure him, that a school which trains the youth of the State for the active and business pur suits of life, must become a great favorite. Rut the Trustees will have but half accomplished their object in establishing a Professorship, if they fail to associate with it a Model Farm, near the University, on which the teachings of the school may be applied to the field. Practical experience is not to be dis pensed with in a practical art. On such a farm we might hope to see illustrated all that is practicable on our soil and under our clime ( and the whole duty of the planter, farmer, garden er, ploughman, giatier and shepherd be taught, as well at the complete management of the stall and dairy. All this will be eminently useful, in giving our educated young men a taste for Rural pursuits; and wilt prepare them to enter with intelli gence on their paternal acres, with the gratifying conviction that, in North Carolina, Agriculture is taking its proper rank with the liberal professions, and that, in all its minute and practical details, it is not deemed incompatible with the high est distinctions of talent and education. I am not unapprised that men occupying the first position in science and practical agriculture, hold that it is unreasona ble to expect improvement in agricultural practice, much less an entirely improved system offgriculture, from the suggest ions of chemistry. So tlid one, older than any of these, teach that there is no new thing under the sun ;" and on the same page we are told that " the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing." For myself, like a traveler at night on an unknown path, surrounded by doubts and difficul ties, I shall be disappointed, if 1 may not look to it as a lamp which I may take in my own hand, or have held up before me, to direct my hesitating' steps. Whilst it may seem tame and common-place to many, yet in the hope that it may awaken closer observation, and obtain better applications of both labor and manures, I will submit a few plain considerations in regard to the soils of the county, and their adaptation to crops. And it may be that my opinions are not in unison with the experience of others. In this I have no pride of opinion I seek only the truth, and to tell what 1 think I know. For all practical purposes, soils are classed under five heads sandy, clay, calcarious, peaty and loamy. We have chiefly to do with two. Our county is nearly equally divided by two large bodies of land, sandy and clay soils, sight and touch teach us this, varying in texture, surface, and supply of mois ture. I know no county where the division is so nearly equal, and it is fortunate with" reference to variety in production. I cultivate both, cultivate neither to my satisfaction, for I am not able to provide, as yet, what I am sure is essential to the fertility of both, lime, the basis of all fertility. I am sure that so soon as the vegetable mould in either is exhausted, it fails rapidly in production ; that on both, our system of hus bandry has lessened the productive powers of our land; and that no neighborhood, and hardly any single farm, has been at all enriched since the occupation and settlement of the coun try. And, without the aid of any other light than my own annual observation, I venture to express the opinion, that we have in Orange land that no tillage can injure and no amount of putres cent manures can stimulate to fertility. And so, it seems to me, it must remain, until, by the use of fime, or some other correc tive, its acids are neutralized, and the capacity to appropriate or combine with putrescent manures is imparted to the soil. Such soils may be compared to a dyspeptic, whose impaired digestion can extract no nutriment Irom the richest food, in deed rejects all food, or if retained, to the manifest injury and distress of the sufferer. There is a wide difference between soils naturally poor, and soiU originally good, but reduced to poverty by cultivation. The best lands of the county, in both classes ol soil, hare long ago been brought under the plough. Our fathers had quite as good an eye to the fat spots as any of their descendants; and you will find that the capacity of any of our soils to be en riched by putrescent manures, is in proportion to its natural or original fertility. In both districts let us devote our manures to the improve ment of the naturally good lands, no matter how washed and exhausted, and leave the poorer lands for the supply uf timber, now every day being enhanced in value. The sandy soils of Orange suffer alike Irom excessive drought and rain. The ce reals, and all the plants that furnish food for man, need water, cannot live without it, but cannot live in it. It is well known that the fertility of a soil greatly depends on the capacity of the soil to absorb and retain moisture. Nor is it to be forgotten that there is a wide distinction between moisture and wetness. Pure sand will pass water as through a sieve, and pure clay will, on the other hand, retain it as in a cup, as we often ob serve it in the foot print of animals aloag the highway. The clay soil drinks water with an almost unsatisfied thirst, ami sustains itself hardly so well in seasons of trying drought as the gray or sandy soil. Asa planter and a farmer, I have sustained my heaviest loss es in seasons of long continued drought, and as the head of a large family have had my anxiety more excited by this cause than all others. As practice is worth all theory, f am able to declare that the best protection against extreme wet or drought, on either sandy or clay soils, is deep and thorough drainage by ditching, and deep antl thorough tillage, by ploughing and sub soiling. The midland counties of North Carolina seem to ba the home of drought, or at least suffer as much from it as any portion of the country, which, I suppose, is to be accounted for from the fact that it is so far removed from the controlling in fluences of the mountain and the evaporating surface ot the ocean, its bogs and inlets. In connection with deep tillage as a protection against drought, and undertaken chiefly with a view to sustain the products of a kitchen-garden, 1 trenched with a spade three acres, three feet deep, witli most satisfactory results. But I did not disregard the teachings ot nature, her laws are not to be rashly disregarded; I did not venture to re verse her order in laying down the strata of my soil. I put the clay where I found it at bottom, and the sandv loam at top. The clay soils of Orange are more in need and more greedy of manures than the sandy soils, and like the unsatisfied miser will continue to take a little more. The clay soils will take to advantage long and unfermcnted manures ; if it is not idle, it is at least a great waste, to apply such manures to sandy soil. In sandy soils decomposition slow, never perfect suffers alike by filtration and evaporation. Of all the manures tli.it 1 have ued on sandy toils, no one has so uniformly responded to my wihrt at wood ashes, leached and unleashed. They contain both clay and lime, assist sandy soils to retain mois ture, correct acidity ami furnish lime. . The tandy soils'are mure friable, therefore more free from water, more easily cultivated ami drained, and any degree of fertility more easily imparteJ, provided it rests on a sound sub-toil, and the darker the subsoil the better, if it be uniform. The color ol our subsoils is less uniform than that of our soils. Many of the subsoils are very parti-colored, and the more they are so, and the higher the colors they maintain, the more in jurious are they to the surface above them. The best is the brown, the worst is the blue and white. Since the days of Lord Coke, the lawyers have taught us that he who possessed the sura lace had and held all above it" Cvjut tit totum, cjut til tuque al tirliim." Hut it it to modern times, and chiefly to James Smith of Deanston, in Scotland, we are indebted for the knowledge that the tubsoil passes with the surface, and that the vitae of the surface depends much on the character of the subsoil. And I think it is on the light sandy soils, resting on good clays, that we may hope and expect to see the most beneficial effects from the use of the subsoil plough. I do not antit ipate much from
The Durham Recorder (Durham, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 7, 1855, edition 1
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