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Un dee symbolee suivants apparaitra sur la damlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le caa: le symbols — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols T signifie "FIN". Les cartes, pianchea. tabiaeux. etc., pauvent itra flimte A dee taux de rMuction diff«rants. Lorsque le document eat trop grand pour itra raproduit en un saul cliche, il est film« A partir do I'angia supirieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut 9n baa. an pranant la nombra d'images nteessaire. Les diagranmes suivants illustrent la m^thoda. 1 2 3 32 X 1 2 3 4 5 6 A^9'l^i' ■ iiiwimini "'' THE AGBICULTURAL CAPABILITIES , V- or THE ""■TiRITISH NORTH AMERICA. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE OF THE <: CITY OF SA^NT JOHN, NEW-BRUNSWICK, 0\ FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 2isr, 1819. BY JAMES R W. JOHNSTON, M. A., F. R. SS. L & E. FELLOW OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL SOCIETY, Honorary Member of the Rc^nl Agricultural Society, Foreign Member of the Roval Swedish Academy of Agriculture, &c. &c.; Chemist to tho Agricultural Chemistry Associatiou of Scotland, n.^d Professor of Chemistry and ftlinerulogy in the University of Durham. PEPORTEn FROM SHORT-HAND NOTES TAKEN BY GEORGE BLATCH, ESQUIRE, BARRISTER AT LAW. SAINT JOHN, NEVV-BRUNSWICK: PRINTED BY HENRY CHUBB & CO., HTATIOWER^j 4C. 1850. 04^ ADDRESS. C C I> f) Mn. CiuinMAN, I.adibs, und Gentlemen,— In nppcnrhig before vou on tlio present occa- sion, 1 have first to iipolugiso to you, for tho dis- appointment which, two weeks iigo, uniivoidiihle circumstuncus compelled mo to ciiuso you. 1 as- ■ure you, that the accident of an uncommonly sadden change of weather, combined with other impediments, which prevented my fulfilling my engagement nt that time, was to luu ii source of very great regret; and you will readily under- Htand that it must have been more peculiarly so, from the circumstance, that although I have ad- dressed many audiences in various parts of the world, yet 1 never disappointed an audience be- fore, ilowevcr, I believo you will perhaps think with me, that the disappointment then involun- tarily inflicted on you will be compensated, and my Address to you rendered more agreeable by the postponement; inasmuch as, since that time, I have obtained the piirmission of His Excellency tho Lieutenant Governor and other authorities, to lay before you an abstract of my enqniries with regard to the Agricultural capabilities of this I'ro- vince, as comprised in my written Report. If I had addressed you when first intended, it would have been only on more general topics ; topics, perhaps more familiar to you, but less interesting in the discussion than that which I shall now pre- sent to your notice; and, therefore, wo may be induced to believe, that that disappointment, like ir iny other casual vexations and grievances in lite, was really intended for our good. I have been so much occupied, during the last six weeks, in putting together the rrsults of my observations and enquiries in this Province, in the form of a Report, that 1 have had no oppor- tunity to prepare any thing special for this even- ing; but I propose to give you a brief outline of the direction of my enquiries and of the results obtained from them. This I shall do in plain, homespun language, devoid of ornament or ima- gery, so that you may easily understand the sub- ject; and you will then make allowance for any want of strength or polish, and for the absence of flowers of language and oratory. In looking at the Agricultural capabilities of any country, it is of the greatest consequence to a per- son taking a general view of it, to have an idea, before-hand, of what is the Geological structure of that country. In my former address in this place, it will be remembered by those who were present, that I drew the attention of the audience to this point; that a knowledge of the geological structure of a country is of the greatest possible consequence, to ennble any one to arrive at any- thing like general conclusions with regard to the agricultural capabilities of that country. When I tell you, that from an in<;pection of the geologi- cal maps of other countries', countries which I l^nya nfit nsr'i>mil!" visited I ani ensDleu to judge of the agricultural capabilities of those countries, and not only to judge of those capo- bilitius us a whole, but airo to lusiruct others as to the kinds of husbandly most suited to the va- rious soils of such countries, you »Ill have an idea of the value of a knowledge of what is cull- ed the geological structure of n countrv ; and this knowledge you may ubtaiu by looking at geological maps. If you look at this Geological Alap of tho Province of Ncw-Brunewick now ex- hibited before you, (which I have had prepared, to attach to my own Report on this Province,) you will see, that tlioro are various portions of Its surface coloured with different colours; und those colours represent the ditVcrent species of rocks which prevail in the various districts of the Province. ISow you all know, that if you dig beneath the surface of the earth at any place, you will come, nt a lesser or greater depth, to tho solid rock. The solid rock varies in species in various parts of every country, and Geologists have given dillerent names to iho various species of rocks, such as sandstone, trap, grey-wacko, limestone, and many others. This system of the various kinds of rocks constitutes what is culled "geological formation ;" and this geological for- mation or structure of a country is exhibited in maps by ditlereiit colours, the various colours re- presenting the various geological formations or species of rocks. The map now before you thus exhibits the geological formations that occur in tho Province of New-Urunswick ; and I have been anxious to embody in one map all the informa- tion hitherto collected as to the geological forma- tion of this Province, by previous investigators as well OS by myself Ur. Gesner has often ad- dressed you from this place on this subject : ho was employed for several years at tho expeii-^e of the Province in making geological explorations of the country, und he published a series of re- ports of the results of his enquiries, which no doubt contain many valuable facts and observa- tions. But unfortunately, tho' those facts arid observations are to a certain extent embodied in this map, yet it is still exceedingly incomplete. I have had all the available observations of Dr. Gesner, as well as my own observations and those of Dr. Robb embodied in this map ; and although it is still incomplete, yet it will afford more Iniormalion on the subject than has ever yet been obtained; and hero I cannot help re- marking, that a large amount of valuable infor- mation on this head is deposited in the Crown Land Office of this Province, and it seems to me sf-prising, that information for which such large sums have been paid by the Provincial Govern- ment, should up to this moment have lain hidden in a Government office. Wo have now noticed the fact of the various kinds of rock : the next principle to consider is, that every rock with which we are acquainted » when exposed to the action of the air, gradually !<•/■ undergoes a crumbling proccM ; it becotnoi, us it wero, degruvlcd, uml in convrrlod from a solid ma«ti into luimito portiong of matter, which, by tlio chemicnl operation of the atmoaphero and other combiiiatinim, in course of time, form gra- vel, mud, cliiy. Hand, &c., and on tho top of theso loose materials eventually the soil is form- ed. Now, soils aru ofvmious kinds, according to tht) nature of tho matcriiils from which ihuy havo been formed. You will see, on this map, between the broad red bell which stretches dia- gonally across it, and the patch of lighter red in ',ho corner below, a largo tract of surface coloured grey : those colours represent different kinds of soil; and you will observe, that this largo tract of land coloured grey, is covered with loose ma- terials forming a soil totally different from that which is formed by the materials from the red rock or sandstone. Therefore, it is important in taking u general view of tho agricultural capa- bilities of n country, to know the character of the soil and tho quality of the rocks of which that soil is formed. The first chapter of my Report comprehends the study of the geological structure •ftnis coun- try, in relation to its agricultural capabilities and the qualities of its various soils. I describe those qualities and capabilities; and when you read it, ysu will se'3 that the Government, wliich in for- mer '.ears expended large sums of money in en- cour.iging expbrations and in endeavouring to uiaktt out the geological structure of the Province, havo not only done u thing of great importance and service to the country at large, but have really laid out this money in u w.iy which ulti- mately (and more especially would it, if the pro- ject had been satisfactorily completed) will repay the country which I have personally gone over. I assure you I have found it no little fatigue, to travel two thousand niiles in Ncw-nrunswick,iii the short time that I have had for the purpose; and I would not recommend some of you to go over it in tho rnnnnor that I have gone over it : were you to do so, doubtless you would meet with as rematkjiblo adventures and vari- ous disagreeables as I havo met with; but per- haps yon would take a longer time in perform- ing the journey so as to render it less fatiguing. And here I cannot help observing, thai in no part of the world that I have ever been in, has il appeared to me that the people in general un- derstood the value of time less than they do in this Province ; the inhabiumls of New-Brunswick certainly cannot find it necessary to work aa hard as people do in Europe, or they would un- derstand the value of time better. — The relative value of the soil in different parts of this Pro- vince, I have ascertained by personal observa- tion; and I have represented on this map, by the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the various qualities of the soil in different parts of the Province, not us de- duced from thegeological man, but from my own personal observation; and I have called the at- tention of the readers of my Report to the dif- ference of tho value of the soil, as indicated by both tho geological structure and by personal ex- amination; and thus you will see the value, inan ccoromical point of view, of such n demonstra- tion and comparison. In piaking this elucidation I have also been indebted to whole cart-loads of Reports laid up in the I.nnd Office, and have thus endeavoured to embody on this map all that any person with good eyes and ordinary understanding has been able to observe and rc- itsolf, which will actually benefit the pockets of port on this subject. If you look at this third ■ ~ ■ • ' map now exhibited, you will see that the same thing is represented by colours : tho five differ- ent colours represent tho various qualities of the soil of this Province, and thus you may see at a glance the Localities of ll-o best and tho worst soil in the Province. Tho first quality (coloured dark red) comprises the rich intervales and islands on the River St. John and the marshes about Sack- villo and its vicinity, and those to bo found to a smaller extent in other parts of tho Province, which, altogether, do not amount to more than fifly thousand acres in the whole Province. The lighter red colour, you son, prevaHs in the eour lies of Cnrlcton and Restigouche and at Suss Valo in King's County ; this colour represf i the second quality of soil ; tho first quality .e dark red colour) being the richest soil i ho Province. The third colour on the map i.'^ ue, and comprises a very largo portion of t' Pro- vince; this is second-class upland, and .udes nearly seven millions of acres. The darker yel- low colour comprises about five millions of acres; and the tighter yellow (being soils at present un- fit for cultivation) also about five millions. Al- ! togptbor tbpr« .^re ."jbout eighteen millions of those who cultivate the soil of the country; be- cause tho knowledge thus obtained will hereafter enable them to know how that soil is composed, and how it can most advantageously be improv- ed by cultivation. By this map you will be able to tell where good sod and where bad soil is to be met with; and it will thus bo practically be- neficial to proprietors and future purchasers of land. 1 have now brieily noticed the general description of the soil as demonstrated by the geological formation of the country ; and I have thought it proper to begin my Report with this in- '*troductory chapter, as a preface to the rest of my examination of the agricultural capabilities of tho Provii. JO, in order to give to science that prominence which it deserves, which is desira- ble in every practical work of this kind, aud which will render the other portions most profita- ble and beneficial. I uow dismiss that chapter. In my next chapter, we turn to tho real, the actual productiveness of the country, or the actual value of the soil as determined by personal in- spection. If you look at this second map here exhibited, you will see certain green lines run- sing la cvtirjf dkcctiu.'i. These liijes represent Ofires, of whicli thirteen iiiilliong aro tit for culti- vation, uml fivoinillioinure, in their prosiant con- dition, unfit for agricultural operntioiiM. I have next endeavoured to arrive nt nn idea of the eoinparativo produclivenew of tliebo dif- ferent soils. It ia nacegftary to know how much human life an aero will wupport; and in order to arrivo at that, I have classified the soils accord- ing to their relative productiveness ; and the standard which 1 have taken is this : — in this liountry the common mode of judging of the value of land is by thu number of tons of hay which it will produce. I have therefore in the first place taken this as a standard for calculation. I have taken this small quantity of Hrst quality land in tho Province, (the rich intervale land,) which is only 60,000 acres, as producing 2i tons of hay per acre; the next quality at 2 tons per Mcre; the third quality at IJ ton per acre; and tho fourth at 1 ton per acre; and supposing that these diHerent qualities of soil produce at that rate, that is their absolute value. Tho fifth or lowest kind of soil we throw out, as not being capable of paying for cultivation. The next Jtandard is that of catlle. We know that a horse or a cow will eat so many tpns of hay in a year; therefore, if we know how many tons of hay the land will produce, we have no difficulty in ascertaining how many cattle it will support. But the next question is, how mony men will the same land support .' To arrive at this, we must take some standard, some kind of food for men. I have taken oats as this standard ; of all grain oats thrive best in this Province ; they are therefore the proper staple grain of the Pro- vince. What changes in the relative production of the various grains in this country, may result from continual cleurp.ices of the land and con- sequent changes of climate, we cannot tell ; but ut present oats are the most sure crop in this country. The principle then is this : that the land that will grow a ton of hay will grow twenty bushels of oats; one is equal to tho other; thus 60, 40, 30 and 20 bushels of oats per acre will represent the diflferent ratio of productiveness of the various qualities of the land. We then esti- mate the quantity of oats necessary to support a man. This is very well known, because it is a common article of food, especially in Scotland, where it is a staple of life. Then we estimate the quantity of oats necessary to support the whole population of the Province ; in domg which we allow so much per head for young and old, varying according to age, and taking the average of tho whole. Ihen we take the wliole popula- tion of the Province, which is about 210,000. people, as far as known ut present. Of horses and cattle there are about 150,000, and sheep and pigs we estimate at 250,000. Taking all these together, we can calculate what proportion of land IS renuired to suppprt the human inha- bitants and the stock of cattle respectively, if they continue in the same relative proportions as at present. Taking this, then, a,i tho existing average, the result is this : calculating upon tho principles already laid down, and leaving out of consideration tho five millions of acres ofunpro- ductive land, wo find that the soil of this Pro- vince is qualified to maintain 4,620,000 human beings, together with 8,S00,00« horses and cattle, and 5,500,000 sheep and pigs, supposing all the cultivable land to be cultivated, and to produce in the same proportion as the land nt present cultivated in the Province. But 1 must observe, that in taking this basis for my calcnlations I do not speak ot the ratio of produce only as an opinion of my own, but as the result of enquiries made in the Province; if, therefore, I am wrong in my information, 1 am not to blame for it ; I make iny calculations only on tho basis of the information nfibrded me by others; and there- fore I vyant to guard myself against being held responsible for that information. According to the best information aflbrded mo, therefore, it appears that if the four clnssea of available soil be entirely cultivated, this Province ought to maintain 4,620,000 human beings, and cattle and sheep in proportion, from iu own resources alone. 1 now pass over some important mate- rjols of my report, which come in here and which bear on this general point, but which require to be more fully discussed than our time will now allow; and I turn to another point worthy of notice. I have supposed, in considering this number of 4,620,000 human beings, that the whole were supported on the vegetable produce of the soil. I have spoken of oats as the standard food, but the whole sustenance of this number of people need not necessarily bo by oats : it might be partly of wheat and other grains, and vegetables of various kinds. The land will pro- duce various kinds of human food. But I have as yet supposed that the vegetable produce of the soil was the only support of the population. But what are the coM/e raised for? Why, for human food ; therefore we must take into ac- count the quantity of animal food thns raised for the support of human beings. This animal food, independently of the quantity of vegetable food raised in the Province, would support a large portion of the population. It is impossible to arrive at a positive calcula- tion on this point, but an approximation may be made. Taking the number of cattle as before estimated; (of course we say nothing of horset, because you have not yet acquired a taste for horse-flosh, nor the habit of eating it ; although in many countries it is habitually used, and it is said that young colts are very good eating;^ leav- ing out horse-flesh, we will speak only of cattle, sheep and pigs as human food, as you are al- ready accustomed to that. Tho quantity of animal food, then, now raised in this Province, will support about one-third more people than the VAirntable Produce alone will eunnort : sdd .h?n one-third or nearly one-third to the 4,600,000 f 4. I ■ lieoplu, nnd tlie amount will be 6^ niilliona or 5,6(tO,()00 huninn beingi that this Province ii cnlculnted to inpport.* But tliure it one impor- liint iden Ihut niiiy in Monie degree modify thii result, Hnd »o (bia the next chapter of niy Keport id devoted. In u clirnntB like thin, it is quite ot neccMury to have fuel ni food. In order to huve fuel it is necessary to have wood ; to huvewootl there must be forests, which cover b great ei- tent of country. It is impc rtant, then, to enquire whnt extent of country is required, to grow wood for fuel : the result of my enquiry is, that the ex- tent of land (upon the ■mailest uvernge,) neccs- sarjr to raise fuel for one man is nenrly jhe same as IS required to raise foo«l for one niun ; Ihere- f-'ro two acres of land is the smallest quantity for growing fuel for one person. If, then, the qunn- tity of fuel required takes up so much of the sur- face of the country, it cannot be employed in growing food or stock ; therefore we must make n great deiluction on that head. A family of five persons will require turn acres of land ; one- tenth of the whole country must be kept in re- ■erva for fuel ; but certain other considerations will somewhat reduce this average. If the whole fuel of ihe country were to be grown in the fo- resU in all time to come, the country would not support 5,600,000 people, but only 3,640,000 ; being a difference of nearly 2,000,000. Much, therefore, depends on where the fuel of a coun- try is to be got from ; nnd thus an important question orises, viz., what chance is there in this country, to get its fuel from under the ground and not from iu surface ? Because, if fossil fuel (or coal) can be obtained in sufficient quantity, in future times the country will be able to sup- port two millions of people more than it would otherwise support. It will be a long time before all the wood in the country will be cut down ; but that is not the point of view in which to look «t it : look, for instance, at Sussex Vale ; that district is already so much cleared, that some parts of it have no wood at all, and the inhabi- tanU have to |o a longdistance to get wood ; so it will happen in other parts of the Province ; the land will be cleared, and the people will have to buy fire-wood from a distance ; therefore the ge- neral question, that it will be a long time before all the wood in the Province will be cut down does not apply to the wants of particular locali- ties. But the necessity for obtaining fossil fbel will arise long before that period can arrive ; therefore it is a matter of grave consideration to enquire, whether the possibility of obtaining fos- sil fuel is real or probable, and whether it can be obtained in such quantities as to enable the farmer to cut down the wood on his land just as he likes, or whether it would be more prudent for him always to reserve a certain quantity of *Th»re appears some illght discrepancy in tlili calcu- lutloii, urifing, probably frnsn !bR hijrrv of -feaiiiiiir ■ but the flgureg «re giren exnclly aa spoken by the Pio- HlMOt — [Rfporttr.] ' wood land on his properly. Now, if yon Ittok at llis Geological Man of the Province, jou will see a great sireti^h ol^ the yrey colour between the two r«(/(,nndthisj'rri/ district iscalled 'Me roa/,^e/(/,' because sea msofcoa I occurbereand heretbrough- out that district. In some parts of the world these coal seams are very numerous, the coal i« easily ^ot at, and is a very profitable production; as, for instance, in Cape liretun Island, in Nova- Scotia, and in Great Britain. Dr. Uesner ex- ploreil this tract of country, and indicated the localities where he considered that coal might be found. It appears to me, thot it is important to enquire, whether, among these beds of sand- stone indicated on the map, beilsofconl mav b« found which are likely to pay for the work'ing, nnd profitiibly to aid Ihe industrial pursuits of the country. On ibis (ieological Mop I have miirk- etl, by black dots, all the places where coal haa been uctunlly found; nnd in my Report I have collected, both from the Reports of Dr. Gesner and from other sources, every observation that has been made as to the nature of the coal in this Province, nnd the probability of finding it in greater quantities ; because the queation of a supply of coal or fossil fuel is a vital questmn in reference to the iigriculturul capiibilitiea of the country, and not merely a manufacturing or trnding question ; it is a question, indeed, of whether the country shall support five millions or only three millions of inhabitants. The diffe- rence ia very striking indeed; it is the difference between jjroducing fossil fuel from under giound, and raising fuel on the surface of the land. Franco is an instance of this difference ; for, though France possesses coal mines, yet about one-acventh part of the whole surface of that country is under wood, to furnis' ;'i;el for Ihe people, even in that temperate . - ite. Yoii will see, then, the great importance ci the quea- tion in this colder climate ; and I ha\e therefore brought the qneation prominently forwaitl in my Report, and have recommended an enquiry into the economical question, of bow fur it is likely that coal does exist, nnd that by exploration it may be found sufficiently plentiful nnd easy of n'tainment to be profitably useful. Afler doing this, I have considered other collateral topics in my Report, which 1 now pass over; nnd I como then to enquire, what is the actual productive- ness of the country ; what is the state of ita agri- culture; whether It does produce anything Rko these aggregates which we have estimated, and what ia the amount of produce raised in the Pro- vince. When I addressed you on a former oc- casion, I mentioned that there were a great many points which it was impossible for me personally to pronounce an opinion upon ; that it was ne- cessary for me to obtain information on those poinU; and that my principal object then was, to obtain auch information rrnm nrnctirnj men Js the Province, who were best acquainted with the varioua matters in queition. Alter that meeting, - f .' (S I drow ap n nuiiibor of (|ueriM, which wflre printed and rirculiilod ihrnughout tho I'roviiico, uiid t(» which I r».cBiv«Ml iihout iiixty rcphu* Croni Varioun purtiei. Out of lhn«o dixly iiiiHwem I have drawn n grcnt iiihm dI" inforiniition ; und the point* enilirnced in thi!< ciiiipter of my lie- port ore, thw proiliictiveni,'»» and ihti mcIuuI omoanta of the jrop» in ihi-i Province, im drawn from Ihote »ixly rttturna furniKhed to ine; und I linv finbodii'd those niiiiwurH in certain Tahlei which I drew up from a coniparinon of ihiir con- lent*. I will now briefly preieiit to your notice tho iubBtanco of thosu tablca, which consim of returns of various ngricuUural produce in bushels, •nd their weight per bushnl. Those roturnn comprise wheiit, biirhiy, oats, rye, buckwheat, Indian corn, potatoes, carrots, turnips, mangel wnrzel and Imy; they are all furnished by prac- tical men, and vouched bv thu names of 'the in- formants ; I take them, therefore, as my aulho- rities for my Tables an(i calculations, und if they ore in any degree erroneous, the error is not mine; and as all these returns are filed in the Secretary's Oflice, they can at any time be in- •pectod by those who desire to investigate them. I have classed these returns in Couiiiie$, in my Report; and in tny second Tal'le 1 have given tho nveni^es of nil the returns from all tho Counties, iig far as they were furnished to me. These averages amount to the following produce per acre, viz : Rye, 18 bushels. Potatoes, 204 " Turnips, 389 " I will not now dwell on these averages, be- cause tiino will not permit; bull will tell you what I have done with them, in order to arrive at some idea of thij productiveness of this Pro- vince. I have taken a similar average of tho produce of the State of New-York, as furnished by the best and latest authorities; and that av- erage is as follows: Wheat, 17| bushels. Barley, 27 Oats, 33 " Wheat, 14 bushele. Barley, 16 " Oats, 26 " Rye, 9eculi,irities. — In order further to tost this result, 1 have taken the two most productive counties in New-Bruu*. wick, in New-York, and in Ohio respectively: and tho result of that comparison is nearly as la- vourable to New-Ilruiiswick as th« other con- trosls. I then turned my attention to Upper Canada, of which 1 found roturns of produce published in that Province, from which I drow the averages us follow : Wheat, 121 Barley, ni Oats, 241 bushels. Rye, II,} bushel*. Potatoes, 84 " In making these comparison*, I have not se- lected any istate in the Union or Upper Canada, rulher than Lower Canada ; but I have merely made my investigations from such returns onjy u* I possessed, or were within my reach. Then, after contrasting those results of tho productive- ness of these several crops in these several coun- tries; the next question is, as to the tjuality of the produce. Quuntity is one thing, and (juulity is another. The quality of wheat und outs is of great importance; and that quality in indicated by their weight per bushel. With respect tooats, there is no doulit whatever, that where proper mills are erected and employed for the manu- facture, the quality of the oatmeal of thin Pro- vince is equal to any made in the old country. As to the quility of the wheat, tho (jucstion is, whether it will produce flour equal to that of tho United States. Genessee flour has a great reputation; so much so, that tho naino is often used for flour produced in other parts of tho Union. The quality of genuine Genessee flour has always been supposed to be superior to any flour main in New-Brunswick, or to any grain grown in New-Brunswick. Thi* fact attracted my attention, and induced me to make en(|uiries on the subject ; and the result, so fir as I can learn, is, thai flour made ui New-Brmisvvick i* quite equal in quality and will go as fur, will make as many loaves from a given quantity, as any superfine flour imported from the Uuited States; not only when it is made from imported grain, but also when made from home-grown wheat. It is of great importance, in judging of the condition of the farmers of a country, to know not only what the soil will produce, but also the price that can be got for it at a market. It will appear from these tables iu my Report that, taking theirt as a whole, the New-Bruns' t wick farmer ought to be much better ofTlhon the i riiniior ol ITppor CnnojlB, bucnuiio hiininn pro- duccH HI) iiiiicli iiioro ill propi)riion. Out then |ho (iii.'sliiiri iiri^w. whether the larger produce "nn)^A 11 l;irgi>r niiiouiit of inoiifiy : tlio (|ui:iiliuii of prino it i|iiitu im iiiiportaiit lu tlie (|ui)«liaii o( auuiitily; ihcrt'foro, I hnvodev.itea u chnpterto the |tri(;osoi)liiiiiea for ilitrureni kind* of produce, (derived from the iniiie rHinriia and authorities im thM other fublog in wy Ropon, already men- tioned,) and have deduced the averages for re- spective counties, and for the whole Province, and have compared them with the averages for other p;irts of the world. It inuxt be more intcremiiig to yon to coinparc tlioso averages with those oftho other parlH of North America, than tho«e of Kurope; th( reforo I hnvo miide the CoiripnriHon iicoordingly, so far as I could get ao- ceM to Ihu materials to enable me to do so. In Englaii'l we always speak of the price of grain by the " (iiiartcr," which is a measure containing ewht bushels; therefore I use th:it measure in these tables. First, then, in Upper Canada, the nvenigo prices are as follow : Wheat, 283. per Qr. Barley, IBs. •« Oats, 10s. " Rye, 18s. per Qr. Potatoes, Is. 6d. per {Bushel. Ill Now-nrunswick, the averages are VVhent, OOs.Sd.porQr. Barley, a4a. Oats,' 16s, Rye, 38s. 8d. perQr. Potatoes, Is. 1 Id. per [Bushel. Ill the 8tato of Ohio, the uveroges are : Whiiut, 31». Barley, 14s. Oats, 8s. per Qr 8d. " Rye, 169. per Qr. Potatoes, Is. lO^d. per [Bushel. rhercfore it appears, that the prices in New- Brunswick greatly exceed those in the two other countries named. Then, when we consider, that the land in New-Brunswick produces a much Urger quantity of food, and that the prices obtained for it are also greater than in the i ' - louring countries, we cannot fail to drai '( ,j concluHJon, that unless certain circumstaMCts, which are said to interfere with profitable form- ing ill Now-Brunswick, do really operate very disadvantageonslv, the farmer of this Province ought to bo much belter off than the farmer of Upper Canada or Ohio. This is not an absolute conclusion, but depends on circumstances, ca- pable of investigation. I f there nre such circum- stonces, which render thf^ condition of the farmer of New-Brunswick ditlirent from that of the agriculturists of other countries, and which might possibly so interfere with his pursuits as to ren- der his condition less comfortalile and profitable than their's, those circunistames should be inves- tigated, with a view to discover whether they cannot be remedied. Many such circumstances have been alleged, and I have considered them attentively in my Report. First of nil, the cli- mate is said to be disadvaiitageouu. It is most important to a farmer to understand well the nature of the climate of his country; and therp*- foro the relation of the climate of New-Bruns- wick to the profits of the New-Brunswick farmer, IS n neci'ssary point of enquiry. It is of no con- sequence to discuss the general subject of" Clt- malr"; we need merely enquire, whether the Climate of ibis Province is such, us to intvrfero materially with the profits of ibo Now-Brunswick Farmer, and to injure his coiidiiion in comjMirison with the fanners of neighbouring countries. In my Report, I set out with allowing two things us indisputable; first, that this climate is ejLceeJ. innly healthy; and 2dly, that, as far us I cun judge, the climate is not such as niateriully to interfere with the amount of the produce of the land, and that, in spito of the climate, the (ive- rnge produce is greater than in tliu adjoining countries of Canada and the United LHtates. This clears away iiiucli dilKculty, and leads mo to dJMcuHs tho question, of what are the probable profits of tho farmer in this country. It has been so often stated to me, that in this Province tho winter eats up the summer ; that the immense slock of hay required to maintain thu stock of cattle during the winter greatly decreases the value of tho farm prtiduce, and that therefore it is impossible for the farmer to realise any great profit on his operations, that I was compelled to give attention to these statements. 1 have there- fore considered these points fully in this jMirtion of my Report. I will not now go over thu argu- ments and facts contained in my Report, on this head ; but will merely state the general results deduced from them. The first objection made ii, that the extreme shortness of the season for agri- cultural labour requires greater exertion than in climates with longer summers, and leaves a larger portion of the year in which agriculturist* must be supported without raising any produce, and that therefore farming in this (ouiitry is more expensive than elsewhere. This is a very rea- sonable argument, and requires investigation, to test its soundness. I have compared the an- swers to my piinted queries, ua received from fifty different persons (practical men in this Pro- vince,) who have given an opinion on this ques- tion. Of these, there are twenty-five who soy, that the fact does not in reality allect the profits of tho farmer, and twenty-fivo who say that it does, and that it lessens those profits. There- fore tho evidence is exactly balunce! gained bv it. 8 Now, I will utk yoo, wliich ufiltoM itiria man ' WuuW you l)«lifve, jiml place the grvntpir rwli- | "noooii? WliHliur vou wnulil rntlirr IhIiivh ' lli» mini, who «li«wctl jou tlm inoni-y liu had made by employed and paid Inbour; or tho mnn I who Rhewed you liia empty pocUuln, mid (old ! >oii that piiid lulioiir wii« the riiuiin of it? !■ think W0 uaniiol lu-lii iirriving iit the coiicluiiioii, thul wlint one man doM iinothor ciin do. If A. can cultivate hiii furni to a goo*! profit, hy I'm- ploying pjiid liibour, and ciirofully hMiking iiftiir nia own intoreM*, nurolv H. ran (fo the auiiiu to aa good oHV-rt. Thoriifure 1 think, tliiit ihoiti! ini>n who «poiik athriiiulivply on thi:* ()iu'!iiioii, and who show mo the aoveroigni made hy piir- auiiig thia B^«tcMi, lire the men to bo heliitved and relied on; and their evidence i* belter tniin any mere theorolicnl opinion. Then, aa to the qiic.>ition, how far tho winter interferrs with the raiting of Htock and rendering them profitahlc : I apenk now of oxen, cowa, and nuch culllo : it hn» been by aoine auppoaed unprofitable to ruiae Btock ill the wintar in thi.i Province. I have gone the tianie way to work in treutinatliiH ipieK- tion; I liuve obtained the aame kind ol evidence, and have come to tho aama kind of conrliiaion, on the aame principles of uvidonce. If a man telia mo ho hiiii made money by tho puunit, and ahcvvu nie the mivtireignH so giiined, I cannot re- tist that evidence; what ho hna done, otliera may do, if they pursue the same prudent system; and tliereforu the concluaion I arrive at, on tho whole subject is, that it is proliUibie to carry on farming in this Province, and to raise and main- tain stock in the wintei. I Imve thus disposed of the two objections, relative to the climate ond to paid labour; but there are other things that interfere with farming in this country. One is, the pursuit of the lumbering Ijusiness ; and no donbt that is a circumatunce which has bitlierio most materially interfered v^•ith tho prosecution of agricultural industry in this Province. It is necessary therefore to consider, how far it is likely to interfere with tho future condition of the Province, in relation to its agricultural prosperity ; bat it is only fair to acknowledge, that although evils have sprung from lumbering pursuits, yet that the Province owes n great deal of its pros- perity to iu lumbering operation?. That pursuit was tho natural trade of the country, before agriculture could possibly have been commenced at all, and it will continue to be so for u long time to come. There is a great difference be- tween urging a thing too far, and conducting it in a skilful and prudent way. From the returns ond papers I have received on this point, I have been compelled to come to the conclusion, that lumbering does not necessarily interfere with farming; but rather, if judiciously followed, each class of persons attending exclusively to their own peculiar business, that lumbering operations will promote the interests of the fa rmer iu va rious ways. Then, again, as to tho proGu of farmers, and markets for thpir produce; I have made a com- pariaon of the returns funiUhcd to n^^, and havt I dnlurtHl the averanH* of thi' ditFereiit prices ol». ; Iniiii'd .111(1 jirofitH giiincd. iNow, if them* pinfils and piii'i'H \M>re obtaiiii'd, lliero must have been I some plarn .vhero these articles vsere sold, and ! llinrefore there iiiiist bo iiiurkels for the priMluro I of the country; and these market* will not only I LMinlinuc, but will gnidmilly increase. .No doubt, I the iimrkets might in some respects be improved; I and on this bead, I have thrown oi>t soma lug- gesiiousin my llH|>ort, which may ht-TeaOvr prove heneficial. I have also, in llmt Report, touched on the subject of Emigration, its causes and ef- fects; and on thn efiects of blights or diseases on tho agricultural products ot tho Provi>ice. Tho consideration of all these quustioiis leads me to the general conclusion, that so far as I have been able to examine the conditkm of the Pro- vince personally, ns well iis from the study of tha various jmiiits put to mo by practical men belonging to the country, I conceive that there is nothing in the circumstances of this Province so dillereiit from those cf other countries to which I havo allude.!, (and particularly at regards Ca- nada and the KiiHtern Slates of the Union) which ought to diiiiiniHh the profits of the farmer in comparison with those countries. In my Re- port, I have discussed the actual state of the liU I la*! and agrinuliure of tho Province, and have j foPowod up this discussion with n series of re- ^ commnndnlions for their improvement; which ; are partly such as cm ho carried out only by j iiioaiiM oi' Legislative enactment and assistance, ' partly within the scope and capability of Agricul- tural Societies, and partly can be eflectedLy the exertions of individual farmers. These tonics are too extensive for ino to discuss this evening; and indeed it would bo improper forino to do so, because they will come before the Legislature for consideration, and any notice of them now would 1)0 promuturo. — I here briefly take my leave of you, by not giving any opinion of my own, further than I have given it us founded on the information uflbrdcd me. I mention Ihia merely ns a safeguard; that although the infor- mation contained in my Report may bo imper- fect infori!iation, and tho results deduced may be merely imperfect results, yet they are such aa have been obtained from the data furnished to me hy the men and the documents I have met with in the Province. Probably, they are re- sults which I might have reason to correct were I to reside longer in the Province; but ut present they are such as I have been compelled to or- rive at, from the materials and means of infor- matioa possessed by me, or to which I have had access. How fur they may prove useful, in making the farmers more contented, and the peo- ple more satisfied with the Province as to its ag- ricultural capabilities, I leave you to judge, after perusing the Report at length : you are quite ca- pable of judging on this question, and I am quite sure your judgment will be sound and impartial.