VOL, 2. BATH, N. C., APRIL, 1853. NO. 1.
JOHN F. TOMPKINS, M. D., Editor and Proprietor.
For the Farmer’s Journal.
Edgecombe' Co., N. C. )
March 15th, 1S53. j’
Bit. Tompkins : — Allow me to con¬
gratulate you upon the success of your
enterprise, the publication of the Far¬
mers Journal, the first volume of which
lias just been completed ; and I am re¬
joiced to sec that, the “work” will con¬
tinue to pay a monthly visit, to the far¬
mers of North Carolina. We have for
sometime needed some such publication
as yours, and tin’s is I think the third at¬
tempt to establish an agricultural paper
in our State upon a permanent basis. —
The many readers of your paper in this
county are much pleased with-it, and all
with whom I have conversed upon the
subject say “God speed” you in the suc¬
cessful prosecution of your task. The
beginning, which is you know the most
difficult part of every enterprise, is now
accomplished, and I can see no reason
why you should not make “the Jour¬
nal” a source of much profit to yourself,
and great benefit to the advancement of
farming in the Old North State. Wher¬
ever I go, I hear a great deal said of sci¬
entific farming in Edgecombe county,
but I am sure that the very great success
which lias attended the farmers of this
county is owing in a great measure to
their industry. They are working men ;
they lose hut little time from the first of
January until the 26th December;
while in other counties the farmers af¬
ter gathering their crops, do hut little
in the way of improving their lands, we
in this county arc gathering materials
for the compost heap, draining our lands,
and paying attention to the general de¬
tails of the farms. I do not wish to be
understood as denying the application of
science to farming, tor such is not my
belief, Wc have in our county some few
scientific farmers, gentlemen who have
had the advantages of education, and
see, therefore, the great importance of
connecting science with tLeir operations
upon the farm.
Agricultural papers have done much
to advance farming with us. Many of
our farmers have been taking them for
three or four years past, and they have
now found them as indispensable as the
plow or hoc.
I recollect well that when our enter¬
prising feilotv citizen, Robert Norfleet,
Escp, was using every etfort to get sub¬
scribers to them, he was charged by
