Indiana American, Volume 21, Number 46, Brookville, Franklin County, 4 November 1853 — Page 1
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BY T. A. GOODWIN.
VTtxi tht CItttr Artt Tach at to Fanning. 14 T4T ANf)l.r-l4l nrl-rV, I itaaaaaai rate, l.aiaraiia, inn., uev. 13. IHM. BY llOHACK HKhKLY rixuiAoKiiaM: I etand before 1 you it your 8oclety't Invitation, feeling the full forc of lh critlcWm which de Ott to ont ot lay habit an J pursuit i capacity to Instruct ftrmert aa to their own ttpfcial vocation. "Shoemaker, tick to your last!" 1 a ound though aometime misapplied aJmonitlon, and there ; I treat strength In the natural presumption that every man can aee a little forth er on hit own proper pathway than can be aeen by any one clae. I fully real- , lie and cheerfully admit that any one of you, who hai derotcd the lait twfuty or thirty yearato Agriculture, rat.it know very much more concerning It tban I, who Abandoned It at fifteen to rna. ter and pursue a moat exacting mechanleal and Intellectual vocation, and have -aince been able to anatch but here and therein hour from a constant pressure of imperative dutiea and oppressive caret to revive the tnemoriee of my youth among the busy seed-planters, or within the aound of the mower sharpening hit acylhe. Ii I were to en ay a lecture on the Complete Husbandman lo fix the proper time for planting thia or that vegetable, and for harvesting thia or that graiu, and ao on I might, of course, be corrected, on many poinU, by tome of the youngeat of my auditors. Little aa ( know of (arming, I know too much ol it to attempt any auch teaching. What I hall endeavor, la to act forth aome of the principlea which underlie the whole fabric of Productive Art and Industry, (my calling aa well aa yours,)and to show their application, aa correctly at I mav, to the Farmer's vocation aa well aa olden. I may err In thii or that applica tion: but 1 ahall endeavor to base my inculcations on principles so broad in their cope, and to vindicated by centuries of urcettful experience in a great variety of pursuits, at to bo justly entitled to a place among the axioms of Industrial Science. The first point, then, which I shall ndeavor to illustrate, la that of Economy of Meant perhaps I should rather jay, Harmony of Proportion in the .management of farms aa of everything else. For when I aay Economy, 1 mean oraethiLg at remote at possible from .Parsimony. Chesp lands, cheap buildings, cheap labor, cheap stock, cheap tree or grafts, are aa far (rom economy anything well could be. Ity Kconojny ol Meant, 1 imply auch a disposition or distribution of means, be they scanty or abundant, at ahall ensure to the operator the largest attainable return for his labor and skill. For example I print newspaper lor i living, and am obliged, 4y ibt extent of some of my editions, to use presset costing twelve to sixteen thousand dollars each. There 1 a real conomy In to doing, because Icoutd not otherwise dispatch my papers to their subscribers In acceptable season. Hut il eny journal printing one-third or onetenth ao many copies, were to buy and eise auch presset, the policy would bo wasteful and ruinous, although the editions would be thrown oflf with unwonted celerity and efficiency. The interest on the capital needlessly locked up lu preatct would probably absorb all tin frelte of tho business, If not more. Aadyet this it the identical blunder that thousands of farmers persist In, by holelag on to Urge farms, which cost thouaudt of dollars, and are very likely mortgaged or otherwise encumbered, while able or witling only to apply thereto the labor, science, skill, and manuree which are requisite and proper for fartaa one-fourth so large. Hern is enormous waste a loss of interest on threefourths of the capital invested in land a lose which may possibly be endured in farming, but which could not fail to prove ruinoua in almost any other business. Every farmer seems aware of the reality and magnitude of the general error In thia respect, yet the great majority peraitt looting wito for their neighbors only, and not for themselves. And I apprehend the error with many originates rather in want of. thought than lack of knowledge. They plod on in the path beaten out by their grandfathers, not reflecting that a course which might have beer, advisable, or at least excusable, when a farm of three hundred acres was worth but a thousand dollars In cash, has betn rendered utterly indefensible and uicidal by a gt adual advance in tho value of that farm to five or perhaps ten thousand dollars. He who can buy land at ten htllinga per acre may afford to Jeave It untilled and unfenced for years, until its timber or Itt grass shall have fAecone decidedly valuable: yet when tho i timber ahall have disappeared, the grast acttt tnat I tnougntof buying for a sum - a.a . -
I. äeome the watched for prey of droves of cieni ana prontaoie prosecuviou oi inoir Potatoes, aud Wheat rope lively, would , .-.., ... anij Wtt8te oro to reap the rewarde propmother men's cattle, and the land worth labora. The worker in Iron, for exam- yield far greater product lhau would thai "t many lime rather to tio so Imd he , . . inteiiLrenco .1. s iuy dollar, per acre, it ia flagrant and pie, recognize. l.ia need to know what it .. tieid if u.v.Jed into r,v. .q.i p.ru .,i r-'p-- --m uI01lJlLe",
.;.l..kla tst..nJ. J". ,u U that tiatLes. an.l u-l.a m,m tUm nennnrt ..f cn UtVOleU 10 BO n 0 ie Of III ' urn. UftS T" ".'. 7 w'w w - - - ; , , ,. T '
J-,, T ",k,"ut' ; -.-r.-r...v. v. f . auccea-ioii l-...erCflH i.-i lu out that ll would not luv touud a pluoo muieriai uaeu in my ousines as caroiU were sUll worth but ten shillings. Iron; and not merely of Iron in gen- ..uihT. tf uulewouth. .trengii, of te.tony more : lessly and blindly as this old farmer I. once went to look at a farm of fifty I but of the various qualities nJ . Mw.B,uli?f boaiit. Wheu al last luterro- reliabl. limn mine, bee.u. fouoo.d ou a i bought manure and fertilized hia land, I
, mexaome, onie lorty miles from the city ' strike lairly in a blacksmith s shop, and i ofNw York. The owner had been may have learned to make a tolerable i borassa It, at I believe had hit father be- horse-shoe; but he haa not risen to the foraJiim, but It yielded only a meager 'rank of an artisan. Let him acquire a .lÄaUtenc for hia family, and he, thorough knowledge of Iron in the ablUlvojight of selling and going West. I atract, and of the lawa of chemical alTint waafcover it with hint late in June, pass-j ity which govern itt combinations with ifglhrongh a well-filled barn yard which ' other aubstaoces,and the practical knowl-
Haitaot been disturbed that season, and ateppicg thence Into a corn-field of five Acres with a like field of potatoes just be r-eate.lt. "Why .neighbor J"aaked.I,In at- , loalihment, "how could you leave all lib!. manure ao handy to your plowed i land, and plant ten acres without any 1" -"Cvlwattick a goor part of the Spring, . aoorso hurried that I could not find time I to haul it out." "Why, auppoae you' Vail -I.MI..I kii, Amm -I .11 J I aw4 viaiikcu mi nit Uta tu au, itu . 0m m, . ,J Alt. K . .n . mA n n I k. i a Aua -leaving the residue untouched, don't you ,t,:L , . !..-.-," j . . think you would have harveated a larger -Crop! Well, perhape I ahould," waa ': the poor farmer't response. It teemed .never before to have occurred to him ,that be Could let alone a part Of hia land. Had he progreed so far. he miffht have xventured thence to the conclusion that td thence to the conclusion that JtUl... expenaivand more prontable to raise a lull crop on five acrea than nan a crop on ten. 1 am aorrv to eav vwe have a good many auch farmers atill Jtft at the Etat, though the advanced Jrices of land and the impoverished con - dition of the soils they inherited, with their iln.enl, mt. e.,lti.l inn K. .driven the rreater abare of them to the1 Weat. Here, on your deep, virgin eoils,1 they renew their round of exercisea in 1 a- a a I latso Husbandry, wastinp; their manurea because "thia land is rich enough," and rexhaoatiog their eoila by one grain crop
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after another, until they run down their capacity from thirty bushels per acre of Wheat to ten of Corn or five of Itye, when they wilt be off again for Iowa, Missouri, or Oregon. When they hall have got ao lar West as to find land that doesn't need nor reward fertilising, and will not be worn out by their modo of farming, I trust they will coino to a felt stop and send fur their relations. Let me be rightly understood. I do not condemn a msn for owning more land, in a new country where land la cheap, than he is now able or willing to cultivate. 1 know perfectly well that the system ol thorough aulturo that succeeds so admirably in Belgium Is not yet adspted to Indiana. Where good fenced pasture may be bought for eight or ten dollars per acre, you cannot afford to keep up your cattle and cut all their food, though that it excellent policy in ita place. It ensures the keeping of a much larger stock on a given area, beside enrichirg the land far more rapidly. But it requires vastly more labor, and where a week's work Is worth an acre of arable land, it won't pay. What I Insist on is simply this Land worth cultivating at all, it worth cultivating will. Almost half the toil in my section never ought to fool the touch of plow iron, unless for the purpose of striking fire on some oMts abundant rocks, öuen land should be kept covered from too particu lar observation by growth alter growth of wood, giving variety and freshneat to the landscape, and persistence, if not stability, to the atreama. But wherever an acre it broken up, it ahould be with a fixed resolve to extract a good crop from it, and to use all the meana requisite to that end A field of spindling yellow corn, or stunted, slragglingoata, or blossoming buckwheat, that seems to have been compassionately aown for the accommodation of broken-winged bumble boes, Is a palpable impeachment of the capacity of ita owner to manage laud at all. If it can do no better than this, he ought never to have broken it up. If he will do auch a stupid thing, he ought at least to keep his folly out of sight from the public highway. I presume c areful investigation would discover the existence of a pretty general Law of Proportion between the market value of a farm and the amount of tabor that should be annually devoted to ita cultivation, apart from enduring improvements. Let ut suppose a farm of 100 acres to be worth this year 910 per acre or 81,000 in all; then we will aay one man's labor or three hundred duy't work per year, worth $300 lu all, might bo as inut'h aa could be profitably bestowed on ita mere cultivation. But roads and markets improve until this land Is worth 030 an acrt, or the farm 93,000; and now nucli more of it rniiy be taken out of forest or pasture, and devoted to grain an. I vegetables, involving an increase of the labor expended on it to three men's steady work, or 9oo per year. Ho, as tho value Increased to 9i0, 70, and at length 9100 per acre, the labor i employed thereon should bo correspondingly Increased, whether by a division of the farm or otherwise. I do not profess to Indicate tho preclae proportion of prosent labor to valuation of fixed capital, but only that there is such a proportion, and that economic acieuco will yet ascertain and declare ll. It Is not necessary tlut lind should be cultivated in order to be productive. The young, growing wood Is earning money for itt owner, at well at the cornfield. He who hat laud that he doea nut need, yet wishes to keep for his children, csn hardly servo them better than by In closing it elloctuttlly, planting It with locust, hickory, and other choice timber, and leaving it undisturbed till hit sons may raquirt it. But even left in opuu, naked common, land generally tends to improve from the renovating influences of the atmo ipliero alone, as the reclaimed "old-field" of the Mouth bear witness. It it only poorly farmed land that it a bliirhtto itt oossosaor and a discredit to I Ihn entintrv I f a 1 1 1 1. Iah nr now iIaw... I teg to I arming iiirouguuut me union . were wisely concentrated on one-half the land, our annual product would bo i - , r - . - l . I . . t. tf . . much larger, our lands would appear far moro produi live and valuable, while the timber that we aro now wasting and deatroying, at though Prophet Millor't peedy conflagration of the world were a demonstrated verity, would be gradually re-investing the earth with a beauty and graceful majesty which Cabot or John IS mi lb may have realixed, but of which our children aee in destined to have none but hearsay evidence. f ui,i n.-t I,'. ....... -t... 1 r
14 W a VI vMa at mt saa vi Bf Itl ( T miBK tlBI II V hvw im n'- s itwi-vw' tu 1 ni M.cb.nic. nd ArUSctri to e.tioi.u lium. U.ai ...J h. ... w lon.l no,, .w .0JJu.ti, ..,. ,r., ö(,.!;r ' them now do the Importance and necet-1 , - ,. . u,a,ii slty of öetwe. or a profound and accu-1 "V Ä
rate knowledge Of principles, to the eflli t i !). ..I a as , Kinds, without tins, ne may blow or edge he has gamed in making horseahoee may be made available in forging anchor, in making plo-va, or iu a thou sand other employments which, in the absence of science, he must have approached aa a novice and learned from the beginning. Science it the bridge acroet which our practical knowledge. gained by experience, passes and repaises, to aid us at need in our stern battle uiilk nku!...1 ' t .kl....n ; w ivu piij aiva, vppicaaiuit auu iiuuwui u1 nPIJ IIa lriiura Kimi. Irx A rr a ,li well, and does it, is a good workman, so .. J. ,1.., i.i 1 , , far at that spec si function la regarded; but he who it thoroughly grounded in 1 the Science which underlies his vocation is enabled to master a dozen differ- ' ent arta or modifications of his pursuits ! with a celerity and perfection otherwise 'unattainable. Now the farmer, who perfectly com - . prehendt the value of tcienco in the. con airucuon 01 a oriage or a cnimney.oiien ! aeemi not to appreciate ao vividly ita importance in bit own vocation. Hit unj expressed but acted-on idea would seem ' to be that, while other industrial callings I .M..i.a, i..tr,ii-iinn. m-th.,.l. .hatr.rt knowledge. Farminir it a matter of inatinct, or mechanical imitation. Ho seems to think a knowledge of itt princi- . a a ' plea and laws "cornea by Wature," at 'Dogberry supposed reading and writing 1 did. He aendt to College the eon who ia
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to be fitted for a profession,' and to tho Academy he who Is to be qualified for a pedagogue, but ho docs not consider that out who Is to have the farm on condition of taking care of tho old folks, needs any other training for his life-long pursuit than that which Is begun In thi I) trict School and finished behind the plow. And yet there It not a good reason in the world for inducting a youth, who is to become a master worker in Iron, copper or lead, into a thorough knowledge of the material he is to lashion for a livelihood, which U not at least as good a reason for Instructing the young farmer thoroughly and scientifically In the nature and diverse properties! of soils. These are inoro vr.ricus, moro complex, lest obvious, tha i hose of any single metal. A good toil is always a compound, and tho moro various It materials the greater (probably) its value. A pure yellow sand or blue clay is easily comprehended and estimated; whilo one deep, black loam may, because of cer
tain latent elements, be worth twice aa much as another equally promising to the casual observer. No man who hs not scrutinized its husbandry and productlona for year after year It qualified to fix the value of a farm, any more than to cultivate it without the ability to chemically analyze and accurately determine the composition of its soil. But this, winch I am eommtndlng, la sneered at as, Uook-farutlng, aud stardy old codger who ha spud the plow all tbir days laugh till ther almost fancy themselves waty at lit Idea or a uiau coming out of a college-chamber or a chemical laboratory to Uach Um i n how to grow ooru or retr uaitle And truly, if lh teache! wer to command hi science as a substitute fur their practical knowledge a reuJerlng periem-o unmeaulug and personal obaervatiou superfluous - there would be impU provocation for sharper ehafu of wit lhau th.es will aver b sola to speed. But this ao man has tver suggested or commeuded. Tita fanner bent ultooled lu Ihs natura and properties of soils, Ilia laws which goveru vegetal lou and His elemeuts essential to form thrifty plaut tr aulnuls, will le.trn from experience nut m but mora than Ins uulnstrucUxi nsiglibor. Ilia oUirvatljns M luv. wl.)r slgnlftcauuej and the fict nswly oWrred today will be r-a.liiy iliueiJ to Its proper pla, wnsrt it will ct light on other facta observed ynWrJy or lob obaervod to-morrow. Not to supercede tipereiu:, but to rlevalo It to a slaud-poiul, whenca lt rang of vis Ion will bit hro Isr, an! its deductions mors rslltble, do wa plsdl for :ieiic In farming. What is lu cfject coni'iided for by the a J vorales of b.tok farming la aimply this that a farmer, like any rinnt, whll he ued pructiOil iperlciiije, m iy uNo profit by tlis practical ipertiti' of others For atunplet A uw pl.tui or veg.-ubU Imuiro.luoe I, which our siiil-biiok farmer ojiu ln,ie to try, tho' tottlly Ignoruul of Ita uatureaiiJ amii. Lai us suppo-t Ilia n nret neighbor who h is e r grown this plant lives liva mites awsy. Nuw, wlil do tula uew fc A . . . eii. iiiiauirr. II lit, nav a oei eui siiari 01 common n la ( over and hslc the Mu-irian-w I cultlvaljr whit 1 1 beeltMlauled to till plant. What manures arc beet for It, what tune It hould b ' pUntej or oei, how cuttiiii-il, Ato.7 t'laluly, it would bi sheer muhitss for him to omit such inquiries, snd ge on us If liier had bou u i precilug riperieiice, lo answer all tlit question anJ üeiertnliii all lhso polul fur hlms-lf, by luph nirJ planting oil very varloty of soil, at every possible sou, with any or every sort of lertil iert By so doing lie mut spend several hundred dollar lOi'eUirmlua what lie might readily luv ascertained al tha oo-l of a dollar. Wall, If h could turn to Ilia proper pga of an Agricultural Dictionary or KuuyclopedU, and them learn exuoly when thia plaul ehould bo eown lu thia Utliude, how uiiuured, how cultivated, vVc, would uot Hut be tili tnirr and cheaper thin to ride over lo hisdl-taut n-lh-bor si Would ll not be highly probshle titat the direcllnua contained lu tha book, beiug founded on a wido rug of expenmeiilt, wuu.d b in tra rllibla and complete llwu hit n-ighhor'a counsel btsed on his narrow pt ra hi il experie.iuaf A pro lent nitu would propuhl, nnii-uU Itollt book and lieljjI.Uor, and liiu folUw elihnroitly so fir as Ins own juug nt ilsiiouM diutttei but how ran any onsu.iprove 1 art tsklng conn-! of oim hi m'a xpanenor, yet ooudumu a cour-e, which w, In lact, but P'iylua deioreaca to ilia experttuna of ii.tny lhouaitdsl Hut SOUS sty "OoUiUll and profit by all the kpt-ririiua within your reach, but dou'l talk to uabout Agricultural Hcianc. Growing good crop In tha Fanner's vocation, and lu tins pursuit expwrl tittfe Is always eafa e-uUI,, unt a0 whsit Is ealUd 8 iieno. which olien ntialeadeand Impoverishes." I Lt ua coiKldin ' Of eouise, there la much Scleuoo so ralleil, which is fel.u Sid-n:o Hi j bralu-spuii specul tlions anH subleties of I Ho an I fiuuiful people, aiixlom to acottuitt for p nmo nn t wniuh ntey r-'a ly do not uu Jer-tvi I. No one consider aucii dulnuc worth anything j and It la one of tha chief reuoinmaiiitatinua of true Hcirtii'ie that It eu ib'es man to tiul-ct the pretender aud unmask him. Uut Hui.1 Ii... k..,.!-!.,.. ..f N.i.ie- uii 1 1.-. aarslo rotation of Corn. Data. Cloirer. gated for Ilia reason or law w.ii.ilt uu lerlies this fact, Scleuc mule an wer Um e.icii paitt requires and exact It peoulUr uutri miut.aud tli a this Is relatively if uot absolutely ailtMusied by growing that crop on Hie im Und year after year. It maybe that liie rive plant above nmad all rquir Lune, PuUh, Phosphorus, Ain n uia, Crbow. Jto , which, beside Water, ar the chief el-mouW ofvegeuitl structure; bui, if ao, they requirs them lu very unequal proporilouaor uoautiiie. Urowu eaun ou it own iweui acres iura Jgiioul ilia live y-aia, ou will have exluu-ieo tu Lime, yet have an abuuilauce of Pho-phorus left; another will have abeorbad all tha Putash lu lUdivUiou, yel hardly lasted the Lime; and so ou; whll had tue liuu lred a-re been sjwu lu rotation or eauueaatoa entirely It ou anJ Huu to another of lh crops, or had lh five bean alternated from portion lo portiou with each sucueoolug year, Uiy would all have ialJed - . -.. ..-. t " -".y., ""uU, 1 ' "T"1 pensuce aihr.it iitai Ute rotation of crops ins Uf 1Jf. , mU llWi lh. tyglBin, W,icli rfcleuci uuhesiUUugly corrouoraus, aud add that, while rotation has taeu mora from tnoii, ith uevmhetess lell it iu better couditiou to bear future har- , t(1 lhi Kiontc will lu du time ratify aud osUbtUii.
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fulitra v. !'i i'2ht ürawu directly from the ...,.,. rntieetai from ihd Paai. Exoe- ; rieuce ba ho wu thii n particular routiou is pref -riti!, to the growft of th satn plant on ihe nu-s soil lor a aucjsiou ofyr; but j öceuce forecusu beyon. Hue, and aiGnn that any poibi rotttlou must bo preferable to lucessant an 4 ouchauziuir repetition, for rea sons which He detp iu the bosom of Natur a id are Inseparable from her very vitali.y. As surely a Uxperieuco haa demonstrated tt xpetileucy of keeping cattle where they , havt gra aud water ooiu, instead of j ting op a part whert they will have nut-grass
BRÖOKVILLE. FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1853.
IWIIM enough but no water, and the radln where they will hiv abunilano ofwat-irbat.no trans orotlu r faod, so clearly' due tViance detnonilral the dvaiitsg of growing dlfTornt crops In relation ' ' Uut in stiswsrltig our first qnstionuwhy ehould different crops b grown Itt rotation" ocletict has thrown opsu a wldt Held of proflUbU Inquiry. We Itava seen tint liva good crops ol In Jun Cora cannot be grown onT tlia stmt ground for five kucoewiv jeers, unless byvlrtuaof profus an I ' eipsiulv mauuriiig; 00 am eaon crop rtns Miiurued u under proiHirllou ' of certain eletoeuls or tiri'parlle sseutltl to Corn, leaving others, vittl to Mtix-t, but mart Mtoewary to Wheat, Clover, &.., unJUinrb-d lu tits soil. Wa now kuow, therefore, that any rversg soll, regarded with rlreuca to any particular plaut, puMeee c-rlalu elemeuls lu exca while It isdetlcleut ll older-and wedemaud of Helene that she tell u just how wo may moat cheaply und easily supply, not element of fertility la general, but thus partloulnr elemsuta which are dellcleut, ouul.lrd with reference to our purpo-m. We desire not to spend our time aud moans In fi:ling a soil on which Wheat Is never to be grown with costly laments which Wheat alouo will rquiioor tkop, but to Invest each doltsr aud day, wo lar as wa may, In riinohlug that
, ,-r . ,.y, , , runomug u.a ( ot b yeora it Si'Cmt to me but soil wilit lue rlsiueult where lis uot da 10 nt I t ,r. u ( . hui-hirh -in '...h-.'fivo or tlx ine Prof.. Alapes, who was
but which our ne.icrup will neverthalees require, lu other woru.luoelt Is uot our praulics t i plow, plant aul cultivate our tn-1 tire farms, foreais, ravines aul ull, bectuse . wt purposn to harvest ludiait Com tad Wheat , front a small part of them, so wo üelre to xerciss a use oiscrinuuatioii aud practica a like ccouomy In tho production or purchase and application of mauura. Aud todothia, wa appeal to öcleuce for ao aualyai of the dltrereut soil of our various lie. is, to Oelermills wherelu each I deliclt-ui, each relatively reuouJaut, that we may apply various rrl Ilaers accordingly. Aud tin is tht basis aud all the basis, of bclentißu Farming. Let ms Hoger still on this topic of bookfanning, and pile illuntruiioii ou illustration of its iruocharaaUtreud imulfulJ aJvauUg-s Vou may tell ma that thia I net-dies, but I know better) since 1 kuow there ere taus of thousands of farmers la every quarter uay, right here In Indiaua soma of them, I doubt uot, now hero who t iks no agricultural pa per uay, no paper at all! because they thmk they can't afford it! that it has no other thau speculative or fancy Value for their uaej thai Utey would be the poorer for taking ll. Now I utaiutnin that uo fanner or artitau who caa read Can really all orJ to do without at least three weekly newspapers i ou to bring him tho general nw, polilii:, ud social iittiveuieuls of his tlinai another to leach him whatever of discovery, luvenliou, or improvement may from lima to lima btt made lu his owu pursuit or calling; aud the third to keep him advised of whatever of luloreel may Irait-pire lu hla own locality or couuty. II may be so very poor aud luetiicleut that ha Isju-tiliei iu obtaining two of these by exelune with hi equally luokle neighboM, but Ihre Ii should at least read vary week, beeausa bt tfiuitot afford to be wllhuut th iulelllgeuot they brlrtg hirn. And while theraara ihousauds who are bringlug up sous for farmers aud daughter lor 'lousewlves, without lakiug a perloUiael or vveu owning a book that treats of laruiiug or huUMuloru. It la Kau..! .. . u . i. .. .1... ------ J t " " J 1 ' " I itupld prejudice agaiusl bouk-fariitl.ig tut been already autrnsieutly dadt with, W Jt IS llilauav ao noUut a 11.1 uil.dliiavuaa. iL.r wilit ma. then, wl.lla I .11. ,.! 1.1 .. ...... uiylight upon it througii the fw homvly f.tcl. relation of a Itomely f.i j I was vlaltlng nm old friends in Vermoul i last summer, when I obsvrved iu Hit garden of ouo of tlimn Hit nio.t turifty and luxurl1 ant grape vlue that I had ever before seen growing In so colj a climate- Now It Is one ' advauttge po-aa-eed by III rlae of Ignorant , rullivators to whit-It I belong ovsr that sort who nt merely know nnihing but glory In It, lint we are not all reluct tut locoufa our IgnoMiica when wa sua a chau t rr thus mil- , igllug Ii. I therefor, at ouo akd the lady whoaoviu lhl w, to tell ins by what means slit had lnure.l It suolt vigor au l productiveness aud she replied Hist she had in ula It her rule, wer sine the vine was set there, to throw a pailful! of soap-suds it lha clus uf every wanning dsy. Again, In the same fj tr.len, I remarked a scar or ring around eaoh plum Ira, jut aliova tha grouud, and on Inquiry ascartsiuad that theso trees had been girdUi l ist spring by soint malicious oouo.lr I, wh ha l' lulled one dark nlgitt, Oil his way from tht gutlar to tha stata prison, to perpetntt this dalardly outrage. The ovuer dUnovered tha mlschluf e irly next morning, aud liuying a pot of copal varnish lu the hou, speedily applied ll Willi a brush to thi wound on tho tree, covering oaou with a uoat of varnlshi aud by this means every tri was saved. When I siw ilium in inlJsuinmer, they wart as green and thrifty as auy trees wltuin miles. Now 1 do notsUud her to maintain thut aonp su.la will alwaya iH-iraii inuujanw vi iiuq rjira, uvr viiafc m coating of varniah, anasonably applied, will always sva glrolxd trei-s; fur I du not know such to be the fact. I trust further etperlin1 aud iuqulry will cast light ou both pniiilst that soap suda will be withheld from t u door yard aud given to tha gra,t vutea an I that every tree that any pnwllng rate 4 1 iniy girdle will bo promptly 00,1 tod with varnlsii u.itll we luil del. riiiiim nuJer what Clrcumsleuuee, and with what limitations, Poia-itorso.iaiDenoiioiiiiogrt:eaua varTil a- 1 . . , i-i 1 a fl -1.I1 -n ul-Jat. lor (icilmf. Iii. Olm 1 .sä iiriiurr.,:,",:..:;:;:;:;.'"::.' wayliiasoap suds, or ueilfct varuishlng , f ' W so,,,- r-a-,on lor doing olherwUes and llt .l. if be would Wluer aud mir Varied epetleuc, aud ub-1 Underbill w. a physician lu xteus.v prc - tiiesomt twsuty years ago, when, In lit prime of life, having become heartily tired of gallipots and boo sewing, he shook olf Iii dust of our city from hl feet, aud resolved lieiicelorilt to liye au ho not life a a grower ol fruits. 11 weul forty in ihs up lho (luds.iu, bought a Uerk ol land, aud commenced the cultivation of tho grape, which Ita has since prosecuted will wlentinc kuowledje, untiring .uergy, and at length with decided success, II ho probitbly ausged mors suf lerlog with his grapes, than Ii ver creeled by Ina drugs; ha has grown considerably younger by Ina twenty years' farming, and I now taking hi place among tha moat brisk aud geulal of our youth an admirabl spedmeu of that brauch of "Young America" which doe uot hat to work nor long for 1 r 1 : 1 , V nl n V J! . . ul of the amenled l)o w 111 ug, stduds, probably, ,t lh, hMi of our frolt.t;wWer., wiru wh0, j one knotty problem of tti lost few years ha ' been how lo counteract tha ravages of the Curcuho, which la nearly robbing u of plum for wbioh hia Uato U eqael lo our, wlilla in tho nutter of gratliylug It, b i decidedly ahead of us. by the lime lie no taken m derhill, by long study aud careful observation haa dm-o.,ii the mean of complete. v uut 1 wining him. 11 has fouud by wuuinug aud noting her movemeuU, that the female Curculio will not deposit her.tggi where thev, when tu plums containing mein drop. will fall luto water, her iithtiucl teaching Iter that they will tno b drowin d. - laXing advant-ige of this lustiuct, tue Doctor pluui his plum tree ou the bank of a ir.-rii or poud, and gives the trunk sach au inctiuliou Inat 1 their blanche overlta., lite water. Thus tu desolater is cLeca.nia.l-J uy hia own instinct, and tht fruit preserved from
his ravages. ' 1 know iiotL'ng cleverer lu Its way lhau this devlca. Now 1 suppose them is no contemner of Mlook-farmlui' ao mulUli or so dull that he
woald not, after hearing of this device, tuka advantage of any brook or pond ht might j have on It la pre mi tea, and set his plain-trees where they will ha sife from tha Cure alio. 1 But auppon the discovery bad beert mads by aims fruit grower, cf th last oentury, and duly recorded lu a bovk, lud since been sub jcted to a thousand orieuU.and h id psareil lrluiii,ihant through lhei-t all would it hsva been let acceptable or tin vtlatble than It now Is T IT U Ims worth oar while to leern at all, wlutdirTxreiict 0411 I Innginsd tIweeu the knovlaJga foauded on m ueighbor'e euperisiic aud that coutalued In a book? If there be any, are uot the odds altogether lu fsvor of that pietcrlpllou which has under, gout the wider scruiluy aud been subjected to the mora rigorous criticism) And here let me , speak of another, who more recently shook off the dust of our City's pavcinauts to spend the latter half of hit lifo 011 a farm. I allude to Professor Jamea J. Mnpes, whose fame as an Agriculturist must have reached very many among you. It canextensivoly, engaged in Sugar-Ueflning and had heavy dealings in Suijar came to a dead halt, or rather a dead smash. Stripped of means and of credit, ho felt too old to launch again on the dangerous ea of Commerce, whose waves hud so lately and ao deeply engulphed him; so he hired a bit of land in New Jersey ,and removed his family thither, snd resolved to turn the chemical and other Scientific knowledge which had so little availed him as a sugar refiner, to account in the novel vocation of a farmer. He waa very destitute, and of course got on but slowly at first; and when he first undertook to lecture in illustration of Farming aa a Science, 1 well remember how very general waa the prejudice and deri.ion ho encountered. But ho persevered both in farming and lecturing; and he has gloriously succeeded. I presume thrre were many errors in his earlier inculcations; there may be aome yet, for he is a genius, and genius is too apt to leap hastily to sweeping conclusions from inadequate premises. But, whatever his faults, the root of the matter was in him, and his career has proved it. Asa Lecturer, an Editor, and aa a practical Farmer, he is enriching the vocation he hat chosen and by no meana Impoverishing himself. Beginning with nothing, ho cacnot have cleared Jess than 820,000 In the last six years,' and hts Incomo must now be at least $3,000 per annum. And this is not all nude by merely talking and writing about farming, but In good part by actual work. For example: lie last year bought ten acres of naturally good but exhausted and weedy land adjoining him for $230 per acre, pulverized and fertilized It thoroughly to the depth of two leet, planted ' it with cabbugct as fl- together as' they could grow, and by the sale of hit first crop paid for the manure, labor and ' land, having the latter all clear at tho year's end, and in far better condition than when he bought it. Can any one-1 tny of 'Book-farming' beat thlsl Or it: there any of them who would not liko to , know exactly how this land was fertlli- I xed and tilled, even though ho should bo obliged to read it In a book or periodical! . Lot mo next illustrate the Importanco j and advantages of tho careful Analysis i of Solls: I A friend bought, one year ago, a small farm which had previously been under ' decent or ordinary cultivation, but which, J it appeara, had betn for many years main-' ly fertilized with Gypsum or Plaster of Paris an excellent thing In its place, and w heh had doubtloaa done the land (food aervice. But the now farmer't irothor it a thorough Chemist, devoting much attention to Agriculture, and he ! was invited to analyse the toll of this farm with a view to its piospective and j economical Improvement. Careful Anal-, ysis showed a signal deficiency of Lime, but a superabundance of Sulphur and other ingredients of Plaster. Of course, at each successive application of Piaster tho plants took up tho Lime only, leaving all the resuluo to lio inert in tho soil; and so tho old farmer had for years been feeding his soil.nt tho rate oftwen-i ty to thirty cents per bushel, with tho requisite Linio broi ght from a distance in the form of Plaster, while thcro was ' far better Llmo burned all around him, and for sale in abundunco at six cents a bushel! , The loss thus incurred may ' have averaged filly dollars per annumall for want of an Analysis that might hive coat ten to twenty dollars. And theie are tens of thousands to d.iy farming just as blindly as did this old farmer. ' Can there be any rational wonder that farmers seldom grow rich by such farming! How la wiao and judicious econ omy of meant to be attained if ignorance tMtu , eonlinuo to orint newananr-ra , ln?,re antttllijfen publishers, would under-; ' ,el upplant me, and I must fail nd ; 00 uriven into sumo vocation wurro ig norsnce, hccdlessneBS, and iiiiihriit aeeuro tho rewards designed by Provi-j denco for intelligence, industry, and; economy. Uut lei us pauss at that word InJustry. 'By Industry w thrive," Isau old s.tw, j , lh 0OllUiuj ,tt proverba u so curtly ex wiiivrt ia very wen iu in piece, ui tue preased th it It often mialeads mora lhau It directs, ludustry Is luJeed essential to thrift, and fanners, like other meu, need to bo reminded of it. When 1 uut 011 who I overwhelmed with "busiueis," which culls him away from home Iwo or three daya tu ach week, aud keeps him haugiug about the tavern or store wlult hia boys are at play aud hia potaloea crying for the hoe, 1 kuow whither that larmer is lendlig, aud can guess how long h will hv auy laud to mismanage. Aud 1 think that In the average farmer waste more lime than mechaulc. They huve more idle lime not nacearlly, but quite commonly so regardedthrough bad weather, severe cold, loo much wet, &.0 , than falls lo the lot of almost auy other class; and it is very easy to allure many of litem away to ahool al othr meu's turkeys wheu they ehould bo grownig looit lor iheir wn , Hut while many wait precious hours, quite aa much through hoedles-uess anJ waul ui system as ludoienci-, I kuow auotlier cU who alava tlieiliseiVna out of COillforl Oud VUl of thought by lucesijiit, excesaiv druJgery who are so absorbed lu obUiuing the ttteau of livtuff that thev never find Unto lo livewt drive throuirlt the day so that their boiiea 1 ar.li aud their iniuds aro foggy al uight; aud J Bre so overworked through lho week mat they ueiiher worship God nor enjoy the aociety of ; tljeir fa mil lea ou tho Subballl. These lileU : wm ofieu lell you they have MO TIME TO READ, which is just rational as for th
captain of a steam-hip to pies I a want of
lim lo oon-ull Ms compass and chart or keep s reckoulug of his ship's progress No lime lo read! do they not Bud tuns to plaul and sow, to reap and mow, and even lo est and sleep? If Ihey do, then they may find tun If they will, to leant how lo apply their labor lo tho best advsuUg a well as to quality themselves by rtt aud refreshment for work' log at all. 1 venture Die aas-rtion that liter ra twauty '.houstu I friii-r lu Indian who wool.! luvs been weslllilor us wed as mort useful, mors repeited, and .tippler men thia day, If lhy had alxlratUeo un hours por week from all thsir adult Die, and devoted thoee hours t) reading and thought, In pirtwltha view to Improvement In their own vocatiou, but lu part also louklng to higher and iiobla nils than sveil this, dorn meu wa-U tha belter part of their 1 1 Vet u diealpallou and Id I lies-1 but this does uot exrue In others the waale of lime equ illy precloua In mar animal vffort to heap up goods' and comforts which wo roust leave behind us toon aud for vsr. I read very few old books I eau hsrdlv find tlmt to mailer tha best new ones but 1 have no doubt that tho who do read tho wry oldest treatise on Agriculture which luv survived the ravages of time, will Una Cato, or Seneca, or Columella, or whoever may be tha autlur In hand, talking lo the farmers of his day very much aa our farmei are now generally talked lo, aud luculoallngaubstautUlly ih sama truths: "i'low deeper, fertluxa more thoroughly, cultivate less laud, sud cultivate it better" such, I havt uo doubt, lias been tha burden of Agricultural a Imumllou and exhortation from tho days of tlouier aud Muses. It eeems Incredible to modern scepticism that mlll.ous of Hebrews could have forages luhablleJ the narrow and rocky land of Judea;aitd it would be hard lo believe If wo wer Ignorant of tha Agrarian law of Mows, under which, populnll m iuCMtaad, tho luaheuablo patrimony of ach family becausa smaller and smaller, aud th cultivation of ooura betler and better. Very low of us are at all war of tha average capacity of an arable aero If subjected to thorough scientific culture. Matty a family of four or fivt persons has derived a generous subsistence for year after year from I ogle acre. Tho atory ol a farmer who was compelled to sell oil half his little estate of eight or tea scree, and waa most agreeably surprised by fludlng tha reward of it is labor quit a Urge when It waa restricted to the remaining half as when it was bestowed on Iii whole, was very current iu Romau literatur two tbousind years ftgo. Why it Is that men persist in running ovr much land, instand of thoroughly cultivating a little, deny lug not oitly Hcieuce, but Experience, lh wledom i f the lir-.sl.le an well as that of the laboratory, cati only bo ai-counled for by supposing Uut men havt a natural pa-eioti lor aunvxailoii, a prida In xteu lod dominion, or eis repugnauoe to following good advic. Eturaly if W isdow ever cried lu tha streets,sh his been bawllug herself hoars. Dies tweatyflve ceuturin against tho folly of nutulaliilng feui.es and paying laxe ou a huudred acr of laud In order lo grow a cop that might hav been produced from leu . llut lh si u iters Hguiusl light and knowldg lu our day luv far leiexcualhan their remeU aueesiors, or even ihrlrown grand Utlteia. It was always wall to urga deep plowing aud lit like: but so long aa lit p0w waa bat a lorel log or eiuik, -vnh aim aharpened lor a couitdf, and the other tmployed a u ba.tm, ll was hatdly possible to plougii Ihurougitly. lu our day, however, Hit advaiic from wooden ploughs through Iron point and Iron mold boards, to Iron plows, euel polut, ateel ploe, and sub-oil-lug, has ben u signal and il-cieive thai tit hililui crtulure who with Ins two .au ponies sklms and skins over the field he ougitf either ti cultivate oriel alona, -aenlclilug their surface mildly to c'e-lli of Ihre or fourluoliee-.il,,! galtet such aa array of light aud knowleilga tint he Is f-tr lea excu-a-bl than hi Niiaesior who did not prvtend to plow at all, but stuck In a seed her and liier as they could ll ud a hoi or nuk oi, aud trusted to Provl-tenc to glv llieut mii uudeserved return to their spirit!- and frivolous sirorts. Th three main festuresofAgrlcultur.il adVaiicwnient among tha Anglo Huxou race nowdays are- I. )-ep I'lowiiw, or Hub-Moil-lug. 2. Draining) 3. Irrigation. 1 am quite waro that Drainlug hould lake prenedeuce lu Hit order of lim, yet I believe, Ml poittli I I of I, Peep riowlug hat led to uraiumg, by demonstrating lis Iteces-ity, and nut Draining to Deep Plowing. We surT-r Iminenselv from diouth lu Uns couutiy. rrobab'y the aggregate annual los Irom drouth alone throughout tha Unloaded ledly exoeej taking one yar with another, tha entire con of our Federal Government. Yet we know that lh roots of most plants will desceud to inolslur, uo matter how dry the surface, If th earth beueath them la mellow, porous, aud Inviting. Ilenn. w re tli the I in mens Importance of Dep Plowing! and, after doubling our teamaaud sinking our deepest plows to lh beam, w suinmuu to our aid lit tiubMoil implement, aud go dowu a depth beyond thut of auy slug furrow. But we oou llnd that the pulveriiitiou ol the subsoil, thus attallied, lias uo permanent ell'ect; that the wa-1 ter that leaches dowu lo it settles Into a com-1
pact, solid mass, which the rou cannot p,.r-: doubt; ud bealde, the fertilizing liquid, foratejaud all oui aub-solling needs to be bentf t-miroiy rree irom seeds or weedy fromwaiei by draioa sunk below it, ,.y bo readily and totally absorbed by plants, three to six rod sprl.Biid tilled half e.ay must b worth twice aamuch aa if upwith pbi.u, with flat stoues foritiing a sort plied In the old woy. Now consider of culvert, or, still b. tt. r, laid with urainiug '. that this load of mamiro has been contile or hollow brick, placed end to eud, and , veyed through and applied with m.ny forming a Continuous channel from tha high lon 0 yyuter, juet when tllU soil it most si part or any slope or grade to the brook t,ir,ty aj t,e pluiits moat needy, and wh.chdralusit. And iiow,lheaul.-ao.l.sjppo.. reudj juj ,e lhut lho lon of sing th t dr.. us well nnd- ...d ih rtl-age-j it9ouW n water and applied way sullicieiil,l readily freed from any kater , .. . ... ' rf . a-t.lli.g into it, and long retains th- porous through Irrigating pipes ttt the Cost of a au.l p-rmeabl cnaraclar conimuulcated to It: penny, must bo worth at leuat thrice aa by deep pi iwing. i much lho aame ton applied in tho Ofcourae, thi doe not exliau! tha good ' crude, solid state, at a coat of not less fleet of Uraiumg. Tit sub-soil, thus loo-1 tnan thrico that sum. Uut I must not eued sud treed from excessive moUture, be-1 jwci 0ti dctailsi. You have the giitieral comes a source of food as well ai drink lo ' ,.i t r,tnW i. öi vour lüis.
tho plants growing abovo It 1 for th.it It I eapab of leading plauts, no one, who lus observed lho rank vegetation growing out of th earth by araiuing or digging, can doubt. Instand of being like a alougn In wet weather aud lik brick lit dry, the sub-sod retains a trticient ntolsturo to cheer lh plants, but loo Ulli to iimural itself. And tho mean temperature t-f lho soil, hitherto lowered by tha coiistaul evaporation of Iii water contained lu tho sub-sull, Is raised several degree by the sun's rv, uo longer counteracted by the evaporating proooes, at letst not to any auch xteitt a before so that the plaulsgrow mora luxurluutly, malur more rapidly, aud so are earlier out of danger from frot. And beside litis, the constant passage of currents of air through that portioii of lh drain not occupied by water, and euch drain th tuld uve au opportunity al its head aa well as ll n uth Is mi additional a urc of fertility through th chemical - comb. nations It insures. It would be dldicult to orerslat the value, lha iin;iorlauce, the profit of PralnIng. Alaoy are accustomed to say, "This land needs uo drainlug," meaulng that It ia not habitually loo wet. But draining proves as Urtelul, II il ia uot aa Imperatively necessary, ou dry sjIIs as 00 wk Qu dry lands It is required that the suii aoll, once Drone 11 up uud pulverized, shall not, by the settling 01' nioislur lltereiu durlug ihn wet setsou, be hardened aud rendered iutperviou ugil:i; tne-e laud ueed lo be rendered ioroos and peuetrabl by roots lo a greater depth becubro of their dryuens; tttey ttoed lJ be eli.i r.-.. Irom tha pernicious efF-cta of conetani rv vralloa iu cooling lh soil, aud thusrt.ro lug the growth of it plaut. There is very much Uud not worth tilling; but ther I noue that will justify tillage wmuli Would uot reward draining. Uf irrigation, we iu thia country kuow very little by experience; but w ar destined
soou to know more, and to be prof. ted by oar kholm!ge. True, liier er lauds that nny b rowdily drained and suS-soile l that can uot o readily b Irrigated, owing lo th-lr eleva. Hon snd a dsflclent sujiply of waler. I p. prrhsnd, howvr, that these Uuds ar not to bt found in Indians, nor In any o'lirr t'r!rle Hut, whos first peculiarities that strike a stranger art a superabundance of water iu ihs rniuy eeasou and a scarcity Hierauf in tha dry. The Ilm is at hand when you will here require extensiv and powerful pumping apparatus, if only torsi water lor your heavy slock of esttl and oouvey ll lo Ilia pan ore wherein they will b ooiinued- and why uoi raise enoug't of the grst-ful fluid lo relresh pasture and eatllalikT But eveu though this assured and a.npls resource wer iiou-rxisteut, I mitlul tlii that water enough fall eu your lldds every year lo keep Ihem fresh aul luxuriaitl throughout Ilia summer, If it wer stvsd attJ not w.tet-d. Uut most of It falls during the sesaotts wlteu least Is wanted, au I I smferd to run ofto tha riven and tho ocean, cairy log very much of tha best juleea of the soil along with It, whan Ii hould b retained la pomU and reservoir lo be pumped lulo baru-yarJa or drawn otrto Irrigate tha tie Ids during th fervid heat of summer. The apparent dilllnulty of dulug thia Mould Vanuh aud Iii presumed xpvusa woula b materially lessened ouore ful consideration. I know uot that I have travsrd any country with more lively lute real Uiau beaut.ful, bountiful, pictures i u Lomhrt-dy. Tha daik pail of AualrUu uespulisiti enveloping It did not sullies to dim lis natural lovuliuess and luxuriance, so greatly Improved by the labor and genius of Mau. il seems to li tv grown into its system of almost uulvers! Irrigation by Imperceptible aud on ntrked degrees, aud to b now pro-luclug doubl liarveeta anoually a the rasull of some foiluiloua impul-e rather than of foresight aud Deliberate cilcu lalion. The ntagulriueul plain of I'pper Italy, which has for so many centuries beu ihs Held of combat whrUolfi and Latin, r'rauk aud llun, üunl and German, havt struggled for the mastery of Lurope, slopes almot-l Imperceptibly from lh Alpe to tha Po, and tho Impetuous torrent which tear th rocky lues of tho snow crowned precipices ar arrested and chastened in the blue Lakes which lit at tho foot of tht mountains, smiling aa renely out upou the plain. Thence the waters proceed with more geull aud measured
Cadence tn the great Itlver, nud are drawn oiF and stayed from point to pout lo nil Iii Irrigating canals and ensure a rich reward lo tin husbandnuu's labors. Let aay stream from heavy rains become a raging, foaming, milky torreut, and its waters ltvo a value which Iii pur element could not command, and art drawu otr ou every Ida until the canals and reservoirs ere rilled and all danger of Inuudallou precluded. Thut th water ar must valuablt for irrigation just wneii they ar most s-lly and abundautly obtdnabl lor that purpoee. Tn water which lt irrigated out fertile garden or field, far from being exhausted, has been rendered mora nounshlug thereby, aud may now bo drawn olFlo feruiix U. next Held lying an Inch r so lower, aud theiic to lh next, and so on to lh river, enriching and gladdening all it louche ou it way. Irrigation I Hi life blood of Lombardy ' hall it bet nothing, teach nothing lo u-7 If there bo a country on earth which one wil4 tfoe irrigation uneultf-d t, Ureut Britain It that country. Her exceedingly moist, cool climate, coupled with hur compact, clay oubsoil (not universal, but very extensive) would teem to rendar a di'llcienry of moisture ono of tho very last evils tobe apprehended or guarded against in her Agriculture. And et her best farmer aro now embarking rapidly and extensively in irrigation, Unding it practicable ami immensely protitablo. Not here, as in Lombardy, Is the natural flow of tho stroams, lu their descent from the hills to tho rivers, relied on; bit groat pumps aro employed, raising water by steam or other power from rivers, brooks, and ponds, to a Itiglit w hence it is carried by gravitation through metallic and guttapercha pipes to every point where it It needed. Mr. Mechi, the ex-London merchant, who retired from trade with a competency to earn another by acleutilio farming, takes the lead lit thi app'icatioii, and his estimates ufihe incrüU,eii productiveness ol lands by roaon or Irrig-iiion and tho protits thus secured would seem wild to any audience unfamiliar with the subject. I may täte, however, that ho fixes the expense of conveying his manures In a liquid form Irom his yard to every portion of his estate as equivalent to ouo penny sterling or two cents per cartload that Is to say, the fertilizing properties which Wero contained in a ton of muck or compost are now conveyed to the toil that requires them at the coal of one penny. That loading, teaming, and unloading and spreading in the old way, must have cuat fur more than this, you cannot I iMV, ure into all its necessary results III. What the sister arts teach as to agriculture my bo fairly summed up in thia proposition: The workman anouid do completely master of his materials and his implements. He should first thoroughly understand, in ordor that he may iu tho next place thoroughly control the elements from which he ia lo evolve value and susteuance. He who should undertake to build a ship, iu ignorance of the relative tenacity and rcaistanco to pressure of tho various wood and metal, would rush into a pursuit of which he had no capacity; so would he who should undertake the ruuning of a steam engiue in ignorance of the nature and power of steam. Vet the man who attempts to ferm with an imperfect ki.owledge of the naturo and properties of soils iu general, of the lawa of vegetation, the qualities and peculiarities 01 the particular soils whereof his farm is composed, and the cheapest means of renovating and increasing their fertility and productiveness, stund on the same plattorm with tho ignorant shipwright or engiuccr, and brave like disasters, wheroot tho largest share will naturally lull to him.iell und his family. Agriculture in u pursuit so vast in its acope, 60 aiR-tia in ts processes and objects, that It ii ilil lCiiil to lay ujwu gem-rat luio wait regard to it that will admit ol no exceptioua; yet I will venture to propound oue, which it at follows: Tha cultivator whose farm It not more valuable and moro productive as gne result
VOL. XXL NO. 40.
tMVata of each year's ti llage, does uot understand his vocation, and ought to learn or quit it. Ferhapa there Is no single field of observation wherein tho extent and !iasirons effects of Ignoranro among farmers Is more strikingly exhibited thin in that of Insect Lift and Ravages. It has pleased the All-Wise lo aubject Agriculture to tho chances snd perils of Insect depredations, as well as to weeds, drouth, frost, inundation, and other evils. The end of all these is benlfl. cenco the evolution and discipline of Man's capacities through tho necessary cotinterat tlon and combat. Planta and domestic animals rightfully look to their owners for clrklent protection! and he who allows his sheep to be killed by wolves, his fowls to be carried otr by foxes, or his grain to be devoured by Insects, Is culpably faithless to bis dependouts and hit duty. Yet how tistlestly, thoughtlessly, hopelessly, do we ace farmers stand by whll their crops are destroyed by worms, birds or weevil, without seeming to know that they bsvo anything to do in the premises I No Turkish fatalism is blinder or blanker than theirs. It is hardly yet six weeks since I saw wholo counties of my own State covered and devastated by grasshoppers, who stripped the dry uplands of every blado of grass, almost every green leaf, cutting the green oats from their stalks, tho fruit from tho trees, devouring corn ic tho ear, making the cleared land sda-ert, and pushing the cattle to the very verge of atarvation. Yet there stood the farmers, gazing gloomily from day to day at the destruction of their cherished hopes of a harvest, and the utter desolation of the whole country, yet not one asking another, "What shall we do to arrest thi sweeping ravage! How hall wo most readily, and cheaply and surely clear our lands of theso vermins!" I do not pretend to know what the proper remedy was oris; but this I do know, that had Ibeeuone ofihcso farmers, I would have found a remedy or bankrupted tnystlf in the search. I should have fi'st interrogated i tne oesi writers on Agriculture and NatJural History, and, lu case of Coding no guidance there, I ahould have sowed one i acre of my land bountifully with Salt; tho next with Plaster; the next perhaps wiiii i-turci b lounn wan t'otaan; and so on, using in all cases substances that I knew would bo paid for by future harvests, unless I had reason to believe something else would be more efficient. Thus, belore one week had elapsed, I. would hava found soma caustic that JTasshopers could not abide; and having ound it, I would have applied it until the last cormorant, among thorn had been driven into tho woods or turned over on his back. And this Is the spirit in which every such Invasion ahould be met and over come. Had the larmers of any township promptly met when the ravages first be came serlou, and agreed that one of them would try out possible antidote and another, according as they happened re spectivily to have the material at com- ' inatid.und meet a fow evenings Ister to I couipum note on tlio result of their 1 several experiment, they could not have failed to discover an ellklent remedy I within tho tint week. Uut they did nothing, and hence many of their farms !are a desert, their Tall crops next to nothing, and lull' their cattlo must be ; sold or killed for want of food. ! Our farmers generally think and work better out of their own vocation thao In I it. A distant and towering evil arouses their hostility and evokes Jthelr euergy much more readily than one of a less imposing but more mischievous character which assails them in tboir homes. Let tho word go forth, "An army of invacers havo landed! ' and tent of thousands snatch instinctively their muskets and take tho roan; but here are armies all around them who are plundering them worse than any invaders would, yet hardly ntlract their notice. Tho Hessians . who wero hired t subjugate our lather had no rest for their feet until the last of them was killed, captured or hunted lijuu, nnro thin seventy years ago; yet the'r attendant paraaite, the Hessian Fly, bus beon plundering us ever since without resistance, and is now 1 as formidable and destructive as ever. I cannot believe Mies moro difficult to conquer than men, ii we would but fairly sat about it. IV. And here let mo retrace my steps to illustrate a point in Industrial Economy which I havo already Incidentally touvhed, but have not Illustrated at its importance deserves and at the provailing misconceptions render necessary. I rcler to Tli Proportion of Means to Ends, which the Artisan must always bear in mind, but which the Farmer seem tooolten to forget. No artificer presumes that the labor and material iequired lor a fiuo tablo will suffice for a piano-forte; nor that a steam engine can be constructed as cheuply as a churn. 11 'it the farmer, seeing trees and plante .-row around him with weed-like facility and tenacity, often indolently imagines that any tree w ill grow so, and plants his rare and delicate fruit-trees, if he 1 plants euch at all, as if t'tey were oaksor ' locusts. ' Uut naturo is inexorable in her reI quirement that tbe labor and cart essential lo tho production of a choice fruit or plant shall be proportionate to the value of the product. You may grow Pino on yellow sand or Hickory on blue clay, but if you want choice Pear or Peaches you must devote much labor aud expense in preparing and enriching the ground wherein your treos are to bt set. Too many farmers, not heeding this law, or supposing that Nature may somtlio bo circumv'cnted.obtain worthless fruit or none at alt.and so abandon the culture in ditfgust and despair. There is not now one grape vine or fruit tree, except of the coarsest and commonest kinds, where there should be twenty, taking ono State with another; and one consequence of thit it an enormous and perilous consumption of flefh as food, to an extent unknown in other countries. Wo aro nationally surfeited with pork and tsinted with Scrofula, not became we are ao fond of pork, but because, for an important portion ol each year, the majority of our population can get little besido. "Tho foolishness of preaching" will never snlHce to correct thia aberration; for men who work must eat, though their food be not tho best; but give u art abundance of lho choicest fruits and vegetables, with farmers who know how to grow them and truly educated housewives, who delight in prepar(Coxclcdko ox Foubth Pags.)
