46 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



well defined methods. Upon his fidelity and judgment in these particulars 

 will greatly depend his success. 



I aver as my profound conviction that more farmers find their calling a 

 hard and unsatisfactory one, and the returns discouragingly meagre because 

 of this neglect to study the situation and to make such wise plans, as quite 

 likely such a study would have suggested. I presume if we should turn the 

 horoscope and recall our life experiences we could, many of us, bring forth 

 from the treasure house of memory striking illustrations of this fact. This 

 planing raid methodizing of details is the higher work in agriculture, here 

 the power, the ability, the brain of the master ai'e displayed. You will 

 recall the old saying of the Greek " I would rather have an army of stags 

 with a lion for commander than an army of lions with a stag for com- 

 mander." So in agriculture; if the master, the farmer, has method, plan, 

 generalship, his helpers may not be of the best; difficulties may beset on the 

 right and the left, but he brings things into line, and ultimately conquers. 

 In agriculture we want the vigorous, well balanced brain, the methodical 

 habits and discriminating judgment as much, aye, more than scientific 

 knowledge and brawny muscle. 



AVhat I desire to say is that agriculture needs to appreciate brains and 

 common sense brain work more than she has done. "While she discriminates 

 closely and sharjjly between that which is really adapted to her needs, and 

 that which is science, "falsely so-called," let her, at the same time, aceept 

 the lessons which science has taught and experience proven, and have f.iith 

 in the eiforts that are being made for the solution of the unsettled ])roblems 

 in her domain. And this need of method or plan leads naturally to another. 

 The farmer needs mental discipline, the grasp of mind, the habit of thought,, 

 that results from the study of books, of men and things. It used to be the 

 fashion for farmers to look with positive aversion, almost disgust, upon one 

 of their calling known as a scientific book farmer. Possibly the pedantry, 

 conceit, and unbalanced heads of some of these so-called sons of culture may 

 have had much to do in provoking this antagonism. Be that as it may, in 

 tiiese days we are not wont to find intelligent farmers who undervalue, or at 

 least scoff at true culture as desirable on the farm. 



I do not mean by true culture any particular system of training, of educa- 

 tion. (I might personally incline to that which is usually termed practical 

 in a broad sense; but for present argument I choose to take even broader 

 ground.) Any system of study in school, college, or university, the training 

 secured in the competition of active business, by self study; any system that 

 develops a clear headed, clean hearted, independent, self-reliant man will 

 answer. There are maj)y roads to Rome, so there are many legitimate ways 

 to such discipline as I have suggested, and one may have had all of the 

 opportunities possible and yet have only the husks of culture, but lack the 

 reality — the jewel. Educated fools and boors, and dudes, while not met 

 with perhaps as frequently as illiterate ones, are much more repulsive to all 

 sensible people who do not stand in awe of titles and tinsel, and merit con- 

 tempt more than the uneducated. Some persons who want it known that 

 they are educated are always advertising the fact in large type and leaded 

 lines; they want to go to the top round at once — to be commanders-in-chief 

 from the start. They want nice clean work, soft places, no drudging for 

 them. Vacancies are not wanting in the ranks. In life promotions are 

 usually made from those who earn them in subordinate positions. It is 

 easy and quite too common for some of the so-called cultured to sneer at 



