CONDITIONS OF SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTING. 325 



The time ought soon to come when the word "art'' shall be 

 dropped, and agriculture be, what it is in truth, a science. 



Now, we have all of us got to help. Mind acts upon mind, 

 community acts upon community. We are all interested in this 

 subject, and we should all aid in elevating the minds of our com- 

 munity, to bring them up to any kind of an experiment, whether 

 it be practical or scientific ; because it is still said by too many 

 of the good men in our community, " That man is only a book 

 farmer," "That man is only a fancy, experimental farmer." Well, 

 if he be only a "book farmer," if he will apply his book know- 

 ledge practically, and will give us better vegetables, better stock, 

 better results from the farm, he is what Dean Swift said, a great 

 many years ago, of the man who made two blades of grass grow 

 where but one grew before — " a public benefactor." 



How are we going to do it ? We shall do it by coming to- 

 gether, by talking with each other, by creating an interest, by 

 stimulating each other along the path which shall produce those 

 results. 



Now, sir, that we want these scientific experiments and results 

 no sensible man can doubt. That we should all give our aid to 

 secure this desirable end, in the best possible way, is equally true. 

 That best way, in my judgment, is to bring to bear the best 

 means we can to sustain our Agricultural College, and trust to 

 the.m for the scientific results, we to take their science and apply 

 it in practice after they shall have made it plain to us. These are 

 my views, and I shall, in my humble way, contribute in both 

 directions. ' .. • 



S. F. Perley. Hon. S. F.. Perley being called upon by the 

 Chair, said : 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, — I am not prepared to speak 

 upon this subject, but I can say that the influence of the lecture 

 upon my mind was similar to what it was upon the micd of the 

 gentleman from Cumberland (Mr. Scamman,) that Prof. Goodale 

 had almost shut us farmers out from trying experiments, and for 

 this reason : He says the first thing we require is, to know what 

 the soil is upon which we arc to try the experiment. Gentlemen, 

 which one of us who handles the plow can tell what the constitu- 

 tion of the soil is ? We have been dosing it with superphQ% 

 phates, with plaster, with barn manures, and a variety of thinga> 

 which are all having an effect upon that soil, and how are wfiilfi 



; oiiJ bust 



