518 Farm- Records Important. [November, 



from a statement made at tlie Synod of Dort, in 1618, it is known 

 that six other persons met these six representatives, and thus formed 

 a Committee of twelve for the general review of the work. It is not 

 known who these six were ; but it is supposed that they were six 

 bishops appointed to the office by King James, and that Dr. Bilson, 

 Bishop of Winchester, with Dr. Miles Smith, afterwards Bishop of 

 Gloucester, finally revised the whole, previous to publication, prefix- 

 ing the heads to the several chapters, and adding the preface. 



/nrm-EnnriiH Smpartnut. 



Every farmer should keep a register or Journal made up daily, or at 

 least weekly. It should contain the process adopted in the culture 

 of his croi3S, such as the character of the soil selected for any partic- 

 ular crop, mode of manuring or fertilizing, the state of plowing, 

 planting, sowing, the kind and quantity of seed per acre, the time 

 of harvesting, and the quantity raised on any given area, together 

 with the daily state of the weather, rainy, cloudy, fair, warm or cold, 

 with the direction of the wind, with the first appearance and duration, 

 and effect of destructive insects to crops, with any mode that might 

 be adopted to prevent their ravages. 



Such a journal, to refer to, would be to the farmer, what the com- 

 pass is to the mariner. He would then know without relying on 

 treacherous memory, all favorable results, and the causes that pro- 

 duced them. He could also see all the failures and mistakes, and 

 would be likely to ascertain wherein success did not attend his efi"orts. 

 If much of the success of the farmer is derived from experience, let 

 me ask what is experience? It is knowing precisely the past manage- 

 ment, in connection with everi/ thing that had an influence upon re- 

 sults, and profiting thereby. Can he retain all this in his memory? 

 certainly not. The very cause mainly productive of the results 

 might not be retained; while other matters, having little or nothing 

 to do with it, might be, and operate as a guide for the future, lead- 

 ing in a wrong direction. Ask many farmers at the close of the 

 year, how much they have made. They can tell nothing about it. 

 They do not know whether they are advancing or retrograding. — 

 But ask him who keeps a journal, and notes down all his operations, 

 and he can tell you whether he can afi'ord to purchase his wife a new 

 carpet, or send one of his daughters to a seminary. 



C. B. BlSING, 



