248 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION'. 



and intimate observation of its course in the management of a good 

 faroier. 



It is after all the possession of this economical skill, which causes 

 the rustic year to glide prosperously and pleasantly away. It is that 

 branch of agriculture which is directly dependent upon science. In fact 

 economy is but the using and executing of the laws which emanate from 

 science, when viewed in the direction of its parentage. The laws of 

 nature are immutable and cannot be violated with impunity. Their ob- 

 servance, on the other hand, is rewarded with the attainment of our de- 

 sires. As, tlierefore, their is no occupation or profession which is 

 dependent upon a wider reach of those various laws, an accurate 

 and minute knowledge of them is necessarily required by the econ- 

 omy of agriculture. It is true, that agriculture has been pursued with 

 some degree of pleasure and of profit under the reign of empiricism, 

 but how imperfect and uncertain have been its results; verily, the earth 

 has not brought forth its increase. 



It has been remarked of Gay Lussac or Lavoisier, I do not at the mo- 

 ment remember which nor my authority, I think Gay Lussac, "The 

 land without Gay Lussac yielded its ordinary increase, but Gay Lussac, 

 the owner of land, caused it to yield a threefold increase. You will infer, 

 and justly so, that a knowledge of science, and the habit of scientific 

 reasoning is necessary to the acquisition of agricultural economy. 



The second division of agricultural education is, Science. 



Here I do not intend to enter upon a direct argument, to shew that 

 there is such a thing as an agricultural science. In this day, that is suf- 

 ficiently manifest. There has always been an agricultural science, 

 The advances of improvement in the manipulation and economy have 

 been always and only the fruits of that science. Thomas .Jefferson de- 

 veloped the mechanical principles of the construction of the mould- 

 board of our ploughs, and in 1798 proposed to make them of cast iron. 

 His son-in-law, Governor Randolph, invented the hill-side plough. 



Heretofore this science has been exceedingly corrupted, without 

 system, and its influence upon practice consequently weak. At the 

 present day it is beginning to assume form and system, and slough away 

 the unwholesome tenets and maxims of empiricism. It is rapidly at- 

 taining the strength of healthful manhood, and the effects of its influ- 

 ence upon the practice of agriculture are daily manifesting themselves. 

 The press is fruitful in matter, and the monthly bulletins of publishers 

 contain 3 and 4. new publications upon some topics in relation to this 

 science. Agricultural periodicals, commenced in 1818, are now nume- 

 rous ; they range from the agricultural column, in the weekly newspa- 



