THE prosperity of a country depends chiefly upon the intelligent cultivation of its soil. 

 No one can doubt that. The intelligent cultivation of the soil depends upon information. 

 This is equally plain. Practical and theoretical knowledge is power in agriculture, as in 

 everything else. It lies at the foundation of individual and national wealth. Those who 

 know the most will, in the long run, do the best work at the best time and in the best way. 

 They will work out the best results, both for themselves and for the community in which 

 they live. 



The progress made within the last twenty years in the sciences which are intimately con 

 nected with the cultivation of the soil is something wonderful. It has opened new fields of 

 thought, of investigation, and of experiment. During that time the science of chemistry has 

 made rapid advances, and its methods of investigation have been greatly improved. It has 

 brought its contributions to agriculture from a great variety of sources, each of which brings 

 something peculiar to itself. It has explained the composition of soils and manures. It has 

 added greatly to our stock of knowledge as to the methods of feeding animals to obtain 

 special results, giving us accurate information of the composition of feeding substances, and 

 the effect of different processes of feeding upon the development of the animal economy. 



At the same time botany has solved the mysteries of plant-growth, and, with the aid of 

 vegetable physiology, has thrown a flood of light upon the elements of plant-food, and the 

 means by which the production of crops can be greatly promoted. All the sciences, indeed, 

 have contributed to the development of agriculture, some of them directly, others by leading 

 the minds of men to a higher standard of intellectual activity. 



The agricultural literature of the country has grown up almost entirely within the last 

 quarter of a century, and has taken a rank worthy of the importance of the industry to the 

 development of which it is devoted. Thirty years ago there were few works on farming in 

 this country that were at all creditable either in style or the information they contained. 

 Most of the books on the subject were English, or reprints of English publications. They 

 were not well adapted to meet the wants of American farmers. They often contained much 

 that was interesting, but generally lacked that full and practical information based on actual 

 experiment that was well calculated to meet the wants of daily life upon the farm. They 

 abounded in theories rather than facts. 



The present work is designed to embody the most practical information upon agriculture, 

 the results of scientific investigation in the laboratory, and of experiment in the field. It is 

 comprehensive in plan, treating of a great variety of subjects so fully as to make it unneces 

 sary to purchase many books on special topics a farmer s library, in fact, condensed within 

 the covers of a single volume. It aims to present the most intelligent practice of the best 

 cultivators in all sections of the country, and to meet the wants of every practical farmer who 

 desires to rise above the drudgery of his calling. It does not deal to any extent in theories. 

 The effort has been to present facts. They have been gleaned from many fields, from con 

 versations with intelligent farmers, from the talks at farmers clubs, from the agricultural 

 press, and from actual experience on the farm. 



