PREFACE. V1L 



health permitted him to anticipate more. But having made 

 a beginning, he found the subject constantly enlarging, and he 

 has, to the best of his ability, collected and arranged a synopsis 

 of all that is known, so far as he could ascertain it of the the 

 oretical and practical truths and principles of Agriculture, up to 

 the present moment. The analyses which are given, are, it is 

 believed, the very latest that have been made, and, perhaps 

 without exception, are worthy of all credit in the present posi 

 tion of the Science. The more strictly technical portion is either 

 the result of the Author s own experience and experiments, or 

 it is compiled from the most trustworthy sources adapted to the 

 present position and necessities of the American Famer. 



The only novelty, which can be claimed as such, is the ar 

 rangement, each subject being complete within itself. Much 

 more might have been introduced, and one of the chief difficul 

 ties that have been experienced has been compressing the mat 

 ter, the omitting of all which did not appear to be absolutely 

 necessary for the object in view, and the using as few words as 

 possible. 



It was essential that the book should be of moderate size, and 

 cheap this the Publisher insisted upon as a sine qua non, and 

 consequently much that might have been inserted has been left 

 out. Thus, it is taken for granted that the Teacher or the Stu 

 dent is already familiar with Botany, and the elements of Ag 

 ricultural Chemistry. Had these topics likewise been intro 

 duced farther than they have been, they would have swelled 

 the work far beyond the requisite size. For the boundaries of 

 agricultural knowledge are like those of the horizon, ever enlarg 

 ing as we travel on, till they embrace almost the entire circle of 



