WATER JN AGRICULTURE. 185 



us from the labors of thinkers and experimenters, 

 who in the quiet of the study, or amid the dim 

 gases of the laboratory, are extorting from nature 

 her wonderful secrets. As agriculturists, as tillers 

 of the soil, we cannot withhold respect from our 

 scientific investigators ; and it will certainly be our 

 fault if our minds and hearts are not improved, and 

 our material interests advanced by the result of 

 their labors. We ourselves must learn to secure a 

 deeper insight into the mysteries connected with 

 our calling, and from the sunshine that is poured 

 upon our fields, the gentle dews that distil upon 

 our grasses, and the drops of rain that gladden and 

 fructify every green thing upon the earth, we must 

 evoke those hidden laws and mysteries, a knowl- 

 edge of which will guide and aid us in all our un- 

 dertakings. 



