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cither by superficial instruction, charlatanry, or his own 

 haste; and so book-farming falls into contempt. Both are 

 wrong, the instruction and the contempt. Let us see 

 why. 



The main oTersight of the recent efi'orts at improvement 

 has been a too hasty generalization, and a deficiency in 

 patient, painstaking, accurate records of experiment. A 

 few brilliant announcements have dazzled our eyes ; san- 

 guine lips have trumpeted abroad spurious maxims ; and 

 the golden age of great profits and easy times has been 

 heard knocking at the doors. Following the explosion of 

 this sophistry is apt to come a reaction of discouragement, 

 as unreasonable as the flattery. What the interests of 

 your profession seem to me to be imperatively demanding 

 just now, therefore, will be two things : 1. The most rigid 

 and thorough experiment, as to every detail and particular 

 of every mode of tillage, enriching and renewing of lands, 

 breeding of stock, and new implements, taking into ac- 

 count all the most minute and variable conditions, data, 

 circumstances, attending that experiment : and 2. A faith- 

 ful, exact, and systematized registration of every such 

 experiment, including specific statements as to all the par- 

 ticulars alluded to. This is that secojid stage, following 

 the era of general discovery, which agricultural improve- 

 ment has next to pass through; a period of thorough 

 experiment, and scrupulous registration. Till we have 

 the tests and tables only thus to be furnished, we have 

 no rational induction, and of course no development of 

 principles that will give us a proper science. The more 

 extensive and diversified these experiments on a given 

 question are, throughout the country, the sounder your 

 basis for an induction. Then let these records, bearing 

 the stamp of more precision than is common in county 

 reports hitherto, duly and responsibly authenticated, be 

 brought together and collated by competent hands, — 



