NATURAL SCIENCES. 



ON THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURISTS ACQUIRING A KNO\VLEDGE OF THE 



NATURAL SCIENCES AND A HABIT OF ORIGINAL OBSERVATION. 



BY JAME3 H. FENNELL, AUTHOR OF A " NATURAL HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS." 



NcMEROus facts on record unite to convince 

 me that agriculturists woalii find it very advan- 

 tageous to habituate themselves to making mi- 

 nute examinations of little objects and incidents 

 in nature which occur at evcrj^ step, but are too 

 often disregarded. It is desirable that agricul- 

 turists should not only read books on Natural 

 History, but that tliey should closely obscn-e 

 ■with their own eyes ever%-thing in the fields, or- 

 chards, and gardens, that they may glean some 

 useful hints from Nature's own volume. 



In the cultivation of plants, it has been found 

 best to proceed on such scientific principles as 

 a correct knowledge of tlieir structure and func- 

 tions will suggest. The system of assolements. 

 or the rotation of crops, by which the produce 

 of our land has been quadnipled, and the accli- 

 mation of plants by hybridization or engrafting, 

 by w^hich means the fruits and flowere of more 

 southern regions are reconciled to our climate, 

 are only two out of many examples which might 

 be adduced of the benefits conferred by Botany 

 upon Asrriculture. 



While Science dictates such valuable im- 

 provements as these, the mere observation of 

 trifling facts often suggests useful ideas. It is 

 said tliat the occasional natural union of the 

 boughs of distinct trees demonstrated the prac- 

 ticability of grafting, and that the obser%-ation of 

 tlie circumstance of a vine shooting more vigor- 

 ously after a goat had browsed on it, suggested 

 the valviable art of pmninsr fruit-trees. In tlie 

 sixty -third volume of the Philosnphical Trans- 

 actions, we find it related that M. Mustel, hav- 

 ing observed that some of the flower-buds of an 

 apple-tree had been gnawed off" by a snail, in 

 such a manner that all the petals and stamens 

 had disappeared, bein? eaten up close to the ca- 

 lyx, which, together >vitli the basis of the pistil- 

 luni and the embrjo were left uninjured, con- 

 cluded that those imperfect flower-buds would 

 bear nothin?. bat was soon convinced of his 

 nii.-3take. Nearly all of them bore fruit ; the ap- 

 ples were perfectly formed, and six or seven 

 pretty large ones were seen upon each bunch. 

 On tlie other baud, the snail had spared wmc 

 other bunches which it could not so easily get 

 at : but, out of ten or twelve flowers in each of 

 these bunche.i. not above one or two exhibited 

 any signs of fruit. This suggested to M. Mustel 

 the idea thai, when the flowers of trees are full 

 blown, the prevention of the natural fall of the 

 petals and stamens gives a greater as,qurance of 

 the fructification — a fact which he several times 

 proved : for, having cut off with the scissors the 

 petals of apple, pear, plum, and cherry blos- 

 soms, close to tlio calyx, he found that almost 

 every one of them boro fruit, whilst several of 

 the uncut flowers bore none. Thus did a snail 

 teach him how to render a tree more fruitful. — 

 One of the Emperors of China, having noticed 

 that a particular stalk in his garden produced 

 better rice than the rest, cultivated it for several 

 (813)....-J6 



years ; and then, having fully satisfied himself 

 and his subjects of its superiority, he distributed 

 its grains among tliem for their general benefit. 

 A Sussex farmer, having remarked that some 

 goosebern,- bushes, growing under an elder tree, 

 were exempt from tlie attacks of caterpillars, 

 was induced to try the efiicacy of a decoction of 

 elder leaves in destroying the grubs that infe.«ted 

 his turnip crops ; and he. and other farmers who 

 repeated the experiment, found it successful. 



Here I may observe that it is not only neces- 

 sarj- that the agriculturist should be well ac- 

 quainted witli the nature of the dififereut vegeta- 

 bles •which he cultivates for economic purposes, 

 but that he should rightly understand Uie causes 

 of the several ravages and diseases to which 

 they are subject, so that be may be able to de- 

 vise proper remedies and preventions. In tltis 

 wide field for observation and practice, Natural 

 History will be found a useful guide. In nine 

 ca.«es out of ten, the failure of crops, and the pe- 

 cuniary lo.ss experienced thereby, arises from 

 the attacks of some particular species of destruc- 

 tive insect, which, from unknown causes, has 

 appeared in unusually great numbers. Before 

 any effectual steps can be taken against it, it is 

 absolutely necessarj- to ascertain correctly what 

 species of insect is causing the mischief and to 

 study the creatiu-e's habits in all its transforma- 

 tions; for what will prove more or less effectual 

 in one stage of its existence, will be totally use- 

 less, or, perhaps, increase tlie evil in another. — 

 Notwithstanding the immense annual losses 

 which must be caused by the niillious of de- 

 structive insects that iufe"st all kinds of crops, 

 the science of Entomology is comparatively neg- 

 lected by agriculturists, who are. therefore, fre- 

 quently unable to give a definite dcscrijition of 

 any uo.xious insect to a naturalist when tliey re- 

 quire his opinion and advice. 



Those husbandmen who have possessed some 

 knowledge of Natural Histon,- have not merely 

 been better able to cultivate their plants and 

 protect tliem from the attacks of hurtful crea- 

 tures, but they have ascertained tliereby what 

 creatures are harmless and useful, and therefore 

 to be spared and encouraged. ^Vithout this 

 power of discrimination they maybe unwitting- 

 ly led into tlie error of destroying creatures 

 which were absolutely beneficial to "them. La- 

 dybirds, which are now well known to be most 

 useful little creatures, feeding only upon the 

 hurtful plant-lice, were at one time as merci- 

 lessly destroyed as the plant-lice themselves. — 

 We are told bv Mr. J. D. Salmon that, in the 

 neighborhood of Scoulton, in Norfolk, there is a 

 von,' extensive colony of black-headed gulls, 

 flarus ridibnndiisj which are carefully pro- 

 tected and encouraged by the fai-mer.s, who have 

 noticeil that they render most useful service by 

 following the plow to feast on the cockchaffer 

 grubs and other insects that it turns up to tlie 

 surface. So greatly do tlie farmers value the 



