042 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 11 



render nature subservient to our will. To attain 

 this end we must be guided by reason in the niai- 

 ter, and not experiment at random ; or to carry out 

 Lord Bacon's figure, we should address to nature 

 a definite question, and not speak without reler- 

 ence to the meaning oi" the language used. It is 

 at this? point that science may render us assistance 

 of the most important kind, and this in several 

 ways. 



In the first place, a thorough acquaintance wiih 

 science will save us li-om spending our time in 

 learning, by the slow and laborious process ol' ex- 

 pprimeiiiinir, that whicii others have learned be- 

 fore us, and left on record lor our instruction. How 

 often is it the case, that men of great acuieness, 

 appreciating fully the value of the infiirmation to 

 be derived from experimenting, and who might 

 have added much to the stock of human know- 

 ledge had their eflforts been properly directed, 

 waste their time m learning a second time that 

 which was known long before ; and how fi'e- 

 quently do we hear of great discoveries, discove- 

 ries which are to prove of incalculable benefit to 

 mankind, and which the discoverer honestly be- 

 lieves are now for the first time brought to light, 

 when in fact they have formed a part of human 

 knowledge for many years. In such cases, the 

 experimenter not only loses his labor, but is often 

 mortified, and discouraged from making any fur- 

 ther attempts to increase his knowledge of nature. 

 There is but one way to avoid this, and that is to 

 make ourselves fully acquainted with that which 

 is already '''i^^wn. And here let me remark, that 

 true scunce is not someihing different from human 

 knowledge; it is in fact nothing more than that 

 very knowledge arranged in such a manner as to 

 be easily acnnirf^d^ and easily retained. The ap- 

 plication of scientific principles to practical pur- 

 poses, is the very be^^t test, of their truth ; if they 

 will not stand this test, they form no pari, of true 

 science, but "of science falsely so called." 



In the second place, a thorough acquaintance 

 with science, by drawing a di.slinct outline be- 

 tween that which is known and that which is un- 

 known, will direct our attention to those points 

 which may most profitably be made subjects of 

 experimental research. It is a remark of one of 

 the ancient philosophers, that the first step towards 

 true wisdom is to know our own ignorance. If 

 this remark is a just one with respect to human 

 knowledge in general, it is peculiarly so with re- 

 spect 10 natural science ; and no more important 

 work can possibly be accomplished, none which 

 will tend more directly to man's advancement in 

 khowledge, than that which, by placing before him 

 the sum of^ that which he does know, and care- 

 liilly distinguishing it from that of which he is still 

 ignorant, shall thus direct his attention to those 

 Eubjects which may properly and profitably be 

 made subjects of inquiry; and tliis can be accom- 

 plished in no other way so well as by bavins our 

 knowledge generalized, and presented in tiie form 

 of scientific principles. 



In the third place, a thorough acquaintance with 

 science will assist us, by presenting distinctly be- 

 fore us all those causes which may affect the re- 

 sult which we desire to obtain, and in this way di- 

 rect us as to the manner in which we shall prose- 

 cute our inquiries. There is no portion of matter 

 which is not subject to many laws at the same 

 lime ; all the different parts of nature are bound 



together, and interwoven with each other ; and on 

 this account an efiect may appear to spring from 

 some certain cause, when in (act it springs Irom 

 an entirely different one. Some of the most com- 

 mon of those errors into which experimental in- 

 quirers fall, are those which consist, in attributing 

 results to other than the true causes ; and so inti- 

 mate is the connexion which exists between the 

 diffierent parts of nature, that these errors are often 

 of a very complicated character. For example; 

 when the smoke which issues from a chimney iw 

 seen to sink towards the eartii, we are commonly 

 told, that the air is so heavy thai it presses it 

 down ; and as evidence that this is the true solu- 

 tion, we are asked if we cannot feel the oppressive 

 weight of the air resting upon our own bodic . 

 In accordance with the principles of philosophy, 

 increase in the density of the air should cause the 

 smoke to rise more rapidly than usual, and not to 

 sink towards the earth ; so that in truth, the sink- 

 ing of the smoke is conclusive proof that the air 

 is specifically lighter than usual. How then can 

 we account for the oppressive leeling of which we 

 are certainly conscious at such times ? By a re- 

 ference to the principles of animal physiology, we 

 learn that in a healthy condition of the human 

 system, a large quantity of fluid matter is continu- 

 ally carried ofi by insensible perspiration, and that 

 whenever this is checked, a feeling of oppression 

 and languor pervades the whole man. The rate 

 of perspiration, or evaporation, (for it amounts to. 

 the same thing in this case, as the one is depen- 

 dent upon the other,) is materially affected by the 

 dryness or dampness of the atmosphere. That 

 the air should be damper than usual, and at the 

 same time specifically lighter, are two things per- 

 lectly consistent with each other, inasmuch as the 

 expansion from heat may be more than sufficient 

 to counterbalance the increased density which 

 would result from the presence of an increased 

 quantity of aqueous vapor in the air. Here then 

 we have a correct solution of the matter, but one 

 directly opposed to the common one. When the 

 smoke, as it issues froin a chimney, sinks instead of 

 rising, it does so because the atmosphere is specifi- 

 cally lighter than usual ; whilst the fijeiing of op- 

 pression and languor, of which we are conscious 

 in such circumstances, has nothing to do with the 

 density of the atmosphere, but arises entirely from 

 the check \>rhich is given to the insensible perspi- 

 ration, by the presence of an increased quantity 

 of aqueous vapor in the atmosphere. From such 

 errors as these, a thorough acquaintance with 

 science Avill save u?, by settino; belbre us, at one 

 view, all the causes which can be concerned in 

 producing any given result, and at the same time 

 enabling us to assign to each its probable amount 

 of influence. 



With respect to experiments, the only remark 

 which I will make is, that they should generally 

 be conducted upon a small scale. By piarsuing 

 this course, we are enabled to gain the requisite 

 information without risking any large amount of 

 labor or expense of any kind ; and besides, are 

 enabled to attend more carefully to the experiment, 

 and more accurately to observe it in every stage 

 of its progress. If any particular method of cul- 

 ture succeeds well with ten square yards of wheat, 

 for instance, as the laws of nature are uniform, the 

 same method of cultivation will succeed equally 

 well with ten square miles of the same grain. 



