SOURSOILS. 47 



the legislature owes to our farming population. This branch of 

 our subject is amply large enough to merit a separate discussion. 

 We have neither the room nor the time to enter into it with the 

 fulness which it deserves, but we hope to be able to do so in some 

 future number. The numerous and urgent proposals to establish 

 agricultural schools, would seem to indicate a deep conviction in the 

 public mind of the importance of the object itself; but how can it 

 be best attained is a question to which different answers are given. 

 An agricultural college, and the introduction of the study into our 

 common schools, have been suggested. In regard to the first of 

 these projects, we can only say at present, that the establishment 

 of a college where the young farmer may at a small expense obtain 

 the whole education which he needs to fit him for the duties of 

 active life might be useful ; but to found a ynere agricultural school, 

 in our judgment, would be a very unwise scheme. We entertain 

 the same opinion in regard to the other suggestion, viz., the intro- 

 duction of the study of agriculture into our common schools. If 

 these schools were what they should be — if they were conducted 

 by men who made teaching their exclusive business, the proposal 

 might not be objected to ; but looking at our common schools as 

 they now are and are likely to remain for years to come, notwith- 

 standing all the efforts to elevate, w^e cannot but deem the plan 

 above mentioned as worse than foolish, for the result can be nothing 

 else than the imparting of that " little knowledge" which is always 

 " a dangerous thing." No. Let the study of scientific agriculture 

 be introduced into our academies^ and some good may be expected 

 to be done. But we shall not pursue the subject further, as we 

 hope to recur to it again in some future number. 



SOUR SOILS 



It is highly important that, whilst facts are examined and care- 

 fully treasured up by the agriculturist, errors should also be 

 searched out and guarded against ; and this not less in practice 

 than in theory. All the processes of agriculture are based upon 

 theory of some kind. No farmer works by guess. He has 

 his reasons for all he does, and can least of all, be induced to 

 try anything new, unless there are reasons for it, and such 



