326 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



touched by any one, and did work that would 

 do credit to the best workmen. Its employ- 

 ment will save the labor of one hand, in many 

 instances, and a saving may be made in a single 

 week sufheient to pay for it. Look at it, and if 

 it seems comely to you, test it. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 AGKICULTUKE. 



Mr. Epitor : — In order to obviate some of 

 the prejudices which, unfortunately, exist among 

 farmers against hook knowledge, I wish to say a 

 few words \i\)ox\scientiJic, experimental &nA. prac- 

 tical agriculture. 



Scieniijic agriculture, as I understand it, ex- 

 plains the various methods of cultivating, improv- 

 ing and beautifying the earth, so as to render it 

 more productive and delightful. The term ag- 

 riculture, it derived from "ager," a field, and "cul- 

 tura," culture, so that, according to its etymology, 

 it means, field- culture. In a restricted sense, it 

 is confined to, and explains, the different opera- 

 tions required in the cultivation and improve- 

 ment of arable and grass lands, and whatever ap- 

 pertains to the same ; the cultivating and pre- 

 serving ditierent kinds of crops, fruits, kc. In a 

 more extensive sense, it includes the breeding, 

 rearing, feeding and management of all kinds of 

 stock, and the disposal of the same. And it is 

 the particular province of 5cj'e«^//?c agriculture to 

 explain the reasons why things should be done 

 thus and so, and not in a different manner. Sci- 

 ence means knowledge ; and he who possesses it, 

 is master of his subject, and is competent to ex- 

 plain it. But, as it is human to err, and there 

 is no such thing as human perfection, it frequent- 

 ly happens, that our most scientific men are mis- 

 taken in some points, and therefore are not per- 

 fectly reliable in all their statements ; and the rea- 

 son is obvious, either because they have been de- 

 ficient in scientific knowledge, or I)ecause they 

 have carelessly overlooked some of the causes 

 which have contributed to produce a certain re- 

 sult, or have attributed the result to wrong causes. 

 In either case, it does not prove the uselessness 

 or the worthlessness of science, or book-know- 

 ledge, but directly the reverse ; for, if the most 

 knowing and scientific sometimes make mistakes, 

 the least scientific, that is, the most ignorant, will 

 be the most likely to make the most frequent 

 mistakes. Errors of this kind are the result of 

 ignorance, and not of science or knowledge ; and 

 their frequency is generally in proportion to the 

 degrees of ignorance which prevail. Ignorant peo- 

 ple on this subject, are like narroM'-necked bot- 

 tles, the less they have in them, the more noise 

 they make in pouring it out. They seem to think 

 that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing," 

 especially if it be derived from books. At least, 

 they think it quite unnecessary for farmers to 

 trouble themselves much about book knowledge, 

 or to try to educate themselves beyond their im- 

 mediate labor in the field. They seem almost to 

 entertain a prejudice against one who devotes 

 much attention to subjects of art, or science, or 

 general literature, as though such studies were 

 inconsistent with the ordinary business of a 

 thrifty farmer. Very few farmers are so burdened 



with work, that they cannot find one or two hours 

 each day for other studies besides those which re- 

 late to agriculture. The objects of all our pri- 

 vate studies should be the better to qualify our- 

 selves for our work, to make us more intelligent, 

 more skilful, more scientific, and thus to raise 

 ourselves above mere serfs and laborers, to a po- 

 sition of influence and growing usefulness. 



Experiment alai^ncnXiuve differs in some respects 

 from the scientific, inasmuch as it consists in en- 

 deavoring to find out by a. series of experiments, 

 what science already knows and is prepared to 

 teach systematically. All experiments are more 

 or less expensive. It may cost hundreds and 

 thousands of dollars to test and to make sure 

 what we desire to know. To accomplish our 

 purpose, time and money and labor are required. 

 But, when we have once obtained our knowledge 

 by well tried experiments, and printed the re- 

 sults in a book, it then ceases to be experimental, 

 and is so much added to our present stock of 

 scientific knowledge. Every one who tries ex- 

 periments should be a man of thought and re- 

 flection, who knows how to combine elements, so 

 as to make wheat, corn, roots and other vegeta- 

 bles grow, upon which man and beast subsist. He 

 should be a reader of agricultural books and pe- 

 riodicals, a careful observer of nature, a close 

 thinker, a correct reasoner, so as to be able to 

 draw correct conclusions. In making experiments, 

 he should do it at first on a small scale, and ac- 

 cording to his means, and repeat them a sufficient 

 number of times to establish their certainty. But, 

 then, there would be less need of his making ex- 

 periments, if he read more and understood bet- 

 ter the experiments of others. Books should 

 be "the man of his counsel and the lamp to bis 

 feet to guide him in the path of duty," because 

 books contain the experiments and the experi- 

 ence of others. Still he should not believe in 

 the truth of every statement which he finds in 

 agricultural books and papers, especially in the 

 latter, because many of the writers in the agri- 

 cultural papers are uneducated men, honest and 

 truthful, but they do not know the whole truth, 

 and are liable to make wrong statements. For 

 instance, in the use of salt, quicklime, potash, &c., 

 for agricultural purposes, great caution is neces- 

 sary, however strongly they may be recommen- 

 ded ; because, when improperly used, or in wrong 

 quantities, they are very destructive to vegetation. 

 It is chiefly owing to the mistakes which have 

 been made in the use of these and such like ar- 

 ticles, that so many prejudices exist against book 

 knowledge. 



Practical agriculture is founded on science, 

 experiment and experience ; in other words, it 

 is practical knowledge applied to farming, wheth- 

 er that knowledge be derived from books con- 

 taining the result of other men's experience, or 

 from our own thoughts, study and experience. At 

 any rate, it is not visionary or theoretical, but 

 practical. It consists in applying the well-know " 

 and well-established principles in the science o. 

 agriculture to the cultivation and improvement 

 of the soil, in rendering it more productive and 

 better fitted for the support and accommodation 

 of man and beast. We have many practical far- 

 mers who do not pretend to be very scientific, ov 

 much given to experiment, but whose pi«cllce 

 works to a charm. They read and think ?.nd 



