116 



Systematic Cultivation. — Horn-Ail. 



Vol. VI. 



Systematic Cultivation. 



Agriculture is the oldest art of which 

 we have any account; by it, nations and com- 

 munities are held together; it is the bond 

 that unites society, an art more conducive to 

 health and more strictly united with religion 

 and morality than any other — it is important 

 then, that it be well understood. Inquiries 

 into the principles of agriculture, are like the 

 key of knowledge, that will open to us an 

 extensive field for inquiry; intelligent and 

 patient observation will disclose vast riches 

 for the mind, and add immense resources for 

 physical happiness — what a fund of know- 

 ledge then may agriculturists acquire! 



Many farmers are content to proceed, with- 

 out the attempt to investigate the science or 

 principles of their business, by which they 

 may be led to adopt improved modes of prac- 

 tice; but although such men may succeed in 

 obtaining a living by labour, they can never 

 experience the true happiness, dignity, and 

 independence which their calling, under in- 

 telligent and systematic direction, is so well 

 calculated to produce. Practice, to be bene- 

 ficial and profitable, must be in accordance 

 with natural laws ; it is not enough that a 

 man was born and bred a farmer, to enable 

 him to secure the most desirable results, for 

 it may be, that his breeding has not been of 

 the best order; the experience of others, and 

 the knowledge obtained from reading agri- 

 cultural works — the record of scientific and 

 systematic experiments — will be found high- 

 ly serviceable ; for when a man of genius 

 applies himself to any of the sciences, expe- 

 rience shows that he does it with greater 

 ability, force of mind, industry, taste, and 

 more invention ; whereas the man who con- 

 fines himself servilely to the common road 

 and to ancient custom, after many years of 

 patient labour still continues the same, and 

 makes no progress in the profession he fol- 

 lows. And this is one reason of the small 

 produce of farms, and the small returns, even 

 to many an industrious man ; agriculture is 

 not generally regarded by them as an art that 

 requires rules, reflection and study, but has 

 ever been esteemed as a mere manual occu- 

 pation — a man is called a fanner, and is 

 thought to have performed his part, when all 

 that ho does is to plough, plant and harvest, 

 without regard to rule or system ; and it is 

 passing strange that farmers who, above all 

 others, ought to understand the theory of 

 soils, and the production of plants, and to ob- 

 serve the phenomena of nature in these par- 

 ticulars as a 7neans, not only of adding to 

 their knowlodgp, but to their ease and profit, 

 should neglect them most. Experience is 

 above all precept, and makes even the faults 

 we have committed conduce to our advan- 



tage, for from doing torong, we often learn 

 to do right : the experience of the thousands 

 of intelligent minds, who have elucidated and 

 brought out truths on subjects directly bear- 

 ing upon agriculture, should therefore be 

 highly regarded. We must lay our founda- 

 tion well, commence with primary principles, 

 and the results must be successful. — Yankee 

 Farmer. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 IIorn-Ail. 



Mr. Editor, — Having persuaded myself 

 that the practice of boring the horns and ap- 

 plying spirits of turpentine, &c., in the dis- 

 ease called Horn-Ail, (which is so very pre- 

 valent in America,) is entirely wrong in 

 principle and has the most pernicious conse- 

 quences in practice, I deem it not improper 

 to recommend, by the means of your valua- 

 ble periodical, a system of cure by which, 

 during a long veterinary practice, both in 

 France and in Philadelphia, New York and 

 Harrisburg, I have been successful in most 

 cases ; while by the common way of proceed- 

 ing no animal is saved, some cither not hav- 

 ing been attacked by that disease, or getting 

 cured by nature itself. 



This disease is also called the "Red Wa- 

 ter," or blood in the back or loins, and arises 

 principally from the cattle being at grass 

 during the summer on lots which are very 

 dry and without shade, and from their being 

 exposed to excessive heat of the sun, and to 

 great cold in winter time; there are various 

 other causes, as moory pastures, moist wea- 

 ther, &c., to all which cattle in this country 

 are generally exposed; sour and mouldy hay, 

 the exclusive feeding on corn-stalks, also con- 

 tribute a good deal to this disorder. 



As this disease is of an inflammatory char- 

 acter, the application of spirits of turpentine 

 and the like, which produce inflammation, is 

 entirely wrong. This is shown by the strong 

 throbbing of the heart, the mixture of the 

 urine with blood; if you stir with the fore- 

 finger in the nostrils of the animal, a good 

 deal of blood will be discharged from them, 

 and if you insert your hand into the straight- 

 gut, you may bring out whole lumps of blood. 

 Boring the horns is at most curing symptoms 

 and not the disease; the farmer is unfor- 

 tunately confirmed in this proceeding by the 

 fact, that matter sometimes is discharged 

 from the bored horns; but it is neither re- 

 commended by any experienced veterinarian, 

 nor mentioned in any scientific work on the 

 veterinary art. I therefore feel myself bound 

 to recommend to every owner of cattle the 

 following mode of cure, tried by me a good 

 many times with success: 



When an animal is observed to be suffer- 



