1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



259 



Fer the Tfew England Farmer. 

 "EXPERIMENTAL FARMING." 



Messrs. Editors: — Finding in one of my week- 

 lies an article unJer the significant and attractive 

 caption, "Experimental Farming," copied from the 

 New England Farmer, I felt moved — by the spirit 

 of controversy — to "also show mine opinion." 

 The comparative allusion the writer makes is well 

 calculated to gain him a hearing among some 

 classes of persons who in too many instances are 

 already behind the times in agricultural science. 

 Since he made the allusion I will remind him that 

 one noted in olden time for his wisdom and ex- 

 tensive observation once remarked, "He that is 

 first in his own cause seemeth just, but his neigh- 

 bor cometh and seareheth him." 



Your correspondent strikes his first blow at sci- 

 entific farming on this wise — mark the expression 

 "The chemist may analyze the soil on my farm 

 * * * and point out the ingredient or ingre- 

 dients which are wanting, theoretically, and I go 

 to work, practically, and find my land unproduc- 

 tive as before." This way be so, is not always 

 satisfactory to those who understand the use of 

 figures. In the Worfiing Farmer, Vol. 3, No. 2 

 Prof. Mapes writes, "Within the lastthree years 

 we have visited many farms, and some of the own 

 ers sent certificates of results." One represented 

 that under our advice he had added the missing 

 constituents to his soil, at an exp^ense of only 

 $4,12.^ per acre, with proper tillage, and pro- 

 duced, in consequence, the following crops : — Corn 

 128 bushels of ears per acre, where formerly with 

 much larger expenditure for manures, but 30 

 bushels of shelled corn had been produced. Po- 

 tatoes, 310 busliels per acre. Mangold wurtzel 

 IG tons per acre, and other crops in proportion. 

 Had your corres[)ondent cited an instance where a 

 person having an analysis of his soil by a compe 

 tent chemist — hid added the required amend- 

 ment — as in the instance above quoted, and failed 

 of satisfactory results, I might have remained si- 

 lent ; but he doos no such thing ; he only gives 

 his ipse-disit, and goes on to prove from his prac 

 iical experience \n well-digging that soils are so 

 variable even within short distances that an 

 analysis must be of doubtful utility. 



Of his first well, he states : "after removing 

 the soil at the surf ice we entered a quicksand &c.," 

 of the second, some fifty feet distant, he continues : 

 "After removing the soil we came upon hard com- 

 pact clay gravel," &c. and closes the sentence with 

 the remark, "here was an illustration of the 

 change insoils worth noticing." Here is an illus- 

 tration of the way some people jump at conclu- 

 sions, unparalelled in my previous reading. I had 

 always supposed that the portion of the earth's 

 surface through which the plow passes, into which 

 the manure is worked, and to which the seed is 

 committed, is ihe'soil — proper — the part that chem- 

 ists and agriculturists bad most to do with, but 

 your correspondent having removed this in both 

 instances without noting any difference, has seemed 

 to entirely lose sight of it, and digging down into 

 the 5M6-soil and not finding the bowels of mother 

 Earth perfectly even and uniform, he announces 

 tlie discovery of a principle in agriculture that is 

 likely to baffle the combined skill of chemists and 

 farmers in their attempts to improve our system 

 of husbandry. 



In perfect keeping with his conclusions, he re- 



fers to the course of practice of a self-constituted 

 physician as an example worthy of imitation by 

 farmers in their treatment of infertile soils. Sup- 

 pose he should find a quantity of sulphuret of iron 

 conveniently near his compost heap ; we should 

 expect, according to his own recommendation, to 

 find him — following the example of his model doc- 

 tor, carting it in for the improvement of his farm. 

 "Would not it be strange if it did not benefit 

 some portion of his changeful farm? Again, sup- 

 pose he M'ished to ascertain whether his soil 

 needed lime — for instance ; would he procure a 

 quantity and compost it with numerous vegetable 

 and mineral substances, and if his crops were 

 benefited by the application of such artificial ma- 

 nures, continue year after year to add lime to his 

 compost in the belief that it is the required amend- 

 ment? J. 



P. S. — The above was written before receiving 

 the March number of the Farmer, which contains 

 your remarks showing some of your oljections to 

 the i-ecom»endation of your correspondent, which 

 the paper in which I first read the article did not 

 copy. 



I find too in the same number another corres- 

 pondent seems to have doubts as to the practical 

 benefit of analysis of soils. He says, "Is it possi- 

 ble that by careful analysis of soils from sterile 

 Mass., and of those from the Scioto valley, famous 

 for its wonderful fertility, no clue to the vast dif- 

 ference between the two can be detected?" "I 

 here confess my surprise at the results, and will 

 acknowledge they have done much to shake my 

 faith in all chemical analysis of soils." 



I would inquire if the specimen of soil from 

 Hampden Co. is a fair representative of sterile 

 Mass. soil; also what is the average produce of the 

 Hampden Co. soil. "Having witnessed the 

 growth of corn in both States," has he found out 

 no difference in the geological character of the 

 different places, nor found any difference in me- 

 chanical condition ? Has he taken into considera- 

 tion the difference in latitude, temperature of cli- 

 mate ? &c. Has he read Prof. Johnston's lecture 

 on the Relations of Physical Geography to prac- 

 tical Agriculture ? j. 



Bridgewatcr, March, 1853. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 RURAL PLEASURES. 



There is^ perhaps, no situation in life \'ihich af- 

 fords greater facilities for enjoyment than that of 

 the husbandman. Exempt from the many cares 

 which throng the pathway of the professional man> 

 the farmer finds ample opportunity to cultivate his 

 mind ajjd expand his intellect, and even while en- * 

 gaged in labur, may still be a learner from the 

 great book of Nature. 



As the plowshare turns the sods, his eye wan- 

 ders over the rich landscape, and in the meander- 

 ing streams, the wood-crowned hills and smiling 

 vales, he traces the finger of God. The glory of 

 the spring-time is not by him unheeded. He sees 

 with delight the delicate verdure mantling in beau- 

 ty the awakening earth — he views with pleasure, 

 the fair petals of innumerable blossoms as they un- 

 fold to the genial sunbeams, and he feels upon his 

 cheek, the soft breeze which is laden with their 

 balmy perfume. For him, the minstrels of heaven 



