ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES 



OF 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



2. / 

 CHAPTER I. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



1. AGRICULTURE is both a science and an art. 

 As an art, it teaches how to cultivate the soil, make 

 and use fertilizers, take care of stock, and do what- 

 ever is necessary for the successful management of 

 a farm. As a science, it explains the growth of 

 plants and animals, and the principles upon which 

 the practical operations of farming depend. As an 

 art, it tells what to do ; as a science, it explains tha 

 reasons for what is done. 



2. Agriculture, like other sciences, was practised 

 as an art long before the principles upon which it is 

 based were understood. As an industrial pursuit, it ; 

 has always been the first in importance. This is 

 owing to the fact that man's necessities compel him to 

 cultivate the soil. While the earth of its own accord 



