254 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY. 



er they would select a teacher of circumscribed 

 knowledge, who followed the practices of the last 

 century, and knew only how to kill land, or one who 

 was familiar with all the improvements of the age. 

 and whose thrift in business was a guarantee that 

 he worked it right 1 Now the agricultural journal is 

 to the circumscribed farmer what the good teachei 

 would be to the boy, an instructor in the improve- 

 ments and best practices in his business, written bj 

 chose who have made and adopted them, and have 

 profited by them ; and for the particular benefit of 

 those who have limited means, or cannot go abroad 

 for the information they need. The modern im- 

 provements in farming go to economize labour, or, 

 rather, to render labour more productive and profit- 

 able, and to keep up the fertility of the soil ; two 

 objects of as much or more importance to the cir- 

 cumscribed farmer than to one of more extended 

 means. The man who takes an agricultural journal 

 profits by the experience of hundreds ; while he 

 who takes none can profit only from his own, and 

 that, perhaps, of a few neighbours. The adage 

 teaches that two heads are better than one, the 

 world over. 



These remarks are preliminary to some extracts 

 we are about to make from John Lorain, a philoso- 

 pher and a first-rate farmer, written for the special 

 instruction of circumscribed farmers, to whose no- 

 tice they are respectfully recomimnded. 



" In this country land is very cheap : an excellent 

 ready-cash market for the produce of the* soil gen- 

 erally prevails. This offers every rational encour- 

 agement to the poor but industrious farmer, who 

 depends principally on his own labour and that of 

 his family for cultivating the soil occupied by him. 

 He is but little affected by the high price of labour, 

 or the idleness and insolence of workmen, which 

 take place in every country where labour is scarce, 

 unless the laws be oppressively severe. 



