W. S. KING'S ADDRESS. 631 



might of mind ; why is it that in the peaceful occupation of 

 agriculture, you will set up sinews before it? 



As we cast our eyes over the country, we see it traversed in 

 every direction by roads of iron ; mighty hills are demolished, 

 wide valleys are filled up, and swift streams are spanned by 

 viaducts. The neigh of the steam-horse wakes the echoes, far 

 and near ; as, with eyes of fire and breath of pitchy smoke, he 

 rushes along his iron road with the roar and the strength of 

 the avalanche. Now if there are things that practical men 

 can surely do, the piling of dirt and stones into a long narrow 

 heap ; and the digging down of banks of earth ; and the ham- 

 mering of iron and the putting together of bolts and nuts and 

 plates, must be among them. But we do not give to the 

 thousands of brawny workmen, who ply pick and spade, the 

 honor of building the railroad ; nor do we credit to the faithful 

 smith, who, obedient to directions, has wrought out a rod, and 

 again hammered out a plate, the performances of the finished 

 locomotive. 



By and by, — as all now admit that a man may be a finished 

 practical sailor, who does not defile his palms with pitch, or 

 oakum, or rattlin-stuff; and as one may claim to be a practical 

 builder, rearing huge structures of granite, bridging rivers, and 

 moving mountains, who does not harden his hands by use of 

 spade, pick, or crow ; so will we acknowledge that a man may 

 be a practical farmer, competent to the management of acres, 

 who does not toil all the day long at the plough-tail. To farm 

 well, as to direct any other operation w^ell, the "super" must 

 thoroughly understand how things ought to be done ; and then 

 the proverb will be found to hold true of farming, as of most 

 things else, — " the eye of the master is of more value than his 

 hands." 



A great bug-bear to plain farmers, and a lion in the path of 

 agricultural advancement, is Science. You have allowed 

 yourselves to indulge the idea that a scientific farmer is one 

 who goes a-field with his mouth crammed full of hard words, 

 and his arms filled with gallipots from the drug-store. The 

 manure for an acre of land, you have made him declare, he 

 can carry in one vest pocket ; and thereupon you retort, that 

 the resultant crop he will be able to convey home in the other. 

 Common opinion has stuffed his coat pocket with books, and 



