ECONOMY OF AGRICULTURE 441 



of the science and the perfecting of the art of the economy of 

 agriculture will never be reached until these relations, as afore- 

 said, are all studied and learned in Nature's great Laboratory. 



An attempt has been made in this brief essay to awaken the 

 attention of farmers and others to the importance of the econ- 

 omy of agriculture — the economy of an art that has done, and 

 is doing, more for the advancement of civilization and the per- 

 fection of man as a social being than any other of the great 

 family of industrial arts — an art which in ancient times engaged 

 the attention and occupied the time of patriarchs and prophets 

 — (men who lived in close communion with God, and from which 

 Jesus, both the Example and Savior of man, drew his most 

 striking and instructive parabolic lessons of infinite wisdom) — 

 an art that has had attractions for a Xenophon, a Virgil, a Cato, 

 Cicero, Cincinnatus, and a long line of names down to our own 

 ever-honored Washington and Webster — all men who es- 

 teemed agriculture most worthy of their patronage, and felt 

 honored by it, as the most ancient, as it is the most noble and 

 honorable, of earth's vocations. The perfecting of the science 

 and economy of such an art is worthy of engaging the attention 

 of the best intellects of the race ; for the time of universal 

 peace on earth and good will among men will not be enjoyed 

 until the perfection of that art, which underlies all real pros- 

 perity in every other, be attained. This is to be reached, if at 

 all, by knowledge derived from experience and observation in 

 the laboratory of Nature rather than that of the chemist. 

 Hence the importance of every farmer's keeping an exact rec- 

 ord of all his doings — thus accumulating facts from experience 

 and observation such as will aid in the completion of the science 

 and art of husbandry and of rural economy. 



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