1882.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



105 



The literature of a iirofession, fanning, for 

 example, concerves the wisdom of the past 

 and record.s the experiments of the present. 

 But the wisdom of the past preserved in books 

 is like wheat before it is winnowed, mixed 

 with the chaff of ignorance and the cheat of 

 prejudice. So, also, is much of the scientific 

 knowledge of the present. They are both mis- 

 leading and injurious to him who accepts 

 them without question. But they are great 

 helps to him whose mind has been trained to 

 criticise all things, and who accept only that 

 which stands this crucial test. 



Colleges confer degrees, yet these are often 

 misleading; the young man with A. M. or M. 

 1). after his name is not necessarily a master 

 of arts or of medicine. He is only prepared to 

 enter upon a career of practical exjierimcnt, 

 which, if he possesses the talent, the industry, 

 and the perseverance necessary to the com- 

 pletion of his education, may ultimately make 

 him worthy of the title conferred upon him 

 prematurely by the school. 



No amount of theoretical training will fit a 

 man for the successful pursuit of agriculture; 

 yet, without theoretical training, a man rare 

 ly rises to the dignity of an intelligent farmer. 



Farming is a profession in the same sense 

 that the practice of law or of medicine is a 

 profession; hence the youth who is destined 

 to become a farmer should be educated with 

 reference to that i)rofession. The public 

 schools of this coimtry furnish the facilities for 

 all the literary training absolutely needed, 

 and, in the larger cities, thescientific branches 

 are taught as well as they are in our colleges, 

 and these are important. While it were a 

 waste of time to study the dead languages, 

 the prospective farmer should become familiar 

 with the elements of natural history, botany, 

 chemistry, geology, and natural philosophy. 

 These branches of science have a direct rela- 

 tionship to his future business, and the young 

 farmer who enters the profession versed m 

 them will find that he is not only prepared for 

 a larger measure of success, but that his mind 

 is fitted for communion with nature, whose 

 secrets, hid from others are constantly reveal- 

 ed to him, aftbrdlng an inexhaustible source 

 of pleasure as well as profit. To him every 

 expanding leaf or opening flower has a beauti- 

 significance, and every phenomenon involved 

 in the growth of plants has for him a meaning 

 unknown to the ignorant plodder. All nature 

 is to him one grand illustrated encyclopedia 

 filled with lessons of wisdom, from the pen 

 and pencil of the original author and artist of 

 the universe. 



To the educated farmer the rocks present 

 their own history, written in unmistakable 

 characters by the finger of God. The soil 

 whispers to him of its fertility or complains of 

 its poverty in language perfectly intelligible, 

 and the treasures of Flora, Pamona and 

 Ceres, are shown, in rich abundance at the 

 feet of him who wields the magic wand of in- 

 telligent labor 



SUCCESS IN FARMING. 



Importance of Rotation and Clover and Grass 

 Crops. 



The necessai'y steps toward an improved 

 husbandry are: 

 1. To cultivate less land. 



2. To make that which is cultivated rich 

 in plant food, so that it may produce large 

 crops. 



3. The i)ractice of a rigid .system of rota- 

 tion of crops and mixed fanning. 



4. The cultivation of th(! grasses and less 

 of the cereals, and the feeding upon the farm 

 the most of its products. 



5. Raising clover and enriching the land by 

 turning under green crops. 



1 believe that the faithful practice of such 

 a system of tilling would in ten years increase 

 the value of real estate 100 per cent., and 

 place the farming population in an indepen- 

 dent position. All observation and experience 

 go to show that those sections of the country 

 are more prosperous where a mixed system of 

 farming prevails. Tiie farmer who finds in 

 his own garners that which is needed to su])- 

 ply his daily wants is far removed from the 

 vexation and losses attendant upon outside 

 purchases, which so severely tax his means. 

 It is not infrequently the case, when he pro- 

 duces but a single article for the market, that 

 it commands a price which but poorly com- 

 pensates him for his labor, while he has to 

 pay exorbitant prices for that which he is 

 compelled to purchase. This is "selling the 

 hide for a penny and buying back the tail for 

 a shilling," which surely is not a profitable 

 transaction. Mixed agricultural necessarily 

 leads to a system of rotation of crops, which 

 is the key to successful farming. That there 

 is a vast recuperat i ve power ia the land where 

 a succession of different crops are grown, no 

 one can deny in the light of universal experi, 

 ence. Thousands of those who have hitherto 

 devoted themselves to a sicgle production, 

 such as cotton, tobacco or grain, now ac- 

 knowledged this error. 



Successive crops of the same character ex- 

 haust lands of tlie particular food they require 

 with great rapidity. The aid which nature 

 so freely renders, where crops rotate, is with- 

 held in such a system of civilization, because 

 the farmer is violating her laws. To fight 

 against nature is to war at fearful odds, and 

 it is not difficult to forcast the result. To 

 work in harmony with her insures a compara- 

 tively easy victory. One of the most beautiful 

 of her provisions is, that while one crop ex- 

 hausts the soil of that element which enters 

 most largely into its composition by the opera- 

 tion of some mysterious law, it prepares that 

 some soil for some other crop of a different 

 character. This is a very curious and inter- 

 esting process of nature, which results im- 

 mensely to our advantage if we accept;heraid. 

 As an illustration of this principle, we know 

 that clover does not successfully follow itself, 

 although it leaves the ground in the best pos" 

 .sible condition for corn or wheat. One crop, 

 therefore, restores in a measure what anothe.i 

 has taken. By raising continuously the same 

 plant you interfere with this beautiful contri- 

 vance of nature to rebuild her wasted 

 strength. How this is done is imperfix-tly 

 understood. We do know, however, that the 

 deep rooted iilants like clover, will pump from 

 the depths below for the use of those that 

 grow near the surface that food which has 

 been carried beyond their reach. And not 

 only that this element, when brought to the 

 surface, acts chemiciiUy upon what it finds 

 there, and renders soluble and available as 

 plant food what before was inert and resisted 

 a.ssimilation. 



Nature, therefore, will do much of our work 

 for us if we only second lier eflbrts and give 

 full cope to her beneficial laws. It is, therefore 

 a <piestion for the farmer to determine whether 

 he will, by a rotation of crops, have this soil 

 enriched by drafts on nature's trea.sury or 

 draw entirely upon his own. I do not mean to 

 argue thai there is nothing for the farmer to 

 do but follow this rotation to make his lands 

 productive. Far from it. But I do argue 

 that he may make nature a co-worker with 

 him in attending a desirable end. Change is a 

 prominent feature in nature's economy. Cut 

 down the forest of hard wood and the pines 

 succeed. Again, remove the pine and 

 the hard wood reappears. One kind of 

 grass succeeds another, and nature supplies 

 the seed. These changes give the soil rest,to 

 the end that the process of re-invigoration 

 may go on. — Hon. Wni. Fullerton in Nash- 

 ville, (7'enii.) Soulhern Industries. 



THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUL- 

 TURE. 



Nothinsr is more remarkable in our history 

 than the fact that the most important of our 

 national interests should be entirely unrepre- 

 sented at the national capital. Agriculture, 

 which at all periods of our progress has been 

 the most i)rominenl of our productive powers 

 in the creation and development of our natural 

 resources and positive wealth, is wholly un- 

 recognized as an element of national i)ower, 

 or as an object of legislative concern. 



The army of 2o.000 has a department to 

 manage its minutest movement. It expends 

 $40,000,000 annually. It produces nothing. 



The navy, limited to 11,000, almost desti- 

 tute of ships, a mere burlesque on efficiency, 

 as compared with any European power — 

 made up of officers, navy stations and foreign 

 squadrons to lloat favorite commanders in 

 foreign climes, expends ?"20,000,000 annually. 



The post-ofilce is an institution by it.self ; it 

 is worthy of the Government, the i)eople, and 

 the age. 



The State Department is what it is vener- 

 able in precedent, dogmatic in practice ; .slow, 

 aristocratic, it is the least American of our 

 departments. If it were to drop out it would 

 not be. missed. It is the Uip Van Winkle ele- 

 ment in our Government machinery. 



The Interior Department is, after the Post- 

 Ollice, the only real representative of the i>efl- 

 ple. It is the source of titles for all our pub- 

 lic lands ; it issues all oui patents ; it controls, 

 manages, and provides for our Indians ; it 

 distributes and settles our pension-rights •, 

 it i-egulates our mines and controls oiu' rail- 

 road grants. Its duties are immense; they 

 are performed with consummate ability, but 

 red tape hangs from every window, garlands 

 every alcove, and ties up in stupid uniformity 

 of dullness every intellect not bold enough to 

 say its soul is its own. 



The Treasury is a marvel. More than -i?!,- 

 000,000 daily passes under its control. The 

 care, precision, accuracy, and brilliancy of 

 the management is equal to the grandest hopes 

 of American supremacy. It is the treasure- 

 home of the people. Its vaults to-day hold 

 more coin than is treasured in any other gov- 

 ernment bnilding in the world. 



But agriculture, which creates the wealth 

 managed by the Treasury, and without which 



