WILLIAM H. WOOD'S ADDRESS. 216 



Man and all nature around him, are made subject to fixed and 

 inflexible laws, which, like those of the Medes and Persians, 

 change not. All things exist, all changes in nature take place, 

 in accordance with these laws. These being fixed and immu- 

 table, man, by his intellectual activities, may make himself ac- 

 quainted with them, and thus learn to control them or place 

 himself in accordance with them. Until he does so, he is the 

 sport of nature, helpless and buffeted as a child disowned. 

 Afterwards, in proportion as he becomes acquainted with them, 

 he rises superior to nature, and makes many of her agencies 

 bend their necks to his service, and become subservient to his 

 will. The lightnings of heaven, formerly regarded with dread, 

 by mankind, at first were robbed of their terrors, and conducted 

 quietly to the earth, and now they are made our quick mes- 

 sengers, and run to and fro on our errands of thought. 



The agriculturalist, before he can take the first step, must be- 

 come acquainted with the laws which govern the production of 

 animal and vegetable life, with the nature of the soil, and the 

 agencies of nature around him. As his work is to bring forth 

 the productive powers of the soil, how can he do so, unless he 

 understand the laws by which nature acts in production? If he 

 thwart nature, if he labor not in accordance with her laws, his 

 labor will produce nothing. Not that he must or can understand 

 all the processes of nature in production, but he must understand 

 the conditions which are to be performed on his part before na- 

 ture acts. 



In ascertaining these laws, the agriculturalist must avail him- 

 self of the labor and experience of others. He must acquaint 

 himself with the science of agriculture. The science of agricul- 

 ture is the knowledge of its laws. There has at times existed 

 in the community, a prejudice against scientific farming. Bu 

 if science be the knowledge of the laws of nature, how can there 

 be a well-grounded objection to it 1 The prejudice against sci- 

 entific farming, has arisen from there not being science enough. 

 Principles have been obtained from books, and without under- 

 standing their connection with other principles, or the nature of 

 the soil, have failed in their application. In other cases, scien- 

 tific farming has not been distinguished from theoretic. Theory 



