27 



ciety, I fear that you would not be very certain about 

 many matters which you now consider perfectly set- 

 tled ; your supposed knowledge, if not composed of 

 more substantial stuff than mine, would mostly slip 

 through the fingers, as soon as you attempted to 

 grasp it and write it down. You might find that your 

 observations have been less minute and accurate 

 than you suppose ; that your experiments have been 

 conducted with less care than you imagine ; and that 

 you are less well acquainted with your own business 

 than you suspect. Such a lesson does no harm. I 

 am tempted to wish that you might all learn it. You 

 would then be made to know that we have scarcely 

 commenced some of our appropriate studies — the 

 study of the nature and composition of the various 

 soils and various manures ; the study of the habits 

 and wants of the various grains, grasses, and roots ; 

 the study of the first principles of agricultural sci- 

 ence, and of their application. Then you might per- 

 ceive that our pursuit can furnish daily and abundant 

 employment to every faculty of the mind, as well as 

 to every limb and muscle of the body. 



You might, if placed where 1 stand, suspect that 

 one would find it serviceable to record whatever new 

 knowledge he acquired, to keep accurate and full 

 accounts of his expenditures, and his income. The 

 difficulties which embarrass me at every step of 

 progress in collecting matter for this address, induce 

 me to advise every young farmer to keep a journal ; 

 to note down where and how he spends each 

 day, to record his observations upon different modes 

 of cultivation, the growth of crops, and every thing 



