t.ural journals with which they are so cheaply furnished — 

 they have, too, the examples of some of the best farm- 

 ers in the land. No farmer here can justly complain 

 that he is destitute of the means of knowledge — of that 

 knowledge, which, applied to agriculture, is power — 

 power to develope its resources — power to multiply and 

 improve the quality of its products — power to facilitate 

 the methods of its varied operations. Every farmer can 

 be a neat, and to some extent a thrifty farmer, if he 

 resolutely and perseveringly sets about it. "Where 

 there is a will, there is a way," saith the old proverb; 

 but here is not one way merely, but often many ways, 

 already provided to our hands, of accomplishing this re- 

 sult — each and all faithfully tried and approved by in- 

 dividuals acting independently of one another, so that 

 the greatest assurance of success is guarantied to those 

 who under similar circumstances, shall essay to accom- 

 plish a similar result. 



How is it then that so few good farmers are to be 

 found among us? How is it that only here and there is 

 an individual conspicuous for good husbandry, whilst 

 the remaining portion go on from year to year in the 

 same unvarying course, without striving to correct er- 

 rors or to adopt improvements in their system of culti- 

 vation? 



Various answers to this inquiry have been suggested. 

 By some it is alleged that our soil is, in general, poor, 

 and that the difference in the quality of the soil makes 

 the difference in the charatter and condition of those 

 who till it — that any one can be a good and a prosper- 

 ous farmer on land naturally productive, or with means 

 at hand, such as abound on the sea-shore, of perpetu- 

 ally renewing its fertility, whilst on light or rough land 

 its occupant must be doomed to eke out a scanty subsis- 

 tence, by dint even of the severest pains-taking. 



Now it is not^to be denied, that, other things being 

 equal, he that cultivates a rich soil has decided advan- 

 tage over him who carries on such as is deficient in the 

 elements of fertility. But how many farms there are 

 where Nature has done every thing, and Art nothing — 



