25 



dilations. Sometimes they hardly know till the day 

 comes what they are going to plant, or how or where they 

 are going to plant it. So every thing is at hap-hazard, 

 and they would stare in surprise should you ask them at 

 time of sowing, what was the precise number of bushels 

 of various products they should gather without fail at 

 harvest. Farmers, especially young farmers, would find 

 their labors greatly facilitated, if they went into exact 

 calculations, made plans, and kept a strict account of their 

 farm and firm work ; putting down on paper, how many 

 and what acres they would turn up, and what fields they 

 would lay down CA^ery year ; what and how much manure 

 each field should have ; how many cords of compost, as 

 well as of manure they would make, and to what uses it 

 should be applied ; how much corn, potatoes, grain, &c., 

 should be raised on the ground appropriated to each, and 

 see that it luas done. This at first sight perhaps looks 

 visionary, but such visions have been realized, and found 

 to produce very blessed results, making the science of 

 farming almost worthy to be classed with " the exact 

 sciences." I have known instances of scientific, method- 

 ical men, determining in this way that their corn-fields, 

 wheat and potato-fields should yield a certain average 

 crop year after year, and compelling them to do so. And 

 more than this, I can name one instance at least of a far- 

 mer, who made it his business for many years, to raise a 

 certain number of apples for the foreign market ; and he 

 managed so as to raise nearly the same average crop year 

 after year for many years. 



And here I might predict the abolition of droughts by 

 restoring through science the equilibrium of moisture to 

 the lower and insulating stratum of the atmosphere, — the 

 prevention of the too early and late frosts, by protecting 

 screens and belts of trees and other means ; the importa- 

 tion of gardening and farming Chinese by the myriads. 



