18 



ESSAY. 



development, will absorb them into her educational sys- 

 tem with alacrity. They may educate men away from 

 the plough, but they need not do so. If a boy is to be- 

 come a merchant, he prepares himself not only practical- 

 ly, by an education gained in the counting room,but also 

 in the broad principles of the law. and political economy. 

 The lawyer must become versed in jurisprudence, ere 

 he dares trust himself at the bar. The physician must 

 get deep into pharmaceutics and pathology ; and one 

 by one almost all civilians have been dropped, during 

 this war, from the roll of high officers. To-day, what 

 men seemed to doubt at first, is plain, that men who 

 have studied the theory of war deeply, are best military 

 leaders. But the agriculturist has generally been 

 forced to pick up his knowledge as best he could, at 

 the plough, in the newspapers, and by dear experience. 

 Scientific farming has been brought into great disre- 

 pute by its votaries, or those who pretend to be such. 

 Some of these might be called amateurs, anj^thing but 

 scientific farmers. Many of these try to till the soil on 

 the strength of theory alone, and fail. The large 

 expenses incurred, and the small results obtained by 

 these, have caused men to shun anything which savored 

 of science. Many of these having large fortunes, have 

 tilled the soil for show, pleasure and experhnent, rather 

 than profit. There are others who have farmed for a 

 livelihood but, ignorant either of the theory or practice 

 of farming have seized upon a hobby, and in following 

 it, have set at naught the rules of economy and judg- 

 ment These. hobbies have led them to cultivate crops 

 unsuitable to their localities. Grass is the principal 

 crop in New England ; the cattle, beef and grain we 

 raise, are accessaries ; and any departure from a policy 



