should be provided. Food elements that make fat, heat and energy- 

 are called carbohydrates, but they do not promote growth. Growth 

 is made by feeding nitrogenous substances, but to secure a perfect and 

 rapid development, the right proportions of both must be given. 



Animals are no exception to the rules governing construction in other 

 things. If one is building a house, the quantities of the various parts 

 must be in proportion, if the structure is made complete and durable. 

 Even the laws of chemistry are no less exacting than the laws governing 

 gi'owth. In chemistry we find that the law of combination will permit 

 of no radical interference. To illustrate, two volumes of hydrogen and 

 one part of oxygen will make pure water, but equal parts will not, nor 

 will any other proportions of those two elements make that very neces- 

 sary essential to life. Oxygen is absolutely necessary to sustain life, 

 and will, if rightly provided, but if we combine three volumes of oxygen 

 with one each of hydrogen and nitrogen, we form nitric acid, and no 

 other combination will make that fluid. I mention these facts to 

 impress upon the farmer's mind the necessity of knowing the require- 

 ments of his stock in order that he may secure the best possible results 

 in his feeding operations, for nature's laws of exactness are very strict. 



Crop-Raising 



The other feature of modern farming, namely, growing crops, involves 

 four distinct steps or operations and several sub-divisions which will be 

 briefly referred to hereafter. 



I want to impress upon the minds of my readers the absolute necessity 

 of faithfully observing each one of the operations which are : 



1. The seed-bed. 



2. Fertility, or the operations necessary to prevent exhaustion of the 

 fertility of the soil and methods to make it available. 



3. Selection and breeding of seed. 



4. Cultivation of the gi'owing plant. 



These operations are of equal importance, and a neglect of any one of 

 them will invariably be the cause of a deficient harvest. 



The Seed-Bed 



The seed-bed must be so made that it provides for each and all of the 

 requirements of the growing plant. The requirements are: 



1. An abundance of room. 



2. Atmospheric oxygen. 



3. Water. 



4. Humus. 



5. Food. 



A Roomy Seed-Bed 



The abundance, energy and ability of pLnnt roots depends largely on 

 the room and freedom they have to develop. Roots seek the course of 



