I^xtintt. 



The undeniable fact, that some farmers are ad- 

 vancing in their profession, while others are retro- 

 grading, or only stationary, in connection with the 

 author's belief, that study is the cause of success 

 on one hand, and the want of it, of failure, on the 

 other, will justify his choice of a name for this book 

 — " The Progressive Farmer." 



As Agriculture is necessarily a laborious employ- 

 ment — one in which a majority of mankind must 

 ever be engaged, and on which all must depend for 

 a subsistence — it is evident that whatever can be 

 done to diminish its labors, to increase its profits, and 

 to advance the intelligence and happiness of those 

 who practise it, ought to be done. 



The following pages are the result of an effort to 

 render science available to practical farmers, to young 

 men desirous of qualifying themselves for so useful 

 an employment, and especially to the more advanced 

 classes in our public schools. 



With an earnest desire to contribute to the most 

 important of all interests, and with a hope that the 

 labor will not have been wholly in vain, these pages 

 are submitted to the public. J. A. N. 



678990 



