70 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



AND gardener's JOURNAL. 

 Boston, Weonesoav, S>£iT<:MoeR a, 1838. 



SEPTEMBER 5, 1S38. 



ON experi.mentAl aguicultuke. 



What is called cxperiiiKTiliil Carniiiig lias been ahvav., 

 matter of derision and ridicule with a certain portion of 

 the conimunity, who have not sense enough to fiirm a 

 just judgment on any important subject ; nor pulilic spirit 

 enough to conceive of any clVort or enterprise the solo 

 object of whicli is general utility; nor industry enough to 

 attempt any good themselves; nor honor enough t°o do 

 justice to any man's intelligence, patriotism, or disinter- 

 estedness. Whenever therefore any individual steps out 

 of the beaten track with a view to render a public service 

 or make a useful discovery, if he indulges, in their view, 

 the idle and vain conception that any thing more is to be 

 learnt than what is already known, or that lie can pene- 

 trate further ioto the mysterious depths of knowledge 

 than their short line has reached, he is at once assailed 

 with opprobrium and sneers: if he succeeds they will im- 

 mediately attempt to rob him of the honor of the discov- 

 er)- or in some way to tarnish its lustre ; ;md if lie fails, 

 as in most cases from the very nature of things a failure 

 IS to M expected, they will then sing songs of triumph 

 over him ; and inflated with their o\\-n self-complacency 

 they will wrap themselves the more closely in their own 

 ignorjince and pride. 



It is piunful and vexatious to encounter these sharp 

 points inhuman nature; but the mind, which is con- 

 scious of nght purposes, and bent upon the pursuit and 

 dilVusion of tiuth, should regard such meanness only with 

 the indifference and contempt, which it deserves. Phil- 

 osophy in its literal signification means the love of wis- 

 dom ; the knowledge of truth is the only foundation of 

 wisdom ; and the first and great dictate of all philosophy 

 to every man is, seek the truth; in relation to every 

 thing make it your great aim and study to find out what 

 IS true. 



All the practical and useful arts are founded upon facts. 

 Agriculture is pre-eminently so. All true science in ag- 

 riculture is the process of induction ; consists in inferences 

 drawn from well ascertained and established facts. The- 

 ories in this case, however elaborate and fine spun, are of 

 little, or of no value excepting as the application or proof 

 of them may lead to the e.iciting and multiplying of 

 f^icts, which themselves will lead to important practical 

 rules. As the great orator of antiquity said in regard to 

 the importance of action to the public spealter, so we say 

 of the importance of facts to the farmer. If he would 

 excel in his art, if he would extend the knowledge of his 

 art, if he would advance its power and productions, let 

 him remember that fads, fads, facts, must be the great 

 object of his inquiry. 



To a gentleman then who has tlie means and the op- 

 portunity of pursuing a course of experimental agriculture, 

 and who at the same time h.as the carefulness and thein- 

 ti.'lligeiicc and the disposition to make these experiments 

 fiirly and fully, and patience and acuteness and impar- 

 tiality to Dole the results; and at the same time the cour- 

 age and mauliness to publish them whether successful or 

 unsuccessful, whether they make for or against himself, 

 the highest meed of praise is due; and he is every where 

 to be rccogJiised as the benefactor of the community and 

 a-s the true friend of humanity. We have known several 

 such men. Tlicy are among us. We are justly proud 

 ot them. A fear of wounding their delicate sense of pro- 

 priety and that modesty which has induced them to keep 

 themselves out of sight in all their attempts to serve the 

 public welfare and the great cause of agricultural im- 

 lirovomcnt, prevents the communication of their names 



They are well known however and justly appreciated, j which plaster was not applied, and with which the plas 

 1 hey have been blessed with amjile fortunes; and they tered part might be directly and fairly compared 



cheerfullv ffive their liinn^.v tliiiir llnir. «..,] tl.,.:. ...I — .- A- _... : - _ . .. . . .... 



hecrfully give their money, their lime, and their talents 

 to the improvement of agricultural skill and knowledge ; 

 to the advancement of this great art, whicli lies at the 

 foundation of national wealth, and of social comfort and 

 improvement. 



Now experiments are so valuable in agriculture that 

 we do not fear to be thought by the intelligent too impor- 

 tunate in continually urging them upon the farmers. It 

 does not require a large farm or a great capital to make 

 experiments which might prove liighly instructive and 

 useful. The smallest farmer may make on his premises 

 experiments (rom which the greatest benefits may flow 

 to the whole community ; and in respect to some of the 

 most important experiments yet to he made in agriculture, 

 on which the eojution of gr^:at questions in relation to 

 crops, seeds, manures, modes of planting and cultivation, 

 modes of harvesting, saving, and use, a farm often acres 

 or even less may be as sufiicient as a farm of a hundred 

 or a thousand acres; Indeed an intelligent farmer upon 

 reflection will perceive at once that every agricultural 

 operation, which he performs, is in itself an experiment. 

 In preparing, uianuring, and sowing his fields with any 

 crop and in any season he is making an agricultural ex- 

 periment ; and if he will carefully observe and note ev- 

 ery step in the process of bultivation, and the progress of 

 vegetable growth, ths facts which he observes may prove 

 highly useful and may elicit some most valuable truths. 

 The discovery of the sublime and universal law of grav- 

 itation, on which all astronomical calculations are found- 

 ed ; and which regulates and binds together the infinite 

 universe, is said to have sprung from observing an apple 

 falling from a tree. 



But experiments to be useful and instructive, require 

 peculiar habits of observation and inquiry, in which many 

 men, otherwise intelligent, are deficient. A large part 

 of mankind seem to be travelling through the world with 

 their eyes shut; and may almost be said to see nothing, 

 while others see so imperfectly, that little or no reliance 

 is to be placed upon their observations ; while others from 

 a difficulty of conveying their ideas, or a vi\id imagina- 

 tion, which leads to too much embellishment, are inca- 

 pable of malving a just representation of any thing„which 

 comes under their notice. 



Much discredit has been brought upon what is called 

 experimental agriculture from circuiustances,which ought 

 to be avoided, or should be more considered. In niakin<' 

 an experiment, the first point of importance is to attend 

 to all the circumstances in^the case by which the result 

 can possibly be affected. In the application of plaster 

 for example, we want to know the quantity, the condi- 

 ticm of the plaster, the mode of its aj)plication ; for exmn- 

 ple, whether applied on the surface, under the surface, 

 or top of the plant, at the roots of the plant, alone, or 

 mixed ; with ashes, if so, crude or spent a-shes ; or with 

 manure, and if so what kind of manure ; what the kind 

 of soil ; what the condition of the soil, wet or dry ; what 

 the season of the year; what the state of the weather; 

 what the condition of the plant to which applied ; what 

 the kind of plant; what the effects observed; much or 

 little ; immediate or late ; what the character of the ef- 

 fect; increasing the growth of stalk ; increasing the 

 amount of grain ; forwarding or delaying the ripening ; 

 cost of plaster; quantity used ; expense of its application ; 

 and other inquiries which will at once suggest them- 

 selves. Then again wc wish to know whether the ex- 

 periment has or has not been repeated ; and if so, wheth- 

 er the same or difl'erent effects have resulted ; and wc 

 wish to know, whether the eflects represented to have 

 resulted from its application have been tested by leaving 

 a part of the field and crop in the same circumstances, to 



An enterprising farmer took us into his wheat field 

 this Season to show the powerful and beneficial effects of 

 lime, which he had spread upon it, and wished us to 

 compare his wheat with a neighbor's field near at hand- 

 But now what were the circumstances of the e.xperimcnt, 

 and how far were they conclusive .' Here was a mag- 

 nificent grow th of Italian Wheat ; this could not be de- 

 nied ; and the field of his neighbor was clearly much in- 

 jerior to it ; but this did not decide the efficacy of the 

 lime. Was his field manured the previous year ? yes, 

 abundantly with barn manure; was the lime applied 

 alone.' no, mixed well with wood ashes; was there any 

 part of the field, which was not so dressed .' no, it waa 

 all served alike ; was his neighbor's field manured for the 

 present or the preceding crop ? not known ; was the same 

 quantity and the same kind of wheat sowed by his neigh-, 

 bor as himself.' the same kind, but judged only half the 

 quantity to the acre. We pursued the inquiry no farther. 

 The experiment though deemed so decisive in fact proved 

 nothing ; and the important questions whether the supe- 

 riority of the product to that of his neighbor was owing 

 to the manuring of the previous crop, or to the lime, or to 

 the ashes with which the lime was mixed, or to the 

 greater quantity of seed, were entirely unsettled. We 

 give this example by way of illustrating the subject. 



Another matter which has brought much discredit upon 

 what, is called experimental agriculture is in the sudden- 

 ness and rapidity and confidence, with which persons 

 come to their conclusions. They make a trial, with a 

 view perhaps to decide a point, which has puzzled expe- 

 rienced cultivators for years, and a single experiment de- 

 cides them. The result is immediately and confidently 

 given to the public and a general rule of practice deduced. 

 Under such circumstances intelligent minds often become 

 disgusted; modest minds are deterred from presenting 

 the lesults of their experiments cither from a fear of rid- 

 icule or of being tjrow beaten by the more confident ; 

 ■and the credulous and inexperienced are led to practices, 

 which result in disappointment ; and too often bring the 

 whole matter of agricultural experiments into discredit 

 and disgrace. It should not be so. 



A CcniosiTv. — AVe have been shown a cucumber 

 which is really a great curiosity. It is a complete and 

 excellent representation of a Parrot with the exception of 

 the legs and tail. The head is perfect— the back, the 

 eyes, the ears, being minutely preserved. The head too 

 is thrown to one side in the somewhat ' quizzical ' man- 

 ner in which that bird is wont to observe you while 

 speaking to you. The color of the vegetable very nearly 

 resembles the plumage of the bird; and, indeed so nearly 

 does it appear like it that many persons have really taken 

 it for the carcass of the true bird, when seen at a short 

 distance. This vegetable is now hanging up in the bar- 

 room of the Franklin House. — Columbia Pa. Spy. 



PowEK OF i;i,K( TRiciTV.— A Salad of mustard or water 

 cress may be produced in a few minutes by the assistance 

 of electricity. The process is to immerse the seed for a 

 few days previously, in diluted oxymuriatic acid, then 

 sow it in a very light soil, letting it be covered with a 

 metallic coyer, and then bring it in contact with an elec- 

 trical machine. By the agent employed in this process, 

 eggs, which require from nin( teen to twenty days appli- 

 cation of animal heat to hatch them— may bo hatched in 

 a few hours. Rain water, apparently free from any nox- 

 ious anim.-dcula, in an hour may be rendered full of liv- 

 ing insects ! — Mcr. Journal. 



O' For Horticultural Proceedings see 3d page. 



