264 



NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



JXTNE 



How unjust has been the prejudice with 

 whicli practical farmers have regarded book 

 knowled<,re in farming ! Books, indeed, are 

 not ploughs, teams nor laborers ; yet tliev di- 

 rect and guide the -working of each. Does 

 any wise traveler disregard the guide board 

 or book because it does not furnish him with 

 a mode of conveyance ? Their only oflice is 

 to direct ; and likewise the principles of sci- 

 ence and the laws of nature are but the guides 

 to successful husbandry, and the farmer who 

 expects success from bfjoks without Jnhor, or 

 -from mere labor without the guide of books,"is 

 foolish. 



In no calling at the present time are intel- 

 ligent and educated men needed as much as in 

 agriculture. ]\Ien accjuainted with cheiuistry 

 and the other natural sciences and their appli- 

 cations ; reasoning and thinking men, who are 

 capable of carrying out plans and experiments 

 on a tl^oroughly scientific basis. These must 

 enter the ranks of the practical husbandmen 

 before this branch of industry can be raised 

 to its proper level, or brought to anything like 

 perfection. 



AVe have theories on agriculture without 

 number laid before us every da}-, either through 

 the medium of agricultural papers or by lec- 

 turers ; a -multitude of non-conclusive experi- 

 ments have been made and circulated, yet 

 there is hardly a point in all our system of 

 Anierican agriculture settled on a firm and 

 satisfactory basis. 



In view of this, should not our farmers be 

 educated so as to be able to ascertain the true 

 from the false, and to be able to settle those 

 many disputed points, and as well to be capa- 

 ble of applying the principles of science to 

 their daily work. 



The social position of farmers as a class, is 

 far below the level they should hold ; for in 

 no industrial class are there found so many 

 specimens of a truly noble character ; so few 

 addicted to the tricks and vices of the world, 

 as in the class of the hard working farmers. 

 Examine the criminal lists brought before our 

 courts of justice, and how few you will find 

 who came from the farm. 



Now, since among the farmers there can be 

 iound so few of those degraded and unprin- 

 cipled men, why is it tiie popular idea that 

 they ai-e beneatli the level of society in gen- 

 eral ? Why is it that a person engaged in a 

 liberal pi-ofession is more honored than the 

 husbandman on whom the world has to depend 

 directly for sujiport ? It is because mind is 

 the recognized king over matter ; it is because 

 of the natural homage win'ch the world pays to 

 education. Therefore give the fanner a full 

 accjiiaintance with all the laws and principles 

 of the sciences connected with his art, and 

 you will raise him to the level with the most 

 brilliant intellects of the honored professions. 



This contempt for the farmer and his voca- 

 tion is unjust ; but still more unjust are the 

 contempt and scorn with which the mass of 



farmers look upon education as connected with 

 their business. 



Therefore, the active farmers of the State 

 should cast aside these narrow and prejudiced 

 views of the most important subjc-ct, and spend 

 more time than heretofore in the reading of 

 standard agricultural works, and thus be able 

 to understand the subject with which they have 

 to deal. The young who are just entering the 

 field should apjireciate the unspeakable im- 

 portance of understanding thoroughly all 

 which can be learned from books, and thus de- 

 rive all possible benefit from the experience 

 and knowledge of others. Therefore, pre- 

 pare yourselves faithfully and well, before as- 

 suming the responsibilities of your profession. 



Amherst, Mass., April 3, 1871. 



Cooking Food — Wixtp:r Butter. — We 

 are still (March 21,) cooking food for pigs. 

 It is a good deal of work, and it is doubtful 

 whether the saving of food would pay for the 

 expense. But I cook to save digestion rather 

 than to save food. I want to enable the pigs 

 to eat and digest more food. And if cooking 

 will do this, it will pay. Cooking does not 

 increase the amount of nutriment in the food. 

 It may make it more palatable and more easily 

 digested — that is all. I am inclined to think 

 that the assimilating powers of a well-bred 

 pig are greater than his digestive capacity. If 

 they are not, there is little to be gained by- 

 cooking the food. 



We are still feeding our cows cooked corn- 

 meal — say three quarts of meal per day to 

 each cow. I am satisfied that it pays. We 

 have made just as nice yellow butter all -winter 

 as I wish to eat — better butter than we make 

 during the hot summer weather. I am in- 

 clined to think that the best time to have cows 

 come in, where nothing but butter is made, 

 would be in September, and let them go dry 

 during the hot weather of July and August. 

 We should then have plenty of skim-inilk, just 

 when we most want it, for young pigs. And 

 the cows would run in the pasture, and require 

 no milking during the busy season of harvest. 

 — J. Harris, in American Agriculturist. 



Grafting-Wax. — As the grafting season 

 is upon us — April being by far the best time 

 for this operation — we may as well repeat our 

 recipe for making grafting-wax, which is- 

 simply to take two pounds of rosin, ten ounces 

 of beeswax and one gill of linseed oil, stew it 

 well till the mass is completely dissolved ; 

 apply it to the grafts while warm with a stiff 

 brush or pinc-paddle, so that air and water 

 are completely excluded. The consistency of 

 the wax should be such that it will not be so 

 hard as to crack in the cool winds of spring, 

 or so soft as to run in the warmest weather of 

 summer. 



Any smaller or larger quantity can be made 

 by using the above j^roportions. — Exchange. 



