Why Farmers Resist Agricultural Changes. 7 



estimates the value of manuring as below ploughing, 

 and thus recognized as Sir John Lawes did that the 

 physical condition of the soil is of more importance than 

 its strictly speaking chemical composition. "If I am 

 asked," says Cato — "what is the first point in good 

 husbandry, I answer good ploughing ; the second 

 ploughing of any kind, and the third manuring." " In 

 a very important sense tillage is manure " (Bailey's 

 " Principles of Agriculture," New York, Maomillan, p. 65). 

 Tillage by the agency of roots is the best and by far 

 the cheapest fomx of tillage, and that it is the best 

 anyone can see for himself by digging up the soil in 

 forest-clad land, and that it is the cheapest as well as the 

 best in arable land is evidenced by the great depth to 

 which chicory and bumet roots penetrate. 



I may next allude to a difficulty, with a view of 

 explaining it, and suggesting a remedy. And it 

 is a very important difficulty, and one that has 

 often been wondered at, and — shall I say? — ignorantly 

 wondered at. This consists of the severe resistance 

 to agricultural changes, which was well exemplified by 

 the English farmer who, when some agricultural 

 changes were suggested to him, simply said, " What we 

 knows we knows, and what we don't know we don't want 

 to know." On mentioning this to a landed friend 

 who is interested in agriculture, as well as many other 

 subjects, he said, " Why, that is just the case with the 

 landlords in my county, and they don't know, and 

 they don't want to know, nor to trouble themselves 

 at all about the subject." And in Johnston and 

 Cameron's book on agricultural chemistry, it is stated 

 that " the receptio^n of scientific results and suggestions 

 by the agricultural body generally have been so un- 

 gracious that little wonder can exist that so many 

 chemists have quitted the field in disgust, and that the 

 majority of capable men should studiously avoid it." 

 And I may mention that when lately making some 

 inquiries relative to the subject of this book at the 



