Scientific and Practical Agriculture. 225 
SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE. 
BY L. DURAND. 
At the present time, much has been said and considerable writ- 
ten on the subject of agricultural science, as connected with 
practice. And we have thought that a few ideas given on the 
subject might not be out of place, although we by no means lay 
claim to the "scientific" part of agriculture. For one we feel 
extremely gratified, that of late scientific men have stepped for- 
ward and taken hold of the farmer's cause in good earnest, and 
that through your Journal, they can communicate light to us who 
labor on the soil. I am well aware, from personal observation, 
that there are many farmers, perhaps the most of them, who look 
upon the word " scientific," as connected with practical farming, 
with rather a jealous eye, or at least, as not worth their study or 
attention. 
We believe for one that it is a principle well understood, that 
practical farming, so far as making money and getting a living 
is concerned, is about all that is necessary with those farmers who 
are governed strictly by practice, and nothing else. But then, 
we ask, what real or just right has a farmer to follow his business, 
year in and year out, by his own practice, right or wrong, with- 
out stopping to ask the question whether a little reading or study 
might not be some help to him in his business. But what is this 
" scientific farming," says one? Well, as we understand it, it is 
nothing more or less than mixing in a little, or a great deal of 
" head work " with practice. Or, in other words, it is waking 
this inverse or living principle in man, which thinks, varies and 
acts, with his better judgment in all his operations on the farm. 
Now we are satisfied that farmers may use five times as much of 
this "head work" as they do, (if any,) and not injure them in 
the least. 
I know that there are farmers who do not read agricultural 
journals, for fear they will find something in them that they might 
not understand; and we have had them many times object to 
papers of that description, when oflfered them, because they were 
too scientific; just as though every article in them should be writ- 
ten so plain that a farmer could " run and read " at the same 
time. 
Now, instead of works of this character, being made more 
plain, to suit some "lazy men," we would say, let them study 
and read more, and try to cultivate that part only which makes 
the man. 
There is no good reason why the farmer should not be the best 
educated of any of the laboring classes, from the fact that he has 
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