SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
No gentleman who has travelled much over the country 
and observed the present ways and means of attaining 
both agricultural and mechanical ends, wherein moving 
water is a material element, can doubt that there is abun- 
dant room for improvement. We have seen many places 
where water-power might profitably both drain land while 
it was too wet, and irrigate it while it was too dry. How 
-much of our cultivated land is in one or the other of these 
‘ conditions! Why, then, will not the owners of such 
lands wisely encourage the study of Agricultural Engi- 
• neering ^ It, obviously, seeks to supply food to every 
plant they grow, in the cheapest way possible. In the 
next course of lectures, as founded by the munificence of 
Terrell, no pains will be spared to illustrate all the 
principles of this new science. 
After surveying the whole ground, and considering the 
•wants of Southern Agriculture, we feel at liberty to say 
idi&t an increase of popular knowledge of mechanical, 
dfeemical and vital forces in their application to tillage and 
Msbandry, demanding skilful engineering, appears to be 
: nwst needed at this time. Substantial progress may be 
achieved in this direction. Water is not only the vehicle 
for conveying all other alimentary substances, into the 
OTOts and circulation of plants, but its own elements actu- 
;atly form nearly one-half of every crop which the farmer 
- or planter labors to produce. Rightly to appreciate the 
^alue of water to the cultivator, he should study^ the fact 
in ail its bearings, that plants elaborate their solids, 
^•feether wood, seeds, or li'ht, as much from water as fiom 
other sources combined. Of course, without water, no 
seed can germinate, no plant can gain the thousandth part 
grain in organized growth. It is the sine qua no7i ^ ^ 
••although it may be in excess in the soil and subsoil. How 
to dispose of this excess, is a proposition that never fails to 
'isa.d the writer to the science of rural engineering for its 
solution. It is rare, indeed, that the water which one 
drain from swamps, or wet places, should be allowed 
to ma to waste. It is too valuable for that, Some of the 
licliest and best meadows and corn fields in the United 
'‘States owe their extraordinary fertility to the salutary in- 
fluence of water that has leached and washed both the 
■vegetable and mineral substances which lie on, and near 
the surface of the ground. Water in v/ells, springs and 
swamps, is often dunged vdth organic and inorganic ele- 
^ments of peculiar value to soils- that need irrigation. 
Sence, the importance of uniting some knoy/ledge of ana- 
chemistry with that of civil engineering in the pro- 
fessional education of young planters. Such as appreci- 
ate the force of this reasoning, will meet with a cordial 
"welcome at the Georgia University next October, if they 
cs-ti make it convent to attend. R- 
'WHAT SHALL WS 30 TOR AGSICULTUIIS'? 
D. Lee, M. H., Hear Sir— Permit me to return my 
'Itanks for your response in the Cultivator, to my letter in 
sos^rence to Geological Text Books. I now write for two 
-vsbiects, which will be briefly stated. 
1 am solicitous to procure the Agricultural history of 
Europe— particularly its present state— the causes which 
kave improved it— specific aids of government— how 
maoy schools of Agriculture exist in each dominion— their 
' , character —how many are supported by government, and 
St what expense— what public agents and officers each 
->:sfi!i;ploys in agriculture— their duties and salaries— all other 
•gcvernment facilities afforded to agriculture, manufactures 
-id the mechanic a'rts. I wish to get such books as will 
give all this information. I have just read, with pleasure 
profit, Coleman’s Travels in Europe, but his book 
•.gives none of the information in regard to government aid 
^sis-cept in I ranee. Just at this time we need such infor- 
»!Si-a£ion in Tennessee, and I must request you to give me ^ 
the titles of such books as contain it, and where they can 
be had. 
The other subject to which I have alluded, is, How are 
we to make the desired impression on the popular mind, 
in favor of agricultural reform and elevation'? Measures 
will never be adopted to make this a great agricultural 
country, and all producers intelligent, till the people call 
for it at the ballot-box. Private efforts can but produce 
partial results. Eor thirty years, men of talent have been 
exerting themselves, and up to this time their influence 
has been felt only in their particular districts. They have 
not yet controlled a single entire State, so far as to make 
the fostering of Agriculture a leading object of policy. 
Why is this so % Their doctrines and positions have been 
correct, and of high national importance; their arguments 
have been forcibly set forth, but still they have made no 
popular impression calculated to do much general good. 
With regret I have seen the fact for years. On the other 
hand, behold the effect and excitement a politician can get 
up, by a single stump speech, or a letter published in a 
newspaper, couching not half the vitally important mat- 
ter contained in a single article written by many of our 
agricultural writers. The friends of reform ought to sift 
this matter, and adopt such a course as will produce gene- 
ral effect, 
I have thought that a part of the failure is because we 
confine our publications to the agricultural journals, and 
that all appeals to the people ought to be made through 
tne political newspapers. I think your articles, published 
some time since in the National Intelligencer, had more 
influence on the popular mind than all your able editorials 
in agricultural journals, for years. For the last six 
months, I have been writing upon agriculture for three 
of the political papers of Nashville, and can see that I 
have thus had more influence than I had produced in 
twenty years by occasional communications to agricultur- 
al papers. 
But there is another and perhaps greater reason why 
we have had so little popular influence, we have' had no 
political platform. Agricultural reform must be made a 
political measure; we must have an agricultural party; 
politicians must see that they can elevate themselves by 
the study and advocac^T- of government measures to foster s 
agriculture. One single great orator, who would espouse | 
the cause in good earnest, could do more with popular j 
sentiment thaiffall of us who write for agricultural journals, ' 
and such a course would place him in any public station I 
he might desire. If "we could wake up and rouse some ' 
Henry Clay or Daniel Webster, to engage in easnest j 
in this matter, he alone could revolutionize popular senti- j 
ment in a short time. Cannot the friends of the cause find 
a suitable man, who is able to defend, and willing to stake ■ 
his prospects on it '? Can we not, in all our agricultural 
meetings, call out politicians, and pass resolutions to sus- 
tain none but those who will support our positions ? And , 
can we not thus rally the farmers generally '? i 
But what will be our platform "? I think the following 
will embrace the positions of most of us : 
1. A republican government holds out Equality, Liber- i 
ty, and Justice, alike to all. This is its theory. ■ 
2. Our government ought to be in practice what it is in ' 
theory. If it has protected, stimulated, and aided com- 
merce with millions of dollars from the treasury, and to r 
some extent done the same thing by duties, discriminating • 
in favor of manufacturers, while nothing has been done 
for agricultirre, this is a distinction, an unjust inequality 
in practice, nvluch ought not to be tolerated by the fiirir-- 
ers, i 
3. A wise policy demands that the goveia'inent slndl ; 
stimulate and aid each of the three great branches of pro- 
duction : 1st, in propordon to its national iinporu.ncc , 'fil, 
in proportion to the number of p-roducers emp’-ytu n. , 
