AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
43 
said to be audible a distance of twenty 
miles. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
THEORIES IN FARMING. 
The indiscriminate censure of theory is 
absurd, as will readily appear from a slight 
consideration of the matter. Facts are like 
blocks of stone—of little use until they are 
brought together and built into some edifice. 
And we can not have the edifice—unless it 
be a “ castle in the air ”—without the stones. 
Now what is theory but a compact expres¬ 
sion of the truth contained, or supposed to 
be contained, in facts ? Every man capable 
of reasoning, acts upon theory, whether he 
will or no, though he may be as unconscious 
of it, and as much astonished at being in¬ 
formed of the fact, as was the sagacious gen¬ 
tleman in ore of Moliere’s plays, who had 
been talking prose all his life without know¬ 
ing it. The truth is, every person, whatev¬ 
er may be his business, is continually form¬ 
ing and often exploding theories in relation 
to it; and this is the way in which, so far as 
his experience and observation go, he ar¬ 
rives at the principles which guide him in 
his pursuit. 
A farmer, for instance, applies lime to a 
certain field and obtains a greatly increased 
crop in consequence. He therefore some¬ 
what hastily infers— i. e., forms th'e theory— 
that it will be as useful on any other part of 
his farm ; and, acting upon this theory, ap¬ 
plies it to a portion which is already well 
supplied by nature with this constituent, or 
is poor in vegetable matter or otherwise 
unsuited for its use. Here he finds that his 
theory will not hold, and is led to investi¬ 
gate the conditions under which lime is use¬ 
ful or otherwise. And by extended experi¬ 
ment and reflection he may arrive at a theory 
which will guide him in the application of 
this substance. 
Now, in the whole of this process, we 
have, first, the collection of facts ; second, 
their embodiment in a theory, which, third, 
rises into a principle—if the supposed facts 
are true and sufficient in number, and if the 
reasoning founded on them is correct. The 
advantage, then, of theory, is this, that it 
brings together facts and furnishes a stand¬ 
point from which the. truths they contain 
may be discerned. And if the theory is a 
false one, still it is not without its use, for 
next in importance to ascertaining what 
facts do teach, is discovering what they do 
noMeach, in order that the pursuit of truth 
may be resumed in another direction. False 
theories may arise either from incorrect 
reasoning on real facts, or from correct rea¬ 
soning on false facts ; or, lastly, the reason¬ 
ing and the facts may both be untrue. The 
first of these species is the least injurious, 
and not entirely useless, as we have just at¬ 
tempted to show ; and, furthermore, when 
such a theory is swept away, the foundation 
remains for some more skillful architect to 
build upon. But the most prolific source of 
error in theory is the want of a sufficient 
number of facts—a difficulty which is pecu¬ 
liarly felt in the science of agriculture, where 
so many and such varied causes are influen¬ 
tial in the production of a given effect. 
The problems which agriculture presents 
do not, like those of mathematics or inor¬ 
ganic chemistry, depend for their solution 
upon a few well-known and fixed principles, 
but chemical, mechanical, and vital forces, 
as they act upon earth, air, and water, and 
through them on organized life, require to be 
taken into the account, and make it difficult 
to arrive at a correct conclusion. Agricul¬ 
tural science seems to be, at present, in 
about the same condition as the science of 
medicine. Both are richer in facts than in 
principles, and both have similar obstacles 
to contend with. That portion of the phe¬ 
nomena of nature which they attempt to in¬ 
vestigate lies in a great degree out of sight, 
and those phenomena which are more ex¬ 
posed to observation are so numerous and 
complicated, and the share which each sep¬ 
arate cause contributes to the general effect 
is so difficult to ascertain, that the slow 
progress of these sciences toward perfection 
is not surprising, nor is it wonderful that 
they should be taunted with fallacy and un 
certainty. 
But we are not to conclude from all this 
that little has been done for agriculture, as a 
science, nor that much more may not be 
done. The number of unknown facts is 
daily decreasing, and the facilities for com¬ 
munication of thought are now so numerous, 
that the experience of any one, however ob¬ 
scure, can easily be made known to thou¬ 
sands. And this is one office of an agricul¬ 
tural journal; to become a repository of 
facts as well as principles; by placing on 
record the one, to aid in furnishing materi¬ 
als for the other. Its motto might be, 
“ Gather facts, and scatter principles.” The 
influence of a well-conducted agricultural 
paper upon the farming community is almost 
indispensable to true progress. This influ¬ 
ence may be slow in its workings, but it is 
sure to produce improvement after a time. 
Now and then an error is demolished ; here 
and there a truth is brought to light; and 
established principles are illustrated and en¬ 
forced. All this, going on as it does from 
week to week, from one year’s end to an¬ 
other, furnishes the “ line upon line, and 
precept upon precept,” which are so neces¬ 
sary to overthrow error and lead to the 
adoption of correct views. A systematic 
teatise on agriculture may be read, to be laid 
aside, and its contents perhaps forgotten, 
while the weekly messenger, with its con¬ 
densed instruction, and its reiterated words 
of truth, produces an effect greater than the 
former, as a continual dropping is more ef¬ 
fectual to wear away the stone than the 
heaviest solitary shower. W. 
Shortening-in Peach Trees. —I would re¬ 
commend that you keep before your readers, 
the importance of heading-in the coming 
spring, all such peach trees as have ceased 
to produce strong-and thrifty shoots. It is 
well known to every horticulturist, that the 
finest specimens of this fruit, are produced 
upon free growing branches, and on the con¬ 
trary, when they become old, and stunted in 
growth, the fruit is not as large, nor as juicy, 
two qualities more desirable in the peach 
than some other kinds of fruit. There is no 
kind of fruit tree, the top of which can be so 
surely and so quickly renovated as the peach 
tree, and as no fruit is expected the coming 
season, a thorough heading-in of all peach 
trees that have ceased to make strong and 
thrifty shoots, will better prepare old orch¬ 
ards for a valuable crop the following year, 
than where this course is neglected.—-G., in 
Rural. New-Yorker. 
New-Haven, February 28, 1855. 
WHAT SHOULD BE THE OBJECTS AIMED AT BY 
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
We have received a printed copy of the 
able address of Mr. William Kelley, on re¬ 
tiring from the Presidency of the New-York 
State Agricultural Society—delivered at the 
Albany meeting, February 10, 1855. There 
are many valuable suggestions in this ad¬ 
dress. We give the following extract: 
The diversified objects of these societies, 
seem not to be known nor appreciated as 
they should be. Many suppose their whole 
business is to get up an attractive annual 
exhibition and distribute premiums to the 
best specimens in every department there 
shown, but this, though important, is but a 
means to an end. 
I was struck lately in reading the charter 
of the Royal Agricultural Society of Eng¬ 
land, with the enumeration of the means it 
employs to advance the great object for 
which it was constituted—allow me to read 
them to you. 
1. To embody such information contained 
in agricultural publications and in other sci¬ 
entific works, as have been proved by prac¬ 
tical experience to be useful to the cultiva¬ 
tors of the soil. 
2. To correspond with Agricultural, Hor¬ 
ticultural and other scientific societies, and 
to select from such correspondence all infor¬ 
mation which, according to the opinion of 
the society, may be likely to lead to practi¬ 
cal benefit in the cultivation of the soil. 
3. To pay to the occupier of land or any 
other person, who shall undertake at the re¬ 
quest of the society, to ascertain by any ex¬ 
periment how far such information leads to 
useful results in practice, a remuneration for 
any loss he may incur by so doing. 
4. To encourage men of science in their 
attention to the improvement of agricultural 
implements, the construction of farm bildings 
and cottages, the application of chemistry to 
the general purposes of agriculture, the'de- 
struction of insects injurious to vegetation, 
and the eradication of weeds. 
5. To promote the discovery of new va¬ 
rieties of grain, and other vegetables use¬ 
ful to man or for the food of domestic an¬ 
imals. 
6. To collect information with regard to 
the management of woods, plantations and 
fences, and on every subject connected with 
rural improvement. 
7. To make provision for the improvement 
of the education of those who depend upon 
the cultivation of the soil for their sup¬ 
port. 
8. To take measures for improving the 
veterinary art, as applied to cattle, sheep 
and pigs. 
9. At the meetings of the society in the 
country, by the distribution of prizes, and 
by other means', to encourage the best 
modes of farm cultivation and the breed of 
live stock. 
10. To promote the comfort and welfare of 
laborers, and to encourage the improved 
management of their cottages and gardens. 
“ Jim, I believe Sam’s got no truth in him. 
You don’t know ; dar’s more truth in dat 
nigga dan in all de rest on de plantation.” 
“ How you make out dat?” “ Why, he nev¬ 
er let any out 
