234 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
July. 
great rule, applicable to all soils and climates—the far¬ 
mer may be sure that his land is becoming poorer and 
poorer, unless the loss occasioned by the carrying away 
I might mention many more. The true principles of 
mechanical improvement in the soil, and of cultivation 
generally, are the same in every country; so are the 
principles involved in the breeding and feeding of animals, 
the composition of manures, &c. &c. 
Thus it is, that we may derive benefit from a careful 
study of the habits, methods and general systems of 
British farmers. Some of them are, without doubt, the 
best in the world; they have made their profession a 
study, have become thorough converts to the idea of 
constant progress, and have brought large capital to the 
carrying out of improvements. But it would be worse 
than useless, even ruinous, for the American farmers to 
follow blindly the course here laid out for them. In the 
present condition of our country, such extremely high 
cultivation could not be profitable, because it would 
come into too direct competition with the cheap and al¬ 
most boundless lands of the far west. 
Nevertheless, our farmer may follow his British Guide 
through the whole field of his labor, getting a hint here 
and an idea there, and new facts everywhere; constantly 
wiping away old prejudices, and discovering that we have 
not by any means confined ail knowledge to this side of 
the Atlantic, or if very candid minded, that we are real¬ 
ly, as a whole agricultural people, years behind our Bri¬ 
tish ancestors. 
Such especially will be the results, after reading this 
work by Mr. Stephens, for it is unique in the long list 
of agricultural publications. It is really a literary cu¬ 
riosity, in the completeness and fullness of its details and 
illustrations. Mr. Stephens seems to have brought to 
his work a mind so full of his subject, as for the time to 
banish every thought of foreign topics. His zeal in ex¬ 
planation and illustration never flags, and his mind em¬ 
braces every minute detail of the simplest operation, 
with seemingly the same degree of interest that attaches 
itself to the most important and attractive departments. 
This feature of the work has been criticised, by those 
who already possess a considerable share of knowledge 
upon the subjects which he teaches, but it is in reality 
precisely that which renders it most valuable to the be¬ 
ginner ; he finds the minutia of everything fully gone into, 
and if he wishes to know the manner of performing 
any work properly, collects all that he can need in the 
way of explanation. These little hints relative to the 
details of work, are just what are omitted in most books, 
and in a majority of cases new modes of working or new 
implements fail at first, just because such seemingly un¬ 
important directions have not been given. 
Few writers on kindred subjects, have studied so 
faithfully as Mr. Stephens must have done. Whether 
it is stuffing birds or sausages, or cooking a steak, 
or plowing and harvesting, it is all alike to him; he 
takes each branch or subdivision, and devotes himselfto 
it without thought of trouble, time, or labor; his only 
aim is to give a full, complete, and faithful account. A 
practical farmer himself for many years of his life, he 
has a thorough knowledge of the young farmer’s wants, 
and has applied himself to his task with no less perse¬ 
verance and thoroughness than enthusiasm. How great 
this task has been, the volumes now in question serve to 
illustrate, but not until the reader has gone over it all 
carefully, can he fully appre n?oi ^ labor which has 
thus been sa ” formed. 
Most works that enter so fully as this does into detail, 
are extremely dull and tedious, so much so as to repel 
all but the real student, or those who seek some distinct 
item of imformation. There is however no such defect 
to be found here; on the contrary the book is in many 
parts interesting even to a general reader. This I ex¬ 
plain by returning to the peculiar quality of mind to 
which I have before alluded, that leads the writer to 
throw himself into the present subject, whatever that 
may be. When we find this peculiarity coupled with a 
wide scope of general knowledge, and the thorough 
command of any particular department of science, a 
mind of no ordinary interest is the result. It is thus 
with Prof. Agassiz, now of Harvard College; he illumi¬ 
nates his subject and renders it attractive, no matter 
how trivial in itself, by the fire and enthusiasm of his 
own genius: large audiences who would in all other 
cases turn away in disgust from such themes, listen in 
rapt attention for hours, while he enlarges upon a tad¬ 
pole’s tail or a bullhead’s care of her young. 
Thus it is in a considerable degree with the writings 
of Mr. Stephens; we are often carried with interest 
through what would otherwise be very dry fields, by the 
enthusiasm and earnestness of the author; this acts as a 
spell upon us, and we clear out the cow stables in com¬ 
pany with the greatest satisfaction, cut turnepsinto par¬ 
ticular sized pieces, inspect the edges of cutting tools, 
oil the grindstone, and clean the harness, with perfect 
readiness; the writer is evidently for the time engaged 
in these operations heart and hand, and before we know 
it we are fully absorbed also. It is a great triumph to 
make so large, voluminous, and eminently practical a 
work, as the Farmer’s Guide, so entirely readable from 
beginning to end. I think I hazard little in saying that 
not another man in Great Britain could have done it as 
well. 
These opinions relative to the value of this work, and 
as to the attractiveness of its style, are not singular on 
my part, for the English press has been almost unani¬ 
mous in its tone of approbation, and the sale for so costly 
a series has been uncommonly large. I recommend it 
therefore without hesitation, to the careful attention of 
all American farmers who desire to see how broad 
and noble a field, the practice of their profession may 
be made to cover. 
At the very commencement they will find an abstract 
view of the applications of science, that will richly re¬ 
pay the whole price of the two volumes; and so on to 
the end, will constantly discover points and suggestions 
of great value. It is true that there are many features 
in improved British farming which will probably never 
be adopted here, but in the leading rules of conduct we 
shall gradually approximate more and more, as our 
population increases, and capital becomes more concen¬ 
trated. 
I have endeavored in my notes to briefly call particu¬ 
lar attention to such details and practices, as seemed to 
me particularly adapted to our country, and to make 
