Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-10-25

health and intellect. shall he say that he has
enough, as an excuse for incidence and
ease! We read, "to whom much is given,
ofhim much will be required )" and i. will
be with the highest justice, too.
But, farmers 10 general, have chosen to
degrade their own occupation, by calling it
a life of drujgery and igrance-thinking it
enough If they know the horse from the OF,
can plough, sow their seed, swing the axe,
the scythe and the cradle 10 harvest. They
should recollect that the first and most
honorable employment appointed by God
to man, was to dress The fower:garden,
and till the ground. And shall man despise
this noble employment, under such author,
ity and profit, and call it degrading7 He
does so, and it is because he is idle, and ig-
norant Of the great gifts, Of almost infinite
uses Of appkcationin in. science, in the perfofr
nance Of tbe various duties ofthe good
husbandman.
To be good and profitable farmer, re.
quires the man to be as scientific, as to be
the good and skilful physician. He is to
learn and understand that all vegetables
must feed, as well as all animals do. He
should learn how they feed, and on what
aliment they thrive most rapidly.
When the farmer has acquired sufficient
knowledge in botany and chemistry for
profit, to guide him IN his husbandry, he
will know lha, all living substances, that is,
all organic bodies possessing the gift of life
whether of the animal or vegetable king
dom, must derive their sustenance from or.
ganized matter, that is from animal or veg.
etable todies 10 state ef decomposition
afier death. The earth is a scene and FOOT
path for locomotives, in seeking their food
and pleasure. It is the ot.stool and sup.
port of the vegetable tribe. No animals
or vegetables Gun derive nutrimenl from
other living organized bodies. The s'om.
ach of no living animal has any di-
gestive power over any living animal or
vegetable in it. Bu', so soon as life is ex.
tinct, all animal and vegetable matters, be-
come food, to digest and nourish all living
organized bodies, both animal and vegeta.
bic.
Although the human stomach has no di.
gestive power on living matter, yet is own
gastric secretions will digest even its own,
the same stomach that secretes il, SO soon
as the subject is dead. The living princi.
pie protects all living bodies from decompo-
sition and digestion. But the moment the
living principle has departed and become
extinc', tis subject to both decomposition
and digestion. So the vegetable feeds on
decomposed animal ard vegetable matter,
as does he animal kingdom.
All The nourishment ofanimals and veg.
e,ables is derived from organized matter,
that is, from matter once possessing the
living principle, and that has suffered death,
or the cessation ofthe living principle. The
air, water, lime, alkali, calorIc, silex. phos.
phorus. carbon, light, oxygen, hydrogen,
nitric and electric fluids, and the thousand
o her fluids and gases yet beyond the know.
ledge ofman. all lending their aid in promo
ting animal and vegetable life and growth,
The earth being the vehicle and support.
What wide field is here opened TO the
viglant and intelligent farmer! And will
The husbandman continue 10 waste his leis-
ure hours of morn and eve, and rainy days
in idle talk and sleep, when his profession
suffers so great loss from his ignorance7
If the farmer would begin to read. he
would soon acquire tase for reading
more and his thirst for science would urge
him to notice that most valuable injunction,
''ga'her up the crumbs that nothing be lost"
How many crumbs of time are lost 10 the
farmer, which, it employed in reading.
would make him intelligent and honorable
among men. and skIlful 10 bis occupation.
Can all this useful knowledge of the growth
of vegetables be understood by the sef.suf
6cient, but ignorant farmeri
To become a scientific and successful
husbandman, requires moro knowledge in
natural science, than to be the most i'm
proved mechanic. Although the skilful
mechanic must learn the principles and
rules of his operation from the laws Of ma
ture, by reading, and the application of in.
dustry, yet his task is more easy, because
more visible and tangible.
The husbandman, although he cannot
perfectly understand the process BY which
his vegetables increase in growth, yet he
sees that they have grown and produced a
rich load, and he reaps the most bountiful
harvest from his improved and scientific
cultivation. The numerous reports of
scientific farmers, recorded in the Cultivator
prove this.
The principles Of husbandry must be the
same every where; but different soils and
different climates require diversity oftreat-
ment and culture. All these man must
learn by science and experiment; for that
law, that he "shall eat his bread BY the
sweat of his BROW" has not been repealed.
n:.,..> l. .o,>ool khat