Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-03-17
AGRICULTURAL --SClENTlElC.
FOR ruE cTAroR.
TO TIRE FARMERS OF WEST virginia


Gentlemen IF neIghbor, IN whom YOU
have entire confidence, were to call on any
ono of YOU, and state that he had found
IN one of your fields very valuable mine
that he had examined very closely, and
found it very extensive; that it would re-
suire much digging; but, that the vein
would DC found growing richer and richer
as you penetrated more deeply,what would
you do? Would not every plough, hoe,
mattock, spade and shovel be at once call
ed into requisition. Would the top-soll, or
the heavier sub-soilor even the hard STRAIT
nm of Limestone present an insurmounta-
bic barrier to your efforts Would YOU not
have every stone carefully analysed, which
you supposed might contain PARTICLES of this
precious mineral? In short would you not
vie with the Californian himself in his wild
enthusiasm
come, now, most respectfully to inform
you, that not only one of your fields, but
all of them contain within themselves in
exhaustible sources OF wealth. And II you
will dig as diligently and Systematically,
and investigate each element OF your soil
as carefully as YOU would in the supposable
case Just mentioned you will find your
selves far more simply rewarded, and hap
pier than the thousands who are was ting
all their energies in gathering glittering
dust along the shores of the Pacific. You
would be much surer of success at horne
than in California. You are disposed 10 re-
ply, that you are very diligent; that you
have your hands out late and early; that
you apply manure and plough down clover
that you keep your crops clear Of weeds,
grass and briars. "And, now" you ask,
"pray what more do you want, Mr.. Serb
bier? Do you want us to stop work and
turn to studying Chemistry?" Oh no! but
daring the long evenings, OF In stormy
wea Their when you cannot work out-oi-
doors, or while your horses are resting aud
you sitting on the plough,b be thinking about
how you can apply your labor, your clover
and your manures to the best advantage
Discuss in your own mind the question,
whether you would not probably be repaid
for the time and labor expended in running
sub-soil plough along the burrows you arc
now opening. Take a good agricultural
pa2erpay your subscription promptly in adj
yance-you can then read it with quiet
mind. Get few Of the best books of Ag-
ricultaral Chemistry, and study the nature
of the most fertile SoilS-ascertain what q
soil must contain to render it fertile-study
the character and uses of different iertili-
zers, and their adapteduess to different
classes of soils. In brief, study your pro-
fession, as you require your physician and
lawyer to study theirs. When you call in
physician, what do you expect him 10
know? Do you not, in the first place, ex-
pect him to know something about the hui
man system-all its organs and their vari-
Gus functions-all its diseases and their va
rious remedies Do you expect him in
your case to apply remedy without first
determining the seat and nature of the dis
ease' Do you expect him to give medicine
OF the nature and effects of which he is ig-
norant? If you have an important suit to
place in the hands of lawyer YOU look a.
round for one who studies his profession
one who has general knowledge of law,
and one who Is willing to study your cause
in all its bearings, that he may see clearly
and fully what points uphold the justice of
your claim. For the man-ai-la,C of the OPP
posite character, you have no employment.
If the Doctor or the Attorney, thea, fails
of success, because he goes to work in a
loose random way, he ought to fail-he
ought to be thrown out of employment-it
is nothing more than the just demerit of his
own disregard of duty-every body says,
''it's right, he deserves it." Should not the
same be true Of men in other lines of bust
ness, Should not the farmer expect the
same
Dropping the lawyer for the present, for
it is best that the farmer use him as seldom
as possible, let us see ii there is not some
analogy between the professions Of the far
mer and the physician, The one under
takes to restore health to the human body,
when Frustrated by disease: the other I'M
dertakes to restore health to his field, when
the soil has Deen impoverished by hard
cropping. The one applies remedies, which
bear certain chemical and physical rela-
tons to the human system; the other, REM
edies which bear certain chemical and
physical relations to the soil. When the
one applies the proper remedies at the
proper time and in the proper way, he is
generally successlul--so is the other.--
Why, then, do you require the one to be
more thoroughly educated for this profess
sion than the other? Because" you NAV
say, human life is more directly in the
hands of the one than the other" Very
true; but while the life of an individual
here and there may rest upon the skill Of
the physician, the life and health Of the ma
ton rest uponthe skill and success of the
farmer. They both occupy important posi-
tons; but tho farmer certainly fills the most
important place in society. He holds IN his
hand"that art on which thousand millions
of men are dependent for their very sub
stance, in the prosecution of which nine
tcnths Of the fixed capital of all civilized
nations is embarked, and probably too hun
dred millions of men expend their daily
toil--that art confesSedly the most impor-
tant of all the parent and precursor OF all
other arts. In every country then, and at
every period, the investigation of the prin-
ciples on which the rational practice Of this
art is founded, ought to have commanded
the principal attention of the greatest
minds. To what other object could they
have been more benefcially directed :"
When write again you may look out for
something about "Book-farmlng, and can
ii book-farming" in general, with some par
ticular cases to illustrate both systems.
Yours, most respectfully,
COLONUS.
THE TITLE OF EsQUIRg.-In England it
is against the law to style a person "Es-
quire" who is not really entitled to the ap-