The southerner., 1852-10-23
No. 49, d1 Trbo combe County, On Co. Saturday % 1852 Whole No 3

n.
gard to the plan Of founding agriculture upon
those anal ytical principles, which have inliea-
ted; and that the county Of Edgecombe will be
the pioneer in this untred field: for | know of
no instance, in which either a State or county
society has employed a Cheuist to carry out
analysis for agricultural purposes, in systematic,
minute and precise DETAIL and special benefit to
each member
1t should ever be a maxim to be followed,
that what is worthy Of doing, is worthy of being
done we'll; and if we are not prepared to do it
well, then should we not do it at ALL Upon the
subject before us, this maxim is decidedly appli-
cable. Ii we employ an agricultural chemist
we should not staltify ourselves by employing
any pretcndcr to this art. And there are in
deed quite number of these springing up, who
Will work cheap. Cheap chemist are all Of
mushroom growth, and not reliable. man,
thoroughly acquainted with analytical chemistry
cannot be obtained for less than $1,000 per
year; but analyses performed by competent
chemist can be relied on and if the analyses
cannot be relied oa, but give Us a false basis,
! we had certainly better have none All
prctenders to an art, of which they know but
little Or nothing, should be kept on: of the path
OF science, as teachers; for the world is too much
inclined to believe in the pretensions of those
iutrudcrs into natures laws, whether as applied
to agriculture, chemistry, medicine or other
branches, having the investigation of the laws
| of nature la yicw.
There arc empyrics in all branches of learn
! ing; esapyrics in medicine, cmpyrics in law, en-
pyrics III chemistry and empyrcs in all useful
and honorable occupations. Yes even empyrics
with license. Like the ignis fatuus or jack
with the ARtcrn, they spring up and delight
in dark places, and have often led the unwary
into obscure and doubtful ways. But if it does
cost the society two thousand dollars per year.
feel perfectly safe in pledging my reputation
as man Of judgment, that in less than FIVE years
you will all be pleased with the experiment, and
pleased with your expenditure: and Will moreover
have realized at the expiration of such time four
fold, probably tenfold, your expenditure You
5 now support some half dozen lawyers and proba-
f bly, twice that number of physicians in this
county, for the purpose of receiving the protec-
ton Of their science and skill, at yearly expense
of five or ten times the wages Of an agricultural
chemist: and | cannot and will not believe, un
til it is proved to the contrary, that the mcm
} bers Of this society will not avail themselves o1
I that light in their agricultural operations which
: the laws of chemistry can afford. [ know the
Intelligence Of this society. l know the LIBERAL
ity of its members, know something of tAeil
yearly expenditure Of labor and money in THEN
e various attempts at improving their soils; and
am thoroughly convinced that little reflection
4 will show to them, that the same system of i'm
proyement will not suit all soils alike; nor the same
: plant gCoW with the same luxuriance upon soils
thus treated; and that they free and willing tt
make this light expenditure for one year in The
5 wages of scientific chemist and experienced
operator, by which doubts can be explained
and experiments made clear
You have worked hard, you have laboret
much ia the Improvement Of your lands, yop
4 have done much within the last FIVE or ter
l years, and am we'll aware that the result has
, been marked with much success ia thc increase
of crops; but this should not satisfy you in this
age of advancement, for it is not known, to what
degree of productiveness the soil may be brought
y GU have full evidence of this ia some of youl
: lands now yielding 1000 pounds of seed cotton
t per acre, which a few years ago would not have
/ produded 500 pounds. If / can be permitted te
, look little into futurlty, and exercise the priv
: ilege Of prophet (though | claim no power ir
y that way more than other mem should say
: that by proper Improvement Of the soil, it viii
e not be hard matter for you, in a few years, un
: der such seasons, as the last two years, to raise
t the productivencss of your soils to the point O.
d yielding 1000 or $500 pounds of cottonper acre
r This is 40 visionary hope, bat judging from thu
Il past, think it perfectly practicable. Only
r a few years ago, 100 pounds Of cotton wa
d thought fine work for hand to pick out ia on
: day; if at that period a prediction had beer
d made that in few years, the same hand woule
i pick out Or 600 pounds, who would have be
d lieved it, and yet it is done.
( Now gentlemen, it is known, that there is
point beyond which human power cannot b
L. carried; but it is not known by any experiment
y yet made, to what ultimate point the productive
a ness Of the soil can be carried; and [ have n
$, doubt that if under scientific principles, tn
$ same exertions were, for the next ten years
C. directed towards the improvement of the soil
y have been used for the last ten years to stimu
y late labor, the increase of productiveness vii
s. be 100 per cent This indeed should be pri
d mary consideration. The most of farmer
K in the South cultivate too much land for thei