Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1853-11-04

OF taking care OF the old folks, needl
any other training for his lIic-iong pur
SUIT than that which Il begun In tho Die
trict School and finished behind th'
plow.
Aud yet there IL not good reason II
the world for induetlng youth, who Il
TO become muster worker In iron, cop
per or lead, into q thorough knowledge
OF the material he Ia TO fashion for
livelihood, which Is not at least as goo,
n reason for instructing the young farme
thoroughly and scientifically In the ma
ture and diverse properties OF soils, =
These are more various, moro complex
less obvious, than those o any singl,
metal. A good soil Is always com
pound, and the moro various ita materi
ais the greater (probably) It's value. A
pure yellow sand or blue clay is easily
comprehended aud estImated; while one
deep, black loan may, because Of GER
tain latent elenents, be worth twice al
much as another equally promising e
the casual observer. No man who hAl
not scrutinized its husbandry and pro
ductions for year after year Is qualiies
TO fix the value Of farm, any more thar
TO cultivate II without the ability q
chemically analyze and accurately deter
mine the composition OF It's soil.
But this, which am eommendlag, Il
sneered at as, Book farming, aud sturdy old
codgers who have sped the pow all theil
days laugh iill ther almost fancy themselves
witty at the idea Of mau coming out OF q
college-chamber or n chemical laboratory Il
teach them how to grow cora or rear cattle
And truly, " the teachef were TO commend
his science as a substitute for their practical
knowledge-as rendering experience un.
meaning and personal observation superila
Gus there would be ample provocaton for
sharper shafts Of wit than these will ever b.
able 10 speed. Bot this 40 man has eveI
suggested or commended. The farmer besl
schooled la the nature and properties Of soils
the laws which govern vegetation and the
elements essential 10 form thrifty plants OIL
suinas, will learn from experience not les.
but More than his unlnstructed neigh Dor. =
iis observations will have wider signlf.
canoe, and the fact newly observed 10 day
will be readily assigned 10 its proper place
where II will cast light on other facts observ-
ed yesterday or TO be o bservod Tomorrow -
Not TO supsfcede experience, but 10 elevate
II 10 u slaud-point, whence its range Of Wis.
Ion will be broader, and il deductions more
reliable, do we plead for science la farming
What Is Ia eject oontended for by the ad.
vocates Of book farming Is simply tbls-thai
u farmer, like any artxtn. while he need.
practical cxpericnu-, may ulso profit by the
practical experience ofothers For example,
A new plant or vegetable Is lslniroJucei, winch
our anti-bnok farmer concludes to try, tho
totally gnorant Of II. nature aud season. Let
us suppose the nearest neighbof who has
ever grown this plant lives tivs miles away
Now, will no tnis new expe. imshtvr. n h.
have decent share Of common sense, ride
over and ask the experiences oullivst1f what
soil 70 best adapted 10 this plant. what ma
nures are best for II, what time II should bs
planted or sowed, how cativilsd, So. &c. 7
flalnly. u would b. sheer madaess for him
10 omit such inquiries. aud go on ~ II there
hal besa no preceding experience, to answer
all these questions aud determine all these
points fof himself, by haphazarj planting on
every variety Of soil, nj svery possible SEASON,
with any o. every sort Of leftilizeri BY 20
doing he must spsnd several hundred dollars
TO determine what he might readily have as.
eertained at the cost Of q dollar. Wall, II he
could turn TO the proper page Of an Agrlcul-
tural Dictionary or Encyclopedia, and there
learn exactly when this plant should ba sown
In this latitude, how manured, how eultva.
ted, &c, would not that bs still easier aud
cheaper than 10 ride over 10 his dlstant NJ lgh.
bor'sl Would II not be highly probable that
the directions contained Ia the book, being
founded on a wide range OF experiments,
wou.d be- more reliable and complete than
hls nrighbof's counsel based on his narrow
perslnal experienced A prudent min would
pfopabls consult both book aud nelghbor,
aud then follow elIher only so Ear as his own
judg eat should dictate, but how eau any
one approve hls taklng counsel OF Qua m,u's
experience, yrt condcmn course, which is.
In fact, but paying defsreacs 10 the expert.
enes ol many thousandsi
But sone say "Consult aud profit by all
the experiences within your reach, but don't
talk TO usabout Agricultural Scleuce. Grow
Ing good crops Ia the Farmers vocation, aud
in this pursuit experience IL always safe
guide, not ao what ls called Silence. which
often miseads ane impov erishes."
Let us considers
OF couIse, tkers Ia much Science so called
which Il false Scence-lhs brain.spun spec
ulitlons aud subleties Of Lille aud fincifuI
people, anxious 10 account Zoe phenomena
which they really do not uuierstand. No
Que considers such Science worth aaythlng I;
aud u IL one Of the chief rseomme ndations
Of true Science that II eutbleS men 10 detsct
the pretender aud unmask him. But Sci
ence implies knowle iga Of Nature ani her
imrnutahle Laws. aud who can seriously Y
doubt the Importance OF this 10 the Farm-ri
For Instance.
We all know that field Of QUE hundred
acres entirely devoted during i've successive
years 10 a rotation OF Corn, Oats, Clio yer,
Potatoes, aud Wheat respectively, would
yield a far greater product than would that
same Held if divided lnto five equal ptrts aud
each devoted TO some ole Of thsss products
for Eve years Ia succession. Experience had
settled this. before Science was allowed 10
say anything about IL. When at last in,rrro-
gated for the reason or Law wnieh un lrrlles
this fact, Science made answer that each
plant requires aud exacts It's peculiar nutri
Insnt. aud that this IL relatively if not abso.
lutcly exhausted by growing that crop on
the sane land year after Year. IL may be
that tie tive plants above named all reqaire
Lame, Potash, Phosphorus, Ammonia, Car
boa. &c which, beside Water, ars the chis
elements Of vegetable structure; bat, " 80,
they require them Ia very unequal proper.
tlons or quantities. Grown each on It's own
twent, acres throughout the i've yeafE, one
will have exhausted tie Lime, Yet have au
abundance OF Phosphorus left; another will
have absorbed all the Potash Ia its divisio u
Yet hardly tasted the Lime; aud so Oh; while
had tho hundred acres been sowu Ia rotation
or succession entirely ts Que and then TO
another os these crops, OF had the i've been
allernaled from portion 10 portion with each
SUGGESTING year, they would all have isldeC
abundanuy. yet lefs no portion Of the sol
utterly roDDsd of any singls element. Ex.
p-riencs alhrns that the rotation of crops hal
taken lar more IRON the soil than the advers,
system, winch Sclencs unhesItatingly cor.
roborales, aud adds that. whiis rotation ha,
taken more from the soil, Il has nevertheless
lett it in better coalition ~ bear future har
vests; aud this Experiences will la due tim
ratify and establish.
Here, then. Experience has been outstrip
PED Dy Science, wnose torch irradiates tn
futars with light drawn directly from th'
Preseat, not reflected from the Past. Expe
fience has shown that partlc ular rotation !
preferable to the growth of the sans plant OIL
the same soil for succession Of years; bu
Science forecasts beyoni this, and aiiifms tha
any possible rotation must be p,eierdbls L
incessant and unchanging repeti tIon, for rea
sous which I've deep in the bosom OF Natur