The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-10-27
AGRICULTURAL.
From the N. Y. Evening Post.
What Is Practical EarminCl

This question seems not to be decided in
the public mind. The most generally uccep-
ted signitication of the term, however, is set
forth in the following dialogue between a
farmer and lecturer on ngriculture:
Farmer-You seem to have studied some-
what; are you practical farmer!
Lecturer-Tha, depends on your defini-
ton Of the term.
Farmsr-Did you ever work on O farm,
from day light till dark from spring till fall,
year after year! If u have, you are pruc-
tical farmer; if you have not, you are only a
book farmer.
Lectnrer-Then um not practical far.
mer Arey you one!
Far.--Well, reckon | am; have lived
more than sixty years on Il farm, and have
done as much work as any man in our town.
Lec.--Well, sir, since you are 80 practical,
will you answer me u few practical ques.
tions! In the first place, what is Indian
corn made Of
Far.-Nade of Why i; grows!
Lec.-You must allow me to consider you
very Impractical farmer, until you can tell
me the composition of the crops which it is
your business to produce. You would soy
that 1t is impossible loi baker to be a prac-
teal baker ii he does not know what consti-
tutes gingerbread, and you are no more u
practical farmer until you of what corn, &c.
are made.
The lock on that farmers face indicated
that he appreciated the infancy of his at
tainments, and his unworthness to be call d
a"practical" farmer.
Unfortunately, too many of our TURNER'S are
in thesame condition. They have acquired
their knowledge Of their profession from ira.
ditlon, nEd have had no means of learning
tue fundamental principles OF agriculture
lhese were necessarily enveloped in mys-
tery until, within less than u century, chem
istry unlolded the roll Of parchment on which
they were inscribed, and exposed to the view
OF man the simple materials of which COM
pound products were formed. 1t is true that,
within the sumo period, other arts have re.
ceived less aid and have profted more from it,
But TINS must necessarily have been the C use
from accidental causes.
Mechahics were comparatively few in num-
Der, and were more easily reached by inIor-
NATION than tho remote agricuturass
"hiie their operations were more simple aud
were more easily improved by the suggestions
ot science. Farmers, on the contrary, were
not easlly accessible; they read few papers
or books, and the habit OF their lives was
such as to prevent free exercise Of mind.
The time has, however, arrived, when, by
the aid ofralroads and other modes of con.
veyance which link men together in IN inter-
change VI ldeas, the farmer sees more clearly
his. true position, and uppropriutes his power
10 Improve his system of cultivation, his So
cial condition, the use of mind and capital in
his work, and the elevation of his class in the
political scale. The means for eiIeeling
these changes lie in the increase Of knowledge
concerning his profession.
In examining the constitution Of vegetable
matter, we first subject il 10 the action offre,
and we thus divide it into two distinct parts,
one Of which passcs away in the firm of
smoke and air, Cor gas,) while the other re-
mains as ashes. That which passes AWAY
the agricultural chemist calls organic matter,
the ashes he terms inorganic matter. Or
gonic matter 10 obtained by plants entirely
from substances which exist in the atmo-
sphere. Tho ashes are obtained entirely
iron. the soil (or from msnures applied to the
sell) In our next we shall explain .he CON-
position OF organic matter, and subsequently
the manner in which il enters the plant.