The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1857-06-03
PHILOSOPHY FOR FARMERs.

Ger every land"
PHILOSOPHY FOR FARMERS.
The friend at cur elbow is skeptic !!
What have farmers to do with Philosophy T
Much, very much; if the business is pur-
sued I0r pleasure P-sGt, hnf if. from
sheer necessity to exc out a miserable exis-
tence, it shows indeed, a very great want Of
| it. That there are certain fixed, immutabe
principles, Of themselves constituting the
science of Philosophy, upon which the sue
cessful farmer is as dependent as any other
! class Of mankind, cannot be denied by the
most skeptical. Nay, he is, more than 9TH
ers, interested in knowledge OF Inc general
properties Of matter and the mechanical
laws Of bodies, the physical law Of attraction,
| light and electricity.
Some have enormously supposed, that the
life Of the husbandman was nothing more
than a continual round Of manual labor, to
plant. cultivate and reap the fruits Of his
industry; that there is no necessity that he
slaoud have any book knowledge that the
manual skill taught him by his father, and
his own observation, we're amply sufficient
for his calling.
1t is true that many good practical far
mers live and die. without their being able
to assign reason, or a correct one, unless
by accident, for performing certain labors
vi the farm at certain periods Of the year.
or why il should be done in certain manner;
whereas had their education been such as to
| fit them for the station of their choice in
life, they would not only be able to assign
correct reason, but to SO direct their efforts
as TO second the immutable laws Of nature,
and secare the desired results with less
amount of labor.
How important il is to the farmer to un-
derstand the nature Of his soil, the qualities
Of its indigenous produce, the food Of the
plants by nature, and the elementary prlnci-
plies Of his cultivated crops. II he can only
have this knowledge, which can alone be
acquired by education, by diligence, by
book learning, he will at once be enabled BY
the judicious application Of manures, and a
proper rotation OF crops, TO restore to the
soil its pristine properties, or if originally
defective 40 make it productive.
All soils produce weeds in greater or less
abundance, most Of which are great pests to
the farmer, not only exhausting the soil Of
| its fruitfulness weeds are gross feeders) but
choking out the cultivated crops.
Ii ANNALS produced from the seed each
year, they may be generally extirpated in a
few years by their destruction before the
seed is matured. II biermiais, they are less
easily got rid Of, the root also must be de-
stroycd. This NAV sometimes be done by
cutting the tops in dry, hot period Of the
year, before the root has received the elabo-
rate sap from the leaves and stalks necessary
for their support, and thus the juices de-
signed for the nourishment Of the parent
root are rendered acrid and poisonous, and
the root must perish. II perenniais, possess
ed Of top or stem Of woody fibre, pasture
well in the summer, il cattle will eat the
leaves, or cut of the tops in the summer,
either OF which will destroy or prevent the
perfection Of the sap which forms the yearly
layer Of woody fibre, and no plant or shrub
can stand this treatment for series Of q
few years.
i Practically, one Of the greatest pests to
the farmers Of East Tennessee, the sassafras,
is soon destroyed By the process Of cloyering
and pasturing. VI the clover is mown, the
tender shoots Of the sassairas are cut oil
in the heat Of summer, and il pastured down
domestic animals eat Of the young shoots
aud the juices contained in the leaves ar,
cut Oh from the parent plant, the wood,
fibfe Is not formed, or is diseased at its for
nation, and hence, for the want Of The
proper annual supply Of nourishment tbs
plant dies, though a tree is very tenacious
of life.
The leaves Of trees aud plants are TO them
what the lungs are 20 animals in the ANNA
economy. In them the sap is purified an,
perfected, and whatever is too gross, or uni
lur the aliment Of the parent tree or plant
is thrown oil by the leaves on the atmos
. phcre thus IL the spongioles, or minut
iibres Of the roots absorb from the soil elc
. ments hurtlul or destructive 10 the tree o
plant, nature has furnished il with pcricc
Laboratory to relieve itself Of the poisol
absorbed BY the roots.
The philosophic farmer being aware
: these facts. and reasoning from analogy
will seize at once every fortuitous circum
stance 10 eradicate whatever is hurtful 70 hi
: : soil or his crops. and at the same time iin
!. prove his soil and his mind.
!. The educated farmer stands, in point
!. character, practical psefulness and persona
y independence. foremost among his fello'
J. men. Well might the drones Of the hiv,
and painted Butterflies Of fashion. emulat
his example, and Leave 20 posterity the Goa
!. soling idea that they, too, had been useful.