Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-10-21

in this respects and her enterprise is giving new life
and energy to older nations-nations who once af
ected to despise her; and even there, the sickle is
giving place to the Reaper, and the scythe to the
Mower. Do you see that crowd of men7 They
are EDgishmen. There are courtiers, and lords.
and many high dignitaries of the realm. Some OBJ
ect is there which they are regarding with intense
interest, as il performs its work. At last John
Bull can stand it no longer. Honors, titles, dign-
ties, are forgotten. Their hats are off and three
mighty cheers are given for McCormick's Ameri-
can Reaper. We shall see another crowd assem-
bled one of these days. IL will be sight for the
world TO witness. Monarchs will come down from
their thrones, and join in the festivities. Hark.-
They hear whistle and steam pillow comes Duff
ing along, turning over the stubborn glebe at the
rate of twenty acres day. Then what a shout
will go up for Mr.. Fauke's American steam pillow ,
II Ruth should so out now to CLEAN in the fields of
some American Boaz. she would find him driving
an Indiana Harvester and talking so wisely about
"Selfrakers, "and aseparators, - and "Subsonc."
and UNDERWRITING" that she would probably com
prehend about as much of his language as of pure
unauthorized Chinese. And go would old Cincin-
natus stare ifhe should drop down in our midst
some day. About as much. and perhaps no more
than we should, were he to bring along the pillow
which he left when called TO fight against the enc
cmies ofRome. What mighty strides. cincinnatus
and his wooden plow--Faukes and his steam pillow
Boaz and his rude sickle--Mann's Reaper and
Mower.
These comparison. seem 10 show that as mental
activity is developed there is a corresponding ad
vance materially, and that tits educated labor that
produces all great improvements-which is itself
the greatest OF aborsaving machines. In rude ages
mems minds are rude, and nowhere is their rude
ness more conspicuous than in the cultivation of the
soil. But as man advances intellectually his mind
seizes the material clements around him. new truths
in science and Philosophy are discovered, many of
those principles applied to agriculture and the
cultivation of the soil is elevated from mere drudg-
cry to the dignity ola science.
/ Educated labor leans to the adoption of new and
improved methods of cultivation I,bor alone, of
the hands merely, without brain work to guide it.
pushes on like the mole, in the dark II nav Sc
cure passable crops for few years, but instead of
the crops growing larger and larger each year, they
gradually grow smaller and the land is finally worn
out and worthless. Then the owner thinks he has
poor farm; but instead of that, il is the land that
has poor farmer. Let furrow of intelligence
be plowed through his brain and he will begin To
understand that he has exhausted the soil Of thos,
elements neccss ,ry to produce vigorous growth
of plants and until he makes the ground fertile, in
might as well expect rain from a clear sky Now
the fact is, our lands ought only not to run down
but they oughtto grow i;hcr each year, and crops
should increase instead of diminish. Do YOU raise
larger crops in Mirshll County, than you did ten
fifteen years ago! Ifyou do not then you are not
getting as much from your land as YOU should get
and you need to mix little more education with
your labor, and thus produce better results from it
And by education here do not mean TO echo tn,
rreAt cry we continually hear about scientific farm
ing. The truths of philosophy and chemistry, a.
applied to agriculture, are not TO be dcspiScd But
when speak of scientific farming, do not mcar
that farming can be reduced to an exact science
5 There are too many extraneous circumstances tc
be taken into consideration. In chemistry we car
say with ccrtainiy-given one part Oxygen, and
eight of Hydrogen, aud the result is water; but if
in farring we say--givcn Of land sui:abl,
prepared, furnished with those ingredients which
theoretically 20 to make UP the plants, and the re
suit is IS bushels of corn, We shall probably nee
with failure, and shall be compelled to seek con
ISOLATION, as our spirtualstic friends do, by sayin.
that 'lhe conditions were not NIL fulfilled" Tn,
fact is, farming is not theoretical but an expert
mental science, and ever. principle laid down shoe
first be subjected to the test of experiment Th'
most plausible theories in farming, if unsubstan
tiatcd by experience not worth bashcl ofecr,
cobs. Though it may be termed Old fogyism o
the rankest kind vet must say that look upeI
that kind of farming which is distinguished a
scientific" which is the result of the very beauti
full theory ofLiebg, which has found its most zeal
Gus advocate in Horace Greedy, and which ha
been tested by our farmers with almost uniform
poor rcsults-this kind of scientific, chemico theo
rctical farming, regard ~ more than half mer
quackery; got up and advocated by men who De
sire a name for Agricultural eruditon, who arr
excellent farmers by profession AMI theory, but win
like Emcritus professors in colleges, are entirel
guiltless of practice in tteir profession. kno'
: that am trenching here on forbidden ground, ant
that my views are by no means orthodox. ca
ina CINE that some one is even now saving, "Wha
does he know about farming!" But have a rea
son for the hope that is within me, and ifvou viii
possess yourselves in patience, will give il to YOU
The foundation Of the 90 called scientific" farm
| ing is the great theory of 1iebig. 1t NAV be thu
suited All plants consist of two kinds ofelements
Organic and Inorganic The Organic consists o
the elements which constitute air and water. 1t j
gaseous and on burning will pass off into the at
mosphere. The Inorganic portions THE plant arr
mineral substances and on burning will remain il
; the form of ashes Much the larger portion of tn
r plant is composed of organic materials. Forearm
pie 100 pounds of wheat. burned. would leave per
haps three pounds of Inorganic material in the form
of ashes; the balance 81 pounds would pass of in
to the atmo= phere. Now this portion of the plan
is supplied from the atmosphere, and it was sup
posed that If snch substances were placed in til,
soil, as would furnish to the riots the Inorganic
mineral portions Of the plants, those portions which
! on burning become ashes. the necessities Of tn
S plant would all be supplied, and there would conse
: quently be vigorous and healthy growth.
If this theory is correct it is the very corner stone