Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1858-10-28


California. Then though there may be shalow
syeaking, shallow thinking and shallow acting,
there will be no more shallow blowing. And
don't know that shall be too fast if tell you that
the steam plow is even now a complete success
There has been one in use in England, but this,
would seem from its clumsiness, and the number
of hands required to work it, to be little better
than failure, although it plows ten acres day
The plow to which / allude was exhibited but a
few days since at the Illinois State Fair by the in
yeptor, Mr. Joseph w. Faukes, of Chrstiana, Ian
caster Coursy, Pennsylvania. It is light ma
chine and requires but two men to work it; and al
together bids fair to be another great triumph of
mind over matter-a victory, too, second only OF
that of the Atlantic Telegraph. Whence come
all of these wonderful Improvements? They are
the legitimate results Of labor directed by knowl-
edge-of labor combined with practical educa-
tion--of Educated Labor. And we may be al
lowed to indulge little national pride in reflect
ing that the Yankee Nations ahead of all others
in this respects and her enterprise is giving life
and energy to older nations--nations who once at
fected to despise herr and there, the sickle is
giving place to the Reaper, and the scythe to the
Mower. DO you see that crowd of men? They
are Engshmen. There are courtiers, and lords,
and many high dignitaries of the realm. Some OBJ
ject is there which they are regarding with intense
interest, as it performs its work. At last John
Bull can stand it no longer. Honors, titles dgni-
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. II 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-plOw comes puff
ing along, turning over the stubborn gebe at the
rate of twenty acres day. Then what a shout
will 90 up for Mr.. Fauke's American steam-p plOw. .
If Ruth should 60 out to CLEAN in the fields Of
some American Boaz. she would find him driving
an Indiana Harvester and talking SO wisely about
"Sefrakers, "and "Separators," and "Subsoiling,
and "Undcrdraining'' that she would probably COM
prehend about as much of his language as of pure
unadulterated Chinese. And so would old Cincin-
natus stare if he should drop down in our midst
some day. About as much. and perhaps no more
than We should, were he to bring along the plow
which he left when called to fight against the enc
emies of fRome. What mighty strides! Cincinnatus
and his wooden plow--Faukes and his steam plow.
Boaz and his rude sickle--Mann's Reaper and
Mower!
These comparisons seem to show that as mental
activity is developed there is corresponding ad-
vance materially, and that tits educated labor that
produces all great mprovements-which is itself
the greatest oflabor-saving 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
sezes the material elements around him, new truths
in science and Philosophy are discovered, many of
those principles are applied to agriculture and the
cultivation of the soil is elevated from drudg
ery to the dignity ofa science.
Educated labor leans to the adoption ofEew and
improved methods of cultivation. Labor alone, of
the hands merely, without brain-work to guide it,
pushes on like the mole, in the dark. 1t may 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 oftlat, it'll the land that
has a poor farmer. Let furrow Of intelligence
be plowed through his brain and he will begin to
understand that he has exhausted the soil OF those
elements necessary to produce vigorous growth
of plants and until he makes the ground fertile, in
some way, he can of course raise no crops. He
mis ht as well expect rain from clear sky Now
the fact our lands ought not only not to run down,
but they ought to grow ri cher each year, and crop
should increase instead of diminish. Do you raise
larger crops in Marshall 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 a little more education with
your labor and thus produce better results from it,
/ And by education here do not mean to echo the
great cry we continually hear about scientific farm
ing. The truths of philosophy and chemistry, as
applied to agriculture, are not to be despised But
when speak of scientific farming, do not mean
that farming can be reduced to an exact science
There are too many extraneous circumstances to
be taken into consideration. In chemistry we can
say with certainty-given one part Oxygen, and
eight of Hydrogen, and the result is water; but II,
in farming we say--given an acre OF land suitably
prepared, furnished with those ingredients which
theoretically go make up the plants and the re-
suit is IS bushels of corn we shall probably meet
with failure, and shall be compelled to seek con-
ISOLATION, as our spiriiualistc friends do by saying
that ssthe conditions were not all fulfilled" The
fact is, farming is not theoretical but an expert
mental science, and every principle laid down shod
first be subjected to the test of experiment. The
most plausible theories in farming, if unsubstan-
tated by experience are not worth a bashel fcorn
, cobs. Though it may be termed old fosyism Of
|, the rankest kind yet must say that look upon
that kind of farming which is distinguished as
scientific" which is the result of the very beauti
tul theory of Liebig which has found its most zeal
GUS advocate in Horace Greedy, and which ha.
been tested by our farmers with almost uniforml,
boo. results-this kind ofscientifc, chcmco-theo
!, retical farming, regard as more than half mere
: quackery; got up and advocated by men who de
/. sire a name for Agricultural erudition, who arr
excellent farmers by profession and theory, but wh'
: like Emeritus professors in colleges, entirel.
! guiltless of practice in their profession. know
tina. 1 am trenching here on forbidden ground, ant
# that my views are by no means orthodox. can
!. imagine that some one is even now saying; "Wha
- i'm Dat I ba