, 1860-02-17
State Agricultural Surveys,

OF monklno-tbe legitimate basis of national
wealth and prosperity-areh held, that the States.
both Of the Old and New World, are rivallipr
each other in efforts for their most enlightened
md effective advancement. Hardly fiftY vears
hare elapsed since the FIRST school of aericu1.
ture was founded, and they now number hun.
dreds' let, strange to say, our own country,
and the Northwest in particular, 60 essentially
agricultural, and 50 rich in agricultural resources
mas been i"r behind the States ofthc Old World
IN making science tributary to agricultural art,
Experience is stern teacher: and the West
Justly proud Of it's immense fields, of inexhaus.
t'ole fertility and boundless capabilities Of pro.
onct'on, has, in the strange and pcrp1exius
spectacle the last few years have presented, oi
1a'llng crops and pinching scarcity, had i'm,
pressise warning that its unparalleled natural
advantages may, after all, prove vain and unre.
liaole, without science and Intelligent skill Ia
deEelope aud apply the natural laws and condi.
tons Of successful culture.
Clear a. it is, and rs the grea: agricultural
chemists Of Europe nre affirming, that the soils
OF The Did World are becoming yearly more
exhausted and less producti:e, presenting, al
no distant day, unless avertsd by human skill
the calamity Of general dcarth End famine
not less true is it, that eren our own vjreil,
fields, Luye often failed TO reward the husband.
mans hopes, not, as it must be believed. from
auy want Of fertility, not from any insuperable
disadvantages Of climate, but solely from our
ignorance or misapplication Of those physical
nd re ef1}1 md
ence, which it is the province Of science to un-
fold aud explain.
It is true that our farmers, md the
guardians Of our great public interests in
the West, should heed the plain
fact not to be concealed. that something is want
ing to insure crops and guard them from injury,
waste or destruction. The truth is, that, 3 yet,
no adequate pains have been taken to iayesti-
gate The climatic phenomena Of onr oyu pecu.
Liar section Of country, very little to Investigate
the properties and chemical elements Of our
soils, the habits Of insects destructive to yeee-
ta'ion, the natural history Of birds, reptiles und
other animals in their relations to agriculture,
the nature and adaptability Of mauures and fer
t'llzers to assist the fullest production. From
ignorance of these important and essential ele-
ments Of knowledge, mutitudes Of our farmers.
following only tue beaten path Of older cult
yators, or maxims founded only on q superfic:al
experience. see and cfron,cra ,,,a -ea.,..
loss or partiul reward of +ha;r i.,,..s
unhceding the unquestionable fact, that the
coasfs OF their failure imperfect SUCCESS lie in
natural laws rs ret unknown and which The n,.
tient investigations of true science can a1ons
make clear. We belicyo If sa{c IN sav that co,,15
q thorough and careful survey of INV sto,a i,
the Northwest, in reference to its natural listo.
r., its climate and mctcoro1orv. the ano,rs;x os
is soils. and all other scientific hc1ns :, u, .,
tiyator, be executed by comnetent a,a .xn.,;
enccd men. and the resu]ta of tbosi,x-o.. ~
placed iu eyery farmer,s hands wo stor,d ,..
cease to hear complaints Of tho rtter f.;,,ra -
craps, Of the unfavor,b1cness Of mr. cl;n.ta
and the lmpossibiny nf mot;oo f,,,,
ing profitable, Tint 'snch com,,a;,ts Nv
ist, and are so common in tho fa-a
OF the fact, that both our so;, and INV c,;-
mate arc Of character In hare ,1v,1s ot..,,,
ed admiration on1y shows that while nature bas
been prodieal to US in her lount;es ,o< b,ro
been wdnting in skill and dexter;tr IN tb,,,
aud We charge cur blunders Mt her 1oor
Te have been led to these remarks bv not;c.
ing in our exchanges thut hi, snb;sct ia ,ow
receiving tie attention of Tho 1ecis,at,r. of =.
neichboripr Stote-1,wo From, +,o ,.aa.,aa
notice lecture recently d.,;xsred h.fore ,,,o,
ut their invitation. bv prof ranch of,,,;s 49,.
We should JUDGE TIM: the ,cctrr.r H., ,.,n;;,
seized upon thcse no;nts oe sc;ont;to ;,,a.aF. :;
heir relations 10 n.,;cu]trre ,v,,;,, nssa -
,ecially at this t;nc to he nras.ed ,,oa ~
public notice tl,rounbout t,,c West S.rar,, ~
,ur Sta,cs. inc1ud;nr Nossoch,sat,s ond w.
FORK, hare already contributed mo.t ;v,ortsnt
Information to their cit;zens in relation =, tra;.
ocal natural history fr,,, r,,;.,, .,,e- ~. =,