Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1860-11-15
AGRICULTURAL.
From the American AgricuIsurist.
Systematic Agriculture.

Agriculture is the art Of deriving from
the earth the most valuable organic pro-
ductions. He who exercises this arr
seeks to obtain profit by causing to grow,
and by using, its animal and vegetable
productions. The more considerable the
gain derived, therefore, the better is the
object accomplished. The most perfect
Agriculture is, evidently, that which pro-
duces, by the application of labor, the
largest and the most permanent profit in
comparison with the means employed
Systematic Agriculture ought, then, to
teach US all the circumstances by means
of which we may derive the most consid-
cradle profit by the practice of the art.
Now there are three methods of teach
ing or Of learning the practice Of Agri-
cul ulture.
l. AS an occupation, by the manual ex-
ercise Of it, 2. As an art. 3. As a sci
ence.
The skillful practice of Agriculture;
as an occupation, is limited TO the imita-
ton of certain operations, and the obser-
Vation of events and circumstances. 1t is
nothing more, when thus pursued, than
simple mechanical art: for the practi-
cal farmer can only initiate and repeat
the ordinary operations of Agriculture,
occasionally modified by times and cir
cumstances; and often, perhaps, without
considering or even knowing the motives
by which he is governed.
The art of Agriculture is the realiza-
tion of some ideal object. He who prac-
tiCes it has received from others, without
considering the reasons on which it is
founded, the idea or rule by which he
proceeds. The skillful practice of an art
consists, therefore, in the adoption of new
ideas, in the study of new rules, and in
Judging of the fitness Of their being car
ried into practice.
The science of Agriculture does not
lay down any positive rules, but it deyel-
ops the motives by which the best possi-
bic method Of proceeding may be discov-
cred and successfully pursued. In fact,
the art executes some law given and re-
duced, but it is from science the law en-
anates.
Science alone can be of universal util-
ity, embrace the whole extent of a subject
and enable US to devise the best execution
of it under every possible circumstance.
Every positive direction is applicable on.
ly to some determinate case, and each
case requires a special rule which science
alone can supply. That system of Agri-
culture can only be called the most per-
feet which is the most reasonable-for
these are synonymous terms.
The manual exercise and study of the
art can never be useless to the agricultu-
rist who wishes to elevate it to the rank
of a science, and to the mental consider
alton of which it is deserving. It will be
to him to have experienced
the labor and the energy which are nee
essary, in order that he may Judge of the
mechanical execution Of the various por-
tionS of 1t.
A purely practical agriculturisI is COM
PEELED to follow the rule which has been
laid down for him, although it may not
be wholly applicable to the peculiar case
which presents itself. He cannot depart
from it without adopting some other rule,
which may, perhaps, devlate entirely from
the first.
This is the reason that so many agri-
culturists who have practiced with sue
cess, in other counties, and under other
circumstances, on being removed else
where, have committed very deplorable
blunders.
Thus, the man who has not studied the
science of Agriculture can make little
use of books, or even the best Of them.
He knows not how to arrange the new
ideas which they unfold, and he cannot fol-
low them in their fullest extent. All
that he dares to do is to read those books
which have the closest relation with the
circumstances in which he is placed.