Nebraska advertiser., 1869-12-02
A%grIeuIturaI ProgresE.


Nowhere is there a greater awaken
ing than among tillers Of the soil.
Within the past few years all classes
Of agriculturists have been inquiTing
into the rationale of their respective
pursuits, and have, even now, done
muchin substituting mind for muscle.
Stock breeding, with its adjunct
dairyiug, has in this country, and
still more i'm Europe, engaged scientif-
&c inquiry to a large extent. It is
found that substantially allthe physiO-
logical laws Of man and those Of
brutes are identical. Hence, as expe-
Fiments can be made on living brutes
which can not safely or humanely be
made on man, Psychologists and med
ical philosophers have made them
extensively on stock, and with great
advantage to physiological science.
V~ivisectiOn. as the dissection Of a liv-
ing animal is termed, Is regularly
practiced by French medical students,
If we are correctly informed. The
head Of a poultry farm in England is
q gentleman Of high accomplishments,
and he IS as familiar with the anato-
my and pathology Of the goose as Of
the human body.
But scientific inquiry does not stop
with live stock. The vegetable king
dom, too, has life, and its laws Of life
are, in large part, identical with those
Of the animal kingdom. The gerani-
nm that blooms in your window has
its respiration, its secretion, its assimi-
latiOn, its circulation and its sex as
complete as your dog or canary. It's
laws Of reproduction seem to be the
same with those Of horses or sheep.
In his most elaborate discussions, Mr.
Darwin Is indifferent whether he
draws his facts from the English peO-
pie, from his pigeon cote or from his
cabbage patch. Botany and physiOlO-
gy are becoming nearly allies. Sta
tistics Of the dairy and Of stock farms
have assumed a vital interest to med
ical science. As the laws Of human
life become better known, they are
found to be the laws Of all life.
The learning thus got is being utiI-
lied. The intelligent farmer avoids
interviewing with his corn or pOta-
toes as carefully as with his hogs. A
higher mode Of cultivation IS prae-
ticed. Informed mind, It Is found,
can save fatigued muscle. improved
varieties Of fruits and vegetables are
produced at will. Men find it cheaper
on a Berkshire, Chester White or Is
sex hog to make q given amount Of
good pork with five bushels Of corn.
than to make aless amount Of inferior
pork on common stock with ten
bushels.
The evidences Of the awakening in
agriculture are enormous. Compare
it in its various departments now and
fifty years ago. Then we doubt
whether there wasa journal in Amer
lea devoted TO agricultural interests.
Now their name is legion. More than
that, there are journals devoted exclu-
sively TO single departments, as TO the
bee, to insects, to grapes, etc. But a
multitude Of Journals proves a multi
tude of readers, aud men do not read
what does not interest. Fifty years
ago how many books were there on
agriculture? Now they would stock
a large library. Fifty years ago who
ever heard Of q fair? Now, nearly
every county has me-. Fifty years
ago how little improvement had been
made In agricultural implements. The
change that has been made is bewiI-
dering. IL - safe TO say that with
the improvements of that time, the
whole population Of the country
men, women and childTen-cOuld not
do the agricultural work that Is done
now.
But. perhaps, the evidence Of i'm
prOvement that gives most promise of
usefulness, is the various societies and
clubsthat are springingi into existence.
Here men, face to face, interchange
opinions, experiences and Observa-
tons. This stimulates inquiry and
reflection. Farmers will thus take
rank as a class, will assert themselves,
will come TO understand better than
now their true position in society,"
These organizations cannot fail, if
rightly conducted. 30 be useful. They
are deserving of all encouragement.
In the immense agricultural resOur-
ces Of the country rests its great hope.
Agriculture, says GibbOn, lies at the
basis of national wealth and great
ness. The cOuntrywhieh has natural
facilities for high development i'm this