Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-10-14
Agricultural 4Apllorislass.

dcd to convey a vast amount o
wisdom. But like many say
ings, some Of which have passed
into proverbs, they are very in
definite and instead Of impartins
any useful information or elici
ting any special thought, the,
are a string of meaningless.
words. The first proposition
reads thus: "That the success o
farming is in experience
Now whose "experience?'
doubtless that Of the "old farm
err" is intended. In other words
he has a certain amount o.
knowledge, derived from his
own trials, or the results of his
observations: in following this
experience he has found success.
To illustrate, he discovered a
half a century ago, that he had
a good crop Of grain, following
such and such a method of cult.
ure; he cultivates the same way
now and the result is uniform.
On the contrary, some years ago
he peeled some trees on a GER
tain day in August. under a Ger.
tain sign of the moon. and he
found the speedy death of the
tree and also that it was not
bothered by the trouble of
sprouting; therefore, when he
would deaden a tree he chooses
that particular day and sign of
the moon if he can get them.-
And so on to the end of the cat
alogue; but the "old farmer"
dies-perhaps his experience is
not recorded; perhaps his sons
have imbibed some new ideas
from reading the hosts of books
and papers devoted to farming,
and they depart from the faith
er's experience, and are, in the
long run, quite as successful or
even more so than he. And
what of his experience? as far as
any benefit to the mass Of his
brother farmers is concerned it
amounts to nothing; perhaps,
however, the general experience
of all agriculturists is meant
But even this if it could by any
means be reduced to q maxim
would be a most unsafe guide.
In agriculture it is not as it is in
the science of politics. History
is an infallible school-teacher for
the politician, for it is not con-
trolled in the same way nor in
the SINE measure that controls
the progress of agriculture
Right or wrong do not change
under the tropics or at the poles;
and human nature is the same
in all ages and in all climes.-
But what Of the experience Of
the farmer in Australia, in Ore
gon, in Maine, in Texas, in
France-to avail the farmer in
other ATTITUDES and other SUR
roundings? Some philosopher
perhaps it was Bacon-taught
that 1T is the delightful object
of science to shorten the long
turnings and windings of cxpe-
rience. That is the proper key
note: Reduc agriculture to a science.
Take all the experiences of the
past, and record untold multi
tudcs of trials, efforts, expert
ments, that make new expericn-
ces, and deduce a general law
operating invariably in similar
circumstances and with similar
influences. Experience teaches
that it would be foolish to plant
an orchard of oranges in Mime.
sofa; while it teaches it is wis
dom in louisiana. Let science
reduce that to a proposition, by
showing what influences of the
sun, the earth, the air, the wat
or, make it a fact. If agricul-
ture is to rest upon experience,
if a day is never to come when
it shall be a science, with WELL
known and determinate laws
then it would Be a good idea to
turn the large sums Of money
now being invested in agricultu-
raj colleges, spent in agricultu.
raj chemistry, in vegetable
physiology into other channels.
What is the use of all this ex.
penditure, if the world must yet
depend upon isolated experience
for its success in agriculture?
RAISE MORE SToCK.-Raise
more stock. Let that be the
motto Of farmers through the
entire West. It costs too much
to ship grain to the seaboard.-
Let us convert our grain and
grasses into beef and pork and
wool, and then we can afford to