Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-12-04
agricultural department.
ADVICE..BOOk FARMING.

earth, and desire to know more of its nature
and principles.
Allow me to give some advice, in my first
article to you and your correspondents
though it may not be needed. The object of
both parties mainly is, or ought to be- to teach
| farmers that they may manage efficiently the
occupation that clothes and feeds the world.
Farmers, as general rule, are ignorant and
neducated-especially in the science Of chem.
istry. This department of knowledge has
direct and essential bearing upon agriculture;
and as we cannot teach children unless we
simplify, on account of their limited capacity,
for the same reason we cannot teach farmers
the abstruse science of agricultural chemistry
unless we simplify pecially is this true in
reference to its technical nomenclature. The
most Of farmers can understand the following
phrases: ammonated super-phosphate (dis-
solved bone J sorghum halapense Guinea
grass y chloride of sodium common salt y nj
trate of potassa (saltpetre;) J ursenious acid
(arsenic , but leave off the common names
embraced in the parenthesis, and none can un-
dcrstand the balance but chemists.
Once more a Geologist writes book for
the masses upon the obscure, unfamiliar science
of geology; and determined to show his learn
ing at all hazards, he writes thus: Georgia
isldivided, geologically, into the alluvial, ter
tary, cretaceous silurian, taconic, metamor-
phic and plutonic. The first embraces the
coast line, between the sea islands and the
first escarpmentof the pliocene, and resting at
some ten to twenty feet on sandy post-pio-
Gene formation" &c. None but geologsts
can comprehend such explanations Writers
often forget that there is vastly more wisdom
and profit in being understood by those they
essay to teach, than in mere effort to appear
learned to the uninstructed. If We expect to
teach and instruct, we must be understood. A
divine who is constantly dragging his hearers
back to the original languages, when perhaps
majority of them do not even own an Eng
lish dictionary, displays more love for self
glory than he does for the glory of God.
'Some people are much opposed to book
farming" and some put themselves to much
trouble to convince those ignoramuses that
their position is erroneous; but they are hard
to convince Men who are opposed to pub
fishing or reading agricultural information,
are generally opposed, practically, to the rea-
ding ofanything; hav'nt got brains enough to
base the corner of an argument upon and
the proper course to be pursued by those who
essay to convince them of this error, is to send
them to school in the first place, and teach
them the alphabet of common sense.
We visit our neighbors and listen with great
interest by the hour, while they discourse ear
nestly and eloquently upon farming in all its
branches Well, suppose their views are print
ed-will they become poisonous as soon as they
come in contact with type, ink and paper {?
When man of sense hears the opinions of
others, he stores away in the chamber of his
memory whatever he likes and believes will
be profitable, while he lets trash float away
upon the wind and he acts upon the same
principle in reading an agricultural paper
he garners the wheat, but rejects the chaff.
Healso acts upon the same principle when he
hears sermon-he treasures up the sound
doctrine, but lets the hetordox slide; and he
acts also in the same way in reference to the
discoveries of his own mind, whether they are
real or imaginary, as soon as they are tested
by experiment or further reflection. To ar
que against book farming so-called-is to
take position that it is impossible for the mind
of one person to be sharpened or instructed
by the mind of another person-than which,
more absurd position was never taken by an
idiot.
If a divine reads theological works exten.
sively, his mind becomes stored with impor-
tant truths, and he uses these in his sermons
or practice-not the errors that he found III
his researches.
The studious physician who reads medical
works, never thinks of practicing blindly eve
rything recommended by others.
No farmer ofscnse will putin practice, upon
large scale, the opinions of others, found in
an agricultural paper-if he is not certain of
their correctness-until he has thoroughly
tested their soundness, by limited, but salts
factory experiments; but blockhead acts
thus, for example: A recommends a COM
pound for cotton, made up of certain costly
elements and says it pays him from one to
two hundred per cent upon the capital invest
ed. B, who is light in the upper story, is de-
termine,l, without experiment, to use this fer
tlizer upon his whole cotton crop, and ex-
pcnls hundreds of dollars for an ample sup
bly, He makes failure, and pronounces
book-farming humbug; but really the 'bug
is located just above his eyes, or he would
have taken into consideration that perhaps
there was wide difference between the ma
ture of his and AS soil; elements, perhaps,
deficient or laking in one, that existed in cx-
cess in the other; but G, q sensible man,
reads all the different experiments found in
his paper, and tests each one upon small
scale, until he discovers in an inexpensive
way what suits his particular soil, and will
pay him a large per cent upon the capital IN
vested. There is reason in all things except
fool. Solomon says, though thou shouldst
bray fool in mortar among wheat with
pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart
from him."
When first commenced farming, knew
but little about it, (know but little yet,) and
had to ask the advice Of my neighbors, with
out having had the experience to make my
Judgment sharp and discriminating. One
told me how to save time: "lcave your mid
dies unbroken until you have finished siding
the corn" did so on few acres-the weeds
sprung up and exhausted the moisture and
hardened the ground, as it was very dry
spring. I made no corn on good land, but
what lost in corn, gained in wisdom.
Another told me how to keep my manure
from giving out too soon "put your cotton
seed round your corn after it comes up, and
cover them with plough, and they will last
through the caring" l did so upon two or
three acres-very dry weather, the seed kept
dry, and didn't pay cent, but did harm.
After that l scattered my manure, whether
little or much, in deep furrow, as l do for
cotton, and it is the best plan that l have ever
tried Another told me, eff you want to
make peas, plant deep in plenty of loose soil"
How? "Why run five-inch scooter on each