Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-09

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and every year, should continue for six
generations after Tull is IN his grave,
by all who speak his mother tonguef
ARE ANIMALS AUTOMATONs1
Probably no questionin husbandry is
more important than the one placed at
the head of this article. Without the
aid Of domesticated ANIMALS, such as
horses, mules, cows, oxen, sheep, hogs
and poultry, we should have no meat,
milk, eggs or animal food Of any kind;
none to serve in the universal labor of
tillage, hauling materials for construct
ing dwelling-houses, barns, fences, fire.
wood, gathering crops, taking them to
market, and bringing home all needful
supplies. 1t would be hardly less in
convenient to do without wool for
clothing and bedding.
Since it is impossible to over-esti-
mate the Importance of the laws of
animal life, which apply as well to man
as to beasts, farmers mayproftably in
quire whether animals are automatons
or not. In an address delivered before
the British Association at its recent
meeting, the eminent Psychologist,
Prof. T. A. Huxley, contended that an
imal life, like that of plants, acts only
as it is acted upon during its past and
present vitality. Since Harvey discov-
cred the circulation of the blood, more
than two centuries ago, in man and
beast, and Descartes the circulation of
what he called the animal spirits
though the brain, and nervous system,
about the same time, great progress
has been made in the improvement of
farm stock and in human knowledge.
Farmers, however, are slow to appre-
ciate the sciences most intimately con-
nected with every branch of agri-
culture. They may see heavy draft
horses that weigh, as breed, between
two and three thousand pounds each,
like the Perche ron Normans, and the
little Shetland ponies that weigh only
some three hundred pounds. 1t is out
side influences that dwarf one breed
to third of the average size of horses
in this country; and influences in an
opposite direction, which give existence
to horses that weigh three times more
than our common stock. Lapdogs, no
larger than rats, and nearly destitute
of hair have been developed. Other
dogs with long, thick hair, and of
great size, are bred in all the north
part Of this continent, and trained to
draw sledges over ice and snow like
reindeer. Every farmer should have
clear and correct idea of the Elasticity
of both animal and vegetable life, to
prevent deterioration, and to attain an
advancement from what Is good, to a
condition which is still better.
If life were only automatic IN its ma
ture, how could living beings change
from one generation to another +?
What wild men, wild beasts, and wild
fruits were FIVE or ten thousand years
ago, they must necessarily remain to
this day.
The present state and existence of
agriculture declare that life in man,
beast and cultivated plant, has ad-
vanced; and we may enquire what COM
bined external and internal influences
wrought the changes which have
taken place IN time, and IN space?
Shall we call it growth, and evolution
in vitality, sustained by spark of the
divinity? Is the matter of the uni
verse itself endowed with life, forever
unfolding into a higher, more ETHEREAL
and spiritual existence? Deep think
ers and close students have believed
that all animals have souls; but if ami
mails, then plants, and the elements of
all plants and animals, man included.
We must study the laws of life as
affected by the forces of nature. One
sheep yields ten pounds of wool in II
months; another, consuming the same
amount of food, shesrs only two
pounds The antecedent treatment of
the progenitors of these sheep has
made this wide difference. Their
bodies are automatic, which forever re-
act as acted upon. Hence force is
neither created, nor annihilated In an
imals. They give what they receive,
and no more.
Yet there is a power of accunula-
ton in function, as when a breed Of
wild cattle that give not over two
quarts of milk a day, are tanned, fed
and bred up to a yield of sixteen
quarts day. This remarkable change
in living machine, such, as no steam
engine or water wheel could exhibit,
deserves our earnest study. Life is
forever at war with life. Self-moving
automatic vitality is aggressive from
the low army worms in our fields, up
to the man on horseback leading an
army of fighting bipeds into battle.
A FEELER FOR THE SUPREME
COURT.