Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-07-13

WE HAVE frequently referred to the SUBJ
ject of education and urged upon the people
its great Importance. The rudiments of a
common English education are necessary to
m branch of business, and the more thor
oughly versed a person is in any business or
profession, the more learning he has, the
better he is able to perform a faithful part
and achieve success even under. trying cir
cumstances. But of all the callings of men,
there are none where a useful store of knoWl-
edge can be better employed than in that of
the farmer. 10 till the soil is one thing,
and to till it successfully is another. Where
there is one farmer who tills his land, each
year improving his crop and increasing the
p~roductiveness Of the land, there are a dozen
who exhaust their farms by degrees until
they are almost worthless.
Book farming has been sneered at, and
the science of agriculture has been denounc-
ed as a humbug, but all in vain; immensely
profitable crops give evidence that canno
be refuted. 1t has required years of pa
thence and earnest research upon the part OF
a few to break down the deeply rooted pref
udice against scientific farming, even among
the most intelligent farmers. But the truth
at last prevails. No man of ordinary intel
ligence now considers himself a farmer with
out first making it his study. Works OF
agriculture and agricultural newspapers are
his first choice I'M literature. Of these he has
his house well supplied, and reads them if
need be to the exclusion of news or politics.
There is no country upon the American con-
tinent where science can. be better employed
than here in Montana, yetin our schools the
matter has never been thought Of. Young
men are growing upin our midst upon farms
who expect to make farming the business Of
their lives. What facilities have they tor
gaining information? They have practical
experience, but they want more. They
need to know the experience Of others they
sod n~st-elsoo ~s~;.-ftuiai pePe. 4l.vy
need access to a library, well stored with
books which treat of plant growth, soil,
etc.
Parents do a great wrong who encourage
their children to look upon farming as a
tlrudgery. It is, in fact, a beautiful but in
tricate science. Our country is young, and
if we desire to lay the foundation for a great
empire OF wealth and influence we must
educate our farming population to their
business. The soil is the greatest source OF
wealth, and lasting greatness can alone be
built upon its resources. Let us build now,
while our country is young, institutions OF
learning where q knowledge of the soil can
be obtained. Nothing is more essential, and
nothing can be done which will lay a surer,
broader foundation for future greatness.
The time is coming when our mountains,
coves and valleys will be as thickly dotted
with homes as the hills of New England.
Let every farmer take an interest in his
business, put his shoulder to the wheel, and
as time bears us on we will advance our call
ing, and the reputation of our country for
1roductiveness will be more and more ex-
bolled.
WHEN we first received the news of the
massacre of Gen. Custer and his entire com
nand we hoped it might prove untrue, but
ater intelligence confirms the first dispatch
s, and we are now to accept it as being one
IL the bloodiest battles and most disastrous
efeats ever known in Indian warfare. The
Gistory of American warfare does not re-
ord an instance where a fight was SO des-
crate and bloody that no on was left to
I'll the tale.
1t is stated that Gen. Custer disobeyed
'ders. If it is true, he has paid dearly for