Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1876-04-22
RAYVlLLE. La, SATURDAY,. APRII. y, 1876.


interest cannot be denied.
Only few years ago we bryan 10 live
before the great mass Of mankind dreamed OF :
our rAistrnrc we sprang upon the Stage al ,
huuau ACTION, as a young giant fully armed
fir ih. great haul. ui life. W. have grown
" .th a ra,ili,y whlch Ia. as,nui.hed the
ua,rrs BIZ, all of Il sudtrn We hear the
cry coming up around VI, that the cause Is
ianxui,hliig | have tbougbt that, a'ni the
general apathy. Ara,pr Grange Was III Il n"Ir-
i.hirv c.niitou, but ] am informed that
something j, needed To infnse life into tins
grange also. Til. being 81, We feel particularly
d-slrou~ N say somah,ng to-day which will
be I,roducurc ui good; but what that some. (
thin: shall bc | confess tina, ! have been
puzzled 10 determine. might, for bunconbc,
attempt an address, will, smoothly rn,ndrd
perirI- aud adorned with the howrrs Ut
r!-u,rir.. intended ~ cap,isa,e the fancy
br., thai il no what | ann here for. ] desire
10 say ,oncihin, whicli wih in't,>c in,u each
individual member ul Ibis grange drirrmi.
nation ~ r,rn- squarrly up H. the line ol
dn,y. s-rI
Ii IS not ner.ssary ior me to remind Tins
Intelligent audience ut the iundancntal mn
porrancc -: agriculture. IL would tie an I'M
occupy time in an e,licav,r Ia demonstrate
The tact that il is the foundation sunc upon
w!icn all other ay0ations are buIli, aud tue
rot from whirh they derive their vitality.
These are -yiden, and patent truths, with
which you have all been familiar from your
childhood. There is one thing, however.
which We would endeavor ~ impress upon
YOU. which hs. lot heretofore been regarded
nj. hat n n
Scieac.. However imperfect and obscure
ih. opinions Of mankiud in past ages may
have been regarding This leading pursuit,
they are now becounVs aroused 10 con-
sciGusnc.s Of the fact which We have y,.,
| -nuncia,e-t- that IL is science, and that, US
such, il demands. at ths hands oi those who
would be its votaric., close and risi i1rcs-
Iga;ion.
The time has been hen the Opininn pre-.
, vailed that any man could be a successful
farmer, when all that was considered necessary
was 10 plani ~ he right time Of the moon aud
apply fair quantity oi Drawn aud muscle,
wl,l,ou, much regard a. To when or how, aud
thar Nature, in her kindness, would do all
the balance. That time ha. passed. Farmers
throughout the world are waking up to the
! conviction tha, the s,rriy Of agriculture as
the some tnuc, one Of the most interesting.
tl,s, can possibly engage the mind Of man.
! The laws which govern the growth OF
riauts the rules which control the mcteuro-
! logical pheIr,nena in the natural world, are
,cIna gradually unfode,i TO the careful student;
AMI 50 gratifying have been the results ena-
mating from close and patient investigation
Of the principles involved in this great study.
d. =
! lixnd when anignorant farmer will he regard
! ed wi ii but little more consideration than an
ignorant quacs in QUO Of tbs learned proics
, sions.
I NV friends. we are standing to-day, upon the
threshold Of a wonderful series OF develop
| lnents in the agricultural world. Ihe Pon-
derous doors which have so long excluded
the sarncs, tillcI Of The soil from thorough
know ledge Of the essential principles Of hrs
calling, are being gradually rolled hack upon
their hinges and we are invited To enter a
field bright, beautiful and instructive.
No one need tell me lha, the great and
good Bling, " hu created this delightful world
and made its terrlns miiions dependent
u,.on the cultivation at the soil for "a .ubsrs
tence, has NOT also established certain uneu ing
laws which. if properly .cosnprehrnded 2nd
acted uIpn, win insure 10 the hus!pand,nan,
an abundant reward for his labor. These
principles may have been buried deep down
in the arcanz Of nature, but they are being
day by. day evolved, aud the periid is no, lar
,li.tan, wheu our great and noble calling will
SHINE forth bright and gloriou, ''as an army
with banners
A few wears ago, agricultural chemistry
was not taught ia n single schUpl throug huul
our ianI. To-day it is made, in many oi our
coll, g,s, an important brapch Of study ..
VINO can properly estimate the immense
advantage which the practical busbe nirnan
may derive from even partial knowledge
Of ,hi. scicncet Take Il simple principle,
with which We are all more or less familiar
Upon the universal law in nature that like
produces like, any coil which brings to per
recrion any specie. Of plant mus, contain all
the chemical elements which combine 10 form
,hst plant, except .ucl, as are furnished by
the atmosphere. II any Of those elements arc
lacking ia. Tic soil, they must be supplied
upo,, This principle we can very readily Uni,
ders,and why some inanlTe', instead OF being
beneficial are detrimental TO certain r.:?ts
We all know this to be 50. Our lady friend.
have noticed, in their gardens, that ffequen,I,
certain plants have been injured BY the sppli
cation OF certain Inanures. Why is this
Evidently, because the chemical qualities o
each are 50 di.sinfilar tina, 40 affinity can ei
, ist between them. "sa- rs ,.t
This principle. with others equally as es
sen,ial, is. recognized aud acted upon tn
. older portions Of the world; and il is VIM
to ar in,iIna,ed knowledge Vt these thing
= that Whole tii.tri-ts of cosutIy in England
France and Germany, which have been II
cult vatiou for centuries, are actually yielding
llrger returns per acre, to-day, than are lie
rived from our virgin soii-'nucI OF that sol
!, better than their lands were III the beginning
!, We need not go beyond the Atlantic 10 hE'
!, x5undant proof Of tho saanc thing IN som
:. OF tie older states upon this cOu;ipeni th
, careful farmer, who makes Il daily study g
:. the principles involved in his business, VIII
y aco,,aiu,s himself with the nature and ecu
. lari,ies of hi. soil, al,..oagh living upon han
: ,orRinally almos, sterile, is making . bette
:, support than many Of our own people livin
!, in more highly favored region
!. Now, my friends, this state of things .houl
). not exist. We do not expect every farne
!. and every housewife to be a chemist. W
!, do not expect them all to b. able to analiz
\. soils and plants and 10 resolve them into the
l. constituent elements; but we do expect eac
,. member Of the Order Of Patrons Of Husdai
!. dry to take and to read regularly ahd car.fu
c ly some good agricultural journal. 1h
of country is filed wild, journals OF this sort
8. many Of them pubIshed in the interest
6. our Orier-wbich, without taxing the inte
d lec,ual energic. Of the general reader Wi
ii the Investigations we have jnst alluded
" yet, give him or her, in plain, simple lenyuag
of tho result Of ti,ose Investigations. In ouh
II words, We are fussished with the kernel
e. the nu, wiihou, the trouble Of cracking
n. These paper. are within the reach OF a
ii They cos, but little, and the information whi
K. they contain is TO the practical finnct INV