Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-02-15
,Original.1
SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

... .... [Original.]
SCIENTIFIC FARMING.
No inconsiderable number of the best farm.
ers of our country have kind of horror for
what is popularity called scientific farming"
This is not to be wondered at. Everything
that goes by the name of science is not science.
Many of the articles that are printed in ag.
ricultural periodicals, under the head OF
scientific farming, are the merest speculations.
The world, at this period in its existence, is
flooded with what are called scientific physi-
clans and farmers. These scientific physicians
undertake to cure diseases by administering
medicine according, as they say, to the laws
of chemistry. They mix number of ingre-
dients together in bowl and watch the re-
suits. They discover that this and that re-
suit takes place, and conclude that the same
thing will be effected when their medicines
are taken into mans stomach. In all this
there is not particle of sense; not shadow
of science. 1t is bold conclusion, jumped
to without any facts. The only possible way
that any man can tell what effect any medi-
cine, will have when given to a human being,
is to give it and watch the results.
With regard to fertilizers, many agricul-
tural writers tell US that such and such fer
tilizer or manures are good for this or that
kind of crops The reason they assign for
this is, that the fertilizer contains the same
things that the crop contains. In other words,
the fertilizer is the proper food for the crop
because both are composed of the same ingre-
dients. This is very plausible reasoning, but
there is, after all, more nonsense than science
in it. Suppose an honest farmer desired to
fatten an OK for beef. On what will he feed
his OK? Why according to the chemical
theory. he must feed his OK on some kind OF
food that contains large per cent of tallow.
Now it matters not by what name you may
call such theory, every sensible farmer in
the world knows that its proper name is non
sense!
Scientific farming is the proper kind Of
farming; but what is science? The simplest
definition that can be given to the word is,
that it is what we know. Scientific farming
is simply farming conducted in accordance
with facts which have been discovered. You
can not sit down and reason about the thing.
The power of animal and vegetable life, to
convert one thing into another, is so great
that we are utterly unable to draw any con-
clusions which are correct, except from facts
which have been learned from experience and
observation. Who would ever conclude,
without knowledge of the fact, that the vi
tai power of hog could convert acorns into
lard, or that the stomach of the OK possesses
the power to convert grass into tallow? All
flesh ia grass, but all flesh is not the same.
The OK and hog fed in the same meadow
both grow fat but the fat of the OK is tai
low, that of the hog, lard. The flesh of the
two are totally different in taste and smell.
We plant corn, cotton, wheat, oats, tobac'
co and rice on the same piece of land, and it
may be, as is often the case, all flourish.
There may be in all of them something that
the chemist cannot find in the soil. How did
it get into these plants? We answer by
asking, "How did the vital energies Of the OK
convert grass into bones, flesh and tallow 2''
There is no blood in grass; neither is there
flesh in grass; still it is true that all flesh is
grass.
The proper way to be scientific farmer,
is by making experiments. The farmer who
would learn the best manures for his lands
and for the crops which be plants, must learn
the fact by experience. He can either make
experiments himself or he may take them
second.handed from some one, who has made
them. If be takes the experience of others,
not their theories, and practices accordingly,
he is, strictly speaking, book farmer. Not
only so, but he is scientific farmer.
A correct knowledge of the ingredients of
the soil would be source of pleasure to far
mers but after all it would amount to very
little in practice. To be a scientific farmer,
man must go to the field and work. Hor-
ace says that man, to make good soldier,
must learn to suffer pinchiug poverty when a
boy. To make good farmer, the work must
begin in boyhood and be continued through
life Each year adds to his store of knowl-
edge. In this way he learns many useful les
sons that can not be written down and memo.
rized
The first thing necessary, in order to be a
scientific farmer, is willingness to work. 4
lazy man, although he be as learned as a
Stockhart or a Lisbig, never can make a
good farmer. He may make pleasant COM
panion for good farmers, but his own fields
will not be pro6ted by his learning. Who.
ever has all ambition to be a nice and success.
full tiller of the soil, must rise early, 60 to
the field and work and watch.
WATER FOR HoRsEs.-When horse is
thirsty he should be supplied with water.
Water should always be convenient to the
stable, so that there may be no inducement
to water horse when he is too warm. When
horses are put in the stable while too warm
to drink, it is only little trouble to pump
for them supply of water after they have
cooled off. After horse has eaten mess of
food, he should have good supply of water.
Farmers often consult their own convenience
in supplying this, to the serious injury of
their horses. The animal often comes home
rather late in the evening, warm and perhaps
sweaty, and in that condition he is supplied
with the cold water, as the hour for retiring
at night is at hand. To water the horse