The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-10-18
Theory and Practice.

| There are farmers who are SIS stubborn
and unwilling to accept the teachings Oi
| theory as men in any other relation of life
| They entertain a contempt for book
| farming, as they call it, that isabsolutely
whitening. Fancy farming and fancy
| stock breeding az, /. such men the most
| trifing puerility-it is boys play that
was never equaled in frivolity by any
game at the freside or on the green.
Yet it is a fact that some of our most
important and profitable practice fHboth
these industries has been taught lis by
fancy operations. Fancy farming is
largely experimental; and it is seldom
that experiment in anything fails to re-
suit in some benefit. A prejudice
against theoretical farming, experimental
farming, or book farming, whatever you
may call it, is a prejudice which other
callings have never cherished toward
similar teachings. 1t is true that much
of this fancy or experimental work
amounts to nothing. There are visionary
men in all spheres of action, and they dis
gust us with their wild vagaries and
schemes but an intelligent expeTimenter
will usually do something to benefit him
self and the world. Rodgers, for instance,
was experimenting in growing grapes
from seedlings for q quaater of a century,
and during that time failed in many in
stances to produce anything of value in
the way of variety; but we all know that
he produced the choicest varieties of
grapes that we have. All intelligent ex-
periments result in similar blessings to
the world, and generally in peCUniary
profit to the experimenter in the end.
The breeding of ShOIt-hOrn cattle is an
other example Mr.. Thomas Bates, for
instance-amOng the greatest, if not the
greatest among breeders-determine 10
fix the type of the best animal for all
purpOses-mOre especially for beef. He
had fixed theories, and iabored 10 reduce
them to practice. In doing so he sacra=
feed anything that prevented success or
retarded his practice. If an animal was
in anv manner deficient, it was ruthlessly
slaughtered, and the result has been
perfect animal and an inestimable bless
ing to breeders and the world. 1t is our
neglect to theOriZe, together with our
neglect to reduce existing theories to
practice, that is proving an incalculable
injury to our agricultural interests. In
the former wheat-grOwing regions, of the
east, there is now scarcely any wheat
grown. The wheat belt of our country
has been moving constantly westward.
Indiana, Michigan and Illinois comprised
the wheat-producing sections, when the
east ceased to produce it. Now the still
more western states are the wheat-prO-
ducing sections. Well, why is it that
the east doesn't any longer grow wheat?
Because it can't do it with profit. Why
don't Indiana, Michigan and Illinois pro-
duce as much wheat as formerly? Be
cause they can't; and why? For the
reason that the natural richness of the
soil tempted men to grow wheat year af-
ter year, without returning to the soil
any of the elements taken from it, until
the soil was thoroughly exhausted, and
refused longer to nOurish this crop. But
the same thing is being done in the pres
ent wheat regions, and it will go on NOV
ing west until we reduce to practice the
theory that the elements which the crops
take from the soil must be replaced
Western Rural.