The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-15
FARM, eAlFEgb g gbgls!Abp fbusEEiSa6 10
2aiuTiiI; I'm 11ha Esr;

CCiUtICU vri SsiU A
The mere mention of the word science
| or scientist appears TO be obnoxious TO
.ssrs .:,sss:r,s leee-s,.. ses GaE@.,sa zzhn Aannunce
seisnG1Gagficyltpre-as a yesitable cheat
and snare. Of course, 1t is not TO lie
denied that there has been, and is az the
present day, on Immense amount of
chGrlatanry among the self-styled scien-
! tific agriculturists, but. the same is. true
of all other professions or branches OF
science and art. The medical profession,
importantsB It is TO the welfare of man.
kind is Fesbprdened with quackery, but
that does not inyalidate the claims of the
skillful physician and surgeon TO honor
able recognition blythe community. The
greatest obstacle TO the advance Of true
science in all the learned professions, is
the crowding oflegitimate channels with
charlatahs, who stand in little fear of
punishment if discovered, so that the un-
learned or even irnbecile frequently as.
sumo titles 10 which they have no right.
But fae farmer, in q majority of in-
stances, has misunderstood the meaning
Of the term science and scientific agri.
culture, believing It to be zomething far
beyond the comprehension of persons
who have not been specially trained in
school of college. Now, genuine science,
at best, is merely common sence and OBJ
servstion combined, and all preparatory
studies are little more than good tools,
with which a man works out problems in
after years. Of course mechanic can
nc1 do rs good work with few or poor
toolsfRs lie can with plenty of the very
best, but he may still be scientific; the
| same is true with the farmer, and the
better his preparatory education the
more rapid will be his progress but be-
cause he cannot 60 as deep in his inves-
I tigations as some Others, it does not fol-
low that no Investigations should be
made.
The idea appears to have got abroad
that science in farming means chiefly the
analysis of soils and the food of animals;
this error, for it certainly is one, origi-
mated from the Investigations and wri-
tlngs of such men 40 Boussengaut,
Liebig, Johnson aud contempora .cvus
authors, whose life labors were .nainly
in that direction, and were, in many in
stances, carried far beyond what was
necessary for practical utility. It is not
however, necessary for man to be q
thorough chemist, geologist, botanist
or a specialist in any one branch Of
science, to be scientific farmer. Good
ploughing is a scientific operation, pro-
ducing bot,i mechanical and chemical
results, there being m abundant oppor-
tunity for the display of o high order of
scientific intelligence in tho simple hce of
turning over the soil. To ascertain lust
how deep to plough in order to produce
the best results on every different kind
OF land. requires great amount of study,
and many carefully conducted expert
ments. Theli, the ploughing previous 10
putting in o cropis often followed by the
stirring of the soil among the plants, and
the frequency. depth, and tess time for
performing the operation, call for bono
very close calculations aud investiga-
Il II, which are undoubtedly of scien-
tih, order.
| In the feeding and cnre Of animals
scientifc Investigations are constantly
tequired, and slthohghfa farmef may not
be able to conduct various analyses in 4.
chemical laboratory and determine the
composition Of his timothy or clover hay,
and learn (which is the richest food for
bis stock, he can readily obtain the
knowledge sought by experiments in
feeding the two kinds separately, and
foting the effect upon the animals. But
It is scarcely necessary in these days of
cheap books and periodicals. for farmer
TO spend much time in practical expert
tnents Of this kind, for. the, value for food
ct nearly every known forage plant was
c..es ::sea s;:a ;iis: would Il!
pc very foolish to spend his time in re-
peatinng experimrnta where no new dis
coveries are likely to be made. The
great want cf the day is not new discoy-
| rku1 MI -,
but the general. diffusion and application
of what is already known to a compare
lively small number. There is not the
least need of any new forage plants or
II grain, bus those we already possess should
become better known among the tillers
of the soil, and this can only be- brought
about by afmora careful perusal of books
I and periodicals devoted to natural
! scfDn(e5s
Every farmer should know enough of
botany to enable him to distinguish the
commonly cultivated grasses and other
plants from Ahe4s grow ing Wild in his
rncutivatedi lands. When he has
learned this much, BE- will know the
1 hoxious species from the useful, and
I enough of ythoir natural hah,lStto enable
him to more readily destroy the cue and
encourage the growth of the olher, than
If. he.. femhined in total ignofAGce of
botanical science. The same is also tru,
of entomology for it requires no great
amount of study to learn the difference
between the common moths and butter
flies, or to distinguish the bugs from
beetles and yeti this little knowledge
would heqaently beof great assistance to
the farmer in enabling him 20 know his
friends from his foes among insects
Even what would generally be termed
mere 'smatterings" of scieh6e 10 jthe
/ branches gnamed become valuable, when
5 applied or employed in farming ). hence
.theO Importance OF their accumulation,
and the earlier in life the better.-N. y.
| Weekly. Sun.. ~
| Bedding Sweet Potatoes.
\ Same bed sweet potatoes from the mid.
die Of to the last Of February, but the
! more considerable cultivators postpone it
until about the middle OF Hiarch.. the
| first plants that come up when beddei az