The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-10-03
The Anti-AGonOp01iSt.

earth any lands capable OF producing
more. It's fertility to-day is as great
as it was in the days of Pharaoh. three
thousand years ago.
When the country fell under the
sway of Rome. it's fertility was so
great it not only fed the Egyptians
but it became the granary OF Rome.
Yet what is that valley. with less
than ten thousand square miles OF
fertile soil, though capable of pro-
dncing a double crop; and second
crop by it's artificial irrigation; what
is that to be compared with these
seven great and fertile states. with
| more than three hundred square miles
| OF fertile lands
Ladies and Gentlemen: I have
| called your attention to these things,
not merely to show the Importance
of the northwest as a great food
producing country. but for the purpose
| Of showing the necessity Of a system
| Of agriculture best adapted to main
tain, and to increase its productions,
without exhausting its fertility. in
| order to meet the wants OF coming
| generatiOns-tO show, in word,
| SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE.
Do not understand by that, fancy
| farming. nor pedantic or book farming;
| but the application of chemical truths
and scientific research to the cultiva-
ton of the soil and to the proper
modes of tillage.
Fancy farming may be INDUCED IN,
as a recreation, by men with other
| means of support. Such men may
pride themselves in it, and claim to
be model agriculturists. They are
not true farmers. Perhaps the dis
tinction between one of these fancy
agriculturists and a genuine farmer
was never better defined than by the
brilliant and witty wife of one OF
| them, not long ago. to DR.. Racine.
| The doctor had known her as a girl,
and was at her marriage in Ohio some
ten or fifteen years before. After he
marriage they removed to Illinois and
prospered. She was making her first
visit at the doctors at Racine.
After a little the doctor asked her
how they were getting on in the
world She smiled and said: eve
re getting on very WE'LL This
general answer did not quite satisfy
the doctors curiosity, and he plumply
asked: "What business is your hus-
band engaged in = HE is an agri-
culturist." she replied. IAN agri-
culturist - repeated the doctor, still
"you do not understand what | mean
by an agri culturist and farmer. l
will tell You. 4 farmer is man who
puts 81 on his land and takes SO off:
an agriculturist is one who puts S3
on and takes only 81 off.
Editors. preachers and lawyers may
be agriculturists. They seldom
make good farmers. Horace Greeley,
Henry Ward Beecher. William NJ.
Evarts, and the like are good agri-
culturists. They ut three--aye five
dollars on to every dollar they take
off their land. Mr.. Greeley said every
pound of his butter cost a dollar, and
his eggs cost more than "a dollar a
dozen.
Men in other pursuits, with large
salaries. or revenues, may make fancy
farming luxury. plavthlng. Il
recreation. but that Is no real farming
nor worth considering by farmers.
Yet there is another extreme of
ignorant and parsimonious farming.
1t grows out of the old prejudice
against book farming. and is equally
to be avoided by the intelligent
world is indebted to the science
taught in books upon agriculture is
almost beyond calculation. The book
on agriculture by Lord kames. call
ed The Gentleman Farmer
worked revolution in the farming
of Scotland in forty years. When he
wrote that book. the science OF
farming was low indeed. Their
draught horses were miserable
creatures without strength or mettle
their oxen scarcely able to bear their
own weight--two going on a plow let
by two horses: the ridges in the field
high. and broad; in fact. enormous
masses of accumulated earth. tina
could not admit of cross plowing. o
cultivation. shallow blowing .uniyersa
rihbing. by which half the land wa
left untitled. was general practic
over the greater part of Scotland.
continual struggle between weed
: and corn for superiority; the roller al
/. most unknown; no borrowing befor
sowing: and the seed sown broadcas
, into rough. anu uneven ground. wher
the half of ii was buried: no branc
OF husbandry less understood tina
: manure: potatoes generally planted i
lazy beds: swine but little attentio
to, and very few farms. in Scos land
proporlioned 10 the skill and abiilt
: of the tenant. But in forty wear
that whole system was changed. and
{ with hardly an exception. all thes
: imperfeetions were removed. Blu
!, during THESE forty years this book c
"a Lord kames, and other books upo
agriculture. were extensively circul;
e ted and read among the farmerS {
Il Scotland. SO. too. the sclenlIf
1 works and experiments OF Jethro Tul
: Arthur Young. and Sir Uumphre
i Davv. in England. made q simlls
n revolution there. and brought til
Z science of chemistry TO lend its aid
II the great subject of agriculture. i
+ means of that scientific knowleda
1t soils. which for centuries in ErglaE
d had been devoted 10 wheat and und'
r the old system produced only S
n bushels. have been made. under IL
- Il