Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1878-12-07
Bric-a>Brac Disc0urseth On Meta
physics.


Mr.. EDITOR Some one has
defined metaphysics the science Of
showing ones ignorance" May
not an article from me on farming
be headed Metaphysics ?" Yet
even in displaying a chart of the
bucolic reef | may chance to PIPE
watch and idlers and make some
take interest, if not action.
l claim neither practical skill nor
theoretic lore, but having read
much of the farm and field material,
I find it largely furnished by men
of means and leisure or by scientific
theorists. l am not wild enough
to deny their premises and deduc-
tons, but l do know that as far as
actual application of their ideas is
concerned "tis p" C) On the other
side there is "yast" of useful,
practical knowledge possessed by
our regular farmers, but their
scribendi requirements are narrowed
down to paralytic illiteracy, land they
could as readily furnish a finished,
clear article for the press as clean a
watch. Now I don't claim that I
am the Luther of the crisis, for
there is nothing so patent to me
than the fact that "there is nothing
about which people know so little,
and yet believe they know much, as
farming" Horace Greeley was
grand master of the order. | don't
know who wears his mantle.
When entering on the most indie
pendent of all callings, my first
faur pas was terming a heifer "
"cow calf" Then l smoked my ba-
con with pine knots. Sodom and
Gomorrah was a cigarette to my
" denoomong." Thought the more
smoke the better bacon. Then I
gave my fattening hogs salt, CHASING
the unclean brutes and their wants
with horses and cattle. One of my
cows got down, and, by the advice
of rife-patching squirrel-killing
friend, l split her tail and |
Inlaid pepper and salt. The |
effect On the COW was marvellous
but the cure was not a permanent
one. But as the pyroligneous ba>
con and martyred cows tail are fair
types, l will not continue nor dwell
On my ignis tatuus worship of the
moon theory concerning hog kill
ng, fence making, board making,
ETC., only saying that it took me no
title while to raise out Of the
slough of my own conceit and ig-
1orance, and contend with the ig-
1orance of others. IT'S hard, very
hard for a young farmer to accom-
plish the gnOthi seanton and meet
On the other shore dogmatic old TO
yeyism ridden by grossly supersti-
:ious customs. 'Do as thy daddy
lid before thee" is a safe, whole
ome theory, but it should be mas
icated thoroughly, not swallowed
Whole.
1 don't want the fool-killer to
ihorten my brief but glorious ex-
stence, so l will endeavor to locate,
Is far as one can in a preliminary.
Ny general drift is "the absurdity
If suggesting stone walls where the
youth of a section" boss the dis
riot and value a ground spun rel or
'abbit more than several rods ofsaid
enclosure, recommending expensive
ertilizers, where land is only worth
10 an acre; and possibly several
avs haul from the railroad. | spec
y days haul as miles, in this
ountry, don't indicate distance to
he uninitiated pilgrim. Long es;
lys on preserving and planting
mber, to a man, one-half of whose
lrm is utterly worn out, and who Z
Graves the timbered land
1T to replace the old land he is too
overty-stricEen to recuperate-as !
ell talk to the starving beggar to c
1T peas with four-pronged fork :
r keep his mouth shut when he S
news.
We hear marvellous things of E
crops. These are espe- :
al experiments, only valuable as =
lch, and practically impracticable.
o discuss what is practicable, I'M
er our peculiar status, and with our
mited means is the object of your !
earned friend. BRIC-A-BRAC. [