The Red Cloud chief., 1881-12-15

Mankind grow, more enlightened 81

seiesee the Farmers Friend.
Mankind grows more enlightened and
sensible n the world grows older. hut.
MOI; with standing. vsve Of ignorance
dash upon the evergreen shores OF edu'
cation. and make un-ighiiy spots on the
disk Of the world o! e Ore .
who for forty year. has tiled the sod
and armed an honest living by plowtng
and sowing. resping and moving. stall
has the weakness To assert thai scicpce
is = nuisance. book Learning atrzud. and
newspapers bot an invocation OF the
=. old boy To cheat farmers out o. \ III
tie money. When you know he has
never taken \ ne wspseer. never attends
church, don't know hou 10 - or
write. YOUR as~ioRishmeni ceases. and
you pity the poor mar from Che borom
OF your heart Such men rs this believe
in moon farming. butchering by the
moon. in charms. and evil spirits only s
little less powerful than u Creator.
They are full OF the s,rangest notions.
the most preposterous supcrstiiions' .
the clear reasonings Of the scientist
make no impression on them. becaioe
thew do not understand the ~rcasonings
that prove the truth Ut the PROPOSE
ton. They are the mex; doc
TO barbarism. and all that saves
them is their living in the midst OF
education and scientific minds, and abb
sorb, as IL were. the dews VI example.
and almost unconsciously practice the
precepts Of civilization. The farmer Is
instructed by science that the continual
raising of one kind of grain from the
same piece of ground takes from /,
the peculiar elements necessary 10 tbs
growth Of the grain. and so the quanti-
ty raised per acre diminishe, until the
crop no longer pays for rising. Sci
ence points out Whist special elements
have been used, and as science can
tell the particular kinds OF manure re-
auired to supply the loss there need be
no loss Of time experimenting. or vain
ly irving To raise the sarne crop on the
exhausted soil. Silica and lime for
wheat, ammoniacal and heterogeneous
manures for corn, and 80 on. but as n
general thing barnyard manure, es-
pecially for corn and grass. is sufficient,
and will increase the corn crop from
fifteen to twenty-five or thirty bushels
to the acre, while the meadow Is cor
respondingly benefited. Manure in any
quantity is never wasted on corn
ground, but for an oat crop on our
prairie soil il will almost certainly
cause such rank growth rs to cause IT
to lodge and spoil one-half o! the crop.
Ornithology teaches us that thrushes
and many other birds are grea, lovers
of worms and caterpillars, and that
each bird makes away with an hundred or
more Of them every day as Tonga $ they
abound, and thus are the means OF saw
ing fruit and flowers for our use. The
u%nscientific and ignorant, instead Of
encouraging the birds TO stay and eat
what fruit they want, load their old
shot guns and with malice aiorethought
murder the ~innocents. We see in this
case that science protects while igno-
rance kills. Zoology teaches us what
are our enemies, and experiments and
experience points out what cases the
shot gun, traps or poison is best adapted
to rid US of the pests. Geology I'M
earths the fossil remains OF extinct ami
mails in regions where now no cognatc
species exist. and the leaves of plants
have left their everlasting impression
upon stone, and the different forma-
tons OF earth and rocks which have
been elevated by volcanic power bring
together links of prehistoric history
which makes our earth venerable with
age. say n hundred thousand years,
since God set it in its place among the
innumerable host that lights up the
blue vault above US. Geology shows
us how water. air aud chemical changes
form the soil which is a rich Inheritance
from our Father in Heaven. Mineral
ogy and metallurgy have unearthed the
precious metals and converted them to
The uses of man. The rich vintage of
Europe is drank from gold and silver
goblets in the mansions of the rich
our money is made of them. and orna-
ments of great value set with precious
stones grace the arms, ears and fin
gers of bellies and mothers whose
frivolity leads to ornament rather
than usefulness. But the science
of entomology. which embraces the
whole list of insects injurious to vegeta-
bic or animal life, is OF vast Importance to
the FARMER. LOT, unless ne unuerStdNuS
it in part, he cannot always discrimin-
ate between his enemies and friends;
and hence. to act Alright under all cir
cumstances he wants to know their
individual history. habits, and their
changes from larva TO pupa and from
pupa to the perfect insect--the time
they remain in their different states.
We want to know their enemies, and the
best method Of producingthem in num-
bers sufficient to annihilate the enemy,
or at least render them comparatively
harmless by reduction of their numbers.
The quail eats millions of chinch bugs,
and therefore should be fed and raised
in nnmerous flocks. protected by
stringent laws. The lady bug destroys
large quantities of the Colorado bee
ties eggs and young larve; and young
ducks in sufficient numbers will clean
out a potato patch in a few days. The
science of entomology as applied to the
interests of the farmer is yet in its in
fancy, and we believe its thorough
knowledge is destined to work remark
able changes in the treatment of animal
diseases. Let the boys and girls too.
begin its study now. and their minds
will have healthful and useful employ.
ment for life.-C0r. Western Rural.