Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1884-06-26


and investigation OF these laws as they re-
late to agriculture, and the application of
the knowledge so obtained to its practical
operations, is science, and that Is all there is
OF scientific farming. We can not see any,
thing in this that should frighten or antag-
onlze the farmer; but, on the contrary, it is
the greatest incentive tor him to become
student of the science of agriculture, and of
all science that in any way relates to it.
For the sake of convenience, we talk of
the science of chemistry, of botany, etc; but
these are only names of different branches
OF science, and these are each and all useful
to the farmer in many ways, in which shey
enable him to better know Natures laws.
For instance, chemistry seeks to know the
cause of things by tearing down or pulling
apart; if a field tails to produce satstac-
tory crop of wheat chemistry would take
the soil and pull it apart by analysis, to as
certain what it contains; it takes the wheat
plant, and pulling leaf, stem and grain
apart,it ascertains of what each is composed.
In other words, il asks the wheat what it
needs and must have in order to produce
the best crops. 1t asks the soil what it has
in its store-house and within the reach Of
the growing plant which i will contribute
to its use, and by comparing their answers,
it is enabled to tell the farmers what the
wheat plant must have, what the soil will
contribute, and what he must supply, in
order to grow crops that shall be remunera.
tive. We follow these instructions and
carefully watch results, and when the re-
suits corroborate the teachings of chemistry,
we call it an agricultural fact fand carefully
record it, and records of all these facts torn
our textbooks, and are the gsdmitsed laws
OF science. Through our imperfect knowl-
edge and methods, we sometimes mistake
these teachings, and guess at the results,
and call fact established, and in our haste
proclaim it as a scientific principle, when it
is only guess-work, thus bringing ridicule
and disrepute upon science. when the error
is chargeable only to our ignorance, as, for
instance, the theory once universally taught
that the earth was the stationary center of
the universe. Increasing knowledge showed
this not to be true neither was it scientific
but only blunder of ignorance. Science
is knowledge; the correct Interpretation of
Natures laws; and of course, it is always
true, reasonable, fixed. immutabe 1t is
only our ignorance that causes us to mistake
its teachings, or which prevents us from
correctly transla ting its language
Hha .ho
scientific principle, was hidden in the union
of heat and water, since the foundation of
the universe; but man went on in ignorance
nnassisted by this mighty power, until
Watt complied with The scientific law which
enabled him to apply and contro| this pow
er IN the construction of the steam engine.
The same law governing the development
and improvement of plants and animals,
have always existed, and yet it is only very
recently that man has understood and taken |
advantage of them, and we already see Won
lerful results. Surely anyone so dependent
on Natures laws for his complete success
as the farmer, cannot afford to be ignorant
Of them, and the more perfectly he under
stands and complies with them, the greater
will be his success.
We may call it gumption, shrewdness.
luck, or by any other name, the success OF
the successful farmer is attained by COM
pliance with the scientific principles of agri-
culture, and by this means only, and the
better these are understood and the more
closely they are followed, the greater will
be his success. Then we say. that if these
can be more quickly and perfectly learned
from the text books than from long and
costly experience, by all means study the
books. Science and farming go we'll togeth-
er, and we cannot we'll have too much of
he true science in our farming.-IturaL Neso
Yorker. -.