The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-25
Science in Farming.

Southern Home and Farm.
True science and practical farming must har-
monize. The prejudice against book farming Is
unfounded, and arises in ignorance rather than
intelligence. All the agricultural improvements
of the present century have originated either in
men who have made the science OF agriculture q
study, or in the few who have been benefited by
reading their works. who have made sugges-
tons that have been adopted by their non-read-
ing neighbors, or tried experiments that have
been beneficial to them. How Is it
that, for two hundred years, scarcely any fruit
but such as grew wild was found on the tables
of well-to-do planters and farmers, except in a
few localitiesl Many of the best localities in
begun TO be improved, and many of
them have not yet been discovered or
brought into notice It is only since the
civil war that the Delaware peninsula
has become noted for peach-culture. And it is
fact that in the lower portions of the peninsula,
where the agric ultural papers were unread, that
the ignorant farmer fifteen years land later ago
despised the innovation of fruit-growing. Corn
is good enough for me-" was often said.
A wellconducted original agricultural depart
ment, or the relation of personal experience in
farming. is almost invaluable in family news
paper. It Is worth a thousand times more than
all the gossip and ehit-chat that can be obtained
at the saloon, store or post-ofice. Ministers.
merchants and lawyers become wiser men and
better citizens by such agricultural and horti-
cultural contributions, and ofttimes have oe-
casion, when laid aside, to put in practice what
they have casually learned. Children become
interested in that which interests the parents
and mbibe taste for the ennobling pursuit of
agriculture.
The farming community have been much more
indebted to persons who have learned agricult-
ure from papers and books than they suppose.
The man who reads. also thinks and expert
ments 1t becomes a habit with him, if he have
leisure to test practically what is claimed theo-
| retcally. He Is not satisfied with second hand
work. His own eyes must see it.
The routine farmer or bread producer for
money is often, as he thinks, too busy to trfe
with experiments His father got along we'll
enough and brought up large family on pork
and hominy, and so can he. Hence it is that
great improvements seldom come from this class
of men. The great improvements in agriculture
and farm implements-labor saving machinery
have come from those deeply interested
in agricultural works. when not fol-
support. To LAWYER We are in
debted for the seed-dril To Blackwell, a
scientist well-known for his geology, are in
debted for the improved breed of sheep bearing
his name. To q clergyman we indebted for
the best potato known for years, the late Good
rich. To a President Of the United States,
Thomas Jefferson, we are indebted for the
scientific principle that regulates the mold board
of our modern plow the pattern of which drove
out the old wood mold board of our fathers.
And might continue to enumerate There
is room for scientific men the farm-men of
means that can afford, as q pleasure, to spend
time and money In experimenting for the farm
erS good. There is use for all knowledge in
this, the noblest of all human pursuits. Edu-
cation teaches man to think for himself, &C
cordng to his capacity, and to know the reason
of things. He honors his father by making an
advance on his fathers knowledge, and not in
blowing with a wooden plow, aud narrowing
with wooden-tooth harrow because his father