The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-07-14
Theory and Practice.

eIrv ob-crvant friend who writes
.r, and interesting letters at times,
...... -45d that he had been urging
... lam practice on a friend who
.. farm. though his cnlef occupation
.- fH.f al an expert accountant. He
.... ...t4I that the p. +. advised a certain
...I-. aud the friend replied, Don't
... .aow. Joe, that those fellows who
rt, Igr the farm papers are mere
.-....a-,~. and DO not know practically
... they write about2' The fact is
..sl sac most complete theorists in agri-
........ are the men who KNOW the least
.... ID. Here was 4 man who is an ex-
..r- accountant. mas spent years OF study
~. l.,omc such. tie would resent The In-
l...r5au that he Is a mere theorist III
t.... krt.piu- for he knows that he knows,
r. #fI-.nr-~ But TINS same man, when
... -,-t- somewhat interested III agricul-
~. nnagine, that the men who hak,e
..t IONS ives IL the practice OF the art,
..4 who aIu giving the results OF their
... ylpaYIvt.ce in the paper, are not eX
.-- IN their profession. but theorists who
..a leach him nothing about the profes-
,.. il. which he Is out d beginner. The
..-. complete theorists IN agriculture are
..au ID. this class, WnO jump to the con-
gt~.0a that a year or so Ill trying to
...aEtLe a farm through somebody's
help. has made them expert farmers and
.uL rleu IN position to crltlclse those
lau~g life has been devoted to the study
ul -oI culture and Improvement. Every
Year such a man spends IN the cultivation
u. alarm, if he Is a thoughtful man, he
I.4-le- more and more how little he did
.u00 when he thought he had learned
. all. Another class OF theorists is com
.0-v8 OF men who pride themselves on be
rug What they call practical" and who
.oE upon all study of books and papers
81. connection with farming as useless %
,..m lor they know all about farming 9
.rom practical experience. Men of TINS
class never get any further. They are
|aa men who regard the moon more than
ike ~Iu and soil. and who consider farm
- matter Of chance rather han of IN
...-euJ study. They, too, call the pro-
.--9r~ and students OF agriculture ''theo-
.~.~' while they themselves have the
Widest and most groundless theories
about everything on the farm. They have
-.ttgl some practical experience IN work
mig 0ur soil. bat they have failed 20 add
It. understanding that education gives
. man i'm any profession. The real prac-
t0l farmers are the men who have
-.ut5.I everything in regard to farming
.aI have adopted in their practice the
:hc6~ best suited to their condition
.ad yet who realize how much there i
Yet TO be learned by the Wisest. These
ar. the men who believe III farming, ant
N"a crowd the Institutes ana everywhere
where discussion of farm methods IS car
uri On. They realize that none oil IL
.uoH * all and never viii know all there
.- to be learned about the soil and 1t
culture. At the great assemblage Of farm
,l- in Tennessee lately we felt like asking
"WAat went ye out for to seer" Tha
Thousand and more intelligent men kneE
that They did not know all about farm
mug. and they knew the lecturers did not
H., they knew that the comparison .
tE3.rl,nc"a from various parts OF tn
country. and the study of what the E&
pertinent Station at Knoxville Is dolns
could not fail to help them. Such me
are real practical farmers. May thci
a...uer never grow less.