AGRICULTURE AND MECHANICS
农业与机械
John.George，they say you are learning a trade.I should not have thought that you would have made up your mind to be anything but a farmer.
Geo.Why not？It seems to me that in making out one‘s，plans for business，the main thing to be considered is whether it is honorable，useful and profitable.
John.Of course there is no question about the profit，usefulness or honor of almost any mechanical labor；but it somehow seems to me that agriculture is really the only independent business one can be engaged in.Everything，you know，depends upon the farmer.
Geo.I have heard that statement made so often，that I have no doubt the belief is quite common that agriculture underlies everything else，and mechanics is far less important；but I believe this to be a mistaken notion，and that agriculture is even more dependent upon mechanics.
John.That must be a queer notion of yours.A mechanic could not get a loaf of bread nor a pound of butter，without the farmer to produce it for him.
Geo.But，my good friend，did you ever think that the farmercould not produce a loaf of bread without bringing to his aidthe skill and labor of thousands of mechanics，in furnishing the machinery necessary to make that loaf of bread？One of the first things for the farmer to do to secure so simple an article of food，is to plow the ground.Plow-making is an important business.It involves the mining of the ore，the casting of the same，smelting，molding，the drilling of holes，and a large amount of machinery to make bolts，nuts，etc.Then again，are required，as many more operations，perhaps，to get the wood cut，sawed，planed，shaped and painted ready for use.
John.Perhaps you will trace out everything the farmer usesas being made by the mechanic.
Geo.Certainly，nearly everything’.There are the harnesses of your horses，which require various other branches of mechanical labor such as tanning and currying the leather，harness-making，with all its attendant labors，including the building of shops and factories to carry on all these branches of work，and you see now you are only just ready to sow the seed.But suppose we pass along and allow your grain ready for harvesting，then what？Next come your reapers and threshing-machines for harvesting.To make these it requires thousands of mechanics more，and then perhaps the very bags you put the grain in were made on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and thus is involved the commerce of two hemispheres.
John.You don‘t call commerce mechanics，do you？
Geo.I mean to say that all transactions of commerce are carried on directly by the aid of mechanics，in one form or another.But you see you have not yet got to mill with your grist.
John.I protest against all this machinery you talk about as a necessity to the farmer.The farmer can carry on his businessin a more old-fashioned way，without reapers and threshingmachines，or even a mill to grind his grain.
Geo.How，pray tell me，could you produce a loaf of breadwithout a mill to grind your grain？
John.I could pound the grain in a mortar.
Geo.Suppose you did that，where would you get your mortar？
John.I would make it myself.
Geo.Then you would turn mechanic to make your mortar；but even then，what would you make it with？
John.I’ll admit you make a good point there.But I could rub the grain between two stones.
Geo.That‘s true enough，you could rub some kernels of grain between two stones，provided the mechanic would help you raise the grain.But it strikes me you are not making much progress in bread-making.