MAWE StAtfi SOCIETY. ' 55 



True, clelivefed before the Cumberland County Agricultural 

 Society, some two or three years ago— whenever the farmer 

 finds that his land would be greatly benefited by the addition 

 of some such manure as the phosphate of lime, he looks about 

 for the best means of obtaining it. The artificial phosphate, 

 owing to its greater solubility and more immediate efficacy, is 

 far superior to the mineral phosphate, which is at the same time 

 more expensive. In order to obtain it, the refuse bones are to 

 be dissolved in sulphuric acid; the liquid is then poured over 

 sawdust or some other substance which shall serve to retain 

 the peculiar properties of the manure. la this state it may b« 

 -applied to the soil. 



Many other illustrations might be brought forward to prove 

 the value of an acquaintance with, at least, some of th'C simpler 

 facts of cliemistry. One or two, however, of very general 

 •application, must suffice. Lime is acknowledged to be a most 

 ■admirable manure, but its proper use requires a knowledge of 

 its capabilities as #ell as the character of the soil for which it 

 is to be used. Some soils are known to contain a sufficient 

 •quantity of it in themselves, without any extraneous application. 

 For instance, under ordinary circumstances, it is extremely 

 useful in the cultivation of the potato, since it acts as a retainer 

 of moisture; it would be highly injurious, therefore, where the 

 soil was already sufficiently damp. A knowledge of this simple 

 fact would teach a farmer when, where and in what quantities 

 this manure should be applied, to produce the most desirable 

 results. Ignorance of it might deprive him of th-e full benefit 

 of a large portion of his land. Again ^ lime acts as a powerful 

 remedy against the injurious effects produced by the composi- 

 tion of iron and sulphur in a soil. A sufficient number of illus- 

 trations have been adduced, it is believed, to prove that a 

 knowledge of some of the fundamental principles of chemistry 

 is one of th-e primary " intellectual wants " of every farmer. 

 How that information is to be obtained, I will endeavor to state 

 farther on. 



Much might be written to prove the necessity of careful thought ' 

 ■on the part of every farmer. It is certainly an '^ inteliectual 

 want,'' though it may not admit of any generic position. Care- 

 ful thought, a ready appreciation of the comparative value of 



