126 LINCOLN SOCIETY. 



or whether such nourishment is contained in the land or must 

 be supplied in the form of manures or fertilizers. 



It would appear ridiculous to feed horses, cows, liogs, cats 

 and dogs, on one and the same kind of food and expect them 

 all to flourish; but this is no more inconsistent than to continue 

 a crop that requires lime or magnesia for its growth, upon land 

 that eitlier never contained these ingredients, or from which 

 they had been exhausted by successive crops. 



In order to economize the operations of the farm, a knowledge 

 of agricultural chemistry is almost indispensable, and instruc- 

 tion in its principles should be given in our common schools ; 

 an acquaintance w^ith the principles of chemistry, would readily 

 enable the farmer to tell if his land contained an excess of salts 

 or alkalies, and as readily point with certainty to a remedy. 

 We could expect but little advantage from spreading ashes on 

 land that already contained an excess or sufficient quantity of 

 alkalies. It is from this very difference in the ingredients of 

 the soil that one fanner tells us that he finds more advantage 

 fron; ashes than from any other fertilizer, and thinks it should 

 be universally used, while another, after careful trial, finds no 

 advantage from it. One farmer considers it entirely useless to 

 plant wheat, with the expectation of raising a crop, unless he 

 jnixes lime with it, while another secures quite as good crops 

 from clean washed seed, and, of course, condemns every prepar- 

 ation as the result of book or newspaper farming. The same 

 diversity of opinion exists in relation to lime, plaster, salt, and 

 o-uano. And all this diflicrencc of opinion grows out of the 

 want of knowledge of the principles of agricultural cheraistvy, 

 which perfectly explains these difierent results upon principles 

 as well establislied as the laws of mechanics, hydrostatics or 

 mathematics. In connection with agricultural chemistry, should 

 be taught mineralogy and geology. A knowledge of these 

 sciences would necessarily assist the farmer in nmny of his 

 operations; would enable him to decide with certainty as to 

 the value of land for any particular crop by the stones found 

 upon its surface, or from the particles of which the soil is com- 

 posed. The knowledge of farmers, generally, is very limited, 

 " too limited," in these two sciences. AVe seldom hear them 

 speak of minerals, stones or soil, farther than to mention iron 



