CONDITIONS OF SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTING. Ql'J 



2l geologieo-physical examination, and there must be some rude 

 chemical examination of the soil. We all know that all soil comes 

 from the detritus of the rocks, and we know that these rocks vary 

 in their physical and chemical character. Having instituted such 

 experiments as these, and found out, in the first place, what the 

 nature of the soil is, physically and chemically, in the next place, 

 study the times and seasons. Remember that you may here have 

 certain unforseen circumstances which will be a modifying condi- 

 tion in your experiment. The reason may be short : it may be an 

 early or a late one ; it may be a wet season or a very dry one. 

 In making up your account, all these things must be very care- 

 fully and correctly observed. Note the quality of the seed em- 

 ployed, and the weight, and make your experiment suflficiently 

 limited, so that, if need be, you can even count the seeds. I hope 

 I shall be able to show you, before I get through, that successful 

 experiments have been a matter of counting and weighing. 

 Therefore study the seed which is put into the ground, study 

 the season which passes over its germination and growth, and 

 then the aggregate of these conditions will form the conditions of 

 the experiment. 



In the next place, having accurately observed all these condi- 

 tions, and studied them very carefully, you are to record them 

 faithfully and truly. And I think, gentlemen, you will agree 

 with me, that it is the failure to do this which has wrought so 

 much mischief- in American agriculture, — the failure faithfully and 

 fully to record experiments. I know that a great deal has been 

 said and written about the necessity of keeping farm accounts, 

 but how many farmers are there who as yet keep the accounts of 

 their farms as a merchant keeps his books ? This reluctance to 

 keep accurate details of your experiments seems to spring from 

 one characteristic of farmers. You think that what may be of 

 trifling interest to you may not be interesting to others, and 

 you do not want to obtrude yourself upon their attention with 

 your results. You thus become careless about the little details. 

 Time passes on, and then you think all at once you would like to 

 note down the exact conditions which existed in the spring ; it 

 may now be summer. But remember, that when a single month 

 has passed over your head you will probably be unable to record 

 the exact conditions you found at the outset. Your memory may 

 fail you. No chemist would undertake an analysis, and trust to 

 hte memory throughout that analysis. It would be impossible for 



