1883.] FERTILIZERS. 69 



required, by a gauge, covered exactly alike, everything done 

 that could be done to get results precisely alike, — -just what 

 ample means will allow to be done. 



Question. Was the soil alike as to moisture ? 



Dr. Sturtevant. As far as the eye or common observation 

 could detect, but absolutely, not. Instruments would un- 

 doubtedly detect a variation between any two places. 



Now I am coming to the point which interests me the most, 

 and which I think ought to interest every farmer, — the value 

 of a man. If a hole is to be filled, one man will fill it as well 

 as another ; it is a mere question of avoirdupois ; but when 

 we come to higher uses we have got to select, and we find 

 fewer men who are capable of meeting the demand. In other 

 words, education tells more and more as our studies become 

 more complicated. As agriculture becomes more difficult, it 

 becomes essential that we have more education. In agri- 

 culture, education is the lever which is going to move the 

 farm much more in the future than in the past, and we want 

 to further the education of the farmer in every way we can. 

 We want not only the farm-boy educated, but the farm-man 

 himself. 



Now, there are many subjects which at first thought seem 

 abstruse, and far away from any practical agricultural appli- 

 cation ; and yet, my experience has been such, that I believe 

 there is scarcely a well-defined scientific investigation con- 

 nected with agriculture that will not be found, sooner or later, 

 to have practical uses. The slur has been cast upon botany, 

 that it has not any practical use in agriculture. I have known 

 some skilled botanists to be puzzled when asked of what use 

 botany could be in agriculture. They had no answer ready 

 to their minds. I propose to take a few moments to illustrate 

 the connection of botany with agriculture. Bear in mind that 

 I am speaking of two things, — one is, facts; the other, the 

 inferences from the facts. The facts cannot be questioned ; 

 the inferences may be ; and here each one is justifiable in 

 judging for himself. 



Agricultural botany has been but little studied, and if, per- 



