EXPERIMENT STATION. 67 



erty. Everything required by crops is there. Some very pro- 

 ductive western soils are no richer in potash. The difficulty with 

 our analyses is that we have no satisfactory means of learning 

 the availability of the substances present. I send you herewith an 

 a,nalysis of a marine mud from Guilford, (No. 685). (See p. 54), 

 You will observe that it contains no more nitrogen* than your 

 soil, and no weighable amount of phosphoric acid. Its lime, potash, 

 and sulphuric acid are, indeed, 8 to 10 times more abundant than 

 in your soil, but that does not account for the fact that a dressing 

 of 800-1000 bushels of the mud on an acre of Guilford soil ren- 

 ders the latter highly productive. We must infer from the effects 

 of the mud that its elements are in an active, quickly-available 

 form, but the analysis does not reach that point of inquiry, and 

 we are not much wiser in respect to what special appUcatiotjb may 

 benefit your land or adapt it to fruits, than before the analysis 

 was made." 



The application of Mr. Porter for an analysis of his soil was 

 replied to in the following terms: "I regard it as very doubtful 

 if the analysis will be of much service for the desired purpose, 

 having rarely been able to draw very definite conclusions from the 

 analysis of a soil as to what fertilizers were adapted to make it pro- 

 ductive." 



To this Mr. Porter answered : "I think that if the soil is ana- 

 lyzed we can between us judge what it contains and what it 

 wants — of course there is no certainty — but I have faith that in 

 due time science will discover exactly what any soil is deficient 

 in and what tonic will in any case, promote fertility. The New 

 England farmer, of the present and future, to be successful, must 

 turn to the scientific men for help. The soil is sick and it must 

 be built up the same as animals when sick." 



It occasions much regret to be compelled to feel that, for the 

 present, science cannot guarantee to get adequate return for work 

 spent in soil-analysis. Undoubtedly it would be possible to learn 

 more from analyses of the soils here under consideration, than has 

 been learned. No doubt, it would be possible to make much 

 more accurate and refined analyses than those here printed. 

 Doubtless some nearer approach to a knowledge of the availabil- 

 ity of the elements might be attained. The Station, probably, 

 has not done as well as might be done in this branch of its work. 



* Two analyses of either would usually differ more as regards nitrogen than 

 the results on 685 and 722. 



