WORTHLESS CERTIFICATES. 193 



make the plant grow. For instance, take the granitic soils 

 here in Massachusetts, which contain considerable potash, 

 which is insoluble, so that it is of no use to the farmer. If 

 you take a lot of that soil to a chemist, he will analyze it with 

 his strong acids, will bring out all that potash, and you have 

 got potash enough according to his analysis, when you really 

 have none. I would rather make my own tests, and if I find 

 an article benefits me, I will buy it while they make it honest, 

 and when they stop, I will stop ; but I wOl not buy anything 

 upon any of these certificates, because I do not believe they 

 are worth anything. I believe they will mislead whoever 

 relies upon them. 



Now I would not have the audience understand that I do 

 not think superphosphate is a good thing, because I believe it 

 is one of the best manures used ; but the trouble is that when 

 you buy it you do not get an honest thing. Now if Presi- 

 dent Clark made that superphosphate and had no personal 

 interest in it, I think it would be a good thing. But if he 

 had any interest in it, I am afraid he would be corrupted just 

 the same as the rest of us. 



President Clark. I want to correct a mistake ^vdiich my 

 friend, Capt. INIoore, has made in regard to this analysis of 

 soils. I do not want any farmer to think that we do not 

 know how to analyze soil better than he states. He tells you 

 that we use very strong acids that liberate the insoluble pot- 

 ash in the soil. We do not do any such thing. I will tell 

 you what we do. We first dissolve all there is that is soluble 

 in water, and analyze that separatel}', and report so much 

 that is soluble. Then we take a very dilute acid, and we 

 dissolve what will dissolve in dilute acid, and analyze that 

 separately ; and then we have a little quartz and gravel, mere 

 insoluble and useless stuff, and we weigh them ; and when we 

 make a report of an analysis of soil, we report just what the 

 result is. I should be very sorry to have this audience be- 

 lieve, with Capt. ]\Ioore, that a chemist cannot tell anything 

 about the soil, or Avhat manure is applicable to a plant. It 

 would be a most terrible blow to me if I had to believe that 

 we must go on blundering through all future time, and that 

 we should never know anything. We have been flattering 

 ourselves that the result of Licbig's work is worth something ; 

 25 



