404 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



bustiou, to be led to the altar at which they are to be wedded 

 to the world of growth. 



The changes incident to carbon are equally applicable to any 

 of the other eeriform constituents of plants, and had we time 

 to follow them in their varied travels, we should not fail to see 

 the wisdom which guides those gentle forces working every- 

 where to advance our aims. 



The ashes of plants consist of some nine or ten different 

 mineral substances. They are indispensable to growth, and 

 when not present in the soil in sufficient quantities, they must 

 be supplied in some form of manure. 



If a farmer wishes to make a cart, he gets together the nec- 

 essary materials of wood and iron, and puts each in such a con- 

 dition that it will fit its place in the structure. So it is with 

 plant-making ; we must present to their roots all of those con- 

 stituents which they require. If these are not all present in 

 the soil, or at least such of them as the soil alone can supply, 

 cultivation is as useless as to attempt to put together a cart 

 without nails or other fastenings. Again, if the farmer have 

 all of the material required for making the cart, and all in the 

 proper condition except the iron, which, instead of being in 

 the form of nails, bolts and screws, is in crowbars, he is not 

 prepared to complete it. So with the soil ; if it contain all of 

 the materials required in the ashes of the crop, but do not pos- 

 sess them all in a form available to plants, he cannot succeed 

 in cultivation. From this it must be evident, that, except by 

 accident, no manuring can be economical which is not founded 

 on a knowledge of the composition of the soil, and of the crop 

 desired. This knowledge can be obtained only by the assist- 

 ance of chemical analysis. Do not suppose from this that I 

 would recommend all farmers to become analytical cliemists. 

 A man might as well study medicine that he could cure his 

 own diseases, theology that he could preach his own sermons, 

 and law that he could manage his own litigation, as to study 

 analytical chemistry because he may need a few analyses in the 

 course of his life. All that is needed is, that farmers shall 

 understand so much of chemistry as shall enable them to use 

 an analysis with judgment. This does not require a great 

 amount of hard study, and is attainable by all who breathe the 

 air of America. Let your influence, as members of the body 



