Agricultural Cliemistry. 325 



the meadows. The good meadow received annually 255,744 

 tons of water, the other lG4,2ol tons. The water was now ana- 

 lysed, and its volatile and fixed ingredients were determined. Tlie 

 hay of both meadows was subjected to ultimate analysis, and no 

 difference was found in the composition of the hay. The water 

 of tlie bad spring contained 20 per cent, more of mineral sub- 

 stances and 30 per cent, more of organic substances than that of 

 the good spring. What then was the cause of the extraordinary 

 difference of produce? They found that the water of the good 

 spring contained, in 1847, 15 kilogrammes ; in 1848, 23 kilo- 

 grammes, of nitrogen, more than that of the bad spring ; and the 

 explanation, corresponding to theory, was at once secured. 



The 23 kilogrammes, or 48'3 lbs. of nitrogen, which the one 

 meadow received in the water, more than the other, was pointed 

 out by these chemists as the cause of the increased produce of 

 that meadow, which increase amounted to 14,440 lbs., or 6*44 

 tons of hay. 



In other words, the one meadow produced, in the form of hay, 

 144 lbs. of nitrogen more than the other (calculating the nitrogen 

 in hay at 1 per cent.), and, at the same time, four times as much 

 potash, phosphoric acid, silicic acid, &c., as were contained in the 

 produce of the inferior meadow. And the 4S"3 lbs. of nitrogen 

 which produced these miraculous effects was supplied to the 

 meadow in the form of irrigation with water, containing in 77 

 gallons 1 grain of nitrogen more than the water of the other 

 spring. Whether 1 part of ammonia dissolved in 6^ millions of 

 parts of water would have raised the produce of the inferior mea- 

 <low to the level ot that of the better one, was of course not tried, 

 for the object of these chemists was not to ascertain the truth, but 

 to prove their theory ; and, in this point of view, the soil and its 

 constituents had evidently nothing to do with the question. 



We may see by this example to how great an extent the theory 

 which teaches that nitrogen is the turning point of agriculture, 

 disturbs the judgment and confuses the understanding of really 

 intelligent men ; and that tlie j)r()(ligious expenditure of labour 

 in chemical analyses in such circumstances is nothing but out- 

 ward show and stage decoration ; it is the shell of a fruit without 

 kernel or contents. No one certainly will expect of an agricul- 

 tural cliemist that he should have studied Lord Bacon's work 

 ' De Augmentis,' or his ' Novum Organum,' before he begins to 

 make exj)eriments ; l)ut sound reason demands, that when a 

 man draws conclusions and makes inferences he should first take 

 all possible pains to establish accurately his premises and data. 

 If he neglect this, he can effect nothing of any value, how great 

 soever may have been the outlay of labour, time, patience, and 

 skill in his experiments. 



