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Thus far I have endeavoured to illuftrate the important fubjed 

 propofcd by the Academy, colleaing and refleding upon it the 

 ^aHqred rays refulting froin the lateft chemical refearches. The 

 Ultimate copnedion betweei;:^ ma^y of thefe, feemingly the moft 

 abftrad and remote, with the hidden proceffes of n,ature, may now 

 \)0 ol?^rly perceived. Thpf?; grand ai:>d comphcated operations, hke 

 a well fortifiefl tpwn, cannot be ijiafii^red by ftorm or a coup de 

 i^ain ; tl^p approaches tjiuft b,e- mode at a diftance, and almoft 

 unfeen — hence we may infer how little can be expeded from 

 agricultural focieties that dp,n9ti^nitf chemiftry and meteorology 

 with their principal objed. 



With refped to the queftion at prefent before us, the great 

 defiderata feem to be, bow to render charcoal foluble in -water 



for the ptirpofes of vegetation ? and /o dif cover that compofttion of 

 the different earths bejl fuited to detain or exhale the due proportion of 

 the average quantity of moijlure that falls in each particular country ? 

 On this relation or adaptation we have feen that the fertility of 

 each effentially depends -, we muft alfo have perceived that to a 

 regular and fyftematic improvement of foils a knowledge of their 

 defeds and of the quantum of their defeds is abfolutely necef- 

 fary. This information can be conveyed only by a chemical ana- 

 lyfis. Country farmers (at leaft as long as the prefent abfurd 

 mode of education prevails) cannot be expeded to poffefs fuffi- 

 cient fkill to execute the neceffary procefles, but country apothe- 



■ caries certainly may. The profit arifing from fuch experiments 

 (fhould the public encourage them) would fufficiently excite them 

 to acquire a branch of knowledge fo nearly allied with their pro- 



feffion. 



