610 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF SOWING SEEDS. 
subject to any wrong, or require any of our care 
or concern for its welfare. Prolific, beyond our 
wants, we have glutted our domestic animals with 
it; and employed it largely in the arts and dis- 
tillery, to contribute to our luxuries. Yet there 
is a limit to all things, and we are approaching 
the limits of the abuse which we can unrequitedly 
heap upon it. Something is wrong already, both 
in the field and in the store; already it has 
partially failed in its germination during the 
spring ; already, it has become the prey of dis- 
ease in its vegetation and maturation in the 
autumn. Nature is vindicating her right to be 
obeyed, and since we have neglected to learn 
from her by lessons of examples which she has 
offered, she seems determined to make us wise 
by dear bought experience—to make us feel, 
that we may remember. 
The first law of nature against which we trans- 
gress with regard to the potatoe, is in our total 
neglect of the due preservation of our seed 
potatoes. If they are only good for food, we 
never enquire whether they are fit for planting. 
Yet, were we but to reflect one moment, we 
should soon see how unnaturally we treat them. 
Nature, when she alone takes care of them, keeps 
