XXXIX. 



SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE. . 



I AM not a scientific farmer ; it is not probable that 

 I ever shall be. I have no such knowledge of Chem- 

 istry and Geology as any man needs to make him a 

 thoroughly good farmer. I am quite aware that men 

 have raised good crops a good many of them who 

 knew nothing of science, and did not consider any 

 acquaintance with it conducive to efficiency or suc- 

 cess in their vocation. I have no doubt that men 

 will continue to grow such crops, and to make money 

 by agriculture, who hardly know what is meant by 

 Chemistry or Geology ; and yet I feel sure that, as 

 the years roll by, Science will more and more be re- 

 cognized and accepted as the true, substantial base 

 of efficient and profitable cultivation. . Let me here 

 give briefly the grounds of this conviction : 



Every plant is composed of elements whereof a 

 very small portion is drawn from the soil, while the 

 ampler residue, so long as the plant continues green 

 and growing, is mainly water, though a variable and 

 often considerable proportion is imbibed or absorbed 

 from the atmosphere, which is understood to yield 



(*3) 



