166 LETTEE-FILES OF S. W. JOHNSON 



of Amherst for information as to the "usefulness as 

 shown by any specific valuable results of the experi- 

 ment stations of Europe," and in January 1873, 

 President Clark wrote : 



Please accept thanks for the valuable information this day 

 received. It is just what I desired. Let us rejoice together 

 over the prospect of the passage of Mr. Merrill's bill. You 

 will of course attend the Convention at "Washington which 

 we have called Feb. 27th, one week later than was intended 

 when we adjourned last year. 



In September 1872, Mr. A. B. Crandell, agricultural 

 editor of the New York Tribune, wrote, stating that 

 the large agricultural correspondence of that paper 

 contained frequent queries of a chemical nature. He 

 asked permission to refer such letters to Professor 

 Johnson for answer, the replies to be published in the 

 weekly and semi-weekly issues of the Tribune over 

 signature, and in closing, said: 



It is not probable that there will be enough of them to 

 render the duty at all burdensome. 



In November of the same year Mr. Crandell asked 

 in addition to replies to three letters enclosed for a 

 half -column article regarding the effects of lime on hill 

 pastures, and went on to say: 



We shall also if the terms named are satisfactory be 

 glad to have an occasional paper on any subject you may 

 think worth while to discuss. 



From the first, the essays and discussions that 

 appeared over Professor Johnson's name in the Tri- 

 bune attracted attention; in a year's time the volume 

 of his correspondence upon chemical points had so 



