60 CHRONICLES OF A CLAY FARM. 



a goodly compound. How is it that a sort of instinct 

 seems to anticipate the conclusions of Science that 

 the mind outstrips the page, and one's assent to 

 each proposition seems paid in advance, almost be- 

 fore it falls due ? Is Science intuitive f then why is 

 it MODERN ? Why have centuries upon centuries 

 sixty centuries passed, and no Science till NOW ! 

 Why NOW? Could Liebig answer that? I'm afraid 

 even his ' Quantitative Analysis,' his grand discov- 

 ery (for so it almost seems,) of the magic residing 

 in those words, ' JVumero, Pondere, et MensuraJ 

 would be baffled to resolve that problem. 



"This field for instance! they never thought to 

 see it look like this : now, could they answer the 

 question What does it yet want? Yes! the in- 

 stantaneous reply would be LIME. ' Why ? ' inquires 

 Theory ; ' Because it would sweeten it ' would be 

 the answer. But why ? Theory again asks. Practice 

 is silent. What! silent, after sixty centuries of 

 ' Experience ! ' Can nobody give us an answer 

 the truth, and the whole truth of the operation of 

 Lime upon soils?" The Chemist attempts an 

 explanation. 



" Its effect arises from its avidity for combination ; 

 it searches out free acids, as a ferret does a rat, and 

 instantly closes with them. Sulphuric, phosphoric, 



