226 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



he would not be believed by the unscientific 

 audience. The fact is that glass enters so 

 readily into solution that this item must be 

 taken into consideration in all delicate labora- 

 tory analyses. Otherwise the presence of sili- 

 cates in the test solution could not be ex- 

 plained. 



One more instance it is a well known fact 

 that soft metals, such as pewter, lead, etc., 

 dissolve brass when the brass is applied as a 

 plating. Unless the object is first subjected 

 to a plating of nickel, the brass is soon drunk 

 up by the greedy soft metal. Plated goods 

 "wear." It is always a problem how much 

 of the plating is actually worn off, and how 

 much is absorbed by the metal used as a 

 base. 



What application have these scientific 

 truths to the fortunes of Jeremiah, the farmer 

 of to-morrow? 



They strike at the very root of the theory 

 which actuates the lever of his fortunes. 



Thus he is taught that potash and phos- 

 phorus are not soluble in the original form in 

 which they exist in the soil. They must be 

 subjected to the processes of weathering, be 

 broken down and forced to combine with 



