IMPERIAL FARM AT VINCENNES. 11 



scientific laws which govern agriculture, so that a man may be 

 sure of his results — as sure, setting aside contingencies of 

 season, which affect all crops under any circumstances, as in 

 any other pursuit. Giving up the ordinary methods of analysis, 

 which have been found to be uncertain, and sometimes to have 

 led to fallacious results, even on the part of most eminent men — 

 as Prof. Liebig, for instance, who has had to modify his pub- 

 lished opinions many times, as men who grow will often have to 

 do — he took another method. Commencing with barren sand 

 and a flower-pot, he added to that barren sand certain proper- 

 ties necessary in agriculture — for instance, phosphate of lime, 

 potash, nitrogenous substances, and lime — lime only in the form 

 of humus. He found that when one constituent was added, 

 certain plants would grow in it, while others refused. Two of 

 these constituents being added, a still lft,rger number of plants 

 would grow ; and when, in short, all these constituents were 

 added, in their proper proportions, a full crop — an abundant 

 crop — was obtained. He found these proportions by these 

 various experiments, covering, as I say, ten years of active 

 labor, and finally went upon a farm at Vincennes, which the 

 French emperor set apart for his purposes. By the way, I may 

 say here that he met with the most determined opposition from 

 the savans of that day, who questioned all his positions, who 

 insisted upon the old science, and denied that it was possible to 

 find out any general law through this method — through the 

 making of the plant ; for that is what it was ; that was tlie lab- 

 oratory out of which the truth came finally. You know how 

 easy it is to dispute upon these matters ; you know how difficult 

 it is to make scientific men agree upon any proposition ; and, 

 in fact, it is only through continual controversies that the truth 

 is readied at last. 



I was saying that the French emperor, satisfied that Prof. 

 Ville was upon the right track, put a farm into his hands, at 

 Vincennes, where he demonstrated all his propositions to be 

 true, and in the season of harvest invited all the country side to 

 come and see the results, which proved completely the truth of 

 his propositions. 



Now, if that be true, we have found the key to a new hus- 

 bandry, which will give us assured success ; for whereas, under 

 the past and present systems of husbandry you have to substi- 



