MY FARM OF EDGEWOOD 



by the roots of the plants, when its sulphuric 

 acid flew off at the silicates, and worried them 

 into soluble shape; and its lime, on the other 

 side, flew off at the geine, pounding that into 

 a good relish ; in short, he made out so charm- 

 ing a little theory,— so vivacious in its action,— 

 so appetizing to turnips, and so authoritatively 

 stated, that we farmers must needs accept it 

 at a glance, and take off our hats, with— 

 "That 's it,"-"I thought so,"-"The very 

 thing." 



But straight upon this, like a thunder-clap, 

 comes Liebig,^ who declares, in his authori- 

 tative way, that the value of gypsum "is due 

 to its faculty of fixing the small quantity of 

 carbonate of ammonia, brought down by the 

 rain and the dew" ; at this, we farmers put on 

 our hats again, and waited for the rain. 



Some two or three years after, M. Boussin- 

 gault, who had gone through the South- Ameri- 

 can wars under Bolivar, and studied agricul- 

 ture at Quito, as well as on his own country- 

 estate of Bechelbron, entertains us with the 

 report, — in his mildly authoritative way, and 

 sustained by great weight of evidence, — that 

 Dr. Liebig is utterly wrong in his theory, and 



* His first book appeared in America, if I am not mis- 

 taken, in 1841. 



252 



