Principles of Agricultural Chemistry 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The object of agriculture is the profitable production of useful 

 plants and animals. Agriculture is therefore an art and not a 

 science, since an art relates to something to be done, a science 

 to something to be known. We may, however, speak of the 

 science of agriculture, meaning the body of organized knowledge 

 appertaining to this art. 



Success in agriculture depends upon ability to manage men and 

 things, to take advantage of markets and local conditions, as well 

 as upon a knowledge of how to produce plants and animals, and 

 also upon skill in transforming this knowledge into practice. 

 That is to say, practical agriculture is a business and business 

 methods must be followed in order to succeed in it. 



More than any other pursuit, agriculture is underlaid by a body 

 of complex scientific principles, many of which are applied, know- 

 ingly or unknowingly, by the practical farmer. 



Agricultural Experiment Stations. The importance of agricul- 

 ture has been recognized by civilized governments in the establish- 

 ment of agricultural experiment stations and agricultural colleges. 

 The oldest, and the most renowned experiment station, that at 

 Rothamsted, England, is not a State institution, but was estab- 

 lished, conducted, and endowed by Sir John Lawes, the work 

 having been begun on a small scale in 1828. Nearly all of the 

 experiment stations have been established since 1870; most of 

 those in this country date from 1876 to 1882. In addition to con- 

 ducting a great variety of experiments along agricultural lines, 

 these stations make analyses of soils, fertilizers, feeding stuffs, 

 etc. There is at least one experiment station in each State of the 

 United States and, in addition, the United States Department of 

 Agriculture (U. S. D. A.) ; these agencies are doing a great deal 

 of work for the advancement of agriculture. While our knowl- 



