APPLICATION OF SCIENCE TO PLANT CULTURE. 83 



work, devoting myself more and more exclusivel}^ to my farm, 

 supplementing the labor of my hands with the labor of my brains, 

 and I feel the benefit in my purse, in my home and in my 

 mind." 



These details of Mr. Fairchild's experiments and these words as 

 he spoke and wrote them, I have given for a purpose. 



Like thousands of bo3's brought up on an eastern farm, Mr. 

 Fairchild took Horace Greeley's advice, and went west. But 

 circumstances called him home again, and he concluded to try to 

 bring up the old farm. It was up-hill work, and he eked out his 

 income by teaming and other outside labor. Some years ago, I 

 became acquainted with him as one of the attentive and intelli- 

 gent participators in farmers' meetings. One day he took me out 

 to his farm and showed me what he was trying to do. I very 

 well remember a meadow on which, he told me, he had applied, a 

 3-ear or two before, nearl}' a ton of fish-scrap per acre, which he 

 had to buy with the proceeds of his outside labor and haul sev- 

 eral miles. So far as appearances showed, it had done no good at 

 all. I naturally inquired if he had tried potash salts. This sug- 

 gested the experimenting which he began at once. 



After one or two seasons' experience, in response to an inquiry 

 how he was getting on, he told me he thought he was learning 

 something that would be of great use to him, and added that he 

 found himself devoting more attention to his farm. The next 

 season he told me he was having better success with his farming, 

 and was giving less time to other enterprises. A j'ear later, call- 

 ing at our laboratory to make some inquiries, he remarked that he 

 was taking scarcely any contracts for teaming, but was devoting 

 himself almost exclusively to his farm. Last spring he called 

 again and remarked, " My wife tells me I must set up a prescrip- 

 tion shop, so man}' of my neighbors are coming to find what fer- 

 tilizers I use for my corn." A few weeks ago he was in again to 

 bring reports of his experiments, and at that time occurred the 

 conversation reported above. 



Having said thus much of the effects of nitrogen in fertilizers 

 upon the growth of plants and the different capacities which differ- 

 ent kinds of plants seem to have for availing themselves of tlie 

 nitrogen supply from natural sources, the next question naturally 

 is. Do an}' plants obtain any considerable quantity of nitrogen 

 from the air, or are they restricted to the supply available to their 



