290 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAHCH IT. I 41. 



to me profitless discussions, and too much like 

 (liiackery to deserve notice." * * Wc may 

 therefore set to work and breed good animals, with- 

 out being compelled to g-o to Albany for chapter 

 and verse, for it would seem, after all, that a good 

 animal cannot be of a bad color! Friend So'Jiam, 

 we thank thee for our cure. J. Wkstlaue. 



PROJECT FOR PROCURING KXTENSIVE 

 ANALYSES OF SOILS. 

 At the Agricultural Meeting on Thursday even- 

 iniT last, the committee to whom was referred the 

 communication of Dr. Andrew Nichols, of Danvers, 

 submitted a report, which report was accepted ; and 

 the secretary was instructed to cause the commu- 

 nication and report to be laid before the public in 

 some public print. He here inserts them with 

 much pleasure, in the pages which are under his 

 control. 



Dmn-ers, March 4lh, 1841. 

 DearSik — I have lately been preparing a brief 

 essay on the Science of Agriculture, for the 'J'rans- 

 actions of the Essex Agricultural Society, now in 

 the press. This has caused me to think much on 

 the practicability of reducing, or rather elevating, 

 this first of arts to an exact science, and on the 

 means by which so desirable an object may be 

 soonest accomplished ; and I have been desirous of 

 attending a meeting of tiie convention of agricul- 

 turists in which you i)reside, for the purpose of lay- 

 ing my views on this subject before them; but 

 have hitherto been prevented by professional en- 

 gagements, and perhaps shall be until the close of 

 the session. I therefore address you by letter. 

 Make such use of it as you may think proper. 



How shall Agriculture be made a science ? Un- 

 doubtedly in the same manner that all other sci- 

 ences have been perfected — by systematizing all 

 that is known of tlie chemical composition of soils, 

 manures, and the philosophy of vegetation. And 

 this must be done by some of the best chemists 

 and naturalists amongst us — by philosophers in the 

 closet and laboratory, and not by practical farmers 

 in the field. These have, to be sure, to act an im- 

 portant part in this business. It is for farmers to 

 collect facts for scientific men to generalize and 

 work into the system, and to prove the correctness 

 of, or overthrow every such system by experiments 

 in the field. This may appear to the practical far- 

 mer all idle speculation. But is it so ? Are not 

 the laws of nature imchangeable, and when once 

 known do they not conduct the operator unerringly 

 to the accomplishmont of his object, wherever natu- 

 ral forces are made to perform the work ? Now 

 chemists know, or can by judicious analytical ex- 

 periments discover, the constituents of soils and 

 the constituents of vegetables, and therefrom infer 

 the wants of growing plants and point out the 

 means of supplying them. The learned in vegeta- 

 ble physiology will be able to shew how far the 

 laws of chemistry are modified or aniinlled by the 

 principle of life in the vegetable. And the cor- 

 rectness of theories can be tested by growing plants 

 in artificial soils in pots, and in natural soils whose 

 composition is known, in the field. .And the man 

 of science, pos'^essed of all this knowledge, can tell 

 the operative fanner how to manure and cultivate 

 his crops so as to obtain the largest product possi- 

 ble under the circumstances of the season beyond 

 human control, such as trmperatuie, showers, sun 

 shine, winds, &c. ; can point out the crops to which 

 his soil is best adapted, with such manuring as he 



is able to give it, and at the same time show him 

 why and wherefore under such treatment his crops 

 will not equal those of some neighbor, whose soil 

 is diflerenl, or who can supply its deficiencies at a 

 cheaper rate. From these considc;rations there 

 seems to me no doubt but that to be the most suc- 

 cessful agriculturist, a man must conduct his ope- 

 rations on scientific principles. And to do this, he 

 must have his soils analyzed — his peat swamps and 

 other depots of decomposed vegetable, or calcare- 

 ous, or mineral matter analyzed — the adaptedness, 

 or the contrary, of his soils to certain crops — toking 

 into consideration the subsoil, exposure to sun, 

 winds, &c. pointed out- and, always remembering 

 that gold may be bought too dear, ascertain at what 

 cost the deficiencies of his soil, be it of lime or any 

 other constituent, can be sui)plied; and whether 

 good economy warrants such an expenditure. All 

 experiments in agriculture not based upon, and cot;- 

 ducted according to, such knowledge, must be of 

 but little value. And most of the statements of 

 management ot crops, &c. for which our Agricul- 

 tural Societies pay liberal premiums, are worth lit- 

 tle or nothing to other farmers, because the "sandy 

 soil," the " clayey loam," the "manure" and the 

 " compost manure" of the statement, are vague 

 terms, conveying no definite idea of their constitu- 

 ents to any one who may wish to cultivate a simi- 

 lar crop on his own soil, with his own inanure, 

 which may be very different from those named in 

 the pattt-rn experiment. Hence the little confi- 

 dence placed by practical men in "book farming." 

 Because farming books are usually either deficient 

 in essential particulars, or they are so technical 

 that those unacquainted with the elements of chemi- 

 cal or natural science, cannot understand them. — 

 Now there is bu! one way to remedy these difl'icul- 

 ties. Books must be written in scientific language, 

 which has always the same meaning. And those 

 who would profit by them, must acquaint themselves 

 with the elements of such science, which may be 

 by men of ordinary education and capacity, easily 

 accomplished. 



It is to the head-work of scientific men that the 

 world is indebted for nearly all great improvements 

 in art. We may instance Navigation. Had it not 

 been for the labors of mathematicians and astrono- 

 mers in their closets, the science of navigation 

 would have remained like the science of agricul- 

 ture to this time, to be invented : and our mariners, 

 like those of olden time, however skilful in manag- 

 ing their craft, would have been creeping along the 

 .-shores of continents and islands, instead oftravers- 

 m" boldly the wide oceans and exploring unknown 

 seas. The skill and knowledge of individuals, ac- 

 quired by experience, must have died with them, 

 they having no system by which they could com- 

 municate it to others And every generation of 

 seamen could become as wise and no wiser than 

 their predecessois in their employment by the same 

 means — by experience. So it is in agriculture. 

 There are many worthy old farmers who have ac- 

 quired a valuable fund of information in regard to 

 the best means of cultivating their own acres, which 

 they cannot communicate to others, at least so that 

 others can apply the same practices to other soils 

 with any thing like the same success. But all sci- 

 entific knowledge can be conveyed from one mind 

 to another with the utmost precision, so as to put 

 into the possession of the pupil all that is known 

 on the subject by his tutor. 



But the question recurs, what can we do towards 

 reducing agriculture to a science ? Or how can 



the agricultural community avail themselves of the 

 knowledge which scientific men now possess in re- 

 gard to the principles which should regulate the 

 operations of husbandry ? Can farmers, following 

 such rules for analyzing soils and manures as have 

 been publi.shcd, analyze their own soils with suffi- 

 cient accuracy to direct them to a scientific appli- 

 cation of manures, &c. .' Let the following plan of 

 operations be considered as my attempt to answer 

 these questions. 



Let our first eflTort be to obtain the services of 

 one or more of our best chemists, who shall devote 

 all his powers and time to the analyzing of soils, 

 manures, &c., to perfecting the science of agricul- 

 ture, and preparing for publication a popular trea- 

 tise on the subject. 



As no appropriation is to be expected from our 

 Legislatuie the present session to defray the ex- 

 penses, let a subscription be opened and papers 

 sent by members of your ronvention, when they 

 separate, into all parts of the Commonwealth, with 

 the understanding that all persons who will sub- 

 scribe and pay in advance one dollar annually, or 

 more, shall enjoy the privilege of having specimens 

 of his soils, &c. analyzed by said chemist, and to 

 have a statement of the constituents of said soils 

 returned to him with the opinion of said chemist as 

 to what is needed to render such soils most fertile ; 

 the value of specimens of peat muck, muck sand, 

 marls, &,c., and the treatment they need to make 

 valuable manures for certain soils, describing such 

 as would be most benefited by them, &c. 



As soon as dollars are known to be sub- 



scribed, let a meeting of the subscribers be holden 

 at Boston or Worcester, to choose trustees to take 

 charge of the funds, appoint the profes.^or of Agri- 

 cultural Chemistry, fix his salary, and prescribe 

 his duties, and regulate and manage all the pru- 

 dential concerns ot the association. 



All monies over and above the expenses of the 

 prefessorsliip and incidental expenses, to be expend- 

 ed in printing the treatise above mentioned, to be 

 distributed among the subscribers. 



Agricultural societies might be admitted as sub- 

 scribers, and be allowed the privilege of having all 

 the soils and manures used by claimants for pre- 

 mium crops, &c. analyzed, on such conditions as 

 the trustees might prescribe. 



Into the laboratory of the professor, perhaps, stu- 

 di^nts of chemistry might be admitted on terms pre- 

 scribed by the trustees, mutually beneficial to the 

 association, the professor and pupils. 



It would seem that a plan which promises such 

 a large return of the most valuable information for 

 the small investment of money required, would 

 meet with the approbation of the agricultural com- 

 munity and success. It certainly would be carried 

 into effect immediately, should those who attend 

 your agricultural meetings look upon its impor- 

 tance as I do. 



The few thousand dollars expended by the Com- 

 monwealth in agricultural and geological surveys, 

 will, in my opinion, be repaid with a thousand fold 

 interest to the people of this Commonwealth, in the 

 increased productions of agriculture. 'J'ake, for 

 example, only one item of information, brought out 

 and spread before the public in these reports, from 

 Dr. Samuel L. Dana, of Lowell, concerning the 

 food of plants and its abundance in peat muck, and 

 the cheap means of converting such muck into a 

 most valuable manure. And how shall we esti- 

 mate the amount of benefit which will result to 

 mankind from this source, when it shall be appre- 



