J. B. LAWKS AND JUSTUS VON LIEBIG. 



267 



by otlier farmers in tlic vicinity. His mark was thus 

 a gain of foHi^fold on (lie fm-m economy of bis time 

 — a purpose vrhicli be fully accomplisbed. It took 

 twelTC veers to complete one course of his system of 

 rotatioa tjf crops; which, as the crops best adapted 

 to the climate of England 'are inferior to others in 

 this country, we will not detail. Turnips, wheat, 

 oats, beans, clover, and Italian r\-e-grass, were the 

 principal plants cultivated by bini. 



Among other eirticles of food for neat cattle ad- 

 mirably calculated to make their flesh, hides, and 

 hair appear to the best advantage, Mr. Bates was 

 long in the habit of feeding boiled flax seed, or " lint 

 seed'' as be calls it, Ue says: " I tried it in 1791, 

 now fifty-seven years ago, and I fouud it excellent 

 fthea turnips failed, I have repeatedly used it at 

 raiious times since then, particularly in the springs 

 Df 1S04, 1S18, 1819, and 1820; but my mostsuccess- 

 'ul trial of boiled lint seed was in 1836," We con- 

 iease his statement by saying that he fed three year 

 )ld steers a bu,shel a wjek each, which were so well 

 "atteneu that he sold them to a butcher for £34 a 

 lead, or 6170, The food given with the lint seed 

 •vas chopped straw, of little value by itself; the im- 

 irovement of the animals was great, and the cost of 

 leep beside labor was trifling. A. return of 320 to 

 1, besides the straw and labor, to say nothing of the 

 Jianare made. In this instance the profit was unu- 

 ually large, because the lint seed was bought at IJ 

 ♦ence per bushel, being a part of a cargo that had 

 >eeu damaged by sea-water, 



3. Beauty is a material element in fat cattle. If 

 uch were not the fact, Mr. Bates would hardly have 

 jund butchers willing to give him §170 a head for 

 is Short-Horn steers, no matter what they weighed. 

 The beauty of improved Devons and Short-Horns 

 dds largely to the market value of these popular 

 acos, when duly fattened for beef. A critical analy- 

 13 of beauty and price in all domestic animals would 

 e instructive in many points of view; it would show 

 hat the beautiful in these creatures oaly exists as 

 heir organization becomes more perfect in form, less 

 xpensive in the consumption of food, or more pow- 

 rful in its muscular developments. In a word, it 

 •ould prove that true beauty is a legitimate element 

 f value, an eflfect of vital laws, and not, as many 

 appose, a matter of mere fancy. Animals that poa- 

 3SS deep, broad, and capacious chests round bodies, 

 nail heads, and straight limbs, are fovmd by expe- 

 lence to take on flesh morj readily than those in 

 hich a different organization exists. Hence the 

 aperior condition of well-formed beasts assists in 



rendering them handsome, A good jadge, however 

 discovers in a lean animal its capacity for assimilating 

 food, and yielding a profitable return for the same. 

 A sound, discriminating judgment in this matter can 

 only be acquired by close observation, much experi- 

 ence, and not a little study. The outward signs of 

 strength of vital powers within are numerous, com- 

 plex, and not very easily described in popular lan- 

 guage, 



J, a LAWES AND JUSTUS VON LIEBIG. 



Concluded. 



"We have seen what Liebig's views were s^ipposed 

 to if in reference to the value of manures. His pu- 

 pils and followers, as well as those who differed with 

 him, evidently understood Liemg as asserting that 

 if the inorganic constituents or ashes of a given spe- 

 cies of plants were supplied in sufficient quantity, and 

 in proper condition, we should obtain a maximum 

 yield; that the crops on a field increased or diminish- 

 ed as these mineral elements were supplied or with- 

 held; that the mineral manure patented by Prof. 

 LiEDiG, was an embodiment of his views; and that 

 " sooner or later, they (farmers) must see that in this 

 so-called ' mineral theory,' in its developement and 

 ultimate perfection, lie the whole future of agricul- 

 ture." 



LiEBio, in his recent pamphlet, denies having ever 

 entertained these views, and admits very reluctantly, 

 however, that Mr. Lawes' experiments prove these 

 views to be erroneous. He now saj-s: "I consider 

 ammonia and its salts exceedingly useful, and indeed 

 at present even, perfeeily indbpensahle as a means 

 of increasing the produce of our fields beyond a cer- 

 tain limit, without the use of stable manure." Surely 

 there is some diSerence between this sentence and the 

 following one which will be found in the first edition 

 of Liebig'.s "Letters ou Chemistry," but which hcs 

 been altered in the subsequent edition, published since 

 the appearance of Mr. Lawe's papers. "It follows, 

 consequently, that we cannot increase the fertility of 

 our fields by a supply of nitrogenized manure, or by 

 salts of ammonia; but rather that their produce in- 

 creases or diminishes, in a direct ratio with the supply 

 of mineral elements capable of assimilation." 



It is evident from these and other sentences which 

 might be cited, that Liebio has changed his views in 

 regard to the value of ammonia as a manure; but it 

 is still very difficult to determine "what it really is 

 that LiEBiG means." Perhaps be may accuse us, as 

 he has Mr. Lawes, of having read but one sentence 

 in his book, so we beg leave to state beforehand, that 



