58 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



comprehend all the phases of this conversion, we should 

 waste a vast deal of energy. The objective point of all 

 science is the conservation of energy. 



It next became apparent to me that the nutrition of the 

 soil is a very complex problem, for the very simple reason 

 that soils vary so much in their natural attributes as to render 

 their treatment one of selection among various nutrients or 

 fertilizers all of which substantially belong to the same 

 classes, these classes being very few in number. In a broad 

 and general way we may say that the soil requires carbon, 

 lime, potash, soda, phosphoric acid and nitrogen ; but, as 

 soils vary in being already composed in part of these 

 materials, the nutrition of the soil is a difficult and complex 

 matter ; yet success in agriculture is coming more and more 

 to rest on the development of thjs branch of agricultural 

 science. How to add the missing element in order to 

 develop the force already existing in each farm is the matter 

 of importance. 



Next we come to the plant ; and again the nutrition of the 

 plant is more complex than the nutrition of the beast. The 

 plants derive their growth in varying proportions, according 

 to the relative quantities of carbon, alkali, nitrogen and phos- 

 phate with which they may be supplied. It seems to me that 

 it is or will be a more simple matter to comprehend the 

 nutrition of the plant than of the soil and to bring it within 

 rules of general application. 



Next we come to the nutrition of the beast, and here we 

 reach much simpler conditions. We know that the food of 

 animals must consist of certain nutrients which we call starch 

 or carbo-hydrates, albuminous or nitrogenous food which we 

 call protein, and fats which are carbonaceous which we call 

 fats. To these must of course be added the lesser, mostly 

 mineral elements, which, dealt with quantitively, are apt to 

 be found in sufficient quantity in the various kinds of food 

 with which animals are fed, a little discrimination being 

 called for in supplying lime for bones or egg shells. The 

 variation of this simple problem of feeding animals consists 

 in discriminating among them so as to produce certain re- 

 sults. We feed tlie same nutrients, but in varying propor- 

 tion, in order to produce milk, meat, fat, eggs, wool, etc. 



