\^^ OF THE 'r 



UNIVERSITY 

 PEEFACE. 



Theee is perhaps scarcely any need for an 

 apology in bringing out a new work on a brancli 

 of science wliicli develops at sucli a rapid rate as 

 Agricultural Cliemistry. In the case of such a 

 science the lapse of a few years must find any 

 text-book, however good, more or less deficient in 

 important particulars. We might, however, urge 

 a special reason on the present occasion, namely, 

 the scarcity of books on farm chemistry in the 

 English language. Our countrymen have indeed 

 conducted many notable investigations on the 

 chemistry of the soil, plant, and animal, and the 

 papers containing their results rank among the 

 classics of our scientific literature ; but of text- 

 books for students, discussing agricultural che- 

 mistry as a Avhole, we have scarcely any, and none 



