MACHINERY OP THE CLAYS. 217 



amusing and probable speculation, the vaguely sug- 

 gestive subject of a 'Lecture' before a patronizing 

 Council ; but as a solid, working-day, every-day prac- 

 tical fact, then the Mechanics of Agriculture will 

 not be far behind ! Then the ' touching truisms ' of 

 Tull the Galileo of agricultural science, the Luther 

 of modern husbandry, struggling single-handed 

 against a whole Dark age of ignorance and banded 

 prejudice will reach the ' promised land ' he saw and 

 pointed out with the finger of the seer, but was never 

 allowed to enter. Blending into the truest of union 

 with the after-discoveries of Davy, De Candolle, Lie- 

 big, Boussinghault, and our own not less deserving 

 Way, and Johnstone, and others of distinguished 

 note his theory of ' Cultivation ' will propound mat- 

 ter of deep thought and combined action equally to 

 the chemist and mechanician. 



When the simple mechanical idea of pulveratiou, 

 comminution, subdivision, or by whatever other long 

 name men may please to understand it, shall be seen 

 in its chemical meaning, as connected with the food 

 of plants, the ' pasture of roots ' as Jcthro Tull with 

 appropriate metaphor, described it, then the claim 

 and application of the Steam-engine will be made out 

 and recognized, and the name of James Watt will bo 



