37 



farm, trying the experiment of farming on his own ac- 

 count. The winter of 1843-4 was spent in New Haven, 

 again in the Yale College laboratory, under the instruc- 

 tion of the same distinguished teachers. 



The extensive course of study which Mr. Norton had 

 been pursuing for the past six years, had opened before 

 him a new and wide field of usefulness. He felt the ne- 

 cessity of a more specific course of agricultural educa- 

 tion than could be obtained in this country, and he de- 

 termined to prepare himself to become an instructor in 

 Agricultural Chemistry. This was done with no ambi- 

 tious views of attaining to any higher distinction, but 

 solely with the purpose of making himself more useful 

 to the agricultural community, whose interests he had 

 identified with his own. Agriculture was the first pur- 

 suit that strongly awakened his feelings, and the promo- 

 tion of its interests was the ruling purpose of his life. 

 Rarely have the powers of any individual been more ex- 

 clusively devoted to one great end, than were those of 

 Mr. Norton to agriculture. 



Having determined to prepare himself to give instruc- 

 tion in agriculture, he resolved .to make that preparation 

 as complete as possible. All his plans in this respect 

 were fully approved by his father, who from the first had 

 taken the most enlarged views on this subject. After 

 due inquiries, he decided to go to Edinburgh, and an ar- 



