396 [Assembly 



The soil is a great chemical laboratory, where unknown numbers 

 of chemical changes are constantly taking place, changes necessary 

 to the growth and perfection of plants. Chemical changes, however, 

 cannot take place without the elements to be acted upon, whatever 

 may be their affinity for each other, are in a favorable condition for 

 such changes; and to this fact I think can be attributed many fail- 

 ures of experiments which have been undertaken with the expecta- 

 tion of different results. We need practical analytic cherrists, who 

 are also practical Jarmers. I hope to see the time yet when we will 

 have physicians for the soil as we have physicians for the body, whose 

 duty it shall be to take farms under their special care, examine and 

 analyze the soil, ascertain its composition and condition, and direct 

 such tillage and manures as shall render those that are useless or ex- 

 hausted valuable and productive. 



Allow me to conclude this imperfect paper by suggesting that un- 

 til we are so highly favored as to have such important aids as prac- 

 tical agricultural chemists, that we should be closer observers our- 

 selves in cultivating the soil, and to institute such experiments as 

 shall enable us to satisfy ourselves of the importance of any effort 

 for the improvement of our soils, before we involve ourselves in un- 

 necessary expenses, and mortify ourselves by failures in our under- 

 takings. 



