284 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 28, 1828. 



SCiBNTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



Ab Address delivered before the Hampshire, Franklin, and 

 Hampden Agricultural Sociely j al Northampton, Oct. 24, 

 1827. By Edward Hitchcock. Professor of Chemistry and 

 Natural History in Amherst College. 



[Continued from page 277.] 

 From this sketch, Gentlemen, it appears that 

 the region of country embraced by this society, 

 contains almost every variety of rock, and there- 

 fore a correspondent variety of soil. And since 

 different vegetables require for their perfect de- 

 yelopement, different soils ; this circumstance 

 must be regarded as highly propitious to tlie pros- 

 ecution of experiments. Vo you enquire for a soil 

 resulting from tho decomposition of granite f 

 You have it in. Williamsburgh, in Whatel>, in 

 Belchertown, in Amherst and Leverett. — ^Do you 

 need soils .lerived from the other primary rocks ? 

 You have them in nearly all the more elevated 

 parts of the three col:«^^es. Do you wish for a 

 soil whose base coj^^s of disintegrated red sand 

 stone? You hav^^Pin Gill, in Greenfielil, in 

 Deerfield, and in many other places. Does your 

 experiment require what European writers denom- 

 inate a basaltic soil ? The eastern slope of the 

 ridge, constituting Holyoke and Tom, furnishes 

 an example nearly identical with this. Do you 

 wish to compare the prodtice of land in the vicin- 

 ity of the coal mines of Europe, with that of our 

 own coal formation ? Then you have only to per- 

 form your e.xperiment in Granby, or South Had- 

 ley, in the eastern part of Loiigmeadovv, or the 

 western part of \Vest Springfield. And as to soils 

 of the tertiary and alluvial classes, you have a 

 wide extent of the former in the plain extending 

 from South Hadley through Springfield to Enfield ; 

 and in the plain between Northampton and South- 

 ivick : and what fiher examples of the alluvial 

 could you wish, than the rich meadows of North- 

 field, Deerfield, Hatfield, Springfield and Long- 

 meadow ? 



But more than all this. Not only does the whole 

 extent of these counties present so many varieties 

 of soil, but in some instances a single township 

 aontains them nearly all. Northampton, for in- 

 stance, has Us fine alluvion on the east, and on 

 the north and south, its tertiary. On the west we 

 find granite and a granite soil. Along the west- 

 ern foot of iVIoiint Tom, is the old red sandstone, 

 ivitli its peculiar soil : the mountain itself presents 

 the basaltic variety ; and along its eastern base, 

 is the soil peculiar to the coal formation. A va- 

 riety almost equally great, exists in Hatfield, 

 Deerfield, Northfield, Montague, Amherst and 

 Belch erton-n. 



purpose. And finally, I might remark, that such llished principles of philosophy. 1 know that many 

 are the associations of this limestone, th;.twe may ;an agriculturist will feel that I am directing him 

 expect to find il almost any where along this val- [to lean on a broken staff. But by philosophy I do 

 ley, between New Ha»en and Vermont. ; not mean mere airy speculation ; but established 



But to return from this digression. I have now i principles, drawn by induction from the most ac- 

 given a general view of those principles of Beta- curale and long continued experience. — 1 mean 

 ny, Chemistry and Geology, that form the ground- the laws that observation has discovered,by which 

 work of the theory of agriculture. There are the operations in the natural world are conducted, 

 other sciences, however, that have a less inti- f And shall the experimenter prefer his own limited 

 mate, though not unimportant connexion with the and partial experience to the accurate and en- 

 subject, lightened observations of tne whole world ? Or 

 Almost every person, for example, has noticed shall he pay a regard to ths thousand groundless 

 how very great is the influence exerted over the maxims and whims that are floating among the ig- 

 growth and colour of plaats by light. Here then norant, and are alike repugnant to philosophy and 

 wc perceive a relation to the science of optics. common sense ? It is to the obseivance of such 

 Gravitation also, is not without effect in giving | unsupported fancies— the relics of superstitious 

 direction to the roots and branches ; though some j and marvellous times — that we are to impute the 

 other controlling powei — perhaps an instinct — 1 failure of many experiments. For even in this 

 must be called in to explain all the phenomena. enlightened land, many such notions sway the be- 

 lt is well known how the produce of the soil lief and control the practice of multitudes. What 

 varies with the state of the atmosphere, in respect a mighty influence, for example, is imputed to the 

 to its weight, its moisture, its temperature, and moon, in almost every operation of the farmer ! — 

 purity. Hence we see how itnportant a relation He c innot sow or reap ; he cannot cut down his 

 exists between agriculture and meteorology ; tho' wood or his timber,or even kill an animal for food, 

 it must be confessed that this branch of knowl- until the moon has reached some particular point 

 edge is yet extremely deficient even in fundamen- of her orbit. And even in the soap making pro- 

 tal principles. cess of the housewife, the moon has a most irapor- 

 The effect of electricity upon vegetation is tant part to perform, even if she be in the nadir, 

 much more powerful than is generally supposed. Surely, if this harmless planet has so much labor 

 Indeed vegetable life itself, may be only a modifi- to perform in husbandry, she ought to be released 

 ration of this power; and it is an ingenious sug- from her cares as ruling among the stars of the 

 gestion of one of the ablest living philosophers, evening; and instead of being ci:lled queen of the 

 that those numerous chemical changes which are night, her title should be, queen ef agriculture ! 

 constantly going on in plants, maybe the eflTecti But to be serious : such notions are the linger- 

 of galvanic or electrical action. But apart from ing remnants of astrology ; ill agreeing » ith the 

 Hypothesis, we have facts proving directly, that , spirit of this age, and altogether opposed to sound 

 electricity acts as a powerful stimulant to vegeta- ' philosophy and good sense. Every enlightened 

 tion. For grain in lo .v lands, exposed to power- ] farmer, therefore, will disregard them, and a hun- 

 ful storms of lightning, is thereby blighted : and dred others of a kindred ch meter ; permitting 

 in similar circumstances buck wheat fails to be them all to join that chaotic company of phantoms. 



described by Milton ; 



" All these, upwhirl'd aloft 

 Flew o'er (he backside of the world, far ofl" 

 Into a limbo, large and wide ; since call'd 

 The Paradise of fools — to few unknown 

 Long after " 



productive. 



But to dwell no longer upon the theory of agri- 

 culture ; permit me, gentlemen, by way of appli- 

 cation of that theory to practical husbandry, to 

 make a few suggestions in regard to the mode of 

 conducting agricultural experiments. 



The frequent failure, and apparently opposite The second suggestion I have to make, in re- 

 results of such experiments, are facts not to be de- gatd to agricultural experiments, is, that every 

 nied. Indeed, so frequent have been instances of circumstance which can mediately or immediately 

 this kind, that many persons have lost all confi- aflfect the result, should be carefully observed and 

 dence in experiments, and regard this part of the recorded. The remark of a French philosopher, 

 business of agricultural societies as useless. But that " real and general advances will then only be 

 if there are .nny fixed principles on which agri- made in the science of nature, when the dread of 

 cultural processes depend, (and how can this be prolixity shall be overcome," may be pertinently 

 I doubted, when we see the constancy of nature's applied to agriculture. The most trivial circum- 

 i am aware, indeed, that there is one v.-iriety of operations in every thing else,) why ought we not ; stance often reverses the result of an experiment : 

 oil, .ind that not an unimportant one, which can i to impute frequent failures in experiments, to the j nor can we tell beforehanc', so Utile do we know 



hardly be said to have an existence along the Con 

 necticut. I refer to what is called calcareous soil ; 

 or one proceeding from lime stone. Yet as a sort 

 of substiliite for this deficiency, I trust 1 shall 

 be pardoned for alluding to the recent discovery 

 of a v,uiet.y of limestone along this river, capable 

 of forming the water proof cement. It is interest- 

 ing that this should be brought to light, just at the 

 time when it seemed indispensable to the prosecii- 



now to calculate the complicated operations of the 

 vegetable world, what that circumstance may be ; 

 and often it finally eludes our search. Therefore, 

 we must record every thing that can have any 

 bearing upon tho result ; and thus shall wo, in 

 most instances, avoid the difficulty. But if the 



imperfect mode of conducting them ; or to pre- 

 sume that the details are not given with sufficient 

 minuteness, to enable us to judge whether they 

 are, or are not, contradictory to others ? Those 

 conversant with philosophical and chemical ex- 

 periments, know very well, that the most trivial 



and untliought of circumstance often entirely de- ' experinientpr, after rea.soiiing upon the subject, 

 feats them, or conducts to an unexpected result. | concludes this or that circumstance to be too triv- 

 Moch more then, ou^ht we to expect similar oc- |ial to be noticed, he will not unlikely, mislead him- 

 ion of a graud work of internal improvement, curtences in agriculture, where the processes are I self and others in his conclusions. For in subjects 

 which, to say the least, wi)l be to the western a thousand times more complicated and delicate, of this kind, the philosophy of experience, and the 

 branch of the valley of the Connecticut, what that i and scarcely understood at all. Hence then, it is philosophy of reason, are often at variance, 

 noble river is to the eastern. Tho discovery is in an important enquiry, what is the best mode of One very important circumstance in all experi- 

 teresting too, • because, if I mistake not, the va- ' conducting experiments in husbandry. nients upon the produce of land, is the nature of 



riety of limestone here employed, which is the | The first suggestion I would make, is, that such the soil. Perfect definiteness, however, in the de- 

 lituminous, has never before been used for this ^ experiments be prosecuted according to the estab- Iscription of soils, is not attainable ; because they 



