HINDRANCES AND HELPS. 233 



left to look to for an explanation of the favorable ac- 

 tion of gypsum." 



And in this muddle I leave our young farmer, 

 contemplating, in an abstracted manner, his lime 

 heap, and reflecting upon the wonders of nature. 



Yet it is not altogether a muddle. Science has 

 failed in substantiating a theory of action only where 

 all farm experience is equally at fault ; when the two 

 march together, they pluck up triumphs by the roots. 

 The particular action of gypsum, with a safe rule for 

 its application, remains one of the mysteries of the 

 craft ; and there are a great many others. Science is 

 not discredited, however, by the antagonism of such 

 men as Liebig and Boussingault. Stout men will 

 stagger, when they explore the way for us into the 

 dark. The dignity of science will suffer more from 

 the pestilent iteration of smatterers who presume to 

 solve all the riddles of nature in their own little 

 retorts. And the danger is all the greater from the 

 fact that uninstructed farmers render an instinctive 

 respect and confidence to a man who professes 

 familiarity with science. It is never imagined by 

 them, that one who would write C 8 H 4 O 3 -[-2HO 

 for malic acid, would tell an untruth or take airs 

 upon himself. Yet I think it may be safely 

 conceded that a rash man, or a mischievous man 

 may cover falsehood under such formulae, as easily 



