124 Life and Writings of Francis Huber. 



ceived for ascertaining the nature of the air of hives, was that of 

 causing certain seeds to germinate in it, founded on a vague opinion 

 that seeds will not sprout in air much deprived of oxygen. This 

 experiment, imperfect as it respects the direct object in view, united 

 the two friends in the engagement of pursuing their researches into 

 the nature of germination, and a curious fact with respect to this 

 association between a blind man and one of clear vision is that more 

 frequently it was Sennebier who suggested the experiments and Ru- 

 ber that-performed them. Their works have been published in their 

 joint names, under the title of ^'' JMemoirs on the influence of Air in the 

 Germination of Seeds." They fully demonstrated the necessity of 

 oxygen gas in germination, the impossibility of success in a medium 

 deprived of free oxygen, and the formation of carbonic acid, by the 

 combination of this oxygen with the carbon of the grain. This 

 work, conceived principally by Sennebier and edited by him, has 

 but little of the impress of Huber, and it is evident that in separating 

 himself from his loved bees, he took less interest in other researches. 



This perseverance of a whole life in a given object is one of the 

 characteristic traits of Huber, and probably one of the causes of 

 his success. Naturalists are divided from taste, and often from po- 

 sition, into two- series, — -the one love to embrace the tout ensemble 

 of beings, to compare them with each other, to sieze the relations 

 of their organization, and to deduce from them their classification 

 and the general laws of nature. It is this class who have necessa- 

 rily at their disposal, vast collections, and they mostly dwell in large 

 cities : the others take pleasure in the profound study of a given sub- 

 ject, considering it under all its aspects, scrutinizing into its minute de- 

 tails, and patiently following it in all its peculiarities : — the latter are 

 generally sedentary and isolated observers, living remote from col- 

 lections, and far from great cities. The former may be charged with 

 the neglect of details in consequence of their attention to extensive 

 generalities. The second, from being circumscribed in a limited 

 circle, may be disposed to exaggerate its importance, and hence to 

 judge incorrectly of the connection of parts in the entire series. 

 But such mutual accusations are in reality idle. Natural history re- 

 quires both these classes, in the same manner as the architect stands 

 in need of the stone cutter for the preparation of his materials, and 

 the stone cutter requires the science of the architect in the construc- 

 tion of the well planned edifice. 



Huber is evidently to be placed in the school of special observers ; 

 his situation and infirmity retained him in it, and he acquired therein 



