Fe eS eee ne ee ee ee > 
THE 
404 
GARDENERS ® 
CHRONICLE. 
(Jung 18, 
‘duce d by internal, “but material, pc powers ; S35 and ix inor ganic 
ay —Few books sablished in moder s have | matter, which, not being subject toc changes, is subject to 
pan a more lively interest or a ted ‘asia an sation the mathemati ad hoes of nature. The mental functions 
pened ‘classes er Europe, than the publica- | alone are entirely independent of thes five e 
> 
gre head of cane tesa though ap- 
tion, whose title is ne han Deni yea 
from al all sides ‘contradicting its principles, 
r of the heron r is daily iner 1g, it is to be pete 
hended that the book will fall into diaeee with the sam 
rapidit en above the com 
In investigating the real value of this work itis not difii- 
cult to point 
t out that part by which . br rise a peers. -fo 
bation of so _ - 
to lay open wit precisi 
eben cies and deficienc Sp "whi ch n 
numerous 
soon produce a ‘decaal@ierution, and bailink it to fall as 
avikly as i( has risen. A work may easily get into favour 
with the public, which is written in lively and bold lan- | 
guage, full of den: d ce i 
down in a few Lajps ae expressed with perspicnity and 
“precision, those scientific results which have been ob- 
y tedi and laboriou s duri 
y centuries, and which besides ay ith cert new 
ws, by which it seems easy to so 
ifficult ems, and to explain 
i sts; and especi. 
be written “ a language adapted to moderate talents an 
pretty free from technical terms. Had the book appeared 
bcp a etait title, nobody would have found fault with 
ts author or entered into a dispute with him; for no 
bt agriculturists, and other practical men, may learn 
many usefal things from it, which they must otherwise 
have collected from Works with great labo our. But 
itle of the book, uthor 
the 
gives in ~ iatodaniss (p. ix.) of what induced him 
undertake i t, has repeat: his publication to strict cate 
ertain its real value in a scientific 
‘son is not a 
Ge eooress in all their bearings, and that the opini 
of the chemist, of the a; turist, and the physiologist, 
may differ much re: that point. Up to this time 
the opinion of only the tw (chemists and 
ri ists) has been published. The chemists 
found fault the author for having ery | 
which is new, havi: ished what was already 
u tth 
and for having publishe a 
known before, as if it had been found out by himself, with- 
ioni of the e agricul- 
out mentioning the name iscoverer. The ag 
turists have probably taken well objections to 
many of the principles laid down by him, especially t 
theory of manuri It w time that the physiol 
gists raise v mean the vegetable phy- 
siologists, as the other classes of physiologists find v 
Tittle information in hi if we except pages 
(pp- 46) where the author speaks of poison, miasm 
and contagio he veg hysiologists have now to 
determine the value of Dr. Liebi rk, as far as it re- 
o the scie hey step on their 
side is completely justified by the treatment they have e 
th 0, ten n op 
an gppor- 
tunity rit (and som etimes he fetches it from afar), 
f the physiologist with 
ny me with such terms 
is, etc., I think we shall be justified 
in trying to prove that we, a tseag tape understand much 
of chemistry than physiology and the 
re which of 
al princip! hilosophy ; and this 
owes to the soundness an ‘clearness of his genius, which 
y can deny bim to be possessed of, teloes not 
appear that Y conscious diitiewnte 
connexion of that principle with researches in science. 
The principle I mean is the possibility of a natural 
science ed exclusively lological (material) | 
end of all 
view oF the creation, The wats principle or 
scientific researches must © lac na! 
strict mathematica! laws, way peri admit of e: 
i — my which ultimately are all reduci ble to t 
nly organie matter, or such as 
o be continually changed by movements pro- | 
‘| encounter the m 
of 
te y remain excluded 
tific (theoretic) researches of materi: sania: as an object 
which c t be ected with thei his difference 
0 ~_ 2 obvious; and only by a slow pr 
gress me e at last risen so ae s to form a clear idea 
of this ails of th things. The wu wae the mental and ma- 
terial vie ew 0 f the creation in the & same subject, has fora 
hier appears 
in the ancient amy who attributed to eac stone a spirit, 
mo eet beste age 4 Art tle, who 
d iritua et n- 
ohmatien of form 
and in has monad bibct even find that the 
most enious inv who, as 
‘were, BY instinct, ei acquired the a, “that the mate 
rial wo rld constitutes an inde deograg Rape. have been 
ied . Butat last the began to dawn, 
na ‘tara! susioeape gradually oe itself ‘ropa the fetters 
imposed on it by scholastic w tradi- 
tions and ancient 
plied itself to investig 
ure b 
ments, as soon as this manner of scientific research had 
been introduced by one From that period many 
phenomena have been placed without the pale of the mys- 
i shan 
ewton, an d es wae ce, at least, 
oes 
the ieavanls bodies from all s 
achieved their indepen se 
branches of natural Spulbvephy; whose object is the in- 
vestigatio 
n scodbat of diicties arising from the complicat ion 
of the pro o he solved ; and more especialy, ice se 
in the ave pe verti oem fed, ta n man, we continually 
terious union of mental o pein “cs and 
matter, which probably will remain unexplained to all 
eter rnity, ‘Nevertheless, in these branches, too, science con- 
1 a safe road, although fo 
y we poetical fictions of Schelling 
erents. 
both in “physiology and medici ine, advances resist 
themselve 
to the investigation of wei subjects. All rese 
end towa $ one v ultim 
the 
d investi- 
ae all the 
suit inte ne great 
n their opinions 
ams of 
el might confess ue the 
tea nner 1 whi oe 
tends to the same os, or I pte that on that account 
his ben deserves to be no 
en 
he did not u tand d that consequently his boo 
eless, as far as the advancement of vegetable apse 
is conce 
If, on the’ one hand, we admit that an author has di- 
urs, we m ative 
be 
his work: We pia nes inquire hat degrees 
this Jcading idea has attai n his d, a nee ar it 
been 
has Sais ge Prise of its scientific 
te cy; and, secondly, how he has applied this id 0 
p ohjects. “tt is extremely difficult, I may say im- 
peer to separate these two que to er 
them singly, in giving an opinion of this publication of Dr. | 
8 reference to the last question, t prin- 
cipal reproach to which his work is subject is, that - 
has been written without ation, and without its 
author having previously digested the matter as he oucht 
ne, as is evident from the circumstance that 
n ery page, and certainly every chapter, is either 
not in sotordanee with that which precedes, or is fre- 
quently in plain pantradiction to it e whole work is, 
in fact, a strange mixture of contradictions, superficial ob- 
Ses 
3 
quainted with it; and we shall ada add, sak it is it is only a p a hehe 
of mental vulga arity ¥ when a man extol his own business as 
ated above all en 
views as the onl 
tare i 
y nde we Dr. Liebig, who 
speaks so contemptioualy of Pier wt, 
and asserts 
clusion that ea 
The ‘its celtic of ta 6 organic world,,| ¢ 
that even the most distinguished 
nect any idea with such terms as 
gist, ex 
urdach, saga sdher 
t 
anything except chem mistry, ‘gad even in 
ac ow i 
to be’ only 
m 
arrogant way, that the 
ay be acquired in a chemical laboratory. 
if of 
he had never hear 
then. shall we draw from hi 
patra t task to enter into a =. 
evidently has not fh age i 
ad eet case it mus st 
ie 
ong ot er observations, oe paaleaeicn in a 
—____ 
among them 
not cone 
t & g ed 
ries in chemistry, Jn. 
to w nothing about 
that science 
n 8, when, 
: na very 
aking experiments can 
It would seem 
erimental natural philo- 
aday, Arago, Bi a 
sears. What conclusions, 
el me fe i 
We are bond to rial sag our opinions of Dr. 
by 
Liebig’s work some pas 
taken k 
itself. He says, p. 18, ‘ It is Gin, that plants Nasa 
Oa nd 61, however, he thin 
car rboni ic acid 5 2 ‘P- 6 
from the bo 
that it is’ much more probable that water is rik 
‘ As pure starch of potatoe 
what can be 4 
centric layers ta 
ether? oes not app 
ridicule. One pm of matter 
and amy 
protec ct one another rape hea senate of 
It d 
water eek 
o have occurred to Dr, 
Liebig ial the term ‘ aes cally” must ——— him to 
id be 
segs 
the mo sg pac of bares should, 
ver 
and wax surround the 
rites similar to what i is observed in oily em 
tha 
me Ae ier app sae ” (By w 
ts.) 
of cou 
- 
h, bu 0 
eat habs an 
the external 
surface ; and by the alternate action of ite an 
he 
inconceivable way by 
an 
t constituent of oe 
to 
hom ?—I 
know whether to 
$ 
aut “~ sn pease 
fore they abound in j As in milk the pellicle formed 
on the surface prevents evaporation, thus in these plants 
the same e pr d by the milky juice.” Such 
an assertion would excite a smile on the face of a youth just 
beginning to study the anatomy of plants, and herdls de- 
serves to be refuted. The whole fa milies of Euphorbiacee, 
Ase il cti, &e., ‘consist of large thin- 
. bier 
like 
less to 
ere not protected 
h a er h 
Should, we think, chide vour to understand at Jeast the 
caller ry principles of pa ET grates It is ne 
sk 
by the clos 
who applies to 
used b 
ae wh ich may 
found ~ od eve een 
mb page ; 3 
dantly Supported by what tll te 
It must be considered as an 
ur asert s will be 
ns to 8 introduced: 
ivoidaiaet consequence 
need- 
be 
abun- 
ence of 
\ 
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