Lectures  on  Agricultural  Chemistry. 
7 
some  expei’iments  on  the  power  of  soils  to  absorb  moisture 
as  connected  with  their  fertility.  I have  for  this  purpose 
made  a small  collection  of  those  of  the  calcareous  and  second- 
ary countries,  and  I wish  very  much  for  some  specimens 
from  the  granitic  and  schistose  hills  of  Cornwall.  If  you 
could,  without  much  trouble,  cause  to  be  procured  from  your 
estates  different  j>ieces  of  uncultivated  soil,  of  about  a pound 
weight  each,  I should  feel  much  obliged  to  you.  They  should 
be  accompanied  by  specimens  of  the  stone  or  strata  on  which 
they  lie.”' 
In  1799  Davy  published  his  “ Experiments  and  Obser- 
vations on  the  Silex  composing  the  Epidermis  or  External 
Bark,  and  contained  in  other  parts  of  certain  vegetables,”  ^ and 
in  1805  he  made  public  his  analysis  of  soils.''  In  this  connec- 
tion a remarkable  testimony  to  the  rapidity  of  Davy’s  jiower 
of  reasoning  and  his  brilliant  intuition  may  be  quoted  from  his 
early  friend,  Thomas  Poole,  who  used  to  say  to  him,  “ You 
understand  me  before  I half  understand  myself.”  In  corrobo- 
ration of  which  Poole  afterwards  wrote  : “ I recollect  on  our 
first  acfjuaintance,  he  knew  but  little  of  the  practice  of 
agriculture.  I was  at  that  time  a considerable  farmer,  and 
very  fond  of  the  occu})ation.  During  his  visits  in  those  days, 
I was  at  first  something  like  Iris  teacher,  but  my  pupil  soon 
became  my  master  both  in  theory  and  pi’actice.”"* * 
Here,  surely,  is  to  be  found  the  secret  of  the  success  of  the 
lectures  on  agricultural  chemistry.  The  energy  and  whole- 
heartedness which  he  put  into  his  experiments  caused  such 
distinguished  agriculturists  as  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  and 
Mr.  Coke  of  Holkham,  to  help  him  to  the  utmost  of  their 
j)owers,  and  Sir  Thomas  Bernard  to  allot  him  a piece  of  ground 
at  Hoehampton  for  the  carrying  out  of  his  agricultural  experi- 
ments. The  esteem  and  respect  which  he  had  won  from 
agriculturists  remained  his  through  life,  and  he  was  henceforth 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  great  benefactors  of  mankind  who 
had  helped  to  improve  the  agriculture  of  the  world. 
In  the  ])rint  of  the  “ Woburn  Sheep-shearing,”  by  Greorge 
Garrard,  A.H.A.,  published  in  1811,  Davy  is  represented  as 
standing,  in  a listening  attitude,  behind  Mr.  Coke,  who  is 
’ Paris’s  Life^  Vol.  1,  pp.  158,  159. 
Nicliolsoii’s  Jouninl  of  Xatvrnl  Philosoph  ij,  &c.  4to.  Vol.  3 (1800). 
^ Nicholson’s  Vol.  12,  1805.  A paper  by  Dav^,  “ On  the  Analysis 
of  Soils  as  connected  with  their  improvement,”  was  published  in  Vol.  IV.  of  the 
('ommunicatious  to  the  Board  of  Agriculture^  1805,  pp.  302-318. 
* Paris’s  Life,  Vol.  1,  page  145. 
