64 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
merce, Phisiology and Agriculture. By Justus Liebig, 
M. D. Professor, &c.” This is a late work of the cele¬ 
brated author of “ Organic Chemistry in its applications 
to Agriculture and Physiology,” so often spoken of with 
deserved praise in the pages of the Cultivator. 
These letters are sixteen in number, and we recom¬ 
mend them to attentive perusal. They are contained in 
a small duodecimo volume of 170 pages, price twelve 
and a half cents, or bound in boards 25 cents. Cheap 
enough in all conscience. 
“ The letters contained in this little volume,” says the 
author, “ embrace some of the most important points of 
the science of chemistry, in their application to natural 
philosophy, physiology, agriculture and commerce. 
Some of them treat of subjects which have already been, 
or Avill hereafter be, more fully discussed in my larger 
works. They were intended to be mere sketches, and 
were written for the especial purpose of exciting the at¬ 
tention of governments, and an enlightened public, to the 
necessity of establishing schools of chemistry, and of pro¬ 
moting, by every means, the study of a science so inti¬ 
mately connected with the arts, pursuits, and social well- 
being of modern civilized nations.” 
“ For my own part, I do not scruple to avow the con¬ 
viction, that ere long a knowledge of the principal truths 
of chemistry will be expected in every educated man, 
and that it will be as necessary to the statesman and po¬ 
litical economist, and the practical agriculturist, as it is 
already indispensable to the physician and manufacturer.” 
“In Germany, such of these letters as have been al¬ 
ready published, have not failed to produce some of the 
results anticipated. New professorships have been es¬ 
tablished in the Universities of Gottingen and Wuftzburg, 
for the express purpose of facilitating the application of 
chemical truths to the practical arts of life, and of follow¬ 
ing up the new line of investigation and research—the 
bearing of chemistry upon physiology, medicine and ag¬ 
riculture,—which may be said to be only just begun.” 
“ It only remains for me to add a hope that this little 
offering may serve to make new friends to our beautiful 
and useful science, and be a remembrancer to those old 
friends who have for many years past, taken a lively in¬ 
terest in all my labors. [Part of author’s preface, p. 6.] 
These interesting and readable letters of Liebig con¬ 
tain a continued argument in favor of the application of 
chemistry to the arts. Among them are some strong and 
striking illustrations which we would be glad to extract, 
but we must confine our observations to the agricultural 
part. 
“ Agriculture is both a science and an art. The know¬ 
ledge of all the conditions of the life of vegetables, the 
origin of their elements, and the sources of their nour¬ 
ishment, forms its scientific basis.” 
“ From this knowledge we derive certain rules for the 
exercise of the art, the principles upon which 'he me¬ 
chanical operations ofi farming depend, the usefulness or 
necessity of these foi^preparing the soil to support the 
growth of plants, ami for removing every obnoxious in¬ 
fluence.” [Letter 12th, p. 125.] 
The remainder of this letter treats of the “Necessity 
of Chemistry, Rationale of Agricultural Processes,Wash- 
ing for Gold.” It concludes with a happy illustration of 
sowing or planting, and reaping for a series of years with¬ 
out manure, until crops fail, as in certain cases the wash¬ 
ers for gold, eager to get all, wash and rewash the same 
sands, obtaining less every time, until they realize noth¬ 
ing to compensate for their labor. 
The 13th letter treats of the illustration of the necessi¬ 
ty of chemistry to advance and perfect agriculture—Man¬ 
ner in which fallow ameliorates the soil—Uses of lime 
—Effects of burning—Of marl. 
On the action of lime we make the following extract : 
{l Common potter's clay, or pipe clay, diffused through 
water, and added to milk of lime, thickens immediately 
upon mixing; and if the mixture is kept for some months, 
and then treated with acid, the clay becomes gelatinous, 
which it would not have done without the admixture 
with the lime. The lime in combining with the ele¬ 
ments of the clay liquifies it; and what is more remarka¬ 
ble, liberates the greater part of its alkalies. These in¬ 
teresting facts were first observed by Fuchs, at Munich; 
they have not only led to a more intimate knowledge of 
the nature and properties of the hydraulic cements, but 
what is far more important, they explain the effects of caus¬ 
tic lime upon the soil, and guide the agriculturist in the ap¬ 
plication of an invaluable means of opening it, and setting 
free its alkalies —substances so important, nay, so indis¬ 
pensable to his crops.” 
“ In the month of October, the fields of Yorkshire and 
Oxfordshire, (in England.) look as if they were "overed 
with snow. Whole square milesare seen whitened over 
with quick lime, which during the moist winter months, 
exercises its beneficial influence upon the stiff clayey soil 
of those counties.” 
“ According to the humus theory, quick lime ought to 
exert the most noxious influence upon the soil, because 
oil organic matters contained in it are destroyed by it, 
(the lime,) and rendered incapable of yielding their hu¬ 
mus to a new vegetation. The facts are indeed directly 
contrary to this now abandoned theory; the fertility of 
the soil is increased by the lime.” (Page 136.] 
We had marked several other pages for notice or ex¬ 
tracts, but our space is limited and we must hasten to a 
conclusion, again recommending it to young farmers, 
hoping they may receive as much pleasure as the writer 
has in its perusal. A Practical Farmer. 
Staten Island, Dec. 23, 1843. 
THE VERMONT STUMP MACHINE. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —As your correspondent 
“ M. A.” cannot understand so simple a machine for stump 
pulling as the one of which I sent you an account, I hope 
in this article to explain his difficulties. When I wrote 
you first, I was building a machine on a small scale; 
wheel 12 feet in diameter, height 8 feet, breadth 10 feet; 
calculated for two horses to work among small hard 
wood stumps, which had been cut 4 years. I have had 
it in operation a good while, and I assure you it beat my 
expectations. If “ M. A.” is going to build one, let his 
shaft be the stiffest and toughest stick of second growth 
white oak that he can get; let the gudgeon fit the hole in 
the post as exactly as possible, consistently with its turn¬ 
ing freely, and at the foot of the posts, instead of “ firm¬ 
ly morticing them into the sills,” let the tennon be round, 
about 4 inches in diameter, and not pinned; the weight 
will keep it in its place. This will allow the post to 
turn a little on the sill, and thus keep it from splitting, 
and the gudgeon from breaking. He must also have two 
good iron bands around the top of each post, one above 
and one below the gudgeon, and the same on the end of 
each gudgeon outside the posts. In drawing a stump, 
your machine must be directly over it, so that the chains 
will draw plumb. If there is any elevation or uneven¬ 
ness in the ground, have the same end of both sills raised or 
lowered alike, and never one sill higher than the other. He 
must have a notch in the outside of the posts, about 7 feet 
from the ground, and if a little cramping is unavoidable, 
let him put a pole or rail with one end stuck in the 
ground, and the other in this notch. He must not use 
frisky cattle at moving the machine, for if one team should 
stop and the other keep on, some mischief would follow. 
The machine of which I sent a description, at first sight 
seemed to me to be the most rickety shackling old con¬ 
cern I ever did see. Its creaking could be heard a mile; 
it swayed over from one side to the other with great vio¬ 
lence. The wheel was crooked and twisted out of shape, 
and it would stand as much cramping, twisting and strain¬ 
ing as any thing I ever saw. Yet it would raise a weight 
of 100 tons, and stand all that three yoke of cattle could 
draw. If “ M. A.” intends to build a machine, &nd fol¬ 
lows my directions to the letter, I will warrant him a 
good, substantial and effective implement, which will 
neither “ crush to the ground” nor “ split in the post.” 
It will not work, however, on a side hill, but only on le 
vel ground and gentle declivity. 
H. T. C. 
Burlington, Vt., Dec. 11, 1843. 
N. B. If “ M. A.” or any one else, builds a machine, 
I should like to be informed of their success through yous 
columns. 
