324 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Oct. 
The other departments of natural history, all to a 
greater or less extent depend on the illustrations and 
explanations of chemistry, for their practical appli¬ 
cations to agriculture. Geology, for instance, is of 
very great importance j a knowledge of the different 
rock strata, gives great facilities in improved culti¬ 
vation, explaining away difficulties, and suggesting 
economical methods of improvement. But when we 
come to examine more closely, we find that the aid 
of chemistry has been called in. It is said ; for ex¬ 
ample, that the soil formed from a particular rock, 
may be brought into good condition by the use of 
lime, while that of the rock immediately below or 
above, is not benefitted at all by its use. How is 
this information obtained? The answer is, only by 
the aid of chemical analyses. 
So also in botany: the knowledge which we desire 
from a classification of plants, and from studying the 
nature of their growth, derives its practical value 
from the calling in of chemistry to analyze the vari¬ 
ous species, and the various parts, to determine 
their precise properties. I might go on thus through 
other branches of sciencej even meteorology is con¬ 
nected closely with chemistry, inasmuch as the 
changes of temperature, dryness or moisture, rain 
and snow, and even electricity, all influence plants 
chiefly as they bring about certain chemical changes, 
which bear more or less directly on their nutrition 
and growth. 
Thus the range of the agricultural chemist is al¬ 
most co-extensive with the whole field of natural 
science; his vocation does not alone consist in an¬ 
alyzing soils, seeds and manures, as most persons 
seem to suppose he has to study nearly all the 
phenomena of nature. 
It is then obvious, that men who are to benefit the 
practical agriculturist in his methods and his ordi¬ 
nary pursuits, must not only be industrious and per¬ 
severing, but highly educated. It seems a very 
simple thing to say that sulphuric acid is an excel¬ 
lent manure for some plants, but the labor and the 
attainment of scientific experience among different 
classes of crops, necessary to fully establish this fact, 
may have occupied many months. All purely chem¬ 
ical investigations are extremely slow in their pro¬ 
gress. A single thorough analysis, of an ash for 
instance, cannot be well done in much less than a 
fortnight ; and then the result obtained ought never 
to be relied upon absolutely, until fully confirmed 
by a second analysis. It is true that two analysis 
may be carried on at once, but even with this ad¬ 
vantage, he is a most successful analyst who pro¬ 
duces two or three really first rate, verified ash 
analyses, in the course of a month. I speak of an¬ 
alyses in which every constituent is separated. 
It has seemed to me necessary to explain these 
matters at some length, in order, if possible, to turn 
the public mind in the right direction before any 
large institutions are established, having the im¬ 
provement of agriculture for their main or sole ob¬ 
ject. Each State ought to have such an institution, 
planned and endowed on a liberal scale. I am not 
to be understood as wishing to interfere with smaller 
schools; those can be founded by private enterprise, 
and have their proper field. A State institution 
should be of a higher class, just as a college is higher 
than academies, and one of its leading objects should 
be to train up well qualified teachers, to fit them 
thoroughly for taking charge of the lesser semi¬ 
naries. 
If the State of New-York were to found to-morrow, 
an agricultural school in each county, or in every 
two counties, the men could not be found in the whole 
United States entirely competent to take charge of 
them. There are good farmers enongh to undertake 
the practical departments j but there are very few 
well instructed scientific men trained in this branch 
of study, who would be able to satisfy the wants of 
the farmers. Such men are greatly needed, and the 
demand is increasing far faster than the supply. All 
of those who have studied at this laboratory, and 
who desired employment, found it readily in most 
cases, sometimes even before their studies were 
completed. 
As I hinted before, it is my desire to urge, that in 
State institutions there should be attention given to 
the higher departments of scientific investigation. 
In all of the schemes that have fallen under my no¬ 
tice, there has been a high place given to a profes¬ 
sor of chemistry; in most cases he has been named 
as the head of the establishment. This professor of 
chemistry, besides having a general supervision of 
students, laboratory, farm, business matters, &c, 
would be called upon to lecture in every part of his 
own State at least, and to answer numberless in¬ 
quiries upon every conceivable topic that could be 
connected, even remotely, with agriculture. 
How much time would such a person have for 
pursuing extended and dificult researches?—obvi¬ 
ously none at all, unless possessed of energy and 
force of character almost superhuman. I would 
suggest, therefore, the appointment of a chemist, 
whose sole business it should be to pursue investi¬ 
gations calculated directly or indirectly to benefit 
practice. Get the right man, and let him devote 
one, two, or more years, to a subject if necessary; 
furnish him with every necessary, and pay liberally 
enough to secure undoubted skill and talent. There 
are many print works and woolen mills in this coun¬ 
try, that, pay readily two and three thousand dollars 
a year to a chemist, who is engaged inventing new 
processes, analyzing their materials, &c. ,• ought not 
the farmers of a State, in consideration of the inter¬ 
ests involved, to afford as fair a remuneration as a 
single corporation? I propose this addition as one 
worthy of consideration by all who are interested in 
the various State movements now commencing. 
Yours truly, John P. Norton. 
Report on the Trial of Plows, 
By the New- York State Agricultural Society at Albany, June, 1850. 
The Committee on the Trial of Plows, for the 
New-York State Agricultural Society, report: 
That in pursuance of the directions of the Society, 
they assembled in the city of Albany, on Monday the 
3d day of June, 1850, and immediately proceeded to 
perform such preliminary duties as would be neces¬ 
sary for the success of the ensuing trials. 
On Tuesday, the 4th, the trial of the Plows 
commenced, in competition for the following pre¬ 
miums offered by the Society, viz: 
Best sod plow for stiff soils, furrow not less than 
seven inches in depth, nor over ten inches in width, 
Diploma and..... $15 00 
Second best do,..... 10 00 
Best sod plow for light soils, furrows not less 
than 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide, 
Diploma and ... 15 00 
Second best do,... 10 00 
Best plow for “fallows” or old land, Diplo¬ 
ma and..... 10 00 
Second do, .. 8 00 
Best sub-soil plow, Diploma and . 8 00 
Best side-hill plow, Diploma and. 8 00 
The first trials were on fallows or old land, on the 
farm of J. Lansing, at Greenbush. The field se¬ 
lected was hillyj the soil was a stiff loam, inclining 
