330 
THE CULTIVATOR 
what can only he effected by the labor and study of many 
successive years.” 
How strangely does this language of a successful 
scholar contrast with the assertions of later, not to say 
riper chemists, who arrive at the most profound conclu¬ 
sions with an astonishing facility, and, in advance of pub¬ 
lic opinion, award to themselves the highest eulogiums. 
During his stay in Europe Mr. Norton studied with 
Prof. Mulder at Utrecht, Holland, one of the greatest 
physiologists and chemists of his day. His letters from 
Holland are admirable pictures of the rural aspect of the 
country. Upon his return to this country in the fall of 
1847, he entered upon his duties at Yale. Though at¬ 
tendance on the lectures in his department was voluntary, 
and comparatively little attention had been paid to Agri¬ 
cultural Chemistry by the young men in our colleges, he 
soon gathered a class of students, which was gradually 
increasing to the time of his death. His laboratory was, 
in fact, the only place in this country where the princi¬ 
ples of science as applied to agriculture, were thorough¬ 
ly taught. 
The cares of his professorship were not his exclusive 
occupation. A treatise on Scientific Agriculture, which 
was written as a Prize Essay, and took a premium of one 
hundred dollars, offered by the N. Y. State Ag. Society, 
and was subsequently published as a text book for schools, 
was prepared by him in 1850. This little work embodies 
all the fundamental principles of Agricultural Science, 
so far as well established, and has been widely circulated. 
Prof. Norton also wrote an appendix to Stephens’ 
Book of the Farm, together with notes, such as to adapt 
it to this country. In the Cultivator for January, 1850, 
Prof. Norton commenced a series of letters, which were 
continued without interruption till his sickness. These 
communications were of such a practical' nature, and so 
well adapted to the wants of farmers, that they consti¬ 
tuted one of the chief attractions of the Cultivator. His 
views of scientific farming were not of that ultra, radical 
sort that empirics love so well to dwell upon, but rather 
the more rational and common sense ideas, which a 
knowledge of the real condition of our farmers and their 
interests, combined with sound discipline of mind, would 
naturally form. If his style lacked ornament, it was 
because the frame work he had to build was too vast a 
structure to admit of decoration—if he rarely called 
imagination to his aid, it was because he was too intent 
upon the stern realities of things'—if he seldom manifested 
any great enthusiasm, it was because he was conscious of 
having only entered on a work whose triumphs still lay 
in the unexplored future. Thoughtfully, carefully, steadi¬ 
ly he was laying the foundation on which, in after years, 
he might rear as proud a monument as science ever wrote 
her name upon. Agriculture in this country had much 
to hope for in his efforts; for he bent the undivided ener¬ 
gies of his mind to its advancement. His whole soul 
was in the work—he had the confidence of every one, 
and with no other person could the interests of our rural 
population be so safely entrusted as with Prof. Norton. 
Upon whom will his mantle fall? Who will arise to guide 
through the shoals and quicksands of reckless imposture, 
the noble ship of American industry? 
We have not space enough to speak of particular ar- 
OcT, 
tides of Prof. Norton’s, nor to notice the many address¬ 
es which he delivered at intervals before Agricultural 
Societies and the community generally. Suffice it to 
say, that everything he wrote, and everything he said, 
was marked by the same uniform prudence, the same 
careful judgment, which characterises the man. He was 
never led into error—never ran head-long into chimeras 
and fanaticism, and so was never obliged to retract 
what he had said, or retire from positions he had taken. 
When the project of the University of Albany was 
broached in 1851, Prof. Norton entered warmly into the 
plan. He had felt deeply the need of such an institution, 
and knew the obstacles which lay in the way of the stu¬ 
dents of Agriculture and the Natural Sciences. He ad¬ 
vocated it as the best means of securing a permanent 
basis to our Agricultural Interests, and forming a nucleus 
for science in this country, The lectures, which he de¬ 
livered in the winter of 1851-52, before a class which was 
gathered in Albany, were popular and instructive. He 
had a rare faculty of expressing in plain language his 
thoughts on the most abstruse subjects, and also of hold¬ 
ing the attention of an audience to his theme. The 
severe labor, attendant on delivering courses of lectures 
at New Haven and at the University of Albany, ma¬ 
terially impaired his health, and before the close of his 
lectures, he was obliged to leave for a warmer climate. 
Strong topes were entertained, at first, of his recovery, 
but Providence had otherwise ordered. After his return 
to the north, he sank slowly to his end. Though con¬ 
scious that he must leave a world which was just open¬ 
ing to his ambition, and a circle of friends who fully ap¬ 
preciated his worth, he was cheered on by that Christian 
hope which had been his guide and solace during life. 
The exchange of worlds is for him a happy one, but his 
loss will cast a shadow on many a heart. 
His character was in the highest degree estimable, and 
his virtues were of that quiet, unobtrusive nature, which 
steal so readily into the affections of every one. He was 
eminently fitted to grace the social circle, and his pleasing, 
artless manner, winning address, and animated style of 
conversation, made his society peculiarly desirable. 
The personal friends of Prof. Norton mourn one who 
was endeared to them by the closest intimacy,—the 
scientific world, one of their brightest lights, and the 
readers of the Cultivator, a most valued correspondent. 
Thus in the space of five short weeks, have we been 
called to write the obituaries of the two most prominent 
Horticultural and Agricultural writers of the day, men 
whose places cannot well be filled, and whose memories 
will long be cherished by every lover of his country. 
High Price of Winter Pears. —Robert Thompson 
states in the Journal of the London Horticultural Society, 
that in January the scarcity of winter pears is such, that 
Jersey Chaumontels [an old but good pear] make their 
appearance, imported at the high price of not unfrequent- 
ly five pounds per hundred . This is more than twenty- 
four dollars—or about twenty-five cents each by the 
hundred. Would not an acre or two of winter pears 
afford some profit, if rightly managed? If four speci¬ 
mens sell for a dollar at midwinter, what would fino 
1 Easter Beurres bring at the opening of spring? 
