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is apparent that an inducement for distant as well as near visitors is con¬ 
ducive to importance ; and that the wealth of any State is in its members , 
and that its happiness, as well as its well-being, is in diffusing the great¬ 
est amount of good to the largest number of people. 
Yours faithfully, 
John Berkley. 
To Albert C. Ingham, Esq. 
Sec. of the Wis. State Agr. Society. 
THE NATURE AND ANALYSES OF SOILS. 
BY r. E. HOY, M. D., EACINE. 
The prosperity of the farmer will be much assisted by a knowledge of 
the nature, habits and proper food for each crop he wishes to cultivate; 
as well as a knowledge of the composition of the soil, what crop it is 
best adapted to produce, and what manure it may require to render the 
growing of other crops profitable. 
It is now a well established principle, that different vegetables require 
different food, as well as animals. It would be just as absurd, in view of 
the well established principles of agricultural chemistry, to ‘ plaster’ land 
in order to insure a good crop of wheat, as it would be to expect a lion to 
thrive on oats ; while on the other hand, turnips, clover, and some other 
crops, would be materially benefitted by it, (plaster,) provided their soil 
did not already contain enough, which is impossible to know without 
analysis. Nature’s laws are invariable, and it is the interesting business 
of the scientific agriculturist to become acquainted with her laws, so far, 
at least, as it relates to his occupation. In this I propose to render him 
some assistance, and if he will not be discouraged by the bare words 
chemistry, analysis, <fcc., I will endeavor to prove that the analysis of 
soils, so far as to arrive at practical results, is simple and easy; requiring 
no array of costly apparatus or great skill, and a very limited knowledge 
of the mysteries of chemistry. With a little patience and industry, the 
hand that guides the plow may be made to analyze the soil it cultivates, 
and become familiar with qualities and composition—that grand key to 
a rational and successful svstem of agriculture. 
V O 
