Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-10-19
very little error under each head will often be
found to lead to woful error in the general re-

suit.
Again, it is extremely common to find fact
themselves thoroughly well established
coupled together in the relation of cause ant
effect without any proper warrant, but slmpl!
in consequence of some, perhaps accidental
coincidence of time or place.
/ A sick man is visited by the Doctor who pre-
scribes dose of a particular mediclne---tht
patient takes this, and soon after gets well OF
| gets worse, as the case may be-how often dt
we hear the assertion that this proves that the
patient has been cured or injured by the nedl
cine, though perhaps the result would have
been exactly the same if he had refused to take
the prescription all. In like manner 1t l;
amusing to notice the different styles IN which
the supposed effects of different manures are
spoken of in seasons of particularly favorable
or unfavorabe weather. In very favorable
season pretty nearly all crops do WELL farmers
are in too good spirits to make very precise COM
PARSONS, and every one who has used any
tertilizing material is disposed to say that, be-
| cause he has made such or such an application
| to his land, and has obtained fine return from
| his fields, therefore he has made the good
crop by the manure, and that the particular
fertilizer he has used is that he is going to stick
| to in the future and to recommend to all his
| neighbors. Ga the other hand, in a very un-
| favorable year tone OF excessive heat or con-
tlnuOus rain for lnstance-n0 one crop succeeds,
| every one is disappointed, and there is strong
tendency on the part of all those who have en-
ployed fertilizers to declare the materials they
have severally used worthless-each farmer,
whether he impute fraud to the manufacturer OF
whom he purchased or not, at any rate vow
ing that he will never again use the special
material to which he attributes his i'll success.
= 1t is highly important to remember that,
while particular result following after a par
tlcnlar procedure one occasion Ofltself proves
but little as to there being any true connection
between them, if like coincidence happen a
second time the probability that the one is
caused by the other is much strengthened, and
it such experience often repeats shows that the
supposed cause Is always or almost always fol-
lowed by the same result, while in the abs nce
of the former the latter is also absent, the mind
can arrive at but one conclusion.
If single farmer had on a single occasion
srewn super phosphate of lime upon his field
and in that season made a good crop of frutabaga
it would be far from proved that the proper
manure with which to prepare land for this
plant had been found-but when we find that
the application of super phosphate of lime after
having been tried for many years and by thou
sands of farmers almost always is succeeded by
fine crops of field turnips we are justified In
concluding that the manure used has really been
the cause OF the general success, and that the
exceptional cases of failure have been due to
other causes-peculiar to the place Or season
inf erfering.
But even ii our experience has been extensive
enough to fully satisfy US of the dependence Of
a certain effect upon certain cause, we may be
wrong in assuming that that cause acts IN a
particular sCoy
It is far from uncommon to find cause and
. r,a in an ind
secondary manner, whereas most people are in
clined to take for granted some very simple and
direct form of relation between the two.
1t appears easy to understand how many of
the most i'm oorJant constituents OF our mineral
manures produce their beneficial effects upon
crops when we find that these same substances
such as phosphoric acid, potash &c. uniform
ly form large part of the mineral matter of
the growing plant itself and are to be met with
In the ash which the plant yields on burning off
the vegetable portion. Now it Is we'll ascer-
tanned that common salt used IN moderate
quantity exerts a very generally beneficial effect
upon the fields to which it is applied, and i'm
proves the crops raised thereon.
Common salt itself consists solely OF the two
chemical substances chlorine and sodium,
With these facts alone before US, most people
would be ready to say that chlorine and sodium
are certainly the other materials just re-
ferred to, forus of mineral food for plants, and
must be found as constituents OF their ashes.- =
Yet there is much reason for believing that this
is not so-the quantity OF chlorine aud OF sodl-
um found in the ashes of most cultivat-
ed plants is SO variable, and generally so SMALL
that these can hardly be reckoned amongst the
essential elements entering into the composition
of the plants While We are inclined, therefore,
to reject this explanation OF the benefit derived
from manuring with common salt, careful ex-
periments, to which attention has been drawn
by Professor Llebig, seem to point out another
and true solution of the question. This emil
nent chemist has strongly insisted upon the
fact that phosphate Of me-bone-earth-the
direct utility of which you are all aware of, and
which is practically lnsOluble In pure water, is
dissolved in very perceptlble amount by water
containing a little common salt. l do not III. an
to assert this is the only way IN which common
salt may exert useful action in the soil-it is
enough for my present purpose to show that
it is at least one way, and that an Indirect one,
by which it becomes the cause OF Increased
fertility, but some persons may perhaps say
why trouble ourselves about the manner In
which particular effect Is brought about r
Why not content ourselves with establishing
the fact of such an effect being produced, and
reaping the benefit derived from such know
ledge lis it not enough to know that common
salt may be usefully employed as manure
without any necessity for cudgellng our brains
as to the precise way in which it acts? L.
however, we contrast the two conceivable modes
of action, to which reference has just been made
1t will at once be seen that it is by no means
uniln portant for US to be aware which of these
really occurs in nature. 1t common salt were
capable of acting as direct food for plants, then
lis value when applied as manure would de-
pend upon the previous presence Or absence OF
the same substance in the soil on Which such
application is 10 be made-but, if its action con
sists in rendering soluble the earth phosphates,
then the questions arise as to any soil upon
which its use is proposed, not only whether such
soil already contains common salt or enough OF
it, but further whether there be also present
the phosphates themselves upon which the
solvent action is to be eXerted-if these be not
present, or not in adequate quantity, then they
too should be made to enter into the compost
ton OF the manure to be employed.
Assuming that our observations and expert
ments are carefully and judicously made, that
the facts which they have Established are clear
ly and accurately recorded, and the conclusions
which they fairly lead to are fully and soundly
thought out in the shape OF general principles,
there still remains the application of these facts
and principles to useful practical purposes.
/ Here the element of economy is at once In
troduced- ECONOMY of time-economy of la
bor-econon,y of money. 1t is not sufficient to
show that particular result can be accom-
plished in particular way, but it must be fur
ther examined whether this be the only way in
which it can be achieved, and, if not, which of
the several methods it is possible to adopt Is
the cheapest, the easiest the quickest, and In
general the most profitable Thus, for ex-
ample, it is not enough to have found out that
by applying certain quantity Of certain sub