Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-01-22


"a real, lasting, and not to be mitgated
sorrow was caused to me by the fact that
was unable to see and discover the cause of
my artificial manurcs ineffciency. In
thousands OF cases perceived each Of its in
gradients operating exactly in the way indi-
Gated by my theoretical researches and dis
coveries yet when united, aud brought in
to the shape of artificial manure, they
seemed to be worthless"
Sincerely convinced Of his doctrines cor
rectness, the perplexed discoverer was help.
less before its practical failure And yet,
decisivey favorable aud convincing result
was absolutely necessary to keep it aaoat, as
the opposition to innovating doctrines is
nowhere stronger and more tenacious than
among farmers and landowners, to whom
the inclination toward routine and the fol-
lowing of old courses is even more natural
than to the rest Of mankind.
From the beginning, they had scoffed at
the idea of preparing manure by artificial
means; they had declared aloud that animal
action was necessary for it's production, and
that, as frequently used phrase somewhat
peremptorily said, "The work of nature
could never be replaced by the produce of
a chemists melting pots !"
The failure Of Liebig's artificial manure
caused indescribabe jubiIation in the ranks
the farmers and landowners strange to say
they loudly rejoced to see that efforts which
had been made exclusively toward their own
good aud toward the raising of their condi-
tion aud welfare, had been unsuccessful!
The mysterious cause of the practical fail
uro Of Liebig's new system lay in funda-
mental error committed by the great chemist
himself The akalis and the phosphates
are the most essential mineral Ingredients of
the plants which, by aid of the manure,
must be restored to the soil they dissolve
most readily in water. Therefore, Liebig
thought it necessary to melt them together
with sllicious and argilaceous earth, to pre-
vent their being washed Oft by rain, which
he thought would otherwise have been the
consequences Of their excessive solubility, aud
to give the roots Of the plants timo for their
gradual absorption.
But whilst we all of us we're taking un.
necessary pains and trouble to fabricate an
insoluble union Of alkails aud phosphates,
nature herself, in her mysterious aud power
fuI laboratory, had already achieved this
task for us. We had failed to perceive and
to understand the natural law which makes
the arabic soil fit to retain, without any fur.
ther preparation, the nutritive mineral in.
gradients supplied to it in a soluble state
and to put them into the most favorable con.
dition for absorption.
To be sure, it was no unknown fact that
soluble mineral ingredients are partially ab.
sorbed by the earth, and experiments had
been made which showed that saline solu.
! tons. after their filtration through the earth
! experience a notable change, and that part
of the salt contained in them is absorbed
Yet, as far as the science of agricultural
chemistry is concerned, Liebg. after serie.
of most trying and troublesome investga
tions, was the FIRST to discover aud to set IN
regular s,eutifc order the effects of tht
natural law of absorption.
0 This discovery at once showed him the
cause of his artificial manure's inef6ciency
The deep emotion felt by him when he a
) last had reached the solution of this formida
/ BILE and most important problem may bes
be known from his own words:
"Alter having discovered the mysterious
cause of my mauures ineificiency, felt lik,
/ a man who RECEIVERS from mortal prostra
ton, and now, seeing and perceivlng clearl
r this most natural law, my previous blindnes
+. seems quite inexplicablo to me. Indeed
: human intelligence is often singularly limit
ed, aud fails to perceive the nearest and sim
| plest facts when they do not harmonic will
f ones proconceivcd order Of thoughts. Hav
5 ing deprived the alkais of their soubility
and imbedded them, by a melting process
0 into silicious or argillaceous earth had im
, peded their smalagamation with the soil ant
done every thing in my power to weaker
= their action. Only then, after so mau,
Q years, understood the reason Of my failure
/ every single mineral ingredient supplied tC
: the soil produced its proper effect, but m.
/. own science had made them ineffective
Q Alas | myself had done every thing to i'm
o pede the acknowledgement and the genera
Z propagation of my doctrine; had been m
d own worst foe by the erroneous composition
n Of the artificial manure, which otherwise
might SO much sooner have restored the fer
}. tility Of the exhausted soil had SHINE
Y against the supreme wisdom of the Creator
|. BY attempting "A needless ameioration OF hi
o works. Struck with fatal blindness, | be
is lleyed that one part Of that wonderful sys
IS ten had been forgotten, which, by constau
!. and uninterrupted series of admirable natu
@ raj laws, produces and maintains vegetabl
d life on the surface Of the earth. Feeble an
N impotent worm, had thought 1t possible t
redress au error made by the Creator !"
ID Often Liebig has been blamed for havin
i. changed his mind as to the best method @
G. employing artificial manure however, thes
'. reproaChes can not be considered as we
Of founded. Liebig has simply confessed hi
former error in the most upright and dign
TO fed manner The change caused in his opr
ious by the discovery Of the original sOurC
$. Of his practical failure was only natural.
n. Liebig's doctrine concerning the infuenc
ic of mineral ingredients upon vegetable Iii
2. simply called "Minoraltbeorie, in Gel
of many,) has Of late begun to conquer anott
r, er large field of application, being more an
" more followed in the cultivation Of forest
70 which gradually has been raised to the ran
OF of veritable science and, especially in Ge
ii many, to a very high degree of perfect iol
n. However, as far as the scientfc cultivatio
to of forests and the application of Liebig
ir mineral theory to it are concerned, much
n to be done still, aud in the pursuit of th
b. great task the sure leading hand and the Ell
t. ergetic will of the master himself are sadl
ig missed by his pupils.
Of The influence of Lebig upon the invest
es cation of animal life has in no wise been il
IS ferior to his researches into the mysteriol
If, processes which form the origin, growth, at
st decay Of vegetable substance; his discove
10. les concerning the nourishment of human at
of animal organisms are likewise founded {
ou his extraordinary knowledge Of organic chen
CO istry, aud, like his "Mineraltheore," hay
oh opened entirely new paths for the prOgrc
or of science.
ot Liebig's researches concerning animal Ii
lie and the nnnrishment of animal organisn