Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-01-22
bitterness of his youth and youthful short.

Oi'tclhoss VI MS JVuVh "hu y""'"' D"
comings.
In the year 1910, Justus Won Liebig first
began to investigate the secrets Of vegetable
aud animal life. Fortunately for the result
Of his researches, he had then already at
tanned high fame as scientific author and
university teacher nay, even at that time,
as far as the science Of chemistry is con-
cerned, he already outshone all others, ex-
cept the widely celebrated Berzelius.
The school for chemistry and the chemi-
cal laboratory founded by him in Grossen
had carried his reputation to every civilized
country, aud eager pupils, among them
great many young Americans, were contln.
ualy streaming to it from all parts OF the
globe. So his voice could not easily re-
main uuheard, and the new doctrines con-
cerning agricultural chemistry which he pro.
claimed, quickly spread throughout the
learned world, as well as the public in gene
raj. The same discoveries made by young
and unknown professor, might, perhaps, in
spite of their intrinsic value, have been lost
in oblivion, or at least have made their way
more slowly, and thus been by far less bene.
| fetal 10 humanity.
The essence Of Liebig's researches on vege-
table life may be characterized in a few
words he was the first to discover the in.
trinsc connection between the plants and the
mineral ingredients of the soil, and to work
out this discovery into clear and scientific
system. Ii is true, many years before Lie.
big, even in very remote ages, certain mine
rails, as gypsum, calcined bones, etc, were
employed for manures But this was mere
empirical operation, and no one ever thought
of procaminG the theoretical and scientific
necessity of restoring the mineral Ingredients
carried off in the crops from the soil. The
people merely placed gypsum, ashes, or
bones, on their fields because they had seen
good results but, as to the real cause Of
their favorable influences upon the fertility
Of the soil, this was perfect mystery, and
remained thus, so long as the chemists and
Psychologists OF the period inclinel to consid-
er the minerals and the small percentage of
ashes contained in the majority Of plants, as
a fortuitous combination, aud thought them
the nearer to ideal perfection the smaller
their percentage of ashes was found to be.
Previous to Liebig's discoveries, the word
"ashes' designated mere elementary con-
ceptiou every thing which is left after the
burning of wood, coal, or any vegetable
matter, was called ashes, and any residue of
the kind was considered to be alike in sub
stance aud composition.
That all these "ashes" are totally different
from each other, and nearly as different as
the plants themselves from which they are
derived, was first discovered and proved by
Justus Won Lebig; and this discovery, to
which he was led by series Of most ingen-
ious but also most laborious experiments,
became the chief course of his fame aud
glory.
Under Liebig's direction, patient end
vigorous staff of assistants made countless
experiments in nearly every accessible part
of tho globe, and analyzcd with the utmost
care the ashes of many thousand different
plants. The unanimous result Of their in
vestigations proved to a certainty, the natu-
raj coherence between vegetable life and in
organic matter; they showed that every
plant of the same kind, whatever may be the
substance and the composition Of its soil, re-
ceives the same mineral Ingredient into its
frame, and cannot live and grow in u place
which is entirely devoid Of the minerals nee.
essary to its existence. To cite but one ex-
ample, the tobacco plant chiefly withdraws
lime from the earth, under every zone aud
in every climate its cultivation, in a soil
absolutely deprived of that mineral, is simp-
ly impossible, however literally the other
conditions Of its existence may be provided
for.
These results, plainly showing the error
which former ages had committed when neg
lec;ng aud denying the Importance Of miner
al ingredients in vegetable substances, natu-
rally led t0 u division Of plants into several
classes, each Of which received the name o
its principal mineral ingredient; regardless.
Of botanical denominations, they were divid-
ed into few simple classes, according tc
their predominant contents Of lime, kali
silcous earth, etc.
Thus Lieblg's doctrine concerning the in.
fuence Of mineral matter upon vegetable life
t was firmly established, and nothing seemed
easier than to carry it into practical execu
, tion. 1t was no longer unknown what mine
raj ingredients every plant draws from tn,
: soil nothing else seemed necessary than t
= convey them in sufficient quantity to th,
, fields, in order to obtain boundess anC
never.ceasng fertility. Here we touch upor
fatal moment in the great chemists life.
Perhaps it would have been BETTER if Lie
big simply had offered his priceless discover,
to the practical agriculturists. AMI had al
lowed the farmers to put his theory int
practice themselves, instead Of devoting hi
g own exertions to that task. Probably hi
" doctrine would then have made its way soon
X er aud more easily, and at any rate lou
l. series of troubles, delusions, vexations, an
II hostile attacks of all kinds would have bee
II spared to the dscoverer.
Is But the viyacity Of his genius allowe
IS him not to restrain himself to mere theoret
:, cal investigations on the contrary, he dc
+ voted himself with all the energy of his pow
n erful mind to the task Of popuarizing and @
d carrying them into practical execution.
d The opposition aud resistance he had I
encounter were extraordinary.
1t is no agreeable task to speak of the eau.
es Of this strange fact for it must be cor
~ fessed, that both parties, the enthusiast
y preachers Of the new doctrine as well as az
1t riculturists had their part in it. FIRST {
m all, the deficient instruction of the latte
their ignorance and absolute want of an
thing like physical or chemical science, wor
10 great obstacles they did not, and could nc
understand the technical language in whic
the new doctrine was preached to then
And then, on the other side, the immoderat
zeal of the innovators did much harm the
le violent abuse of the farmers aud land.owr
is ers ignorance, narrow-mindedness, and oil
Of tuseness, produced ill-feeling among the lat
D. ter, and increased their prejudices. Lebi
,e himself was less guilty than any other (
G. such deplorable rashness, but his disciple
,r often passed the proper limits in the exec
il Of their benevolent zeal the author himsel
ID having been one of Lieblg's first and mo-
e. convinced pupils, coniesses to have done s.
ne But all these obstaclcs--the Ignorance {