Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1884 edition. Excerpt: ... SCIENCE FOR FORESTERS. A Knowledge of the substances of which any plant or tree consists, and an intimate acquaintance with the properties of the soil in which it is to be placed, will enable the planter to determine at once whether in his selection of a site he is putting within the reach of that tree all the elements necessary to ensure its healthy growth; or it will enable him to modify his soil by cultivation and manuring so as to fit it for the requirements of the tree, so far as this can be brought about by artificial means. But in order to insure this result he must not only possess a knowledge of the elements of matter, but he must also understand the laws by which they act both singly and in combination with other bodies. Chemistry, by the dissection of bodies, finds out their constituent parts: this process is called Analysis, and by its aid we are enabled to separate the component parts of all substances, whether these be solid, liquid, or gaseous, into their elements. By the opposite process, which has been called Synthesis, we are enabled to reunite these elements in such proportions as to produce the original substances.' All elements manifest certain dispositions to combine or reunite when separated, and this property is known as Affinity. While Physics explain the causes, it is the province of Chemistry to investigate the processes and record the results. CHEMISTRY OF SOILS. Some knowledge of the chemistry of soils is as essential to the forester as to the agriculturist; for while the latter can so far modify his rotation of crops and his supply of manures, natural or artificial, year after year, as to meet his requirements, the former cannot hereafter atone for errors of judgment except by an outlay which may prove...
