Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Agricultural chemistry

AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY, that department of chemistry which treats of the composition of soils, manures, plants, etc., with the view of improving practical agriculture. The science is comparatively young. The first steps were taken by the experimental investigations in the life processes of plants, by Hales, in 1727, and also by Ingenhousz, whose work on “Experiments upon Vegetables” was published in London, in 1779, and by Saussure, whose work appeared in Paris, in 1804. In 1813, Sir Humphry Davy published his “Elements of Agricultural Chemistry,” and he is considered among the English as the founder of the science. Comparatively little, however, was done in the matter until Liebig, in 1840, published his “Organic Chemistry, in Its Relation to Agriculture and Physiology,” which was regarded as an epoch-making work. Since then great strides have been taken in this science. The most important bases of agricultural chemistry to-day are the experimental stations which are found in agricultural colleges, and in many of the universities in the United States and elsewhere.

Source: Collier's New Encyclopedia 1. (1921) New York: P.F. Collier & Son Company. 68-69.