“It is a shame,” continued Percy, “that agricultural science has so long been burdened with such a term as ‘phosphoric acid,’ which serves to complicate and confuse what should be made the simplest subject to every American farmer and landowner.  As agriculture is the fundamental support of America and of all her other great industries, so the fertility of the soil is the absolute support of every form of agriculture.  Now, if there is any one factor that can be the most important, where so many are positively essential, then the most important factor in the problem of adopting and maintaining permanent systems of profitable agriculture on American soils is the element phosphorus.

“Phosphorus in very appreciable amount is positively necessary for the growth of every organism.  It is an absolutely essential constituent of the nucleus of every living cell, whether plant or animal.  Nuclein, itself, which is the substance nearest to the beginning of a new cell, contains as high as ten per cent. of the element phosphorus.

“On the other hand, phosphorus is the most limited of all the plant food elements, measured by supply and demand and circulation.

“What is phosphoric acid?  Well, the professor of chemistry says it is a compound containing three atoms of hydrogen, one of phosphorus, and four of oxygen.  It is a syrupy liquid and one of the strongest mineral acids.  In concentrated form it is as caustic as oil of vitriol.  Why, here you have a Century dictionary.  That should tell what phosphoric acid is.  This is what the Century says: 

“’It is a colorless, odorless syrup, with an intensely sour taste.  It is tribasic, forming three distinct classes of metallic salts.  The three atoms of hydrogen may in like manner be replaced by alcohol radicles, forming acid and neutral ethers.  Phosphoric acid is used in medicine as a tonic.’

“That,” continued Percy, “is the complete definition as given by the Century dictionary as to what phosphoric acid is, and I note that this is the latest edition of the Century, copyrighted in 1902.”

“We bought it less than a month ago,” said Mrs. Thornton.  “We can have so few books that we thought the Century would be a pretty good library in itself; Mr. Thornton has had too little time to use it much as yet.”

“Well, even if I had used it,” said Mr. Thornton, “you see there are five volumes before I’d get to the P’s.  But, joking aside, I don’t get much out of that definition except that phosphoric acid is a sour liquid and is used in medicine.”

“The definition is entirely correct,” said Percy “Any text on chemistry will give you a very similar definition, and your physician and druggist will give you the same information.”

“Well, I know the fertilizer agents claim to sell phosphoric acid in two-hundred-pound bags which wouldn’t hold any kind of liquid.”