There was fenced off a so-called experimental field with the samples of different fertilizer. The experiments gave a brilliant result. The peasants were amazed: the crop on the experimental field got above twice and three times the harvest on their fields. Kapustina-Gubkina remembered that once the peasants came to Dmitry Ivanovich with a question. After having finished the work, they couldn’t help asking about what had amazed them so much: “I say, Mitry Ivanych, your bread has grown so good over the Arzhany pond… Is it your talent or fortune?” The eyes of Dmitry Ivanovich flashed gaily and clearly, he grinned cunningly and said: “Certainly, brothers, the talent.” Sometimes he liked to talk to the peasants in their “vulgar manner”, and, according to the recollections of Kapustina-Gubkina, he did it very naturally, it suited very much “his Russian face.”
After some time the agricultural experiments in Boblovo were stopped because of the lack of time, but Mendeleyev applied to economic, agricultural and industrial problems of a larger scale.
Later he will say in his work “To the knowledge of Russia”: “In my life I had to take part in the fortune of three… affairs: oil, coal and iron-ore.” During the period of 1880–1883 he applied to chemistry, technology and economy of petroleum industry.
The scientist made the laboratory research on sublimation of petroleum at the Konstantinovsky factory of V. I. Ragozin near Yaroslavl. Under the observation of Mendeleyev at this factory there was made a special device, with the help of which the scientist was testing the organization of the continuous sublimation of petroleum.
While working in the “petroleum sphere”, Dmitry Ivanovich published the number of economical works. The main ideas, expressed in the economic works of this period (“The Letters about the factories”, etc.), come to the following. The industrialization of Russia at the present stage of its development is a historical necessity. The number of peculiarities of economic and geographical state of Russia – the underdeveloped natural resources, idle manpower or usable only seasonally, capacious home market of Russia itself and also of the neighbouring Asiatic countries, remoteness of many regions from the harbours and the rise in prices of imported hardware as a sequent of it – creates opportunities for developing the national industry.
D. I. Mendeleyev also studied the questions of economy of the coal industry. On the instructions of the government he studied the reasons of its crisis in the south of Russia. During winter and summer of 1888 Dmitry Ivanovich was in Donbas thrice, he learned the state of affairs at the main entrails, visited many mines and factories. He expounded the results of his trips in the number of official documents; he made reports at the meetings of Russian physico-mathematical society and broadly illustrated in a large publicistic article “The future power, resting on the shores of the Donetz.”
During the process of studying the industry of Donbas Dmitry Ivanovich came to a conclusion that the development of Russian industry was hampered by an incorrect correlation of the stuff export and the finished hardware import. After the trip to Donbas he started active work on the revision of the customs-tariff, into which he put many efforts. The result of it was the book “Perspicuous tariff, or the Research of the development of industry of Russia in connection with its general customs-tariff of 1891.”
In the book “Perspicuous tariff” the analysis of different systems of political economy is given, the customs policy of west-European countries is being examined, and first of all of England. A great importance is given to the history of the customs policy of Russia beginning from the 16th century.
The main idea of Mendeleyev – the use of industry – underlies his theoretical views. “Industry is a necessary link of the contemporary life of people at all steps of their development… It is necessary to put up with the participation and meaning of importance as with the structure of air and water, as with the necessity to live and die.” “If twinkling of the dawn of that future world and of the rightful allocation of prosperity, possible for countries and people, is visible ahead – just by means of the same industry, because the experience of history showed the inadequacy neither of the concentrated effort of the military power, of various forms of landed property nor of the highest development of enlightenment, especially since it is still drawing inspiration of the most pugnacious and reasoning classicists for reaching this gospel direction…”
At the same time D. I. Mendeleyev was seriously interested in the problems of aerostatics and meteorology. In summer of 1887 he made a famous flight on a balloon, organized by the Russian technical society. The flight took place during the solar eclipse. The scientist was attracted by the opportunity to observe the corona for the first time during this phenomenon.
Mendeleyev was preparing seriously this important experiment. He suggested, e. g. to use for flight a balloon, filled not with a coal gas, but with the hydrogen, which provided the raise to the big height and, therefore, guaranteed the success of the observation.
On August, 7th, in spite of the early morning-hour, an enormous crowd of people gathered at the place of start of the balloon, near Klin: scientists, close friends of Mendeleyev and just those, who wished to see this exciting show. It was supposed that Mendeleyev and pilot-aeronaut A. M. Kovanyko would fly. However, the balloon became wet because of the bad weather and appeared to be unable to raise two people. Mendeleyev flew alone. Mendeleyev wrote in his notes about the flight: “… however, I should explain the reason why I had an immediate determination to travel alone, when it turned out that the balloon wasn’t able to raise both of us… Understanding that we, professors, and scientists in general, are considered everywhere to be able to say and advise but not to be able to manage the practical work, that we, the Shchedrin’s generals, always need a peasant to do something otherwise we are all fingers and thumbs, – played a great role in my decision. I wanted to demonstrate that this view might be fair in some other cases, but unfair regarding the naturalists, who are passing their lives in their laboratories, at the excursions and in the research of nature in general. We should certainly be able to manage practice… and there was an excellent opportunity for it.”
The air-balloon raised high not enough and the sun was partly covered with the clouds, nevertheless, the scientist described the shape, color and the size of the corona in his essay in details.
Since Mendeleyev had lifted and landed the balloon skillfully, many people started talking about the coincidence of happy chances, which had allowed to make the flight so successful. Mendeleyev couldn’t agree with such an explanation and added to the famous words of Suvorov: “Good luck, God forbid, good luck” – “There is something necessary except it. Both beauty, if not always, but most often corresponds to the high measure of advisability, and good luck – to the calm and completely reasonable attitude to the goal and means.”
The air-balloon “Russian”, on which D. I. Mendeleyev flew from Klin on August, 7th of 1887 during the solar eclipse
In the middle of the 1880’s serious changes in the system of higher education happened again. The liberal Charter of the University existed till 1884. On August, 23rd Alexander III signed the bill of the minister of public education I. D. Delyanov about abolishing the “liberties of 1863.” The law liquidated the autonomy of the University and placed its life under the care of the minister and of the curator of educational district. Essentially the charter had put big obstacles on the way to the perfection of education and to the development of science in the universities. The system of higher education obeyed even more the State, the social staff of the student organisation was being changed. Most of the professors of Petersburg University sharply disapproved the university counter-reform.
During the period of preparing the charter Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev still sharply objected to it. He thought that the maximum openness of the defences and publication of positive and negative responses was necessary. “On the whole, he wrote, the “new” Charter of the University has deprived the universities’
