168 N. H. STATE AGRICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



and ploughed it under seven inches deep, then planted it 

 with potatoes, and had an excellent crop. Thought the 

 manure was not lost. 



Mr. Howard replied that there was a large amount of 

 organic matter in the muck, and it also acted as an absor- 

 bent and retained the ammonia, which would otherwise 

 escape into the air. He thought that manure ought to be 

 well rooted before being applied to the soil. 



Mr. Locke, of New Ipswich, had a piece of moist land, 

 upon which he had carted a heavy coat of manure, and 

 ploughed it under, then planted it with potatoes. He 

 could not see as the manure did his potatoes much good, 

 but the next year he had an excellent crop of oats. He 

 thouglit tliat the reason the manure did not benefit the 

 potatoes the first year was owing to the fact that the 

 manure did not decompose, the reason for which was, that 

 the land being wet and cold, and the sod being turned over 

 in that state, rendered the land impervious to air, conse- 

 quently the manure could not decompose, and could not 

 become food for plants. Still he thought that the best 

 way to apply manure was to plough it under, and let it rot 

 in the soil, thereby retaining all the fertilizing gases, which 

 would otherwise escape into air. 



Dea. Cragin, of Mason Village, and Dea. Kimball, of 

 Temple, concurred with the last gentleman in the belief 

 that ploughing the manure under was the most economical 

 method of applying it. 



April 22, the discussion was opened by Dea. 0. Barrett, 

 which was on the best method of feeding cattle. Mr. Bar- 

 rett thought there had not been attention enough given to the 

 subject. He was of the ojnnion that farmers should feed 

 their cattle with what they raise from their farms. He had 

 been accustomed to purchasing meal, shorts, <fcc., and found it 

 expensive, and last year he adopted a new system as a mat- 

 ter of experiment, and it far exceeded his expectations. He 

 cut about 8ix tons of clover when quite green, and cured it 



