OXFORD COUNTY. 93 



manure will exliibit a uwarli.sh irrowtU. T>ut the evil docs not 

 stop here. The crops o)' wheat the next year Avill exhil)it the 

 same ineqnality, and so, also, the subsequent crops of p'ass. 

 Now would it not ))e better to arrange matters in such a way 

 as to luive a mixture as complete as possible, so that the crops 

 shall apj)car nuiform ? 



X know of (10 law in chemistry which would forbid the com- 

 plete mixture of all the substances usually ^employed as fertil- 

 izers, except that the alkalies,, potash, soda, and liine in 

 their caustic state, should not, undo ordinary' circumstances; 

 be applied to animal manures. As it is said that the stomach 

 will the better digest a vcgetablia dinner made up of a variety 

 of articles, so will plants also make use of a great variety of 

 elements in their healthy and vigorous growth. 



i have no faitli in applying plaster alone to a worn out pas- 

 ture to i-ender it any tiling more than temporarily productive; 

 nor do T yet believe that guano or super phosphate of lime will 

 alone keep u]) the annual fertility of our soils. There is a large 

 amount of vegetable mould in every well conditioned soil. 

 Nature in her cultivation for trees keeps on the surface a largo 

 quantity oi' this substance, I am aware that on many farms 

 such a substance is only a thing of tradition — or, at least, known 

 only l)y the oldest inhabitant; but rest assui-ed, gentlemen, if, 

 when you have mowed youi- land the second year, you do not 

 see a Ihick black coat of vegetable matter on the surface of the 

 soil, that you are exhausting j^our land, or else it was poor land 

 originally. 



I have alluded to this subject of mixtures, hoping tliat a future 

 cojiference may bring out your experience, which I appre- 

 hend has tested the subject to a certain extent. At all events, 

 make the subject of manure a leading one for your considera- 

 tion. A skillful farmer of this county assured me the present 

 season, that in order to keep up the fertility of the soil from 

 yea)- to y^sm-, it was necessary to double the amount of manure 

 usually made from his stock; and my own experience and ob- 

 servation go to confirm the statement. 



The experience of the I)est farmers goes to prove that on 

 most of the soils in this county, you may apply with advantage 

 great quantities of ashes, lime, plaster, guano, and super 



