;[98 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



Lecture by the Secretary of the Board, on 



Commercial Manures. 



The subject of commercial manures has been forcing itself upon 

 the attention of the New England farmer for some years as one 

 of steadily increasing importance. What has contributed to this 

 more than any other one thing, is the enhanced price of labor. In 

 years gone by, when, with the help of his boys or with labor 

 hired at $10 or $12 per month, and by using the manure of the 

 farm-yard, he could get satisfactory crops, making both ends of 

 the year meet, or perhaps finding a positive gain after the store 

 bills and taxes were paid, in ready money or in betterments on the 

 homestead, he gave little thought to the matter of far-fetched, 

 artificial aids to fertilization. 



But times have changed ; values have changed ; boys generally 

 do not love the farm as well as they did when he was young. If he 

 wants labor now, he must put up with a poor quality at a dear rate. 

 It is evident that the conditions of success have changed, and that 

 some new path must be found or he will be left astern. He now 

 hears that concentrated manures may be bought ; manures very 

 unlike what he is accustomed to, but nevei-theless able to bring 

 good crops ; and cheap enough to yield him handsome profits. 

 He sees that, if this is true he can yet prosper hy using more manure 

 in pi'oportion to the amount of labor than he did formerly ; because 

 sixty bushels of corn grown on one acre -costs less than sixty 

 bushels grown on two acres, by nearly the difference of half the 

 labor bestowed on the two acres ; and it is labor which he most 

 needs to economise. He learns also that the price and the real 

 value of these commercial manures do not uniformly correspond 

 to each other; that some are high priced and yet very cheap, and 

 that some are lower priced and yet quite dear, and some are dear 

 at any price. Many are at a loss whether to buy or not. 



Previous to my acceptance of the position yet occupied as 

 Secretary of this Board, I had given the subject of Commercial 

 Manures only cursory thought ; but the law defining the duties of 

 the office, specified the investigation of such matters as pertained 

 to the interests of agriculture ; and there was no room for doubt, 

 that among these the subject of manures held a very prominent 

 position. Its chemistry Avas a pleasant task, for I well remember, 

 when a lad, that my favorite play-room was the laboratory, and 

 that more pocket money went for chemicals and apparatus than for 

 jack-knives and skates. 



