ANDROSCOGGIN COUNTY SOCIETY. 51 



"We understand that the Society, by offering a premium on com- 

 post manure, wish to arrive at the best method of so combining such 

 materials as are available to all farmers — as to afford the cheapest 

 and most effective fertilizer. To this end it offers its money to en- 

 courage the study and application of agricultural chemistry among 

 its members. In some respects, it is encouraging experiments, and 

 yet the constructing of valuable manures need not be simple experi- 

 ments. An accuracy of knowledge may be arrived at as certain in 

 its results as any geometrical problem or mathematical demonstration. 



A man with proper information may go to work to construct his 

 manure heap with the same certainty that he puts rocks together to 

 build his stone wall. Any decaying matter is suitable to be com- 

 posted for fertilizing the soil, only we need to understand how to 

 combine them so that the gases and volatile salts shall be retained 

 in the solid mass till mixed with the earth and needed for use. 



So much interest does not seem to be felt in the subject of manures 

 as would be desirable, only three competitors having presented them- 

 selves for premiums. The competitors are Mr. Oliver Mower, Mr. 

 Tristram Hill, and Messrs. Lewis Gilbert and son, all of Greene. 



Farmers of Androscoggin, according to this, Greene bids fair to 

 be the richest town in the county. 



Mr. Mower's method of preparing compost is as follows : 



One cord of rich earth, the wash of the road. 



Two cords muck. 



Two cords mud and leaves from hard wood forest. 



Two cords hog manure procured at a tannery, the hogs being fed 

 on fleshings of hides. Also about half a cord being partly hen ma- 

 nure, lime and ashes. 



All can readily see that this must be a very powerful manure and 

 rich in ammonia, as was shown by the specimen presented. But as 

 Mr. Mower relied for its strength chiefly on the hog manure from 

 the tannery, and as he has engaged all that Miller & Randall will 

 have for the year to come, we do not conclude that this information 

 will be very valuable to farmers in general. They could not obtain 

 the material on their farm. Mr. M. understands the value of manure 

 to the farmer and has enterprise to procure it. He pays four dollars 

 per cord for this article at the tannery, and hauls it eight miles, and 

 no doubt makes money by the operation. 



