SECRETARY'S REPORT. 9 



form? or rather, what is the most profitable mode of applying 

 manure for the nourishment of plants? The first form of the 

 question has already been answered in the rule laid down, that 

 the more thoroughly and intimately the plant food is diffused 

 through and mixed with the soil, the greater will be the growth 

 of any plant placed therein, in a given time. This rule will 

 not apply as an answer to the second form of the question, on 

 account of the great labor and expense of thus thoroughly 

 mixing the manure with the soil. None of the implements in 

 common use will answer the purpose. The spade or fork is 

 best adapted to this end, but in this country its use is attended 

 with much too large an outlay and requires too much time. 

 The cultivator and harrow are efficient, but act only super- 

 ficially. The plough is well adapted to invert soil, but is a poor 

 implement for mixing other substances with it. Digging 

 machines are promising, but not as yet available. 



There are in common use three ways of applying manure, 

 and a fourth which has found favor to some extent. We refer 

 to the broadcast application, believing that any other is but half 

 a manuring, and not to be here considered. The first mode 

 which we will examine is that of covering manure in to the full 

 depth of a first ploughing. The argument for this is, that it is 

 not buried so deep but that the roots find it readily, and that it 

 being the nature of manure to rise in the soil, therefore at that 

 depth the plants will be best siipplied. Let us look at this 

 argument for a moment. According to our rule before given, 

 a layer of manurial matter buried deeply, is far from having its 

 substance diffused through the soil, or mixed with it ; and 

 although it may be within reach of the roots, yet it can never 

 encourage the formation of as many roots as if it were more 

 distributed. It is generally considered that the thrift of a plant 

 has a direct relation to the number of its roots. 



Under what circumstances or in what sense can manures be 

 said to rise or fall in the soil ? It is evident that only the soluble 

 and asriform constituents can change their position. The inso- 

 luble bulk of the manure must remain where it is first placed, 

 until again disturbed by the plough or other implement. If 

 the soil be saturated with water, as a consequence of rains, the 

 soluble portions of the manure will be carried downwards, as 



the water percolates in that direction by the force of gravitation, 

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