282 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



bj order of this board of health to empty it into cess-pools 

 within six feet of their cellar walls. Now, Mr. Chairman, I 

 do not believe we can over-estimate the importance to our- 

 selves of this question. How can we stop this rush of 

 fertilizers to the sea, as Mr. Olcott has put it, or this danger 

 to human life, as these other gentlemen have put it, as well 

 as he ? But I see the great importance of this matter and 

 the importance of some expression on the part of this con- 

 vention upon this subject, and I want to make this simple 

 motion, that the chair appoint a committee of three, who 

 shall draft a resolution to be offered at the meeting this even- 

 ing, expressing the opinion of this convention upon the 

 importance of this question and the importance of public 

 action upon it. As Prof. Brewer has told us, there must be 

 and there will be public action upon this subject. I think it 

 no more than fair to Connecticut that this body of most 

 intelligent gentlemen should express their opinion upon this 

 question. 



This motion was carried, and the chair appointed the com- 

 mittee as follows : Messrs. Chamberlain of Meriden, Prof. 

 Brewer of New Haven, and Dr. Bowen of Woodstock. 



Question. How many bushels of corn can be raised per 

 acre, upon land too poor to raise anything but mulleins, by 

 using patent fertilizers alone ? 



Mr. Ayrb. I have raised with commercial fertilizers, or 

 chemicals, one hundred and forty bushels of ears of corn to 

 the acre on land that was too poor to grow mulleins. 



Mr. Gold. I think Mr. Hall of Wallingford raised on 

 those sandy plains over one hundred bushels of ears of corn 

 to the acre by commercial fertilizers alone. That land is 

 naturally too poor to grow anything. 



Question. At what expense ? 



Mr. Gold. He had a very handsome percentage of profit. 



Mr. Chamberlain. Will you tell us what the fertilizers 

 were ? 



