HOME-MADE SUPERPHOSPHATE. 51 



friends have gone in the statements that they have made in 

 relation to the influence of soil. I think the original 

 character of the soil does influence the corn-crop. I believe 

 there are some tracts of land upon which you cannot raise 

 corn successfully, — I have evidence which satisfies me of that 

 fact, — and if a farmer has any of that land, of course it is 

 the height of folly for him to plant corn upon that soil. It 

 seems to me that you cannot raise corn profitably upon a dry, 

 silicious plain. I do not know but that, by the use of these 

 chemical fertilizers, you might raise a tolerable crop of corn, 

 but my experience goes to show that you could not. You 

 want a good fair soil, and you may use chemical fertilizers 

 entirely ; and in every case, if the season is moderately favor- 

 able, you can raise at least eighty bushels to the acre. Let 

 me say here, that you may use for corn quite a variety ot 

 materials. For instance, a mixture of wood-ashes and very 

 finely ground bone-dust. In that mixture, we get potash 

 and we get phosphoric acid, and we get them in such a com- 

 bination that I found in every case — and I tried it upon quite 

 a number of fields — that I brought a most astonishing yield. 

 But the material that I have used has been home-made phos- 

 phates, which I have made upon my own premises. I know 

 that a great many farmers shrink from the attempt to make 

 their own fertilizers ; some have tried it, and failed ; yet I 

 think there is not a farmer in New England, of ordinary 

 intelligence, who cannot manufacture his own superphosphate, 

 and make a very good article. I know that this is denied by 

 some agriculturists, but I have modified my methods of 

 making ; and taking into account all the difficulties which a 

 farmer would meet with under the most unfavorable circum- 

 stances, I have come to the conclusion that there are but very 

 few, if any, farmers who cannot make their superphosphates at 

 home upon their own premises. Perhaps now there is not 

 so much necessity for doing it in this CommouAvealth as there 

 has been. I believe the action of our legislature has been 

 such that we ought to have a reliable superphosphate. I 

 believe all that are made in this State are examined by Pro- 

 fessor Goessmann, at the Agricultural College. Is it not so, 

 Professor Stockbridge ? 



Prof. Stockbridge. Yes, sir. 



