APPLICATION OF NIGHT-SOIL. 193 



to know how to apply them to the best advantage. I would 

 advise the exposure of night-soil to the air, mixed with min- 

 eral matter. I would apply it to the surface as a top-dress- 

 ing, depending upon the moisture of the atmosphere to carry 

 it speedily down. I would incorporate it with the soil, and 

 give it time to decompose, and change its peculiar features, 

 because, in the form of ammonia, it will be latent, and there- 

 fore cannot reach most of the agricultural crops which grow 

 on the surface-portion of the land. Of course, non-fermented 

 night-soil I would apply only in the case of very porous 

 soil, which would allow the nitrogen time to gradually de- 

 compose, which is essential for its action. Plants do not live 

 on the nitrogenous substances as they are in night-soil, but 

 upon the final products of decomposition ; that is, ammonia 

 and nitric acid. 



Mr. Stockwell of Sutton. This subject of fertilizers is 

 a vital one to the farmers of Massachusetts ; and the subject 

 which comes most prominently before the farmers to-day is 

 the fertilizers prepared under the formulas of Professor 

 Stockbridge, because his name is attached to them, and we 

 suppose he keeps careful watch to see that no imposition is 

 practised upon the farmers. The farmers of our vicinity 

 used these fertilizers to a large extent last year. They were 

 satisfied with the results, and more than satisfied; they 

 thought they had got hold of the right thing. And the re- 

 sults from the town coming before the Club, they have used 

 a great deal more of these same fertilizers this present year, 

 but, I am sorry to say, without satisfactory results. We do 

 not know what to attril)ute it to ; but there seems to be some- 

 thing significant in the fact that this is the universal result. 

 With the exception of one of the formulas, which is applied 

 as a top-dressing to grass-lands, which is prepared by Mr. 

 Bowker, and has given satisfactory results, all the formulas 

 have proved unsuccessful. We naturally look to find what 

 we should expect from the fertilizers, and what guaranties 

 we have that they are prepared properly, and that we have 

 our money's worth. In looking at ]\Ir. Bowker's circular we 

 read : — 



" The formulas by which these manures are made call for 

 a stated quantity of nitrogen, potash, phosphoric acid, &c., 

 which are never obtained pure in commerce for agricultural 



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