SUCCESS WITH FERTILIZERS. 203 



corn I ever saw; but I raised over four hundred bushel- 

 baskets of corn on the two acres and a quarter, and that I call 

 a fair yield. On another piece of sward-land that was run 

 out to grass, I applied thirty-three dollars' worth. There was 

 about an acre and a quarter of it. The corn-stubble was not 

 as large as it was on the other piece ; but I had about fifty 

 bushels to the acre. I also applied it for Hungarian grass 

 with good results. It has been applied in our town to all 

 kinds of crops, and, I believe, with satisfactory results. 



I felt that these remarks were due to this audience after 

 what has been said by the gentlemen who have not obtained 

 satisfactory results. I desire, Mr. Chairman, that we may 

 hear from Mr. Bowker, the manufacturer of that article. I 

 feel, that, in justice to him, he should be allowed to explain 

 the matter to this audience. 



Mr. Paul of Dighton. In the meetings that I have at- 

 tended I have often heard the question asked which was 

 asked by Mr. Hersey, as to the experience of those who have 

 used commercial fertilizers ; and so far I have never heard 

 it answered. I farm it only in a one-horse fashion, in a very 

 small way ; but I have used more commercial fertilizers than 

 most of our smaller farmers. I have used them for some 

 twelve or thirteen years. I live forty miles from Boston, and 

 most all my produce goes into the Boston market. For the 

 last eight years I have used more than seven hundred dollars' 

 worth of manure annually on sixteen acres of land ; and if I 

 got my money back, and paid my bills, that will certainly be 

 evidence that it pays. I do get my money back, and I pay 

 my bills ; and my land is better for it. The smaller portion 

 of my purchases has been stable-manure. I will go over the 

 list which I have used, accessible to the farmers of the State 

 generally. In addition to stable-manure I have used leached 

 and unleached ashes, which are not obtainable in all portions 

 of the State. I have used fish-scrap, which can be obtained 

 by any person. I have used bone after the glue-manufac- 

 turers and the soap-manufacturers have extracted the glue 

 and the grease. That was put in crushed, in the form of 

 bone-meal, in its raw state, except that the glue and the 

 grease had been extracted. I have used dissolved bone, — not 

 superphosphate, but what strictly goes under the name of 

 dissolved bono. I have also used nitrogenous superphosphate 



