MANURES. 57 



to be applied to it, lest it should appear that it was as well sup- 

 plied with a given element as the prepared manure itself, and a 

 consequent failure should be inevitable. But the field is as 

 limitless as it is important, and I leave it to abler hands. 



Statement of Charles P. Preston, of Danvers. 



Having heard from persons whom I supposed to be good 

 authority — that is, those who had experimented with bone as a 

 manure, that it was a very valuable fertilizer, for corn as well as 

 other crops, and having also the opinion that our soils are gen- 

 erally deficient in phosphates, I bought last spring five barrels of 

 bone manure — four of Day's manufacture, and one from the 

 firm of Devereux & Co., Boston. 



I applied it, at the rate of 300 pounds per acre, to two acres 

 of corn land, first having spread ten ox-cart loads of good barn 

 manure to the acre on the green sward, and turned it under to 

 the depth of six inches, the bone being applied in the hill, and 

 mixed with the soil as much as practicable. 



The corn came well, but — with the exception of some places 

 where manure heaps had formerly been put — it grew generally 

 very slowly indeed, and some hills not at all. The worms 

 destroyed some plants, and other plants, which were not molested 

 by them, seemed to die out for the want of nutriment to keep 

 them alive, so that the vacant hills were quite plenty and were 

 filled by planting white beans. 



On a small portion o,f the field no bone manure was applied, 

 and no appreciable difference marked the crop on this portion. 

 On another part unleached ashes, at the rate of twenty-five 

 bushels per acre, was applied in the hill at the time of planting 

 without bone. Here, I think, nearly double the quantity of corn 

 grew, it having started very well in the spring and continued a 

 good growth through the season. On another small portion, 

 " Gould's Muriate of Lime," at the rate of GOO pounds to the 

 acre, was put in, on which the crop produced was about the 

 same in amount as on the other parts of the field to which an 

 application of bone was made. 



In this trial I could perceive no difference between " Day's 

 bone manure " and the " flour of bone " procured in Boston. 



I planted another lot of one acre ; one-half with corn and the 

 other with potatoes, having ploughed the sward under to the 

 st 



