62 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



my neighbors ask the privilege of drawing sand to put under 

 their cattle in the same way; and I will show you a field 

 where I have put sand soaked with manure, and have cut 

 two heavy crops of grass this year, and expect to cut two 

 heavy crops next year. 



Mr. Whitakee. I would like to ask the gentleman if 

 the heavy crops of grass that he cut were the result of draw- 

 ing the sand into the barn, and then drawing it out, and 

 spreading it on the land, or the result of using the sand and 

 liquid manure, which could be just as effectually spread 

 separately; if drawing the sand under the barn, and mix- 

 ing it with the manure has imparted any properties to the 

 manure which it did not possess before, or to the sand which 

 it did not possess before. Has he not been doing just about 

 the same thing (as I suggested to my man) as mixing whis- 

 key with water, and spoiling one with the other, without any 

 advantage? I will admit that the application of sand to 

 some kinds of land is beneficial. I have seen fine gravel 

 put on a low meadow, and good grass or clover brought in, 

 without any other manure whatever, simply by letting in 

 the air: it had the effect to lighten up the soil to a certain 

 extent. I have seen sand put on and ploughed in, and a good 

 crop of grass follow, without a particle of manure. 



In regard to this matter of the improvement of land, and 

 every thing else, we want to experiment carefully, so as to 

 be sure that we are not doing something that is merely labor 

 thrown away. We cannot afford to throw labor away : we 

 must economize it as far as possible. 



Mr. Sessions (of Hampden). It seems to me that in all 

 our recommendations here, in all the axioms of agricultural 

 truth we lay down, we should be careful that we do not make 

 ourselves appear ridiculous. Now, although I coincide in the 

 main, and almost entirely, with the thoughts put forth by 

 Mr. Slade, yet I agree entirely also with my neighbor here Mr. 

 Hubbard, in his idea of top-dressing. Some one said that 

 Mr. Slade was talking about Bristol County. He did not 

 tell us he was talking about Bristol County. He laid down 

 the proposition squarely, that it is not economical to top- 

 dress land. When we are talking, we ought to be careful 

 that we do not say something that will seem ridiculous to 

 other people. The gentleman who has just sat down says 



