123 



to foreign guano. I think, if we can get hardwood ashes at ten cents a bushel, it pays 

 better to use that than any of the artificial manures. 



Mr. President Dempsey. — We have been advising the Government of Ontario to 

 establish, in connection with the Agricultural College, a laboratory, which would enable 

 them to analyze any fertilizer which we might see fit to purchase ; and if that recom- 

 mendation is carried out, I do not see why we should not be willing to send them a 

 sample of any manure we might buy at any time, and if it did not come up to the claims 

 of the person selling it, I do not see why we would not be justified in prosecuting him, 

 just the same as we would a person who should sell us a barrel of flour which was partly 

 made up of sand. 



Mr. Beall. — I was reading an article on artificial manures lately, which I am sorry 

 I did not read more carefully, it bore so nearly upon this matter. It was written by a 

 gentleman in England. He said that superphosphates, as well as all others of those patent 

 manures, if they were honestly put up, were pretty much what they were guaranteed to 

 be — that is, they would all have the good effects promised for them by the persons getting 

 them up. But the great difficulty was in the farmer not knowing where to apply them. 

 He went on to say that probably three fourths of all the artificial manures which were 

 applied in England were put upon soils which did not require those particular kinds of 

 manure. There is no doubt that from this time forth a man, to be a successful farmer, 

 must understand the chemistry of the soil. This writer says that straw is the least valu- 

 able of all the manures. He speaks of landlords binding tenants not to take any straw 

 off the land, and says it is the most foolish thing a man can do. He says he can buy 

 manure five times as valuable for what the straw is worth. 



Mr. Edwards. — Some years ago I was thinking of going into the manufacture of 

 artificial manures, and an uncle of mine, who was carrying on the business in the old 

 country, told me, " You can dissolve the bones with common sand, kept moist, just as 

 well as you can with anything else, but it will take longer." He said that it would not 

 pay to dissolve bones with sulphuric acid, unless I could buy it for two cents a pound. 



Mr. Saunders. — This is entirely different from anything I ever heard before. I 

 cannot understand how sand can do anything but increase the weight, 



Mr. Bucke. — Salycilic acid does work on the sand. 



Mr. Saunders. — But there must be something else with it. 



Mr. President Dempsey. — Persons engaged in the manufacture of superphosphates 

 claim it is necessary they should use something as a precipitant, and they prefer sand, on 

 account of its heaviness. 



CULTIVATION OF THE GRAPE. 

 Colonel McGill read the following paper : — 



grape growing at oshawa. 



In compliance with a request from the Secretary of this Association, I have jotted 

 down some of my twenty-five years' experience in grape growing. I find that good ground, 

 deep and well pulverized, and well enriched with well-rotted barnyard manures, and a 

 south-eastern slope is essential to success. Have rows twelve feet apart, and vines twelve 

 feet apart in the rows. Train vines on the arbor — stake and trellis — like the latter 

 system best. I prune in the fall as soon as the foliage falls. Trim to two buds. Lay vines 

 down just before the ground freezes up ; covering vines with a little dirt — let them re- 

 main covered until all danger of spring frosts is past. I give my vines clean cultivation, 

 cultivating the ground two or three times during the sximmer. I give the ground a good 

 dressing of well-rotted bai'nyard manure, and a dressing of ashes, lime and s».lt every 

 other year. Don't trim in the summer, except nipping off the tips of the branches that 

 bear grapes, at two or three leaves from last bunch of fruit ; this causes new laterals 

 and leaves to grow which is beneficial to the ripening of the fruit. I get my best bunches 

 of grapes where the most foliage is ; the more foliage the better the fruit. Have tried 



