lot TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



Upon motion, it was voted that Mr. Reed, now in the city, who 

 professes to be able to illustrate that potato rot is caused by an 

 insect, be allowed to explain his theory before the club at the next 

 meeting, and illustrate it as he may be able. 



Mica as a Feetilizer. 



Mr. A. Morrill, Orange Co., Vt.: " What is Mica, chemically ? 

 The soil of some of these hills twelve hundred feet, probably, 

 above the sea, is a fine loam. Instead of silex mica characterized 

 it. Mica is in every stone. Here are schist, granite and lime- 

 stone boulders, the latter black and tough, but may be broken 

 into building stone. Copper mines not far oif, iron pyrites, plum- 

 bao-o, a mixed up region, but mica everywhere. The land pro- 

 duces all the New England crops ; but potatoes and Indian (?) 

 wheat, and red-top grass seem to be favorites. Potash is a good 

 special manure, plaster does not pay, bone is needed. Would the 

 club suggest any other special as an antidote to an excess of 

 mica ? Orange county is divided in a north and south direction 

 by a fissure (for road and river uses), about 300 feet deep. On 

 one side of this rent stock have bone-ail, on the other there is no 

 complaint, though but three miles away. But on the former the 

 grass and hay are destitute of phosphate. We know the remedy. 

 But if the club could reach the poor cows, through the owners, 

 there would be a song, but not the one the ' cow died on.' Pro- 

 bably not one of you ever saw the poor bovine mother that has 

 given herself away through her udder, has been eaten alive, and 

 in the autumn, the forlorn and emaciated thing, unbraced, all to 

 pieces, skin, but not bones, shrinks before the December winds, 

 but every rough hair utters a complaint and a censure. Sheep ^ 

 and horses do very well." 



Prof. Tillman. — Mica is composed of silica, alumina, potash and 

 oxyde of iron. It is one of the constituents of granite. It is 

 generally supposed to add fertility to the soil, on account of the 

 potash it contains; but this alkaline oxyde is not of so much 

 importance as another lime, which is a prominent component of 

 every animal organization. 



Mr. Solon Rol)inson. — Lime is generallj^ found beneficial upon 

 all soils containing mica in excess. The great want of the soil 

 described is phosphate of lime. It would pay richly to spread 

 400 lbs. of flour of bone upon every well cultivated acre of land 

 in that county. 



