AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 225 



garden cultivation, and have invariably found it perfectly free from incon- 

 venience of any kind ; and that is to dilute the liquids intended for irriga- 

 tion to such a degree as almost to extinguish smell. In that state I have 

 always found it admirable when applied to plants, because it is readily 

 carried beneath the surface of the ground in minute subdivision, facilitating 

 rapid decomposition, and complete absorption by the roots, and believe 

 that a single load of solid manure sufficiently liquified, will have ten times 

 the fertilizing power that it would applied In the solid form. The miscel- 

 laneous refuse of any house in the country, containing ten persons, will be 

 found amply sufficient, if properly diluted with water, to irrigate and make 

 rich, five acres of land, to an extent of fertility far beyond anything ever 

 yet obtained, or possible to obtain, by top dressings. There are hun- 

 dreds of farms within a few miles of us, capable of producing an abundance 

 of straw and some grass, with a small supply of water. All the owner of 

 such land has to do, is to place stock upon it, they will eat the straw, and 

 convert it into solid manure ; the water will liquify it, and gravitation con- 

 vey it to the fields. The only labor required throughout this beautiful 

 operation will be to open and shut the sluices. 



It seems to me important to remember the fact already stated, that an 

 extent of dilution sufficient to almost extinguish smell, and so clear that if 

 you did not know its contents you would not refuse to drink it, is the best 

 condition for the assimilation and absorption by the roots of plants. The 

 more I dilute the better I appear to progress in my horticultural improve- 

 ments, because the fibrous particles are entirely gotten rid of, and there is 

 nothing left to clog the mouths of the rootlets, which are so small that I 

 have never discovered them with the microscope. I have even found that 

 it is a good plan, after irrigating with this liquid twice each week, to irri- 

 gate once with pure water, which so completely washes the fibrous matter, 

 that there is no nidus left for animalcules in the soil. Therefore be assured 

 that your liquid manure is not in a condition fit for assimilation by the 

 plant, so long as there are particles in it, visible to the naked eye. You 

 cannot induce the roots of plants to take in solid bodies in a division so 

 minute as to be held in suspension in water, because they are filters, formed 

 by God, so perfect that those employed in the laboratoiies of men will 

 never compare with them. Furthermore, the weakest solutions of manures 

 that can be made are not altogether absorbed by the spongioles of plants ; 

 a separation invariably takes place ; a certain portion of the dissolved salt 

 leaves the water the instant it enters the spungiole. If you will make 

 very thin solutions of sugar, gum or starch, and place plants in them, they 

 will grow ; make them thick, and they will block up the pores of the vege- 

 table tissue, and the plant will die. All the plans for the precipitation of 

 sewer water, which have been examined, precipitate some portions only of 

 the manure, leaving the most valuable in solution. 



There is no doubt but that the experience derived from garden cultiva- 

 tion, forms the very best basis for culture on the farm, inasmuch as the 

 [Am. Inst.] 15 



