1878.] TRANSACTIONS. 9 



Mr. Draper said he would advocate deep stirring of the soil, but not 

 the bringing up to the surface of the lower strata ; he had also trenched 

 land two feet deep, stirring the soil and taking out the stone, but not 

 turning it bottom side up. 



Mr. Hadwen then suggested the proper time to apply manure ; he 

 said manure evaporates but little ; the best farmers put out the manure 

 when most convenient and plough it in when they get ready ; this is 

 a revolution from the old system ; he said the gases which escape from 

 manure heaps in the open field are not fertilizers, at least they are 

 not ammonia ; their value is not worth considering ; this is Dr. Goes- 

 mann's observation ; Mr. Hadwen said it is doubtful if keeping manure 

 in a cellar is as valuable as spreading it immediately on the soil; he 

 was closely questioned by Messrs. Marble and Earle, and expressed the 

 opinion that there was nothing like fresh manure for the soil ; he related 

 his own experience in effect that compost, or well rotted manure, is less 

 valuable than fresh manure upon the soil ; he would at this season draw 

 the manure and spread it on the surface. 



Mr. Sears said he would partly accept Mr. Hadwen's theory ; he had 

 tried the experiment and in the same field, the same season, with part 

 ploughed in the fall and part left on the surface until spring, and a third 

 part spread from the barn cellar in the spring, and the latter gave the 

 best crop. 



Mr. Hadwen replied with his experience ; he ploughed in September 

 and began putting on manure on the surface, keeping it up until snow 

 was deep, compelling the delay till spring of finishing the^work ; the 

 manure was spread evenly, but the best crop was where the manure was 

 put on the field in the fall and winter. 



Mr. Kinney asked if hen manure and hog manure are to be treated as 

 has been recommended for cow manure ; he thought any manure should 

 be put where all its good can be saved ; he thought hen manure and hog 

 manure would waste in exposure in an open field. 



Mr. Hadwen said manure will not thaw so soon as thejearth, and when 

 it does thaw and liberate its elements the earth is ready to receive them ; 

 this explains why the manure spread in the winter does not waste. 



Mr. Chamberlain said a bare piece of ground forbidden to grow a crop, 

 will be impoverished sooner than by an exhaustive crop ; he wanted to 

 know where the elements go to ; his theory was to extract ;^the fertility 

 of the soil the quickest possible way, to arrest and make use of the 

 escaping elements. 



Mr. Earle believed manure lost a dollar a cord if left uncovered. Mr. 

 Chamberlain thought winter-exposed manure would start a crop better, 

 but it would waste in summer. Mr. Dawson would use green manure 

 for strawberries and old manure for corn. 



