THE NEW AGRICULTURE. 77 



fair opportunity to observe in the adjoining land not yet brought 

 under the new system, also in an excavation in progress where 

 workmen had to strike heavy blows with their picks to penetrate 

 the hard clay. The land treated by Mr. Cole was originally part 

 of a considerable tract that was regarded as extremely poor, and 

 my observations led me to conclude that the estimate was just. 

 The most striking effect of the treatment, as it seemed to me, was 

 entire change of character, particularly mechanical condition, due, 

 in large part, no doubt, to the very thorough manipulation, for it 

 is not comprised in the trenching alone. The entire area is dug 

 up to the depth of fifteen inches, and all stones of any considerable 

 size, even down to an inch in diameter, removed, thus changing 

 mechanical conditions to such a degree that one is impressed with 

 the great difference between the land treated and that immediately 

 adjoining. You step upon the trenched land anywhere and yeu 

 find the soil yields to pressure of the feet, not a spot where it is 

 not soft and yielding; but on the land adjoining it is hard and the 

 foot makes no impression whatever, Another change is in color. 

 That hard, forbidding clay has taken the appearance of muck, or, 

 at least, the color of muck and loam intermixed. Its texture is 

 aptly described by Mr. Cole, who calls it an earth sponge. 



" We were called to examine strawberries from plants set, as we 

 were informed, last October, and I am free to say that the plat was 

 a very interesting object inviting study. There was a full crop of 

 most remarkable berries remarkable in size, color and quality. I 

 cannot undertake to estimate the yield, but it was certainly very 

 large. I called Mr. McCann's attention to one plant of older set- 

 ting that had ripe berries and others in the various stages of growth, 

 enough, I thought, to fill iny hat if they could be picked at one 

 time. One peculiarity of these berries was the absence of what 

 may be termed a core, or hard stem in the middle ; they were juicy 



