146 THE NEW AGKICULTUEE. 



would call for the use of tile, clay or cement, since, unfortunately 

 in the light of economy, Dr. Earley is not as well situated as those 

 who can with greater economy and facility avail themselves of the 

 advantages of our discoveries, as he does not possess what is, 

 in due time to be recognized as the greatest of good fortunes, a 

 retentive subsoil coupled with an abundance of stone. Notwith- 

 standing this the Doctor was one of the first among friends who 

 entered heartily into sympathy with us, carefully examining our 

 methods. A man of rare intuition he seemed to discover the whole 

 thing at a glance, pronounced us on the right track and predicted 

 that our work was one sure to result in making an end of the run- 

 ning of the waters in riot over soils; that the latter could and ulti- 

 mately would be so conformed as to pass the waters of rains, dews 

 and snows through them, and that waters of streams, pools, ponds 

 and lakes would be by this means filtered and made pure, and rel- 

 atively an end be made of the seeds of fungus now producing de- 

 cay and death. Doctor Earley, was, in fact, the first man whom we 

 met who agreed with us as regarded this fertile and fundamental 

 cause, from which, come the ills to which all flesh is heir. 



PHILADELPHIA, PA., March 28th, 1885. 

 Hon. A. N. Cole, Wettswlk, N. Y. 



DEAR SIR : Your letter enclosing circular, was forwarded to me 

 here from my home at Ridgway, Pa. I see in the circular that I 

 am expected to write a chapter on fungi, for your forthcoming vol- 

 ume, devoted to the promotion of your new system of agriculture 

 and horticulture. 



This demand comes upon me like an electric shock, as I fear that 

 the- time will be too short to do justice to so important a subject. 

 My time is so fully taken up with a diversity of interests, that I 

 hardly know how to gain the time required to treat a subject of 

 such prime importance, since it is one that will not bear hasty 



