STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 119 



its object to develop not only the agricultural, but all the 

 industrial resources of our State, I have alluded to the suc- 

 cessful employment of peat in the manufacture of various 

 useful products employed in the arts, and to its uses as a 

 cheap and efficient fuel. I have deemed it due to the Society 

 as well as to myself, to describe the methods I have employed 

 in my analyses. This . . . will enable men of science to judge 

 of the reliability of the results I have laid before the Society. 

 I have at the conclusion of my report alluded to some other 

 important subjects of investigation which might be under- 

 taken with advantage. Before entering into the account of 

 my analyses of manures, I must state, what you can testify 

 to, that since my appointment a year ago as chemist to the 

 Society, it has been difficult to find in all our markets any 

 positive impositions upon the farmer in the way of fertilizers. 

 Accordingly the eclat of showing up glaring humbugs is not a 

 distinguishing feature of my labors during the last year. I 

 trust, however, that the comparative freedom of our State 

 from fraudulent manures is a sufficient recompense for the 

 fund which the Society appropriated to my investigations. 

 Finally, I have prefaced my Report with some general consid- 

 erations relative to the nature, uses and abuses of manures, 

 which I hope will be of service in guiding to their judicious 

 application. 



The comment of Dr. Dyer, secretary of the Society, 

 on this report was : 



The action of the Society at the last annual meeting, in 

 securing the services of a chemist, has proved efficient beyond 

 the expectations of the warmest friends of the measure. . . . 

 During the past year scarcely one very inferior or worthless 

 commercial manure could be found in Connecticut. Manu- 

 facturers or dealers who could not with safety warrant their 

 manures have sought other markets. . . . The work already 

 bestowed upon the peats alone could scarcely be had of any 

 professional chemist for the whole amount of our appropria- 



