FOR PROMOTING AGRICULTURE. 131 



judged to be so continuously prosperous as to warrant an 

 award at the end of the term. 



In 1878 the trustees authorized the reprinting of a book 

 originally issued by the society in 1866, entitled, "High 

 farming without manure." It was a translation of a French 

 work written by M. George Viele, professor of vegetable 

 physiology in the Museum of Natural History in Paris. In 

 it he explains at length a series of experiments begun by 

 him in 1860 with artificial manures, now commonly called 

 i( fertilizers.' 7 The experiments were based upon principles 

 of chemistry ; the tests were made upon adequate areas of 

 farming land, and the results he obtained vindicated the 

 scientific theory which he had announced, as to vegetable 

 processes and growth. All the compounds now commer- 

 cially known as fertilizers, are prepared in a manner gen- 

 erally conformable to this theory. The society's large edi- 

 tion originally published was promptly taken up, and the 

 re-issue was in response to a continued popular demand. 

 It is doubtless to be regarded as an indirect consequence 

 of M. Viele's announcements that in February, 1873, the 

 trustees voted to import from Germany, for distribution 

 among Massachusetts farmers, six tons of chemical ma- 

 nures. Samples of these were analyzed subsequently for 

 the society, by Prof. Francis H. Storer of the Bussey In- 

 stitute. Of like significance is the shipment, in April, 

 1873, as a gift to the society from John Bennett Lawes of 

 Rotherham, Eng., of three tons of super-phosphate. 



In 1882 the society entered upon another series of impor- 

 tations of live stock. At the beginning of the year, action 

 was taken preparatory to the purchase abroad of not ex- 

 ceeding six stallions of the Percheron breed. In April, 

 when President Motley was about to visit Europe, the board 

 desired him to make the purchase. In July, a letter was 

 received from him, saying that the demand had been such, 

 and so many recent exportation s had been made, that it 

 was doubtful if a good selection could be made at satisfac- 

 tory prices. A cable reply was sent authorizing the pur- 

 chase, at his discretion, of five stallions, at not exceeding 



