124 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



elements that Prof. Stockbridge uses, and also lime. B}'^ turning 

 to his formula, I find that Ville uses one hundred and thirt^^-two 

 pounds of quicklime to the acre, a quantity so small and cheap as 

 to seem immaterial, and an amount more than supplied by the phos- 

 phates of lime in which the phosphoric acid of Prof. Stockbridge 

 is found. I am unable to discern any difference in the two sys- 

 tems, or in their application to practice. Each undertakes to re- 

 turn to the soil the proportion of the three essential elements re- 

 moved by the crop, and M. Ville adds, for P^rance, a veiy small 

 quantity of lime. If, however. Prof. Stockbridge really contends 

 that he can, year after 3' ear, remove from the soil twice as much of 

 these elements as he supplies, and constantly improve the soil, he 

 certainly makes a claim which is original. 



The fertilizer recommended by M. Ville was fairly tried by my- 

 self and others on corn and other coarse crops ten 3'ears ago. It 

 proved successful in all respects, except that it was too expensive to 

 be economical. 



My conclusions as to the Stockbridge Fertilizers, at present are 

 these : 



That they contain nothing valuable in theory, that was not well 

 known and fully illustrated by Liebig, Ville, and others, long ago. 



That the formulas, as given, involve a fallacy, and if followed 

 must either result in a failure of the crops or exhaustion of the 

 soil. 



That an application of enough of the elements named to actually 

 produce a crop and maintain fertility, is too expensive for ordinary 

 use. 



Discussion. 



Marshall P. Wilder supposed that the eyes of the gentlemen 

 present would be turned to him as the representative of the Mas- 

 sachusetts Agricultural College, of which he was one of the found- 

 ers. The paper which had been read was full of information, 

 posting us up in regard to the history of the subject, and the 

 writer had not only come in as evidence, but had undertaken to 

 act as judicial authority. Mr. "Wilder regretted that Prof. Stock- 

 bridge had taken out a patent for the manufacture of fertilizers 

 according to his formulas, but the patent covers nothing except 

 the right to sell these mixtures under the name of the Stockbridge 

 fertilizers. The materials can be bought anywhere, and anybody 



