MANURES. 131 



The foregoing experiments, when commenced, wore not 

 intended for publicity. I was induced to offer the results to 

 the society by the solicitation of several persons who had wit- 

 nessed the operations in the field. Should they prove at all 

 interesting, or of any utility to the farmer, I shall be amply 

 repaid in the end, and doubly paid in knowing practically 

 hereafter the best fertilizers to be used for the renovation of 

 grass lands, or sward partially run out or otherwise. 



The remarks in my former reports, of 1860 and 1861, will 

 show the importance, in my opinion, of knowing what can best 

 be done to promote the interests, and encourage the farmers 

 in raising one of the most profitable as well as valuable of crops 

 — that of hay. 



The farmer of small means is often induced to worry along 

 with an old and worn out sward, whereas had he taken it in 

 time and used upon it but a small portion of his manure, he 

 would have been incalculably remunerated on seeing a large 

 crop of hay for his reward. 



I hope it will not be taken amiss, when I say farmers must 

 drop some of their old-fashioned notions of tilling the ground 

 in this age of improvement, and strike out some new mode of 

 production, where labor and expense can be saved, in making 

 two blades of grass grow where only one grew before. 



This subject of top-dressing reminds me of a little incident 

 that happened while I was employed on my first experiment 

 in top-dressing. An intelligent and practical farmer happened 

 to be passing at the time — he asked, " Why not put that manure 

 under the grass ? " meaning, no doubt, by turning it over. I 

 replied it would be yery expensive, as much manure would be 

 required, as well as much labor ; and again, I could not get a 

 good crop of hay under four years, as it would require two 

 years to get the ground in good tilth, and two more after being 

 seeded down to obtain a good crop. I promised to let him 

 know the result of my experiment the next year, which I did. 

 It was on a ten acre lot, that had not been turned over for 

 many years ; that I expended upon it about seventy-five dollars 

 in manure of a compost kind, which was applied late in the fall 

 of the year. In the following season, in July, I cut (first crop) 

 nineteen tons ; in September following (second crop) six tons, 

 making twenty-five tons on the same land on which I only cut 



