• SECRETARY'S REPORT. 197 



1. Upon the transmission of caries in grain, and the influence 

 of washing, soaking, fermentation of the seed on the stock, as 

 well as on the age and change of seed. 



2. Observations on the sensitiveness of growing plants to frost. 



3. On the effect of large, middling-sized and small seed pota- 

 toes. 



4. On plucking off the blossoms of potatoes. 



5. On the exhaustion of land by rape culture. 



6. On the exhaustion of wheat in comparison with green 

 plants and fallow. 



7. On the culture, year after year, of beets on the same land, 

 by constantly fresh manuring. 



8. On the continued culture of artichokes, on the same land, 

 with manuring every three years, 



9. On the effect of mowing, or not mowing, the late clover 

 stubble in autumn. 



10. On the depasturing of winter barley. 



11. On the manuring of meadows. 



12. On manuring with Peruvian, Baker's Island and fish 

 guanos; rape meal, bone meal, super-phosphate, Chili saltpetre, 

 salt, gypsum, gas lime, soda, peat ashes, Liebig's patent-manure, 

 artificial manures. 



13. On the effect of fresh and rotted manure, the mixture of 

 various crops, and many others. 



This field was very instructive and interesting. The crops 

 upon it, when I was there, were in full growth, including a 

 large number of varieties of wheat. 



Management of Manure. — There are two great manure pits, 

 one to receive the contributions from the stalls for cows and 

 young stock, and the other those from the horses, oxen and 

 fatting cattle. The liquid manure is received into cisterns, 

 whence it can be pumped up and thrown upon the manure heap, 

 or run down into the basins in the botanic garden. 



The manure is carried from the stalls on wheel-barrows and 

 added to the heap ; which is carted off usually every week, so 

 as not to ferment and lose its value. When this is impossible, 

 owing to bad weather, or the press of other and more important 

 work for the teams, — as during harvesting — the manure heap 

 is sprinkled over, from time to time, with plaster of Paris. It 

 never remains so long as four weeks in the bulk, except during 



