SECRETARY'S REPORT. 275 



soil is brought in boats, to the extent of 10,000 tons, which 

 the company agreed to use upon the land ; the city contributing 

 16,000 to the enterprise, and the government adding an annual 

 sum of $800 to help start it, with the condition that the scientific 

 and experimental character of the farm should be kept up. 



It was rather an out of the way, place, the roads in the neigh- 

 borhood having been neglected and fallen into disuse ; while 

 there were not only no farm roads, but a lack of material to 

 make them of. The farm consisted of two narrow pieces, one 

 on each side of the canal, while the barn, and other buildings, 

 were located at the extreme end, at a considerable distance 

 from the canal and the bulk of the land to be treated ; thus 

 adding largely to the cost and difficulties of applying liquid 

 manure in carts, as they undertook to do at first, and of teaming 

 up the heavy forage crops. Distance required time of teams 

 and men. The soil was in a poor condition and very foul, so 

 lieavy as to require thorough drainage ; and that required a 

 good deal of outlay to get a main drain with sufficient fall. 

 Added to this was the difficulty of obtaining labor so near the 

 city, where wages were high, raising the prices correspondingly 

 in the neighborhood. Tiie climate was rather cold and damp, 

 owing in part to the proximity of the forest and the lowlands, 

 over which the fogs hung much of the time ; while another 

 most terrible pest turned up in the shape of rabbits. 



We, fortunately, know little of the misfortunes of a farmer 

 in Europe, where the game laws take from him the right of 

 protecting himself against the most frightful depredations upon 

 the growing crops. Rabbits are everywhere destructive, and 

 yet one can hardly pass a field of growing crops of any kind 

 without starting up many of these pests. Prof. Moll quotes 

 from a letter relating to this subject, which will throw light 

 upon the extent of the damages sustained from this source, and 

 I give it rather as one of the general causes of complaint in 

 Europe, than as incident to this particular farm : — 



" You start the blood from an open wound when you speak 

 to me of rabbits. I pity you from the bottom of my heart, if 

 you have this wretched race about you. You are indeed in 

 the forest of Bondy, if you are to draw daggers with sportsmen. 

 They think nothing but game worthy of consideration. Do 

 your best to put rich harvests upon the sands of Sologne ; estab- 



