SECRETARY'S REPORT. 295 



in the most scientific manner, by Messrs. Lawes & Gilbert, and 

 on a scale of sufficient magnitude to make them of great prac- 

 tical and scientific value. I failed to see them while in London, 

 in 1862, owing to a pressure of other calls upon my time, but 

 I determined to let nothing hinder me if ever another opportu- 

 nity should occur. And accordingly I spent a day there in 

 September, in company with Governor Wright, whom I had 

 persuaded to accompany me. Though many pages would be 

 required to give the details of the important results to which 

 they have led, and an account of the enterprise itself, I am 

 compelled, from want of space, to pass them over with little 

 more than a casual allusion. 



The experiments with the grass plots, and the grains, inter- 

 ested me most. The land adjoining, which was similar to that 

 on the experimental plots, has been left to show, by contrast, 

 the effect of the diiferent modes of treatment of these acre 

 plots. This land is a strong clay, apparently better suited 

 naturally to wheat than grass. It is not naturally good grass 

 land ; yet the experiments show that even on such land, any 

 grass we please may be grown by the use of proper manures. 

 The plots consist of one acre each, carefully measured off, and 

 have been treated for seven years with such scientific accuracy 

 and care, that the experiments may be relied on with implicit 

 confidence. The results are very striking and instructive. 

 They show that ammoniacal manures are especially adapted to 

 produce a luxuriant growth of the cereal plants ; that they 

 have an effect on the quality, as well as the quantity of these 

 plants; that mixed mineral manures, consisting of phosphoric 

 and alkaline salts, largely increase the leguminous plants, such 

 as the clovers ; that it does not do to apply ammoniacal salts 

 alone, but that a fair mixture of mineral and ammoniacal 

 manures is best. They show that pastures can be improved to 

 an almost indefinite extent by a liberal application of suitable 

 manures. The land naturally would not, and does not, yield 

 over a ton to the acre. The applications have, in some cases, 

 increased it to over three tons per acre. 



None of these plots have been under the plough within the 

 memory of man, if I was correctly informed. On one or 

 two of them a large amount of artificial manure had been 

 applied, as high as eight hundred pounds in some instances, 



