190 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



If we were as particular to use absorbents to save the liquids of 

 our horned cattle, as we are to use bedding and absorbents to 

 save our sheep manure, my answer is, we shall have equally 

 strong manure. 



Where I live, manure is " the chief end of man ; " it is our 

 " staff of life ; " it may be considered, perhaps, what we live 

 for. For what do we farmers do but to raise our grain and our 

 hay to feed our stock, to make our manure, to feed our crops, 

 to teed our stock — and so it goes, year in and year out ; and 

 the great, absorbing question with us is, what shall we do to 

 make more manure ? I hope that this question will be fully 

 discussed by all present, that we may take it in all its branches, 

 and be profited thereby. 



The Chairman. Will Mr. Smith give us his mode of 

 application. 



Mr. Smith. " Where doctors disagree, who shall decide ? " 

 the saying is. The Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture 

 has adopted measures to provide for experiments to ascertain 

 what is the best way in which to apply manure to different 

 crops, biit it has left out of the calculation the peculiarities of 

 season, and a thousand other things, upon wliich the answer to 

 the question in great measure depends. I am satisfied, that in 

 most cases, the best way to apply manure is to apply it near the 

 surface, yet a gentleman on my right ploughs it in to the depth 

 of five, six, seven, eight and ten inches. You ask my own 

 method. I am of opinion that we do not lose so much of the 

 strength of the manure by evaporation as we have formerly 

 considered, and as I have said, for most all crops, I put it at 

 or near the surface. For my corn crop, I plough either in the 

 fall or spring, the time depending upon circumstances. I am 

 in favor of the fall, because the teams are in better condition, 

 and I gain so much time, which is of great importance, with all 

 we have to do in our short seasons. In the s'pring, I haul my 

 manure on, and harrow it in two or three inches. I am satis- 

 fied that is the best way for the immediate crop, and for the 

 crops wliich will follow that. My farm is so situated, that some 

 parts of it, I do not tliink it advisable to plough at all. Those 

 lands I keep in grass, and upon them I put yearly a deposit of 

 compost manure ; and I am satisfied tliat by so doing I receive 

 the greatest profit from the grass tliat I could get. The quality 



