160 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



thousands of dollars' worth of commercial fertilizers in the 

 last fifteen years, we have found that we have been able to 

 grow crops at a profit, and that our land has improved in 

 fertility every year. The productive capacity of the farm 

 has doubled over and over again in the last fifteen years. 

 We have bought only potash and phosphoric acid. We 

 have never bought nitrogen except what little we have got 

 in fine-ground bone, buying simply those two cheap elements 

 of plant food, and but very little of the high-priced nitrogen, 

 trusting to luck, perhaps, to get it in some other way, or 

 trusting to cultivation. 



Professor Roberts. Trusting to the microbe. 



Mr. Hale. We did not know it was the microbe, but if 

 that was the fellow we have trusted to him. I am satisfied 

 that, by thorough cultivation, and, as the professor says, 

 never letting the ground lie bare, but when one crop is off 

 have something else growing there, and simply purchasing 

 potasli and phosphoric acid, you can not only grow crops at 

 a profit, but you can build up the worn-out New England 

 farms. If there are any such they are simply mismanaged, 

 I should say. 



The Chairman. Two years ago a man who keeps one of 

 our first-class restaurants called me into his store and said he 

 wanted to show me some peaches. He said, " Why is it 

 you Worcester fellows cannot raise peaches like these ? " I 

 did not tell him we did not know how to do it. He said, 

 " These peaches came from Mr. Hale in Connecticut." This 

 is the man who two years ago raised about fifteen thousand 

 baskets of peaches. I speak of it to show you that his 

 remarks are backed up by results. He is known all through 

 the East and even in New York State as the most successful 

 peach grower that we have in New England. 



Mr. West. From what material do you obtain your 

 phosphoric acid ? 



Mr. Hale Finely ground raw bone. 



Mr. Peterson. It would be profitable to us if we could 

 raise peaches as Mr. Hale does. Can he throw any light 

 upon this difficult question of peach growing without taking 

 up too much time ? 



Secretary Sessions. He has given you a little light on 



