1847.] Transactions of the State JlgricuUural Society. 25 



are sufficiently simple, requiring little or no fixtures and inexpen- 

 sive, but they do require chemical knowledge, and I should utter- 

 ly fail to explain them without using much technical language 

 and far exceeding the space of an essay." 



We have omitted the latter part of the paragraph as unimport- 

 ant. The doctrine of special manures is undoubtedly advancing 

 and making progress in the minds of intelligent agriculturists; 

 still it is not probable that any particular element or any particu- 

 lar composition w^ill be found generally useful. This we have no 

 wore reason to expect than that one kind of food is to be pre- 

 pared which shall be applicable to the wants of all animals; or 

 if we take the bark, leaves, seed, woody fibre, and all the part of 

 a vegetable into consideration, we shall imdoubtedly be satisfied 

 that every special manure must consist of the alkalies, lime, phos- 

 phates and sulphates, and silicates; for there are but few plants 

 whose ash does not contain them all, and how those elements 

 must always be present, but in different proportions when intend- 

 ed for different crops; and it is for this reason that the excre- 

 ments of the herbivorous are so valuable for manures; they con- 

 tain all these elements in the proportion which is more generally 

 applicable to the want of the cultivated plants, than any other 

 known to farmers. 



The Improvement of the Plow in the United States: By A. B. 

 Allen. 



This essay embraces a history of the improvements of the plow 

 in the first part, and contains a description of several of the best 

 plows now in use. The American farmer is under obligation to 

 Mr. Allen for this paper, inasmuch as it embodies his own valua- 

 ble opinions in regard to the different kinds of plows in use in this 

 country. 



Plank Roads: By Geo. Geddes. 



This article is quite appropriate to the objects of the Transac- 

 tions. Roads and their special improvements are matters of the 

 highest importance to the farmer. Their produce must go to mar- 

 ket, and as some sections of the country are more favored than 

 others as regards facilities of reaching them, a community of farm- 

 ers can never consistently with their interests throw obstacles in 

 the way of the creation of roads of easy transportation. 



On the construction of plank roads, Mr. Geddes gives the fol- 

 lowing important directions, p 249: 



" In constructing plank roads, it is necessary to have the earth 

 upon which the planks arc to be laid, broken up and made fine, 

 that they may touch the earth at every point. This is important, 

 for if any space be left for air under the plank, or along side the 



