190 ARTIFICIAL MANURE. 



spread as atop dressing; or put in the hill. Expe- 

 rience will teach — I only suggest." 



The principle which should guide the farmer in 

 the making of artificial manure, has now been con- 

 sidered. The author of these pages is not a practi- 

 cal farmer, agriculture is not his pursuit, and he has 

 studied its chemistry, only as a recreation from the 

 daily duties of life. He has thrown out suggestions, 

 the result of researches, undertaken with reference 

 to a totally different object, and these suggestions 

 have been acted upon by practical men, whose 

 results confirm his previous anticipations. He has 

 no theory on this subject to maintain, his opinions 

 must stand or fall by practice, speak for themselves. 

 Yet he is not altogether, indifferent to the practical 

 results which may follow his suggestions, and he 

 should consider that he had inflicted a serious injury 

 on agriculture by the publication of erroneous 

 opinions. When a man's character is to be estab- 

 lished in a court of evidence, — what is the rule ? 

 The good old English rule ? To call upon the by- 

 standers, the country present, taken indiscriminately 

 from all who may have known the person. Do not 

 summon persons whose interest may throw a shadow 

 of suspicion, on the testimony of the witness. And 

 so here, let it be proved if it can be, whether the 



