LECTURE ON MANURES. 179 



MANURES, GENERAL AND SPECIAL. 



BY DR. JAMES R. NICHOLS. 



In commencing a series of farm experiments in 1863, with the 

 view of deciding;, for my own satisfaction and that of others, some 

 controverted points regarded as of much importance to the inter- 

 ests of hushandry, it was felt that no satisfactory results could be 

 reached in less period of time than four or five years. The mat- 

 ter oHime in all farm experiments, in my view, was of the highest 

 importance, and therefore it was resolved to make no extended 

 statements or venture upon any conclusions until the experi- 

 ments had been carried through several successive seasons. 



It is now nearly or quite seven years since a purchase was 

 made of a farm of about one hundred acres in Haverhill, county 

 of Essex, and upon which there has been bestowed considerable 

 attention and some trials made of fertilizing agents of various 

 kinds, and under ordinary and extraordinary conditions. I 

 have thought that perhaps I could in no better way bring the 

 important subject of Manures^ general and special, before you 

 than to call attention to the nature and results of a few farm 

 experiments, those relating more specifically to manurial agents 

 outside of animal excrement. 



So far as I could learn, there were some interesting problems 

 in agriculture which had never been satisfactorily solved in New 

 England, or, in fact, in no section of our country. It seemed 

 desirable and important for the interests of husbandry to ascer- 

 tain, approximately at least, by careful and extended experiment 

 the value of special or chemical fertilizing agents upon our New 

 England soils, and in order to test this matter satisfactorily, it 

 was clear that the experiments must be conducted upon a scale 

 of considerable magnitude. If it was proved that a neglected, 

 exhausted farm, embracing a variety of soils, with uplands and 

 lowlands, could be brought into fair tilth by the use of special 

 agents, it would serve as an important fact in the history of our 

 agricultural industry ; and further, if it could be done at a cost 

 which would prove it to be practicable and remunerative, cer- 

 tainly great service would be conferred upon our farming 

 interests. 



The farm which I purchased seven years since was not what 

 might be considered a worthless or barren tract, for some per- 



