SECRETARY'S REPORT. 61 



system. For that reason they usually put on in the spring the 

 manure that has been made during the winter. But I certainly 

 would recommend to every farmer who raises corn, to have one 

 year's stock of manure on hand, if he can possibly get into that 

 situation. 



Professor Agassiz. — I have no opinion to express concerning 

 the mode of applying manure, but I would suggest some experi- 

 ments which may be beneficial in settling the question I have 

 heard discussed. The object of manuring the land is no 

 doubt to furnish food to the plants. Now I would like to know 

 what is the extent of the rootlets which grow from a stalk of 

 corn — how deep do they go and how widely do they spread ? 

 If your manure is to be beneficial at all it must penetrate to the 

 extent to which the rootlets of the plant extend, and at the 

 time those rootlets are most active. Therefore experiments 

 ought to be made by which to ascertain how deep the effect of 

 the manure is felt in the land after a certain time from the 

 period when it is put on the surface. Unless you know that, 

 you are all the time working in the dark ; and I am not aware, 

 from the observations I have heard here, that it is positively 

 known to the growers of corn in how much time the roots grow 

 to such a depth, and such a depth, from each stalk, and how far, 

 deeper and wider they extend in successive weeks or months, 

 and how far the manure follows that growth, so as to furnish at 

 every stage the proper nourishment to the corn. That, I 

 believe, is one of the most interesting desiderata to the agricul- 

 turist, — to ascertain at what rate and what extent the manure 

 is carried down into the ground. We ought to know that for 

 every crop. 



Dr. Hartwell. — I wish to say, in reply to the question of 

 Professor Agassiz, that I know they spread over every inch of 

 the soil ; with regard to the depth I am not able to say. "With 

 regard to manuring upon the surface I will mention one fact. 

 Two years ago I left a large heap of manure upon the surface 

 of a lot before I ploughed it. It lay there about one year. 

 When I spread this manure upon the land, knowing that where 

 the heap lay the eartli would be so highly charged-with salts that 

 it would be difficult to get a crop, I ordered my man to take off 

 four inches of the surface and spread it over the rest of the 

 field. That was a year ago this fall, for last year's crop. I 



