SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



under, created a warm root-bed, and produced a rapid growth. 

 In subsequent ploughings he went deeper, but did not wish to 

 bury his manure any deeper than that, as he had often, in deep 

 covering, failed to see any immediate benefit from it. 



Mr. Homer said : The process adopted by some of our farm- 

 ers is, to take two parts of subsoil, loam, or hard pan, or any 

 other earthy substance, these to be put into the yard in the fall. 

 The next spring, spread on this one part of stable manure ; then 

 plough it under, and plough as often through the season as once 

 in two weeks, each time sowing a little plaster, which will pre- 

 vent the ammonia or gas from escaping. It is claimed by some of 

 our farmers that this should be done in an open yard rather than 

 in a barn cellar, as far as dry manure is concerned, as it wants 

 the sun's effect, and a free change of the atmosphere from wet 

 to dry. It is thought that the ploughing should be done in the 

 morning, while the dew is on. It is believed by some that the 

 crops that we plough and hoe are best advanced by moving the 

 earth in the first part of the day. This manure, if sufficiently 

 composted, should be applied to the grass as soon as convenient, 

 after the crop is taken off. For other crops, say corn, especially 

 corn, put on in the fall, and ploughed under ; some farmers put 

 on, say thirty-six cartloads to the acre, of this manure, on sward 

 land ; then plough ; in spring, harrow ; then plant the corn 

 without further manure, and, to my knowledge, from fifty to 

 sixty bushels to the acre have thus been raised. Now it will be 

 seen that there is used but some twelve loads of tangible manure 

 to the acre. 



Mr. Smith, of Sunderland, thought it depended much on the 

 character of the soil whether manure should be used in a coarse, 

 unfermented condition, or in a "finely rotted and fermented state. 

 On cold and heavy lands, the former might be better ; on lighter 

 lands, not needing the mechanical improvement which coarse 

 manures effected, finely rotted manures are better. 



Messrs. Perkins, Loring, Taft, and others, participated in 

 the discussion. 



Mr. Garfield, of Lee, remarked, that the question of manures, 

 and their application to soils, was one of great and increasing 

 importance to the farmer ; a subject that has been much dis- 

 cussed, not only in this Board, but in the local societies and 

 farmers' clubs throughout the Commonwealth, and that, in his 



