154 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTUI?E. 



ing is the want of sufficient fertilizers, and how to obtain them 

 should be our main study. While the value of guano is 

 acknowledged, — especially on light lands or old and worn out 

 soils for the purpose of recovering their exhausted energies, — 

 still, the main reliance of our farmers ought to be on their own 

 barnyard and pigsty ; not only because this comes more directly 

 within the scope of their means, but also because it is believed 

 that their home-made manure, olitained by keeping live stock, 

 is better adapted to raising grains and grasses, and is more use- 

 ful in preventing the exhaustion of the soil. The value of this 

 may be greatly increased by keeping in the barnyard an abun- 

 dant supply of meadow mud, which is found on almost every 

 farm. The contents of the privy vault, and soap-suds and 

 other wastes of the kitchen should be incorporated with the 

 heap. The lime, or chloride, or plaster, or charcoal, which are 

 used to render innoxious the gases of the privy or barn, are of 

 exceeding value as fertilizers, and a liberal use of them will 

 prove profitable. But the meadow mud, which can be had 

 cheap and in large quantities, is the main absorbent of the fer- 

 tilizing properties of other manures ; at least, it is that on 

 which our farmers may chiefly rely. Nature has provided it in 

 abundance, and experience has shown that no other thing involv- 

 ing the same expense, is so advantageously applied to the land. 

 In the fall and early part of winter it can be drawn into the 

 barnyard, frozen, pulverized, mixed and trodden into the stable 

 manure by cattle. It not only retains the fertilizing gases that 

 would otherwise escape, but it brings into activity the elements 

 of the soil with which it is united. We cannot too earnestly 

 urge upon our farmers the importance of increasing in every 

 way their stock of manure. He who uses the most manure 

 can keep the largest number of animals. He who keeps the 

 largest number of animals can raise the most grain, and main- 

 tain his land in the l)est condition. 



Of special fertilizers, we have little to add to our former 

 reports. Guano still maintains its reputation. One of our cor- 

 respondents, whose statement was published in last year's report, 

 writes : " My experiment Avith guano on grass land for this the 

 fourth year since its application, has yielded by careful weight 

 just twice as much as the piece adjoining which had none." 

 This is in accordance with the testimony of another intelligent 



