MANURES. 193 



"we leave tliose, of whose labors wo have been called upon to 

 judge, as kindly disposed towards us, as we now feel towards 

 them, we shall conclude we have discharged our duties well, 

 and witli enlarged ideas of Berkshire as regards her wealth, 

 her enterprise and her intelligence, we gladly and gratefully 

 lay down the badges of office and retire to the quiet of our 

 farms. 



Ira Curtis, Chairman 4 



MANURES. 



ESSEX. 



Report of the Committee. 



The committee regret that no statement of experiments with 

 manures or crops to be turned in as manures, has come to their 

 knowledge the past season. The county of Essex is peculiarly 

 adapted and located for ploughing in vegetable matter as fer- 

 tilizers of tlie soil, for one-half of the towns border upon the 

 ocean, with its advantages and resources of muscle beds and 

 sea-weeds, of kelp and salt grass, with thatch growing on the 

 banks of the numerous creeks which frequently extend to some 

 distance into the interior. The middle and back towns are not 

 destitute of material for enriching the soil. They have their 

 deposits of almost a compost heap in their peat lands and basins 

 of roots, leaves, grass and various kinds of vegetable matter — 

 centuries old — all near them, with the foliage of the trees and 

 with bushes that almost cover the pastures, and which should 

 be cut in August and ploughed in, as three cuttings will nearly 

 destroy them and make a line for the young forest trees, that 

 they may come thus far and no farther. Ploughing in the leaves 

 of the apple and peach trees in November, will nearly make a 

 supply for the crop the succeeding year. Pine ,and thin lands 

 may be improved, and a double object accomplished, by sowing 



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