ESSEX SOCIETY. 67 



compounds (artificially introduced into the soil by manures) 

 had escaped with the water and were entirely lost. Then let 

 the sun burst out so as to cause a rapid evaporation from the 

 soil, and would not some of the ammonia ae^ain take winsr 

 and escape into the atmosphere ? I so opine ; but that an 

 aluminous soil, possesses a vastly greater capacity for retain- 

 ing the fertilizing qualities of manures, than a silicious soil, 

 there can be no doubt. 



You ask the results of my practice in fall manuring. In 

 the spring of 1847, I planted about one hundred rods of in- 

 verted sod land with corn, the soil a strong yellow loam ; the 

 manure was all applied upon the surface, and harrowed in ; a 

 fair crop of corn followed. Soon as harvested, I prepared the 

 ground for sowing winter rye ; by (a-la-mode Phinney) the 

 use of the cultivator and harrow ; rye, herdsgrass and red top 

 were sown, (as I was residing in Boston, there was no clover 

 seed sown in the spring as I intended to have had done.) The 

 crop of rye was good, but the prospect for future hay crops 

 was bad, and I concluded to plough up and plant again. I 

 left Boston first of June, 1848, and soon after, happening into 

 one of our stores, the owner remarked to me that he had a lot 

 of damaged salt fish, and if I could work them up into ma- 

 nure, I might have them in welcome. The next day I sent 

 my team after the fish ; there were about five quintals, these 

 were placed in alternate layers, with about five cart4oads of 

 fresh dug muck ; in a few days there was a strong smell 

 arising from the heap ; first of September shovelled over the 

 pile and found but few traces of the fish remaining. Late in 

 the autumn this was hauled on to the rye stnbble, being about 

 six common cart-loads, and as many more loads of manure 

 from the barnyard, all of which was spread and ploughed in. 

 In the spring, about a dozen loads of green winter-made ma- 

 nure were applied, and cross ploughed ; the result was the 

 best crop of corn I ever raised ; the corn came up and went 

 right ahead, to the end of the season. 



I have since pursued the same course in using the manure 

 that I have on hand every fall, thinking if there is a small loss 

 either by leaching or evaporation, it is not so great as the 

 extra expense of carting out in the fall, and piling up in trig 

 heaps, as manure should always be, if destined to lie over 



