142 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



At the conclusion of the lecture, the members of the Board 

 and others attending the meeting, by invitation of the Worces- 

 ter County Horticultural Society, repaired to the library- 

 room, where they were met by several of the prominent citi- 

 zens of Worcester, and some two hours were delightfully 

 spent in the enjoyment of a bountiful and elegant collation, 

 in listening to brief addresses from several gentlemen present, 

 and in personal questions and conversation. Wm. T. Mer- 

 rifielcl, Esq., of Worcester, "presided, and the speakers were 

 Hon. Henry Chapin and Hon. W. W. Rice of Worcester, 

 Judge Bennett of Taunton, Benj. P. Ware, Esq., of Marble- 

 head, Dr. Wakefield of Monsou, T. S. Gold, Esq., Secretary 

 of the Connecticut Board of Agriculture, Dr. Fisher of Fitch- 

 burg, Rev. Mr. Lamson of Worcester, Charles B. Pratt, Esq., 

 and the Secretary of the Board. The occasion was an ex- 

 ceedingly pleasant one, and the thanks of the Board are due 

 to the gentlemen whose thoughtful kindness prompted them 

 to conceive and carry out so successful an entertainment. 



THIRD DAY. 



The Board met at ten o'clock, and Whitney L. Warner, 

 Esq., of Sunderland, was choseu Chairman for the day. 



MANURES AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS. 



BY HON. LEVI STOCKBHIDGE. 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the State Board of Agri- 

 culture: — On former occasions like the present, I have had 

 the honor of addressing the Board upon the subject of manures 

 and chemical fertilizers, and the principles of plant-nutri- 

 tion. The statement has been made, that after long years of 

 experiment and examination, after the discussion of a variety 

 of opinions which had been received and discarded, after the 

 trial of many and exhaustive experiments, scientific men, at 

 the present time, were agreed, or in harmony, in the main, 

 practically, in relation to the principles of plant-nutrition, 

 and that the experiments at the Agricultural College had been 

 simply an attempt to see if these acknowledged principles 



