88 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



muck in forming a compost for manuring loamy, sandy, or 

 gravelly soils, being worth for such purpose not less than $1 

 per cord ; and, especially where manure is used in the hill, the 

 muck is an almost indispensable requisite ; for the difference 

 between using clear manure and one half or two thirds muck 

 in compost would be in favor of the muck compost." 



Another writer from Essex county says : " I have used two 

 tons the past season, which I think is full half used in town. I 

 applied it to some extent upon all crops raised upon my farm, 

 mixed in the proportion of one part guano to four of loam in 

 bulk, for grass land, and spread at the rate of 300 pounds of 

 guano per acre. It increased the product but very little on high 

 and dry land ; but on low, wet land, it more than doubled the 

 first and second crop of grass. On greensward land, where 

 15 loads of manure from the barn cellar were spread and 

 ploughed under, guano, mixed as above with meadow muck, and 

 applied in like proportion to corn, spread and cultivated in, 

 increased the crop full one-quarter ; but when put in the hill 

 and covered with one inch of earth it diminished the crop 

 about one-fourth, not more than three-fourths of the seed vege- 

 tating. I fenced in forty square rods of land from my pasture, 

 and divided it into four lots of ten rods each, the soil a strong 

 black loam, and rather moist the first part of the season. On 

 the 29th of April, during a north-east rain, I applied to lot No. 

 one 20 pounds of plaster; to No. two, 20 pounds of guano, 

 mixed with three times its bulk of loam ; to No. three, 20 pounds 

 of guano and 20 pounds of plaster; to No. four, not any thing. 

 The last of June following, the grass on lots Nos. one and two 

 was about alike, being nearly double of lot No. four ; but on 

 No. three the product was more than threefold. After that time 

 the cattle were allowed to feed upon it ; the season continued 

 so dry, I could not perceive much difference in the feed late in 

 the autumn." 



A farmer of Barnstable county returns the following answer : 

 li I have used guano on grass lands, both swamp and upland, 

 with good success. To a limited extent it has been used by 

 others, on grass lands, with success — in small experiments 

 doubling the crop. On corn it lias proved, on the whole, inju- 

 rious. I have applied it on a section of corn land, in the hill, 



