108 PLYMOUTH SOCIETY. 



Statement of Henry Alden. 



I submit the following statement of an experiment in the use 

 of salt as manure. 



In April, 1843, mixed 2 small loads of barn manure with the 

 same quantity of peat thrown lightly into a heap. At the same 

 time, mixed with it one bushel of coarse salt. 



Prepared one other heap with the same quantity of the differ- 

 ent kinds of manure, except salt. In May, one quarter of an 

 acre of dry, thin land, was ploughed and furrowed both ways, 

 3 feet 4 inches apart, and on the 18th of May, about two thirds 

 of said heaps dropped in the hills ; the salted manure, put on 

 20 rods ; that not salted, put on the other 20 rods ; one half of 

 each planted with corn, the other half with potatoes. 



June 7. — The whole ploughed both ways, and all that was 

 up at that time was hoed. The 20 rods salted was not up. 

 The potatoes began to break ground about the middle of June, 

 but were not all out of the ground before the first of July. The 

 corn did not appear above ground until about the 14th of June, 

 and but a small part at that time. 



June 16. — Dug open most of the hills of corn and planted 

 potatoes. The whole was afterwards twice cultivated both 

 ways and twice hoed. 



That part of the manure not used at planting, I intended to 

 have spread before I hoed the first time, but, on account of the 

 failure in the coming up, did not spread it. As the corn on the 

 salted part failed, the corn on the other was not weighed. 



October 10. — The potatoes on the salted part were dug and 

 weighed, making 14 bush. 5 lbs., not including those planted 

 where the corn failed. Those on ground not salted weighed 

 12 bush. 56 lbs. The corn on the salted ground that did come 

 up, spindled and put out for ears, but did not fill. I would 

 state one fact, which I observed in regard to the heaps of ma- 

 nure remaining unspread through the season. On that which 

 was salted, there were no weeds, while on that unsalted the 

 weeds grew very rank. 



The next spring I spread broad-cast one half bushel of salt on 

 the 20 rods of salted ground, and spread the manure belonging 



