10 MR. Huntington's address. 



more liberal draft, at the next season. Thus good 

 agriculture is in some sort a system of exchange of 

 kinds, but not oi values. 



Experience, at all times, has taught the husband- 

 man that animal and vegetable substances, mixed 

 with the soil, afforded nourishment to the plants, 

 which it produced. Science has disclosed to us the 

 fact, that the living plants and the dead manure, 

 whether animal or vegetable, are resolvable into the 

 same elementary substances, though existing in dif- 

 ferent states of combination ; so that in supplying 

 animal and vegetable substances to the soil, in a 

 state more or less decomposed, wq in fact furnish the 

 same essence which enters into the composition of 

 the germinating and living plant. In supplying ma- 

 nures to the soil, we return to it the same elementary 

 substances, which are drawn from it by the nurture 

 and feeding of the living plant, and this is what I 

 intended by the remark, that good husbandry is a 

 system of exchange of kinds, but not of values. We 

 thus see, that to secure an increased and increasing 

 production, manure is the great and principal instru- 

 mentality. This is the beginning, the middle, and 

 the end of thriving husbandry. 



To create from the resources of the farm the great- 

 est possible amount of this food for plants, should be 

 the constant aim of every good farmer. This is the 

 ultimate source of his gains, and he must guard all 

 the avenues to it with an ever vigilant watchfulness. 

 The farm must be washed and scoured for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining this treasure. In this county, we 

 have abundant sources of supplying it, and though 

 all farms are not equally privileged in this respect, 

 yet none are destitute of the means of doing very 

 much in this way. The sagacious farmer will watch 

 with an eagle eye every possible opportunity for in- 

 creasing the amount and improving the quality of his 

 manure — especially will he see that nothing is lost. 

 All his plans of improvement will have reference to 

 this main and engrossing object. He will not expose 



