ON EXPERBIENTS ON MANURES. 79 



its boundaries, thereby reducing each to one square rod„ 

 On the centre of each bed was placed the manure for 

 the same, a heap of compost, costing at the rate of |30 

 per acre, as nearly as practicable. They were number- 

 ed as per Diagram. 



May 26th, harrowed the whole ground, spread with 

 care each heap upon its own bed, then back furrowed 

 into ridges, making five equal ridges on each bed, tak- 

 ing care not to carry the manure of one bed to another 

 with the plough. 



On the same day one of the five rows, the western 

 side of each lot, considering the diagram a map, the up- 

 per part north, was planted with Indian corn, in a line, 

 kernels six inches apart; one row, the next, with five 

 fair and middling sized long red potatoes, seed whole; 

 one with long orange carrots; one with sugar beets; 

 and, June 24th, one with ruta baga. 



The seed all came up well, excepting the sugar beet. 

 Every kernel of corn and every potato came, though 

 some of them on the salt, and more on the salt ley^ 

 were very tardy about it. The beet seed was not good, 

 and where no manure was applied, none of it germi- 

 nated, but on the salt ley much of it came up, and several 

 of the manures seemed to call into action its vitality. 



These several crops were ploughed, hoed, etc., about 

 as well as his other crops usually are, great care bein^ 

 taken to treat all the rows alike. The principal cause 

 of difference in the crop is to be found in the manure. 

 Some allowance ought to be made for the difference in 

 the soil. After much consideration, Mr. Putnam came 

 to the conclusion, that from one to seven twentieths 

 ought to be deducted from the crop of each lot, except- 

 ing the most meagre, to come at the comparative benefit 

 of the manure on each lot. Mr. Putnam's calculations 

 to find the results of his experiment, are not perfectly 

 satisfactory to the committee, and it is extremely diffi- 

 cult to make others that are so. We shall give all his 

 data, and leave it to those who have the ability, leisure, 

 and inclination to cipher out much of the valuable in- 

 formation which his statement contains. 



