i6i 



work upon them, and the only way in which they can be 

 used to advantage is by composting them with manures. 

 He next spoke of Halibut chum. This consists of the 

 head of the fish pressed dry into cakes. It is rich in phos- 

 phoric acid, and is worth $30 per ton by analysis. Fish 

 skins and porgies were next considered. The skins are 

 rich in phosphoric acid and so are fish bones. These fer- 

 tilizers are excellent for onions, cabbages and peas, but not 

 good for squashes, cucumbers and the like. He did not 

 think much of mussel bed mud. By analysis its value is 

 one third that of barn manure. In former days all fish 

 wastes were thrown away and anyone could have them by 

 calling for them, but that is all changed now, everything is 

 utilized one way or another. Complaint is sometimes 

 made that the continual application of fish wears out the 

 land, but it wouldn't if farmers would make a complete 

 fertilizer. In itself it is not well balanced, but needs more 

 potash. Halibut chum is the best balanced. Kelp is rich 

 in potash, a constituent in which the sea animals are de- 

 ficient. Rockweed is richer than kelp, and weight for 

 weight is twice as rich in nitrogen. 



Farmers may smile at the idea of sand as a fertilizer. 

 It is of the same constituency as our native rocks, rich in 

 potash ; when mixed with dark rich soil the carbolic acid 

 of the soil sets free the potash in tlie sand, and it becomes 

 a valuable fertilizer. Salt has no value in itself, as a 

 manure, but like plaster it sets free the plant foods in the 

 soil. The black mud of the marshes is composed of de- 

 cayed vegetable matter, the same as the prairies, except 

 that it is salt. 



Dinner was served by the woman's relief corps in Odd 

 Fellows' Hall and in the afternoon, Prof. Wm. E. Brooks, 

 of Amherst Agricultural College, spoke on the " Judicious 

 Use of Manures." 



Prof. Brooks had strung across the stage a series of 

 tables illustrating experiments to which he referred. He 

 gave the results of analysis of cellar manure from the well 



