90 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub, Doc. 



got to make a contract, and we must choose the lesser of 

 two evils, and you must help us out." I had more unliap- 

 piness under that thing for the space of forty-eight hours 

 than anything I ever undertook to do. I finally made a 

 formula, and I tried the best I could to average up things. 

 They were buying into Maine cotton seed, linseed meal and 

 gluten, — immense quantities of nitrogen outside of what 

 they buy as fertilizers ; so I put in a large portion of phos- 

 phoric acid. I had seen on many farms of Maine the need 

 of phosphoric acid. We have a granite soil up there. I 

 made a formula the best I could, but against my best judg- 

 ment as to the desirability of a fixed formula for a State. 



About this lime business in Rhode Island, I do not see 

 that that has anything to do with this question. 



Our friend has argued both sides for me in the case of 

 special fertilizers iu forcing houses. I would take the same 

 position myself. Where you have an artificial soil to 

 make, where you must supply all that a plant gets, as is 

 the case in forcing houses and under the high-pressure 

 system of the market gardeners, I would have regard to 

 what the crop contains. I am not ready to say, with 

 the tremendous diversity of soil, that we want to reduce 

 everything to a standard. If one man is a dairyman, and 

 raises corn, wheat and the like, I do not believe he should 

 buy the same mixtures as one who does not buy cotton- 

 seed meal, and I never have seen the reason for giving 

 that advice. 



Adjourned at 12.30 p.m. 



Afternoon Session. 



The meeting was called together at 2.15 p.m. by the 

 secretary, who said : The time has more than passed 

 when we should start the programme. You will remember 

 that President Grinnell announced that Vice-President 

 Appleton would preside to-day. 



Chairman Appleton. Of course you know that Presi- 

 dent Atherton has done a great deal in the work of agri- 

 cultural colleges and experiment stations. He has done 

 a great work, and he comes to us to-day as president of 

 the Pennsylvania State College of Agriculture and Mechanic 



