No. 4.] KEEPING UP FERTILITY. 75 



room, but someone will be there during the intermissions to 

 explain downstairs. 



Secretary Sessions. I have now the honor to turn over 

 the meeting to Mr. Grinnell, the first vice-president of the 

 Board. 



Vice-president Grinxell then took the chair. 



The Chairman. Our subject, this morning, as you know 

 by the programme, is " How to keep up the fertility of our 

 farms," by Prof. William P. Brooks, professor of Agri- 

 culture in the Massachusetts Airricultural Colleo:e. Our 

 friend Mr. Wood, who is so well known to you all, will 

 preside at this meeting. Mr. Wood needs no introduction 

 to the members of the State Board of Ao;riculture and the 

 fruit growers of Massachusetts. 



Mr. E. W. Wood (of West Newton) then took the chair 

 and said : The subject selected for this forenoon's discussion 

 is perhaps of as much practical importance as any that could 

 be brought before you, — the matter of fertilizing the soil to 

 produce your crops. When you consider the amount of 

 money you invest in those fertilizers, added to the cost 

 of manual labor in producing the crop, you often find that 

 the margin of profit left is very narrow ; consequently you 

 will see the importance of finding the best and the cheapest 

 fertilizer to be used to produce these results. The com- 

 mittee was fortunate in l)eing able to secure the lecturer, 

 who has had an opportunity to make careful experiments 

 extended over a considerable length of time, and who will 

 give you those results in a manner which will make them 

 easy of comprehension. The subject has already been an- 

 nounced by the vice-president, and it gives me pleasure to 

 introduce to this audience Professor Brooks of the Agri- 

 cultural College. 



Prof. William P. Brooks (of Amherst). Mr. Chairman, 

 ladies and gentlemen : I thank 3^011, Mr. Chairman, for your 

 very kind introduction, and the audience for their kind 

 response. I do not know liut you feel better-natured 

 towards me now than you will when I get through, because I 

 am almost afraid that I shall wear you out. You need not 

 be appalled, however, at the formidable array of figures that 

 I have spread before you. I do not expect you will learn 

 them all. 



