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ing that there is but little interest or experiment upon the 

 subject in the county. Hoping to induce some experiments 

 in future, your Committee would mention some results which 

 have come under their observation. 



Mr. A. Orne of Marblehead, in April of 1864, spread upon 

 a lot of run-out grass land a heavy dressing of manure, which 

 caused a rapid and luxuriant growth of grass. On the 6th of 

 June the whole was ploughed under, and the lot planted with 

 various garden vegetables ; but no manure was used in the 

 hill. The green crop produced a rapid decomposition of the 

 sod ; the land was very mellow and friable during the season, 

 producing very abundantly of the several crops planted, much 

 more so than an adjoining lot which was broken up earlier 

 before the grass had grown. 



We would especially refer to the very satisfactory results of 

 Daniel Buxton's experiment, published in the Transactions of 

 the Society for 1850. His statement is, that a piece of land, 

 to which little dressing was applied, except a crop of oats 

 ploughed in the previous autumn, produced 700 bushels of 

 onions per acre. 



The chairman would also refer to his own experience ; hav- 

 ing on one occasion sowed oats early in the spring, and on the 

 10th of June ploughed in a heavy growth and sowed carrots ; 

 but owing to the very dry weather the seed did not germinate, 

 and afterward sowed Flat Turnips that grew a very large crop. 

 Also having sowed Winter Rye in the fall and ploughed it 

 under about the 25th of May, with very satisfactory results. 



The Committee conclude that the farmers are deterred from 

 making use of this method of fertilizing their lands, by the 

 fear of losing their annual crop. If such were the result it 

 might well be considered unadvisable ; but, as has been shown 

 by the above experiments, barley or oats may be sown after an 

 early crop of peas, potatoes, or onions, have been harvested, and 

 attain a large growth to be ploughed in, before frost cuts them 

 down, putting the land in excellent condition for a crop the 

 next season, with a small addition of some more concentrated 



