THE FARM OF THE FIRST MINISTER. 27 



satisfactory answer. His own experience has been adverse to 

 its use as a seeding down enrichment of ground. 



As at present advised, he would expect best results from its 

 use in connection with barn manure. If, for instance, upon 

 seeding it to grass, the land was dressed with half the usual 

 quantity of the latter, and after two cuttings of grass was an- 

 nually top dressed for the next two or three years, with five 

 hundred pounds of fertilizer, profitable results might follow. 

 Experimentation might also demonstrate that, on a particular 

 soil, only a part of the several ingredients of the fertilizer were 

 needed. On this line, we farmers must all turn chemists ; 

 making laboratories of our fields and, from repeated trials of 

 our own, learn what application is best for each and every one 

 of them. 



Long experience has shown that, on an acre of the best grass 

 land of the First Minister's Farm, such a five years' course will 

 afford an average of two tons a year, or ten tons in five years, 

 worth in the Concord market an average price of seventeen 

 dollars a ton, and amounting to $170.00 



The average cost of these ten tons will be about 

 as follows : 



Sod breaking, $4-5° 

 Six cords of stable manure spread on the 



ground at $6.50, 39-°° 



Working in the same, 3-5° 



Seed and sowing, 2.50 



Harvesting 10 tons at $3 per ton, 30.00 



Marketing 10 tons at $1.25 per ton, I2 -50 



Use of implements, 2.50 94. 50 



Profit in five years, $75-5° 



While this system may not suit the majority of New Hamp- 

 shire farmers, it may, perhaps, be suggestive of some other 

 which will. Two or three points may be noted as of universal 

 application. 



1. The species of grasses cultivated should be such as one's 

 market calls for. Their number is not great. Of the two hun- 



