7 18 [Assembly 



Trees certainly give to the soil under them an annual dressing of 

 leaves. I wish to have the question discussed by the Club, "whether 

 manures do escape from our soil downward or not," and I now 

 submit that question for discussion in the following form: 



"Are the manures, as usually applied to he mixed in the soil, lost 

 by descending into the earth below the reach of vegetation, or are 

 those portions not taken up by vegetable growth, mostly lost in the 

 atmosphere, ascending when dissolved in water through the earth by 

 capillary attraction, under the influence of solar heat, or in other 

 words, is it the natural tendency of manures to descend, or do they 

 ascend from the position the farmer usually places them in the soil 7'*^ 



Dr. Peck. I hope that this question will be taken into considera- 

 tion by our most able men. It is my opinion at present, that there 

 is no more certain and rapid method of destroying all fertility ift 

 land, than the cutting and carrying off its trees. 



The question proposed by Dr. Underbill, was then unanimously 

 adopted for discussion. 



Mr. Wakeman. On interesting subjects it frequently happens that 

 some of our best men are absent. I see our friend Dr. J. Brown is 

 here, but probably he wishes to reflect upon it before he speaks. 



Mr. Meigs. The very object of this Club is to set men a thinking. 

 By many this subject is deemed somewhat novel, let us take time to 

 consider it. 



Col. Sanders, of Kentucky. We know that by cutting off timber 

 and burning it on the land, we hurt the soil. Girdling the forest 

 trees, and thus permitting them to decay, is considered the best plan. 

 In four years after such lands yield us good crops, but not so when 

 the timber is cut off green. As to the grass enumerated to day, I 

 have found but four of any distinguished value. We find the Orchard 

 grass best. I have cultivated that much. Timothy is too heating 

 and binding for stock. 



Mr. Meigs. The thirty-seven artificial grasses enumerated, are 

 adapted to a great variety of soil and situation. 



Col. Sanders exhibited to the Club a beautiful brass model of 

 •* Anderson's Hemp and Flax Brake," the object of which is break- 

 ing the stems of those plants horizontally, so as to avoid rupture of 

 the fibre, which produces by the old model so large an amount of 



