No. 216] 737 



The most brief account we can give of the effects of wise agri- 

 culture, is of Tuscany. The Grand Duke Leopokl, had the good for- 

 tune to have among his subjects, men of wisdom and virtue, who 

 loved their country, as the celebrated Andreucei, Count Guasco, and 

 others, and by confiding to them schools, and the organization of re- 

 forms in agriculture, institutions for that purpose, and for public edu- 

 cation, under the counsel and care of learned men, were adopted by 

 the Duke and carried into execution with activity, constancy, and 

 firmness, and the consequence was, that in a few years Tuscany pass- 

 ed from a miserable condition, one revolting, and which had existed 

 for a long time, to become a model of prosperity, and a country 

 which the most distinguished observers consider as the diamond of 

 Italy. And from that period we find it au^gmenting in population, 

 and at this time we observe its abundant production of all the vari- 

 ous fruits of the earth, trees, vegetables, convenient establishments of 

 all sorts, public safety, an industrious, happy and steady people. 



From the evidence before us of the high utility which Europe has 

 derived from agricultural schools and writings, we think that we may 

 confidently say that the preceding remarks will be advantageous to 

 our country. 



Chairman. The subject of the day is in order. 



Dr. Underbill. I a& prepared in some measure to give my idea 

 of the fertilizing elements of manures when placed in the soil, anJ 

 of the peculiar depths at which they should be placed, according to 

 the various soils. We are not yet fully able to demonstrate all this, 

 but let me premise by the remark, that probably, near one hundred 

 millions of dollars worth of manures are annually applied to the soil 

 of the United States; and that by putting them on or too near the 

 surface, we lose one half by escape into the atmosphere in the course 

 of our long hot summer. One important object, is then, to save as 

 much as possible of this amount, by a judicious disposition of them. 

 It may be safely stated that one-third of all our expense in farming 

 is the manuring of our lands. The question under consideration is, 

 Do the fertilizing elements of manure ascend or descend? Do they 

 always rise? When the rain falls and dissolves them, they descend 

 to a certain extent, but when the sun shines again they ascend. I 

 have managed my farm on this theory, and I have placed my ma- 

 nures deep in the soil. The proper depth depends on the kind of soil; 

 if we put manure on the surface of sandy land, like inuch of that of 

 Long Island, it is soon lost under the strong solar heat. In such soils 



[Am. Inst.] WW 



