No. 199.] 117 



Above all, (1ra"w up a petition to Congress that they give to each 

 State or Territory a township or more of land, which shall go to the 

 oldest college in said State or Territory, for the purpose of connecting 

 therewith an agricultural department, where Agriculture shall be taught 

 practically and theoretically. We want to get rid of our public lands, 

 and I know of no way in which this can be done to so great advan- 

 tage, as in fostering and protecting agricultural institutions. 



With regard, truly yours, 



ROSWELL L. COLT. 



ADVANTAGES OF MUCK IN AGRICULTURE. 



Communicated to the American Institute, by R. L. Pell, Ee^. 



All soils are chiefly composed of three substances, viz : lime, 

 alumina and silica. Lime is met ^vith in several forms in all coun- 

 tries ; such as chalk, shell and stone ; silica in the form of silicious 

 sand ; silicious gravel, and among clay as fine sand ; alumina usual- 

 ly in the form of clay, and these are supposed to be formed by de- 

 tritions worn from rocks, and incorporated with organic matter ; pro- 

 ducing the different varieties of soil known as sandy, gravelly and 

 clayey ; the last, forming when unenriched, the most unprofitable soil 

 to the farmer ; yielding inconsiderable crops, after difficult tillage, 

 and that of a valueless quality. The sandy soils differ from the clay, 

 inasmuch as there is but little tenacity in them ; and they require 

 manures and other additions to consolidate them ; thus preventing 

 excessive evaporation of all their moisture. With the proper means 

 for improving a sandy soil, I much prefer it to a clay j as it is warmer 

 and brings crops to maturity rapidly. 



Gravelly soils are apt to be more barren than either clay or sand, 

 on account of the large amount of undecomposed rocky substances 

 contained in them . They are naturally barren because of their silicious 

 character, and are commonly known as hungry soils. Muck, or peat, 

 when properly prepared, is one of the best additions that can possibly 

 be used for all these soils. It contains an abimdant supply of decay- 

 ed vegetable matter, which, when judiciously applied, must produce 



