272 [Assembly 



the system when it first came out, met with from his steward or 

 manager of his estate, was excellent. "Well, Donald," he says, 

 "if these improvements go on, the time will soon come when we 

 shall be able to carry tlie manure for our farms in our snuff- 

 boxes." Donald replied, "When that time comes, my lord, I 

 think we shall be able to carry our crops in our vest pockets." 

 This reply of Donald's probably saved the credulous laird from 

 the mortification of being convinced of the ridiculousness of the 

 system by his own experiment. Our friend, the Secretary of our 

 Club, who is ever on the look-out for such things, has introduced 

 to us information received by one of the last arrivals of a new 

 system of under-draining in England, which will reduce the ex- 

 pense more than half, perhaps two-thirds, of what it was on the 

 old plan. This is important to the agricultural world, if correct, 

 and it appears to be from experiments actually made. This will 

 enable our farmers to go into it here more extensively, if they see 

 fit, so they can do it without ruining or embarrassing themselves 

 by the operation — another proof of the advantage of a Farmer's 

 Club located in such cities as New-York and London, where all 

 information centres, and where it can be diffused at the earliest 

 day ; not only that which relates to the commercial world, but 

 to all the industrial branches of a country. 



Another occurrence Professor Nesbitt relates, which actually 

 happened, to show the extent of the adulteration of special ma- 

 nures in England. A farmer from the interior arrived in London 

 to purchase guano ; he had been cheated before, with some of his 

 neighbors, and he was determined, if possible, to get a pure arti- 

 cle. Shortly after his arrival, he saw in the papers an account 

 of a vessel coming up the river Thames, direct from sea, with a 

 cargo of fresh guano, and which would reach a particular wharf 

 at a certain hour. He had no time to lose ; he procured a horse 

 and rode down under whip and spur, and got there just as the 

 vessel was hauling in. He went on board, and, as all seemed 

 fair, he made his purchase. Alas, poor man ! After his superior 

 activity and cunning, he was cheated, as the vessel had been sup- 

 plied by small boats from the shore, while coming up the river, 

 with sand and clay, the usual articles of adulteration, which were 

 speedily and dexterously mixed with the guano, and which the 

 farmer was afterwards satisfied of, to his loss and mortification. 



