• 376 [Assembly 



my corn on that Milage has given me a double crap. I found the 

 bottom ol my very loose top soil hard packed j the annual plants 

 could not put their roots through it. My double crop has suc- 

 ceeded in spite of a pretty severe drought. I have for many 

 years always ploughed to the depth of from eight to ten inches, 

 but this season I have resorted to the farm tohich lies under mine 

 successfully. 



Dr. Church.— Is it necessary to enbsoil every year? 



Dr. Underhill. — I think not ; but I mean to subsoil every acre 

 I cultivate. It operates, also, as a drainer. It also receives 

 the fertilizer from the atmosphere. The first store of manure is our 

 earth; the second one is ovr atmosphere. That from the latter en- 

 ters the earth by means of dew and rains — by dew even in times 

 of drought — when a deep-tilled soil can take it in, while a shal- 

 low one cannot. Up to this day the shallow work prevails. 

 Nineteen out of twenty farms are so abused. A larmer who can 

 neither buy books nor attend Farmers' Clubs, can nevertheless 

 plough deep. Let him try it, and if he fails, let him come to 

 this Club and tell us bo 1 



The subject — Phoephata of Lime — was ordered to be continued. 



The Club then (on aoooont of the 24th Annual Fair,) ad- 

 jonrned to the fii-st Tuesday of November next. 



H. Meigs, Secretary. 



American Ik«titute, ? 



Fimtiers' Club, Atm. 11, 1851. J 



George Dickey, Esq., in the Chair ; Herjry Meigs, Secretary. 



Profeesor Map^s — The phosphate of lime haa been long used in 

 England, and many thouFands of bones are imported into that 

 country for the use of farmers ; the value of these bones is due to 

 the phosphate of lime they contain — even the field of Waterloo 

 was rendered an accessory tor'fumishing this amendment. 



Until a late date the only source from which pl.osphate of lime 

 was obtained was from bones ground and applied to the soil. 



