296 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



A late snow iu spring has always been sptikeu of as a fertilizer of the soil. 

 This belief is almost universal. 



Mr. Robinson replied. — So is the belief, in some communites, that fence 

 rails will rot in half the time if laid in the old, than if laid in the new of 

 of the moon. Belief does not make facts out of theories. 



Dr. Trimble thought it very unsafe to base anything upon popular belief. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — I believe in tlie benefit of snow. It is not the- 

 ory with me. I am sure of it. But the benefit is not in the fall of snow, 

 but in its service as a blanket upon the earth. He docs not believe in the 

 ammonia theory, because it is not probably very abundant in the air at 

 this season, nor would it do much good if it came down with the snow 

 upon frozen ground, but a good thick blanket upon the earth does do it 

 good. We all know how the earth warms under a thick coat of snow. 



Mr. Adrian Bergen said that his experience was that snow was bene- 

 ficial by covering the earth in winter, but he liad never seen any good from 

 snow that fell and soon melted off late in the spring He had often seen 

 the evil effects of a driving snow falling upon plowed land in drifts com- 

 posed of half snow and half dust of the field. He doubts the truth of the 

 Dianure theory of snow. 



Mr. R. H. Williams. — The reason why March and April snows called the 

 poor man's manure as assigned by science is that they bring to the earth 

 iu their floccular form of snow flakes a larger amount of the ammonial va- 

 pors that are always afloat in the atmosphere, and thus convey this most 

 valuable stimulant of vegetable growth immediately in contact with the 

 earth and the vegetation upon it, and holds it there in a condition to allow 

 its absorption by the vegetation on its surface in a manner peculiarly ap- 

 plicable to the necessities of the case. 



Rain showers are also thus beneficial in conveying ammonia to the earth, 

 but being usually followed by sunshine and heat, the ammonia is again 

 soon vaporised and reconveyed to its aerial sphere, while the snow holds 

 it in suspension until a much larger proportion is absorbed and fixed by the 

 plant on the earthy material surrounding it, applicable to its use when re- 

 quired. 



SaysLeibig. — " Experiments made with great care prove the presence of 

 ammonia in rain water beyond all doubt." 



Again he says : — "Ammonia may likewise be always detected in snoio 

 water. The inferior layers of snow resting upon the ground contained a 

 quantity decidedly greater than those upon the surface. 



Thus it is shown that ammonia is always omnipresent in the atmosphere, 

 is always found in rain water and in snow. It only remains to be shown 

 that it is essential to vegetable growtii to prove that both siioiv and rain 

 falls are valuable in a manurial sense as the medium of conveyance for this 

 and all important stimulants. 



Leibig gives as the conclusion of all scientific investigation : " We can- 

 not suppose that a plant could attain maturity, even in the richest vegeta- 

 ble mold, without the presence of matter containing nitrogen, since we 

 know that nitrogen exists in every part of the vegetable structure." 



Says Saussure: " From experiments which have been made on this point, 



