298 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



Dr. Trimble. — That is decidedly a good letter. I am glad the lady lias 

 found one useful purpose for tobacco, and I like her way of telling others 

 how to get rid of the little pests. 



Mr. Solon Robinson read a letter from Wm. D. Cook, Sodus, Wayne Co., 

 N. Y., as follows: 



"As a reader of the discussions of the Farmers' Club, I have 

 concluded that it may be of interest to all concerned to com- 

 municate the result of an experiment made by me last summer 

 to demonstrate the value of a compost of salt, one part, gypsum, 

 two parts, and leached wood ashes, four parts, as a manure and 

 stimulant for Indian corn. The experiment did not consist so much in 

 applying as in omitting to apply the compost to a couple of rows across 

 the lot. For I have annually used the mixture in about the same propor- 

 tions, and in substantially the same manner, for more than fifteen years, 

 and in fact have not planted a crop of corn for that length of time without 

 using it, and with uniformly similar results, and occasionally tested in the 

 same manner. The corn was planted on the 28th day of May, on a field of 

 about twelve acres of old sod, about half of which had been mowed annu- 

 ally for seven or eight j'^ears, and the remainder for five or six. Soil a 

 gravelly, clayey loam, with a mixture of red sandstone and granite holders, 

 having an impervious liardpan subsoil, sloping to the north, and about half 

 a mile from the shores of lake Ontario. The field received all the long 

 manure made the previous winter on a farm of two hundred acres by about 

 thirty-five head of horned cattle, sixty sheep, nine horses and colts, and six 

 swine. This was spread as evenly as possible over the surface, and plowed 

 under to an average depth of about eight inches, with a double Titus plow, 

 which folds up the sod with the manure between, laj'ing it in the bottom 

 of the furrow, and covering it entirely out of sight. The ground was then 

 rolled and thoroughly dragged, first lengthwise of the furrow, and then 

 diagonally, to prevent confusion of the drag marks with those of the 

 marker, rows three and a half feet apart each way. I consider it essential 

 to the best effect of the compost that it be applied as soon as possible after 

 planting, viz: the same day, or at least the day after. In this case it was 

 applied the next day after planting. There was no particular pains taken 

 in selecting the rows for experiment, except to see that none of them were 

 either on a back or dead furrow, and they were about in the center of the 

 lot. In all respects, except as to the compost, the treatment was identical. 

 In September the two rows were cut up by the ground in the usual manner, 

 and set up in stooks to cure by themselves, and at the same time the two 

 adjacent rows on the west were similarly treated. On the 12th of Novem- 

 ber the two parcels were carefully husked and weighed in the ear. The 

 two rows without compost yielded: sound corn, 281 pounds; soft corn, nine 

 pounds; total, 290 pounds. From the two rows with compost: sound corn, 

 888 pounds; soft corn, five pounds; total, 393 pounds. The stalks were 

 not weighed, but by estimation the increase of fodder was in still greater 

 proportion, and abundantly sufficient to pay the cost of material and appli- 

 cation of the compost, leaving the increase of grain a clear profit. And it 

 will also be seen from these figures that the benefit was not confined to 



