62 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATE 
annually increasing until the ground became full 
of roots. 
I refer those who may be desirous of cultivating 
sumach, to my former article, for the time of cut¬ 
ting, and the modes of preparing and packing the 
article for market Wm. Partridge. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
The regular monthly meeting of this Associa¬ 
tion was held at the Historical Society rooms, on 
the 7th of January. Hon. Luther Bradish, the 
President, in the chair. The minutes of the last 
meeting were read and approved. 
Dr. Gardener presented a copy of the first annual 
report on the Geology of Vermont. 
Dr. Alexander H. Stevens stated that he had sown 
for experiment, the clover seed received from the 
Society, under the name of Persian clover, at a 
former meeting. It proved to be lucerne. He fur¬ 
ther remarked that he had previously grown lu¬ 
cerne with much advantage, and considered it supe¬ 
rior to any other green crop. A discussion arose, 
and many inquiries were made in relation to this 
crop, from which it appeared that it possessed such 
advantages over other crops, under favorable cir¬ 
cumstances, as to make it an object of importance 
to cultivate it more generally than is done at present. 
Mr. Stevens described a successful mode of de¬ 
stroying Canada thistles, where the roots had pen¬ 
etrated beyond the reach of the plow. His plan 
was to cultivate the ground thoroughly, and seed 
it down with red top grass seed, sown liberally, so 
that the sod should smother the young thistle, and 
thus prevent their growth. He also stated that he 
had sown some of the New Zealand spinach seed 
distributed by the Society. He had succeeded in 
raising a few plants, and found it a valuable vege¬ 
table for the table. Several gentlemen, who had 
also received this seed, reported that they had not 
been able to raise a plant. 
Mr. Andrew H. Green, Cor. Sec’y, made his re¬ 
port. He read communications from Gov. Reed, of 
Bermuda, and Dr. Philips, of Mississippi, accept¬ 
ing the appointment as councillors of the Associa¬ 
tion ; he also produced a translation of the pam- 
hlet of Baron Von Speck, on sheep, which had 
een referred to him for translation. He had trans¬ 
lated it himself, and wished the Association to con¬ 
sider whether it was best to publish it. Messrs. 
W. S. McCoun and A. B Allen were appointed a 
committee to examine the translation. 
Mr. R. L. Pell read a valuable essay (see a con¬ 
densed report of it below) upon the subject of pre¬ 
pared manures, and their effects upon his crops for 
several successive years, after which he directed 
the attention of the Association to the importance 
of introducing the Peruvian alpaca into this coun¬ 
try. He presented a specimen of their wool. It 
was moved that a committee of three be appointed 
to investigate the subject, and bring it before the 
Society at a future meeting. Messrs. R. L. Pell, 
J. S. Skinner, and Edward Clark were appointed. 
A motion was made that a committee be appointed 
to inquire into the subject of the waste manures of 
the city, as alluded to in Mr. Pell’s essay, and to 
suggest such means as would enable the city to be 
relieved of this nuisance, and at the same time 
benefit the agricultural community by furnishing 
them with a valuable manure. Messrs. Stevens, 
W. S. McCoun, and S. T. Jones, were appointed 
as that committee. 
Prepared Manures, and their effect upon Crops .— 
Mr. Pell rose and said: By analysis it is known that 
all cereal grains, cruciferous and leguminous plants, 
trees, and shrubs, require in the soil the same chemi¬ 
cal substances, but in different quantities. These 
are eleven, viz : potash, soda, lime, magnesia, alu¬ 
mina, oxide of iron, oxide of manganese, silica, sul¬ 
phuric acid, phosphoric acid, and chlorine. If one be 
absent, the soil will not grow any cultivated plant. 
Hence analysis of soils is necessary for a proper and 
economical application of manure. In a barren soil 
one necessary ingredient alone might be absent. If, 
then, ten ingredients be added and the eleventh kept 
back, the soil is still barren. Hence, the reason 
why so much of New York will not grow wheat, 
and yet will grow other grain : the requisite quantity 
of some one or more chemical ingredients necessary 
for wheat is absent, but in sufficient quantity for rye, 
&c. When, at last, cultivated plants cease to grow, 
the five-finger vine appears, as it requires still less 
of them. In such a stage it is not rare that an ex¬ 
pense of three dollars per acre will enable soil to 
produce thirty bushels of wheat. I produced 781 
bushels of wheat on a piece of worn out ground, by 
fifty cents worth of two ingredients. Like produ¬ 
ces like ; and hence if straw of wheat be given to 
the ground it will produce wheat: indeed, wheat 
may be grown on a pane of glass, if the seed be 
covered with wheat straw in a decomposing state. 
Hence the farmer may sell the grain but not the 
straw. The farmer who sells straw becomes poor; 
he who buys it, grows rich. 
I apply straw to the cattleyard; it absorbs the liquid 
excrement, and rots. W hat is long or partly unrotted 
I apply to hoed crops; what is fine I mix with the 
eleven requisites and apply as a top dressing. It may 
be advisable to apply the straw to the ground and 
plow it in when unrotted. To grow grains give 
the soil straw of its kind; for potatoes, their vines; 
grapes, their vines ; to apples their branches; and 
so of all. The droppings of cattle are the best ma¬ 
nure to grow grasses, as they feed on grass; those 
of horses fed on grain for the growth of cereals. 
Onions are grown year after year by only returning 
the tops to the ground. In Virginia, had the refuse 
of the tobacco plant been returned to the soil, she 
would not now be barren. The bad farmer is in¬ 
jured by the vicinity of well manured land, as ma¬ 
nure has an affinity for oxygen, hydrogen, ammo¬ 
nia, &c., floating in the air, and attracts them to the 
provident farmer’s land. 
Formerly, I applied composts of various things, 
and had wonderful results ; I dared not omit any one, 
as I knew not w r hich had produced the result. 
Now, science by analysis show's what is necessary. 
By these composts, I grew a squash to weigh 201 
lbs., the heaviest on record; and a cabbage to weigh 
44 lbs. By it I grew v T heat to w T eigh 64 lbs., rye 
60 lbs.,oats 44^ lbs. When Sprengelmade known 
his analysis, showing that eleven substances are ne¬ 
cessary to all good soils, I found that my compost by 
chance had them all, and tw T enty other enriching 
ingredients. 
Previous to 1840, my orchards bore only every 
other year. Since then I make them bear every 
