Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1871 [PAGE 339]

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331 the relative value of different sorts of artificial manures and fertilizers, and different values of seeds, grains, vegetables, etc., that are cultivated by farmers. We have a system of bookkeeping, which I will not present to you, as it would take up more time than would probably be desirable. The Chairman—I would like to inquire of Professor Hamilton whether you have any guesses. Mr. Hamilton—We give exactly what we get. Our report is just exactly what we have received. We make no comment on it one way or the other. It is in exact accordance with the programme that has been prescribed by the Board of Trustees and carried, out to the letter. These things are weighed exactly, weighed at different times, under different circumstances. This does not give all that we have in connection with the matter. It is given merely as a sort of synopsis of the experiments. We have in our books a more complete account. There is no guess at anything. The Chairman—My point is this: You say you don't publish the result. My question is whether among yourselves you didn't have some hypothesis—didn't have ground for some shrewd guesses as to what the result would be in some respects. Mr. Hamilton—There has not yet been anything sufficiently developed to give us ground for anything of that sort. One curious thing that we have this year—it is a curious thing; it may not do it again ; we don't know, and that is the reason we want to try it if we can—was that our fallow went ahead of all our land ; that we raised forty-two bushels of wheat to the acre off of fallow, and these plats are one eighth of an acre plats. That surpassed our others very much, it could be told by anybody looking at it; but whether even that is profitable, whether it is profitable to allow the land to lie and go to fallow, is another question. All these things come in when the result is made up. That is all we pretend to give, just the things as they are there. They are in accordance with this programme that has been prescribed, and we don't pretend to draw any results as yet, thinking that it will be premature, and that no man can draw results from single ex2)eriments. Two years this has been in operation; this is the third year. Mr. Flagg—Do I understand you to say that the fallow is a part of your common system of rotation? Mr. Hamilton—It is in some instances. Mr. Flagg—You mentioned that you had adopted this system that was common in Pennsylvania of the rotation of five courses, of which a fallow, I understood you, was one.