208 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



coleseed cake, super phosphate of lime, sulphates of potash, soda, 

 and magnesia, sulphate and muriate of ammonia, soot, and fresh 

 burned lime, singly and in various combinations. The following 

 is a sketch of the history of the crops obtained from four acres, 

 divided into eighteen plats, during twelve years : 1848 ; sown to 

 clover and barley, having been manured the previous season and 

 borne a large crop of Swedish turnips. 1849; manured with 

 various applications. Three cuttings yielded at rate of from 

 three and three-fourths to nearly five tons per acre. Seeded in 

 fall to wheat. 1850 ; in spring clover-seed was sown on the 

 young wheat. The wheat yield was at rate of twenty-seven to 

 thirty-six bushels per acre. After harvest, the clover catch not 

 being good, the land was plowed. 1851 ; after manuring again, 

 clover-seed was drilled in, April 28 ; came up well ana" was cut in 

 September. Best yield was at rate of one and one-third ton of 

 hay. 1852 ; clover looked well in winter, but in March symptoms 

 of failure became apparent in many of the plats ; later it died out 

 in patches, more or less, in all the plats, still on the whole a good 

 plant remained, and two cuttings gave hay on best plats at rate of 

 two and one-fourth to three tons per acre. 1853; plants stood 

 fairly through the winter but nearly all died off in spring. Land 

 was then plowed and fresh clover-seed drilled in ; plants came up 

 weak. There was no crop worth cutting in autumn and during 

 winter nearly the whole died off. 1854; Held was plowed and 

 left fallow until September. After heavy manuring (twenty tons 

 yard manure per acre on some portions, and 5,000 pounds quick- 

 lime on others) clover-seed was drilled in October 10. Plants 

 came up, but died off during winter. 1855; clover-seed drilled 

 in April 14. Best crop was at rate of one and one-quarter ton of 

 hay per acre. Plants died in winter. 1856 and 1857 land was left 

 fallow. 1858 ; sown to barley without further manure : crop 

 fifty-eight to sixty-five bushels per acre. 1859; without ma- 

 nuring, sowed to clover. Crop cut in September was one to one 

 and one-half ton hay per acre. 1860 ; plants looked well through 

 winter, but as spring advanced died off rapidly, and in June the 

 few remaining plants had a stunted and unhealthy appearance. 



Thus, after seven sowings and the liberal use of every fertilizing 

 element, Mr. Lawes was compelled to see a complete failure of 

 the attempt to keep his land in clover. He relates that in the ro- 

 tations customarily practised in his neighborhood, a good yield of 

 clover can be relied upon once in six or eight years. 



