FARMS. 119 



Two pieces of land were taken in the same state ; upon one of 

 these he applied 800 bushels of ashes per acre, at twelve and a 

 half cents per bushel ; upon the other 350 pounds of guano, at 

 three cents per pound ; the first cost of the ashes being thirty- 

 seven and a half dollars, and of the guano ten dollars. The 

 crops are thought by Mr. H. to have been about the same, 

 although he cropped twice where he applied the ashes, and but 

 once where the guano was used. That part of the land which 

 had the guano, had produced not more than twelve or fifteen 

 hundred weight of hay per acre, annually, for some years, ]>ut 

 this year he had thirty hundred weight of hay, and of an im- 

 proved quality. The ashes were put on in the fall, the guano in 

 the spring. Mr. H. thinks that upon onions, one hundred pounds 

 of guano is equal to about six feet of stable maniire. 



Mr. I.'s experiments were tried with guano and super-phos- 

 phate as a top-dressing for grass. It was upon a peat meadow, 

 which had been in grass fifteen or twenty years without any 

 dressing. He applied guano at the rate of 400 pounds the acre 

 to a strip eight rods long, and one rod and five links wide. 



The produce of hay was .... 253 pounds. 



On a strip of same size, alongside (undressed), 56 " 



With a super-phosphate dressing on a strip eight 



rods by one wide, the yield was . . 138 " 



The same number of rods alongside, yielded 60 " 



To be equal to the guano, the super-phosphate should have 

 produced 210 pounds instead of 138, making the necessary 

 allowance for the quantity of land in the two lots. 



Mr. J. put guano, at 300 pounds per acre, against six cords 

 of Iiarnyard manure per acre, for a crop of rye. The guano 

 was upon a gravelly knoll, the manure upon land much better. 

 The quantity produced I have not learned, but says Mr. J., the 

 kernel is about as large as on the part manured fi'om the yard. 

 It should not be overlooked, that we have in no case any test 

 of the length of time that any of these manures will continue to 

 operate. 



Mr. K. is exploring a different department. He has subject 

 to his control a dozen privies or more, under each of which he 

 excavates sufficiently for two horse-cart loads of loam, put in 

 once a year. These vaults are emptied annually, and the 

 contents are thrown over at least once a year for two or three 



