100 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Table No. 1. 

 experiments with swedish turnips. 

 FarmyarJ luamire applied on the stubble, 30 loads to the acre 

 Scots. Artificial mauures applied in the drill at the rate of 

 5 cwt. per acre. 



Cosl per acre. Yield. 

 tons. Cvvt. 

 No. 1. Mixture 2} cwt. guano and 2^ 



cwt. B. raiuiure.at 1)3. 6J £2 17 G 22 14 



No 2. 5 cwt. Dall'a manure, at 93. . . 2 5 19 10 



No. 3. 5 cwt. Peruvian guano, at 14s. 



Gd 3 12 C 23 6 



No, 4. 5 cwt. B. manure, at 83. 6>1... 2 2 6 21 5 



No. 5. same application as No. 1, but 



different seed, at lis. Gd 2 17 C 15 13 



Conifiaralk'e Results of the above. 

 Guano, No. 3, ?ives 12 cwt. of swedea more thau No. 1, 

 but at a cost of 15s. 



No. 15 gives 2 tons 1 cwt. more t!ian No. 4, but at a cost of 

 £1 103. 



No. 3 gives 3 tons 16 cwt. more than No. 2, at a cost of 

 £1 73. 6d. 

 No. 5, UiiFerent seed, 7 tons 13 cwt. 



Table No. 2. 



experiments with white globe. 



No manure to stubble. 



tons. cwt. 

 No. 1. 8 cwt. per acre superphosphate, 



at 83 £3 4 9 



No. 2. 8 cwt. gnano, Peruvian, at 128. 



6d 5 12 12 



M ■ 3. 8 cwt. B. manure, at 89. 6d.. . 3 8 10 4 



>o. 4. 8 cwt. Indian guauo, at83 3 4 10 16 



No. 5. Mixture, 5 cwt. bones and 3 



cwt. guauo, at lOs. 6d 4 4 12 



Comparative licsulls of the above. 

 No. 2, Guano, gives 3 tons 12 cwt. more than No. 1, at a 

 cost of £\ 169. 



No. 2, Guano, gives 2 tons 8 cwt, more than No. 3, at a cost 

 of£l 12s. 



No. 2, Guano, gives 1 ton 16 cwt. more than No. 4, at a 

 cost of £1 163. 



No. 2, Guano, gives 12 cwt. per acre more than No. 5, at a 

 cost of 163. 



Table No. 3. 

 experiments with purple top. 



tons. cwt. 

 No. 1. Mixture, 10 cwt. drill bones 



and 5 CRt. rape, at 6s. 3d. percvtt. £4 13 9 14 8 

 No. 2. Mixture, 3 cwt. guano, Peru- 

 vian, and 5 cwt. superphosphate, at 

 10s. 6d. per cwt 4 4 16 4 



Comparative Results. 

 No. 2, gives 1 ton 16 cwt. more than No. 1, costing 93. 9d. 

 less. 



Well, gentlemen, the results of the experiments which I 

 now lay before you, go to prove that guano is the greatest 

 fertilizer we possess ; but when you come tn count the cosl. 

 it is not the most profitable at its present price— at least^ 

 from an analysis of my experiments. You will observe 

 that the extra quantity of turnips raised frnm guano cost 

 the owner too much. The striking feature in the experi- 

 ment No. 5 of Table 1, shows how important it is to secure 

 the best variety of seed. Why, here is an actual difference 

 of 7 tons 13 cwt. where the same manures were applied. 

 But this is a subject for another discussion. I would detain 

 you too long were I to enlarge on this theme. I now refer 

 vou to Table No. 2. The small crop will startle you all. 

 This I attribute entirely to accident. The first braird was 

 completely burnt up by the hot sim we had for some days 

 during the latter part of June and beginning of July. I 

 bad to re-sow the field, with the exception of a small 

 portion, where I had the experiment between rape and drill 

 bones against guano and superphosphate. They suffered 

 al.so from the hot sun. The soil is almo.st pure sand. 

 Oentlemen, I hesitated whether or not to tell of this small 

 crop. Are wc not too proud often to speak of our large 

 crops, and keep the small ones to ourselves? I would c.nll 



your attention particularly to the fact of this new guano ; 

 Indian guano, at £<j per ton, liaving grown a larger crop 

 than superphosphate. I would refer j'ou to an experiment 

 made in Ro.xburghshire, where, when mixed with Peruvian, 

 it gives a greater return than Peruvian alone. This is a 

 fact well worthy of uotice. I was rather surprised with 

 the result of tlic experiments with purple-top turnips. The 

 mixture of guano and dissolved bones brairded sooner, and 

 were ready for singling some days before the other; but 

 during autumn the contrast was most marked — the leaves 

 of the rape and drill bones' experiment continued green 

 long after the other had withered: but the earlier turnips 

 tliis season were by far the best crop, and in eight seasons 

 out often we will find this to be the case. .But I fear I trespass 

 too long, when I consider the other reports to be brought 

 before you, while, I cannot close without expressing: a hope 

 that we may really, and in earnest, try to resist the high 

 price asked for guano. This is a season of great commercial 

 depression. It is felt by all. May the cloud which now 

 hangs over us soon disappear. I am sure all who deal in the 

 artificial manures most in vogue must know that the greater 

 the quantity sold, even at a small profit, is best for themselves. 

 I would close ray observations with one remark on the diffi- 

 culty of arriving at correct conclusious, unless experiments are 

 repeated. This county stands pre-eminent for its agriculture. 

 Let it not be behiad others in its endeavours to impart ad- 

 ditional information, I may mention that the measurements, 

 weighing, &c., of my experiments were conducted under the 

 eye of Mr. Patrick Sheriff, whose qualificatioiis for this are 

 known to you all. 



Mr. Hope, Fenton Barns, said : lie had listened with much 

 interest to the excellent paper which the Chairman had just 

 read. The experiments appeared to have been carefully con- 

 ducted, and the results accurately aEcertained. There was, 

 however, something very singular attending the turnip crop 

 this year. Some fields were remarkably fine, and others very 

 inferior. A difference in a single day in the sowing made a 

 difference of tons per acre in the crop, while an over-luxuriance 

 in leaves in many cases diminiahed the size of the bulbs. 

 Guano had not this year with him maintained its wonted 

 superiority; perhaps they had been applying it too liberally 

 for some time past, and mauures richer in phosphates might 

 be found more profitable. He had tried Cant's manure, 

 which had been supplied to him by Mr. Peacock, of Edin- 

 burgh, in growing swedes. The land was well manured with 

 farm-yard dung on the stubble in autumn. He gave 7^ cwt. 

 of Cant's manure, and 8 bushels bone-dust in the drills. 

 Adjoining, he gave 5 cwts. Peruvian guano and 8 bushels 

 bone-dust, all per Scotch acre. The guano had much the 

 strongest leaves throughout the season, and, when he went to 

 weigh the crofi, he thought the difference in favour of the 

 guano would be 2 or 3 tons per acre; but it turned oat only 

 12 cwt. and some lbs. He had also sown a ton of manure 

 which he got from Mr. Dall, North Berwick. He applied 8 

 cwt. per Scotch acre, along with about 20 carts dung in the 

 drills, as agaiust 5 cwt. guano and 8 bushels bones. The 

 crop was purple-top yellow, and Mr. Call's manure produced 

 the heaviest crop by 10 cwt., though neither was so heavy as 

 he expected. From these results, and the high price of guano, 

 he was resolved to use less guano and more of bones and 

 other manures containing a greater proportion of phosphates. 

 Mr. David Sheriff, Muirton, gave the following report of the 

 experiments made by him at Muirton for crop 1857 :— 

 Experiments made upon Muirton Farm — Crop 1857. 

 This season I made a trial of six different lots of white tur- 

 nips, of three drills each, sown about the 15th of May, 1857; 

 manured at the expense of £5 12s. per Scotch acre. The 

 remit was as follows :— 



Guano ... 

 Dissolved bones ... 

 B, manure 

 Rape dust 

 Blood manure ... 

 Manning's patent 



tons. cwts. 



84 16 



26 9 



29 



30 9 

 29 

 29 



I made another trial also this season, with guano against 

 Mannmg's patent manure. The land was dunged in winter at 

 the rate of 28 carts of home dung per Scotch acre, and at sow- 

 ing 2101bs. of guano against 5 cwt. of Mauniog's patent 

 m'lnn'e. The turnips were sown on the 4th of June, 1857, 



