THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



155 



advance in prices of bones aud bone ash took place, ariaiug 

 from a cjutiuiied good demand aud short supplies. For 

 weeks we had no arrival, a better market having been found 

 for the article in France and Holland. As parcels dropped in 

 they were taken up at prices varying from £6 10s. to £6 15s., 

 and we close the year at this last figure, stocks being 223 tons, 

 against 3,000 la^t ) ear. 



Tar. — The imports of this article in the fore part of the 

 anramer up to September continued sm.ill, in consequence of 

 which the price, instead of ruling somewhat below, kept 

 at about a par with tlie rates obtainable during the same period 

 in London ; Stockholm tar keeping up, with little variation, 

 at about 16s. per barrel. Towards the end of September, the 

 supply, through larger arrivals, becoming more abundant, the 

 price receded to 14s., and later in the season down to about 

 128. 6d., at which the article may now be quoted in first hands. 

 The imports, including Archangel tar, which description in a 

 general way does not come much upon the market, reaches a 

 total of 26,818 barrels, being in excess of that of last year, 

 which was 22,531 barrels. Of this import, about 3,500 barrels 

 have been lauded for higher prices, and one parcel of about 

 1,700 barrels is now in course of sale in small quantities (rom 

 the importing ship. 



TuKPBNTiNE. — The direct import this year is 7,353 barrels 

 against 9,376 barrels last year ; but this affords no criterion 

 whatever of the quantity used by distillers in this quarter, 

 who receive by fa: the greater proportion used by them from 

 London. The value of this article remained pretty steady 

 during the first part of the year, but in the month of July, in 

 consequence of a reported scarcity in the United States, prices 

 advanced to 459. per cwt. This high value was not, however, 

 long maintained, and the year closes at 33s. to 348., with a 

 small stock on hand. 



Wood.— The import this year has shown a large decrease 

 on the preceding one, as will be observed hy the tablas. The 

 demand throughout the year has been very languid at generally 

 declining prices, until they reached their present position, a 

 lower value than has existed for many years past, especially 

 with regard to Baltic goods. These prices are difficult to 

 quote, arising from the irre;5ular nature of recent transactions, 

 and the result of the disturbance in our monetary affairs. The 

 stocks on baud are considerable, but not above the require- 

 ments of a return to a nominal condition of commercial 

 matters ; aud as the prospect of this is no longer doubtful, a 

 good demand is anticipated in the ensuing year. 



Shipping. — The past year has been a very unsatisfactory 

 one for the shipping interest generally, and very few vessels 

 can have done much good. Our local trade has had more than 

 its full share of the general depression, for although the gross 

 tonnage into the port appears large, much of it is owing to 

 the rapid passages and continuous arrival of steamers, aud a 

 more than ordinary proportion of ships arriving, have been 

 seeking vessels, fixed at uoremunerative rates on the other 

 side. The Colonial tiade has been as dull as it could well be. 

 Freighti have been about 353. Q,uebec, and 90s. to 958. Richi- 

 bucto, Buctouche, Miramachi, c&c, with very little doing. 

 Baltic wood freights have also been scarcely worth attention, 

 aud have varied very little. During the season the rates have 

 ruled from Dautzic, 15s. to 173.; Memel, 15s. 6d. to 17s. 6d.; 

 Sundswall and Holmsund, lOs. to 203. ; Windau, 178. to 183. 

 6d.; Riga, 25s. to 273. ; Cronstad, 423. Gd. to 47s. 6d. ; Wy. 

 burg, Fredricksliam, 47s. Gd. to 523. Gd. ; Archangel, 43. 9d, 

 seed ; Riga, 423. 6d. flax. At the close of the year seeking 

 ships have had to leave the Russian and some of tlie Prussian 

 ports in ballast. Altogether, shipowners may be very glad to 

 turn their backs upon 1857, especially as there is rather a 

 hopeful feeling as to its successor. 



P. Bruce, 

 Secretary to the Hull Chamber of Commerce. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH DIFFERENT 

 MANURES. 



Some few weeks ago a correspondent suggested that farmers 

 who had been making experiments with different kinds of 

 manure should send to you an account of them, with the re- 

 sults obtained, and you expressed your williugneas to publish 



them. I take the liberty of reporting to you a statement of 

 experiments made by me on my turnip crops during three 

 years, and hope you will find room for it. I vouch for its ac- 

 curacy, everything connected with the experiments, from the 

 weighing of the manures to the pulling aud weighing of the 

 turnips, having been done by my own hands. I may men^ 

 tion that none of the manures were procured expressly for the 

 purpose of making a comparative trial, but were all portions of 

 larger qviantities bought by myself or my father at Over Rox- 

 burgh farm. 



1855. 



Shark's Bay guano 



Latham Island do 



Hottentot do 



Farm-yard dung 



Patagonian guano 



Saldanha Bay do. 



Peruvian do 



A mixture of these guanos 



1856. 

 Patagonian guano 



Do. do 



Bone ash 



Saldanha Bay guano .... 

 Peruvian do 



Da. do 



Mexican guano fromMr.H. 



Do. and Peruvian . . 

 Mexican guano from Mr. O. 



Do. do 



Do. and Peruvian . . 



Hottentot guano 



C. dissolved bones .... 

 B. dissolved bones .... 

 Bone dust 



Do. and Peruvian . . 

 1857. 

 Patent wool manure . , 

 Patagonian guano . . . ■ 



Hottentot do 



Peruviau do 



Falkland Island do 



Superphosphate (Berwick) 



Do. (Mr. O.) 



Ammoniacal do 



Mixture of the above .... 

 Sawdust steeped in pure 



chamber-lye for 6 wetks, 



and sown with a good 



handful along the drill. . 



Quantity of 

 manure. 



4 cwt 



4 „ 



4 „ 



15 loads at 3s. 



4 cwt 



4 „ 



4 „ 



4 „ 



6 „ 



8i, 



6 „ 



6 „ 



4 „ 



6 „ 



6 , 



4 4-5ths„ . 



6 cwt 



9^.. 



6f „ 



6 „ 



6 , 



6 „ 



14| bush 



equal weight: 



6 cwt 



8 „ 



7 „ 



4i , 



4.. 



H., 



■H „ 



51- „ 



6' „ 



Cost 

 per 

 acre. 



8. d. 

 35 4 

 37 6 

 33 6 

 45 

 33 6 



37 6 

 50 6 



38 



31 6 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 69 

 45 

 45 

 28 6 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 45 



45 

 45 

 45 

 67 6 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 55 

 45 



Weight of 

 turnips pe 

 acre. . 



Ton cwt. qr. 



7 8 1 



10 16 



11 10 

 13 

 13 2 

 13 4 

 13 18 

 10 



18 2 

 14 10 

 17 11 

 17 18 



19 10 

 13 14 



13 10 



14 3 

 17 18 



17 8 1 



lu 1855.— Sown June 12, weighed Nov. 21. The plants 

 came very badly away ; and, with an unsuitable season, and a 

 stiff clayey undrained sod, the crop was a very poor one. 



In 1856 the braird was good and equal. Soon all the bone 

 manures took a decided lead, which they kept till about harvest, 

 when their strength seemed exhausted, and their crops proved 

 deficient. Sown June 11, and weighed Dec. 2. The field is 

 clay, but drained and limed the previous year. 



In 1857 the bone manures showed as they did in the pre- 

 vious year, early, but without permanency. The sawdust 

 steepiug was an idea of my own, and will be tried next year 

 on a more extensive scale by several farmers. The soil is clsy, 

 drained and limed five years ago. Sown June 16, and weighed 

 Dec. 9. An excellent crop, much above the average of the 

 district. In each year the turnips were of the common white 

 globe variety. Tiios. Thomson. 



Milljlehl, Kelso, Dec. 9, 1857. 



M ^ 



