474 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



por- 



10 



1 





 18 



1 



The same experiment repeated on another 

 tion of the field : Tons. Cwts. 



Soil simple 1 



3 Cwt. guano 2 



3 Cwt. guano 2 



2 Cwt. of nitrate of soda. . 1 



2 Civt. nitrate of soda. ... 2 

 The practical observations of Mr. Dove are well 

 worthy of our earnest attention. He tells us, when 

 commenting upon the result of his own experi- 

 ments {ibid, p. 220), that he has generally found 

 an application to grass of 3 cwt. of guano per acre 

 to be equal to 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda, but that 

 when a dry season occurs nitrate of soda has a 

 decided advantage. He says, " Even if guano is 

 applied on a wet day, and apparently well washed 

 in, if it should immediately after set in for some 

 weeks of dry weather, I have always observed that 

 it has not nearly the same effect as it has when the 

 weather continues damp for some time after ; while 

 nitrate of soda, if once washed in, never loses its 

 efFect. Taking this into consideration, along with 

 the fact that it requires less rain to wash it in, I 

 consider nitrate of soda decidedly preferable to 

 guano as a manure for grass. Guano should only 

 be used when the weather is favourable for getting it 

 applied in April : when this can be done, it answers 

 very well to apply a moderate quantity of it, and 

 afterwards a httle nitrate of soda some time in May. 

 In top-dressing potato oats on the 15th of April 

 and the 23rd of May, the produce per acre in Mr. 

 Dove's trials was as follows ; 

 1 1 stones of nitrate of soda and 2 cwt. "I 

 of common salt on the 15th of April/ 

 1 1 stones of nitrate of soda and 2 cwt. \ 

 of common salt on the 23rd of May J 

 In the very elaborate and valuable experiments 

 at Rothamsted, by Messrs. Laws and Gilbert, on 

 top-dressing old pasture land, other very important 

 objects of enquiry have been steadily and success- 

 fully pursued. The results of these important re- 

 searches have been reported in volumes xix and xx 

 of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 

 and these will be advantageously reperused by the 

 farmer, for they contain much more valuable matter 



56 bushels. 

 62 bushels. 



than may appear at the first reading. The main 

 object of these laborious enquiries was to determine 

 the effect of certain nitrogenous and mineral sub- 

 stances applied for successive seasons to the same 

 plots of natural pasture j and to' ascertain not only 

 the amount of hay and aftermath produced by 

 each, but also the different kinds of grass whose 

 growth might be encouraged by the continued 

 apphcation of these different dressings. These 

 natural grasses they divide in their elaborate report 

 into three classes, viz. : 



1. The Graminaceous Herbage. — In this is in- 

 cluded the common rye grass, the woolly soft grass, 

 the tall oat-like grass, the sweet-scented vernal 

 grass, the bent grass, the quaking grass, the crested 

 dog's-tail grass, the rough cock's-foot grass, the 

 smooth-tailed meadow grass, the soft brome grass, 

 the meadow oat grass, &c. 



2. The Leguminous Herbage. — In this class they 

 specify as present in the Rothamsted grass land 

 the meadow vetchling, the bird's-foot trefoil, the 

 perennial red clover, &c. 



3. The Miscellaneous Herbage, chiefly Weeds. — 

 In this the reporters include, as found in their 

 plots, the rib grass or plantain, common carraway, 

 the milfoil or yarrow, the sheep's-sorrel^'or dock, 

 the silene or catchfly, various species of ranunculus 

 or crow's-foot, the germander speedwell, and the 

 bed-straw or cheese-rennet. 



The soil of the half-acre plots of natural pasture 

 at Rothamsted, on which these trials were made, 

 is a somewhat heavy loam, with a heavy clay sub- 

 soil resting on chalk. These plots were yearly 

 dressed in February or March with one and the same 

 kind of manure. But each plot had a different 

 kind of manure : two plots, however, for the sake 

 of comparison, were left unmanured. After three 

 years' experience, during which their produce had 

 been carefully ascertained, these plots were in 1858 

 botanically examined. The result of these length- 

 ened trials and observations was as follows (Jour. 

 Roy. Ag. Soc, vol. xx., p. 250). 



The effect of these manures on the produce j'^er 

 acre of hay will be found in the subjoined table, 

 which I thus abridge : 



Plot, 



Nos. 



1 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 5 

 6 

 7 



8 

 9 



10 



11 



12 



13 

 14 

 15 



16 

 17 



MANURES. 

 (Per Acre, per Annum.) 

 Series 1. — Without Direct Mineral Manure. 



Unmauured 



Unmanured (duplicate plot) 



2,0001bs. Sawdust 



2001bs. each, Sulphate and Muriate Ammonia 



2001bs. each, Sulphiite and Muriate Ammonia, and 2,0001bs. Sawdust 



2751bs. Nitrate of Soda 



i5501bs. Nitrate of Soda 



Series 2. — With Direct Mineral Manure. 



" Mixed Mineral Manure" 



"Mixed Mineral Manure," and 2, OOOlbs. Sawdust 



" Mixed Mineral Manure," and 2001bs. each, Sulphate and Muriate Ammonia 

 "Mixed Mineral Manure," and 2001bs. eaeli, Sulphate and Muriate Am 



monia, and 2,0001bs. Sawdust 



"Mixed Mineral Manure," and 2001hs. each, Sulphate and Muriate Am- l 



1858. 

 tns. cwt. 



} 



monia, and 2,()001bs. Cut Wlieat Straw. 



"Mixed Mineral Manure," and -lOOlbs. each, Sulphate and Muriate Anunonia 



" Mixed Mineral Manure," and 2751bs. Nitrate of Soda 



" Mixed Mineral Manure," and 5501bs. Nitrate of Soda , 



Series 3. — With Farmyard Manure. 



14 tons Farmyard Manure 



14 tons Farmyard Manure, and lOOlbs, each, Sulphate and Muriate ofi 

 Ammonia ..-...,•..,.,,,,,,,,....,.,.,,, t . . . , J 



2 

 10 





 15 

 17 



6 

 11 



16 

 19 



4 



1 " 



3 1 



3 



15 

 4 



2 7 

 2 13 



3 

 1 



2 



1 

 2 



7 



17 

 10 



17 



7 



