THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



397 



No. 8 coataiued abuudaut red-clover, of which in- 

 valuable pasture-herb the produce of the ammo- 

 niacal trial No. 10 conlained none; ton for ton, 

 No. 8 contained more rye-grass than did No. 10; 

 and it contained no single blade of Yorkshire-fog, 

 whilst in No. 10 that opprobrious weed prevailed to the 

 extent of 8 cwt. in every ton. Hence then, the exact 

 similitude in analytical results derived from two samples 

 of hay so widely dissimilar in economic quality leaves no 

 room to doubt that, however accurately the analysis 

 may have been conducted, and however true the result 

 given, it can be invested with no instructive practical 

 value. Indeed, in no point of view is it possible to dis- 

 cover wherein these analytical investigations can ever 

 take up a position of general interest or utility, seeing 

 that their ground-work was a very inferior product of 

 meadow herbage, containing no while clover amongst 

 the legumens, no foxtails, catstails, or fescues, and only 

 one poa amongst the grasses ; but pleniifulli/ contami- 

 na'ed with hiot-grass, and overrun with that gramine- 

 ous abomination in pastoral husbandry IIolcus lunatus, 

 or Yorkshire Jog. 



And now to conclude this series of disquisitions on 

 Uothamsted experimental manuring, we sum up as 

 follows : By the doctrines of this school of agricultural 

 teaching three manurial specifics are more especially 

 advocated as promotive of abnormal fertility — nitrogen- 

 ous salts for the cereals and other members of the bo- 

 tanic order of grasses ; phosphate of lime for the turnip 

 plant ; and mixed minerals for those leguminous tribes, 

 of which clover may be taken as the type. As for the 

 behaviour of nitrogenous chemicals with the corn plants, 

 the history of the experiments has been seen to resolve 

 itself into a palpable confirmation of Liebig's pre- 

 diction — that any excess of yield procured at first by the 

 use of special manures will surely be followed ultimately 



by a corresponding amount of induced iufertility. On 

 the miscellaneous species of plants which constitute the 

 vegetation of the meadow or pasture field, the effect of 

 nitrogenous manuring has been demonstrated to be, to 

 multiply greatly the worse kinds arid to discourage or 

 utterly exterminate the better. Passing next to the 

 influence of phosphatic manure on the growth of the 

 turnip, we have reminded the farmer that if, in like 

 manner as at Rothamsted, the use of that substance is 

 generally attended for a time with unequivocal produc- 

 tive eflfect, it nevertheless is undeniable that coincident 

 with its wide-spread administration to our fallow crops, 

 a no less general degeneration of this root has sprung 

 up ; an occurrence conclusive of this — that whether it be 

 or be not in itself due to phosphatic manuring, at least 

 it is certain that as special manures applied to this 

 member of the plants of Held cultivation, both bones and 

 superphosphate of lime are alike signally destitute of 

 either preventive or curative virtues to arrest the evil. 

 Finally, as to the assumed discovery that a mere empiri- 

 cal admixture of several mineral salts is what will every- 

 where and in all soils and climates achieve a renovated 

 leguminous luxuriance in our worn-out pastures, when 

 duly examined, the experimental details exhibit nothing 

 more than this — that belonging as the clovers do to 

 Liebig's well-known classification of liuie-plants, and 

 amenable in a remarkable degree as they are to the in- 

 fluence of calcareous stimulant, the administration in 

 three consecutive years of a mineral admixture of which 

 lime in its most soluble of forms was a chief constituent, 

 produced the natural and common-place consequence in 

 a soil to which no calcareous dressing had been adminis- 

 tered within the memory of man before, of exciting the 

 relatively few clover plants existing in the ground at the 

 time the trials were instituted, into vigorous growth and 

 numerous multiplication. 



THE SOIL AND THE SYSTEM. 



A general review of the various rotations of crops 

 adopted in England gives strong evidence that there is 

 an intimate connection between the character and com- 

 position of the soil and the succession of crops which is 

 most remunerative. Indeed the more fully this is investi- 

 gated, the more definite is the evidence obtained. Our 

 rich loams and clays, upon which beans and wheat are 

 so successfully grown, are comparatively strong in those 

 mineral ingredients which are required for these crops. 

 When these two crops part company, it is the bean 

 which is first compelled to yield to the inferior quality 

 of the soil. And the reason is very clear; for the bean 

 requires, for its economical growth, that the soil should 

 contain more abundant supplies of alkaline matter and 

 the phosphates than the wheat absolutely requires. When 

 these bodies are present in only small proportions, we 

 then find practical evidence that the land is not good 

 enough for beans ; still it may be sufficiently fertile for 

 a wheat crop. By pursuing the same line of observa- 

 tion we have a ready explanation for the oft-observed 

 fact, that peas can be successfully grown when the 

 beau would be a certain failure, from the fact of mineral 

 matter required for peas being less abundant in alkaline 

 matter, and lime holding a more prominent position in 

 its composition. In like manner we know that those 

 poor sandy lands which cannot produce wheat profita- 



bly, at the same time allow rye and oafs to be econo- 

 mically grown. Here, again, the same key will un- 

 lock the hidden cause, by showing that both of these 

 crops do not require rich mineral food to be present in 

 equal abundance. The instances are numerous in which 

 lands of this character, that only a few years ago 

 could not produce any stronger corn than rye and oats, 

 are now yielding wheat in consequence of their im- 

 proved quality — a natural result of liberal farming and 

 the use of good manure. Another familiar instance 

 occurs to the mind in the selection of spring corn to 

 follow the roots. If the land is not of good quality, 

 we generally devote it for the oat crop, and certainly 

 should not sow wheat. If the land is of rather supe- 

 rior character, and the condition favourable, then 

 barley would probably be chosen ; but if it is mani- 

 festly too good for barley, then the preference is given 

 to wheat. Now the requirements of these crops, and 

 the demand they make upon the soil, are just in the 

 same proportion ; the wheat asking the richest food, 

 the oat the least valuable, whilst the barley takes an in- 

 termediate position. 



It is in consequence of this influence exerted by the 

 composition of the soil upon the crops which can be 

 profitably grown, that we observe such well-established 

 courses of cropping adopted in difterent districts. In 



