HIGH FARMING. 213 



a donkey, but it would not grow wheat. We are bound, 

 however, to admit that if, in f very-day farming, 5 Ibs. of 

 ammonia, costing 2s. 6d., will produce a bushel of wheat,* 

 worth at the present moment 4s. Qd., the fact is of great 

 importance to agriculturists, and Mr. Huxtable has done 

 well to bring it prominently before them by his widely- 

 extended publication. Still we could not consider that, or 

 any similar discovery, as a permanent source of more than 

 average profit to a wheat-grower, because the general recog- 

 nition of such a ratio would very shortly be followed either 

 by a rise in the price of ammonia, or by a fall in the 

 price of wheat. 



Before we can apply Mr. Huxtable's illustrative account 

 to another purpose which we contemplate, we must state 

 the theory of manures which he, as do Mr. Pusey and 

 others to some extent, recognises as established : 



1st. Nitrogen is the base of ammonia, into which, under 

 ordinary farming circumstances, it converts itself by im- 

 bibing one-fourth of its own weight of hydrogen. 



2nd. Ammonia is the only manure of any value in the 

 growth of cereals. 



Proved as follows : 



Fourteen tons of ordinary farm-yard and stable manure 

 have been shown by analysis to contain two cwt. of am- 

 monia. 



Three contiguous pieces of land, in all respects similar, 

 having been sown with wheat No. 1, without manure ; 

 No. 2, fourteen tons farm-yard and stable dung; No. 3, 

 two cwt. ammonia the quantity of wheat produced by 

 No. 2 and No. 3 was exactly equal, as were, of course, 

 also their respective excesses over the produce of No. 1. 



Therefore the carbonic and phosphoric contents of the 

 fourteen tons of dung were of no value whatever in grow- 

 ing wheat, which, as far as phosphates are concerned, is 



* We are sorry to observe, that in the experiment stated by Mr. Pusey, 

 p. 6, 8 Ibs. of ammonia were required to produce a bushel of wheat a 

 woful inroad on our anticipated profits. 



