38 



The bushel arid a half of seed per acre, will cost 

 about three dollars. 



These two crops of green manure will make 

 tog-ether 5 tons per acre. And this will amount, 

 on a field of 20 acres to 500 tons. Then, this green 

 dressing will cost 12 cents per ton. The ten thousand 

 pounds of nitrogen in it, will cost less than one cent 

 per pound. 



Let us compare this with barn yard manure. It 

 will take 1000 tons to furnish as much nitrogen as 

 we have in the 20 acres of Hungarian grass. If you 

 can buy the manure, and haul it home and spread it, 

 for $1,50 per ton, it will cost you $1500. 



Peruvian guano contains 280 pounds of nitrogen 

 per ton, and at the old price of $60, it will cost nearly 

 21GO dollars to obtain as much nitrogen in that way 

 as we get for $00 in the 20 acres of Hungarian grass. 



Nitrate of Soda is another highly concentrated 

 manure, because it contains 300 pounds of nitrogen 

 per ton. But I do not know where you can buy the 

 pure article for less than $90 for 2000 pounds ; there- 

 fore it will cost you $3000 to get as much nitrogen 

 as we obtain for $60, in 20 acres of green millet. 



After looking at the subject through these calcula- 

 tions, does it not seem exceedingly strange, that 

 English and even American farmers will purchase 

 nitrate of soda, and sow from 100 to 250 pounds per 

 acre on their wheat. 



Why will they do it ? Because they want available 

 nitrogen. They want it in a condition, that it can 

 be taken up by plants the moment it is sown. 

 Green manures must decay a complete decomposi- 



