42 



Experhnenis with Guano. 



Vol. X. 



twelve bushels, or twelve and eighteen bush- 

 els; but between six and eigliteen bushels, 

 it was plainly seen. The yield in grain of 

 the first quality, from the acre with guano, 

 is 35 bushels — no account taken of the 

 screenings or small grain — with by far the 

 heaviest crop of straw I ever harvested. A 

 single bushel weighed 65 pounds. The 

 ground was accurately measured ; and by 

 weighing a dozen or two of the sheaves 

 from different parts of the mow, to obtain 

 an average size, the whole crop was esti- 

 mated at four and a half tons. But a small 

 portion, either of this acre, or the field, stood 

 thick enough ; hence the great growth of 

 straw. Altliough the quantity of seed sown 

 might be considered ample if it all vegetated, 

 owing to the drougiit when sown, it is pro- 

 bable much of the seed was lost; there being 

 just enough moisture to swell, but not to 

 sprout the grain which lay near the surface. 

 The opinion " that more seed would have 

 made a better yield," has, I am aware, been 

 controverted by some. In the present case, 

 I am certain such would have been the re- 

 sult. All are not aware, perhaps, that m a 

 bushel of Mediterranean wheat, there are 

 not as many grains by about 50 per cent., 

 as in a busiiel of White bearded wheat; or 

 by about 33 per cent, of the Red chaft" 

 bearded wheat — neither does the Mediter- 

 ranean wheat usually branch so well as 

 either of the others. Fair as the present 

 yield is, the addition of two to three pecks 

 more of seed would have added in equal 

 proportion to the crop; and forty bushels or 

 more, could just as ea.sily have been raised 

 on tiie acre. In good ground, I have never 

 seen this wheat too thick; and very rarely 

 indeed thick enough. 



Experiment 2nd. — About three weeks 

 later I sowed a lot — corn ground — with 150 

 pounds of guano, and two bushels of White 

 bearded wheat to the acre — about equal to 

 three bushels of Mediterranean wheat. The 

 land was limed in the spring, 70 bushels to 

 the acre. The growth on this lot was about 

 thick enough, and will, I expect, produce 

 more wheat to the acre than experiment 

 No. 1. ; there was less straw, but the heads 

 equally large and well filled. Adjoining 

 this piece was a potatoe lot, which had been 

 heavily limed and manured in the spring; it 

 was sown with two and a half bushels of 

 Mediterranean wheat, and twelve bushels 

 'of ground bones to the acre. To judge by 

 the eye at harvest, the guanoed lot will 

 yield nearly two to one; and certainly with- 

 out any material difference in the quality of 

 the soil, or other advantage on either side, 

 manure excepted. 



Experiment drd. — I sowed 100 bushels 



of ground bones on a part of my oat crop, 

 at the rate of about 16 bushels to the acre ; 

 it was sown heavier than I intended, and 

 only extended over about two thirds of the 

 field. Adjoining to the bones, and both ex- 

 tending through the field, guano was sown 

 at the rate of 200 pounds to the acre : the 

 crop is materially diminished by the drought; 

 but the difference in favour of the guano is 

 not less than 50 per cent ; and at a cost, as 

 compared with the ground bones, of just 

 one half; others have estimated the yield at 

 double: this land was also limed the year 

 preceding — about 70 bushels to the acre. 



Experiment Ath. — Finding the crop of 

 grass likely to be very short, I ploughed up 

 part of a clover lot — that had several years 

 previously 100 bushels of lime to the acre — 

 and sowed four bushels of corn broadcast. 

 Similar to the mode adopted in my first ex- 

 periment, there were 200 pounds of guano 

 sown to the acre ; but leaving a strip of 10 

 feet wide through the middle of the lot, 

 without guano. The crop has suffered 

 greatly from the drought, and the part with 

 guano the most, i. e., the blades are more 

 shrivelled, but is still, of the best colour: all 

 who have examined it, estimate the differ- 

 ence in fivour of the guano, at two, three, 

 and some even four to one. Since the 

 longer continuance of the dry weather, the 

 difference is not so marked; there is yet, 

 however, more than two to one in favour of 

 the guano. 



As this is the era of experiments, I will 

 briefly allude to another, not altogether for- 

 eign to the general subject. Anticipating a 

 dry season, we used the subsoil plough after 

 the bar-share, in this lot; but after eight or 

 ten rounds, were compelled to abandon it, 

 and double the team on the plough : the re- 

 sult is, a marked increase of the growth al- 

 most to a line where the subsoil plough was 

 laid aside. 



Experiment 5lh. — Just previous to plant- 

 ing corn, the land had 60 bushels — in all 

 120 bushels — of lime to the acre; and as 

 tliere was no rain to slake it, it was broken 

 up and spread in a caustic state, and the 

 land well harrowed. Within a few days, 

 and for experiment, — for I feared the con- 

 tact of the guano with lime in this state — 

 300 pounds were sown broadcast on one and 

 a half acres; the ground again harrowed 

 and tiie corn planted. It came up beauti- 

 fully; perhaps not a hill in a thousand miss- 

 ing. When four to six inches high, an even 

 table spoonful of guano, — or a handful to 

 tiiree hills — was dropped around and near 

 the plant, but not on it — the part sown 

 broadcast excepted ; and occasionally leav- 

 ing a row without guano, the Cultivator 



