64 



Experiments loith Guano. 



Vol. X. 



Paris, on the other hand, the quantity has 

 been estimated by M. Chabrol, from 85 to 

 86 pounds per head ; and in Brussels, it is 

 supposed to average 89 pounds. We thus 

 find that the consumption of animal food in 

 the towns of England, far exceeds that of 

 foreign cities; and as this consumption has 

 gone on steadily increasing, we are war- 

 ranted in concluding that the labour of the 

 English people is not only more efficient as 

 compared with that of other nations, but is 

 daily acquiring greater efficiency, if the 

 present be contrasted with previous results. 



The following curious fact of speculative 

 science applied to trade, is from the appen- 

 dix, and has been furnished to Dr. Twiss by 

 Mr. Dixon, an eminent land surveyor at 

 Oxford : 



" The present mode of calculating the 

 probable yield of wheat of a given district 

 for tlie coming harvest, is as follows: About 

 the time that the wheat is blooming, gene- 

 rally about the beginning of June, a person 

 will go round with a guage secreted in a 

 hollow cane, which forms a triangle when 

 opened, and represents a certain portion of 

 an acre of ground. This is placed over va- 

 rious portions of the standing crop in the 

 best and worst parts of a field : the number 

 of ears of wheat comprised within the tri- 

 angle is counted, and the probable quality of 

 the grain is taken into calculation according 

 as the spring has been wet or dry. On the 

 former supposition the grain is likely to 

 shrink ; on the latter, to harden and come 

 out plump. It may be observed, that if 

 there has been a good general rain during 

 the last ten days of April and the first ten 

 days of Ma_v, on the average, no more wet 

 is required for wheat. An expert ganger 

 will form a very accurate estimate of the 

 probable produce of a given district by this 

 method." — Foreign Paper. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Memorandum of Experiments with Gua- 

 no, on the Farm of Dr. Ellwyn, near 

 West Chester, Pa. 



April 10//i. — Planted potatoes — Mercers 

 — one bushel ; put in the rows before cover- 

 ing them, equal parts of guano and plaster, 

 at the rate of one and a half bushels to the 

 acre. Strode's best whites alongside, planted 

 and manured in the same manner — weather 

 dry. 



May 31s^— The frost last night killed the 

 lops to the ground. 



June 18lh. — Potatoes spring up to admi- 

 ration. I dressed them, and found those 

 guanoed somewhat in advance of the others. 



June dOtk — Observed a marked difler- 



ence in the growth and colour of the tops of 

 both kinds, but most particularly in Strode's 

 whites. The weather has been wet for the 

 last three days and nights. 



August 1st. — Dug some of the Mercers, 

 and found those guanoed much larger than 

 the others. 



April IQth. — Applied an infusion of guano 

 to six rows of onions planted about a week 

 previously — left three rows without. Also 

 applied to head sallad — left a part without — 

 weather dry. 



April 26th. — I found that the quantity 

 was too great or the weather too dry, or 

 both, as about one half of them perished, 

 and the remainder grew but poorly. I con- 

 clude, therefore, that to apply a large quan- 

 tity is injurious. 



July 1st. — The onions not grown well — 

 most of them dwindled, and none of them 

 flourished as well as those that had none ap- 

 plied. 



April nth — Appearance of rain. Expe- 

 riment on grass in orchard east of the house. 

 Sowed a part with equal parts of guano and 

 plaster, left one cast witljout — then sowed 

 with plaster alone. Orchard north of the 

 house, sowed one part with equal parts of 

 guano, plaster, and dry soil mixed through a 

 sieve ; the remainder of the ground with 

 plaster alone, and about one acre of an ad- 

 joining field in like manner, and the remain- 

 der with plaster alone. 



Api'il SOth. — Took my neighbour, J. C. 

 Strode, across the lots at right angles with 

 the sowing, but did not inform him where 

 either the guano or plaster began or ended ; 

 but he was able precisely to mark the differ- 

 ence in colour and vigor of the different 

 casts. Took him to both the other lots, and 

 he with equal precision, marked the same 

 difference. There came rain about two days 

 after sowing. 



May Idth. — The same marked difference 

 is still observable. 



June 15th. — Mowed the orchard east of 

 the house ; found material difference in 

 quantity where the guano was sown, it 

 being much thicker at the bottom. The 

 lot north of the barn was mowed the 26th 

 of June, and the difference in favour of 

 guano much more marked than the former. 

 The lot north of the house was mowed on 

 the 28th — in this lot the greatest difference 

 appeared. I think there was three times the 

 quantity on that guanoed, that there was 

 where nothing was sown, and double the 

 quantity of that sown with plaster alone. 



July 1st. — This morning, after a copious 

 rain, sowed two bushels, three parts dry soil 



