1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



169 



inches deep, and the same quantity of superphos- 

 phate on the top of the hill before the seed was 

 dropped, as from the rate of 40 loads of stable 

 manure to the acre, side by side. I planted the 

 same piece with corn that I did the year before, 

 giving it a good dressing of manure from the 

 barn-yard before plowing, and using superphos- 

 phate of lime in the hill, with the exception of 

 some rows for other manures. I selected rows 

 both from the dry and wet parts of the piece, 

 using guano dug in around the hill, after the 

 corn was up, salt around the corn on the surface, 

 ashes both in the hill and on the surflice, and plas- 

 ter in the hill. The salt put the corn back one 

 week and injured the crop. Ashes applied in the 

 hill injured the corn, on the surface benefited it, 

 plaster about the same, superphosphate of lime 

 much better than either. 



The guano produced heavier stalks than the 

 superphosphate, but no ])ettGr ears. In making 

 these trials, I used three rows for each kind of 

 manure, leaving one row between each kind with- 

 out any thing applied to the hill. I obtained as 

 good corn from that part of the piece, where I 

 applied guano and superphosphate the year be- 

 fore, as from the part manured with stable man- 

 ure, with the exception of a small part where there 

 was a small per cent, of fowl manure mixed with 

 it. This produced larger crops both seasons. 



I selected six rows in a piece for potatoes, two 

 for guano, using a table-spoonful in a hill, two 

 for superphosphate, using the same quantity in 

 the hill. To the remainder, I put a shovelful of 

 greeu manure in the hill. 



The guano rows yielded 4 bushels. 



The superphosphate 3i bushels. 



The stable manure 3i bushels. 



I had about three-quarters of an acre that had 

 been planted with potatoes the previous year, 

 using plaster in tlie hill, without any other ma- 

 nure. This piece was flat, rather moist, and in 

 poor condition, and I selected it expressly for a 

 trial of concentrated manures. After plowing 

 it, I sowed 150 lbs. of guano, harrowing it in as 

 soon as possible, mixing it thoroughly with the 

 soil. I then furrowed it the usual distance for 

 potatoes. In half of the first row I strewed gua- 

 no, in the other superphosphate of lime, cov- 

 ered it lightly, and planted with pumpkins. The 

 row yielded well, but the part where superphos- 

 phate of lime was applied, much the best. I 

 then took eight rows for potatoes, planting them 

 in drills. In two of them I applied guano, and 

 received six bushels of potatoes. To the two next 

 I applied superphosphate of lime, and received 5^ 

 bushels. Two were liberally manured with ash- 

 es, and from these I obtained five and one-fourth 

 bushels. In the other two, plaster was used, and 

 from these I dug only three bushels. 1 do not 

 think I received any benefit from tlie plaster. In 

 half of the next row I used guano ; in the re- 

 mainder superphosphate of lime, formed it into a 

 ridge, and sowed it with cabbages. The result 

 exceeded my expectations. I obtained much bet- 

 ter heads than I generally do, when manure from 

 the barn is applied. I next sowed eight ro^\'s with 

 turnips, manured four with guano, the remain- 

 der with superphosphate. They looked finely 

 the first of the sejison, but the severe drought and 

 the plant lice, combined, completely ruined the 

 crop. The remainder of the piece 1 planted with 



potatoes, using plaster in the hill. The yield was 

 very light. The quantity of guano and super- 

 phosphate of lime used in the foregoing experi- 

 ments, was equal. 



I prepared a piece of ground for carrots as fol- 

 lows : — first plowed it, then sowed guano at the 

 rate of two or three hundred pounds to the acre ; 

 plowed it again, then sowed about the same quan- 

 tity of superphosphate of lime, and harrowed it 

 in. I obtained a much better crop than I ever 

 had on the same, when stable manure was ap- 

 plied. 



The best crop of potatoes, both as to quantity 

 and quality, I raised upon a piece prepared 1)y 

 plowing in a dressing of stable manure, using su- 

 perphosphate of lime in the hill. I had a fine 

 yield where both superphosphate of lime and 

 plaster was applied in the hill Avithout any other 

 manure. The soil upon which I conducted my 

 experiments is rather ilioist, Avith a good supply of 

 vegetable matter. A'light, dry soil, deficient in 

 vegetable matter, would be likely to give a difibr- 

 ent result. My neighbor's experiments on a dry- 

 soil resulted in favor of superphosphate of lime. 

 On a moist soil, guano took the lead. I sowed 

 while raining, some guano, on a piece of grass. 

 The result was very marked, changing it to a dark 

 green color, and increasing the quantity consid- 

 erably. Judging from my o^^^l experience and 

 observation, I have come to the conclusion that 

 both guano and superphosphate of lime are valu- 

 able fertilizers, and will pay well, if judiciously 

 applied to root and corn crops, reserving the barn 

 manure for the benefit of the hay crop, which I 

 consider themost important. I think guano in 

 a crude state is better adapted to a moist than a 

 dry soil. This, I think, is owing mainly to the 

 presence of a larger proportion of vegetable mat- 

 ter in a wet soil. I think when applied to a dry, 

 light soil, it should be mixed with decomposed 

 muck or loam. 



Superphosphate of lime, when properly pre- 

 pared, I consider a better proportioned manure, 

 and better adapted to perfect all parts of the 

 plant, than guano. Hence the result depends 

 much upon the nature of the soil. Taking into 

 consideration the labor saved by hoeing and in 

 applying superphosphate of lime to corn in the 

 hill, and the foct that it will not injure the seed 

 to come in contact with it, I consider it the best 

 preparation I know for that purpose, and shall 

 continue to use it until convinced to the contra- 

 ry. I have not been so minute with my experi- 

 ments as I should have been, had I expected to 

 communicate the results to you. 



If these few lines are of any use to you in mak- 

 ing up your statement, they arc at your service ; 

 they were due long ero this, and I have no apolo- 

 gy to make for the delay. 



Yours, truly, Wm. C. Little. 



Carolina Cultivator. — Published at Raleigh, 

 N. C. William D. Cooke, Publisher. $2,00 a 

 year. In its inaugural the Editor says: — "It is 

 too common to read, assent, and then forget. 

 It does more harm than good for a farmer to read 

 practical lessons for mere amusement. It gen- 

 erates a habit of indifference to improvement 

 which is hard to shake off. Let our readers. 



