236 



New Fertilizing Substances. 



Vol. VII. 



New Fertilizing Substances. 



Editors of Cabinet. — In the Quarterly] 

 Journal of Agriculture for June last, I find] 

 an interesting article on the application of] 

 salt, salt-petre, nitrate of soda, rape dust, 1 

 &.c, &c, as a top dressing for grass. An 1 

 experiment is also given that was made by 

 " Mr. Fleming on early potatoes, in 1841," 

 the result of which is highly important, and 

 deserving the attention of all who feel an; 

 interest in a multiplication of the means for 

 increasing our crops. The account cannot 

 be more clearly or briefly stated, than in the 

 language of the experimenter. I accord- 

 ingly forward it, together with Professor 



i Johnston's remarks, for insertion in the Cabi- 

 net, if agreeable to yourselves and your read- 

 jers. It would be exceedingly gratifying if 

 I we could have some detailed accounts of ex- 

 periments of this character made in our own 

 country. Yours, &c, H. 



" All were dunged in the usual manner 

 with farm-yard manure, at the rate of about 

 '30 cubic yards per acre. The potatoes were 

 [all planted on the 25th of March, on the 

 same heavy block soil. The several dress- 

 ings were applied on the 20th of May, and 

 the potatoes were all lifted on the 28th of 

 September. 



Note. — The peck is 35 lb. weight, and 16 make a boll or 5 cwt. 



" This break of ground consists of a piece 

 of poor clay, mixed with moss, about nine 

 inches deep; subsoil a very stiff blue till. 

 The dung was old from the farm yard, about 

 the ordinary quantity (30 cubic yards per 

 acre,) spread upon the land and dug 1 in. 

 The potatoes were drilled in with the hoe ; 

 as the ground was wet the plants came up 

 but weak. The nitrate of soda was sown 

 before the other top-dressings, and had re- 

 markably quick effect, as it showed the third 

 night after being sown. The sulphate of 

 soda does not occasion the dark-green colour 

 which is seen upon the potatoe after the 

 dressing of the nitrate; but there is not the 

 smallest doubt of its beneficial effects, al- 

 though not in so great a degree as the ni 

 trate. The mixture, which is composed of 

 two-thirds of sulphate of soda, and one-third 

 of nitrate, has a wonderful effect in strength- 

 ening the growth, (which it keeps longer 

 than with nitrate alone,) and the mixture 

 has the same effect in producing the dark- 

 green colour as the nitrate alone." 



"Professor Johnston, in remarking on this 

 and similar experiments furnished by Mr. 

 Fleming's gardener, observes : 'Those who 

 are the most sceptical in regard to the bene- 

 fits to be derived from agricultural experi- 

 ments, when well conducted, will scarcely 

 question the importance of this result — the 

 most backward in making experiments will 

 be anxious to repeat this upon his own pota- 

 toes. The cost of the mixture to be applied, 

 in the quantity used by Mr. Fleming, is as 

 follows : — 



Sulphate of soda, 751bs. dry, at 10s. per cwt., or 150 lbs. 



in crystals, at 5s L. 6 9 



Nitrate of soda, 751bs., at 22s 14 9 



" The return for this 21s. 6d., was in each 

 of the above cases upwards of eight tons of 

 potatoes." 



'Though the number of experiments made, 

 and inferences which can be safely deduced 

 from them, are far too scanty to admit of our 

 feeling confident of success, yet, it may per- 

 haps be admitted, that they are such as to 

 hold out sufficient encouragement for further 

 prosecuting the inquiry. 



'This, I apprehend, can only be success- 

 fully done by the united efforts of the prac- 

 tical and chemical agriculturists; the former, 

 by instituting and carefully conducting ex- 

 periments on a systematic plan ; the latter, 

 by tracing the facts so obtained, to the laws 

 of nature, on which they depend, and the 

 progress will, in all probability, be in pro- 

 portion to the number of practical men who 

 can be induced to engage in making the ex- 

 periments with precision and accuracy. It 

 would be advantageous, I apprehend, in all 

 cases, to analyze the soil to be experimented 

 on ; and to ascertain by weight, the kind and 

 quantity of the material to be applied, as 

 well as the quantity and quality of the pro- 

 duce obtained, from the application of each 

 description of manure. This, however, is 

 an inquiry which cannot be successfully pro- 

 secuted by a few individuals, nor can satis- 

 factory results be obtained from a small 

 number of experiments. Diversity of soil, 



