"When I was in England, Mr. Smith's experiments received but little attention, and would probably 

 have received but little now had not Prof. Way called attention to them — stating that he saw 

 nothing improbable in them, or any thing contrary to what he believed to be true scientific princi- 

 ples. He thought that by constantly and repeatedly exposing the double silicates of alumina and 

 soda existing in clay soils they would attract ammonia sufficient for large crops from the atmos- 

 phere; Ijence Mr. Smith's success. Now, to my mind, these experiments show nothing of the kind. 

 Admitting that eighty bushels of wheat have been grown per acre according to this method, it does 

 not follow that the ammonia necessary to grow such a crop was all obtained from the air. Many 

 soils contain very large quantities of the raw materials of plants in a latent condition — nitrogen 

 (capabie by decomposition of furnishing ammania), among the number. If a soil contains only a 

 tenth of one per cent., as small a proportion as chemists can accurately determine, an acre ten inches 

 deep would contain a ton of nitrogen. Now, by constantly stirring such a soil, admitting in light 

 and air, decomposition would be greatly accelerated — this latent nitrogen would be converted into 

 ammonia, and the plants would flourish accordingly ; so that the fact of Mr. SMrrn having produced 

 such large crops does not prove that the atmosphere is capable of supplying all the ammonia that 

 plants require. I had a letter from a gentleman in England some time since who had been induced 

 to try half an acre of wheat on Mr. Smith's plan. His is a first rate wheat soil — as good as our 

 "Western New York wheat land — resting on chalk. He obtained no more than an ordinary yield — 

 not half as much as obtained annually by Mr. Smith. This same soil by an application of ammonia- 

 cal salts alone yields very large wheat crops, and hence contains all the mineral elements necessary 

 for a large crop ; so that I see nothing in these facts at all inconsistent with the assertion of the 

 Genesee Farmer that though a soil contains great abundance of all the inorganic elements of plants^ 

 yet the atmosphere is not capable of supplying ammonia for more than eighteen bushels per acre 

 annually. 



B. How is it that summer fallows on good clays so increase the wheat crop ? I have frequently 

 obtained thirty-five to forty bushels of wheat per acre on a good summer fallow plowed early in 

 the spring and twice afterwards, with the necessary dragging, tfec, and yet on the same soil, if I 

 sow wheat after wheat, I obtain but a small yield. 



A. The reason is very evident. There falls suflaeient ammonia on an acre of, land in a year to 

 suffice for the production of eighteen bushels of wheat. Now, if your soil is destitute of nitrogen 

 and contains a sufficiency of minerals, you can annually grow eighteen bushels of wheat per acre 

 — but no more unless ammonia is artificially supplied. But supposing you summer fallow a good 

 stiff clay, the silicates of alumina, (fee, would retain the ammonia of the rain which falls during ilie 

 year it lies fallowed, and so the next year, instead of having sufficient ammonia for eighteen bushels 

 of wheat, you get sufficient for thiity-six bushels. This, however, would not be the case if the 

 soil did not contain the alumina and soda; hence it is fo-lly to sunuuer fallow sandy so-ils. 



B. Yes ; I would never fallow a sandy soil if I could help it ; I would grow good crops ef clover 

 and then turn them under — sowing the wheat at once plowing and twice cultivating. I think a 

 summer fallow is unnecessary on such soils, if great pains are taken to clean the soil well when it 

 is in corn ; it should bo horse and hand-hoed till there was not a weed in the fie-ld. The corn is 

 greatly improved by the hoeings, and the land is left clean and in fine condition for the next crop. 



A. Tliey have had one of the wettest wheat-sowing seasons in England ever remembered. The 

 gentleman I spoke of just now says he waited from the 10th October to the 'i'id of March for a good 

 day to sow a field of wheat, and having got it in on the 22d it was covered eiglit inches deep with 

 snow on the 23d. But little wheat has been sown in some di?ti-ict-*, and the ju-obabilify is that we 

 shall be called upon to sup])ly a larger quantity of wheat for tlie use of John Bull's numerous 

 family than usual. An increased demand will, of course, n.ot lower the price ; how far it Mill tend 

 to enhance it remains to be seen. There is also unusual activity in the wool market in P^nghuid ; 

 prices this last month have gone up ten per cent. Manufactures were never more brisk and pros- 

 perous, and from the unprccodentedly low state of the stocks on Iwmd it is certain that ju-esent prices 

 will be fully maintained, and it is probable tiiat tlu-y will be much exceeded. Under such cireunK-tances 

 I fully expect a high ])rice for our next clip of fine wool — for though we do not export wool, a rise 

 - I in the British markets always increases the i)ricc here. • i r 



