Vol. XV., Second Series. 



ROCHESTER, K Y., MAY, 1854. 



No. 5. 



THE GENESEE FARMER, 



A MONTHLY JOfRXAt. OF 



AGRICULTURE & HORTICULTURE. 



VOLUME XV., SECOND SEIRES. 1834. 



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DAKIEli LEE, 

 Publisher ami Prnpriclor, Rochester, N. Y. 



INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS WITH 

 LIME AND ASHES. 



Mr. D. G. AYeems, of Tracy Landing, ild., has 

 kindly sent us the Fourth. Annual Report of Dr. 

 Higgitis, State jJgricultural Chemist, from which 

 we copy the followiii<; instructive and interesting ac- 

 count of the vahie of lime and ashes as fertilizers, 

 extending through five successive annual crops : 



" CAMBRinoK, Dec. 24, 18.53. 



"Dr. James Higgin.s — Deak Sir: — I regret that I 

 have been unable to comply with your request, made 

 of me early last spruig, in regard to instituting a series 

 of experiments in agriculture, to test the value of dif- 

 ferent fertilizers upon difierent crops, upon various soils 

 whose constituent parts had previously been ascer- 

 tained by accurate analyses. 



" To aid in the end you had in view, early in the 

 season I laid off several lots in my field for corn, 

 specimens of which had been analyzed by you during 

 your visit to our county, and manured with lime, 

 ashes and guano ; but, I am sorry to say, the whole 

 jffort proved a miseral)le abortion. The worm and 

 Jry weather in the spring seriously injured the crop, 

 ind the umisual flood of July almost entirely de- 

 stroyed what was left by the worm. 



" Having then obtained no results from the experi- 

 nents undertaken at your suggestion, I may perhaps 

 urther the end you have in view, and not be ' traveling 

 )ut of record,' if I give you the results of other e.x- 

 )eriments demonstrating the same points, and under- 

 xiken a few years since, and some continued to the 

 , )resent year. The first one I shall refer to has been 



I 



carried through a period of five years and to the 

 present season ; it was reported to you, as far as it 

 had been carried, in the year 1850, and noted in your 

 first report. As stated in that communication, I se- 

 lected several acres of land, in the year 1849, for 

 experiments with lime and ashes, to test their relative 

 value as manures for wheat, corn and clover. A por- 

 tion of the soil of these several lots, all lying contigu- 

 ous, you have examined and shown its elementary 

 parts in your first report. Upon lot No. 1 I applied 

 100 bushels of ashes and reaped 17^ bushels of clean 

 wheat, and upon lot No. 3 only 7 bushels; lot No. 2 

 was not gathered to itself, but stands equal in appear- 

 ance with lot No. 1. The crop was sold for $1 per 

 bushel, ©ne year all the lots rested in clover, when 

 they were fallowed and the clover turned under; and 

 upon the whole field about 100 bushels of stone lime 

 per acre was applied, including all the experimental 

 lots. Thus, upon lot No. 1 had been ai^plied 100 

 bushels of ashes and 100 bushels of lime, making a 

 total cash outlay on said acre of $20.50. The crop 

 that year (1851) was 33^ bushels, which sold for 

 about $1 per bushel (not having my account book 

 before me, I can not state the precise amount). The 

 crop on lot No. 3 was not noted after the first year ; 

 but taking the product of that season as a standard 

 of comparison (and the crop was full for the land ; 

 there was no rust, smut or other disaster attending it), 

 and we have the following results, showing the value 

 and superiority of lime, bushel per bushel, with such 

 ashes as I used; and in an economical point of view, 

 and for the production of wheat and corn, and the 

 profit flowing from a free use of both, thus: 



Two ernps of wheat in 3 years, from acre No. 1, improved 



land, 17>i and 33^^, at $1 per bushel,... $60.76 



Deduct charge for cash paid for 100 busliels ashes, $12.50 



" " " " 100 " stone lime, 8.00 



" 3 years' interest on land, $10 per acre, 1.80 



" 2 " " cash advanced for lime and 



ashes, _ _ 2.40 



" also, charge for seed, cultivation, har\'esting 

 crop, hauling and spreading lime and a£he8, 

 and threshing, 11.00 35.70 



$15.06 

 The product of acre No. 3 was, as above stated, first year, only 

 7 bushels ; and taking that as a standard for the next year, 



we have as a result two crops, 14 bushels, _. $14.00 



Deduct interest on land, $10 per acre, labor of cultivating, 

 threshing, harvesting, &c., 4.40 



$9.60 



" This comparison shows that ashes pay well, but 

 lime better, especially when compounded with the 



