Experiments with different Top-dressings upon Wheat. 15 



a dressing with nitrate of soda and salt. By this means Mr. Cole- 

 man, who manages the Royal Agricultural College farm, has 

 been able to grow good crops of wheat on thin brashy and ex- 

 posed fields, which usually without such a dressing yielded but a 

 scanty produce. 



Nitrate of soda and guano often contain hard lumps, which 

 ought to be carefully broken down before application : this is 

 generally neglected, to the great disadvantage of the farmer. It is 

 true there is some difficulty in reducing guano to a fine powder, 

 and there is trouble connected with passing through a fine sieve 

 nitrate of soda or guano ; but no trouble or additional expense for 

 labour should deter any one from reducing artificial manures, in- 

 tended to be used as top-dressings, into a fine powdery condition : 

 for the difference in the efficacy of manures in such a condition, 

 and the same manures applied in a rough state, is much greater 

 than most people believe who have not tried the experiment. 



Whilst speaking of the application of top-dressings, I cannot 

 refrain from observing that all artificial manures such as nitrate 

 of soda, guano, or a mixture of nitrate of soda and salt should 

 not only be first passed through a fine sieve, but they should also 

 be mixed with three to five times their own weight of fine red 

 ashes, dry soil, or sand, before sowing them broadcast by hand, 

 or, what is much more convenient and better, by the broadcast 

 manure distributor. Chambers' or Reeves' dry manure dis- 

 tributor cannot be too highly recommended for sowing, in a 

 most uniform and expeditious manner, top-dressings of every 

 description. 



In conclusion, I beg publicly to thank Mr. Coleman for the 

 obliging manner in which he has assisted me in carrying out 

 the preceding experiments. 



Royal Agricultural College, December, 1859. 



I-ONDON: PRINTED BY w. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET, 



AND CHARING CROSS. 



