112 



THE ROTHAMSTED EXPERIMENTS. 



as had been given as ammonium-salts in the earlier years. 

 This application of the nitrate commenced in 1862, and 

 with some breaks owing to severe or wet winters, which 

 prevented the seed being sown or destroyed the plant, it was 

 continued up to 1878, when the experiments were finally 

 abandoned. 



TABLE 35. — Beans. Average Produce per acre per annum in lb. 



Total produce (corn and straw). 



Average per acre per annum, over the years of crop only, each period. 



1st 8 years, 8 crops . 



2nd 8 years, 7 crops . 



3rd 8 years, 7 crops . 



4th 8 years, 4 crops . 



32 years, 1847-78, 26 crops 



2421 



1902 



692 



1729 



1709 



3208 3 

 2818 

 1854 

 3011 



2688 4 



3555 

 3005 

 2513 

 3292 



3086 



crops 

 grown at 

 short in- 

 tervals. 



1 7 years, excluding 1849, in which year the produce was accidentally not weighed. 



2 31 years, excluding 1849. 3 7 crops, excluding 1849. 

 4 25 crops, excluding 1849. 



Failure of The occasional entire failures above referred to as mainly 

 leguminous & ue to adverse seasons, were also materially dependent on 

 the conditions induced in the land by the continuous 

 cropping with this plant; which, as is the case with most 

 Leguminosse, is very susceptible to parasitic attacks of various 

 kinds when the conditions of growth are not normal and 

 favourable. Indeed, when there was not absolute failure, 

 there was a general tendency to decline in yield, and then to 

 recover again more or less after a break. This was some- 

 what marked after a year of fallow in 1860, and the growth 

 of wheat in 1861 ; after which there was, in 1862, fair pro- 

 duce, especially on the third plot, where the nitrate was now 

 applied. The land was again fallow in 1863, and this was 



