212 TALKS ON MANURES. 



Mixed mineral manures and 100 Ibs. ammonia-salts, on plots 21 

 and 22, give 231 bushels per acre. In other words : 



25 Ibs. ammonia (100 Ibs. ammonia-salts), gives an increase of 4* bush. 



50 " " (200 " l< " ), " " " " 10 " 



100 " " (400 " " u ), " " " " 20 " 



150 " ' (600 " " " ), " " " " 23 " 



200 " " (800 " " " ), " " " " 23 " 



"It takes," said the Deacon, "about 5 Ibs. of ammonia to pro- 

 duce a bushel of wheat. And according to this, 500 Ibs. of Peru- 

 vian guano, guaranteed to contain 10 per cent of ammonia, would 

 give an increase of 10 bushels of wheat." 



"This is a very interesting matter," said I, "but we will not 

 discuss it at present. Let us continue the examination of the sub- 

 ject. I do not propose to make many remarks on the tables. You 

 must study them for yourself. I have spent hours and days and 

 weeks making and pondering over these tables. The more you 

 study them the more interesting and instructive they become." 



The sixteenth season (1858-9), gives us a little over 181 bushels 

 on the unmanured plot. On the plot manured with 14 tons farm- 

 yard manure, 361 bushels; and this is the highest yield this season 

 in the wheat-field. Mixed mineral manures alone, (mean of plot 

 5a and 55), give 20 bushels. 



25 Ibs. ammonia (100 Ibs. ammonia-salts), and mixed minerals, 

 give 251 bushels, or an increase over minerals alone of 4f bushels. 



50 Ibs. ammonia, an increase of 9i bushels. 



100 " " " " 14 " 



150 " " " " " 14 " 



200 " " " " " 141 " 



The season was an unfavorable one for excessive manuring. It 

 was too wet and the crops of wheat when highly manured were 

 much laid. The quality of the grain was inferior, as will be seen 

 from the light weight per bushel. 



The seventeenth season (1859-60,) gives less than 13 bushels per 

 acre on the unmanured plot ; and 321 bushels on the plot ma- 

 nured with 14 tons farm-yard manure. This season (1860), was a 

 miserable year for wheat in England. It was both cold and wet. 

 Mixed mineral manures, on plots 5a and 55, gave nearly 16 bushels 

 per acre. 25 Ibs. ammonia, in addition to the above, gave less 

 than 15 bushels. In other words it gave no increase at all. 



50 Ibs. ammonia, gave an increase of 6 bushels. 



100 " " " " " " 11* " 



150 " " " " " 15* " 



200 " " " " " " 16* " 



It was a poor year for the wheat-grower, and that, whether he 

 manured excessively, liberally, moderately, or not at all. 



