214 TALKS OX MANURES. 



I have never said I wanted unfavorable seasons. I should not 

 dare to say so, or even to cherish the wish for one moment. But 

 I do say, that when we have a season so favorable that even poorly 

 worked land will produce a fair crop, we are almost certain to have 

 prices below the average cost of production. But when we have 

 an unfavorable season, such crops as barley, potatoes, and beans, 

 often advance to extravagantly high prices, and the farmer who has 

 good crops in such a season, gets something like adequate pay for 

 his patient waiting, and for his efforts to improve his land. 



" That sounds all very well," said the Squire," but will it pay to 

 use these artificial manures ? " 



I do not wish to wander too much from the point, but would 

 like to remark before I answer that question, that I am not a 

 special advocate of artificial manures. I think \ve can often make 

 manures on our farms far cheaper than we can buy them. But as 

 the Squire has asked the question, and as he has selected from Mr. 

 Lawes' results, the year 1860, I will meet him on his own ground. 

 He has selected a season specially unfavorable for the growth of 

 barley. Now, in such an unfavorable year in this country, barley 

 would be likely to bring, at least, $1.25 per bushel, and in a favor- 

 able season not over 75 cents a bushel. 



Mr. Lawes keeps his land clean, which is more than can be said 

 of many barley-growers. And in this unfavorable season of 1860, 

 he gets on his three unmanured plots an average of 730 Ibs. of 

 barley, equal to 15 bushels per acre, and not quite 800 Ibs. of 

 straw. 



Many of our fanners frequently do no better than this. And 

 you must recollect that in such careful experiments as those of 

 Mr. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert, great pains would be taken to get all 

 the barley that grew on the land. With us, barley is cut with a 

 reaper, and admirable as our machines are, it is not an easy matter 

 to cut a light, spindling crop of barley perfectly clean. Then, in 

 pitching the crop and drawing it in, more or less barley is scattered, 

 and even after we have been over the field two or three times with 

 a steel-tooth rake, there is still considerable barley left on the 

 ground. I think we may safely assume that at least as much barley 

 is left on the ground as we usually sow say two bushels per acre. 

 And so, instead of having 15 bushels per acre, as Mr. Lawes had, 

 we should only harvest 134 bushels. 



Of all our ordinary farm crops, barley is attended with the least 

 labor and expense. We usually sow it after corn or potatoes. On 

 such strong land as that of Mr. Lawes, we ought to plow the land 



