MANURES ON PERMANENT MEADOWS. 273 



These are all the figures I will trouble you with. The " mixed 

 mineral manures " consisted of superphosphate of lime (composed 

 of 150 Ibs. bone-ash and 150 Ibs. sulphuric acid, sp. gr. 1.7),3001bs. 

 sulphate of potash, 200 Ibs. sulphate of soda, and 100 Ibs. sulphate 

 of magnesia. The ammonia-salts consisted of equal parts sulphate 

 and muriate of ammonia, containing about 25 per cent, of ammo- 

 nia. The manures were sown as early as possible in the spring, 

 and, if the weather was suitable, sometimes in February. The 

 farmyard-manure was spread on the land, hi the first year, in the 

 spring, afterwards in November or December. The hay was cut 

 from the middle to the last of June ; and the aftermath was pas- 

 tured off by sheep in October. 



" It is curious," said the Deacon, " that 400 Ibs. of ammonia-salts 

 should give as great an increase in the yield of hay the first year 

 as 14 tons of farmyard-manure, but the second year the farmyard- 

 manure comes out decidedly ahead." 



" The farmyard-manure," said I, " was applied every year, at the 

 rate of 14 gross tons per acre, for eight years 1855 to 1863. After 

 1863, this plot was left without manure of any kind. The average 

 yield of this plo*, during the first 8 years was 4,800 Ibs. of hay per 

 acre. 



On the plot dresssd with 14 tons of farn^ard-manure and 200 

 Ibs. ammonia-salts, the average yield of hay for 8 years was 5,544 

 Ibs. per acre. After the eighth year the farmyard-manure was dis- 

 continued, and during the next twelve years the yield of hay 

 averaged 3,683 Ibs., or 1,149 Ibs. more than the continuously unma- 

 nured plot. 



In 1859, superphosphate of lime was used alone on plot 3, and 

 has been continued ever since. It seems clear that this land, which 

 had been in pasture or meadow for a hundred years or more, was 

 not deficient in phosphates. 



. " It does not seem," said the Deacon, " to have been deficient in 

 anything. The twentieth crop, on the continuously unmanured 

 plot was nearly 1 ton per acre, the first cutting, and nearly f-ton 

 the second cutting. And apparently the land was just as rich in 

 1875, as it was in 1856, and yet over 25 tons of hay had been cut 

 and removed from the land, without any manure being returned. 

 And yet we are told that hay is a very exhausting crop." 



" Superphosphate alone," said the Doctor, " did very little to 

 increase the yield of hay, but superphosphate and ammonia pro- 

 duced the first year, 1859, over a ton more hay per acre than the 

 superphosphate alone, and when potash is added to the manure, the 

 yield is still further increased." 



