The Rothamsted Barley Experiments. 



become apparent on inspection, but it is worth noting that, 

 with one and the same expenditure for manure, there was 

 a difference in the quantity of produce obtained in the two 

 seasons of from thirty to thirty-five bushels of grain (4 A, 

 4 A A 4 C), and in one case (4 A) of nearly a ton of straw, or 

 not much less than would represent the average barley crop 

 of many localities. It may further be remarked that, whilst 

 the season of 1856 was far worse than that of 1853 as regards 

 both the quantity and the quality of the barley crop, 

 1853 was, for the experimental wheat (which that year could 

 not be sown until the spring), in every particular worse than 

 1856. Again, whilst 1854 was a decidedly more productive 

 barley year than 1863, yielding under almost every condition 

 of manuring not only more grain, but considerably more 

 straw in other words, a greater quantity of total produce, 

 indicating greater luxuriance 1863 was, on the other hand, 

 a considerably more productive wheat year than 1854, and 

 especially so in grain. Both years were, however, remarkable 

 for very krge produce of both grain and straw, both of wheat 

 and of barley. 



The years next to 1854, in order of productiveness of barley 

 were 1857 and 1864, which were very good wheat years also. 

 The years next in order to 1856 in point of badness of barley 

 crop were 1859, 1860, 1868, and 1870 ; the deficiency in the 

 two last-mentioned years being due to summer heat and 

 drought, but in the other two seasons to very opposite 

 conditions. The characters of the selected seasons of 1854 

 and 1856 may now be usefully compared. 



The very unusually productive season of 1854 was preceded 

 by a very severe winter; March and April were upon the 

 whole warmer than usual, but May, June, July, and August 

 were pretty uniformly below the average temperature, whilst 

 in March, April, June, and July there was a very considerable 

 deficiency of rain, though more than the average number of 

 rainy days. In May, however, there was about double the 

 usual amount of rain, and an unusually large number of 



