192 TALKS ON MANURES. 



"This was my last year at Rothamsted," said I, "and I feci a 

 peculiar interest in loukini; (jver the results after such a lapse of 

 time. When tliis crop was growin;;, my father, a i^oud practical 

 farmer, but with little faith in chemical manures, |)aid me a visit. 

 We went to the experimental wheat-field. Tiie first two plots, 

 and 1, had been dressed, the one with suiH-rpliosphalc, llie otiier 

 with pota.sh, soda, and maijuesia. My father did not seem much 

 impressed with tliis kind of cliemical manuring. Steppini: to the 

 D»'Xt plot, wlicre 14 tons of ham-yard manure had been used, be 

 rrmarkod, " tliis is good, what have you here ?" 



" Never mind," said I, " we have better crops farther on." 



The next plot, No. 3, was the one continuously unmanured. " I 

 can beat this myself," said he, and passed on to the next. " This 

 is better," said he, " what have you here?" 



"Superphosphate and sulp!iatc of ammonia." 



" Well, it is a good crop, and the straw is bright and atilT." — It 

 turned out 30 bushels per acre, 03 lbs. to the bushel. 



The next six plots ba 1 receivCil very heavy dressings of ammo- 

 nia-salts, with suix'rphosphate, potash, soda, and magnesia. Ho 

 examined tliein with the greatest interest. " What have you hereV" 

 he asked, while lie was examining H*/, which aft rwards turned out 

 37^ bushels per acre. — " Potash, soda, epsom-salts, superphosphate, 

 and ammonia — but it is the ammoni.i that does the good." 



He passed to the next plot, and was very enthusiastic over it. 

 " What have you here?" — "Rape-cake and ammonia," said I. — 

 "It is a grand crop," said he, and after examining it with great 

 interest, he pas.sed to the next, (k/. — "What have you here?" — 

 " Ammonia," .said I ; and at Gb he asked the same qnestion, and I rc- 

 I)lied "ammonia." At 7'^ the same question and t!;c same answer. 

 Standing lictween 76 and 8'/, he was of course struck with the 

 difference in the crop; S<i was left this year without any manure, 

 and thouijh it had received a liberal supply of miner.d manures 

 the year before, and minerals and amnmnia-s.ilts, and rape-cake, 

 the year previous, it only j)roduced tliis year, 3J bushels more than 

 the plot continuously unmanured. The contrast between the 

 wheat on this plot and the next one. might well interest a prac- 

 tical farmer. There was over 15 bushels per acre more wheat on 

 the one plot than on the otiicr, and 1,581 ]hn. more straw. 



Passing to the next plot, he exclaimed " this is better, but not so 

 good as some that we have passed." — " It lias had a heavj' dressing 

 of rape-cake," said I, "equal to about 100 lbs. of ammonia per 

 acri', and the next jilot was manured tliis year in the same way. 

 The only difference being that one had superphosphate and potasli, 



