214 TALKS ON MANUKES. 



climate of England is better adapt" d for wbcat-growing than West- 

 eru New York." 



'* 1 do not think," said I, '• that Mr. Lawcs' land is any better 

 than yours or mine; and I do not tliink the climate of England is 

 any more favorable for growing wheat without manure than our 

 climate. If there is any ditlerenie it is in our favor." 



" Why, then," asked the Doctor, " do we not grow as much 

 wheat per acre as Mr. Lawes gets from his continuously unmanured 

 plotV" 



This is a question not diflicult to answer. 



Isl. UV grow ton mtuty wecdit. Mr. Lawes plowed the land twice 

 every year; and the crop was hoed once or twice in the .'■i>ring to 

 kill the weeds. 



2d. We do not half work our heavy land. We do not plow it 

 enough — do not cultivate, harrow, and roll enougli. I have put 

 wheat in on my own fann, and have seen otlii rs do tlie same thing, 

 when the drill on the day spots could not deposit the seed an inch 

 deep. Tlierc is "plant-food" cuouL'h in these 'clay-spots" to 

 give 17 busliels of wheat per acre — or perhaps 40 bu.shels — but we 

 sliall not get ten bushels. The wheat will not come up until 

 late in the autumn — the plants will be weak and thin on tlie 

 ground ; and if they escape tlie winter tluy will not get a fair hold 

 of tlie ground until April or May. You know the result. The 

 straw is full of s;ip, and is almost sure to rust; the grain shrinks 

 up, and we harvest the crop, not because it is worth the lalior, but 

 because we can:iot cut tlie wheat with a machine on the better 

 parts of the field without cutting these poor spots aLso. An acre 

 or two of poor spots pull down the average yield of the fiold 

 l)eIow Ihcaverau'p of .Mr. Lawes' well-workeil Itut unmanured land. 



3d. Much of our wheat is seriously injured by stagnant water in 

 thf Koif, and sfrinding water on the surface. I think we may safely 

 say tliat one-tliird the wheat-crop of this county (Monroe Co., N. 

 Y.), is lf)st for want of l»ett'T tilla£re ami Itetter draining— and yet 

 we think we have as good wheat-land and arc as good farmers as 

 can be found in this country or any other! 



Unless we drnin land, where <lrainage is needed, and unless we 

 work land thorou :hly that needs workincr, and unless we kill the 

 wecils or check their excessive growth, it is poor economy to sow 

 expensive manures on o»ir wheat-crops. 



But I do not tliink there is much dansrer of our falling into this 

 error. The farmers who try artificial manures are the men who 

 usually take the greatest pains to make the best and most manur« 



