250 



TALKS ON MANURES. 



iiblc auiiiiouia-salts or nitrate of soila, a considerable amount of 

 tl^' nitro^^i-n is loft in the soil — an 1 yet this uilroi^en is of eoinpara- 

 tively liltlo bjui'tit to the succeeding crops of wheat or barley, 

 while a fresh dressing of ammonia-salts or nitrate of soda is of 

 great benefit to the crop. 



In other words, when wheat is sown after wheat, or barley 

 after barlr-y, we do not get lialf the benefit from the manure which 

 it is theoretically capable of producing. 



Now, the question is, whether l)y a judicious rotation of crops, 

 we can avoid this great loss of manure ? 



Tii're w.is a time when it was tliou-^ht that the growth of tur- 

 nips enriched tiie soil. I have heard it said, again and again, that 

 the reason E:i,dish farmers grow larger crops of wheat and bailey 

 than we do, is because ihey grow so many acres of turnips. 



" So I have often heard," said the Deacon, "and I supposed the 

 broail turnip leaves absorbed nitrogen from the atmosphere." 



ThiTO is no evidence that l-aves have any sucii power; while 

 tliere are many facts wliich jioint in an opposite direction. The 

 following experiments of Lawesand (Jilbert seem to show that the 

 mere growth of turnips does not enrich land for grain crops. 



Turnips w.'re grown on the same land, year after year, for ten 

 years. Tlu; \u\ 1 was then plowed and sown to barley for three 

 years. The following table gives the results: 



Three Years of Barlet after Ten Years of Turnips. 



PARTICCLAUS or MANIRES, KTP. 



IIoos-Ficld — 

 Bailey, without manure, after 3 corn-crops 



Birn-Field— 

 Biiiicy. after 10 yrs. Turnips raannred as under— 



l.—Miiieral manures (la-t 8 year!') — 



2.— Mineral manures (8 yrs.) ; .\inmoiiia-salts (6 yrs.). 



3.— Mineral manures (8 yrs.); Rape-cake (6 yrs.) 



4. —Mineral manun-s (8 yrs.); Ammonia-salts and 

 Itape-cake ((J yrs.) 



Produce qf Barley per Acre. 



bush.! I>ush. bu!*!!. 

 26 



20 'i 

 234 

 28'4 



294 



5.— Mineral manures (8 yrs.) ; Ammonia-salts, for Bar-' I 



lev, ISot (aO)<?) 



6.— Mineral manures (8 yrs.) ; Nitrate Soda, for Bar- 

 Icy. 'W and '55 ' ( 2flV) 



The yield of barley after turnips is less than 

 crops, and it is evident that this is due to a lack of 



bush, 

 31 J( 



20 

 22 

 25X 



26J4 



394 



it is after grain 

 available nitro- 



