RESTOUIXO FKHTILITY TO THE SMIL. 3;}.") 



In support of this view, I may mention that we have cleat 

 evidenee in some of our ex|x»riinents of the wheat crop taking 

 up both phospliati's and potash that were applied to the land 

 thirty years a^o. 



To suppose, tlierefon-, that, if the ingredients which exist in 

 twenty buslu'ls of wheat and its straw, are simply ajjplied to a 

 tKirren soil, tiie crop will he ahle to c<tme in contact with, and 

 take up these substances, is to assume what certaiidy will not 

 take place. 



I have often expresse<l an opinion that aral)l(> land, could not 

 be cultivated protitably by means of jutilicial nuumres, unless 

 the soil was ca pal )le of producing, from its own n-sources, a 

 considerable amount of produce: still the (piestion had never 

 up to this time come before me in a distinct form as one \ipon 

 which I ha«l to decide one way or tlie other. I hatl. however, 

 no hesitation in coming to the conclusion, that grain crops could 

 never be grown at a profit upon my relation's land, aii<l that 

 consecjuently, for .some years, it would b ■ better tt) give up the 

 attempt, and try to improve the pasture. 



After what I have said alxnit the insolubility of potsish ami 

 phosphoric acid, it nuvy possibly 1h' :isked — why not give a good 

 dose of the.se substances at once. :is they do not w;i.sh out of 

 the soil — 3;iy enough to grow sixty crops of grain, and apply 

 the nitrate, or ammonia every ye:tr in just suHicient amounts 

 to supply the wants of the crop? 



The objections to this i)lan are ;ls follows: assuming the most 

 favorable conditions of climate, and the largest jmssible pro- 

 duce, the wheat could certainly not take up the whole of the 

 thirty-two ix)unds of nitrogen applied, ami the crop which re- 

 quires nearly one i>ound of nitrogen in everj' one hundred 

 pounds of gross produce, would i)e certainly less than tliree 

 thousand two hundred pounds, if supplied with onW thirty-two 

 pKJunds of nitrogen. If we take the total i>roduce of the best 

 and W(^rst wheat crop, gr<nvn during the forty j-ears of our ex- 

 periments, we sh:dl arrive at a better xuiderstanding m the 

 matter. The following are the figures : 



Weigut of Dry Produce of Wheat Per Acre. 



Siraii: and Grain. 



1863 9330 lbs. 



1879 - 3859 " 



In order to ascertain the increa.se due to the nitrogen of the 

 salts of ammonia or nitrate of soda, we must deduct from the 



