FIELD EXPERIMENTS ON MANURE CONSTITUENTS. 165 



The wheat dressed with nitrate of soda, and that dressed with nitrate of 

 foda and salt, began to show the effects of these dressings four days after 

 their application^ by a much deeper green colour than could be observed on 

 any of tiie other plots. After a week's time the wheat on the plot dressed 

 with sulphate of ammonia, next to the plot manured with guano, assumed 

 a darker green colour; and lastly, the wheat on plot No. 1 turned darker 

 green. There was a marked difference of the plots 5 and 6, dressed with salt 

 and left unmanured, and the rest of the experimental plots. The nitrate of 

 soda plots, throughout the growing season, looked more luxuriant and darker 

 green than the rest ; and the wheat here was rather taller than on the other 

 plots. On plot 6, manured with salt, the wheat was shorter in the straw than 

 on plot 5, where no manure was applied. The wheat-crop was reaped in the 

 last week of August, and thrashed out on the 27th of September, 1860. 



The guano used as a top-dressing was genuine Peruvian guano of best 

 quality. 



The nitrate of soda contained 95| per cent, of pure nitrate. 



In the commercial sulphate of ammonia I found 96^ per cent, of pure 

 sulphate, and in the soot 2i per cent of ammonia. 



The wheat manure was the same as that employed in my experiments made 

 in 1859, and contained in 100 parts — 



Moisture 13-60 



Sulphate of ammonia* 10'97 



Soluble organic matterf 8'08 



Insoluble organic matter t 14"72 



Biphosphate of lime S'S^ 



Equal to bone-earth rendered soluble ... (5*52) 



Insoluble phosphates (bone-earth) 9*45 



Sulphate of magnesia '61 



Hydrated sulphate of lime 19"73 



Sand 2-46 



10000 



The following table gives the yield in corn and straw of each experimental 

 plot, the manures employed, and the produce calculated per acre. 



Manures employed, and sown Produce thrashed out, 



March 27, 1860. September 24, 18C0. 



f Grain, 2480 lbs., or 42 bushels 

 Plot 1. Mixed mineral and ammoniacal J g lbs. ; calculated at 59 lbs. per 

 wheat-manure, 4 cwt. per acre. ) bushel. Straw 1 ton 13 cwt. 



1 qr. 20 lbs. 

 Grain, 2720 lbs., or 46 bushels 6 

 lbs. ; weight of bushel, 59 lbs. 

 Straw, 1 ton 16 cwt. 12 lbs. 

 Grain, 2576 lbs., or 44 bushels 10 

 lbs. Straw, 1 ton 17 cwt. 3 

 qrs. 16 lbs. 

 , Grain, 2804 lbs., or 47 bushels 

 Plot 4. Nitrate of soda and salt, 1| cwt. J 31 jbs., at 59 lbs. per bushel, 

 and 3 cwt. i Straw, 1 ton 19 cwt. 3 qrs. 24 



Plot 2. Peruvian guano, 2^ cwt.per acre 

 Plot 3. Nitrate of soda, H cwt. per acre. , 



lb 



s. 



* Containing nitrogen 2'32 f Contaiijing nitrogen 3*53 



Equal to ammonia 2'82 Equal to ammonia 4"28 



