166 REPORT — 1861. 



Manures employed, and sown Produce thrashed out, 



Mifrch 27, 1860. September 24, 1860. 



I Grain, 2080 lbs., or 35 bushels 15 

 Plot 5. 3 cwt. of common salt. < lbs., at 59 lbs. per bushel. Straw, 



[ 1 ton 3 cwt. 3 qrs. 16 lbs. 

 r Grain, 2004 lbs., or 33 bushels 57 

 Plot 6. Unmanured. \ lbs., at 59 lbs. per bushel. Straw, 



[ 1 ton 7 cwt. 20 lbs. 



_, „ , , „ • ^ ^ f Grain, 2596 lbs., or ii bushels, at 



Plot 7. Sulphate of ammonia, 2 cwt. per I ^g ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^^^ 



acre. 1^ 18 cwt. 8 lbs. 



r Grain, 2460 lbs., or 41 bushels 41 

 Plot 8. 32 bushels of soot. \ lbs., at 59 lbs. per bushel. Straw, 



[ 1 ton 13 cwt. 3 qrs. 24 lbs. 



This tabular statement of results suggests the following remarks : — 



1. The natural produce of this field, it will be seen, amounted to nearly 

 34 bushels. The grain on all plots was lighter than it is usually, and weighed 

 only 59 lbs. per bushel. 



2. Nitrate of soda and salt produced the greatest increase in grain and 

 straw — a result well corresponding with the results obtained in 1859. In 

 grain we have an increase of 13 bushels per acre, and in straw an increase 

 of 12 cwt. 3 qrs. 4 lbs., upon the unmanured portion of the field. 



This large increase was obtained with an expenditure of £1 13*. per acre — 

 an outlay which, even at a lower market-price of wheat, paid excellent interest. 



3. Nitrate of soda applied by itself was not quite so beneficial, but still 

 gave a large increase both of grain and straw. 



4. Chloride of sodium, or common salt, on the other hand, hardly increased 

 the yield in grain, and slightly reduced the yield in straw. 



Common salt certainly has the eff'ect of checking the growth of wheat, and 

 is therefore frequently employed in cases in Avhich the wheat is too luxuriant 

 or, as it is called by farmers, too proud-looking. Such wheat has a tendency 

 to fall down before the grain is quite ripe, especially if the season happens to 

 be wet and stormy. Common salt is used by farmers for the purpose of pre- 

 venting the laying of wheat, and is said to strengthen the straw. It does so, 

 not by supplying to the wheat-plant a constituent deficient in the soil, but by 

 retarding the abundant development of the halm of wheat and other cereals. 



5. Next to nitrate of soda, Peruvian guano was the most efficacious and 

 most economical manure for wheat. 2^ cwt. per acre gave an increase of 

 12 bushels of wheat over the unmanured portion, besides an increase of 9 

 cwt. of straw. 



6. 2 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia per acre, applied by itself, gave a larger 

 increase than 4 cwt. of a mixed mineral and ammoniacal manure, containing 

 less ammoniacal and more mineral compounds than the 2 cwt. of sulphate 

 of ammonia. 



Thus, the latter gave an increase of 10 bushels of grain and II cwt. of 

 straw, whilst the mixed mineral and ammoniacal manure gave only an increase 

 of 8 bushels of grain and 6 cwt. of straw, in round numbers. 



Field Experiments on Barley made in 1860. 



Precisely the same experiments as those made upon wheat were tried on 

 barley. Two acres of the barley-field were divided into plots of | of an acre 

 each, and the various top-dressings sown by manure distributor on the 25th 

 of April. 



