THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



41 





pROt 

 immediately 



A 



***** 



m 



,wv ilso. by P rof ^ 5 olcULTURE. Fourth Edi- 



« 



f***^ 



, FOR THB T ^^ 



r - j^. » 'lAgrie. Imp- &«.«*/ 



UUmAl 'T n \VhTtlTth^OPER SEED-TIME FOR 



■hi Question, \ ! *' 1S district must answer for 

 - AI > is one which every ais f Qur 





^touted 



vary 



iiadf. It is only by expenence^^ ^ ^ ^ expg _ 



OllUT 



rifl.ce, in reference w " *~£ ^ . is t0 be grown. 



S?S^^ the soil is early and the 



* "J 0UI w W nnt S as ertion, that in the mid- 

 I^^VfI End wher the soil is dry, it is 

 4SS * Sh ffiA of Wheat at what 

 ^^ween October and February they are sown. 

 C& however, of some of the old van- 

 iw which have received one unvarying treatment 

 ta time immemorial, would probably sufier were 

 to treatment to be rudely altered. T ^abits of an 

 .utumn-sown variety, such as the Red Lammas for 

 instance, which has hardly ever been sown m spring, 

 must have grown upon it so perfectly, that any abrupt 

 attempt to act in opposition to them would probably 

 prove injurious. But there are some kinds which we 

 hare sown indiscriminately, at any time during the 

 period alluded to, and even so late as the month of 

 March, with results evidently unaffected by the vari- 

 ableness of this treatment. We have had from the 

 Hopetoun Wheat, and from a sort named, on account 

 of its peculiarity, the Red-straw White Wheat, a pro- 

 duce per acre from seed sown during every month in 

 winter and spring, varying, from four to six quarters, 

 altogether independently of the time when it was 

 planted. 



The proper time for sowing Wheat is thus the sub- 

 ject of a purely practical question, and we are not 

 aware of any doctrine of vegetable physiologists which 

 can assist in its solution. A preference is, how T ever, 

 given by the gentleman to whom we have alluded 

 above, to one period in the season of Wheat sowing, as 

 being the proper seed-time for all varieties, and he gives 

 a Tery curious reason for his opinion. The period re- 

 ferred to lasts during the few weeks immediately pre- 

 ceding the frosts of winter, and thus, of course, his 

 opinion can only apply to land which is naturally or 

 artificially dry. He considers it right that the 

 " heat-plant should not appear above ground before 

 *u»tf, but that the seed should be placed in such a 

 gwion as will enable it to take immediate advan- 

 tage ° the ea rliest signs of anproaching spring. He 

 grounds this opinion, we know not with what justice, 

 ■P" the analogy existing between plants and ani- 

 «*; knowing well, that if in feeding a bullock the 

 Z^r aJIOws ^ progress to be checked by negli- 



Sc W° r f M 7, °u her Cause ' he wiU suffer not only by 

 annW L e food necessai 7 ^ bring it up to the 

 teaS 1 : r als0 ^ the diminished aptitude of 

 «dfor^]°J?u ten ' he con *iders that the early-sown 

 Of win Z * } h , ea VP lant > when checked by the frost 

 gitbersf^ y ^ as Morgans injured by which it 



I0 0Q from air ami «.«;i k«4 4L.1 .-.___ _i.-...__ 



turcTionZ u u 7 reme dymg this injury by a fu- 



STS f T- h - Whether this idea be corrobo - 



. ./ we doctrines of ve<?etahlp nWinl™i«.-» ™ 



mass of useless matter. Thus, in Medicine, the pro- 

 perties of burnt sponge, as the cure for a goitred neck, 

 are owing to the presence in it of minute quantities 

 of a substance termed iodine ; and the value of Peru- 

 vian Bark, as a cure for the ague, depends on the 

 existence in it of a substance called quinine. These 

 two medicines are obtainable cheaper from other 

 sources, and are now administered in a pure form. 

 Cases similar to these might be quoted from other pro- 

 fessions, but these are selected because the analogy 

 in other points which exists between the plant and 

 the animal makes us more ready to anticipate a 

 resemblance between them in those particulars also 

 which relate to their food. Our case, then, stands 

 thus -.—bulky medicines used formerly to be advan- 

 tageously administered, till science pointed out that 

 their efficiency depended on the existence in them 

 of vegetable or mineral substances in minute quantities 



bulky manures are now administered to plants; 



why may we not expect that here also some of their 

 apparently most insignificant ingredients may turn 

 out to be the true sources of their value, and that, 

 with the iodine and quinine quoted above, these may 

 be obtained cheaper elsewhere, and applied in an un- 

 adulterated form 1 



value of bones thus treated, a greater crop of Turnips 

 than that yielded by the same extent of land which 

 had been manured with bones in the ordinary way. 

 His Grace's experience on this subject is recorded in 

 the present Part of the English Agricultural Society's 



Journal. 



We have received from Mr. Lawes of St. Alban's 

 the results of a great variety of experiments with 

 manures, which as occasion offers, we shall present to 

 our readers. Among them are a series upon the sub- 

 ject under consideration. 



The following Table represents the results in tons and 

 cwts. of Turnips per acre, from the application of bones 

 in various quantities per acre, which had been previously 

 mixed in various proportions with sulphuric acid. 

 These figures are calculated from the actual quantities, 

 the experiments having been conducted on plots of 

 land each one-fiftieth of an acre in extent. The quality 

 or condition of the soil cannot have been good, or the 

 result would have been greater throughout, and espe- 

 cially on those parts to which no manure was applied. 



Per Acre. 





^itisonl^uT ° f ve S etable Physiologists or 

 a ien gAened experience. 



result 



J* one 



English i 



f °nned us 

 10 certain 



? U8utc quantities n h contain ed in them only in 

 }H> &c. which »»♦* ^ ? derin & the expenses of cart- 

 5 ,s *°nh our ul? . the use of our bulk y manures, 

 fw J l !l fcrtainlv * ^ e Wiring into this statement, 

 The ^L? e * e truth of which is desirable. 

 °pon the preconcTmm ^ ""g^ent often depends 



S^i anTw?l° n ' ; f tbe P ersons ^ whom it is 

 3' h <>wever Z2 ^ * CTe /ore first attempt to show 



J? 00 * which havlU e above sta <ement may be to 

 2Jl , Carl - loa <J itif ° Wn ^ Ut ° f dealin S with manure 



Bt In i^J 1 ? r log / proves to be 



dSr* 8 of meanf l- u has been found that the 



£T e f red > f ^uem wlf ? Cddent ' P erha P s ' first 

 mof PrinciXwhl^ Pen ? S on the existence in 



* * hlch are there enveloped in a great 



It was a consideration of some such analogy, un- 

 assisted by the experience on this subject which has 

 since accumulated, that, more than half a century ago, 

 led Lord Karnes, a Scottish landowner, to express his 

 opinion that the time would come when the farmer 

 would be able to carry to the field enough in his 

 pockets wherewith to manure an acre of land. The 

 doctrine implied in the apparently common-sense 

 reply of his tenant, that in such a case the farmer 

 would be able to carry the crop home on his back, 

 now stands every chance of soon being refuted by 

 ordinary experience. 



But let us leave probabilities, and consider the facts 

 upon which the truth of the above statement rests. 

 To take two instances from among the many manures 

 now employed, bones and soot have long been known 

 as powerful fertilisers. It has been discovered that 

 the efficiency of the latter is owing to the sulphate of 

 ammonia which it contains ; and this salt is now 

 obtained more cheaply from other sources-gas-water, 

 for instance. It is now sold as the essence of soot, 

 and is used with great advantage in quantities less 

 than 100 lbs. per acre. (See paper in our 1 st Number 

 by the Hon. and Rev. L. V. Harcourt). The value 

 of the former as manure is believed to be owing to 

 the existence in it of phosphorus, a very singular sub- 

 stance which is there united as phosphoric acid, with 

 lime. It is not probable that this substance will ever 

 be obtained in a cheaper form than that in which it 

 is now used, for in those bones out of which all 

 animal matters have been boiled, the phosphate of 

 lime formed so large a proportion as 8-I0ths of the 

 whole ; we hear, however, of the existence of this 

 substance in large mineral beds in Spain and other 

 countries, so that even this is not impossible. Some 

 very curious experiments have lately been performed 

 bY the Duke of Richmond, which show the advantage 

 of concentrating in the bones that valuable ingredient I 

 in them to which we have referred ; at the close 

 of Prof. Brande's lecture Mr. Pusey stated their 

 results, and at the same time said that this was the 

 first case in which Science had been of direct benefit 



to Agriculture. 



When all soluble matter is dissolved out of bones 

 the matter left consists almost entirely of phosphate 

 of lime. It was known that by adding to this sub- 

 stance about J of its weight of diluted sulphuric acid, 

 or oil of vitriol, the lime contained in one half of it 

 would be deprived of the phosphoric acid with which 

 it was previously in union, and, uniting with the 

 sulphuric acid, would form sulphate of lime or 

 gypsum, while that, contained in the other half still 

 combined with its ordinary portion of phosphoric acid, 

 would, in addition, unite with that from which the 

 first half had just been parted, and form a super- 

 phosphate of lime. Thus, putting out of sight the 

 water with which in order the more readily to induce 

 this chemical action the acid is diluted, while, at the 

 beginning of the operation we had 20 lbs. of phos- 

 phate of lime, and nearly 5 lbs. of dry sulphuric acid : 

 after its close we have 17 lbs. of super-phosphate oi 

 lime, and 8 lbs. of gypsum. Now, independently ot 

 the acknowledged value as a manure of the gypsum 

 which is obtained by this process, the phosphorus in 

 the super-phosphate of lime is in a condition much 

 more likely to be available for the use of plants than 

 it was before ; for, whereas it was previously insoluble, 

 it is now easily dissolved inwater, and is thus capable 

 of absorption by the roots of plants. Taking all tins 

 into consideration it was resolved to ascertain whether 

 in the practice of the farm this chemical theory would 

 prove capable of beneficial application. The result o 

 the experiments that were instituted was such as had 

 been expected; after taking all the expenses of the 

 process into the account, the Duke of Richmond 

 obtained in Morayshire, by the application ot a less j 



Weight 

 of bones 

 applied. 



Result 

 without 



sulph. 



acid. 



Result 

 with 



1- fifth 



their 



weight 



Result 

 with 



1- third 

 their 



weight 



ofsulph. ofsulph. 

 acid. acid. 



lbs. 

 100 

 200 

 400 



800 



ton.cwt. ton.cwt. ton.cwt. 

 8 0^ 10 14 I 9 17 



8 9 9 17 I 12 9 



14 2 ! 14 

 13 13 ' 10 17 



11 



9 



7 

 7 





Result 



with 

 1-half 



their 



weight 



ofsulph. 



acid. 



ton.cwt. 

 10 7 

 10 18 

 13 18 



17 9 



Result 

 with 



3-fifths 

 their 



weight 



ofsulph 

 acid. 



Result 

 with 



4-fifths 

 their 



weight 



ofsulph- 



acid. 



ton.cwt.iton.cwt 



Nothingl 3 15 



5 11 



5 11 



4 7 



7 H 



11 14 

 15 3 



12 18 



11 4 



11 3 



16 7 



18 12 



4 7 4 7 



Notwithstanding the irregular action of this manure 

 in the instances, recorded in this Table, it may be 

 inferred, we think, that the fertilising influence of 

 bones is greatly increased by subjecting them to the 

 action of sulphuric acid : thus, 100 lbs. of bones pre- 

 viously acted upon by one-fifth their weight of sul- 

 phuric acid, produced a better crop of Turnips than 

 800 lbs. of bones applied in their ordinary state. 



The solubility of the super-phosphate of lime wiU 

 probably give it a great advantage over bones on stitt 

 soils On such land bones have not been found to 

 act beneficially, while on light soils they are a power- 

 ful manure ; and the reason probably is, that the 

 latter admit of the rapid action of weather and other 

 external agents on substances imbedded in them, while 

 in the former such substances are wrapped up m a 

 more impervious covering. Bones in clayey soils thus 

 suffer a very slow decomposition, and it is with great 

 difficulty that the phosphorus, or rather the phos- 

 phoric acid which they contain, acquires solubility m 



But we have been led into a digression. Guano is 

 another of the manures, the distinguishing ingredients 

 of which may be obtained more cheaply elsewhere. 

 A mixture of these may thus be formed unadulterated 

 by the useless sand and earth which the natural 

 manure contains in considerable quantity, and an arti- 

 ficial guano, thus made, is to be had m the market, the 

 value of which, at all events equal to that ot Peru- 

 vian guano, is attested by numerous experiments. 



The component parts of these artificial manures are 

 all to be found in small quantities in ordinary farm- 

 vard dung ; and, putting out of sight the advantage of 

 applyinp; I large bulk of manure to the land as respects 

 its influence on the texture of the soil, there can be no 

 doubt that, including salts of ammonia which have an 

 orsanicorigin.it is to these mineral ingredients that 

 its value is owing. This will appear from a consider- 

 ation of the causes to which the difference is owing 

 that exists between poor and rich farm-yard manure 

 The quantity of vegetable matter in both cases is the 

 same] but in the one instance the cattle have been fed 

 only on straw and Turnips ; while in the other they 

 have received oil-cake, or, it may be, meal, or gram ; all 

 of these, as proved by chemical analysis, tongj J 

 superior to turnips or straw in the quality of their 

 mineral ingredients, which pass into the ^nure^ap 

 through the animals feeding on them, without much 

 diminution in quantity. We do not wish that these 

 remarks should imply that it will ever be more econo- 

 mical in districts unaffected by the neighbourhood of 

 towns, constantly to depend for supplies of manure on 

 external sources rather than on that which is pro- 

 duced bv the consumption on the fa rm of the produce 

 of the land. We believe that this is the cheapest way 

 in which fertility can be maintained unimpaired, and 

 that the art of cultivation has attained perfection m 

 one of its branches, only where, as is possible on most, 

 if not on all soils, the farmer keeps his land in good 

 condition without ever fetching fertilizers from bejond 



US Alftat we wish to infer is well expressed in a 

 statement by Mr. Vivian at a late meeting of e 

 Swansea Farmers' Club, where he expressed his 

 opinion, that the great advantage ansm Sj^mUK 

 various artificial manures depended on ^ their ^ porta 

 bility, which rendered their application easy and 



