538 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[NTovemp.es 10 1888. 



old and out-of-the-way fruits should be got together 

 and grown, so that the Fellows might know of some 

 oie place where they may certainly count upon 

 seeing all that they may happen to hear of. 



The old orchard-house collection seems to have 

 disappeared. I rather regret this. It was always a 

 very pfetty sight, and the recent Conference showed 

 that in a year like the past it is only under glass that 

 many of our hardy fruits show the utmost they are 

 capable of. 



But besides growing a standard named collec- 

 tion, there should be illustrations of every kind 

 of experimental treatment. The advantage of dif- 

 ferent kinds of stocks should be shown to the eye as 

 well as the merits of different methods of training 

 and grafting. 



I am afraid this letter has run to an inordinate 

 length, and yet I have by no means exhausted all 

 the suggestions that occur to me. Throughout the 

 summer I would have " Chiswick days " — not shows, 

 but days when particular features of the garden 

 work were in their most interesting stage, and at 

 their best. To these the Fellows should be sum- 

 moned by post-card, so that they might have the 

 opportunity of having their attention pointedly 

 called to the work that was going on. Eventually, 

 I should like to see a handy Guidebook, giving a 

 brief account of lhe most interesting features of the 

 garden. 



If Chiswick were energetically worked in the spirit 

 which I have indicated in these remarks, and made 

 a really living thing, I cannot doubt that it would 

 become an extremely interesting place, in its way as 

 attractive as Kew. When I say make it a horticul- 

 tural Kew, I mean make it a place where there is 

 something to see which would give a definite im- 

 pression of intelligible work being carried on. W. T. 

 Tkiselton Dyer. 



THE WHEAT CEOP OF 1888. 



In estimating the produce of the Wheat crop of the 

 United Kingdom last year, I adopted without modifi- 

 cation the indication of the usual selected plots in 

 the experimental field at Rothamsted ; observing, 

 however, that the figure so arrived at probably 

 under rather than over-estimated the crop of the 

 country. The yield so indicated was 28§ bushels per 

 acre, at the standard weight of 61 lb. per bushel ; 

 and as compared with the requirements estimated on 

 that basis, the actual nett imports within the harvest- 

 year showed a deficiency which is too great to be ex- 

 plained by the reduction of stocks in the granaries, 

 and, in the hands of farmers, there can be little doubt 

 that the yield of the country was in fact higher than 

 was assumed according to the estimate adopted. 



The Wheat crop of the present year, which has 

 hardly yet been secured over the whole of the British 

 Islands, was at one time supposed by some to promise 

 to be one of the worst of the present century, and 

 probably as bad as that of 1879. Very little con- 

 sideration of the characters of the two seasons is, 

 however, sufficient to show that the year just past was 

 much more favourable to the Wheat crop than that 

 of 1878-9. 



First, as to the rainfall. Taking the records of 

 Greenwich in illustration, there was, during the 

 harvest-year, September 1, 1878, to August 31, 1879, 

 an excess of rain in every month, excepting October, 

 December, and March, and there was also an excess 

 in September, 1879 ; the total excess for the 

 harvest-year amounting to about 10 inches, and com- 

 pared with the season just past there was a consider- 

 able excess in January, February, April, May and 

 again in the harvest months of August and Sep- 

 tember. Further, whilst the harvest-year 1878 — 9 

 commenced with a wet soil, that of 1887 — 8 com- 

 menced with the soil in a very dry condition, owing 

 to the drought of the previous summer ; and not- 

 withstanding there was an excess of rain in March, 

 1888 — when, indeed, it was much wanted — there was, 

 taking the whole period up to nearly the end of June, 

 so great a deficiency compared with the average that 

 fears were entertained that there would be a 

 deficient supply of water both in the country districts 

 and in some of our large towns. In June, July, and 

 August, there was, however, a considerable excess of 

 rain, and it was during this period that so much 



anxiety as to our cereal crops prevailed. At Rotham- 

 sted there was a very heavy thunderstorm on June 

 26, which gave more than 3 inches of rain in a few 

 hours; and there were' heavy thunder-showers about 

 the same time in other localities. In July there was 

 more or less fall almost every day of the 

 month ; whilst in August there was again a 

 considerable excess. As to temperature, both 

 seasons were below the average almost through- 

 out the harvest year. The winter months of 

 November, December, and January showed mucli 

 lower mean temperatures in 1878-9 than in 1887-8 ; 

 but February and March were upon the whole 

 colder in 1888 than in 1879. April, May, and June 

 were, however, on the average warmer in 1888 than 

 in 1S79. Whilst, therefore, the mean temperature 

 was below the average in both seasons, both in the 

 winter and the summer, not only was it not so low 

 during the growing months of 1888 as in those of 

 1879 ; but there was a very great difference in the 

 rainfall of the two seasons ; for whilst in 1878-9 

 there was a great excess of rain throughout the 

 winter, spring, summer, and autumn, there was in 

 the season just past a considerable deficiency through- 

 out the winter and spring, and only an excess in 

 June, July, and part of August, September again 

 being upon the whole a dry month. The great 

 influence on the subsequent growth of Wheat, of 

 the weather before the period of active aboveground 

 growth, was clearly illustrated in our paper on " Our 

 Climate and our Wheat Crops " in the case of the 

 season of 1854. The summer of that year was com- 

 paratively cold and sunless, yet the Wheat crop was 

 one of the best of the present century. The early 

 winter had been unusually cold, but the remainder 

 and the early spring were warmer than the average, 

 and the season was extremely dry from seed time to 

 harvest, the mild spring and the dryness obviously 

 compensating for the deficiency of temperature during 

 the summer months. 



The following table gives the produce of Wheat 

 in 1888 on selected plots in the experimental field 

 at Rothamsted, which has now grown the crop for 

 forty-five years in succession. The plots are the 

 same as to description and quantities of manure 

 applied as have been adopted in the estimates of the 

 yield of the country at large from 1852 up to the 

 present time. 







- 



Artificial 



*-& 



«"° 



Harvest. 





(2^^ 



Manures. 





§*- s 



Bushels of Dressed Grain per Acre 



Present year, 1833 



Average 10 years, 

 1873-87 



Average 26 years, 

 1852-77 



Average 36 years, 



10 



38 



S5J 



35} 33} 



12 



321 



31$ 



36 36J 



13$ 



3*T 



33} 



36}, 36} 



13 



33J 



32:} 



36} 36} 



Weight per Bushel 



/ Dres 



sed Grain 



ill Pounds. 





Present year, 1888 , 58f 



60 



59} 



59} 



58 



59 



59.} 



Average 10 years, 



1878-87 58| 



m 



60S 



60} 



60 



60} 



60 



Average 26 years, 



1852-77 57} 



60s 



59J 



59$ 



58$ 



59 



59 



Average 36 years, 



1852-87 5SJ 



eo>- 



59} 



59f 



59 



59$ 



59} 



Total Straw, Chaff, i. 



=•. 1 



sr Acre, 



Cwt. 





Present year, 1833 



8 



36 



32} 



37$ 



35J 



35} 



28s 



Average 10 years, 

 1878-87 



8} 



29} 



32} 



41J 



42$ 



38} 



25} 



Average 26 years, 

 1852-77 



UJ 



32$ 



33J 



39} 



41f 



38} 



27} 



Average 36 years, 

 1852-S7 



11 



31$ 



33} 



40} 



41} 



38J 



27 



* Equal to 2iij bushels, at (jl lb. per bushel, 

 t Equal to 2ti'bushels, at 61 lb. per bushel. 

 I Equal to 26} bushels, at 61 lb. per bushel. 

 i Equal to 26J bushels, at 61 lb. per bushel. 



An examination of the figures shows that, again 

 this year, there is marked deviation from the average 

 produce on the different plots, and that the variation 

 is in different directions, according to the con- 

 ditions of manuring ; and, perhaps, there has seldom 

 been a harvest in respect to the results of which the 

 reports have been more conflicting than of that of 

 the present year. 



The general character of the experimental results 

 is that, both where the condition of the soil was 

 defective, and where there was an excess of artificial 

 nitrogenous manure, there was less than the average 

 produce ; but that where the manurial conditions 

 were more favourable, there was more than average 

 produce. Thus the continuously unmanured plot 

 yields only 10 bushels per acre, instead of about 



12 bushels, the avenge of the preceding ten years, or 



13 bushels, the average of the preceding thirty-six 

 years. The farmyard manure plot, on the other 

 hand, yields 38 bushels, of 60 lb. per bushel, against 

 an average of only 32J-, but of nearly 61 lb. per 

 bushel, over the preceding ten years, and of 33J 

 bushels, at 60^ lb. per bushel, over the preceding 

 thirty-six year3. That is to say, whilst the un- 

 manured produce is about 3 bushels below its average 

 of 13 bushels, the farmyard manure produce is more 

 than 4 bushels above its average of 33f bushels. 

 Again, plot 7, which receives, besides mineral 

 manures, a liberal but not excessive amount of salts 

 of ammonia, yields nearly 36 bushels, at 59f lb. per 

 bushel, against an average of only 33J- bushels at the 

 same weight, over the preceding thirty-six years ; 

 that is, it gives an excess this year of rather over 

 3 bushels. Plot 8, on the other hand, with the same 

 mineral manures but li- time as much salts of am- 

 monia as plot 7, yields only 35J bushels against its 

 average of 36.J bushels ; that is, with the excess of 

 ammonia-salts, there is this year 1J bushel less than 

 its average, and even less than with the smaller 

 amount of salts of ammonia. The mineral and 

 nitrate plot again (9 or 16), yields only 33|- bushels, 

 aginst its average of 36$ bushels, showing, therefore 

 a deficiency of 3 bushels this year. 



Were we to go beyond the list of the usually 

 selected plots, more striking illustrations still could 

 be given of the fact that in the present season the 

 produce was below (and sometimes very much 

 below) the average, where the conditions were 

 unfavourable or abnormal, but that where the con- 

 ditions were favourable or normal it has been over 

 average. The produce of straw shows a very similar 

 result. Thus, without manure, and with excessive 

 nitrogenous manuring, the amount of straw is con- 

 siderably below the average ; but with farmyard 

 manure it is considerably over average, and on plot 7, 

 with comparatively moderate artificial manuring, it 

 is very nearly the average. 



We have then, in the experimental field, great 

 irregularity in the amount of produce compared with 

 the average of seasons, accordingly as the conditions 

 of manuring were favourable or unfavourable ; but 

 the irregularities are generally in an opposite 

 direction to those of last year. As already said, the 

 published reports from different parts of the country 

 also show very great irregularity of result. Indeed, 

 it would appear that the season has pretty generally 

 been unfavourable both for low and for excessively 

 high condition, but favourable for less extreme con- 

 ditions. So far as quality is concerned, as indicated 

 by weight per bushel, the experimental crops are 

 generally somewhat below their average. 



It will be obvious that with a season showing such 

 irregularities it must be difficult to form an accurate 

 estimate of the average yield of the country at large. 

 The average, calculated in the usual manner, from 

 the results of the selected experimental plots, amounts 

 to 26J- bushels per acre, at the standard weight of 

 61 lb. per bushel — that is, only about 1^ bushel below 

 the standard average of 28 bushels. As already said, 

 in adopting the average of the experimental results 

 last year as indicating the average of the country at 

 large, it was supposed that the crop was under rather 

 than over estimated, and it is possible that the figure 

 for the present year may err somewhat in the con- 

 trary direction and rather over-rate the crop of the 



