﻿ISO 
  Transactions, 
  — 
  Miscellaneous, 
  

  

  keeps 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  sheep 
  to 
  feed 
  off 
  his 
  turnips. 
  He 
  has 
  probably, 
  also, 
  a 
  town 
  

   or 
  large 
  village 
  iu 
  his 
  vicinity, 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  can 
  purchase 
  house-manure 
  ; 
  

   and, 
  under 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  high 
  farming, 
  other 
  manures 
  are 
  brought 
  to 
  him 
  

   from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  It 
  probably 
  would 
  not 
  pay 
  in 
  a 
  new 
  country 
  to 
  go 
  into 
  the 
  elaborate 
  

   system 
  of 
  farming 
  which 
  is 
  practised 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  one. 
  Much 
  may, 
  however, 
  

   be 
  done 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  contrast 
  the 
  farm 
  work 
  of 
  Otago 
  with 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  colony, 
  we 
  will 
  see 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  to 
  advantage. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  wheat 
  crops 
  now 
  grown 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  are 
  

   only 
  preparatory 
  to 
  laying 
  the 
  land 
  down 
  in 
  grass. 
  In 
  that 
  case 
  there 
  is 
  

   little 
  harm 
  done. 
  The 
  land 
  is 
  not 
  exhausted, 
  and 
  after 
  being 
  for 
  some 
  

   years 
  under 
  grass, 
  may 
  be 
  again 
  broken 
  up 
  and 
  cropped 
  ; 
  but 
  what 
  I 
  

   propose 
  to 
  consider 
  is 
  whether 
  we 
  can 
  hit 
  upon 
  an 
  economical 
  plan 
  of 
  

   continuing 
  grain-cropping 
  without 
  a 
  rest 
  under 
  grass. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  nothing 
  new 
  in 
  what 
  I 
  propose 
  to 
  state. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  reitera- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  well-known 
  facts, 
  but 
  facts 
  Avhich, 
  strange 
  to 
  say, 
  are 
  seldom 
  known 
  

   to 
  the 
  farmer. 
  He 
  knows 
  that 
  his 
  laud 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  exhaustion, 
  but 
  of 
  the 
  

   constituents 
  which 
  are 
  taken 
  away 
  in 
  the 
  grain 
  removed, 
  or 
  of 
  how 
  to 
  

   replace 
  them, 
  he 
  is 
  generally 
  ignorant. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  constituents 
  of 
  a 
  grain 
  crop 
  which 
  are 
  carried 
  away 
  with 
  the 
  

   grain 
  are 
  only 
  three 
  in 
  number— 
  viz., 
  phosphate 
  of 
  lime, 
  potash, 
  and 
  

   nitrogen. 
  The 
  two 
  former, 
  when 
  once 
  exhausted, 
  cannot 
  be 
  replaced 
  

   except 
  by 
  carrying 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  slow 
  process 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  

   lying 
  fallow, 
  or 
  in 
  grass, 
  until 
  fresh 
  supplies 
  which 
  may 
  still 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  

   soil 
  shall 
  be 
  released, 
  and 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  condition 
  to 
  furnish 
  food 
  to 
  plants. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  nitrogen, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  ample 
  supply 
  in 
  the 
  atmosphere, 
  

   and, 
  if 
  I 
  remember 
  right, 
  Liebig 
  originally 
  held 
  that 
  no 
  nitrogenous 
  

   man" 
  ires 
  were 
  necessary, 
  but 
  afterwards, 
  considering 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  guano 
  

   and 
  of 
  muck, 
  changed 
  his 
  views 
  on 
  this 
  point, 
  and 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  

   that 
  the 
  nitrogen 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  in, 
  I 
  suppose, 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  ammonia, 
  

   did 
  not 
  assimilate 
  with 
  sufficient 
  rapidity 
  to 
  obviate 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  

   nitrogenous 
  manures, 
  and 
  that 
  therefore 
  these 
  manures 
  must 
  be 
  provided. 
  

  

  Now, 
  leaving 
  aside 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  phosphate 
  

   of 
  lime 
  and 
  of 
  potash, 
  let 
  us 
  consider 
  how 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  nitrogen 
  may 
  be 
  

   most 
  readily 
  brought 
  about. 
  No 
  doubt 
  the 
  simplest 
  plan 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  jjur- 
  

   chase 
  and 
  apply 
  Peruvian 
  guano, 
  but 
  I 
  wish 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  result 
  without 
  

   an 
  outlay 
  of 
  money. 
  If 
  we 
  go 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Eomans 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  

   they 
  supplied 
  nitrogen 
  by 
  growing 
  and 
  ploughing 
  in 
  lupins. 
  Now 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   bean 
  tribe 
  will 
  answer 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  these 
  plants 
  being 
  rich 
  in 
  nitrogen, 
  

   and, 
  when 
  ploughed 
  in, 
  the 
  decomposition 
  which 
  is 
  set 
  uj:* 
  places 
  the 
  

   nitrogen 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  to 
  be 
  assimilated 
  by 
  plants. 
  

  

  