120 



On the Nitrate of Soda. 



the blade soon became broader, and the superior vigour of the corn 

 which had been so dressed might be seen from a great distance. This 

 appearance, however, as you have pointed out in our last Journal, might 

 be delusive. At harvest time, however, a clear difference still showed 

 itself between the dressed and the undressed wheat on each side of the 

 boundary furrows. It was not that the corn stood thicker where it had 

 received the nitrate, which had been applied too late to make it tiller out ; 

 but the mode of operation was this : on the undressed side there were 

 many short or underling straws, as they are here called, with short 

 ears ; on the other side there were none of these ; all the straws were 

 of equal length, and all their ears were evidently longer. The difference 

 seemed, however, rather less in one of the fields, the soil of which was 

 in a slight degree the least heavy. Six ridges, which stood together 

 two and two, were harvested separately, being fagged or cut at the 

 ground, that the whole of the straw might be weighed. The result was 

 as follows : — 





Measurement. 



Produce of 

 Wheat. 



Produce of 



Wheat 

 per Acre. 



Straw. 



Straw 

 per Acre. 



No. 1. 



Nitred . . 



R. 



1 



p. 



32 



Bsh. Pks. Qts. 

 17 2 4 



Bushels. 

 391 



lbs. 

 3,858 



Cwt. 

 341 



„ 2. 



Not nitred . 



1 



36 



12 



3 



5 



27 



2,760 



241 



„ 3. 



Nitred 



2 



5 



13 



3 



4 





2,856 



251 



„ 4. 



Not nitred . 



2 



1 



11 



0 



1 



21| 



2,260 



201 



„ 5. 



Niti-ed . . 



1 



10 



7 



3 



0 



24| 



2,732 



241 



„ 6. 



Not nitred 



1 



7 



6 



0 



2 



201 



2,252 



201 



The outlay on the manure was therefore repaid by the increase of the 

 crop. The samples were shown to good judges : some of whom preferred 

 the nitred wheat for its brighter colour ; and they were sold for seed at 

 the same price of 665. the quarter, the best market-price of the day. If 

 the average increase of wheat produced by the nitrate be taken, as I 

 think it may, in the first field, at six bushels the acre, and of straw at 

 7 cwt., the account will stand thus, independently of the tail-corn : — 



£. s. d. 



Average Increase of wheat per acre, 6 bush., at 8^. 3d. 2 9 6 

 Ditto straw, ditto 7 cwt., at 1^. . 0 7 0 



2 16 6 



Deduct for nitrate laid on . .18 0 



Profit, per acre, by nitrate .18 6 



In the second field — 



Increase of wheat per acre, 4.V bushels, at 85, 3d. 117 0 

 Ditto straw, ditto, 4 cwt., at 1.9. . . 0 4 0 



^ 1 0 



Deduct for nitrate . . . .18 0 



Profit 0 13 0 



