134 



On the Nitrate of Soda. 



the wide ; but I am inclined to think, had I drilled seven pecks of seed 

 instead of five, at 9 inches apart, the wide would beat the narrow drilled. 



Hoping these experiments may be of service to my brother agricul- 

 turists, 



Believe me, 



Very faithfully yours, 



John Raymond Barker, 



Fairford Park, Gloucestershire, 

 Sept, 22, 1840. 



Experiments on Grass Lands with Nitrate of Soda and Gypsum. 

 By John GrkEY^ Esq. 



To the Secretary. 



Sir, 



At the request of Mr. Pusey I have now the pleasure to communicate 

 to you, for insertion in the Journal, should you deem it worthy of notice, 

 the result of an experiment upon grass land, from the application of 

 nitrate of soda and g^^psum. I applied nitrate and gypsum also, to 

 alternate ridges of different kinds of grain, and at various stages of its 

 growth ; but the quantity of rain that fell in this part of the country 

 both previous to and during the time of harvest, had the effect of pro- 

 ducing so much straw and of laying the corn so flat, that it was found 

 difficult to cut the plots so as to keep the produce of each perfectly dis- 

 tinct, and was also in other respects so unfavourable to the experiment, 

 that I cannot reckon upon the result being very correct and satisfactory. 

 Some part of the grain is yet in the fields, and not in a state to 

 be thrashed, but should the experiment be marked by any decided 

 result, I may have the pleasure of communicating it to you at some 

 future time. 



On the 28th April, 1840, 1 sowed upon each alternate ridge of a plot 

 of land consisting of four acres, of good gravelly loam, which had lain 

 three years in grass, and was thickly covered with plants, nitrate of soda 

 at the rate of 1 cwt. per acre, having ascertained the exact contents of 

 each ridge, and divided the nitrate accurately into the right proportions. 

 To some of the alternate,; ridges I applied gypsum at the rate of 10 

 bushels per acre. To one ridge I applied both the nitrate and gypsum, 

 upon the principle of "the more good things the better;" but the 

 result in this case proved the maxim fallacious ; and three ridges were 

 left without any application whatever. The grass to which the nitrate 

 was applied, in a few days assumed a darker colour than the other, rose 

 quickly above it in height, came earlier into seed, and was sooner fit for 

 cutting. The plot was all mown and made into hay at the same time, 

 great attention being paid to keep the produce of each of the ridges 

 intended for the experiment distinct. The following is the weight of 

 hay produced by each plot, and at this time the aftermath of those 

 ridges to which the nitrate was applied, is obviously better than the 

 others : — 



