Trials of Nitrate of Soda. 



261 



Journal. The first trial I made of it was in 1839, on v^^heat, oats, and 

 grass ; as far as the eye could discover, each of them made a very satis- 

 factory progress in a few days after it was applied. Thus encouraged, 

 I determined to make another trial, on a larger scale, the following 

 year. I purchased my nitrate of soda at 21/. per ton, including cartage, 

 and used it on all my crops : — 



1. On part of a field of barley; in which I could perceive but little difterence, the 



whole of the field being a heavy crop, and much laid. 



2. On clover: the result was the same, which I attributed to the high condition of 



the land. 



3. On spring- tares : two weeks after they were up the crop increased considerably, 



and was cut green for tlie horses. 



4. On meadow : not quite so satisfactory as in the former year; this I considered 



arose also from the high condition of the land. 



5. On wheat: this was an exceedingly thin crop, produced by the unfavourable 



autumn, the land being so wet when the seed was sown that half of it rotted ; 

 indeed the plant was so thin that I had determined to plough it up, but consi- 

 dered it an excellent opportunity to try the merits of the nitrate. Having sown 

 it on a part of the field, I was much surprised at seeing not only the wheat im- 

 prove, buf also the wire-weed, which continued to increase up to the time of 

 harvest, and was so strong as to render reaping ditiicult. Considerably more 

 than a load of this weed to the acre was left on the land. I mention this 

 circumstance merely to prove the power of the nitrate to force even weeds, the 

 natural produce of the soil, when the corn is not sufliciently thick on the ground 

 to take up its nutritive properties. 



6. On a field of oats which had been under the process of draining, but where, in 



consequence of a continuation of rain, the operation had been suspended for a 

 considerable time ; the land, being continually saturated, was much out of 

 condition. This I considered an excellent opportunity for experiments. In 

 six days after the nitrate was sown it began to surpass the other part of the field, 

 and continued to do so until harvest. 



On each of the two last crops I housed and threshed, separately, one 

 acre that was sown with nitrate, and one that was not so sown, and I 

 found the result as follows : — 



LL pk. bl. pk. £. s. d. 



One acre of wheat sown with\ q 



nitrate of soda . . . j 

 One ditto without , , . 14 3 Increase 5 I at 8s. 6d. per bus. 2 4 7^ 



truss. truss. 

 Ditto straw with nitrate . 72 



Ditto without .... 51^ Increase 20^ at 11c/. per truss . 0 18 9i 



3 3 5 



Expense of nitrate and sowing 17 0 



One acre of oats sown with I 3 

 nitrate of soda . . .J 



Profit on nitrate per acre of wheat 1 16 5 



bl. pk. , bl. pk. 



Ditto without ... 46 0 Increase 14 3 at 3s. 6c/. per bus. 211 7^ 



truss. truss. 

 Ditto straw with nitrate . 120 



Ditto without ... 84 Increase 36 at 10c/. per truss , . 1 10 0 



4 1 7i 



Expense of nitrate and sowing 17 0 



Brofit on nitrate per acre of oars 2 14 75- 



