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XXXI. — Experimental Results on the Use of Nitre as a Top- 

 dressing for Grouring Crops. — By James Everitt, Esq. 



To the Secretary of the English Agricultural Society. 

 Sir, 



I MOST cheerfully undertake to answer your application for a 

 statement of the results I have obtained from the use of saltpetre 

 as a manure ; or, more properly speaking, a top-dressing for 

 growing crops. It would be rather presumptuous (having used 

 it two seasons only) were I now to hazard a definite opinion as to 

 its permanent advantage to agriculture ; this can only be deter- 

 mined by testing and accurately ascertaining the average results for 

 a succession of not less than seven seasons ; but, as far as my 

 limited experience will allow me to form a judgment, I will ven- 

 ture to predict that, upon all light ivarm soils, it will ultimately 

 be found to be beneficial as well as profitable : on the contrary, 

 I have reason to believe that, on cold clay -land, on an average of 

 seasons, it will not more than repay the outlay. I give these 

 opinions not simply from my own experience, but in accordance 

 with the information I have collected from some extensive 

 farmers, both upon light and strong lands, upon whose accuracy 

 in ascertaining its results I can confidently rely. I will now 

 detail the particulars and results of the two trials I have already 

 given it ; perhaps I ought to premise that much the greater part 

 of my occupation (1100 acres, the property of the Right Hon. 

 Earl Spencer) is light land, with but a small portion of clay. In 

 the first w^eek in April, 1838, I sowed by- hand part of a field of 

 wheat, of good light land, at the rate of 1 cwt. per acre, of East 

 India saltpetre (nitrate of potash), for which I paid 26^. 6d. per 

 cwt. Its effect was very visible in the course of a week, and con- 

 tinued very superior to that part left unsown quite up to harvest. 

 I then had two rigs (as we term them) reaped, and kept distinct, 

 each containing rather above 1 J acre : the result, upon threshing, 

 was, that I obtained an increase in favour of the saltpetre of 6^ 

 bushels per acre, besides a considerably greater weight of straw : 

 as I did not v^^eigh it, I cannot accurately state the extent, but I 

 believe I am not overrating it at one-sixth, In the first week in 

 May, 1839, I sowed part of a field of w^heat (my strongest land), 

 and at the same time part of another field of oats (light land), with 

 1 bushel (about | cwt.) per acre of American nitre (nitrate of 

 soda), which cost me 23s. 6c/. per cwt., or about 186". per acre. 

 I adopted the same precaution as I did the previous year ; and 

 the increase in favour of the nitre was, upon my wheat, not quite 

 4, and on my oats rather more than 15 bushels per acre; the 

 difference in weight of straw (in this instance I weighed it) was 



