Use of Nitrate of Soda as a Top-dressing for Wheat. 201 



putting on about half the quantity I intend to apply then^ and 

 the remainder should be added not later than the middle of April, 

 in average seasons. I have not yet met with a machine that will 

 sow this mixture accurately, and it is, therefore, always applied by 

 hand, and it requires a careful man to do it nicely. To ensure 

 greater regularity, the first application should be made the same 

 way the wheat is drilled, and the second directly across it, and 

 thus any slight imperfections of sowing are of less consequence. 



I am decidedly of opinion, that nitrate of soda is a most useful 

 and profitable top-dressing for wheat upon all light gravelly and 

 sandy soils, if properly and judiciously applied. The addition of 

 double the weight of common salt I hold to be most important ; 

 it corrects the exuberant growth of straw which nitrate of soda 

 alone produces, stiffens it, and prevents the crop being laid — and, 

 what is even more important, materially improves the quality and 

 weight of grain. 



Results of Experiments on the Top-dressing of Wheats ivith Nitrate of 

 Soda and Salt, made uponHolkham Park Farm, 1850 and 1851. 



1850. 



o cL 





Cost of 



Yie 



Id of 



Increase in 



Weight 



of 



Increase in 





TOP-DRESSING. 



the Top- 



Corn 



Corn over 



Straw grown 



Straw over 







Dressing. 



per Acre. 



Exp. No.2. 



per Acre. 



Exp. No. 2. 







£. s. d 



Bus. 



pks. 



Bus. 



pks. 



Tns 



cwt. 



St. 



Tns. cwt. St. 



1 



6 St. nitrate of soda, 16 st. salt 



0 14 6 



45 



2 



4 



2 



1 



12 



2 



0 



6 2 



2 



Without top-dressing 





37 



0 







1 



6 



0 







3 



8 St. nitrate of soda, 16 st. salt 



0 18 6 



40 



0 



3 



0 



1 



14 



0 



0 



8 0 



4 



4 St. ditto, 8 St. do. 



0 9 3 



39 



0 



2 



0 



1 



10 



4 



0 



4 4 



5 



10 St. ditto, 20 St. do. 



1 3 3 



40 



0 



3 



0 



1 



12 



4 



0 



6 4 



6 



8 St. ditto, without salt 



0 16 0 



40 



0 



3 



0 



1 



12 



0 



0 



6 0 



1851. 



1 



6 St. nitrate of soda, 1 6 st. salt 



0 14 6 



42 



2 



4 



3 





13 



1 



0 



5 6 



2 



Without any top-dressing . . 





37 



2 









7 



2 







3 



8 St. nitrate of soda, 16 st. salt 



0 18 6 



45 



1 



7 



2 





16 



5 



0 



9 2 



4 



4 St. ditto, 8 St. do. 



0 9 3 



43 



1 



5 



2 





13 



4 



0 



6 2 



5 



10 St. ditto, 20 St. do. 



1 3 3 



47 



0 



9 



1 





18 



4 



0 



11 2 



6 



8 St. ditto, without salt 



0 16 0 



43 



3 



6 



0 





17 



1 



0 



9 7 



Mem. — Seven loads of farm-yard manure per acre applied over the whole field before 

 ploughing the clover-ley. 



My object in instituting these experiments has been to ascer- 

 tain, if possible, the most profitable quantity of nitrate of soda 

 and salt as a top-dressing for wheat in spring. You will observe 

 that, although nearly all the results are satisfactory in each year, 

 they are nevertheless somewhat contradictory as to the degree of 



