104 Report of E-xperiments on the Groiotli of Barleij, 
manure, and with the partial manures, that is, with mixed mineral 
manure alone, or ammonia-salts alone, rather more than in the 
first season, and very considerably more than the average of the 
20 seasons. With farmyard manure it was considerably more 
than in the first season, but considerably less than the average. 
With the more complete artificial manures, supplying mineral 
constituents in abundance as well as ammonia, there was a consi- 
derable deficiency compared with the average; and more in the 
corn than in the straw. This comparatively worse result in the 
cold and wet season with the more liberal, than with the more 
partial manuring, is in great measure to be explained by the 
fact, that all the heavier crops were very much more laid than 
the lighter ones. Accordingly, the weight per bushel of dressed 
corn, which was in almost every case considerably lower than the 
average, was, so far as the artificial manures were concerned, the 
lower the higher the proportion of nitrogen to the mineral con- 
stituents in the manure ; that is to say, the more the tendency to 
luxuriance, or quantity of gross produce, prevailed over that of 
§eed-forming and ripening. 
The results as a whole are an illustration of that which common 
experience teaches, namely, that with a cold and wet season the 
naturally light and poor, and the poorly manured lands, suffer 
much less than the naturally better, or more liberally manured 
soils. Another point of general interest is, that spring-sown corn 
as a rule suffers much less in such a season than the winter-sown 
wheat. Indeed, an amount of spring and summer rain which 
may be essential for the luxuriant growth, and subsequent yield, 
of the late-sown barley or oat crop, will frequently be adverse to 
the yield of the winter-sown wheat crop. 
Third Season, 1854. 
The winter of 1853-4 was, until past the middle of February, 
upon the whole unusually severe, with a good deal of snow ; 
March and the greater part of April were very fine, but at the 
end of the latter month there was severe frost for the period, and 
a good deal of cold north wind ; May was variable, generally cold 
and backward, with a good deal of rain ; June was generally 
fine, 1 ut cold; the first half of July was also cold, with a mode- 
rate amount of rain ; then came a week or two of fine hot weather, 
which was succeeded by thunderstorms and heavy rain; the 
beginning of August was wet, the middle fine though not warm, 
but the end dry and hot; September was almost throughout fine 
and favourable for getting in the crops, with high day, though 
low night, temperatures. In June, July, August, and September, 
the dew point was below the average, and the degree of hum dity 
