for Twenty Years in succession on the same Land. 
147 
its nitrogen in the spring, give more than average total produce, 
and especially an excess of straw. 
The very different results obtained with winter-sown and spring- 
sown crops, in the strikingly contrasted seasons of 1868 and 1869, 
thus illustrate very instructively the extremely varying effects of 
some of our most active manures, according to the time of their 
application, and to the characters of the season. Moreover, with 
the explanations given, it becomes the more intelligible that, in 
certain seasons, the accounts of the growing crops should be very 
conflicting for soils of different characters and in different condi- 
tions as to manuring. A consideration of the results obtained in 
the next season, 1870, which was one of even more prolonged 
drought than that of 1868, will be confirmatory of the explanations 
given of the results of that year, and will afford further opportunity 
for usefully directing attention to the points involved. 
Nineteenth Season, 1870. 
Until the middle of October the autumn of 1869 was for the 
most part warm, with a good deal of rain. From that time until 
the end of the year the weather, though including some rapid 
fluctuations, some very warm days, and a warm period of more 
than a week in the middle of December, was otherwise very cold 
and inclement, and especially wintry towards the end of October ; 
there were numerous gales throughout the quarter ; but there was 
less rain than usual in October, about the average in November, 
and a considerable excess in December. The falls were heavy 
and continuous at the end of November, and again in the middle 
of December ; and the drains in the experimental wheat-field 
ran frequently from November 28th, 1869, to January 1st, 1870. 
The first three months of 1870 were characterised by frequent 
alternations of warm and very cold weather — the colder periods 
being, however, much the longer, and sometimes very severe ; 
snow was very frequent, but the rain-gauge indicated a deficient 
fall in January, in some localities a deficiency in February, but 
a very heavy fall early in the month, and an excess in March. 
From early in April to near the end of the month the weather 
was very warm and dry ; then followed about a fortnight of cold 
and cloudy weather, from which time until neaily the end of 
June it was again very warm, sunny, and diy — the three months 
together being not only Avarmer than the average, but very 
unusually deficient in rain. The day- temperatures especially 
were high, though the night-temperatures were in April and May 
low, but in June high. The end of June and the beginning of 
July were cold and variable, but the remainder — indeed, nearly 
the whole of July, as well as the first half of August — were very 
L 2 
