242 
Farming of Oxfordslih-e. 
chief artificial manures in use in Oxfordshire are guano, bones, 
and superphosphate of lime. Wherever genuine guano has been 
tried for corn, roots, or grass, it has invariably succeeded ; yet 
there is one singular instance of its entire failure. The cele- 
brated Peruvian agent gave a quantity to his spirited tenant at 
Clifton, which was applied to turnips, but neither in them nor in 
the succeeding corn crop could the slightest benefit be found. 
Cases have often occurred in which too large a dose has killed 
the turnips, but the next year's crop showed the efficacy of the 
manure. When abundantly applied for turnips a portion is best 
sown broad-cast, and some drilled below the seed : when used 
for wheat it is either ploughed or harrowed in at seed time, or 
sown as a top dressing in the spring. The effects of guano on 
grass this last year were very marked : it should always be 
damped previously to sowing with the hand, but a manure dis- 
tributor is almost necessary to ensure a perfectly even applica- 
tion. Guano is mostly used on cold loamy soils and clay lands, 
and is applied at the rate of 2 cwt. per acre. 
Bones succeed on most dry soils, but appear to do little good 
on clays : the same remark applies to superphosphate. Some 
idea of the extent to which bones are used may be gathered from 
the fact that two mills, Crowmarsh and Oseney, grind annually 
more than 1200 quarters. On the Tew estate the tenants have 
a mill which crushes 800 quarters a year. Tliere are several 
mills that prepare smaller quantities, and many bones are had 
from Lcmdon ready ground. Some farmers dissolve the bones 
with sulphuric acid, and others decompose them by placing the 
bones in heaps, covering them with ashes, and saturating them 
with liquid manure. But a good many half-inch bones are 
drilled without further preparation. A quarter is the common 
allowance, but in one instance this year 4 quarters were applied 
per acre. Tlie general price of bones last year was 18s. to 22s. 
per quarter. Some farmers use only a sack per acre. Bones 
have been tried on the lower chalk or malm, both on pasture 
and arable land, without any good result. This may be ac- 
counted for, as the malm contains 1"82 per cent, of phosphoric 
acid, equal to 3 75 of hone earth. Tlie upper chalk, on the 
other hand, has but '26 of phosphate of lime, and therefore bones 
supply the deficiency. Rich nitrogenous manures answer best 
on the malm. 
The following remarks fiom the highly respectable and very 
intelligent manufacturer of superphosphate at Goring show how 
tlie use of this manure is increasing : — 
" The farmers of Oxon have proved themselves ready to take 
advantage of the introduction of artificial manures, and in none 
more so than by the use of superphosphate of lime. By my 
