654 
Report  on  Wheat-Mildew. 
Dressed  Com  in 
Bushels. 
Weight  per  Bushel 
Dressed  Com. 
Percentage  of 
Offal  Corn  to  100 
Dressed  Corn. 
Plot  5* 
Plot  10  A* 
Plot  5.* 
Plot  10  A* 
Plot  5. 
Plot  10  A. 
Average  of  31  years,! 
1852-1882  ..  . j 
15-0 
20-5 
58 -6 
56-8 
6-9 
11-7 
Bad  years — 
1853  .. 
10-0 
10-0 
49-0 
49-0 
21-0 
33  0 
1859  .. 
20-5 
18-75 
56-0 
51  5 
10-5 
23-5 
1860  .. 
15-5 
15-0 
54-0 
49-5 
6-5 
20-5 
1861  .. 
15-25 
12-75 
59-0 
55-0 
14-75 
20-5 
1871  .. 
12-0 
10-00 
56-5 
53-75 
15-0 
24-0 
1879  .. 
5-5 
3-75 
54-0 
49-0 
27-0 
41-0 
Good  years — 
1854  .. 
24-1 
34-1 
61-0 
60-75 
5-0 
6-5 
1857  .. 
23-0 
29-0 
59-0 
58-0 
4-0 
7-5 
1863  .. 
19-5 
39-0 
63-0 
62-5 
3-33 
5-5 
1864  .. 
16-0 
32-0 
62-0 
61-75 
4-0 
5-5 
1868  .. 
170 
25-0 
630 
62-0 
0-5 
6"75 
1874  .. 
12-5 
25-0 
59-0 
56-5 
30 
3-5 
* Permanent  wheat.  These  plots  have  been  sown  with  wheat  every  year. 
Plot  5 receives  every  year  potash,  soda,  magnesia,  and  superphosphate,  but 
no  ammonia. 
Plot  10  a receives  salts  of  ammonia  alone. 
In  a second  letter  Sir  J.  B.  Lawes  enforces  what  he  has  said 
before,  and  gives  some  particulars  of  other  plots  which  had  been 
“ well  and  judiciously  manured,”  and  states  distinctly  that  the 
remarkable  variations  in  the  proportion  of  offal  corn  which  his 
figures  show  “ cannot  be  accidental,”  and  he  adds,  “ we  know 
that  in  bad  seasons  the  best  crops  are  attacked  with  mildew  if 
that  be  the  prevailing  disease.” 
“ Eothamsted,  St.  Albans,  Nov.  21,  1882. 
“ Dear  Mr.  Little, 
“ I sent  to  you  on  Wednesday  the  results  of  growing  wheat  on  land 
which  had  received  nothing  but  salts  of  ammonia  for  thirty  years,  and  I 
pointed  out  that  the  amount  of  offal  com  was  to  a certain  degree  the  result  of 
mildew,  or  disease  of  some  sort.  Plot  a,  the  experiment  referred  to,  received 
in  1844  a liberal  dressing  of  potash,  soda,  magnesia,  and  superphosphate  of 
lime,  since  which  time  it  has  received  salts  of  ammonia  alone.  10  b,  next  to 
it,  received  the  same  mineral  manure  in  1844,  and  then  mineral  dressings 
were  repeated  in  1845  and  1850  ; both  experiments  have  received  exactly  the 
same  amount  of  salts  of  ammonia  every  year ; one  received  minerals  in  1844, 
the  other  minerals  in  1844,  1848,  and  1850.  If  you  will  refer  to  my  records 
of  crops  you  will  find  that  1853  and  18G0  were  notoriously  bad,  and  the 
wheat  very  much  blighted  with  mildew.  On  referring  to  my  table  for  these 
two  years  I find  that  the  proportion  of  offal  to  100  dressed  com  was,  in  1853, 
10  a,  33  ; 10_  b,  1GJ  ; in  ;18G0,  10  a,  20J ; 10  b,  Hi.  Such  results  cannot 
be  accidental.  We  learn  that  in  bad  seasons  the  best  crops  are  attacked  with 
