122 
The Practical Value of Bung 
Yoelcker. For several years potass was applied to all kinds of 
crops, but witliout any sign of doing good. Xor liave silicates 
been found of any advantage. The main principle now is to 
obtain nitrogen in the most useful state at the lowest cost, 
together with supei"phosphates of known standards. 
Excessive quantities of manure have not paid their way by 
the increase of crops over such parts as have only received 
moderate manurings. One year I applied a ton an acre, on 
four acres, of special dissolved bones, and on two acres 2 cwt. 
of guano in addition. Other acres were manured with quanti- 
ties of 10 cwt., down to 5 cwt., per acre. The crop of mangolds 
was by no means in joroportion to the amount of dressing, and 
although the succeeding corn-crop was rather better after the 
heaviest manuring, it was not so much in excess as to cover the 
extra expense of the manure. Very large quantities of dung, 
such as 30 to 40 tons per acre, very seldom pay. The medium 
way with manures, as with many other things, appears to be the 
safest course. 
The weather and seasons influence very greatly, as a matter 
of course, almost every farming operation, not only with manures, 
but almost equally so with the due preparation of the land. 
Heavy and continuous rains frequently play sad mischief with 
the crops. For instance, in the wet season of 1879, almost all 
kinds of crops suffered very much, whether on light or heavy 
soils — particularly on clays. Nor did it appear that either dung 
or any kind of artificial manures exercised any particular 
influence over the crops. The average yield of wheat on this 
farm was only 17 bushels; at Woburn, after dung, under 19 
bushels; and at Rothamsted but IG bushels, after a long- 
continued annual dunging of 11 tons per acre. Some of the 
artificially manured plots at Rothamsted only produced 16 
bushels, whereas the same plot had, in a favourable season, pro- 
duced 53 bushels. 
For nearly forty years the best artificially manured plots at 
Rothamsted, as have been ah-eady alluded to, produced about 
3 bushels more wlieat per acre than the land that received 14 
tons of dung annually. The dunged land has of course a great 
deal of unexhausted manure in it ; but, so far at least as the 
growth of wheat is concerned, the latent power of the soil has 
exercised no extra influence upon an increase of crops, and 
therefore offers no encouragement to ordinary farmers, who are 
so much more interested in obtaining a profit out of the land 
as they go on, without making the land poorer, than in feeding 
the ground with dung and obtaining no interest for the outlay. 
Silicates of various kinds, and the sulphates of soda, mag- 
nesia, &c., do not appear to have done much good as manures. 
