Our Climate and our WJieat-Crops. 199 
every one of the plots, whether under conditions as to manuring 
tendin<i^ to exhaustion or to accumulation. 
It will be observed that the greatest proportional deficiency of 
corn was without manure, and with farmyard-manure ; and that 
the deficiency was the less the higher the artificial manuring. 
Without manure, there certainly has been a gradual decline of 
produce from exhaustion ; but it is remarkable that there were 
no less than nine other plots which, as well as the unmanured 
plot, gave less than 5 bushels of dressed corn in 1879. 
The defect in weight per bushel of the dressed corn was great 
under all the conditions cited ; but it was considerably greater 
without manure than with any of the selected manures. 
Lastly, great as was the deficiency in the produce of corn, 
and in the weight per bushel of the dressed corn, under all the 
conditions, the proportional deficiency of straw was very much 
less. Indeed, it was but small with the higher artificial manuring. 
It may be said that, from the beginning to the end of the 
season, the weather fought against the crop. In every month, 
from seed-time to harvest, excepting in March, the mean tempe- 
rature was below, and frequently very much below, the average ; 
and the total rainfall was more than IJ time as much as 
the average. The winter was very cold and also wet, so that 
the soil was saturated with water, and there was nothing to 
tempt the roots to spread, or to penetrate deeply. The low 
temperature and the great excess of rain in every subsequent 
month (except March) perpetuated this condition. The above- 
ground development was, therefore, also weak and unhealthy. 
Thus, the plant, which luxuriates in a comparatively dry soil 
and climate, passed its whole existence under exactly opposite 
conditions ; and the result was only what was to be expected. 
It has of course long been known that an excess of wet is 
injurious to the wheat-crop ; but it is only comparatively 
recently that one at least of the material causes of the adverse 
influence has been clearly made out : namely, the great loss of 
nitrogen carried off by drainage in the form of nitrates. 
In a paper published in this 'Journal' in 1856, Professor 
Way showed by the analysis of the drainage-waters from several 
soils, of different description, and differently manured, that whilst 
m such waters scarcely any ammonia was to be found, there was 
a variable and sometimes a very large amount of nitric acid, 
which he considered in all probability due to the oxidation of 
the nitrogenous organic matter of manures. Judging, however, 
from the results he had obtained, showing the power of soils to 
absorb ammonia, he was unwilling to believe in the conversion 
of ammonia into nitric acid within the soil. He further said 
that, considering how very great in some cases the quantities 
