208 
Our Climate and our Whcat-Crojis. 
into nitric acid, and for its distribution through the soil, favour- 
ing root-development ; but that it was not sufficient for much 
loss bj drainage. On the other hand, it would seem that the 
small amount of rain after the spring sowing, when both the 
progress of vegetation and the increasing temperature would 
serve to increase evaporation, was insufficient for the necessary 
conversion and distribution of the nitrogen of the spring-sown 
ammonia-salts. 
Contrast this result, and these conditions, with those of 1879. 
In 187'J we have only 5| bushels of corn, and only 906 lbs. of 
straw, with the autumn-sown ammonia-salts ; or 34 bushels less 
corn, and 3739 lbs. less straw, than by the same manures sown 
in the autumn for the crop of 1874. Coincidently with this 
result we have, for the season of 1879, 15*05 inches of rain, and 
13 "09 inches of drainage through 60 inches of soil, from the date 
of autumn sowing to that of spring sowing ; or 8 inches more 
rain, and 10"2 inches more drainage, than over the same period 
for the crop of 1874. In 1879, however, we have 16^ bushels 
of corn, and 3012 lbs. of straw, or 10^ bushels more corn, and 
2106 lbs. more straw, by spring sowing than by autumn sowing; 
and there were from the date of spring sowing to the end of 
June 12"86 inches of rain, and 4"95 inches of drainage through 
60 inches ; or 7*74 inches more rain, and 4*7 inches more drainage, 
than during the same perod in 1874. Further, whilst the drain- 
pipes in the experimental wheat-field did not run more than 
twice from the date of autumn sowing to that of spring sowing 
in the season of 1873—4, in the corresponding period of 1878-9 
they ran about twenty times ; and again, whilst from the date of 
spring sowing to the end of June they did not run at all in 
1874, they ran six or seven times during the corresponding 
period in 1879. It 'is remarkable, that there was even more 
straw, though there was not more total produce, by spring 
sowing in the wet season of 1879, than in the dry one of 1874. 
There can be no doubt that, in the season of 1878-9, there was 
an enormous loss by drainage from the autumn-sown ammonia- 
salts, not only during the winter, but also more or less afterwards ; 
and that there was also a considerable loss from the spring-sown 
ammonia. In the season of 1873-4, on the other hand, whilst 
there seems to have been a sufficiency of rain during the winter 
for the action of the autumn-sown manure, it would appear that 
there was an actual deficiency for the proper action of the spring- 
sown ammonia-salts ; resulting in even rather less straw, though 
still much more corn, than was obtained under the conditions of 
loss by drainage in 1879. 
The quantity of ammonia-salts annually applied to each of 
these two plots is estimated to contain 82 lbs. of nitrogen ; and 
