Wheat. 
435 
therein  to  find  the  grave  of  a glutton.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the 
rape-cake,  if  not  a vermifuge,  is  a certain  manure. 
Having  said  so  much  on  the  danger  of  ovennanuring  wheat, 
I may  now  call  the  farmer’s  attention  to  a most  important  state- 
ment, from  one  who,  by  his  patient  research,  careful  experiments, 
and  faithful  reports,  has  done  more  than  any  man  living  for  the 
safe  union  of  farming  and  chemistry, — I mean  of  course  Mr. 
Lawes,  our  highest  authority  upon  such  matters.  It  is  well 
known  that  in  Hertfordshire  he  has  tested  the  action  of  manures 
by  growing  successive  crops  of  turnips  and  also  of  wheat  repeated 
upon  the  same  piece  of  land,  the  crops  being  withdrawn,  and  no 
portion  of  them  returned  to  the  ground.  The  result  of  his  long- 
continued  trials  with  wheat  is  as  follows  : — 
“ With  the  prospect  of  low  prices  in  wheat,  it  is  a question  of  much  im- 
portance to  know  whether  money  can  be  profitably  laid  out  in  the  purchase 
of  artificial  manures ; I will,  therefore,  state  briefly  the  results  I have 
obtained  upon  my  own  farm  in  growing  wheat  for  seven  successive  years 
in  the  same  field. 
“The  unmanured  portion  has  varied  but  little,  from  first  to  last,  growing 
seventeen  bushels  per  acre.  No  combination  of  manures  or  salts,  not 
containing  ammonia,  has  been  able  materially  to  increase  this  amount. 
“ By  means  of  ammonia,  a produce  of  thirty-five  to  forty  bushels  per  acre 
has  been  obtained.  From  four  to  five  pounds  of  ammonia  have  generally 
been  supplied  to  produce  each  bushel  of  wheat ; and  although  this  amount 
may  not  accurately  represent  the  supply  of  ammonia  necessary  to  produce 
each  bushel  upon  every  soil,  still  it  may  be  taken  as  a guide  to  the  quantity 
required.  Upon  all  soils  having  a moderate  proportion  of  clay  in  them,  it 
is  advisable  to  sow  the  guano  in  the  autumn;  two-and-a  half  to  three  hundred 
weight,  per  acre  are  sufficient ; it  should  be  sifted  finely  and  sown  broadcast 
at  the  same  time  with  the  seed. 
“ The  cost  at  which  ammonia  can  be  supplied  to  the  soil  must  therefore 
be  carefully  considered,  as  upon  this  one  point  the. profit  or  loss  depends. 
Peruvian  guano  ought  to  contain  1G  per  cent,  of  ammonia,  of  which  each 
pound  will  cost  a trifle  more  than  sixpence.  At  the  present  price  of  wheat, 
guano  can  therefore  be  employed  with  profit.” 
The  unassisted  produce  of  the  Rothamstead  land,  17  bushels, 
or  2 quarters  per  acre,  is,  I suppose,  about  the  natural  produce 
of  our  average  turnip-lands.  The  assisted  yield  is  that  of  the 
same  land  under  the  highest  farming,  35  to  40  bushels  per  acre, 
or  2 quarters  more.  The  cost  of  the  extra  produce  per  quarter  is 
the  price  of  36  lbs.  of  ammonia  in  guano,  or  18s.  per  quarter  of 
wheat.  Now  be  it  observed,  that  the  difference  of  18s.  and 
40s.  for  these  additional  quarters  of  wheat  is  utterly  independent 
of  all  the  expenses  of  cultivation  : those  expenses,  with  rates, 
tithes,  ar.a  taxes,  must  all  be  incurred  if  you  are  content,  as  I 
bn  nv  some  farmers  are,  with  17  bushels  per  acre.  The  onl*y  de- 
du  n from  the  profit  upon  the  extra  quarters  is  for  casting 
the  guano,  a mere  trifle,  and  some  extra  charge  for  harvest  and 
threshing.  So  clear  a case  of  advantage,  and  so  conclusive  an 
