80 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[February. 
This report marks a decided departure from the 
usual American ways of “making experiments.” 
The proprietor devotes a part of his large farm, 
together with the fertilizers and labor neces¬ 
sary, storage room, laboratory, etc., to these crop 
experiments, of which the readers of the American 
Agriculturist have the benefit from time to time. 
Lawes and Gilbert made no report until the fifth 
year of their experiments with wheat, and we 
should certainly not expect much from Dr. Miles 
at the close of the second year. Still the report is 
full of instruction. Those parts of the volume in¬ 
tended for popular reading are the prefatory notice 
of Houghton Farm, by the editor, Maj. Alvord; 
Dr. Miles’ concise description of the work done, and 
experiments now in progress at Rothamsted ; and 
Dr. Lawes’ own statement of the principal results 
of his forty years of experiments with wheat upon 
the same land (13 acres divided into 37 plots). 
Interesting; and Valuable Ele»ulls. 
The experiments with Indian Corn at Houghton 
Farm, as so far reported, show : 
1st. How such a work ought to be commenced— 
the general uniformity of the soil proved by exam¬ 
ination and by raising crops without manure. The 
land is accurately laid off iuto fifth-acre plots, two 
rods wide, underdrained by a tile-drain through the 
center of each and accessible at the lower end for 
examination of the drainage waters. 
2d. How it should be conducted so that all the 
plots and all parts of each plot should be sub¬ 
jected to the same influences—plowed at the same 
time, harrowed at the same time, planted the same 
day, tilled at the same time, and so on, to the har¬ 
vesting, and husking, and storing, the plan being 
to subject each plot to precisely the same in¬ 
fluences from first to last. 
3d. They show, incidentally, a remarkable effect 
of drainage (noted below): they confirm the views 
taken at Rothamsted in regard to the relations of 
barn-yard manure to soils and crops, which depend 
not so much upon its chemical constituents as 
upon its physical properties, and the relations of 
the soil to moisture ; and they indicate that the 
best results to be gained from commercial fertil¬ 
izers will be in connection with barn-yard manure. 
4th. It is clearly 6 liown that manures affect the 
amount of moisture found in the grain as harvested, 
and that the weight of the bushel of the same kind 
of corn does not depend altogether upon its dry¬ 
ness, as usually supposed, but in a measure upon 
its compactness, which is influenced by the relations 
of the soil to moisture and manures. 
The curious development of fertility by drainage 
alluded to, occurred in this way: Some years ago a 
portion of the ground now occupied by the experi¬ 
mental plots was used to test certain commercial 
fertilizers. No effect of these fertilizers was ob¬ 
served upon the crops of 1878, when they were ap¬ 
plied, nor in 1879; but in 1880, after the drains were 
*put in, a marked effect was visible, which was 
also noticeable in the crop of 1881. This clearly 
indicates, either that by means of the drainage 
the roots of the plants were able to penetrate 
deeper into the soil, and so had access to elements 
of fertility which had sunk beyond their reach, or 
that the soil through the effects of drainage was 
able to draw up moisture with whatever of fertility 
it might hold in solution, from a lower depth than 
before, or both of these causes might have contrib¬ 
uted to the increased crops over this area. 
It is hardly worth while to discuss the results of 
a single year’s experiments, for the first crop, that 
of 1880, was raised without manure, and only that 
of 1881 was raised with various fertilizers, applied 
with the view to develop unknown facts. For con¬ 
tinuous comparison six plots in all, scattered here 
and^there, are left without any manure, and, to be 
able to reason upon the results of the other plots, 
several years’ crops, well harvested, weighed, and 
analyzed, are requisite. This will come with 
time. Incidental results like those adduced may be 
looked for, besides, with interest and profit. 
There are many Experiment Stations about the 
country. At a number of them field experiments 
are undertaken, but nowhere with such ^accuracy, 
with such careful guarding against possible errors, 
or with such promise of important results as this 
report indicates, may fairly be expected. 
Fruit-Growing' Fxperimcnts, 1882. 
The Experiment Department, during 1S82, en¬ 
gaged in some important and interesting fruit work. 
Diseases of fruits, especially the peach yellows and 
pear blight, have been made a special study, and 
some valuable, if not actually decisive conclusions 
have been reached. In relation to the above, 
microscopic studies were made with a view to ascer¬ 
taining the normal condition of vegetable structure, 
in which direction much valuable data was obtain¬ 
ed. During the six months from May 1st to Nov. 
1 st, a series of observations was made upon soil 
temperature. A set of thermometers, sunk at vari¬ 
ous depths in the soil, from the surface down to 8 
feet, were read hourly, from 7 A. M. to 9 P. M. 
each day during this time, and for a part of the 
month of May, hourly observations were made 
during the whole 24 hours. 
The object of this was to obtain correct data for 
future use in exDeriments with plant growth. Ex¬ 
periments were also made to ascertain the effects 
of cultivation and the application of fermentable 
manures upon soil temperature, and some very in¬ 
teresting facts were obtained. The rate of growth 
and temperature of the plants were also made an ob¬ 
ject of special study. Many other minor and inciden¬ 
tal questions were investigated. The record of the 
above work, with the results obtained, is being pre¬ 
pared as rapidly as possible, and will appear in the 
form of reports at an early date. 
For the present year it is proposed to continue 
the investigations of fruit diseases, soil tempera¬ 
ture, and plant growth. Special feeding experi¬ 
ments under glass will be undertaken. Moisture 
tests of various kinds of woods, of which 70 species 
have been collected on the farm, are going on at 
present. These tests will all be repeated in the 
coming summer, with a view to determining the 
difference between the summer and winter condi¬ 
tion of wood in this respect. 
In the Horticultural Department full and careful 
records are kept of dates of planting, growth, har¬ 
vesting, and of other interesting circumstances in 
connection with all crops and experiments. As 
heretofore, our readers will continue to receive the 
benefits of these records. Regular tri-daily meteo¬ 
rological observations are kept up, with the object 
of making a special study of the meteorology of 
the region. 
Plants in Cellars.— Many plants are conven¬ 
iently stored in cellars where they are kept during 
winter in 9 . dormant state. A cellar for this use 
should be quite dry ; if damp the plants may be¬ 
come mouldy and be injured. The earth of the 
plants thus stored, should be dry, as the plants 
make little or no demand upon it for moisture. 
Dry and moist are relative terms, and earth may be 
dry and yet not be “ dust dry ” or “ killing dry.” 
When the earth gets excessively dry, it will absorb 
the moisture from the roots of the plant, and that 
would be apt to perish. Towards the end of win¬ 
ter, plants in cellars should be looked to, and where 
the earth has become dust dry, it should be treated 
to a slight amount of water to make it damp, not 
enough to excite the plant and start it into growth. 
Grasses for a Pasture.— “ L. G. D.,” Wood- 
burne Co., Iowa, intends to start a permanent past¬ 
ure, and asks how much of each of the following 
grasses he should sow per acre, viz.: Timothy, 
Orchard-grass, Kentucky Blue-grass, English Blue- 
grass, Red-top, Alsike Clover, and White Clover. 
We do not know what grass our correspondent 
basin mind as “English Blue-grass,” as that is 
not a name in common use. As he does not enu¬ 
merate Hard Fescue, which may well form a part of 
the pasture, we will substitute it for English 
Blue-Grass, whatever that may be. We are not 
informed of the character of the soil, whether 
light or heavy, dry or moist. There has been very 
little done in this country in laying down perma¬ 
nent pastures with a mixture of grasses, and as 
we are without much experience to serve as a 
guide, our correspondent must look upon his at¬ 
tempt in the light of an experiment. The usual 
quantity of mixed seeds is from 40 to 45 pounds 
per acre. If we were to experiment with the 
grasses named, upon land of medium fertility, we 
should try the following proportions: Lbs. 
Timothy (Phleurn pratense) . 4 
Orchard-grass (Uactylis glomerata ).10 
Kentucky Blue-grass (Poa pratensis) .8 
Hard Fescue (Festuca ovina var. duriuscula) . 8 
Red-top (Agrostis vulgaris) . 4 
Alsike Clover (Trifolium kybridum) . 2 
White Clover (Trifolium repens) . 4 
Total.40 
Enormous Business. —The hanks of New York 
City alone, during 1882. transacted business through the 
Clearing House of over forty-seven billion dollars, or 
nearly three times the total assessed value of all the 
real estate and personal property of the United States. 
ISailroad Building in 1882 exceeded all 
former years, about 12,000 miles of new track having 
been laid. If we allow a strip of land ten miles wide 
along each side of these new railways to be benefited, 
the aggregate of land thus helped amounts to one hun¬ 
dred and fifty-three million acres, or one «and a half 
million farms of a hundred acres each. If these lands 
are thus increased in value only fifty cents per acre, a 
very low estimate, it amounts to over seventy-five million 
dollars. 
Lu«ern.-“ R. H. W.,” Hudson, N. H.—Lucern is a 
perennial; indeed a large share of its value depends up¬ 
on this fact, as when well established, it may be cut for 
several years in succession. It should be sown in spring, 
as soon as the soil is in good condition. As it is some¬ 
what doubtful if lucern will endure your climate, 
experiment with a small quantity at first. 
Ne«d.eslia Bonds. —“R. J. R.” The Treas¬ 
urer of Neodesha, Kansas, writes us that the bonds 
now dne, will be taken up with a fresh issue. It is 
not probable that this, or any other Kansas town, de¬ 
siring Eastern settlers, will repair its credit by failing 
to redeem a small issue of bonds. That would be the 
very worst kind of policy. 
A Thousand Bushels of Small Coins.— 
One who has not thought of it will be surprised at the 
number of dimes, nickels, and cents it takes to make up 
the yearly loss, and have a supply to “go round.” The 
U. S. Mintreportsfor the last fiscal year the new coinage 
of nearly seventy millions of these three pieces alone, 
viz, 38,5S1,100 cents ; 11,476,600 five cents; and 3.911,100 
dimes. If packed closely, the cents would fill 562 bushel 
boxes; the nickels, 334 boxes ; and the dimes 42 boxes. 
The 25-cent and 3-cent pieces will make up the 1,000 
bushels. The curious may verify this by estimating the 
diameter of dimes at 6 / 7 -inch, of copper cents 3 / 4 -inch, 
of nickels'Vg-inch ; and the thickness of dimes y 22 -inch, 
of cents V 18 -inch, and of nickels V 14 . The copper cents 
are a convenient small measure of length, being just 3 / 4 - 
inch across—a row of 8 making half a foot, 4 a quarter 
foot, and so on. The copper cent weighs 48 grains—or 
about 9 to the ounce, or 146 to the pound, avoirdupois. 
Some New York City Items.— During 1882, 
about 300 milkmen were detected in selling adulterated 
milk, and paid $9,500 in fines.—Keepers of dogs paid 
$5,138 for permits.—Of liquor dealers, 9,083 paid license 
fees, amounting to $531,000.—The Police made 18.000 
arrests, of which 4,100 were for felony.—The deaths were 
37,951. in an estimated population of 1,219,560; that is, 
about one in every 54 ; but a large number of the deaths 
were among travellers and strangers in the city.—The 
deaths have averaged 1 every 14 minutes, day and night, 
week days aud Sundays.—The births were 27,321. — The 
marriages were 11,085.—There were about 2,000 alarms of 
fire, and four million dollars in losses. — New buildings 
numbered, 2,561, costing $44,778,680, to which addirfe 
$4,261,000 expended in altering 1,675 buildings, makes a 
total of nearly fifty million dollars for buildings. — The 
Castle Garden Labor Bureau found employment for 
thirty-eight thousand people (28,679 men, 9,479 women). 
American merino Slieep. — “C. F. W.,” Or¬ 
leans Co., N. Y., asks how the American differ from tho 
Spanish and other Merinos. What are known as Ameri¬ 
can Merinos originated from several importations from 
Spain. By care in breeding, and probably the climato 
has its influence, the quality of the wool has been much 
improved, and its weight greatly increased. These, in 
general terms, are the differences, but for an account of 
the points considered of value by breeders, you must 
consult a work on Fine-wooled Sheep. 
