Manures and the principles of manuring

by Charles Morton Aikman

Of nitrogenous manures, nitrate of soda, on the whole, showed better results than sulphate of ammonia.

Continuous Growth of Wheat.

The possibility of growing fair crops of wheat year after year for fifty years on the same land, and that without any manure whatever, is among the most striking of the results of these famous Rothamsted wheat experiments.

Flitcham Experiments.

In conclusion, we may refer to Mr Cooke's Flitcham experiments. These were carried out for the purpose of ascertaining the most suitable manure for the wheat crop under different conditions.

It will be sufficient here to give the recommendations made by Mr Cooke as the practical outcome of these experiments.

He recommends the application of 10 tons of farmyard manure on light or mixed soils, after rotation seeds, ploughed in in the autumn, with from 1/4 to 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda, sown in the spring. In certain cases farmyard manure will be sufficient without the nitrate of soda. When farmyard manure is not available, the most effective and economical substitute is 4 cwt. per acre of rape-cake, ploughed in in the autumn, or 1 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, sown in the spring, with, in either case, 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda as a spring top-dressing. In addition to the above, on land in doubtful agricultural condition, or exceptionally deficient in one or other of these ingredients, Mr Cooke recommends the addition of 2 cwt. superphosphate, or 1 cwt. muriate of potash, or both of these manures, ploughed or harrowed in in autumn.

Oats.

Like barley, oats are generally sown in spring, and, like barley, may be described as a shallow-rooted crop. They require, therefore, manures which are readily available, and their demands on the different fertilising ingredients are very similar to barley. The manures which will pay best, consequently, for oats, are nitrate of soda, used as a top-dressing, and superphosphate of lime, applied along with the seed. Probably upon no other crop is nitrate of soda so safe and so effective as upon oats. In some respects, however, oats differ strikingly from barley.

A very hardy Crop.