Talks on Manures / A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and Other Neighbors, on the Whole Subject

by Joseph Harris

TABLE VI.—MANURES AND PRODUCE; 6TH SEASON, 1848-9. MANURES AND SEED (RED CLUSTER), SOWN AUTUMN, 1848.

Manures	Produce
FM Farm-yard Manure. P-A Pearl-ash. S-A Soda-ash. SMg Sulphate of Magnesia. SPL Superphosphate of Lime. B-A Bone-ash. SAc Sulphuric Acid. (Sp. gr. 1.7) MAc Muriatic Acid. SAm Sulphate of Ammonia. MAm Muriate of Ammonia. RC Rape-cake.	Wt/Bu. Weight per Bushel. OC Offal Corn. TC Total Corn. S&C Straw and Chaff. TP/C&S Total Produce (Corn and Straw.) C Corn. TP Total Produce. OCD Offal Corn to 100 Dressed. C100 Corn to 100 Straw.

P l o t s.	Manures perAcre.										Produce perAcre, etc.						Increase perAcre by Manure.
					SPL						Dressed corn.
	FM	P-A	S-A	SMg	B-A	SAc	MAc	SAm	MAm	RC	Quantity	Wt/Bu.	OC	TC	S&C	TP C&S	C	S&C	TP	OC 100	C100
	Tons.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	Bush. Pks.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.
0	..	..	..	..	600	450	..	..	..	..	.. ..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
1	..	600	400	200	..	..	..	..	..	..	.. ..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
2	14	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	31 0	63.8	107	2068	3029	5097	839	1415	2254	4.7	68.3
3	Unmanured.		..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	19 1	61.4	47	1229	1614	2843	..	..	..	3.9	76.1
4	..	..	..	..	200	..	200	300	..	..	30 0	63.0	110	2063	2645	4708	834	1031	1865	5.6	78.0
5a	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	250	250	..	37 1¼	63.1	89	2446	3589	6035	1217	1975	3192	3.7	68.1
5b	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	500	39 3½	63.4	97	2651	3824	6475	1422	2210	3632	5.0	69.3
6a	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	36 1½	63.0	117	2410	3072	5482	1181	1458	2639	5.1	78.4
6b	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	37 3¾	63.0	94	2484	3516	6000	1255	1902	3157	3.9	70.6
7a	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	38 2¼	63.1	137	2576	3584	6160	1347	1970	3317	5.6	71.9
7b	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	37 3¾	62.9	141	2531	3396	5927	1302	1782	3084	5.9	74.5
8a	Unmanured.		..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	22 3	61.7	76	1481	1815	3296	252	201	453	5.3	81.6
8b	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	2000	31 2½	63.0	85	2080	3166	5246	851	1552	2403	4.3	65.7
9a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	2000	30 2¾	62.8	111	2035	2683	4718	806	1069	1875	5.8	75.8
9b	Unmanured.		..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	22 1½	62.3	80	1475	1810	3285	246	196	432	5.7	81.5
10a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	200	200	..	32 2¼	62.3	112	2141	2851	4992	912	1237	2149	5.5	75.1
10b	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	200	200	..	32 1¼	63.3	110	2157	2960	5117	928	1346	2274	5.3	72.9
11a	..	..	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	35 0½	62.6	121	2317	2892	5209	1088	1278	2366	5.6	80.1
11b	..	..	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	32 1¼	63.0	112	2149	2942	5091	920	1328	2248	5.5	73.0
12a	..	300	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	35 3¼	64.3	93	2396	3371	5767	1167	1757	2924	4.1	71.1
12b	..	300	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	34 1¼	64.3	71	2277	3300	5577	1048	1687	2735	3.2	69.0
13a	..	300	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	34 3¾	64.1	101	2340	3236	5576	1111	1622	2733	4.5	72.3
13b	..	300	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	34 2¼	64.1	129	2346	3246	5592	1117	1632	2749	5.8	72.3
14a	..	300	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	34 1½	64.3	56	2266	3211	5477	1037	1597	2634	2.5	70.6
14b	..	300	..	..	200	150	..	200	200	..	31 1¼	64.3	112	2123	3218	5341	894	1604	2498	5.5	66.0
15a	..	300	200	100	200	..	200	300	..	..	31 3¼	64.2	65	2109	3038	5147	880	1424	2304	3.2	69.4
15b	..	300	200	100	200	..	200	300	..	500	30 0¾	64.1	68	2005	3262	5267	776	1648	2424	3.5	61.5
16a	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	33 1½	64.5	101	2254	3384	5638	1025	1770	2795	4.7	66.6
16b	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	33 3¾	64.6	75	2268	3559	5827	1039	1945	2984	3.4	63.7
17a	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	34 1	64.3	111	2316	3891	6207	1087	2277	3364	5.1	59.4
17b	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	33 1½	64.4	112	2259	3858	6117	1030	2244	3274	5.2	58.5
18a	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	32 1¼	64.0	93	2163	3592	5755	934	1978	2912	4.5	60.2
18b	..	300	200	100	200	150	..	200	200	..	33 2¼	64.0	95	2243	3779	6022	1014	2165	3179	4.4	59.3
19	..	..	..	..	200	..	200	300	..	500	29 2¼	63.9	102	1994	3270	5264	765	1656	2421	5.4	61.0
20	Unmanured.		..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	.. ..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
21}	Mixture of the residue of most of theother manures.									..	.. ..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
22}

“This was my last year at Rothamsted,” said I, “and I feel a peculiar interest in looking over the results after such a lapse of time. When this crop was growing, my father, a good practical farmer, but with little faith in chemical manures, paid me a visit. We went to the experimental wheat-field. The first two plots, 0 and 1, had been dressed, the one with superphosphate, the other with potash, soda, and magnesia. My father did not seem much impressed with this kind of chemical manuring. Stepping to the next plot, where 14 tons of barn-yard manure had been used, he remarked, “this is good, what have you here?”

“Never mind,” said I, “we have better crops farther on.”

The next plot, No. 3, was the one continuously unmanured. “I can beat this myself,” said he, and passed on to the next. “This is better,” said he, “what have you here?”

“Superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia.”

“Well, it is a good crop, and the straw is bright and stiff.”—It turned out 30 bushels per acre, 63 lbs. to the bushel.

The next six plots had received very heavy dressings of ammonia-salts, with superphosphate, potash, soda, and magnesia. He examined them with the greatest interest. “What have you here?” he asked, while he was examining 5a, which afterwards turned out 37¼ bushels per acre. —“Potash, soda, epsom-salts, superphosphate, and ammonia—but it is the ammonia that does the good.”