“We all know,” said the Deacon, “that you have great respect for your own opinions.”
“Never mind all that,” said the Doctor, “but tell us just what you think on this subject.”
“In brief,” said I, “my opinion is this. We need ammonia for wheat. But though ammonia-salts and nitrate of soda can often be used with decided profit, yet I feel sure that we can get ammonia or nitrogen at a less cost per lb. by buying bran, malt-roots, cotton-seed cake, and other foods, and using them for the double purpose of feeding stock and making manure.”
“I admit that such is the case,” said the Doctor, “but here is a plot of land that has now had 14 tons of manure every year for seven years, and yet there is a plot along side, dressed with ammonia-salts furnishing less than half the ammonia contained in the 14 tons of manure, that produces a better yield of wheat.”
“That,” said I, “is simply because the nitrogen in the manure is not in an available condition. And the practical question is, how to make the nitrogen in our manure more immediately available. It is one of the most important questions which agricultural science is called upon to answer. Until we get more light, I feel sure in saying that one of the best methods is, to feed our animals on richer and more easily digested food.”
The following table gives the results of the eighth season of 1850-51.
Experiments at Rothamsted on the Growth of Wheat, Year after Year, on the same Land.
TABLE VIII.—MANURES AND PRODUCE; 8TH SEASON. 1850-51. MANURES AND SEED (RED CLUSTER), SOWN AUTUMN, 1850.
| Manures | Produce |
| FM Farm-yard Manure. WSC Cut Wheat-straw and Chaff. CS Common Salt. SP Sulphate of Potass. 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. S&C Straw and Chaff. TP Total Produce. OCD Offal Corn to 100 Dressed. C100 Corn to 100 Straw. |