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 - Joseph Harris

The celebrated experiments of Messrs. Lawes & Gilbert with “Manures on Permanent Meadow-land” were commenced in 1856, and have been continued on the same plots every year since that time.

“You need not be afraid, Deacon,” said I, as the old gentleman commenced to button up his coat, “I am not going into the details of these wonderful experiments; but I am sure you will be interested in the results of the first six or seven years.”

The following table explains itself:

The following table is shown in “thumbnail” form. The full-width version is given in a [separate file].

Experiments with Manures on Permanent Meadow land at Rothamsted, England.

	DESCRIPTION AND AMOUNT OF MANURES PER ACRE.	ANNUAL PRODUCE OF HAY PER ACRE IN LBS.							AVERAGE HAY PER ACRE.		HAY PER ACRE THE 20TH SEASON, 1875.
	DESCRIPTION AND AMOUNT OF MANURES PER ACRE.	1856	1857	1858	1859	1860	1861	1862	1st 7 Yrs 1856-62.	20 Years.	1st Crop	2nd Crop	Total Hay per Acre.
1	No manure	2433	2724	3116	2558	2822	3074	3238	2824	2534	2436	1491	3927
2	400 lbs. ammonia-salts = 82 lbs. of nitrogen	4028	3774	3982	3644	2940	3808	3854	3719	2940	2702	2016	4718
3	Superphosphate of lime				2828	3176	3400	3252	(4 yrs.) 3164	(17 yrs.) 2492	2352	1722	4074
4	400 lbs. ammonia-salts and superphosphate of lime				4996	4788	4968	4756	(4 yrs.) 4877	(17 yrs.) 3612	4102	1610	5712
5	Mixed mineral manures	3429	3666	4082	3416	3928	4488	4424	3919	3948	4564	2688	7252
6	400 lbs. ammonia-salts and mixed mineral manures	6363	6422	7172	6198	5624	6316	6402	6357	5712	5824	2744	8508
7	800 lbs. ammonia-salts and mixed mineral manures	7054	6940	7508	7150	5744	6710	7108	6876	6454	6222	5684	10,906
8	800 lbs. ammonia-salts and mixed mineral manures, including 200lbs. each silicates, soda, and lime							7120		7000	6720	4592	11,312
9	275 lbs. nitrate of soda			2952	3588	3948	4092	4446	1858-62 3805	(18 yrs.) 3794	3360	1456	4816
10	550 lbs. nitrate of soda = 82 lbs. of nitrogen			3564	4116	4410	4452	4086	4126	(18 yrs.) 3962	3276	1470	4746
11	Mixed mineral manures and 275 lbs. nitrate of soda			4236	4956	4812	5514	5178	4939	(18 yrs.) 5208	5040	1862	6902
12	Mixed mineral manures and 550 lbs. nitrate of soda			5636	6072	5586	5892	5718	5783	(18 yrs.) 6384	7028	1974	9002
13	14 tons farmyard-manure	4030	5328	4164	4584	5208	5052	5060	4775	4130	2996	1316	4312
14	14 tons farmyard-manure and 200 lbs. ammonia-salts	5009	6008	5320	5356	5704	5320	5556	5468	4816	3766	1960	5726

These are all the figures I will trouble you with. The “mixed mineral manures” consisted of superphosphate of lime (composed of 150 lbs. bone-ash and 150 lbs. sulphuric acid, sp. gr. 1.7), 300 lbs. sulphate of potash, 200 lbs. sulphate of soda, and 100 lbs. sulphate of magnesia. The ammonia-salts consisted of equal parts sulphate and muriate of ammonia, containing about 25 per cent. of ammonia. The manures were sown as early as possible in the spring, and, if the weather was suitable, sometimes in February. The farmyard-manure was spread on the land, in the first year, in the spring, afterwards in November or December. The hay was cut from the middle to the last of June; and the aftermath was pastured off by sheep in October.

“It is curious,” said the Deacon, “that 400 lbs. of ammonia-salts should give as great an increase in the yield of hay the first year as 14 tons of farmyard-manure, but the second year the farmyard-manure comes out decidedly ahead.”

“The farmyard-manure,” said I, “was applied every year, at the rate of 14 gross tons per acre, for eight years—1856 to 1863. After 1863, this plot was left without manure of any kind. The average yield of this plot, during the first 8 years was 4,800 lbs. of hay per acre.”