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 1.—MANURES AND PRODUCE; 1ST SEASON, 1843-4. MANURES AND SEED (OLD RED LAMMAS) SOWN AUTUMN 1843.

Manures	Produce
FM Farmyard Manure. FMA Farmyard Manure Ashes.1 SiP Silicate of Potass.2 PhP Phosphate of Potass.3 PhS Phosphate of Soda.3 PhM Phosphate of Magnesia.3 SPL Superphosphate of Lime.3 SAm Sulphate of Ammonia. RC Rape Cake.	Wt/Bu. Weight per Bushel. OC Offal Corn.5 C Corn. TC Total Corn. S&C Straw and Chaff. TP Total Produce. TP Total Produce (Corn and Straw). C100 Corn to 100 Straw.

P l o t s.	Manures perAcre.									Produce perAcre, etc.						Increase perAcre by Manure.
										Dressed corn.
	FM	FMA	SiP	PhP	PhS	PhM	SPL	SA	RC	Quantity5	Wt/Bu.	OC	TC	S&C	TP C&S	C	S&C	TP	C100
	Tons.	Cwts.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	Bush. Pks.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.
0	Mixture of the residue of most of the other manures.								..	19 3¾	58.5	61	1228	1436	2664	305	316	621	85.5
1	..	..	..	..	..	..	700	..	154	16 3	59.0	52	1040	1203	2243	117	83	200	86.4
2	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	20 1¾	59.3	64	1276	1476	2752	353	356	709	86.4
3	Unmanured.		..	..	..	..	..	..	..	15 0	58.5	46	923	1120	2043	..	..	..	82.4
4	..	321	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	14 2¼	58.0	44	888	1104	1992	-35	-16	-51	80.4
5	..	..	..	..	..	..	700	..	..	15 2¼	58.3	48	956	1116	2072	33	-4	29	85.6
6	..	..	..	..	..	420	350	..	..	15 1	60.0	48	964	1100	2064	41	-20	21	87.6
7	..	..	..	..	325	..	350	..	..	15 2	60.3	49	984	1172	2156	61	52	113	84.0
8	..	..	..	375	..	..	350	..	..	15 0¾	61.3	49	980	1160	2140	57	40	97	84.5
9	..	..	..	..	..	..	630	..	..	19 2¼	62.3	54	1280	1368	2048	357	248	605	93.5
10	..	..	220	..	..	..	560	..	..	15 1¾	62.0	50	1008	1112	2120	85	-8	77	90.6
11	..	..	..	..	..	..	350	..	308	17 0¾	61.8	56	1116	1200	2316	193	80	273	93.0
12	..	..	..	..	162½	210	350	..	..	15 2	61.5	50	1004	1116	2120	81	-4	77	90.0
13	..	..	..	187½	..	210	350	..	..	16 1¼	62.5	54	1072	1204	2276	149	84	233	89.0
14	..	..	275	..	..	210	350	..	..	15 3	61.3	51	1016	1176	2192	93	56	149	86.4
15	..	..	110	150	..	168	350	..	..	16 3¼	62.0	58	1096	1240	2336	173	120	293	88.4
16	..	..	110	..	..	..	350	..	..	19 3¼	62.5	65	1304	1480	2784	381	360	741	88.1
17	..	..	110	..	..	..	3504	..	..	18 3¾	62.3	62	1240	1422	2662	317	302	619	87.2
18	..	..	110	..	..	..	350	..	154	20 3¾	62.0	63	1368	1768	3136	415	618	1093	77.4
19	..	..	110	..	..	105	350	..	..	24 1¼	61.8	79	1580	1772	3352	657	652	1309	89.2
20	Unmanured.			..	..	..	..	..	..	.. ..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
21	Mixture of the residue of most of the other manures.								..	.. ..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
22									..	.. ..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..

1. The farmyard dung was burnt slowly in a heap in the open air to an imperfect or coaly ash, and 32 cwts. of ash represent 14 tons of dung.

2. The silicate of potass was manufactured at a glass-house, by fusing equal parts of pearl-ash and sand. The product was a transparent glass, slightly deliquescent in the air, which was ground to a powder under edge-stones.

3. The manures termed superphosphate of lime, phosphate of potass, phosphate of soda, and phosphate of magnesia, were made by acting upon bone-ash by means of sulphuric acid in the first instance, and in the case-of the alkali salts and the magnesian one neutralizing the compound thus obtained by means of cheap preparations of the respective bases. For the superphosphate of lime, the proportions were 5 parts bone-ash, 3 parts water, and 3 parts sulphuric acid of sp. gr. 1.84; and for the phosphates of potass, soda, and magnesia, they were 4 parts bone-ash, water as needed, 3 parts sulphuric acid of sp. gr. 1.84, and equivalent amounts, respectively, of pearl-ash, soda-ash, or a mixture of 1 part medicinal carbonate of magnesia, and 4 parts magnesian limestone. The mixtures, of course, all lost weight considerably by the evolution of water and carbonic acid.

4. Made with unburnt bones.

5. In this first season, neither the weight nor the measure of the offal corn was recorded separately; and in former papers, the bushels and pecks of total corn (including offal) have erroneously been given as dressed corn. To bring the records more in conformity with those relating to the other years, 5 per cent, by weight, has been deducted from the total corn previously stated as dressed corn, and is recorded as offal corn; this being about the probable proportion, judging from the character of the season, the bulk of the crop, and the weight per bushel of the dressed corn. Although not strictly correct, the statements of dressed corn, as amended in this somewhat arbitrary way, will approximate more nearly to the truth, and be more comparable with those relating to other seasons, than those hitherto recorded.

TABLE II.—MANURES AND PRODUCE; 2ND SEASON, 1845. MANURES AND SEED (OLD RED LAMMAS) SOWN MARCH 1845.

Manures	Produce
FM Farmyard Manure. SiP Silicate of Potass.1 PhP Phosphate of Potass.2 SPL Superphosphate of Lime.2 B-A Bone-ash. MAc Muriatic Acid. G Guano. SAm Sulphate of Ammonia. MAm Muriate of Ammonia. CAm Carbonate of Ammonia. RC Rape Cake. T Tapioca.	Wt/Bu. Weight per Bushel. OC Offal Corn.5 C Corn. TC Total Corn. S&C Straw and Chaff. TP/C&S Total Produce (Corn and Straw). TP Total Produce. OC/100 Offal Corn to 100 Dressed. C100 Corn to 100 Straw.