Part 30 Talks on Manures - 🍇GrapeNovel.com

Part 30

SMg Sulphate of Magnesia.

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.

----+----------------------------------------------------------+

Manures per Acre.

P +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----------------+-----+-----+----+ l

Superphosphate

of Lime.

+-----+-----+-----+

P-A

S-A

SMg

B-A

SAc

MAc

SAm

MAm

----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+

Tons.

lbs.

600

450

600

400

200

Unmanured.

200

300

200

100

200

150

250

300

200

100

200

150

200

500

300

200

100

200

150

200

300

200

100

200

150

200

300

200

100

200

150

200

300

200

100

200

150

200

Unmanured.

2000

Unmanured.

10a

200

10b

200

11a

200

150

200

11b

200

150

200

12a

300

200

150

200

12b

300

200

150

200

13a

300

200

150

200

13b

300

200

150

200

14a

300

200

150

200

14b

300

200

150

200

15a

300

200

100

200

300

15b

300

200

100

200

300

500

16a

300

200

100

200

150

200

16b

300

200

100

200

150

200

17a

300

200

100

200

150

200

17b

300

200

100

200

150

200

18a

300

200

100

200

150

200

18b

300

200

100

200

150

200

300

500

Unmanured.

21 }

Mixture of the residue of most of the other

22 }

manures.

----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+

Produce 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.

----------------------------------+-----------------+----+----+----

Increase per

Produce per Acre, &c.

Acre By Manure.

P --------------+----+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+

l Dressed Corn.

o --------+-----+

t Qty.

Wt/Bu

S&C

C&S

S&C

OCD

C100

s --------+-----+----+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---- Bu Pks.

lbs.

.. ..

0 .. ..

1 31 0

63.8

107

2068

3029

5097

839

1415

2254

4.7

68.3

2 19 1

61.4

1229

1614

2843

3.9

76.1

30 0

63.0

110

2063

2645

4708

834

1031

1865

5.6

78.0

37 1

63.1

2446

3589

6035

1217

1975

3192

3.7

68.1

5a 39 3

63.4

2651

3824

6475

1422

2210

3632

5.0

69.3

5b 36 1

63.0

117

2410

3072

5482

1181

1458

2639

5.1

78.4

6a 37 3

63.0

2484

3516

6000

1255

1902

3157

3.9

70.6

6b 38 2

63.1

137

2576

3584

6160

1347

1970

3317

5.6

71.9

7a 37 3

62.9

141

2531

3396

5927

1302

1782

3084

5.9

74.5

22 3

61.7

1481

1815

3296

252

201

453

5.3

81.6

8a 31 2

63.0

2080

3166

5246

851

1552

2403

4.3

65.7

8b 30 2

62.8

111

2035

2683

4718

806

1069

1875

5.8

75.8

9a 22 1

62.3

1475

1810

3285

246

196

432

5.7

81.5

9b 32 2

62.3

112

2141

2851

4992

912

1237

2149

5.5

75.1

10a 32 1

63.3

110

2157

2960

5117

928

1346

2274

5.3

72.9

10b

35 0

62.6

121

2317

2892

5209

1088

1278

2366

5.6

80.1

11a 32 1

63.0

112

2149

2942

5091

920

1328

2248

5.5

73.0

11b 35 3

64.3

2396

3371

5767

1167

1757

2924

4.1

71.1

12a 34 1

64.3

2277

3300

5577

1048

1687

2735

3.2

69.0

12b 34 3

64.1

101

2340

3236

5576

1111

1622

2733

4.5

72.3

13a 34 2

64.1

129

2346

3246

5592

1117

1632

2749

5.8

72.3

13b 34 1

64.3

2266

3211

5477

1037

1597

2634

2.5

70.6

14a 31 1

64.3

112

2123

3218

5341

894

1604

2498

5.5

66.0

14b

31 3

64.2

2109

3038

5147

880

1424

2304

3.2

69.4

15a 30 0

64.1

2005

3262

5267

776

1648

2424

3.5

61.5

15b

33 1

64.5

101

2254

3384

5638

1025

1770

2795

4.7

66.6

16a 33 3

64.6

2268

3559

5827

1039

1945

2984

3.4

63.7

16b 34 1

64.3

111

2316

3891

6207

1087

2277

3364

5.1

59.4

17a 33 1

64.4

112

2259

3858

6117

1030

2244

3274

5.2

58.5

17b 32 1

64.0

2163

3592

5755

934

1978

2912

4.5

60.2

18a 33 2

64.0

2243

3779

6022

1014

2165

3179

4.4

59.3

18b

29 2

63.9

102

1994

3270

5264

765

1656

2421

5.4

61.0

19 .. ..

20 .. ..

}21

}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 pa.s.sed 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 5_a_, which afterwards turned out 37 bushels per acre. --"Potash, soda, epsom-salts, superphosphate, and ammonia--but it is the ammonia that does the good."

He pa.s.sed to the next plot, and was very enthusiastic over it. "What have you here?" --"Rape-cake and ammonia," said I. --"It is a grand crop," said he, and after examining it with great interest, he pa.s.sed to the next, 6_a_. --"What have you here?" --"Ammonia," said I; and at 6_b_ he asked the same question, and I replied "ammonia." At 7_a_, the same question and the same answer. Standing between 7_b_ and 8_a_, he was of course struck with the difference in the crop; 8_a_ was left this year without any manure, and though it had received a liberal supply of mineral manures the year before, and minerals and ammonia-salts, and rape-cake, the year previous, it only produced this year, 3 bushels more than the plot continuously unmanured. The contrast between the wheat on this plot and the next one might well interest a practical farmer. There was over 15 bushels per acre more wheat on the one plot than on the other, and 1,581 lbs. more straw.

Pa.s.sing to the next plot, he exclaimed "this is better, but not so good as some that we have pa.s.sed." --"It has had a heavy dressing of rape-cake," said I, "equal to about 100 lbs. of ammonia per acre, and the next plot was manured this year in the same way. The only difference being that one had superphosphate and potash, soda, and magnesia, the year before, while the other had superphosphate alone." It turned out, as you see from the table, that the potash, etc., only gave half a bushel more wheat per acre the year it was used, and this year, with 2,000 lbs. of rape-cake on each plot, there is only a bushel per acre in favor of the potash, soda, and magnesia.

The next plot, 9_b_, was also unmanured and was pa.s.sed by my father without comment. "Ah," said he, on coming to the two next plots, 10_a_ and 10_b_, "this is better, what have you here?" --"_Nothing but ammonia_," said I, "and I wish you would tell me which is the best of the two? Last year 10_b_ had a heavy dressing of minerals and superphosphate with ammonia, and 10_a_ the same quant.i.ty of ammonia alone, without superphosphate or other mineral manures. And this year both plots have had a dressing of 400 lbs. each of ammonia-salts. Now, which is the best--the plot that had superphosphate and minerals last year, or the one without?" --"Well," said he, "I can't see any difference. Both are good crops."

You will see from the table, that the plot which had the superphosphate, potash, etc., the year before, gives a peck _less_ wheat this year than the other plot which had none. Practically, the yield is the same. There is an increase of 13 bushels of wheat per acre--and this increase _is clearly due to the ammonia-salts alone_.

The next plot was also a splendid crop.

"What have you here?"

"Superphosphate and ammonia."

This plot (11_a_), turned out 35 bushels per acre. The next plot, with phosphates and ammonia, was nearly as good. The next plot, with potash, phosphates, and ammonia, equally good, but no better than 11_a_. There was little or no benefit from the potash, except a little more _straw_.

The next plot was good and I did not wait for the question, but simply said, "ammonia," and the next "ammonia," and the next "ammonia."

--Standing still and looking at the wheat, my father asked, "Joe, where can I get this ammonia?" He had previously been a little skeptical as to the value of chemistry, and had not a high opinion of "book farmers,"

but that wheat-crop compelled him to admit "that perhaps, after all, there might be some good in it." At any rate, he wanted to know where he could get ammonia. And, now, as then, every good farmer asks the same question: "Where can I get ammonia?" Before we attempt to answer the question, let us look at the next year's experiments.--The following is the results of the experiments the _seventh_ year, 1849-50.

Experiments at Rothamsted on the Growth of Wheat, Year After Year, on the Same Land.

Table VII.--Manures and Produce; 7th Season, 1849-50. After the Harvest of 1849 the Field Was Tile-Drained in Every Alternate Furrow, 2 to 3 Feet Deep. Manures and Seed (Red Cl.u.s.ter), Sown Autumn, 1849.

Manures FM Farm-yard Manure.

P-A Pearl-ash.

S-A Soda-ash.

SMg Sulphate of Magnesia.

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.

----+----------------------------------------------------------+

Manures per Acre.

P +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----------------+-----+-----+----+ l

Superphosphate

of Lime.

+-----+-----+-----+

P-A

S-A

SMg

B-A

SAc

MAc

SAm

MAm

----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+

Tons.

lbs.

600

450

600

400

200

Unmanured.

200

300

200

100

200

150

250

300

200

100

200

150

250

300

200

100

200

150

200

*00

200

100

200

150

200

300

200

100

200

150

200

500

300

200

100

200

150

200

500

200

10a

200

10b

300

200

100

200

150

11a

200

150

200

11b

200

150

200

12a

300

200

150

200

12b

300

200

150

200

13a

300

200

150

200

13b

300

200

150

200

14a

300

200

150

200

14b

300

200

150

200

15a

300

200

100

200

300

15b

300

200

100

200

300

500

16a

300

200

100

200

150

200

16b

300

200

100

200

150

200

17a

300

200

100

200

150

200

17b

300

200

100

200

150

200

18a

300

200

100

200

150

200

18b

300

200

100

200

150

200

300

500

Unmanured.

21}

22}

Mixture of the residue of most of the other manures.

----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+

Produce 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.

----------------------------------+-----------------+----+----+----

Increase per

Produce per Acre, &c.

Acre By Manure.

P --------------+----+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+

l Dressed Corn.

o --------+-----+

t Qty.

Wt/Bu

S&C

C&S

S&C

OCD

C100

s --------+-----+----+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---- Bu. Pks.

lbs.

19 1

60.8

1220

2037

3257

218

318

536

3.5

59.9

0 .. ..

1 28 2

61.9

1861

3245

5106

859

1526

2385

5.4

57.3

2 15 3

60.6

1002

1719

2721

4.5

58.2

27 3

61.2

1785

3312

5097

783

1593

2376

5.1

53.9

29 3

60.4

171

1974

4504

6478

972

2785

3757

9.5

43.8

5a 30 3

60.4

160

2018

4379

6397

1016

2660

3676

8.6

46.1

5b 30 0

61.1

119

1960

3927

5887

958

2208

3166

6.3

49.9

6a 29 3

61.3

148

1980

3959

5939

978

2240

3218

8.0

50.0

6b 32 1

61.0

167

2134

4485

6619

1132

2766

3898

8.4

47.9

7a 32 0

61.2

150

2112

4280

6392

1110

2561

3671

7.6

49.4

28 3

61.1

101

1856

3407

5263

854

1688

2542

5.5

54.5

8a 30 1

61.0

103

1948

3591

5539

946

1872

2818

5.6

54.2

8b 30 1

60.4

118

1951

3550

5501

949

1831

2780

6.3

55.0

9a 27 2

60.8

1762

3165

4927

760

1446

2206

4.7

55.7

9b 26 3

60.2

100

1721

3089

4810

719

1370

2089

6.1

55.7

10a 17 3

61.1

1171

1949

3120

169

230

399

6.8

60.1

10b

30 3

61.0

121

2001

3806

5807

999

2087

3086

6.4

52.6

11a 29 1

61.1

145

1940

3741

5681

938

2022

2960

8.0

51.9

11b 29 3

61.5

1935

3921

5856

933

2202

3135

5.1

49.4

12a 30 3

61.4

115

2013

3905

5918

1011

2186

3197

5.9

51.5

12b 31 3

60.2

105

2027

4026

6053

1025

2307

3332

5.4

50.3

13a 30 1

61.0

111

1964

4008

5972

962

2289

3251

6.0

49.0

13b 31 1

61.1

102

2023

4052

6075

1021

2333

3354

5.3

49.9

14a 31 1

61.5

1995

4015

6010

993

2296

3289

3.2

49.7

14b

26 0

61.5

1693

3321

5014

691

1602

2293

5.7

51.0

15a 30 3

61.0

1942

3926

5868

940

2207

3147

3.0

49.5

15b

33 2

60.3

108

2134

5103

7237

1132

3384

4516

5.3

41.8

16a 33 3

60.4

122

2159

4615

6774

1157

2896

4053

6.0

46.8

16b 31 1

61.2

1985

4126

6111

983

2407

3390

3.8

48.1

17a 29 2

61.5

139

1961

4034

5995

959

2315

3274

7.7

48.6

17b 29 3

61.2

110

1934

3927

5861

932

2208

3140

6.1

49.3

18a 28 2

60.9

103

1845

3844

5689

843

2125

2968

5.7

48.0

18b

29 0

60.8

1850

3527

5377

848

1808

2656

4.9

52.4

19 14 0

59.1

868

1639

2507

-134

-80

-214

4.5

53.0

20 .. ..

}21

}22 --------+---- +----+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----+----+----

The summer of 1850 was unusually cool and unfavorable for wheat. It will be seen that on all the plots the yield of grain is considerably lower than last year, with a greater growth of straw.

You will notice that 10_b_, which last year gave, with ammonia-salts alone, 32 bushels, this year, with superphosphate, potash, soda, and sulphate of magnesia, gives less than 18 bushels, while the adjoining plot, dressed with ammonia, gives nearly 27 bushels. In other words, the ammonia alone gives 9 bushels per acre more than this large dressing of superphosphate, potash, etc.

On the three plots, 8_a_, 8_b_ and 9_a_, a dressing of ammonia-salts alone gives in _each case_, a larger yield, both of grain and straw, than the 14 tons of barn-yard manure on plot 2. And recollect that this plot has now received 98 tons of manure in seven years.

"That," said the Doctor, "is certainly a very remarkable fact."

"It is so," said the Deacon.

"But what of it?" asked the Squire, "even the Professor, here, does not advise the use of ammonia-salts for wheat."

"That is so," said I, "but perhaps I am mistaken. Such facts as those just given, though I have been acquainted with them for many years, sometimes incline me to doubt the soundness of my conclusions. Still, on the whole, I think I am right."

"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."

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