Talks on Manures Part 29

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 --------+-----+ TP t Qty. Wt/Bu OC TC S&C C&S C S&C TP OCD C100 s --------+-----+----+----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+---- Bu. Pks. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. 30 2 61.1 156 2031 3277 5308 908 1375 2283 8.2 61.9 0 32 1 61.2 147 2119 3735 5854 996 1833 2829 7.2 56.7 1 29 3 62.3 117 1981 3628 5609 858 1726 2584 6.2 54.6 2 16 3 61.0 95 1123 1902 3025 .. .. .. 8.9 59.0 3 27 1 61.9 82 1780 2948 4728 657 1046 1703 4.7 60.3 4 29 0 61.8 130 1921 3412 5333 798 1510 2309 7.1 56.3 5a 32 2 61.4 136 2132 3721 5853 1009 1819 2827 6.6 57.2 5b 24 3 62.1 122 1663 2786 4449 540 884 1124 7.8 59.6 6a 24 1 61.6 127 1632 2803 4435 509 901 1410 8.2 58.2 6b 27 3 61.7 118 1834 3151 4985 711 1249 1960 6.8 58.2 7a 25 1 61.5 125 1682 2953 4635 559 1051 1610 7.9 56.9 7b 32 1 62.1 102 2115 3683 5798 992 1781 2773 5.5 57.4 8a 30 3 61.7 123 2020 3720 5740 897 1818 2715 6.5 54.3 8b 22 3 62.5 .. 1477 2506 3983 228 604 .. .. 53.9 1}9a 26 2 61.0 .. 1755 3052 4807 632 1150 .. .. 57.5 2} 26 0 61.3 123 1717 2858 4575 594 956 1550 .. 60.1 9b 25 3 61.5 118 1702 2891 4593 579 989 1568 7.3 58.8 10a 25 2 61.2 133 1705 2874 4579 582 972 1554 8.2 59.3 10b 30 3 61.6 142 2044 3517 5561 921 1615 2536 6.3 59.5 11a 29 1 61.8 123 1941 3203 5144 818 1301 2119 6.7 60.6 11b 29 2 62.0 124 1953 3452 5405 830 1550 2380 6.6 57.1 12a 27 0 61.8 121 1796 3124 4920 673 1222 1895 7.1 57.4 12b 20 2 62.5 108 1959 3306 5265 836 1404 2240 5.5 57.3 13a 27 1 62.3 96 1801 3171 4972 678 1269 1947 5.3 56.7 13b 28 0 62.8 175 1944 3362 5306 821 1460 2281 9.7 59.5 14a 26 3 62.8 166 1856 3006 4862 733 1104 1837 9.8 61.7 14b 32 3 63.0 151 2214 3876 6090 1091 1974 3065 7.2 57.1 15a 32 0 62.6 137 2140 3617 5757 1017 1715 2732 6.6 59.1 15b 29 1 62.3 132 1959 3417 5376 836 1515 2351 6.9 57.3 16a 34 2 62.6 119 2283 4012 6295 1160 2110 3270 5.2 56.9 16b 33 3 62.3 119 2222 4027 6249 1099 2125 3224 5.6 55.1 17a 35 1 62.0 117 2314 4261 6575 1191 2359 3550 6.4 54.3 17b 32 0 62.7 142 2160 3852 6012 1037 1950 2987 6.9 56.0 18a 29 1 62.9 181 2029 4164 6193 906 2262 3168 9.7 48.7 18b 32 3 62.8 140 2195 4202 6397 1072 2300 3372 6.7 52.2 19 20 0 62.5 70 1332 2074 3406 209 172 381 4.9 64.2 20 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. }21 }22 --------+-----+----+----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----

Here again, I want the Deacon to look at plot 0, where 500 lbs. Peruvian guano, sown in October, gives an _increase_ of nearly 14 bushels of dressed wheat and 1,375 lbs. of straw per acre. On plot 2, where 14 tons of barn-yard manure have now been applied four years in succession (56 tons in all), there is a little more straw, but not quite so much grain, as from the 500 lbs. of guano.

"But will the guano," said the Deacon, "be as lasting as the manure?"

"Not for wheat," said I. "But if you seed the wheat down with clover, as would be the case in this section, we should get considerable benefit, probably, from the guano. If wheat was sown after the wheat, the guano applied the previous season would do little good on the second crop of wheat. And yet it is a matter of fact that there would be a considerable proportion of the guano left in the soil. The wheat cannot take it up.

But the clover can. And we all know that if we can grow good crops of clover, plowing it under, or feeding it out on the land, or making it into hay and saving the manure obtained from it, we shall thus be enabled to raise good crops of wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, and corn, and in this sense guano is a 'lasting' manure."

"Barnyard-manure," said the Doctor, "is altogether too 'lasting.' Here we have had 56 tons of manure on an acre of land in four years, and yet an acre dressed with 500 lbs. of guano produces just as good a crop. The manure contains far more plant-food, of all kinds, than the guano, but it is so 'lasting' that it does not do half as much good as its composition would lead us to expect. Its 'lasting' properties are a decided objection, rather than an advantage. If we could make it less lasting--in other words, if we could make it act quicker, it would produce a greater effect, and possess a greater value. In proportion to its const.i.tuents, the barn-yard manure is far cheaper than the guano, but it has a less beneficial effect, because these const.i.tuents are not more completely decomposed and rendered available."

"That," said I, "opens up a very important question. We have more real value in manure than most of us are as yet able to bring out and turn to good account. The sandy-land farmer has an advantage over the clay-land farmer in this respect. The latter has a naturally richer soil, but it costs him more to work it, and manure does not act so rapidly. The clay-land farmer should use his best endeavors to decompose his manure."

"Yes," said the Doctor, "and, like John Johnston, he will probably find it to his advantage to use it largely as a top-dressing on the surface.

Exposing manure to the atmosphere, spread out on the land for several months, and harrowing it occasionally, will do much to render its const.i.tuents available. But let us return to Mr. Lawes' wonderful experiments."

"On eight plots," said I, "300 lbs. of ammonia-salts were used without any other manures, and the _average_ yield on these eight plots was nearly 26 bushels per acre, or an average increase of 9 bushels per acre. The same amount of ammonia-salts, with the addition of superphosphate of lime, gave an increase of 13 bushels per acre. 400 lbs. ammonia salts, with superphosphate of lime, gave an _increase_ of nearly 16 bushels per acre, or three bushels per acre more than where 14 tons of barn-yard manure had been used four years in succession.

"I hope, after this, the Deacon will forgive me for dwelling on the value of available nitrogen or ammonia as a manure for wheat."

"I see," said the Deacon, "that ground _rice_ was used this year for manure; and in 1845, _tapioca_ was also used as a manure. The Connecticut Tobacco growers a few years since used _corn-meal_ for manure, and you thought it a great waste of good food."

I think so still. But we will not discuss the matter now. Mr. Lawes wanted to ascertain whether _carbonaceous_ matter was needed by the growing wheat-plants, or whether they could get all they needed from the soil and the atmosphere. The enormous quant.i.ties of carbonaceous matter supplied by the barn-yard manure, it is quite evident, are of little value as a manure for wheat. And the rice seems to have done very little more good than we should expect from the 22 lbs. of nitrogen which it contained. The large quant.i.ty of carbonaceous matter evidently did little good. Available carbonaceous matter, such as starch, sugar, and oil, was intended as food for man and beast--not as food for wheat or tobacco.

The following table gives the results of the experiments the _fifth_ year, 1847-8.

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

Table V.--Manures and Produce; 5th Season, 1847-8. Manures and Seed (Old Red Lammas), Sown Autumn, 1847.

Manures 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.

---+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Manure per Acre, etc. P +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----------------------+-----+-----+ l Superphosphate o of Lime. t +-----+-----+-----+-----+ s FM P-A S-A SMg SPL B-A SAc MAc SAm MAm RC ---+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Tons lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. 0 .. .. .. .. 2240 .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 14 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3 Unmanured. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 .. .. .. .. .. 200 .. 200 300 .. .. 5 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 250 250 .. 5 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 200 200 500 6 .. .. .. .. .. 400 300 .. 200 200 .. 6 .. .. .. .. .. 200 150 .. 200 200 .. 7 .. .. .. .. .. 400 300 .. 150 150 500 7 .. .. .. .. .. 200 150 .. 150 150 500 8 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. .. .. .. 8 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. .. .. .. 9 .. .. .. .. .. 200 150 .. .. .. .. 9 .. .. .. .. .. 200 150 .. 150 150 .. 10 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 150 150 .. 10 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 150 150 .. .. 11 .. .. .. .. .. 200 150 .. 150 150 500 11 .. .. .. .. .. 200 150 .. 200 200 .. 12 .. 300 .. .. .. 200 150 .. 150 150 500 12 .. 300 .. .. .. 200 150 .. 200 200 .. 13 .. 300 .. .. .. 200 150 .. 150 150 500 13 .. 300 .. .. .. 200 150 .. 200 200 .. 14 .. 300 .. .. .. 200 150 .. 150 150 500 14 .. 300 .. .. .. 200 150 .. 200 200 .. 15 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 .. 200 300 .. .. 15 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 .. 200 300 .. .. 16 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 150 150 500 16 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 150 150 500 17 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 200 200 .. 17 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 200 200 .. 18 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 150 150 .. 18 .. 300 200 100 .. 200 150 .. 150 150 .. 19 .. .. .. .. .. 200 .. 200 300 .. 500 20 Unmanured. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21} .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 22} ---+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+

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 --------+-----+ TP t Qty. Wt/Bu OC TC S&C C&S C S&C TP OCD C100 s --------+-----+----+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----+-----+---- Bu. Pks. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. 19 0 53.4 138 1259 2074 3333 307 362 669 13.4 60.7 0 16 0 59.6 160 1124 1735 2859 172 23 195 16.3 64.7 1 23 2 58.2 210 1705 3041 4746 753 1329 2082 13.8 56.0 2 14 3 57.3 106 952 1712 2664 .. .. .. 12.1 55.6 3 24 0 58.5 172 1583 2713 4296 631 1001 1632 12.0 58.3 4 29 3 59.2 144 1911 3266 5177 959 1554 2513 7.9 58.5 5a 39 3 59.1 107 1932 3533 5465 980 1821 2801 5.8 57.5 5b 24 3 58.8 214 1672 2878 4550 720 1166 1886 14.6 58.0 6a 26 3 56.9 216 1737 2968 4705 785 1256 2041 14.0 58.5 6b 30 3 59.4 106 1936 3088 5024 984 1376 2360 5.7 62.6 7a 29 3 59.6 187 1963 3413 5376 1011 1701 2712 10.3 57.5 7b 19 3 56.2 154 1263 2317 3580 311 605 916 13.6 54.5 8a 19 0 59.4 127 1267 2148 3415 315 436 751 11.1 58.8 8b 18 2 56.7 125 1181 1945 3126 229 233 462 11.6 60.7 9a 25 0 53.3 208 1669 2918 4587 717 1206 1923 13.9 57.1 9b 19 1 58.1 215 1334 2367 3701 382 655 1037 19.0 56.3 10a 25 0 57.8 155 1604 2926 4530 652 1214 1866 10.6 54.8 10b 29 1 59.6 233 1984 3274 5258 1032 1562 2594 13.1 60.6 11a 24 3 57.9 207 1641 2898 4539 689 1186 1875 14.1 56.4 11b 29 3 59.3 174 1938 3390 5328 986 1678 2664 9.3 57.2 12a 26 0 59.2 167 1717 2880 4597 765 1168 1933 10.7 59.6 12b 29 1 57.9 253 1955 3290 5245 1003 1578 2581 14.7 59.4 13a 25 3 58.4 224 1730 3072 4802 778 1360 2138 14.6 56.3 13b 28 0 58.8 184 1834 3257 5091 882 1545 2427 11.1 56.3 14a 25 2 58.5 227 1726 2897 4623 774 1185 1959 15.1 59.5 14b 22 3 58.1 242 1571 2937 4508 619 1225 1844 18.1 53.4 15a 24 2 56.9 202 1607 3016 4623 655 1304 1959 14.1 53.2 15b 29 3 60.0 184 1973 3115 5088 1021 1403 2424 10.2 63.3 16a 30 1 58.4 171 1948 3380 5328 996 1668 2664 9.4 57.6 16b 27 2 59.7 285 1933 3296 5229 981 1584 2565 17.0 58.6 17a 28 3 59.7 222 1946 3324 5270 994 1612 2606 12.6 58.5 17b 26 3 59.2 150 1734 2935 4669 782 1223 2005 9.2 59.0 18a 26 2 59.6 215 1804 3056 4860 852 1344 2196 13.3 58.7 18b 29 1 56.2 185 1838 3295 5133 886 1583 2469 10.4 55.7 19 16 0 58.3 111 1050 1721 2771 98 9 107 11.3 61.0 20 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. }21 }22 --------+-----+----+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+----+-----+----

This season was considered unfavorable for wheat. The continuously unmanured plot produced 14 bushels, and the plot receiving 14 tons of barn yard manure, 25 bushels per acre nearly.

300 lbs. of ammonia-salts alone on plot 10_a_, gave 19 bushels per acre, while the same quant.i.ty of ammonia, with superphosphate in addition, gave, on plot 9_b_, 25 bushels per acre.

The addition to the above manures of 300 lbs. of potash, 200 lbs. soda, and 100 lbs. sulphate of magnesia, on plot 10_b_, gave precisely the same yield per acre as the ammonia and the superphosphate alone. _The potash, soda, and magnesia, therefore, did no good._

400 lbs. of ammonia-salts, with superphosphate, potash, etc., gave, on plot 17_b_, nearly 29 bushels per acre, or 3 bushels more than the plot which has now received 70 tons of barn-yard manure in five successive years.

"I see that, on plot 0," said the Deacon, "one ton of superphosphate was used per acre, and it gave only half a bushel per acre more than 350 lbs. on 9_a_."

"This proves," said I, "that an excessive dose of superphosphate will do no harm. I am not sure that 100 lbs. of a good superphosphate _drilled in with the seed_, would not have done _as much good_ as a ton per acre."

"You say," remarked the Deacon, "that the season was unfavorable for wheat. And yet the no-manure plot produced nearly 15 bushels of wheat per acre."

"That is all true," said I, "and yet the season was undoubtedly an unfavorable one. This is shown not only in the less yield, but in the inferior quality of the grain. The 'dressed corn' on the no-manure plot this year only weighed 57? lbs. per bushel, while last year it weighed 61 lbs. per bushel."

"By the way," said the Doctor, "what do Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert mean by 'dressed corn'?"

"By 'corn,'" said I, "they mean wheat; and by 'dressed corn' they mean wheat that has been run through a fanning-mill until all the light and shrunken grain is blown or sieved out. In other words, 'dressed corn' is wheat carefully cleaned for market. The English farmers take more pains in cleaning their grain than we do. And this 'dressed corn' was as clean as a good fanning-mill could make it. You will observe that there was more 'offal corn' this year than last. This also indicates an unfavorable season."

"It would have been very interesting," said the Doctor, "if Messrs.

Lawes and Gilbert had a.n.a.lyzed the wheat produced by the different manures, so that we might have known something in regard to the quality of the flour as influenced by the use of different fertilizers."

"They did that very thing," said I, "and not only that, but they made the wheat grown on different plots, into flour, and ascertained the yield of flour from a given weight of wheat, and the amount of bran, middlings, etc., etc. They obtained some very interesting and important results. I was there at the time. But this is not the place to discuss the question. I am often amused, however, at the remarks we often hear in regard to the inferior quality of our wheat as compared to what it was when the country was new. Many seem to think that 'there is something lacking in the soil'--some say potash, and some phosphates, and some this, and some that. I believe nothing of the kind. Depend upon it, the variety of the wheat and the soil and season have much more to do with the quality or strength of the flour, than the chemical composition of the manures applied to the land."

"At any rate," said the Doctor, "we may be satisfied that anything that will produce a vigorous, healthy growth of wheat is favorable to quality. We may use manures in excess, and thus produce over-luxuriance and an unhealthy growth, and have poor, shrunken grain. In this case, it is not the use, but the abuse of the manure that does the mischief. We must not manure higher than the season will bear. As yet, this question rarely troubles us. Hitherto, as a rule, our seasons are better than our farming. It may not always be so. We may find the liberal use of manure so profitable that we shall occasionally use it in excess. At present, however, the tendency is all the other way. We have more grain of inferior quality from lack of fertility than from an excess of plant-food."

"That may be true," said I, "but we have more poor, inferior wheat from lack of draining and good culture, than from lack of plant-food.

Red-root, thistles, c.o.c.kle, and chess, have done more to injure the reputation of 'Genesee Flour,' than any other one thing, and I should like to hear more said about thorough cultivation, and the destruction of weeds, and less about soil exhaustion."

The following table shows the results of the experiments the _sixth year_, 1848-9.

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

Table VI.--Manures and Produce; 6th Season, 1848-9. Manures and Seed (Red Cl.u.s.ter), Sown Autumn, 1848.

Manures FM Farm-yard Manure.

P-A Pearl-ash.

S-A Soda-ash.