Talks on Manures Part 39

---------------------------------------++----------------------++------ Harvests Average Annual. ----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++ 1st 2nd Total 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 ten ten Period Plots ----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ cwt. cwt. cwt. cwt. cwt. cwt. cwt. cwt. cwts. cwts. cwts. 12 8? 9 10 11? 11 6? 11 13? 10 11 1 O.

15? 9? 12? 12 9? 10? 8 12 14? 11? 13? 2 O.

13? 9 10 10? 8? 11 8 11 13? 10 12 3 O.

16 10 12? 12 10? 12? 9? 14 16? 12? 14? 4 O.

----+----+----+---------+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 14? 9 11 11? 9? 11 8? 12? 14 11? 12? Means ----+----+----+---------+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 20? 13 15? 17 12 18 12 23? 19 17? 18 1 A.

32 21? 28? 28? 19? 32 17? 28? 27? 27 27? 2 A.

19 16 16 19? 14? 20 15 25? 21? 19 20 3 A.

34? 22 27? 25 20? 34? 18? 32 28? 28 28 4 A.

----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 26 18 21 22? 16 26? 16 27 24 23? 23 Means ----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 23 16 17 17?? 14 21 17? 26 24 20? 22? 1 AA.

33? 23 28? 30?? 21? 34? 23 32? 31? 29? 30 2 AA.

26? 17 18? 20? 16 22 20? 25? 25 22 24 3 AA.

37 24? 28 28?? 25? 38? 18 32? 34 30? 32? 4 AA.

----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 30? 20 23? 24 19? 29 20 29 29 25? 27 Means +---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ ?26? 22? 20? 18? 16? 23 17 29 {21? 21? 21?} 1 AAS.

?33 23 30 29? 25 37? 20? 36? [1]{29? 29? 29?}[1] 2 AAS.

?30 20? 25 23?? 22 30? 20 31? {24 26? 25?} 3 AAS.

?40 25 29 28? 26? 42 20 38 {31 32 31} 4 AAS.

+---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 32? 22? 26? 24? 22? 33 19? 33 26? 27? 27 Means ----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 26? 21 24? 25 19? 27 17 27 29? 24 26? 1 C.

31? 21? 24 25? 19? 33? 17? 27? 30? 26 28? 2 C.

31 22 24? 22 10 30 18? 30? 28? 25 27? 3 C.

34? 22 27? 24 21? 35? 20? 32 31 27 29 4 C.

----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 31 21? 25? 24? 19? 31? 18 29? 30? 25 28 Means ----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------ 24? 18 21? 21? 18? 24 13 29 [2]{23? 22 22?}[2] 1 N.

27 21 23? 21 17? 27? 19? 31 {27? 24 26?} 2 N.

13? 9? 12? 12 10? 11? 8? 14 [3](11 12 12?)[3] M.

14? 10 10? 10? 8 15 4? 13? [4](13? 11? 12?)[4] 5 O.

33? 24? 28 22? 20? 36? 21? 29? 27? 28 28 5 A.

13? 8 10 9? 10 9? 7 13 14 10 12? 1}6 13? 8? 9 10? 10? 10? 7? 13? 13 11 12? 2} 37? 25? 31 27? 24 28 19 37? 26? 29? 28 7 ----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+-------++------

[Note 1: Averages of 4 years, 4 years, and 8 years.]

[Note 2: Averages of 9 years, (1853-'61), last 10 years, and total 19 years.]

[Note 3: Averages of 7 years (1855-'61), last 10 years, and total 17 years.]

[Note 4: Averages of 9 years (1853-'61), last 10 years, and total 19 years.]

The produce of barley the first season (1852), was, per acre:

On the unmanured plot 27 bushels With superphosphate of lime 28? "

" potash, soda, and magnesia 26 "

" " " " and superphosphate 32 "

" 14 tons barn-yard manure 33 "

" 200 lbs. ammonia-salts alone 36? "

" " " and superphosphate 38? "

" " " and potash, soda, and magnesia 36 "

" " " and superphosphate, potash, soda, and magnesia 40 "

" 400 lbs. ammonia-salts alone 44 "

The 200 lbs. of ammonia-salts contain 50 lbs. of ammonia = 41 lbs.

nitrogen.

It will be seen that this 50 lbs. of ammonia alone, on plot 1_a_, gives an increase of nearly 10 bushels per acre, or to be more accurate, it gives an increase over the unmanured plot of 503 lbs. of grain, and 329 lbs. of straw, while double the quant.i.ty of ammonia on plot 1_a.a._, gives an increase of 17 bushels per acre--or an increase of 901 lbs. of grain, and 1,144 lbs. of straw.

"Put that fact in separate lines, side by side," said the Deacon, "so that we can see it."

Total Grain Straw Produce.

50 lbs. of ammonia gives an increase of 503 lbs. 704 lbs. 1207 lbs.

100 " " " " " " " 901 " 1144 " 2045 "

The first 50 lbs. of ammonia gives an increase of 503 " 704 " 1207 "

The second 50 lbs. of ammonia gives an increase of 398 " 540 " 738 "

"That shows," said the Deacon, "that a dressing of 50 lbs. per acre pays better than a dressing of 100 lbs. per acre. I wish Mr. Lawes had sown 75 lbs. on one plot."

I wish so, too, but it is quite probable that in our climate, 50 lbs. of available ammonia per acre is all that it will usually be profitable to apply per acre to the barley crop. It is equal to a dressing of 500 lbs.

guaranteed Peruvian guano, or 275 lbs. nitrate of soda. --"Or to how much manure?" asked the Deacon.

To about 5 tons of average stable-manure, or say three tons of good, well-rotted manure from grain-fed animals.

"And yet," said the Deacon, "Mr. Lawes put on 14 tons of yard manure per acre, and the yield of barley was not as much as from the 50 lbs. of ammonia alone. How do you account for that?"

Simply because the ammonia in the manure is _not_ ammonia. It is what the chemists used to call "potential ammonia." A good deal of it is in the form of undigested straw and hay. The nitrogenous matter of the food which has been digested by the animal and thrown off in the liquid excrements, is in such a form that it will readily ferment and produce ammonia, while the nitrogenous matter in the undigested food and in the straw used for bedding, decomposes slowly even under the most favorable conditions; and if buried while fresh in a clay soil, it probably would not all decompose in many years. But we will not discuss this at present.

"The superphosphate does not seem to have done much good," said the Deacon; "3 cwt. per acre gives an increase of less than two bushels per acre. And I suppose it was _good_ superphosphate."

There need be no doubt on that point. Better superphosphate of lime cannot be made. But you must recollect that this is pure superphosphate made from burnt bones. It contains no ammonia or organic matter.

Commercial superphosphates contain more or less ammonia, and had they been used in these experiments, they would have shown a better result than the pure article. They would have done good in proportion to the available nitrogen they contained. If these experiments prove anything, they clearly indicate that superphosphate alone is a very poor manure for either wheat or barley.

The _second_ year, the unmanured plot gave 25 bushels per acre. Potash, soda, and magnesia, (or what the Deacon calls "ashes,") 27? bushels; superphosphate 33, and "ashes" and superphosphate, nearly 36 bushels per acre.

50 lbs. of ammonia, alone, gives nearly 39 bushels, and ammonia and superphosphate together, 40 bushels.

The superphosphate and "ashes" give a better account of themselves this year; but it is remarkable that the ammonia alone, gives almost as good a crop as the ammonia and superphosphate, and a _better_ crop than the ammonia and "ashes," or the ammonia, superphosphate, and ashes, together.

The 14 tons farm-yard manure gives over 36 bushels per acre. This plot has now had 28 tons of manure per acre, yet the 50 lbs. of ammonia alone, still gives a better yield than this heavy dressing of manure.

The _third_ season (1854), was quite favorable for the ripening of wheat and barley. The seed on the experimental barley-field, was sown Feb. 24, and the harvest was late; so that the crop had an unusually long season for growth. It was one of the years when even poor land, if clean, gives a good crop. The unmanured plot, it will be seen, yielded over 35 bushels per acre of dressed grain, weighing over 53 lbs. per bushel.

The total weight of grain, was 1,963 lbs. This is over 40 bushels per acre, of 48 lbs. per bushel, which is the standard with us.

The 14 tons of farm-yard manure produce nearly 56 bushels per acre.

50 lbs. of ammonia, on plot 1_a._ 47 bushels per acre.

100 " " " " " 1_a.a._ 56? " "

You will see, that though the plot which has received 42 tons of manure per acre, produced a splendid crop; the plot having nothing except 100 lbs. of ammonia per acre, produced a crop equally good. "How much increase do you get from 50 lbs. of ammonia," asked the Deacon, "and how much from 100 lbs.?"

Equal Amer.

Grain. Straw. Bushels.

50 lbs. of ammonia, gives an increase of 800 lbs. 952 lbs. 16? bush.

100 " " "

" " " " 1,350 " 2,100 " 28 "

If you buy nitrate of soda at 3 cents a lb., the ammonia will cost 20 cents a lb. In the above experiment, 50 lbs. of ammonia, costing $10, gives an increase of 16? bushels of barley, and nearly half a ton of straw. If the straw is worth $4.00 per ton, the barley will cost 48 cents a bushel.