Talks on Manures Part 26

---------------+-------+---------+-------+-------+---------+---------- Lime. Magnesia. Potash. Soda. Sulphuric Phosphoric Acid. Acid.

---------------+-------+---------+-------+-------+---------+---------- Lucern 197.7 24.2 36.7 26.4 18.7 38.5 Red-Clover 262.9 48.4 58.3 20.0 26.1 74.8 Espa.r.s.ette 132.8 28.7 42.6 13.8 20.6 29.7 Rye 73.2 14.3 31.2 43.3 11.8 24.4 Swedish Clover 136.1 17.6 25.9 5.7 13.2 24.2 Rape 163.9 12.9 34.7 20.9 30.8 31.9 Oats 85.5 11.2 24.8 18. 8.8 29.

Lupine 80.5 11.2 16.5 3.5 7. 13.8 Wheat 76.7 10.1 28.4 11. 7.4 11.8 Peas 71.7 11. 11.2 7. 9.4 14.3 Serradella 79.8 13.4 8.8 4.8 9. 18.4 Buckwheat 80. 7.2 8.8 4.2 6.6 11.

Barley 42.2 5.5 9.5 3.5 5.5 11.2 ---------------+-------+---------+-------+-------+---------+----------

It may be presumed, that, while these figures are not _absolutely_, they are _relatively_, correct. In other words, we may conclude, that red-clover leaves more nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, in the roots and stubble per acre, than any other of the crops named.

The gross amount of dry substance in the roots, and the gross amount of ash per acre, are considerably exaggerated, owing to the evidently large quant.i.ty of dirt attached to the roots and stubble. For instance, the gross amount of ash in Lucern is given as 1,201.6 lbs. per acre; while the total amount of lime, magnesia, potash, soda, sulphuric and phosphoric acids, is only 342.2 lbs. per acre, leaving 859.4 lbs. as sand, clay, iron, etc. Of the 1,919.9 lbs. of ash in the acre of clover-roots and stubble, there are 1,429.4 lbs. of sand, clay, etc. But even after deducting this amount of impurities from a gross total of dry matter per acre, we still have 7,492.2 lbs. of dry roots and stubble per acre, or nearly 3 tons of _dry_ roots per acre. This is a very large quant.i.ty. It is as much dry matter as is contained in 13 tons of ordinary farm-yard, or stable-manure. And these 3 tons of dry clover-roots contain 191 lbs. of nitrogen, which is as much as is contained in 19 tons of ordinary stable-manure. The clover-roots also contain 74 lbs. of phosphoric acid per acre, or as much as is contained in from 500 to 600 lbs. of No. 1 rectified Peruvian guano.

"But the phosphoric acid," said the Doctor, "is not soluble in the roots." True, but it was soluble when the roots gathered it up out of the soil.

"These figures," said the Deacon, "have a very pleasant look. Those of us who have nearly one-quarter of our land in clover every year, ought to be making our farms very rich."

"It would seem, at any rate," said I, "that those of us who have good, clean, well-drained, and well-worked land, that is now producing a good growth of clover, may reasonably expect a fair crop of wheat, barley, oats, corn, or potatoes, when we break it up and plow under all the roots, which are equal to 13 or 19 tons of stable-manure per acre.

Whether we can or can not depend on these figures, one thing is clearly proven, both by the chemist and the farmer, that a good clover-sod, on well-worked soil, is a good preparation for corn and potatoes."

MANURES FOR WHEAT.

Probably nine-tenths of all the wheat grown in Western New York, or the "Genesee country," from the time the land was first cleared until 1870, was raised without any manure being directly applied to the land for this crop. Tillage and clover were what the farmers depended on. There certainly has been no systematic manuring. The manure made during the winter, was drawn out in the spring, and plowed under for corn. Any manure made during the summer, in the yards, was, by the best farmers, sc.r.a.ped up and spread on portions of the land sown, or to be sown, with wheat. Even so good a farmer and wheat-grower as John Johnston, rarely used manure, (except lime, and latterly, a little guano), directly for wheat. Clover and summer-fallowing were for many years the dependence of the Western New York wheat-growers.

"One of the oldest and most experienced millers of Western New York,"

remarked the Doctor, "once told me that 'ever since our farmers began to _manure their land_, the wheat-crop had deteriorated, not only in the yield per acre, but in the quality and quant.i.ty of the flour obtained from it.' It seemed a strange remark to make; but when he explained that the farmers had given up summer-fallowing and plowing in clover, and now sow spring crops, to be followed by winter wheat with an occasional dressing of poor manure, it is easy to see how it may be true."

"Yes," said I, "it is not the _manure_ that hurts the wheat, but the growth of spring crops and weeds that rob the soil of far more plant-food than the poor, strawy manure can supply. We do not now, really, furnish the wheat-crop as much manure or plant-food as we formerly did when little or no manure was used, and when we depended on summer-fallowing and plowing in clover."

We must either give up the practice of sowing a spring crop, before wheat, or we must make more and richer manure, or we must plow in more clover. The rotation, which many of us now adopt--corn, barley, wheat--is profitable, provided we can make our land rich enough to produce 75 bushels of sh.e.l.led corn, 50 bushels of barley, and 35 bushels of wheat, per acre, in three years.

This can be done, but we shall either require a number of acres of rich low land, or irrigated meadow, the produce of which will make manure for the upland, or we shall have to purchase oil-cake, bran, malt-combs, or refuse beans, to feed out with our straw and clover-hay, or we must purchase artificial manures. Unless this is done, we must summer-fallow more, on the heavier clay soils, sow less oats and barley; or we must, on the lighter soils, raise and plow under more clover, or feed it out on the farm, being careful to save and apply the manure.

"Better do both," said the Doctor.

"How?" asked the Deacon.

"You had better make all the manure you can," continued the Doctor, "and buy artificial manures besides."

"The Doctor is right," said I, "and in point of fact, our best farmers are doing this very thing. They are making more manure and buying more manure than ever before; or, to state the matter correctly, they are buying artificial manures; and these increase the crops, and the extra quant.i.ty of straw, corn, and clover, so obtained, enables them to make more manure. They get cheated sometimes in their purchases; but, on the whole, the movement is a good one, and will result in a higher and better system of farming."

I am amused at the interest and enthusiasm manifested by some of our farmers who have used artificial manures for a year or two. They seem to regard me as a sad old fogy, because I am now depending almost entirely on the manures made on the farm. Years ago, I was laughed at because I used guano and superphosphate. It was only yesterday, that a young farmer, who is the local agent of this neighborhood, for a manure manufacturer, remarked to me, "You have never used superphosphate. We sowed it on our wheat last year, and could see to the very drill mark how far it went. I would like to take your order for a ton. I am sure it would pay."

"We are making manure cheaper than you can sell it to me," I replied, "and besides, I do not think superphosphate is a good manure for wheat." --"Oh," he exclaimed, "you would not say so if you had ever used it." --"Why, my dear sir," said I, "I made tons of superphosphate, and used large quant.i.ties of guano before you were born; and if you will come into the house, I will show you a silver goblet I got for a prize essay on the use of superphosphate of lime, that I wrote more than a quarter of a century ago. I sent to New York for two tons of guano, and published the result of its use on this farm, before you were out of your cradle. And I had a ton or more of superphosphate made for me in 1856, and some before that. I have also used on this farm, many tons of superphosphate and other artificial manures from different manufacturers, and one year I used 15 tons of bone-dust."

With ready tact, he turned the tables on me by saying: "Now I can understand why your land is improving. It is because you have used superphosphate and bone-dust. Order a few tons."

By employing agents of this kind, the manufacturers have succeeded in selling the farmers of Western New York thousands of tons of superphosphate. Some farmers think it pays, and some that it does not.

We are more likely to hear of the successes than of failures. Still there can be no doubt that superphosphate has, in many instances, proved a valuable and profitable manure for wheat in Western New York.

From 200 to 300 lbs. are used per acre, and the evidence seems to show that it is far better to _drill in the manure with the seed_ than to sow it broadcast.

My own opinion is, that these superphosphates are not the most economical artificial manures that could be used for wheat. They contain too little nitrogen. Peruvian guano containing nitrogen equal to 10 per cent of ammonia, would be, I think, a much more effective and profitable manure. But before we discuss this question, it will be necessary to study the results of actual experiments in the use of various fertilizers for wheat.

CHAPTER XXVII.

LAWES AND GILBERT'S EXPERIMENTS ON WHEAT.

I hardly know how to commence an account of the wonderful experiments made at Rothamsted, England, by John Bennett Lawes, Esq., and Dr. Joseph H. Gilbert. Mr. Lawes' first systematic experiment on wheat, commenced in the autumn of 1843. A field of 14 acres of rather heavy clay soil, resting on chalk, was selected for the purpose. Nineteen plots were accurately measured and staked off. The plots ran the long way of the field, and up a slight ascent. On each side of the field, alongside the plots, there was some land not included, the first year, in the experiment proper. This land was either left without manure, or a mixture of the manures used in the experiments was sown on it.

I have heard it said that Mr. Lawes, at this time, was a believer in what was called "Liebig's Mineral Manure Theory." Liebig had said that "The crops on a field, diminish or increase in exact proportion to the diminution or increase of the mineral substances conveyed to it in manure." And enthusiastic gentlemen have been known to tell farmers who were engaged in drawing out farm-yard manure to their land, that they were wasting their strength; all they needed was the mineral elements of the manure. "And you might," they said, "burn your manure, and sow the ashes, and thus save much time and labor. The ashes will do just as much good as the manure itself."

Whether Mr. Lawes did, or did not entertain such an opinion, I do not know. It looks as though the experiments the first year or two, were made with the expectation that mineral manures, or the ashes of plants, were what the wheat needed.

The following table gives the kind and quant.i.ties of manures used per acre, and the yield of wheat per acre, as carefully cleaned for market.

Also the total weight of grain per acre, and the weight of straw and chaff per acre.

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

Table 1.--Manures And Produce; 1st Season, 1843-4. Manures and Seed (Old Red Lammas) Sown Autumn 1843.

Manures: FM Farmyard Manure.

FMA Farmyard Manure Ashes.[1]

SiP Silicate of Pota.s.s.[2]

PhP Phosphate of Pota.s.s.[3]

PhS Phosphate of Soda.[3]

PhM Phosphate of Magnesia.[3]

SPL Superphosphate of Lime.[3]

SAm Sulphate of Ammonia.

RC Rape Cake.

---+-----------------------------------------------------------+ P Manures per Acre. l +-----+-----+-----+-------+-------+-----+-------+-----+-----+ o t s FM FMA SiP PhP PhS PhM SPL SA RC ---+-----+-----+-----+-------+-------+-----+-------+-----+-----+ Tons. Cwts. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. 0 Mixture of the residue of most of the other manures. 1 .. .. .. .. .. .. 700 .. 154 2 14 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3 Unmanured. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 .. 32[1] .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 .. .. .. .. .. .. 700 .. .. 6 .. .. .. .. .. 420 350 .. .. 7 .. .. .. .. 325 .. 350 .. .. 8 .. .. .. 375 .. .. 350 .. .. 9 .. .. .. .. .. .. 630 65 .. 10 .. .. 220 .. .. .. 560 .. .. 11 .. .. .. .. .. .. 350 .. 308 12 .. .. .. .. 162 210 350 .. .. 13 .. .. .. 187 .. 210 350 .. .. 14 .. .. 275 .. .. 210 350 .. .. 15 .. .. 110 150 .. 168 350 .. .. 16 .. .. 110 75 65 84 350 65 .. 17 .. .. 110 75 65 84 350[4] 65 .. 18 .. .. 110 75 65 84 350 65 154 19 .. .. 110 .. 81 105 350 81 .. 20 Unmanured. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21 Mixture of the residue of most of the .. .. .. 22 other manures. .. .. .. .. .. .. ---+-----+-----+-----+-------+-------+-----+-------+-----+-----+

Produce: 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.

--------------------------------------+-----------------+-----+--- Increase per Produce per Acre, etc. Acre by Manure. P ---------------+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ l Dressed corn. o ---------+-----+ t Qty.[5] Wt/Bu OC TC S&C TP C S&C TP C100 s ---------+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+--- Bu. Pks. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. 19 3 58.5 61 1228 1436 2664 305 316 621 85.5 0 16 3 59.0 52 1040 1203 2243 117 83 200 86.4 1 20 1 59.3 64 1276 1476 2752 353 356 709 86.4 2 15 0 58.5 46 923 1120 2043 .. .. .. 82.4 3 14 2 58.0 44 888 1104 1992 -35 -16 -51 80.4 4 15 2 58.3 48 956 1116 2072 33 -4 29 85.6 5 15 1 60.0 48 964 1100 2064 41 -20 21 87.6 6 15 2 60.3 49 984 1172 2156 61 52 113 84.0 7 15 0 61.3 49 980 1160 2140 57 40 97 84.5 8 19 2 62.3 54 1280 1368 2048 357 248 605 93.5 9 15 1 62.0 50 1008 1112 2120 85 -8 77 90.6 10 17 0 61.8 56 1116 1200 2316 193 80 273 93.0 11 15 2 61.5 50 1004 1116 2120 81 -4 77 90.0 12 16 1 62.5 54 1072 1204 2276 149 84 233 89.0 13 15 3 61.3 51 1016 1176 2192 93 56 149 86.4 14 16 3 62.0 58 1096 1240 2336 173 120 293 88.4 15 19 3 62.5 65 1304 1480 2784 381 360 741 88.1 16 18 3 62.3 62 1240 1422 2662 317 302 619 87.2 17 20 3 62.0 63 1368 1768 3136 415 618 1093 77.4 18 24 1 61.8 79 1580 1772 3352 657 652 1309 89.2 19 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 20 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 22 ---------+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+---

[Note 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.]

[Note 2: The silicate of pota.s.s was manufactured at a gla.s.s-house, by fusing equal parts of pearl-ash and sand. The product was a transparent gla.s.s, slightly deliquescent in the air, which was ground to a powder under edge-stones.]