The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-09-29
Agricultural-The ROthamSted Expert.
mpntS.

A recent number Of the Agricultural
Gazette (London) contains an interest
ing account Of the celebrated expert
ments at Rothamsted, which have been
carried on for many years (some of
them since lS43), by Mr.. j. b. Lawes.
TheAe experiments have been conducted
by Mr.. Lawes in person, and entirely at
his own cost, and they have developed
many results of the greatest value not
only to English agriculture, but to that
of the whole world they constitute
also a most important contribution to
the cause of science. Indeed, Rotham-
sted, under the absolute control of a
single individual, and supported from
his private fortune, vies with the most
carefully managed and most extensive
experimental stations conducted at
Government expense on the continent.
Some idea of the extent of these eX-
periments may be formed from the fact
that the tabulated reports of the results
of twenty years experiments in grow
ing wheat on twenty-five different plots
comprising in all fourteen acres, each
with different manuring-occupy over
forty closely printed (octavo) pages of
the Journal Of the Royal agricultural So
ciey. And these fourteen acres are
only fourth part of the land devoted
to the experiments, which included
every important crop OF English agli-
culture.
1t is not easy to deduce correct con-
illusions from such experiments, for
there are many varying circumstances
whose influence on growth, and on the
operation Of manure we as yet know too
little fully TO understand; but some
things seem to be so far determined as
to be Of practical use to farmers, and as
we come to know more the value of the
whole series will be gradually developed.
They must always remain most fruit
full subject for scientific investigation,
and a fruitful source of practical
knowledge.
To refer more in detail to the expert
ments Eighteen halt-acre plots OF
grass have been MANFRED each with the
same manure for sixteen years. The
unmanured land has averaged over
twenty-five hundred pounds Of hay per
acre; superphosphate of lime did very
little good unless used with ammonia :;
and ammonia salts and nitrate OF soda
ulU much UIlc DcSl. AllulOlIld, HOW
ever, was bad for clover, and gave an
undue prominence to the cOarser grass
es. Ammonia salts produced an aver
age of 6,720 pounds of hay per acre. 1t
has been deduced from the grass.feld
experiments probably correctly, that
nitrate of soda is q valuable agent in
enabling a crop to withstand drought,
the assumption being that when more is
applied than is used by the crop the
surplus is washed down into the soil, so
that repeated annual doses enrich the
ground to such depth as to induce
roots to 90 down far enough to find the
necessary moisture. This deduction is
apparently confirmed by the fact that
last year when the drought in England
was most severe), the plot that had been
MANFRED with this salt produced at
nearly the full rate, while the other
manures had a comparatively slight eff
feet. Mr.. Lawes describes the soil as a
somewhat heavy loan, with a subsoil of
raw yellowsh red clay, but resting in its
turn upon chalk, which provides good
natural drainage. In the barley expert
ments, the unmanured land averaged
(l6 years. 2O4 bushels per acre; some of
the MANFRED land as high as 80 bushels.
For this crop it seems to be proved that
superphosphate is not of much benefit
that ammonia salts Quantity not stat
ed, 1000 pounds rape cake, or 30
Apounds nitrate of soda per acre, are
each of great utility, the cheapest
improvement coming from the use OF
nitrate.
In the wheat experiments, the un-
MANFRED land averaged l43 bushels per
acre that MANFRED with alkalies, I'D
bushels that with superphosphate, Ia
bushels; and that with both Of these
manures and with nitrate of soda or am
monia salts. l69 bushels. Neither the
nitrate nor the ammonia did so well
without the superphosphate or alkalies
as when used with them.
The experiments with oats are not
materially different from those of wheat.
. Peas, beans and clover could not be
made To grow for a series Of years by
any manures that were tried upon
them: but it was proved that the fail.
ure of clover was not due to any poison
inc of the land, for on a very rich old
Garden that had been well MANFRED for
more than a century. clover still looks
healthy after having occupied the land
since 1874. This indicates that clover
fails from starvation, not from excre-
mentions poisoning.
For root crops superphosphate of lime
has proved to be the best manure of all
that were tried.
That which seems to be the most
valuable suggestion for the practical
farmer to experiment upon is that which
refers 10 the use of nitrate of soda, es
necially as a manure for grass. If the
Same result will follow its use on other
coils that have been produced at Roth
amp.ted, there is reason to expect that
il will not only add to our grass crop