The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-06-19
ABOUT MANURE AND SHEEP.

Extracts from "Walks and Talks
in the AMERICAN AGRICULTURIsT:
Two wears ago, the Deacon and |
were talking about Mir Lawes' remark
able experiments on barley. He has
nov grown twenty-three crops of bar
lev in succession on the same land.
Two plots have been left continuously
without manure of any kind. The fol
lowing table shows some Of tie most
important results:
Average yield per
MANURES PER ACRE for - years.
/. No manure, 81 bush.
.. Superphosphate of lime, 24t
3. Superphosphate and ammonia
or nitrate of soda, 40
/. Superphosphate and ammonia
and salts of potash, soda, and
magnesa 4Si
5. II tons barnyard manure 4S55
This little table is worthy of much
more consideration than we can now
give it. | must be very brief Look
first at No. and 8. The only differ
ence between the two plots is that No.
3 has had about 80 lbs of nitrogen APP
piled annually per acre in the form Of
sulphate of ammonia or nitrate Of soda.
This has doubled the crop, Then look
at No. 5. The IA tons Of manure ap-
piled each year contains about 200 lbs.
Of nitrogen, and an excessive abundance
Of every element of plant food, and vet
we get no more barley than from No
3. In other words, so lbs of nitrogen
in an available condition, give as great
crop as 200 lbs of nitrogen in barn
ward manure The crop of barley in
grain and straw. on plot 3 and on plot
5, removes from each acre about - lbs.
of nitrogen per annum. So that in the
% years, there has been applied to plot
8, l,150 lbs. of nitrogen per acre The
crops grown have taken out 515 lbs,
and there has been left in the soil 5I15
lbs of nitrogen per acre. On plot )
there has been applied 1900 lbs. of
nitrogen. The crops have removed 575
lbs, and there is consequently 1923
lbs. of nitrogen left in the soil
Now rccollect that 100 lbs of AVAIL
ABLE nitrogen per acre would make the
land so rich that the crop woald prob
ably be as fiat as pancake" But
the enormous quantity of nitrogen which
has accumulated in the soil from the
annual application OF IA tons of manure
per acre, produces no over luxuriance
Of growth, and in fact gives a no larger
crop now than 80 lbs. Of nitrogen ap-
piled in the form of nitrate of soda or
sulphatc of ammonia.
What has become of this 4,025 lbs.
of nitrogen? Mr. Lawes has shown
that portion of it is washed out by
rains But there is undoubtedly large
amount lying in the soil, in such form
that barley and wheat cannot take it
up But CLOVER CAN TAKE IT Up
At any rate to a much greater extent
than wheat and barley. The Deacon
suggested this idea two years ago.
And | am happy to say that Mr. Lawes
has given us the results of an interest
ing experiment which shows that the
Deacon was right
The field on which this experiment
was made has been cropped as follows
1864, red clover; 1868, wheat, with
artificial manures; 1866, mangles, with
dung and artificial manures, crop re-
moved from the land: 1867, wheat,
unmanured; 1868, oats, with artificial
manures; 1869, 20, II, -, barley,
with artificial manures. In 1872 half
the field was seeded down with clover
on the barley. In 1878, the half not
seeded down was sown to barley again
but without manure The other half
was in clover. The barley yielded 81
bushels per acre The clover yielded
3 tons and As lbs Of hay per acre
The next year, 1874, the whole field
was again sown to barley without
manure Of any kind The yield after
the barley was 50 81 bushels per acre
after the clover 50 bushels per acre.
This result pleases the Deacon, and
ought to rejoice the heart of George
Geddes The 8 tons Of clover hay
have taken out of the soil $50 lbs. of
nitrogen. This hay, fed to sheep, or
cows, or horses, would give US manure
containing about 40 lbs. of nitrogen,
or as much as is contained in five or six
large crops of wheat or barley And
the nitrogen left in the roots of the
clover gave an increase of % 3-4 bushels
Of barley per acre.
May | not he excused. therefore, for
50 repeatedly pointing out the advant-
ages Of growing clover and consuming
it on the farm? We get in the two
years from this field, SO "a bushels of
barley per acre, when barley is sown
after barley; and 50 bushels of barley
on the other half, and 3 tons of clover
hay. Surely tons Of clover hay is
worth much more than ga bushels of
barley. But do not sell the clover hay
| have not time now to say why but
do not do it. One. more remark and |
have done. Instead of sowing wheat
after barley, as most Of us here do,
seed the barley down with clover. We
shall never get rich by growing half
crops of wheat and exporting them to
Europe. Better grow more clover and
raise more beef, pork, mutton, and wool
We have had "good luck " with our
lambs this Spring. l DO not like the
word, but there seems to be more or
less "luck about getting good lambs.
There is a cause for it, but it is not
always easy to find out why lambs
come weak in one case, and strong and
vigorous in another. | have always
had the strongest and healthiest GRADE
lambs. | do not recollect ever losing
more than one during the last five
years, and that was an accident. But
we have always had more or less trouble
with the thoroughbreds The grades
would in all cases get up in few min
utes and take care of themselves
With the thoroughbreds it is not unfre-
quently necessary to turn up the eve
and let the lamb lie down, while we
held his head to the teat and pressed a
little milk into his mouth before he
would suck. These sheep are high
bred They have for generations had