Year: 1869




time show that in very dry seasons it is
most desirable to apply saline manures
sparingly, and also to apply them early in
the spring. Allow me to impress upon
you, that when you apply top-dressings to
pasture, or to artificial grasses, or to cere-
al crops-wheat, oats, or even barley
you should apply them early in the spring,
in order that the manure may have
chance of getting thoroughly distributed
through the soil by being washed into it.
l tried similar experiments on clover-a
mixture of clover seeds of different kinds
being sown without rye grass or any other
grass seeds. The experiments in that case
were undertaken by Mr.. Kimber, Ga for
mer pupil of mine), on land which was
naturally rather poor, but which had been
done extremely we'll The clover was
sown in the preceding year with barley
crop coming after good crop of swedes,
being well manured with dung and drilled
in with 3 cwt. per acre of superphosphate
of lime, and fed off by sheep. In conse-
quence of the applications of good dress
ings of farm-yard manure, of the artiicials
used for the turnip crop, and of the feed
ing off the swedes by sheep, with corn be-
ing given to them at the same time, the
soil seems to have been in excellent agri-
cultural condition. Neither nitrate of So
da nor sulphate of ammonia produced any
effect ON the clover; and that appears to
indicate either that the land must have
been in an excellant agricultural condition,
as l believe it was, or that the clover plant
is not benefited by nitrogenous manures.
On this latter point we have no conclusive
evidence. have been extremely anxious
to ascertain under what circumstances, if
any, ammoniacal salts, or nitrogenous Or
ganic substances, or nitrates, benefit the
leguminous tribes of plants. Some years
ago | made some experiments which SEEM
ed to indicate that nitrogenous manures
have no beneficial effect on the clover
tribes, and probably none either on other
leguminous plants. At any rate, could
never see where sulphate of ammonia had
been applied to clover, nor could J. notice
any beneficial result from the application
of ammoniacal salts to peas and beans !;
whereas l could perceive minutely the eff
fects of nitrogenous manures when they had
been applied to wheat or barley, or any of
the graminaceous family of plants. was
anxious, therefore, to ascertain whether
nitrogenous manures have any effect on
clover. In the experiments which were
conducted by Mr.. Kimber, at Tabney
Warren, near Abingdon, the nitrate of So
da and the sulphate of ammonia had no
beneficial effect whatever on the clover.


At the present time the Scientific Com
| af IL
gagged in making experiments on special
plants. Amongst these are several yarie-
ties of clover on which We intend to try
the effect of ammoniacal salts alone, and of
various mixtures, and l hope the result
will be to bring out some useful informa-
tion on the subject. 1t is sometimes diff
cult to conduct experiments ON large
scale with sufficient scientific precision l
therefore strongly recommend the Commit
tee of the Horticultural Society to insti-
tute some experiments in boxes. A num-
ber of boxes are now set out at Cheswick,
and hope that on a future occasion l
shall be able to give you the results of OBJ
servations which we are making there with
respect to the peculiar action of some spe-
cial fertilizing agents, such as potash and
nitrate of soda. So much, then, with re-
gard to the field investigations which occu-
pied so much of my attention during the
last season. In close connection with
these field experiments 1 have undertaken
to investigate the causes of the benefits
which result from growing clover as a
preparatory crop for wheat. 1t is well
known to most practical farmers that il
they are almost certain to get a good pay
ing crop of clover they are almost certain
to get good paying crop of wheat. You
see how all agricultural matters depend
upon each other. If we can by chemical
means enable the Farmer, on land which
otherwise would not grow clover, to pro-
duce a good crop of clover, we shall thus
place him in the very best position for af.
terwards obtaining paying crops of corn
| have como to the conclusion that the We.
ry best preparation, the very best manure
if you will allow me thus to express my.
self, is good crop of clover. Now, al
first sight nothing seems more contradic.
tory than to say that you can remove q
very large quantity of both mineral and
organic food from the soil, and yet make
it more productive, as in the case of clio.
yer. Nevertheless it is a fact, that the
larger the amount of mineral matter YOU
remove in crop of clover, and the larger
the amount of nitrogen which is carried of
in clover hay, the richer the land becomes
Now here is really strange chemical an.
omaly which cannot be discarded, and in.
vites our investigation which has occupied
my attention, I may say, for more thar
ten years. l first took it up in my leisur,
hours when lived at Cirencester In thu
paper which published in the Journa
last year, you will find analyses of clover
roots and clover soils on the College Farm
at Cire encester. Chemists are much in tn,
same positions as painters; we cannot fin
ish work offhand at once we take up
thing and then leave it for time. w,
then take it up again; just as the oppor
tunity occurs to add to our experience, W,
| al a Al.