Section I.—of the Influence of Manure on the Quantity of the Wheat and

OTHER CORN CROPS.

Every one knows that some soils naturally produce much larger returns of wheat, oats, and barley than others do, and that the same soil will produce more or less according to the mode in which the land has been prepared by manure, or otherwise, for the reception of the seed. The following table shews the effect produced upon the quantity of the crop by equal quantities of different manures applied to the same soil, sown with an equal quantity of the same seed.

Return in bushels from each Manure applied. bushel of seed. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Rye. Blood, 14 16 12½ 14 Night-soil, — 13 14½ 13½ Sheep’s dung, 12 16 14 13 Horse dung, 10 13 14 11 Pigeon’s dung, — 10 12 9 Cow dung, 7 11 16 9 Vegetable matter, 3 7 13 6 Without manure, — 4 5 4

It is probable that on different soils the returns obtained by the use of these several manures may not be always in the same order, yet, generally speaking, it will always be found that blood, night-soil, and sheep, horse, and pigeon’s dung, are among the most enriching manures that can be employed.

We have already seen a theoretical reason for believing that night-soil should be among the most enriching manures, and the result of actual trial here shews that it is one of the most practically valuable which the farmer can employ.

Two other facts will strike the practical man on looking at the above table.

1. That exclusive of blood, sheep’s dung gave the greatest increase in the barley crop. The favourite Norfolk system of eating off turnips with sheep previous to barley, besides other benefits which are known to attend the practice, may owe part of its acknowledged utility to this powerful action of sheep’s dung upon the barley crop.

2. The action of cow dung upon oats is equally striking, and the large return obtained by the use of vegetable manure alone—thirteen fold—may perhaps explain why in poorly farmed districts oats should be a favourite and comparatively profitable crop, and why they may be cultivated with a certain degree of success on lands to which no rich manure is ever added.