phosphates,
and some this, and some that. I believe nothing of the kind. Depend upon
it, the variety of the wheat and the soil and season have much more to
do with the quality or strength of the flour, than the chemical
composition of the manures applied to the land."

"At any rate," said the Doctor, "we may be satisfied that anything that
will produce a vigorous, healthy growth of wheat is favorable to
quality. We may use manures in excess, and thus produce over-luxuriance
and an unhealthy growth, and have poor, shrunken grain. In this case, it
is not the use, but the abuse of the manure that does the mischief. We
must not manure higher than the season will bear. As yet, this question
rarely troubles us. Hitherto, as a rule, our seasons are better than our
farming. It may not always be so. We may find the liberal use of manure
so profitable that we shall occasionally use it in excess. At present,
however, the tendency is all the other way. We have more grain of
inferior quality from lack of fertility than from an excess of
plant-food."

"That may be true," said I, "but we have more poor, inferior wheat from
lack of draining and good culture, than from lack of plant-food.
Red-root, thistles, cockle, and chess, have done more to injure the
reputation of 'Genesee Flour,' than any other one thing, and I should
like to hear more said about thorough cultivation, and the destruction
of weeds, and less about soil exhaustion."

The following table shows the results of the experiments the _sixth
year_, 1848-9.

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

Table VI.--Manures and Produce; 6th Season, 1848-9. Manures and Seed
(Red Cluster), Sown Autumn, 1848.

Manures
FM Farm-yard Manure.
P-A Pearl-ash.
S-A Soda-ash.
SMg Sulphate of Magnesia.
B-A Bone-ash.
SAc Sulphuric Acid. (Sp. gr. 1.7)
MAc Muriatic Acid.
SAm Sulphate of Ammonia.
MAm Muriate of Ammonia.
RC Rape-cake.

----+----------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Manures per Acre. |
P +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----------------+-----+-----+----+
l | | | | | Superphosphate | | | |
o | | | | | of Lime. | | | |
t | | | | +-----+-----+-----+ | | |
s | FM