1/2 cwt. of superphosphate, give
3,437 lbs. of grain, equal to 71-1/2 of our bushels per acre.

On plot 2_a.a._, 100 lbs. of ammonia and 3-1/2 cwt. of superphosphate,
give 3,643 lbs. of grain, which lacks only 5 lbs. of 76 bushels per
acre, and nearly 2-1/2 tons of straw.

"That will do," said the Deacon, "but I see that in 1857, this same
plot, with the same manure, produced 66-1/2 bushels of dressed grain per
acre, weighing 53-1/2 lbs. to the bushel, or a total weight of 3,696
lbs., equal to just 77 of our bushels per acre."

"And yet," said the Doctor, "this same year, the plot which had 84 tons
of farm-yard manure per acre, produced only 2,915 lbs. of grain, or less
than 61 of our bushels of barley per acre."

The Squire happened in at this time, and heard the last remark. "What
are you saying," he remarked, "about _only_ 61 bushels of barley per
acre. I should like to see such a crop. Last year, in this neighborhood,
there were hundreds of acres of barley that did not yield 20 bushels per
acre, and very little of it would weigh 44 lbs. to the bushel."

This is true. And the maltsters find it almost impossible to get
six-rowed barley weighing 48 lbs. per bushel. They told me, that they
would pay $1.10 per bushel for good bright barley weighing 48 lbs. per
bushel, and for each pound it weighed less than this, they deducted 10
cents a bushel from the price. In other words, they would pay $1.00 a
bushel for barley weighing 47 lbs. to the bushel; 90 cents for barley
weighing 46 lbs.; 80 cents for barley weighing 45 lbs., and 70 cents for
barley weighing 44 lbs.--and at these figures they much preferred the
heaviest barley.

It is certainly well worth our while, if we raise barley at all, to see
if we cannot manage not only to raise larger crops per acre, but to
produce barley of better quality. And these wonderful experiments of Mr.
Lawes are well worth careful examination and study.

The Squire put on his spectacles and looked at the tables of figures.

"Like everybody else," said he, "you pick out the big figures, and to
hear you talk, one would think you scientific gentlemen never have any
poor crops, and yet I see that in 1860, there are three different crops
of only 12-1/8, 12-1/4, and 13-1/4 bushels per acre."

"Those," said I, "are the three plots which have grown barley every year
without any manure, and you have selected the worst year of the whole
twenty."

"Perhaps so," said the Squire, "but we hav