OAT STRAW. Oat straw is estimated at about 15 cwts. per acre; one part becomes, when dried in vacuo, 0.713; one part burned leaves 0.0509 of ash: On a freshly manured soil, the average produce of beet at Bechelbronn is 10 tons, 15 cwts. 1 qr. per acre. The worst crops do not fall below 5 tons, 2 cwts. 1 qr. 14 lbs., and the best do not exceed 16 tons, 7 cwts. 1 qr., results which I took occasion to observe varied sensibly from those obtained in different places. I stated that Schwertz and Thaer make the average 14 tons, 14 cwts. 2 qrs. 16 lbs. Malinger, after taking the mean of ten years, adopts 11 tons, 1 cwt. 3 qrs. 6 lbs. At Roville, M. de Dombasle speaks of 7 tons, 3 cwts. 26 lbs. as the mean of seven years. At Bechelbronn, the leaves of the beet are not given to cattle; they are left upon the ground. A piece of beet-root weighing 1 oz. 16 dwts. was reduced to 4,7%, say 5 dwts. after being stove dried. After complete desiccation, at 230° F. one part of root became 0.122; one part of root left upon incineration 0.0624 of residuum : Rye is seldom introduced into the rotation at Bechelbronn. They reckon its produce at 26 bushels per acre, when it has had a supplementary dose of manure. The bushel weighs fully 58 lbs. I have taken the proportion of grain to straw as 45 is to 100. One part of rye, dried at 230° F. weighed 0.834; one part incinerated left 0.0237 of ash : One part of straw, completely dried, weighed 0.813: one part of which, incinerated, left 0.0368 of ash: Raised on manured land yielded 16 bushels per acre, weighing fully 62 lbs. per bushel. One part of peas, after complete desiccation, weighed 0.914; one part of dried peas left of ash 0.0314: One acre of peas produces about 22 or 23 cwts. of straw; one part of the straw after desiccation weighed 0.802; one part after incineration 0.1132: JERUSALEM POTATO OR ARTICHOKE. In Alsace, Jerusalem artichokes are always grown on one and the same piece of land, which is manured every two years. At Bechelbronn, on a somewhat shallow soil, the produce per acre amounts to: Tubers...... 10 tons 10 A tuber which weighed on being taken from the ground 1 oz. 15, dwts., weighed dwts. after it was dried in the stove. After absolute desiccation, one part was reduced to 0.208; one portion of the dry tuber left 0.0594 after incineration: DRIED STEMS OF JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES. These stems had stood through the winter where they grew, and were almost wholly composed of pith. One part after desiccation weighed 0.871: one part left of ash 0.0276. SUBSTANCES. I fear that in this analysis the carbon and azote are rated too low. I have collected in two tables the results of the analyses as detailed above. The first exhibits the quantity of dry matter and moisture contained in each specimen; the other, the elementary composition. On careful examination of the numbers given in the second table, certain substances will be found very analogous in composition. If the ashes be deducted, the analogy becomes complete; for many substances differing widely both in character and properties, nevertheless appear to possess the same composition; a fact which I do not undertake to explain. TABLE OF THE PROPORTIONS OF WATER CONTAINED IN DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES. COMPOSITION OF THE SAME SUBSTANCES DRIED IN VACUO AT 230° RELATIONS OF MANURES TO CROPS. The manure employed at Bechelbronn is what is commonly called farm-yard dung, a compost made up of the excrements of horses, oxen, and straw litter impregnated with urine. The dung of fowls and pigeons, and the sweepings of the yard, are sometimes applied to special purposes. The animals whose excrements form the dung which I have examined were horses, oxen, and swine. The manure is put upon the ground when it has undergone fermentation in the heap: it is manure half-made the straw litter is not entirely decomposed, but is soft and filamentous; in this state manure retains a great deal of moisture. DESICCATION OF HALF-MADE OR HALF-DECAYED MANURE. EXPERIMENT 1. A quantity of manure prepared during the winter of 1837-1838, which in the state in which it was being put on the ground, weighed 257 lbs after it had been dried so as to be easily reduced to powder, weighed 57 lbs. The loss of water was therefore about 77.3 in 100 This number comes very near the estimate of several German agriculturists, who reckon the moisture in farm-yard dung at 75 per Still this loss does not represent the whole of the water; for after desiccation at 212° F. the 57 lbs. weighed 54 lbs. after desiccation in vacuo, at 230° F. it was found that one part of stove-dried manure lost 0.039. Thus the manure parted in totality with 79.62 per cent. of water, and contained in consequence 20.4 of dry substance. cent. EXPERIMENT II. In fine, Of the manure prepared in the winter of 1838-1839, 220 lbs. after being chopped and dried weighed 56 lbs. One part of this manure was reduced in dry vacuo at a temperature of 230° F. to 0.872. The 220 lbs. would therefore have weighed when dry 48 lbs. EXPERIMENT III. Of the manure prepared during the summer of 1839, 660 lbs. weighed after desiccation 151 lbs.; of this dry manure reduced to powder, one part lost by desiccation in vacuo at 230° F. 0.1461. The 151 lbs. would therefore have lost 22 lbs. ; consequently the 660 lbs. of manure contained 129 lbs. of dry matter, that is, 19.64 per cent. Subjoined is a summary of the per centage of dry matter: ANALYSES OF HALF-MADE MANURES. I. Manure prepared during the winter of 1837-1838: Matter 0.5595, gave carbonic acid 0.528, water 0.157: C. 32.4, H. 3.8, II. Manure prepared during the winter of 1837-1838: III. Manure prepared during the winter of 1837-1838: IV. Manure prepared during the spring of 1838: V. Manure prepared during the spring of 1839: Matter 0.445, gave carbonic acid 0.643, water 0.171: C. 40.0, H. 4.3, Azote 2.4.-1.000 gave ashes 0.257. VI. Matter 0.427, gave carbonic acid 0.543, water 0.150: C. 34.7, H, 3.9. 0.427, 66 Azote 2.0.-1.000 gave ashes 0.315. 0.127" 34.3, 4.8, 0.530, 66 In all these analyses, the combustion was promoted by the addition of chlorate of potash; some oxide of antimony was likewise added. The carbonic acid of the ash was determined and struck off. The measure of dung in use at Bechelbronn is the wagon drawn by four horses. After repeated weighings it was found that this measure contains nearly 1 ton, 15 cwts. 2 qrs. 23 lbs of moist material, or 7 cwt. 1 qr. 15 lbs. if that be computed dry. The first course of the rotation receives 27 loads of this manure, weighing about 48 tons, 14 qrs. 5 lbs., equivalent to 9 tons, 19 cwts. 0 qr. 2 lbs. of dry ma nure. The preceding analyses show that this charge of manure, which is to fertilize the soil during the course of the rotation (five years) contains: Such are the principles which together form the organic matter that is to be consumed and in major part assimilated by the crops * I presume that the quantity above specified is that which is laid on the French hectare, equal to 2.4 acres English. To get at the quantity laid on per acre, it would therefore be necessary to divide by 24-10: Thus 48 tons, 14 cwts. 5 lbs. per hectare ill be equal to 20 tons, 1 cwt. 3 qrs. per English acre.-ENG. ED. |