“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.