Mr. Lawes keeps his land _clean_, which is more than can be said of many barley-growers. And in this unfavorable season of 1860, he gets on his three unmanured plots an average of 730 lbs. of barley, equal to 15¼ bushels per acre, and not quite 800 lbs. of straw. Many of our farmers frequently do no better than this. And you must recollect that in such careful experiments as those of Mr. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert, great pains would be taken to get all the barley that grew on the land. With us, barley is cut with a reaper, and admirable as our machines are, it is not an easy matter to cut a light, spindling crop of barley perfectly clean. Then, in pitching the crop and drawing it in, more or less barley is scattered, and even after we have been over the field two or three times with a steel-tooth rake, there is still considerable barley left on the ground. I think we may safely assume that at least as much barley is left on the ground as we usually sow--say two bushels per acre. And so, instead of having 15¼ bushels per acre, as Mr. Lawes had, we should only harvest 13¼ bushels. Of all our ordinary farm crops, barley is attended with the least labor and expense. We usually sow it after corn or potatoes. On such strong land as that of Mr. Lawes, we ought to plow the land in the autumn and again in the spring, or at least stir up the land thoroughly with a two or three-horse cultivator or gang-plow. Let us say that the cost of plowing, harrowing, drilling, and rolling, is $5.00 per acre. Seed, $2.00. Harvesting, $2.00. Threshing, 6 cents a bushel. Receipts: 13¼ bushels barley @ 1.25 $16.57 800 lbs. of straw @ $4. per ton 1.60 ------ Putting in and harvesting the crop $9.00 Threshing 13¼ bushels @ 6c .80 9.80 ------ Rent and profit per acre $ 8.37 “That is a better showing than I expected,” said the Squire, “and as barley occupies the land only a few months, and as we sow wheat after it, we cannot expect large profits.” “Very well,” said I, “Now let us take the crop, this same unfavorable year, on plot 2_a.a._, dressed with superphosphate and nitrate of soda.” The expense of plowing, harrowing, drilling, rolling, seed, and harvesting, would be about the same, or we will say $2.00 an acre more for extra labor in harvesting. And we will allow two bushels per acre for scatterings--though there is nothing like as much barley left on the ground when we have a good crop, as when we have a poor crop. But I want to be liberal. The yield on plot 2_a.a._, was 48¾ bushels per acre, and 2,715 lbs. of straw. Receipts: