CLAY FARMING WITH A PROFIT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6494, 20 December 1881, Page 6

CLAY FARMING WITH A PROFIT.

(Tto Ti*aw.)

In past y**ra w* have described the heavy land ba*b»ndry of Mr John Profit, of Saw* bridgeworth, which consist* in growing per* priori corn crop*, with ocetaleoal break* of dover and aainfrain bay, by t»m»* of steam tillage and artificial manuring. In a lild* book entitled “ Profitable Cora Farming on Clay Laud" (B. fetooford, Charing cro*#) Mr Front haa just published hi# 10 years’ experience down to rial*, with profit'and lot* account, and an dodtia’ion of the eccreU of his *«:«*» from a chemical a* well u practical p int of view. On >450 acre* the tenant** ©allay, reta-ns, and profit* ar# stated thu* On an average of 13 yaara—lßßß-78—tha yearly outlay was £3320, tin Morn* £4300, and the net profit £389. This i»_vory satisfactory, considering the common history of strong land faming during the same period- Bat tbs profit* show a progressive increase. For the first nine year# of the scries tho yearly outlay averaged £3339, the returns £4224, and the profit £865. For the last four years of the sene* Ike asnasi outlay averaged lr», the returns more, and the profit £1263. The tenant’s fixed and working capital together amounted to £9OOO, or £2O per acre ; and on thi* the yearly profit in the nine years 1866-74 averaged 9 2 3 per esnt; but lor the four yean#—ls7s-78—it averaged 14 per cent. What, during the same two periods, were the price* of produce, and at what rent doe* Mr Prout set hi* land P A table given in the book show* that the 14 per cent net annual profit during the list four years—lß7s-78—wa« realized when the Imperial average price* of grain were lower than in the preceding year#, which gave an average profit of 9 2.3 per cent. Mr Prout say*:— " The truth k that yield and expenditure have a greater inflacnoo upon profit than the price of corn ho*. In tho year* 1875,1576, and 1873, when wheat, according lo the imperial averages of July, Ang-st, and September, stood at only Mi 6d up to 49# per quarter, the profits ranged from £IO9O up to £ 151-5 per annum j and the highest prefit of all wu realised in 1875, when tho unpaid price of wheat was 49#. I am not afraid of future average*, even a# poor a* the prices of 1879, when wheat was at 43s lOd, barley at 34*. and oat* at 21*93, Wi*h yield* no better than in the lost four year* of the serif*, and expenditure remaining the same, the result might be a lowering cf the annual return by, perhaps, a 20th part, leaving the net yearly profit still aa much oa £1039 upon 430 acre* of heavy land.”

The rent ia put at 35* per acre, and this is liberal, for it include* aa interest of 5 per cent, upon £4500 of landlord’s improvements. Hence there bo* been no exceptional circumstance of rent or price in favour of the experiment. The farm could not bo expected to escape tho common lot of tho clay* in the calamitous rains and chill temperature of 1879, and that year is debited with a lost o! £SOO. The crop* ef 1880 are not yet completely marketed; but while the wheat gave the moderate yield of three-aad-a-half quarter# per acre, the barley has averaged ffve-and-u-hall quarter*, and the oats seven quarter* per sere. Though 1880 has not turned out the best year oat of the 19 harvest* of continuous com cropping, it is not an unfavorable member of tho series, conridering the seaton ; and it is observable that the produce of this latest year was neither forced by extra dose* of manure, nor betrayed any fa’ling-off in the long-taxed fertility of the soil. As a matter of fact, the whole of the crop# grain, straw, and hay—have been sold off the farm every year (although such export of consumable and manure-making fodder i* not a necessary part of Mr Prout’* •y«tem) ; and yet the cost of the artificial manure# applied ha* become le*r, having averaged £1,323 per year for the «ix year* 186 S-73. but £1,073 for the (even year* 1874-80.

Considering that it is a largo farm, and not a mere plot that hat borne thi* treatment fer a period of 19 year#, and that the trial is wholly on a business-like and commercial basis, wo may look upon Mr Prout’# experiment a# one of the most important, ever undertaken by an agriculturist. What Mr Prout has done can bo practised by many thousand* of farmers with equal succee*: and the detrils of tho management are *o simple and ra»y that, with judicious modifications according to peculiarities of soil, climate, or situation as to markets for special produce, there is nothing in thi* remarkably successful husbandry to prevent its feting adopted by any heavy land farmer haring capital at command and liberty to cultivate and crop as he pleases. Tho most valuable chapter in tho little book is contributed by Dr Vodcker, under whoso advice throughout tho kinds of manure have been chosen and their quantity and manner of application determined. On this high authority tho permanence of tho system is completely set at mt. While light soil* or land* naturally poor in tho elements of fertility cannot sustain an incessant growth of cereals, Dr Vodcker say* that clay soil* and strong loom* (not all, but “ many”) contain within an accessible depth abundant etore* of mineral food for such a purpoio j and it is often the case that clay soil* are unproductive because these store# of food are n >t in a condition immediately available lor the use of corn crops, owing to th* want of perfect drainage, sufficient aeration, adequate cultivation, and a favourable condition in the texture of the land. In 1865 Dr Vodcker made chemical analyse* of the soils fr<>rn three of Mr Prout*# field* j and twelve years later—namely, in' 1877 he again took samples from the same field*, and iufemitted them to analysis. Comparhon of th»- two showed that there wa* no «ign of eshnuUton of the soil, after the flagging «uooe«»ion of corn crop* which had been taken during the interval. The land l» ordinary #! rung loam upon a subsoil of drift clay and cretaceous gravel or chalk-marl, like many largs tree # in this oountrv s never worth a high rent, and when Mr Prout entered upon It, out of condition and valued at no more than 25s per aero. An average of tho toil in » depth of only 6Sn contains per acre 7 t" 34 tons of June, 8j lo *l| tons of poUth, -« to 4| tons of magnesia, one and a-huf to two ton* of phosphoric acid, two-thirds of » ton up to two ton# of eulphurio arid, and one ton to one and a half of nitrogen. A* the i-ool# of wheat generally penetrate the ground to a depth of two feet, ami often v|yjN||rU more, the crop h'i an enormous sta^^Mwa# 1 ' irn(M>n ru.t subilani-e# upon *;■ But, in a six-inch stratum Oldrejl. -J ir,d Tia* lime enough foe tlwtuand# 01 wheat crops, megnetia for hundreds of crops, |jota*h for 200 crops, sulphuric arid for 200 trap*, and phosphoric acid enough for 150 crop*. The nitrogen in a six-inch stratum is enough for 34 up to 61 craps, T*o rr Ihree feet depth of such land contain! an almost unlimited store of the mineral condiment* abriraoted by corn crops, Nitrogen, nowever, the most important and expensive element of fertility, occur# there, «» in most clay roi!», in much smaller proportion : ,im ‘ in the condition in which i» exist# !, i the organic matter* of tho soil it is not readily j avtiitnhle for the plant* to a**}tnl'»te- In j manuring, therefore, tho ofeje •’ i# to "‘M’l’v wheat, barley, and oat* with atnmonical or readily available nitrogenous manure, or nitrate of lada, ‘ sulphate <tf omm°

cis, toot, and other frri.;ir->r» whiriv fOß'su’s nitrogen ia a soi»jM# r- nlitiun j also to supply phosjihorie which s» not Is the Uadis very-abtiKiUtA qavotity. Potash way In lime b« wanu.-f ; bu?-. wh«J tried, it* sMdieatioo gave r,o mureaMi to the srodase. Id me, to©, ha* been *d l»*f, wit hno MSeSdal rraali. Tf»» boa«.mrd mineral rap*rpb««pbate, tnaao, and ajfra • of wed*, applied to Slw extenl of Uh worth re* acr* •very year, iapply about 3hlb of tdlregta per acre j while a crop of wheat tales mi about 71 lb, and sewpof barley take*out &Uh. Tbc% Io on* aw* 33;'». and iu tb* other 131 b, of nitrogen per acts rem -tid fey tb# crop fes* either eotm aui of tbs atom in tb* Mil or been acquired from the attnotphar*. _A* there t* no dimir,niton of the amount of nitrofan found ia lb# land afler a long roufw of year*, this tonedtuast is UTideslly o' Sained from th* wind* sod rain* fey tb*growing crop or by th* well-»tirred and pulverised earth in which it ia rooted. The quantity of pho*phoric acid applied to the land is the wanur* amount# lo fmr lime# at much m a good crop of wheat rrmovea, orfiv* Umr« mov* than ia taken of by a good crop ot barley. Probably, therefore, Mr Proct is enriching hi* land by aa unnecesrary expeoditura in bone manor*, and might effect m saving in the manure bill without diminishing hi* crop*. Dr Voelcker »»y* : —

“ Thi* much teem* certain, that deep and thorough tillage and aura bn of the soil and subsoil appear to be preparing from year to year abundance of- ail the more common mineral constituent# of plant-food, and that tho quantities of bon# manure* and guano which Mr Prout applies to the land are more than sufficient to guard against the gradual exhaustion of it* most valuable mineral fertilising oonatiiaent Ho fear whatever need he entertained that under thi# system of cultivation and mooring to* land will be impovrrisbed, for after the 14 years during which I have watched Mr Prout’# farming operation* I can perceive no tsgnscf incipient exhaustion, but,-on the contrary, clear evidence of the great improvement which has been effected in once unproductive clay ; cor can I recognise any theoretical grounds lor doubting that this wonderful improvement, which has been achieved at Sawbridgeworth, will be less a snccet* in years to costs than it ha# bees in the pact. I cun see no reason why fey this system of manuring, and an occasional dead summer fallow ia order to give a thorough clearing to the land, Mr Prout should not b« able to grow wheat or barley profitably for an indefinite number of year* without injury to the land.” The attention of land owner* and land agents is besought for this example of land Improvement. It is shown that, while earning a handsome profit for the occupier, the husbandry pursued has at the mexs lime greatly augmented the value cf the fee-simple. In 186! the estate cost £16,000, or £35 per acre. The owner expended £4500 in lour years in drainage, outfall#, roads, and other permanent work#, bringing the total sum inverted up to £20.500. In 1875 a professional valuation put the rental at 45* per acre, and the properly as wjrtfa £31,000- Another authority reported the farm os worth, in that year, 40* per acre to rent, and the fee-eimpl* as worth double what it originally cost. And certainly the world does not often bear of clay land improvement doubling the value of an estate in fourteen years, tn addition to yielding a fortune meanwhile to the occupier. Mr Front’s little book is a demonstration of the mean# by which lands now going out of cultivation may be tilled with profit even against foreign competition prices and in tho absence of specially prolific seasons.